Exquisite Ruin

YA author May (Court of the Undying Seasons, written as A.M. Strickland) makes her adult debut with this sensuous if puzzling romantasy retelling of the Minotaur myth. Sadaré, a witch with a gift for drawing magic from pain, wakes up in a labyrinth, unable to remember who she is or how she got there. With her is a beautiful, minotaurlike daemon named Daesra, who hates Sadaré, holding a grudge from their tangled past, which only he remembers. To escape, the pair must defeat the monster at the center of the labyrinth. By traveling through a series of mirrors scattered across their path, Sadaré slowly regains her memories—including the truth about her kinky and tumultuous relationship with Daesra. Reluctant allies, the duo must overcome deadly obstacles and their conflicted feelings for each other if they hope to make it to the center of the ever-changing maze—but Sadaré’s past bargain with a god causes an unexpected setback to their quest for freedom. The morally gray main characters come across as immature, but their enemies-to-lovers dynamic—enhanced with plentiful, if often out of place, BDSM-infused flashbacks—will draw in romantasy fans. Less successful is a massive late-stage plot twist, which readers will struggle to wrap their heads around. This starts with a fascinating premise, but falls short in execution. (Mar.)