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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Okay so this blew me away! I think I'm becoming a Sci-fi girlie! I just loved the whole premise of the book. One thing I loved was the name of the districts in Diamond City. Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat. All things that affect the value of a diamond. To be fair, this diamond by Astrid is priceless.
The characters were great. I especially liked Sage, Damian and Gertrude. Damian is the second brand new book boyfriend of 2025. That man was patient as anything. He had a dirty mouth and mind. He was morally grey which is a strong favourite. I love him. Sage was a great and strong FMC. She was a wee bit morally grey but not like Damian! I love that Gertrude is a transgender character. I was happy to see that inclusion and the stigmas she faced.
The story was so well written and it flowers so well. No plot holes or anything that didn't make sense. This is always pleasing having a book that doesn't raise a million plot hole questions. The book is written in third person and is from Sage's point of view. I liked this a lot and it worked well.
I really recommend this book. If you love Sci-fi or you want to try it, I think that this would be a good start!
The characters were great. I especially liked Sage, Damian and Gertrude. Damian is the second brand new book boyfriend of 2025. That man was patient as anything. He had a dirty mouth and mind. He was morally grey which is a strong favourite. I love him. Sage was a great and strong FMC. She was a wee bit morally grey but not like Damian! I love that Gertrude is a transgender character. I was happy to see that inclusion and the stigmas she faced.
The story was so well written and it flowers so well. No plot holes or anything that didn't make sense. This is always pleasing having a book that doesn't raise a million plot hole questions. The book is written in third person and is from Sage's point of view. I liked this a lot and it worked well.
I really recommend this book. If you love Sci-fi or you want to try it, I think that this would be a good start!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Transphobia
Minor: Suicide
adventurous
funny
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:
Complicated
Diamond City is a phenomenal sci-fi novel about pizza-loving Sage, who wants to be left alone to run her pizza shop. She’s done fighting in other people’s wars, but because she’s descended from an ancient warrior race, she’s highly sought after to help the Warlord in his attack on the royal family of Diamond City.
I loved this book! Sage is such a strong and sassy character with a heart of gold. She cares so much for her family and the people in her life and will fight tooth and nail to keep them safe.
The banter and relationship between FMC Sage and MMC Damian is so fun and layered! They can annoy the hell out of each other and challenge each other, but still be there to support each other and have each other’s backs, always. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope, and this book nailed that for me!
I cannot wait to read book two in the Diamond City series and see where Sage’s story goes next!
I loved this book! Sage is such a strong and sassy character with a heart of gold. She cares so much for her family and the people in her life and will fight tooth and nail to keep them safe.
The banter and relationship between FMC Sage and MMC Damian is so fun and layered! They can annoy the hell out of each other and challenge each other, but still be there to support each other and have each other’s backs, always. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope, and this book nailed that for me!
I cannot wait to read book two in the Diamond City series and see where Sage’s story goes next!
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
📚04 /100 (2025 Reading Goal)
📖 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮
✍️ 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗲
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
Omniscient storytelling, sci-fi fantasy, witty dialog, slow burn romance, androgynous MMC, fun world building
𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲(𝘀):
“Out of everything she practiced at the gym, dangling with a body close to two hundred pounds beneath her wasn’t one of them.”
“Because it won’t just be your tongue on a silver platter—I’ll put your penis there, too. Men can live without both, you know. They’ll be much tamer.”
“A night that Sage had thought would end in bloodshed actually ended pretty amicably amidst milkshakes.”
“He left her little messages like ‘I can’t stop thinking about you’ and ‘If I had a heart, it’d be beating for you’…”
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:
This indy novel is a blend of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian adventure. Sage, the pizza-loving protagonist, is as clever and resourceful as she is reluctant to embrace her warrior past, which makes her journey both fun and relatable. The story’s omniscient storytelling style really worked for me, offering insight into the bigger picture while giving all the side characters a chance to shine. I especially enjoyed the quirky and memorable side characters that added depth to the world.
Damian, the androgynous MMC, stood out as a fascinating character. His dynamic with Sage was full of tension and chemistry, and their interactions kept me hooked throughout the slow-burn romance. There’s a fair amount of spice here, which added a nice layer to the story without overshadowing the action or moral dilemmas.
The world-building is vivid and unique, combining hover cars, ancient warrior clans, and royal intrigue. It’s a medium-paced story that keeps you engaged, and the mix of genres makes it a great choice for readers new to romantasy.
I enjoyed the creativity, character dynamics, and action-packed plot. If you’re looking for a fun, adventurous read with a steamy romance and a lot of humor, 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮 is worth checking out!
This sci-fi book was a nice change of pace from my usual fantasy and romance reads.
The world building was interesting with the politics between the different groups and characters after I wrapped my head around everything. I liked how Sage was a warrior and how fierce she was. The side characters in this added some fun to the story.
