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teaand_tomes's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
4.0
A captivating story with well-crafted, relatable characters and a plot full of unexpected twists. The organic relationships, surprising ending, and the chemistry between main characters Bash and Eva add to the intrigue and suspense. The story offers a riveting journey that keeps readers engrossed until the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Torture and Kidnapping
rachelisathomas22's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Thank you to City Owl Press and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Our main character Eva, traumatized by the death of her family seven years ago, slowly begins to discover there was more to her family’s death and her destiny than she realized. With new companions she meets along the way, she journeys to find the truth and save the world from an evil curse. Twists and turns as romances and friendships are tested and truths are finally revealed.
The plot was the strongest part of the story for me. The author had clear intentions to set up the foundation for a trilogy and give readers enough world building and stakes to continue the story past here. While some of the exposition felt heavy at times in the book, there is a clear picture and direction for where we are going. The magical system and different magical elements that come into play are interesting and keep the reader interested and wanting to know more while still being simple enough for readers to understand how magic works without having to repeat it too many times.
This is a romantasy and it stays true to the genre. I felt the fantasy part was stronger than the romance part, which was a shame because the story tended to lean more into the romance than the fantasy. For me, the main issues with the romance elements were that it all felt too immediate and sudden. This does have strong elements of the fated mates trope, and the romance felt like it was built only on attraction and trauma. Other than their looks, tension, and trauma I don’t know if I could tell you much about the relationship of the main romance or much else about the characters.
I hope the book when published also includes a trigger warning for sexual assault.
Our main character Eva, traumatized by the death of her family seven years ago, slowly begins to discover there was more to her family’s death and her destiny than she realized. With new companions she meets along the way, she journeys to find the truth and save the world from an evil curse. Twists and turns as romances and friendships are tested and truths are finally revealed.
The plot was the strongest part of the story for me. The author had clear intentions to set up the foundation for a trilogy and give readers enough world building and stakes to continue the story past here. While some of the exposition felt heavy at times in the book, there is a clear picture and direction for where we are going. The magical system and different magical elements that come into play are interesting and keep the reader interested and wanting to know more while still being simple enough for readers to understand how magic works without having to repeat it too many times.
This is a romantasy and it stays true to the genre. I felt the fantasy part was stronger than the romance part, which was a shame because the story tended to lean more into the romance than the fantasy. For me, the main issues with the romance elements were that it all felt too immediate and sudden. This does have strong elements of the fated mates trope, and the romance felt like it was built only on attraction and trauma. Other than their looks, tension, and trauma I don’t know if I could tell you much about the relationship of the main romance or much else about the characters.
I hope the book when published also includes a trigger warning for sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Violence and Stalking
susanpevensie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
‧₊˚ ⋅PLOT⋅ ‧₊˚ ⋅
seven years have passed since the fire that took her entire family. eva, now a 24-year-old woman is still grappling with the trauma of that tragic night—not really knowing if her memories of what occurred were to be trusted. due to her trauma, eva guarded her trust; only enjoying the company of her friend quinn. when quinn encouraged eva to give the man she was talking with a chance, eva decided to follow her advice—why not? little did she know that her decision would change her life—literally.
after her date-turned-golem attacked her, she was rescued by a dashing fae named bash, whom she was immediately taken to. eva found out that she was indeed fae-born and that in order to break the curse that had befallen her birthworld, he must take her to her faerie partner (anima). eva was immediately suspicious of him but quickly relented when she realized that it was her only way to find out the truth about what happened to her parents and twin brother.
⋅˚₊‧ THOUGHTS ‧₊˚ ⋅
i was intrigued by the premise initially. however, few chapters into the book, i realized that it was just a run-of-the-mill faerie fantasy romance and i soon found myself quite bored. the faerie lore was interesting but again, i felt like it has definitely been done before. aside from that, i liked both eva and bash as individuals but i didn't really get them as a couple. i am the kind of reader who prefers a slow build-up/development between my main characters but with bash and eva, there was definitely an insta-attraction/lust going on. that was not a fault of the book though as their instant attraction/lust was explained later.
⋅˚₊‧ FINAL WORDS ‧₊˚ ⋅
overall, i enjoyed the book for what it was. regardless of that, i don't think i would be picking up this next book in the trilogy. i would recommend this book for those who enjoy a standard fae story, an absolutely unredeemable villain, forbidden romance (sexual tensions and lingering eyes) and fated mates. i would also suggest fellow readers to check trigger warnings for the book because some scenes could be very upsetting.
ᡣ𐭩 i received an advance reader copy from netgalley and city owl press in exchange for an honest review ᡣ𐭩
seven years have passed since the fire that took her entire family. eva, now a 24-year-old woman is still grappling with the trauma of that tragic night—not really knowing if her memories of what occurred were to be trusted. due to her trauma, eva guarded her trust; only enjoying the company of her friend quinn. when quinn encouraged eva to give the man she was talking with a chance, eva decided to follow her advice—why not? little did she know that her decision would change her life—literally.
after her date-turned-golem attacked her, she was rescued by a dashing fae named bash, whom she was immediately taken to. eva found out that she was indeed fae-born and that in order to break the curse that had befallen her birthworld, he must take her to her faerie partner (anima). eva was immediately suspicious of him but quickly relented when she realized that it was her only way to find out the truth about what happened to her parents and twin brother.
⋅˚₊‧ THOUGHTS ‧₊˚ ⋅
i was intrigued by the premise initially. however, few chapters into the book, i realized that it was just a run-of-the-mill faerie fantasy romance and i soon found myself quite bored. the faerie lore was interesting but again, i felt like it has definitely been done before. aside from that, i liked both eva and bash as individuals but i didn't really get them as a couple. i am the kind of reader who prefers a slow build-up/development between my main characters but with bash and eva, there was definitely an insta-attraction/lust going on. that was not a fault of the book though as their instant attraction/lust was explained later.
⋅˚₊‧ FINAL WORDS ‧₊˚ ⋅
overall, i enjoyed the book for what it was. regardless of that, i don't think i would be picking up this next book in the trilogy. i would recommend this book for those who enjoy a standard fae story, an absolutely unredeemable villain, forbidden romance (sexual tensions and lingering eyes) and fated mates. i would also suggest fellow readers to check trigger warnings for the book because some scenes could be very upsetting.
ᡣ𐭩 i received an advance reader copy from netgalley and city owl press in exchange for an honest review ᡣ𐭩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping