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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️: 3.75/5
🌶: 3/5
Narration: 4/5 single - I did not like having a man read the female portion. But, the narration of the male’s portion was good.
Summary: Dark fae prince with eyes only for vengeance plans to use a female gamer who develops fae powers after a heart transplant after she accidentally creates a portal only to discover this fae land is similar to her preferred video game.
Characters: Kaysar and Cookie
Best Side Character: Vengeance
Thoughts: I’m not sure this is marketed to the correct audience. This is a dark fantasy romance with two villainous main characters who are obsessed and troubled. Based on the reviews, long term fans did not like it. I think it has a place for new-to-this-author readers.
Readers should know:
- These are two morally gray characters.
- It’s a dark romance. There is murder, torture, war, etc.
- There is praise and groveling
- It feels as though the books are written by multiple people. Maybe it’s the editing? You have moments of really interesting and intense prose and then you have super cringy internal monologue/dialogue. There are parts that are too long and others that aren’t long enough.
- Stand-alone.
Would I spend $12 or an audible credit on it (again)? Maybe. I would definitely listen to it again.
Note: 🌶 - spiciness scale is from 0, fade to black, to 5, detailed, explicit, repetitive sexual scenes with non-traditional sex acts.
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a chore to get through. The characters are unlikeable, terrible people and their relationship is not healthy or even sexy. The plot is boring and unnecessarily drawn out. This should have been novella length or not published at all. Please read any fantasy romance other than this one.
dark
I truly enjoyed the book. I have always been intrigued by the world of fae. It is a must read book.
This review was originally posted at Rantings of a Reading Addict.
Gena Showalter brings us a whole new world! Where the magical realm is full of different creatures and abilities.
After being tortured all through his childhood, Kaysar is free and out to take down every kingdom. He has this wild plan to get back at the court that held him prisoner but things don't quite work out. Kaysar is pretty much completely lost to his craziness. He is violent and no one will deal with him for fear of him killing them all. I wasn't really sure whether I liked his character or not through most of the book.
The world is really dark and violent. Surprising me as I wasn't expecting something this dark from Gena. However, the way these characters are introduced and you got to know them, you are completely won over.
Cookie was the amusing character I am used to getting from Gena, but by the end, wow. She surprised me! I had a hard time seeing these two characters together, but their wackiness created a hilarious relationship. The feelings that come from Kaysar are so foreign to him and I kind of felt bad that he was a bit lost in the whole romantic world.
Heartless was a lot different that what I expected from Gena, but I totally loved it. It is dark, violent, but with an element of laughable moments that we normally see from her books. I definitely approve of this new series.
Gena Showalter brings us a whole new world! Where the magical realm is full of different creatures and abilities.
After being tortured all through his childhood, Kaysar is free and out to take down every kingdom. He has this wild plan to get back at the court that held him prisoner but things don't quite work out. Kaysar is pretty much completely lost to his craziness. He is violent and no one will deal with him for fear of him killing them all. I wasn't really sure whether I liked his character or not through most of the book.
The world is really dark and violent. Surprising me as I wasn't expecting something this dark from Gena. However, the way these characters are introduced and you got to know them, you are completely won over.
Cookie was the amusing character I am used to getting from Gena, but by the end, wow. She surprised me! I had a hard time seeing these two characters together, but their wackiness created a hilarious relationship. The feelings that come from Kaysar are so foreign to him and I kind of felt bad that he was a bit lost in the whole romantic world.
Heartless was a lot different that what I expected from Gena, but I totally loved it. It is dark, violent, but with an element of laughable moments that we normally see from her books. I definitely approve of this new series.
This isn't my favorite Gena book, though it wasn't bad!
I have been a Gena fan for a long time, and this felt a little forced however, again, it won't dissuade me from reading further novels in this series, as I think it has a lot of potential!
The main reason for my discontent is the story felt a little forced in terms of the MC's, feeling like they were forcing their personalities, and it didn't fit like a puzzle piece as all her other couples have (in my opinion).
Again, not bad, but I am excited to see the remaining stories moving forward, because it will only get better from here! :)
I have been a Gena fan for a long time, and this felt a little forced however, again, it won't dissuade me from reading further novels in this series, as I think it has a lot of potential!
The main reason for my discontent is the story felt a little forced in terms of the MC's, feeling like they were forcing their personalities, and it didn't fit like a puzzle piece as all her other couples have (in my opinion).
Again, not bad, but I am excited to see the remaining stories moving forward, because it will only get better from here! :)
I love Gena Showalter - she is one of those authors that publish a book and I automatically get it. These last books that she has been released leave a lot to be desire. It's like the same mystical book with the same things over and over again.
I found myself skimming, I seriously couldn't get myself to become engaged. I didn't like the hero and I didn't like the heroine - most of the time they were annoying.
I hope that she returns to give us more substantial stories like her previous books.
I found myself skimming, I seriously couldn't get myself to become engaged. I didn't like the hero and I didn't like the heroine - most of the time they were annoying.
I hope that she returns to give us more substantial stories like her previous books.
dark
emotional
mysterious
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve been wanting to read this story since it was published and finally remembered to request it from my library. Problem is, once I got the book I just wasn’t in the right mood to read this type of story. On top of that, the first couple chapters of this story are brutal. They hurt my heart. So, the beginning of this book was a struggle, but only because of my mood. It’s actually a wonderful story and the set-up is unique and kept me engaged even while I was not in the mood to be engaged. I know that may not make sense to some, but if you know what I mean you’ll totally get me.
Kaysar is such a jerk. Granted, he has good reason to be a jerk and for doing the things he does. It’s magnificent the way the author uses Chantel as both a conscience and a cheerleader for Kaysar. While Chantel (aka Cookie) doesn’t agree with everything Kaysar does, she fully backs some of his other deeds that are considered evil by others.
Chantel and Kaysar are really great together. They fill in the cracks where needed and give support without taking over. I didn’t know if that would happen in the beginning as Kaysar is quite the alpha male and his intentions weren’t great when they first met. But it turns out Chantel is just as much of an alpha as Kaysar and doesn’t back down…which is exactly what he needs in a partner. Unfortunately, it takes him a bit to learn how to be a true partner to Chantel. But he does learn and he’s willing to keep learning and he gives amazing grovel, all very important things.
I don’t want to spoil things, but as Chantel spends more time in Astaria it’s so much fun to discover her new abilities. She’s a gamer and her powers are perfectly suited to her personality.
There are crumbs that are scattered throughout this tale that had me really curious about other mortals from our world who may have crossed over to Kaysar’s world. The author did an excellent job of keeping that seed of curiosity alive without making it seem like the story was incomplete in any way. There is so much to explore in this world and I believe it’ll be a joy to do so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes