Book: Vitalia by Eliza Benner
Reviewed by Ashley M
Rating: 4/5
Overview
Dates read: June 24, 2026 – July 26, 2026
Eliza Benner builds a world that is at once brutal and dazzling, where dragons prowl beneath secretive Fae dynasties and centuries-old secrets press in from every shadowed corner. Naevyn longs above all to break her family's ancient curse and escape the grip of a king whose reign has calcified into tyranny.
Far from a familiar high-fantasy quest, she's thrust between a merciless sovereign and a cohort of cursed Fae dragon-shifters, condemned to a traveling circus that is anything but whimsical. Benner interrogates the pull of destiny, showing that the past rarely resurfaces without demanding a steep, often magical reckoning.
What I Loved
Cairos. Nearly seven feet of dark muscle and centuries of agonizing history wrapped in pure danger. Sworn to the king after his family was hunted to near extinction, he twists loyalty and vengeance into one, moving through the court like smoke over glass.
The slow-burn friction. Watching Naevyn and Cairos navigate the king's court is like watching two people waltz through a minefield. He treats forced proximity like a game of chess: arrogant feints, smoldering silences, and a shielded truth you keep sifting for. "Eager to get me in your bed, Little Wren?"
The circus set piece. When Naevyn is lifted into the air by a surge of unpredictable magic, the arena becomes a literal theater of chaos, the moment she shifts from spectator to pawn in a much larger game.
Hypnotic world-building. A glass forest of brittle spires and sterile crystal houses shatters against the shadow-drenched obsidian of Cairos's domain. These aren't decoration; they're living scars of a realm steeped in unatoned history.
The dark price of magic. Discovering that the kingdom's protection relies on harvesting human souls pivots the novel from an outward clash into an internal rebellion against tyranny.
What Didn't Work
No real complaints. My Medium review didn’t flag anything that fell flat.
Verdict
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Stop everything and read this first installment in the Circus of Souls series: Fae with their primordial, bone-chilling malice intact, seismic reversals that subvert romantic convention, and an obsidian lineage burdening every dragon.
Read next:
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent: deadly trials, brutal courts, and a dangerously alluring enemy
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon: sprawling dragon lore and deep political intrigue
A Realm of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout: secret identities, ancient prophecy, and a brooding, secret-keeping male lead
Full review on Medium