There were some aspects of Sage that felt out of character and I wasn't super into the insta-love/lust at times but overall this was a solid read and I'll be interested to see where the story goes. The ending had some nice twists and turns.
Thank you to the author for the review copy.
The world building was interesting with the politics between the different groups and characters after I wrapped my head around everything. I liked how Sage was a warrior and how fierce she was. The side characters in this added some fun to the story.
There were some aspects of Sage that felt out of character and I wasn't super into the insta-love/lust at times but overall this was a solid read and I'll be interested to see where the story goes. The ending had some nice twists and turns.
Thank you to the author for the review copy.
Okay, y’all. Okay.
*deep breath*
@astridcolebooks is a little cray cray (a LOT cray cray), but this book was
Merged review:
Okay, y’all. Okay.
*deep breath*
@astridcolebooks is a little cray cray (a LOT cray cray), but this book was
*deep breath*
@astridcolebooks is a little cray cray (a LOT cray cray), but this book was
Merged review:
Okay, y’all. Okay.
*deep breath*
@astridcolebooks is a little cray cray (a LOT cray cray), but this book was
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was a great change of pace from my normal fantasy/Romantasy reads. I love sci fi but just don’t tend to read a ton of it. The writing style took a little bit of getting used to, and the world building was slightly confusing at times (but really interesting), so it took me a while to get into the book, but once it picked up I really enjoyed it. Sage is such a no nonsense FMC. I love Samson as a side character and really enjoyed the growth of Louis in this story, though Sage’s obsession with him/fangirling in the beginning felt slightly out of place given her personality. Similarly the insta love/lust with the Warlord felt a bit out of character. Otherwise I had a lot of fun diving into this new sci fi world and I’m really looking forward to starting book 2!
I also need to mention that I am obsessed with these covers! They are stunning!
Thanks so much to Astrid for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I also need to mention that I am obsessed with these covers! They are stunning!
Thanks so much to Astrid for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
What a ride!
Sage is officially my favorite FMC hands down.
She knows what she wants and stops at nothing to get there. She holds to her morals in a way that shows you they can morph and still be the same. The MMC was the personality that irks me, but the personal info moments made me see where he could have real charm. There is spice in this book with a slow burn approach. It is wonderfully worked into the storyline and character growth.
I have already dived into Emerald City because I'm invested in this world.
Diamond City is available already on Amazon!
Note: this book involves murder, death, war, manipulation, r@pe attempt, graphic details, reference to human sold for money, human experiments, and harassment. Keep this is mind if you are looking to read this book.
Sage is officially my favorite FMC hands down.
She knows what she wants and stops at nothing to get there. She holds to her morals in a way that shows you they can morph and still be the same. The MMC was the personality that irks me, but the personal info moments made me see where he could have real charm. There is spice in this book with a slow burn approach. It is wonderfully worked into the storyline and character growth.
I have already dived into Emerald City because I'm invested in this world.
Diamond City is available already on Amazon!
Note: this book involves murder, death, war, manipulation, r@pe attempt, graphic details, reference to human sold for money, human experiments, and harassment. Keep this is mind if you are looking to read this book.
Leading this review with the fact that Sci-Fi usually is not my genre of choice but I’ve been trying to branch out. The concept of this book was very interesting. Sage is an incredible warrior who’s tired of war and wants to stay out of politics to quietly run her pizza shop. Good luck with that Sage. Her journey is action packed with a couple of surprising plot twists.
The ending was a bit unresolved (some people hate that but it gets me excited for the next book).
I would definitely recommend this book!
The ending was a bit unresolved (some people hate that but it gets me excited for the next book).
I would definitely recommend this book!
Sage is a pizza-making badass who just wants to marry Prince Louis; and she will do anything to get there, including killing bad guys! But when her city is at-risk of being attacked and breached, she hops right into action to stop that from happening.
This is a story of love, adventure, fantasy, and of course, sci-fi! Astrid did a wonderful job in her art of writing, bringing the characters and environment to life so effortlessly. The characters were easy to love, and the book was impossible to put down. I usually do not enjoy sci-fi books, but found myself looking forward to the sci-fi bits. The twists and turns were completely unexpected, and the blend of politics and romance was the chef’s kiss. There’s some serious graphic content in this too
Is this book a bestseller? No, but it absolutely should be. Is this book under-appreciated? ABSOLUTELY!
This is a story of love, adventure, fantasy, and of course, sci-fi! Astrid did a wonderful job in her art of writing, bringing the characters and environment to life so effortlessly. The characters were easy to love, and the book was impossible to put down. I usually do not enjoy sci-fi books, but found myself looking forward to the sci-fi bits. The twists and turns were completely unexpected, and the blend of politics and romance was the chef’s kiss. There’s some serious graphic content in this too
Is this book a bestseller? No, but it absolutely should be. Is this book under-appreciated? ABSOLUTELY!