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samanthahweee's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Body shaming
chocokinoko's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming
chelseanaylor's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.5
This was an enjoyable read with a surprising amount of emotional depth and development.
The world building was a little shaky--it's basically England but there's magic and fae and some things are called different things while some stay the same (Queen Elizabeth I, King Arthur, Excalibur); these things are mentioned in passing so it wasn't too distracting, but I did get the sense that world wasn't fully developed for the reader.
The world building was a little shaky--it's basically England but there's magic and fae and some things are called different things while some stay the same (Queen Elizabeth I, King Arthur, Excalibur); these things are mentioned in passing so it wasn't too distracting, but I did get the sense that world wasn't fully developed for the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism
luckybookjunkie's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think Clare Sager has a true talent in writing about anxiety, PTSD, and the life-long changes horrible things that have happened can incur upon a person. However, where this book fell short for me, was in the contradictions within the character's responses to things, and some of the inconsistencies. I don't think this was a bad book, but I do no plan to continue further into this world (after book 2, which really fell syndrome to the 2nd book syndrome)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity
nloprest6318's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
hyperunfocus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
laylareadsthings's review against another edition
I really, REALLY wanted to love this, so this breaks my heart to DNF. I love this author’s other work - this one was just not for me. There are a lot of mental health TW for this book so please do your research ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
yomaddjesty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming and Torture
koistyfishy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 Orrery Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
This book is the literal definition of why I love fantasy romance and prefer fantasy romance to contemporary. It had everything that your girl wants and needs in a book. There was tension. There was magic, there was angst...It was just so good!
The tropes in this are not too bad either 😏
▶ <s>Enemies</s> Hate to Lovers
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Fake Relationship
▶ One Bed
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Who Did This To You...
▶ Morally Gray MMC
▶ Human X Fae Relationship
▶ HE'S A FUCKING SHADOW DADDY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!
I adored this. It just played into that romantic catnip that gets me excited. This first-person POV book follows Kat, a noblewoman estranged from her husband, trying to keep her (husband's) estate afloat. She has been forced into a life of thievery to make sure that she can pay for things around the estate and one day she makes the mistake of stealing something from a Fae. Fortuitously for her, she is summoned to court to play...a SPY on dear Bastian the Night Queen's Shadow. Naturally, things get exciting from there...
Claire Sager has built such unique characters with unique worldbuilding, and I honestly couldn't put this down. I fell behind in the buddy-read and I devoured this when I had the chance to catch up! Basically, I absolutely adored almost everything about this. And let me tell you how LOUD I squealed when I found out that Vice had her own story.
To explain why I didn't give this a full 5 stars I need to delve into "Spoiler Territory" so if you haven't read this, the above should be enough to help you decide to proceed or not (but my recommendation is if you like me LOVE Fantasy Romance) this book will be like catnip to you too! I cannot believe that I have sat this long on not reading a Claire Sager book because it's LITERALLY EXACTLY what I enjoy! I also appreciated the English spelling of everything. I'm tired of reading things without U. Overall, I cannot wait to read book two. I am salivating at what is going to happen with these characters and where they're going to go.
I struggled a little bit with Katherine's character and that was one of the things that brought my rating down. I think what would have made the difference is I would have appreciated if the author's note was actually at the beginning of the book explaining certain choices and why Kat would make those choices. Yes, I understand that it dealt with abuse and the trauma related to the abuse. I just didn't like that she internalised a lot and did not seek help and assistance. I was highly frustrated that she didn't reach out to those within her circle that could have helped her get out of the situation really easily. I do understand that people who are in a situation of domestic abuse or just abuse often do feel like they cannot ask for help and they cannot reach out to someone. But given how she was described at the start as being this "confident" Wicked Lady who could commit highway robbery, the shift to the "lack of confidence" and fear to ask for help didn't make sense. It just almost went against how she was described at the start. I also wanted her to be different, to be an influence to speaking out...
Another aspect that annoyed me is I felt the point of Bastian, not knowing that she was married was quite frustrating. If I had a "mark" at court, the first thing that I would do would be to find out everything and anything I know about that person. It's standard practice to listen to the "rumour mill". Kat did that with Bastian... And given that he knew that she was spying on him, he should have known that her husband wasn't dead. She (and the court) did not HIDE the fact that he was still alive. Kat might not have confirmed he is dead but it felt very disappointing that he didn't know... Also when he did find out I wanted more tension between the two of them (and maybe having Bastion's POV here would have helped add this)...
I also wanted to see Shadow Daddy Penis!!! I felt TEASED AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT! 😭😭😭😭😭
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
This book is the literal definition of why I love fantasy romance and prefer fantasy romance to contemporary. It had everything that your girl wants and needs in a book. There was tension. There was magic, there was angst...It was just so good!
The tropes in this are not too bad either 😏
▶ <s>Enemies</s> Hate to Lovers
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Fake Relationship
▶ One Bed
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ Who Did This To You...
▶ Morally Gray MMC
▶ Human X Fae Relationship
▶ HE'S A FUCKING SHADOW DADDY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!
I adored this. It just played into that romantic catnip that gets me excited. This first-person POV book follows Kat, a noblewoman estranged from her husband, trying to keep her (husband's) estate afloat. She has been forced into a life of thievery to make sure that she can pay for things around the estate and one day she makes the mistake of stealing something from a Fae. Fortuitously for her, she is summoned to court to play...a SPY on dear Bastian the Night Queen's Shadow. Naturally, things get exciting from there...
Claire Sager has built such unique characters with unique worldbuilding, and I honestly couldn't put this down. I fell behind in the buddy-read and I devoured this when I had the chance to catch up! Basically, I absolutely adored almost everything about this. And let me tell you how LOUD I squealed when I found out that Vice had her own story.
To explain why I didn't give this a full 5 stars I need to delve into "Spoiler Territory" so if you haven't read this, the above should be enough to help you decide to proceed or not (but my recommendation is if you like me LOVE Fantasy Romance) this book will be like catnip to you too! I cannot believe that I have sat this long on not reading a Claire Sager book because it's LITERALLY EXACTLY what I enjoy! I also appreciated the English spelling of everything. I'm tired of reading things without U. Overall, I cannot wait to read book two. I am salivating at what is going to happen with these characters and where they're going to go.
Another aspect that annoyed me is I felt the point of Bastian, not knowing that she was married was quite frustrating. If I had a "mark" at court, the first thing that I would do would be to find out everything and anything I know about that person. It's standard practice to listen to the "rumour mill". Kat did that with Bastian... And given that he knew that she was spying on him, he should have known that her husband wasn't dead. She (and the court) did not HIDE the fact that he was still alive. Kat might not have confirmed he is dead but it felt very disappointing that he didn't know... Also when he did find out I wanted more tension between the two of them (and maybe having Bastion's POV here would have helped add this)...
I also wanted to see Shadow Daddy Penis!!! I felt TEASED AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT! 😭😭😭😭😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
“No matter what happens, remember, all of this is real.”
Calling all fantasy romance lovers to read this if you like;
• Morally Grey Characters
• One Bed
• Fake Relationship
• Touch Her and Die
• Enemies-to-Lovers
• Shadow Magic
• Spicy scenes
• Betrayal and Court Intrigue
My very first book from the author and it won't be my last!
The plot is very well written, well-paced and really intrigued me until the end. The mystery, the flirting and bantering, the sweet comforting moments makes me keep flipping the pages!
The world building is also fascinating and easy to understand, the idea of one court being ruled by two different rulers based on when they need to rule in one day is very interesting (a king rule during the day, and a queen rule during the night). I hope to learn more about this court in the next book.
The characters are very loveable and easy to connect with, especially the FMC – Kat. Kat is a strong female MC but at the same time she’s haunted by her past memories and harsh reality of her marriage life and debt. I love seeing how she grow throughout the story and I admire her when she’s trying to stand up for herself when her life is surrounded by egoistic men.
There’s also the love interest – Bastien! A swoon-worthy love interest but also mysterious with too many secrets and can be very intimidating….
I want to know more about him and I hope we got to see from his POV in the sequel!
Overall, this is a fantastic way to start a fantasy romance series! It’s already off to a good start and I’m really looking forward to know more.
Highly enjoyable, entertaining and definitely will recommend this book cause I devour this so fast!
Thank you to Paper Myths and the author for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death and Sexual assault