I loved the magic system and the romance in this! Seems like Fairyloot is just forcing me to read vampire romances this year but I'm starting to get more and more into it 🩸

Ava & Roman are such a good (fr)enemies to lovers romance and seeing them get over their differences & find their way toward eachother was so beautiful.

The magic system and the competition was so creepy & strange and it just kept getting more dark — and I loved it!

I wish this had been a duology instead because at the end, the final facedown was a bit rushed and I would've loved to see more exploration of the main antagonists & their history but still a great read!

Content Warnings

kbairbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m very conflicted about this read… I honestly didn’t enjoy a fairly large portion of it but then the last like… 100-150 pages of it I was rather enamored. So it gets three stars but I’m also vaguely unhappy about it.

Content Warnings

bookwyrm_roo's review

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emotional mysterious fast-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

“Being immortal doesn't let you grow. All it does is let you lose pieces of yourself.”

Synopsis

Ava’s mother, a talented magician, was killed by a vampire, leaving Ava with a burning desire for vengeance. One night she finds a hidden club where she witnesses magic tricks that are impossible. The magicians reveal they are part of a society of real magic users who hunt vampires. They offer to take her on as an apprentice, but to join the society she will have to compete in a series of games for one of the limited places available to this year’s apprentices.

"I feel sick and powerful all at once - like I could explode and have everything I’ve ever wanted."

Tropes & Themes

Magic
Vampires
Found family
Love triange
Secret society

"My mind is a scattered mess of revenge and death and pain and lust and some kind of matching brokenness between us."

Content & Trigger Warnings

Death
Blood

"Killing him wouldn’t make me forget how much I wanted his lips against mine. If it would, I might actually do it.

My Thoughts

Interesting cast of characters
Interesting world building and magic system
Plot was interesting but there was a lot going on in the latter part of the book, could have been a bit longer and explored some of the reveals and history of the magicians and vampires more.
I appreciated Ava’s character arc, especially as concerns her issues and trauma surrounding family and belonging.
The romance aspect is there but is not a major theme. The society and it’s secrets, and Ava’s journey to mastering her magic and surviving the games, is far and away the focus of the narrative.

It makes my guilt a living thing that grows like thorned vines inside me.

Content Warnings

dollhousebooks's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Excellent narration, and significant character development. The world-building was well done, and the descriptiveness helped me to feel like I was in the world. The ending was not at all what I expected but was a great way to end the book without adding a sequel. I foresaw some of the twists but not all of them. And I loved the Buffy references. I didn't like some of the characters I think I was supposed to. And Ava was a bit unlikable in parts but I also can see why she was like that due to trauma.

Content Warnings

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