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spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed this book. It ended on a cliffhanger and I liked it enough that I will read the second one right away. The vibe of the book is kind of Six of Crows meets Peaky Blinders.
FMC Willow lives in our world and her life is a bit messy. She has been hearing a voice and one night gets high and ends up entering a portal to another world where she is discovered by MMC Caz. Willow is brave and dealing with grief seemingly all by herself. Caz is the Monarch of Blackwater, one of multiple territories in this other world. With his penchant for violence and the weight of responsibility he bears, he is like a mix of Tommy Shelby and Kaz Brekker (right down to the gloves and touch aversion).
The world building is pretty smooth. There is magic and potions and feuding peoples and class hierarchies, all of which add plenty of drama to the plot. Some of the plot around the tethers gets a little confusing. Hopefully that is ironed out in book 2.
The secondary characters are lots of fun. Caz’ family are definitely reminiscent of the Shelbys, though slightly less dysfunctional. I hope we see more of Juniper, Maeve, and Killian in book two. I almost like them better than the MCs.
It is a bit of a slow burn but eventually Willow and Caz have some pretty spicy moments. The tether that binds them seems to be the driving force of the attraction. There is not much in the way of banter or of those little moments that show us they are falling, rather than telling us. Caz can be a bit dominant but other than that, nothing k!nk-e. I give the spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️. Actually, no. Make that 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ based on the s3xt!ng scene. IYKYK. 🥵
The book is described as dark fantasy romance. There are some darker themes to the plot but the spice is pretty conventional. Nor is there anything I would label dark in their relAtionship. Instead, the darkness comes through in trafficking, SA, drug use, and so forth in the plot. So I would say it is dark fantasy and a romance. But not necessarily dark romance. At least as far as I understand it.
For diverse representation there is a fair bit of both racial and class diversity. Willow and several members of Caz’s family are Black. Caz is multiracial though white-passing. The Blackwater territory seems to be more working class than Vanora and, even within Vanora, there are class disparities.
Overall, I recommend the book. It was an entertaining fantasy world with fun characters and some decent spice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
FMC Willow lives in our world and her life is a bit messy. She has been hearing a voice and one night gets high and ends up entering a portal to another world where she is discovered by MMC Caz. Willow is brave and dealing with grief seemingly all by herself. Caz is the Monarch of Blackwater, one of multiple territories in this other world. With his penchant for violence and the weight of responsibility he bears, he is like a mix of Tommy Shelby and Kaz Brekker (right down to the gloves and touch aversion).
The world building is pretty smooth. There is magic and potions and feuding peoples and class hierarchies, all of which add plenty of drama to the plot. Some of the plot around the tethers gets a little confusing. Hopefully that is ironed out in book 2.
The secondary characters are lots of fun. Caz’ family are definitely reminiscent of the Shelbys, though slightly less dysfunctional. I hope we see more of Juniper, Maeve, and Killian in book two. I almost like them better than the MCs.
It is a bit of a slow burn but eventually Willow and Caz have some pretty spicy moments. The tether that binds them seems to be the driving force of the attraction. There is not much in the way of banter or of those little moments that show us they are falling, rather than telling us. Caz can be a bit dominant but other than that, nothing k!nk-e. I give the spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️. Actually, no. Make that 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ based on the s3xt!ng scene. IYKYK. 🥵
The book is described as dark fantasy romance. There are some darker themes to the plot but the spice is pretty conventional. Nor is there anything I would label dark in their relAtionship. Instead, the darkness comes through in trafficking, SA, drug use, and so forth in the plot. So I would say it is dark fantasy and a romance. But not necessarily dark romance. At least as far as I understand it.
For diverse representation there is a fair bit of both racial and class diversity. Willow and several members of Caz’s family are Black. Caz is multiracial though white-passing. The Blackwater territory seems to be more working class than Vanora and, even within Vanora, there are class disparities.
Overall, I recommend the book. It was an entertaining fantasy world with fun characters and some decent spice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, and War
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
chaoticmama8721's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.25
I honestly don’t even know where to start bc this book was insane in the best way. The world building was amazing, the characters were phenomenal (Caz is perfection and the best grumpy MMC I’ve read in a while), the mystery of the mate bond is INTENSE, it was just a fantastic book. I feel like I need to reread it to process everything that just happened but book is gonna be in my hands soon so idk if I’ll have time. 10/10 recommend if you like fantasy, peaky blinders, and dark romance. I promise this isn’t like anything you’ve read before! ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Violence
nixter's review against another edition
I wanted to enjoy this book so badly but had to DNF it at 58%. I had a lot of issues with this book, and will try and concisely share why. Firstly, the main character was supposed to be snarky, I believe, but she just came off as whiny. We are supposed to care about her and her life, but she doesn’t do a great job of making us root for her. Also, the way she speaks and thinks is natural for a 21st century Black woman. However, it does not make for a great writing style in a book, and I found myself cringing a lot. For example, the FMC at one point says “I’m considered ‘thick’ on earth” and I had to close the book for a few hours after that.
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the author’s intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The “love” stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they don’t want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldn’t picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term “darkie” is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I don’t think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the author’s intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The “love” stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they don’t want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldn’t picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term “darkie” is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I don’t think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
therealjessicaaustin_2002's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness and Abandonment
crinkledmochi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
now why did the book just end like that….
my only gripe tho is how the characters talk about sex workers there definitely could’ve been a better conversation on the subject
my only gripe tho is how the characters talk about sex workers there definitely could’ve been a better conversation on the subject
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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