I loved this so much more than Bride. When I first read about Serena through Misery’s POV in Bride, I’ll admit—I found her a little annoying. At times, she didn’t seem like a great friend to Misery. But wow, I judged way too quickly. Mate completely flipped my perception of her.

Serena isn’t perfect, but her flaws make sense once you understand the world she’s been forced to live in. Choices made for her, a life without a sense of history—or even anatomy—and somehow she still carves out her identity with sarcasm and wit. I adored that about her. And Misery perfectly matches that energy with equal sharpness and heart.

Then there’s Koen. Confident, straightforward, and quietly dominant in a way that challenges Serena in all the best ways. Their dynamic is heated, clever, and playfully youthful—like two people constantly trying to one-up each other but somehow falling harder in the process. Koen’s subtle attentiveness, paired with that no-nonsense intensity, makes him the exact kind of MMC you can’t recover from.

I inhaled this book the second I opened it. Ali Hazelwood, I’m begging—write more paranormal romance. This story was sharp, sexy, and unexpectedly emotional. Mate made me feral—in the best, most unhinged reader way possible.

Song choice: Don’t Go Insane by DPR IAN