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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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:
No
Sara Flanagan has completely captivated me with her debut novel. This dark fantasy romance is exquisitely written, sinking its teeth into your heart and tossing your emotions around like an angry dog.
Mora is an incredible FMC with a deeply heartbreaking past, she’s been cursed and bound to a flask by a truly monstrous villain that is so damn easy to loathe. Having endured so much, she is understandably filled with feminine rage, haunted by her memories, and fueled by pain, trauma, and anger. While she's fierce and deadly, she undeniably has a tender side buried deep within—one that takes time to surface after centuries of suffering, which understandably led her to hide it away for survival.
As we meet Zadriel, we gradually uncover his own dark narrative and begin to understand his part in the whole story, and the transformation of their relationship from enemies to lovers is both sweet and spicy. There are some truly beautiful moments between him and Mora, and their shared journey towards healing truly tugs at your heartstrings.
The plot is insanely interesting, filled with deep, dark twists and turns that will keep you on your toes. I honestly didn’t want to put my Kindle down. I already cannot wait for the next book!
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Couldn’t truly get into it. Didn’t like or dislike the FMC and don’t really like the MMC. Feel like it is one I need to walk away from.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
This is the first book in the Onyx Mist series, a dark romantasy high on emotion and angst where everyone is morally (dark) gray. Tropes and themes include feminine rage, fated mates, enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies (different couple), touch him/her and die, binding magic and curses, trauma rep, and hurt/comfort. There are numerous very dark elements to this story so please read the trigger warnings.
The Lovely: I love the main characters of this story with my whole (currently hurting) heart. They are flawed and definitely morally dark gray but also so fierce, and protective, and all around just perfect. They take you on an emotional roller coaster ride that had me laughing, shaking my head, throwing my kindle across the room and crying (more than once, on a re-read). Buckle up and grab a few boxes of tissues.
Also Lovely: When you hear wishes and bottle (well, flask), you might be thinking genie and Aladdin and cute Disney characters. This is not that. This is exquisitely dark and deep, with a plot that grabs you and doesn’t let go until after the shocker of an ending. The plot is expertly woven in with the characters, their relationships and the setting (just wait for the forest) to such a degree you’ll forget you’re reading a book.
Rating: 5/5 Stars 3/5 Flames
Recommendation: I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. There’s so much more I could say to gush about this book but instead I want to go back to what I wrote to Sara right after beta reading because it sums up my thoughts best: Wow. wow. wow. wow. This was so good and hit all the sweet spots for a good novel - makes you feel, cliffy ending, and a plot that is woven with the characters and relationships. This was well and truly dark. It was perfection and I want to read more LIKE THIS.
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Wish is a dark fantasy romance so I would advise checking out the trigger warnings before diving into this one cause some parts may be sensitive to some readers.
Told in multiple POVs and dual timeline, we follow our FMC – Mora is a cursed to be a genie in a flask for centuries.
If you're looking for a female-rage kinda of story, you won't be disappointed with Mora!
Mora is not the kind-hearted heroine, she’s been through so much she’s turned into a monster just to survive. I felt so bad for her but also admire her strength and determination to seek her freedom and revenge.
I also like seeing Mora and Zadriel’s relationship grows from resentment to something more as sparks flew between them and bond them together.
I absolutely love the way they comfort each other and helping each other move on past the traumas caused by the same villain.
Love the great writing style and how it delivers each emotions Mora was feeling very well that I felt the rage and hatred she felt towards the villain. I was as furious as her whenever I read the flashback timeline! I hate the villain, he’s a despicable human being!!
Overall, this is a very well written book and a fantastic start for a fantasy series!
Well, Mora’s journey is far from over and I’m really looking forward to see what happens next after that cliff-hanger ending!
Thank you to Book of Matches Media 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!
⚠️ 𝐓𝐖:
• Graphic Violence, Torture and Murder (on page)
• Trauma, Anxiety, Depression and PTSD
• Suicidal Ideation
• Sexual Assault (Fade to black - this trauma deeply affects the main character and we see the effects throughout the story)
• Abortion
• Depictions of Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse
• Child Abduction and Child Abuse (abduction is explained by the chatacter as an adult when they share their story, the abuse is shown in a short character flashback, 1 scene)
• Graphic Sexual Content
• Graphic Language
• Trauma, Anxiety, Depression and PTSD
• Suicidal Ideation
• Sexual Assault (Fade to black - this trauma deeply affects the main character and we see the effects throughout the story)
• Abortion
• Depictions of Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse
• Child Abduction and Child Abuse (abduction is explained by the chatacter as an adult when they share their story, the abuse is shown in a short character flashback, 1 scene)
• Graphic Sexual Content
• Graphic Language
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Abortion, Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping
Wow! Just wow! The feminine rage is delicious! Mora is savage and I loved every minute of it! I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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