annsbibliotherapy's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Marie Harte seamlessly intertwined the worlds of vampires, elves, werewolves, and even gods. The idea of Elves and Vampires working together, to keep the world.... all of the worlds from from being destroyed is an interesting one.
From the first chapter I thought that Mormu would be my favorite character and I did love him, his snarky comments, the zingy one liners, even his annoying habits, I loved all of it, and this may be a very unpopular opinion but the Goddess Hecate, she was the real star of the book for me. I realize she had a smaller part in this amazing story but the thought of Hecate falling in love with an Elf while his sister fell in love with a Vampire, it was just something I didn't see coming.
Now don't get me wrong, Varujan and Fara were amazing characters, their story was well.... kind of epic all things considered, what they had to go through to be together, right up to the last few pages was an emotional roller coaster, one I loved way more than I thought I would, and even with the last chapter changing everything (presumably a set up for book two) I found myself happy with how Harte ended it.
The descriptive storytelling is really nice in this one, the transition from a mansion in Washington to a swamp surrounded castle somehow seemed natural and organic, which I think is the ultimate compliment to the author, each scene change worked, nothing felt out of place, even Bella's commentary on the color of her nails, every little detail had a purpose in the story.
This book works really well as a stand alone in my opinion or as the opening to the series, I for one will be reading the next one and probably all of them.
Marie Harte seamlessly intertwined the worlds of vampires, elves, werewolves, and even gods. The idea of Elves and Vampires working together, to keep the world.... all of the worlds from from being destroyed is an interesting one.
From the first chapter I thought that Mormu would be my favorite character and I did love him, his snarky comments, the zingy one liners, even his annoying habits, I loved all of it, and this may be a very unpopular opinion but the Goddess Hecate, she was the real star of the book for me. I realize she had a smaller part in this amazing story but the thought of Hecate falling in love with an Elf while his sister fell in love with a Vampire, it was just something I didn't see coming.
Now don't get me wrong, Varujan and Fara were amazing characters, their story was well.... kind of epic all things considered, what they had to go through to be together, right up to the last few pages was an emotional roller coaster, one I loved way more than I thought I would, and even with the last chapter changing everything (presumably a set up for book two) I found myself happy with how Harte ended it.
The descriptive storytelling is really nice in this one, the transition from a mansion in Washington to a swamp surrounded castle somehow seemed natural and organic, which I think is the ultimate compliment to the author, each scene change worked, nothing felt out of place, even Bella's commentary on the color of her nails, every little detail had a purpose in the story.
This book works really well as a stand alone in my opinion or as the opening to the series, I for one will be reading the next one and probably all of them.
lareinadehades's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
elfsteel's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture
clrex4's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
3.0
This barely slides by as a three star. It is one of those books that just isn’t quite bad enough to totally pan, but also isn’t anywhere near good enough to praise. The writing is readable, but not particularly impressive. The plot is thin, but manages to stay stitched together. The characters are colorful, but not particularly well fleshed out. The romance ends in a HEA, but you don’t particularly feel it develop.The world exists, but only in so much as is actually necessary for each scene (no sense of a bigger world), etc. It’s not bad. It’s just not good either.
I liked Fara and her determination to save her self and her brother. I liked the brother a lot, actually, and the other side characters were a hoot. However, Varujan was just a jerk for far too long for me to come around and like him by the end. I also thought the villain was cartoonish and defeated far too easily in a rush at the end.
All in all, I might read the next book if I found it free. But I probably wouldn’t buy it.
I liked Fara and her determination to save her self and her brother. I liked the brother a lot, actually, and the other side characters were a hoot. However, Varujan was just a jerk for far too long for me to come around and like him by the end. I also thought the villain was cartoonish and defeated far too easily in a rush at the end.
All in all, I might read the next book if I found it free. But I probably wouldn’t buy it.
lakea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
glimpses_of_my_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
angelashores's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook through Libro.fm; the narrator was excellent!
The concept of mating isn’t awkward but the way it was written into the story was awkward at times and seemed to interrupt the flow of the story.
The overall story was well developed and complicated enough to keep you guessing without being so complicated you couldn’t follow the family lines, curses, magic, and plans.
I enjoyed that this book included goddesses (Hecate), vampires, fae, blood curses, love, and magic!
The concept of mating isn’t awkward but the way it was written into the story was awkward at times and seemed to interrupt the flow of the story.
The overall story was well developed and complicated enough to keep you guessing without being so complicated you couldn’t follow the family lines, curses, magic, and plans.
I enjoyed that this book included goddesses (Hecate), vampires, fae, blood curses, love, and magic!
sarakate0712's review
2.0
I enjoyed the narration. It was good.
However I did not enjoy the story itself. There was a lot of details and history that was easy to get lost in and I found myself getting bored. I wish I liked this one better but it was not for me.
Audio given by published and netgalley for honest review.
However I did not enjoy the story itself. There was a lot of details and history that was easy to get lost in and I found myself getting bored. I wish I liked this one better but it was not for me.
Audio given by published and netgalley for honest review.