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peacepriscillaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
ddog8's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
5.0
This is my second re-read.
I loved it just as much as the first time!!!!
On to book 2
I loved it just as much as the first time!!!!
On to book 2
bibi_reads_writes's review against another edition
2.0
“You and the basilisk in your trousers stay right there, thank you very much.”
Well, this was disappointing. This book didn’t even succeed in keeping me nicely distracted while driving or doing chores. It started off great, and everything went downhill as soon as the generic FMC-obsessed alphahole MMC was introduced. I won’t be reading the rest of the series. Not even curious about what happens next. If it had been a paper book, I would have DNFed.
❤️ Worldbuilding and lore
❌ …everything else
Trigger warnings: death and murder, poisoning, blood and gore, violence, toxic relationship, child abuse, grooming, death of a parent, domestic and emotional abuse, gaslighting, grief, misogyny and sexism, sexual violence (assault, harassment, bullying, etc.), dubious consent, rape.
Plot:
Estrella has spent most of her life tending to the lord’s garden and being groomed by him against her will. One day, she is faced with an impossible choice: to become his wife—and belonging—, or to be sacrificed as part of a tradition meant to maintain a magical barrier, called the Veil, between humans and the Fae. But when the Veil suddenly shatters and the Fae starting hunting for their human mates, Estrella must go into hiding. She soon meets Caelum, another Fae-marked human, who will stop at nothing to protect her.
It started off nicely, with great worldbuilding and lore. The FMC’s background also included grooming, which isn’t approached as often as sexual assault, and felt like an interesting twist. Basically, this book had potential. But then Caelum appeared, and it was reduced to 2 horn dogs hiking and camping and building a very, very toxic relationship. The plot just… disappeared. Estrella’s brother tries to kill her, and she ponders the question once or twice, and then it’s never mentioned again. Her whole world went upside down, she killed her own friend and lover, and then her brother tried to kill her before dying himself, and all she thinks about is the beautiful stranger who came out of nowhere. Come on. Predictable, cheap, and dull, with a “massive cliffhanger” that could be predicted about 20% in.
Characters:
Estrella, just heh. With her background, she could have been a very interesting character. But she ends up being a bland, dim damsel in distress who makes all the wrong choices and alternates between being feisty and submissive. Caelum, your typical morally-grey alphahole who doesn’t seem to have a personality outside of his obsession for the FMC. Utterly unlikeable and not even sexy. Wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. Oh, and he calls her sweet nicknames like “little one” and “my star” about 30 seconds after meeting her, which is weird AF. There is absolutely no chemistry or relationship building: we jump right into the “who did this to you” and “touch her and die” tropes, and it’s simply not believable.
Writing:
The writing didn’t strike me as good or bad. However, the dialogues between the two MCs made me cringe more than a few times. For example, Caelum when bullying Estrella to have public sex with him:
“If I see your body one more time, if I watch them look at you again, I will not be held responsible for what I do to you. Is that clear, my star?”
Seriously? This was written by a woman? I don’t understand how an author can build a whole character based on her sexual trauma, with many references to how she wants to be free and never again controlled by a man, and then romanticize a sexist man treating her as his belonging and telling her she’s responsible for his toxic and abusive behaviour.
Also, just a reminder that the word “assault” is not sexy. Ever.
I like dark fantasy and don’t mind most triggers. I have NOTHING against the genre, but seriously, this was just bad.
Well, this was disappointing. This book didn’t even succeed in keeping me nicely distracted while driving or doing chores. It started off great, and everything went downhill as soon as the generic FMC-obsessed alphahole MMC was introduced. I won’t be reading the rest of the series. Not even curious about what happens next. If it had been a paper book, I would have DNFed.
❤️ Worldbuilding and lore
❌ …everything else
Trigger warnings: death and murder, poisoning, blood and gore, violence, toxic relationship, child abuse, grooming, death of a parent, domestic and emotional abuse, gaslighting, grief, misogyny and sexism, sexual violence (assault, harassment, bullying, etc.), dubious consent, rape.
