Today’s book review is about THE FEYWILD JOB by C.L. Polk. This is a shorter review, largely because I DNF this one pretty early on. Keep reading to find out why I DNF this Dungeons and Dragons heist fantasy romance.
Author: C.L. Polk
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Publish Date: June 30, 2026
Print Length: 352
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The Feywild Job Synopsis
Synopsis
Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist, in this cozy fantasy romance by the bestselling author of the Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End.
Named one of the most anticipated romantasies of 2026 by Book Riot
Saeldian has sworn never to fall in love. That oath isn’t just a personal promise, but rather a magical pact, granting them powerful abilities. The only catch? They must never give their heart away—a deal that Saeldian is perfectly content with. They’ve seen firsthand how messy love can get.
Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse.
The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team.
The last time Saeldian saw Kell, things hardly ended on good terms. A kiss became a betrayal, leaving Kell hurt and confused for almost a decade. But Kell can’t just walk away—not when this job might finally be his ticket back to the Feywild.
Forced to work together again, their adventure takes them from high-society parties to Feywild couple’s therapy. But as Saeldian and Kell rekindle their chemistry, they realize the gem is much more than a fey bauble, and their simple heist has summoned powerful enemies. . . .
The Feywild Job Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
Unfortunately, THE FEYWILD JOB was a DNF for me at 16%. Over the past year I’ve enjoyed a number of D&D-related romances and expected to also enjoy this one. However, I quickly realized that I just couldn’t tolerate the writing style, which was a surprise because I really liked this author’s novella, EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END.
Right from the very first chapter the dialogue felt stiff and stilted. I initially chalked it up to Saeldian being a kid in the introduction. However, the stiff dialogue only marginally improved after the story fast forwarded to the present day. There was also something about the writing style that just felt unpolished, as if it needed another round of edits or the author felt uninspired while writing it. I felt like sentence composition seemed kind of juvenile. Additionally, I couldn’t keep the point of views straight between Saeldian and Kell. The POVs more or less alternate between these two characters. But within each POV there was more alternating of POVs between Saeldian and Kell to the point where it got confusing and I found myself rereading sections multiple times.
Lastly, I felt like I was just missing the bigger picture. As someone who doesn’t actually play D&D, I’ve still been able to enjoy other D&D romances with no problems understanding things because they’re explained within the story. However, I didn’t feel this was the case for THE FEYWILD JOB, either because I actually need to know some sort of backstory, or because the writing style just didn’t work for me.
Rating: N/A
Content warnings: —
Reading format: Kindle e-book
Sorry to hear this one was such a miss for you! I’ve been curious about it, but it sounds like it might be one I’ll skip.
Me too! I was disappointed because I usually enjoy dipping into the D&D world a la fantasy romance.
Sorry this was a DNF. I have seen other negative reviews too so it’s not just you. I think I’d have a big problem with the juvenile writing/dialog as well.
I was worried it was just me until I had a look through of the Goodreads reviews. There are definitely a number of other reviewers who had similar feelings about it, so I think I made a good decision to move on.
I’ve definitely DNF-ed because of writing style and I always wonder if it’s a me-issue. The concept sounds interesting but I guess it just wasn’t for you.
I’ll probably still give this one a go since I already bought it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it’ll end up in the Pango pile, especially since some of the author’s previous books didn’t really work for me. I wish I hadn’t bought it, but it was staring at me on a trip to B&N. The cover made me pick it up. lol.
My audiobook loan just came up for this one! Hopefully it works better for me though. Perhaps my love of Tabletop RPGs will carry me through, lol
When I saw you mention this before the pretty cover and Feywild name intrigued me. Now I think I may let it pass me by. Juvenile writing would be very likely to frustrate me and although I loved the D&D movie I know nothing about the game itself. Its odd how sometimes an authors style can differ so greatly between books.