by: Melissa Poett
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
A stunning reimagining of Tristan and Isolde set in a dystopian world woven with magic. An addictive debut YA enemies-to-lovers romantasy—perfect for fans of Rebecca Ross and Sarah Underwood as well as books like Curious Tides, The Hurricane Wars, and Belladonna.
It’s been thirty-seven years since the Republic was destroyed. Now two settlements—the five clans and the Kingsland—fight for control of the untainted land. Though the five clans are outnumbered, they’ve finally struck, killing Kingsland’s brutal leader.
In the war that follows, Isadora, an eighteen-year-old healer, risks her life to help injured soldiers. But when she stops an attack from Tristan, a Kingsland assassin, his soldiers shoot her with a poisoned arrow. As Isadora lies dying, Tristan does the unimaginable: He offers to save her life using a rare magic.
In choosing to live, Isadora is unknowingly bound to the mysterious Tristan. Worse, even acknowledging the attraction between them allows him to glean fragments of her memories and the very knowledge he needs to destroy the five clans. But their magical connection works both ways. So to save her people, Isadora will have to open her heart to her most cunning enemy. Because in a race for ultimate survival, she’ll need to destroy Tristan and his people first.
I’m doing really great! Thank you for having me on your blog.
You're welcome. I really appreciate you being here. Congratulations on the upcoming release of your YA debut, The Enemy’s Daughter. Full confession, in preparing for this interview, I went to your website and got distracted by one of the covers. The UK cover for the book is amazing. I’m not even sure I have words for it. Then. Then, I happened to go to your Instagram and saw there was another edition. This one had, wait for it. SPRAYED EDGES!!! I definitely need that edition. But I digress.
Thank you—yes, the export edition (which can be found in countries outside of the US, Canada, and UK), is so incredibly beautiful. It has a similar cover to the UK edition, and I believe both (the UK edition and the export edition) can be ordered at Blackwells, if you want it shipped.
Tell me about The Enemy’s Daughter.
The short answer is that The Enemy’s Daughter is a dystopian reimagining of the story of Tristan and Isolde, woven with some magic. It’s set 37 years after civilization crumbles, and because of that, it has a very medieval feel to it, with swords and bow and arrows.
It’s about two settlements of people who have been fighting over the left-over resources and habitable land for quite some time. I like to describe it as sort of a David and Goliath situation—the Five clans are outnumbered but are the “good guys,” which is where our main character, Isadora, lives. She’s a healer and daughter of their leader. On the other side, is the Kingsland, who are essentially terrorists: they raid, pillage, and steal women from the clans to enslave them.
Tell me more about Isadora and Tristan.
The story begins with a battle breaking out between the two settlements, and Isadora sneaking out to help the wounded soldiers, but instead, stumbles across Tristan, a Kingsland assassin on his way to murder her father. What I love about Isadora is her courage. She’s been sheltered by a lot, but can throw a knife, and by some miracle (and a few stabbings), she captures Tristan. And so begins her dangerous journey through the forest to take this enemy boy back to her father to, essentially, be tortured—which Isadora isn’t really okay with. Isadora really struggles with the choices being made around her. Why is there war? Is fighting the only option? And now that she’s captured an enemy boy who clearly hates her and seems to know a concerning amount about her, what is she going to do with him?
What draws them to each other?
The short answer—magic. Tristan’s soldiers ambush the two of them and Isadora is shot with a poisoned arrow. It’s a death sentence. And it’s here that everything changes and Tristan makes a surprising choice: offering to save Isadora’s life using a rare magic. A rare magic that he fails to mention will bond them together magically in some very interesting and rather . . . permanent ways.
What tropes are found in the book, and is there one that’s your favorite?
Yeah, so I put a lot of my favorites in this one. There’s enemies to lovers and forbidden romance. There are a ton of unique forced close proximity situations (one involving her tying him to a tree). The healing scene . . . let’s just say they have to get pretty close for it to work. And as mentioned, it leaves them bonded magically, where they can access each other’s memories and share illness and pain . . . and some other interesting things that you’ll have to read about to find out!
I can imagine The Enemy’s Daughter has a lot of great scenes. I have a feeling this is going to be hard, but tell me about one of your favorites scenes and why you list it as a favorite.
Oof, yes. That’s a hard one. I think the healing scene is my favorite—the one where Tristan heals Isadora of the poison using his rare magic. The idea for the book came to me in a dream early one Christmas morning and the bulk of it was this specific scene. Then when it came to actually writing it, it just flowed out of me so easily—something that doesn’t always happen, even with scenes you’re excited to write about.
We’ve talked about your favorite scene. Overall, what was your favorite part of the book to write?
I do love the angry tension between Tristan and Isadora in the beginning. There’s a self-discovery that happens for them both after they put a face and a name to this idea of having an enemy. But I also love the delicious tension and banter between them once they become connected magically. They realize it’s an opportunity to use the other for an edge in the overarching war between their peoples. But to do that, they have to walk this line of vulnerability and ruthlessness with each other. They have to get into each other’s heads—literally, with the magic—all while trying to not reveal their growing feelings for each other. And ultimately, they have to decide if they’re willing to destroy the other for the future of their people. I could keep going, but I’ll just leave it at: my favorite part is pretty much any scene between Tristan and Isadora.
I’m sure a lot of people are going to want to know, is The Enemy’s Daughter a one and done book or is it the start of a series?
I’m happy to say that The Enemy’s Daughter is a complete standalone—which is a rare find in fantasy. And—breaking news—book two will be set in the same world as the first! Featuring the beloved magic system and a mix of new and old characters, this next installment will reimagine another iconic 12th-century medieval legend . . . although I’m not allowed to say what it is yet! So stay tuned!
Melissa, thank you so much for answering some questions for me.
And thank you!
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