ROMANTASY BOOK CLUB: THIS MONSTER OF MINE
July 19, 2026 12:00 am
Romantasy readers have a Park Street meet up in Alameda
Books Inc. in Alameda is the kind of spot that makes book talk feel easy. It has that neighborhood bookstore feel, with shelves close by, staff picks within reach, and enough Park Street energy outside to make it feel like a small local outing.
On Sunday, July 19, the shop hosts its romantasy book club with bookseller Danielle leading the conversation. The pick is This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara, a dark fantasy romance with court politics, murder, magic, and a very dangerous working relationship at the center.
The story follows Sarai, a prosecutor who can magically detect lies. She is trying to solve the mystery of her own attempted murder, while working beside Kadra, one of the land’s feared judges and possibly the person tied to the crime. So yes, there should be plenty to talk about.
This is a good one for readers who like morally messy characters, forbidden attraction, revenge plots, and fantasy worlds with sharp edges. And since Danielle is guiding the discussion, you can expect the talk to stay friendly, focused, and open to everyone from regular romantasy readers to folks who just finished the book five minutes before walking in.
Check the event details here: event page.
Venue info: Books Inc., 1344 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501.
Join us for this months Romantasy Book Club at Books Inc. Alameda! We are reading and discussing This Monter of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara.Lead by the incredible bookseller Danielle. About the book:This dazzling Ancient Rome-inspired romantasy is a bloodbath of manipulation, deception, and forbidden love."With sizzling romantic tension, intricate world-building, and an irresistible mystery at its core, this book is an absolute feast for the senses. A dazzling and deliciously dark debut" ―Keshe Chow, author of The Girl With No ReflectionShe knows the taste of death. He’ll stoke her hunger for it.Sarai doesn’t know why someone tried to kill her four years ago, but she does know that her case was closed without justice. Hellbent on vengeance, she returns to the scene of the crime as a Petitor, a prosecutor who can magically detect lies, and is assigned to work with Tetrarch Kadra. Ice-cold and perennially sadistic, Kadra is the most vicious of the four judges who rule the land—and the prime suspect in a string of deaths identical to Sarai’s attempted murder.Certain of his guilt, Sarai begins a double life: solving cases with Kadra by day and plotting his ruin by night. But Kadra is charming and there’s something alluring about the wrath he wields against the city’s corruption. So when the evidence she finds embroils her in a deadly political battle, Sarai must also fight against her attraction to Kadra—because despite his growing hold on her heart, his voice matches the only memory she has of her assailant.