Plot:
Estrella has spent most of her life tending to the lord’s garden and being groomed by him against her will. One day, she is faced with an impossible choice: to become his wife—and belonging—, or to be sacrificed as part of a tradition meant to maintain a magical barrier, called the Veil, between humans and the Fae. But when the Veil suddenly shatters and the Fae starting hunting for their human mates, Estrella must go into hiding. She soon meets Caelum, another Fae-marked human, who will stop at nothing to protect her.
It started off nicely, with great worldbuilding and lore. The FMC’s background also included grooming, which isn’t approached as often as sexual assault, and felt like an interesting twist. Basically, this book had potential. But then Caelum appeared, and it was reduced to 2 horn dogs hiking and camping and building a very, very toxic relationship. The plot just… disappeared. Estrella’s brother tries to kill her, and she ponders the question once or twice, and then it’s never mentioned again. Her whole world went upside down, she killed her own friend and lover, and then her brother tried to kill her before dying himself, and all she thinks about is the beautiful stranger who came out of nowhere. Come on. Predictable, cheap, and dull, with a “massive cliffhanger” that could be predicted about 20% in.
Characters:
Estrella, just heh. With her background, she could have been a very interesting character. But she ends up being a bland, dim damsel in distress who makes all the wrong choices and alternates between being feisty and submissive. Caelum, your typical morally-grey alphahole who doesn’t seem to have a personality outside of his obsession for the FMC. Utterly unlikeable and not even sexy. Wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. Oh, and he calls her sweet nicknames like “little one” and “my star” about 30 seconds after meeting her, which is weird AF. There is absolutely no chemistry or relationship building: we jump right into the “who did this to you” and “touch her and die” tropes, and it’s simply not believable.
Writing:
The writing didn’t strike me as good or bad. However, the dialogues between the two MCs made me cringe more than a few times. For example, Caelum when bullying Estrella to have public sex with him:
“If I see your body one more time, if I watch them look at you again, I will not be held responsible for what I do to you. Is that clear, my star?”
Seriously? This was written by a woman? I don’t understand how an author can build a whole character based on her sexual trauma, with many references to how she wants to be free and never again controlled by a man, and then romanticize a sexist man treating her as his belonging and telling her she’s responsible for his toxic and abusive behaviour.
Also, just a reminder that the word “assault” is not sexy. Ever.
I like dark fantasy and don’t mind most triggers. I have NOTHING against the genre, but seriously, this was just bad.
kmccollum's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
tylerrosereads's review against another edition
2.75
This was ok.
There were parts that were cringy and things just kinda happen. Also I new the ended very early so it was really a reveal.
There were parts that were cringy and things just kinda happen. Also I new the ended very early so it was really a reveal.
penstormborn's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
jessiepostshere's review against another edition
3.0
Gave me a touch of FBAA vibes. Witty banter, fun plot line. Solid starting point for a series, but hoping to feel a little more in the next books.
stephanieviolet's review
By chapter 5 I was really exhausted by the repetition of: biting inside of her cheek, desperate to feel free, how dirty and worn thin her clothes are, the bruises and pain inflicted upon her by her abusers. Chapter. FIVE. It was intense. I felt like by then the plot should be moving forward but it just keep repeating the SAME PHRASES and SAME CIRCUMSTANCES to make you feel pity for the MC. By chapter five I wanted her to die to just end the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Rape, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Slavery, and Sexual assault
liline163's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Basically, the stupid fmc ends up with a toxic mmc.
A few things I didn’t like about the book were: (1)It was very obvious that Caelum was a Fae and Estrella’s mate when he was first introduced to the readers, (2) I hate how Caelum kept calling Estrella “Little One” and kept mentioning how much he wanted to have sex with her, (3) the plot twist was very obvious, and (4) I wish Melian wasn’t killed she had so much potential; given that she actually used her brain unlike Estrella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Death of parent