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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
So sexually charged with not a lot of plot. Confusing and so fast paced but not in a good way. Don’t like the vampire and feeding themes. Just not a book for me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
PNR Fantasy Romance (Paranormal)
Witches x Demons
Student x Teacher
Mid-size FMC
Dark Romance
Enemies to lovers
Age gap - hundreds of years
Dual POV
Available on KU
This is a paranormal fantasy book, the first in the series, and it follows Willow Madizza after the passing of her mother. She’s alone, barely of age and responsible for her six-year-old brother. Oh, and she’s a witch who has been trained by her father to become his weapon and revenge-bringer.
After her mother’s funeral, a figure comes to her doorstep, asking to be invited inside the house. This aspect gave me massive Vampire Diaries vibes and I got all nostalgic. Alaric Grayson Thorne, aka Gray, is the headmaster of the prestigious Hollow’s Grove University where the best and the brightest learn how to practice magic. He just offered Willow a spot to be one of the Thirteen students allowed to study there.
Willow: “I’m not interested in attending any university that sends a seedy, sketchy man to the doorstep of my home. Any reputable university would allow me to apply myself. If you’d like to leave me an application and save a stamp, my mailbox is right over there.”
Gray: “There are no applications for Hollow’s Grove University. It’s invitation only. I’m the headmaster of Hollow’s Grove, Alaric Thorne. This is your formal invitation—”
Willow: “Then leave my invitation in my mailbox.”
Gray: “I am the invitation.”
I liked Willow from the get-go. She was headstrong, and practical and knew exactly what she needed to do and what her motivation was. She was fierce when it came to protecting her little brother, and I appreciated that greatly, especially when she’d rather put herself in dangerous situations to protect him.
And I loved learning more about her ancestry, her secrets and how her fate is linked to everything that happens in the book. Lastly, I appreciated that the author gave her flaws and traumas responses despite being this all-powerful witch.
Gray was a character I found intriguing. He’s a Vessel. This was a concept that was new to me. Despite the similarities between a Vessel and a Vampire starting from the need to feed on witch blood and be invited in, they’re not the same. A Vessel is exactly what it sounds like, a vessel body for a demon. They have no heart, hence no ability to love. Or so they say. However, they can become obsessed and ridden by lust. Sounds promising already? Also, he calls her “love” and “Witchling”!
There is also a mystery and a -who’s done it?- going on and that kept me entertained. The book is not very spicy in my opinion. There are few explicit scenes but they're good, and Gray has some lines that had me wishing there were more scenes like that.
My only issue was that I constantly found myself wondering about the Vessels and their creation, their purposes, the architecture of the university, and about Hollow’s Grove as a town. This is a small thing that might not bother other readers. I know writers are always warned not to add descriptive prose, but I LOVE ITTTT.
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
I'm only going to read the next book to see where tf this is going. Also to HOPEFULLY become attached to the characters because main girl could drop dead and I wouldn't gaf.
adventurous
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
2.5 ⭐️
Oof… that wasn’t… I don’t even know what to say, honestly.
The book wasn’t good. Genuinely, kind of bad. I pushed through because it was short, but it took me longer to read than a 400+ page story I was actually into.
The story was inconsistent, confusing, and somewhat poorly written. I often could not understand or visualize the scenes set by the author. The story would have benefitted from extended, clearer descriptive imagery.
At the same time, it was extremely repetitive. Willow is searching for the bones, fulfilling her birthright, blah blah… but we know next to no information about why or what exactly she’s trying to do.
The FMC and MMC’s personalities are also inconsistent. They are an insta-lust pairing with no tension or real chemistry. There’s no compelling reason why they are drawn to each other. They also actively try to seduce each other during classes? In front of other students? Extremely bizarre.
The secondary characters of the story are unbearably two dimensional. There is no depth or sense of friendship or camaraderie. There are hardly any classes despite being set at a school. Some students are instantly friends with Willow for one scene, others decide to beat her up because she’s not welcome. It just feels… fake.
The storytelling was weak, the magic system was simplistic, the characters were strange and flat, and the plot was sloppy. I apologize, I hate giving harsh reviews and I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t very good.
That being said, I will probably still read the second book (I already bought it—serves me right for judging a book by its cover
Oof… that wasn’t… I don’t even know what to say, honestly.
The book wasn’t good. Genuinely, kind of bad. I pushed through because it was short, but it took me longer to read than a 400+ page story I was actually into.
The story was inconsistent, confusing, and somewhat poorly written. I often could not understand or visualize the scenes set by the author. The story would have benefitted from extended, clearer descriptive imagery.
At the same time, it was extremely repetitive. Willow is searching for the bones, fulfilling her birthright, blah blah… but we know next to no information about why or what exactly she’s trying to do.
The FMC and MMC’s personalities are also inconsistent. They are an insta-lust pairing with no tension or real chemistry. There’s no compelling reason why they are drawn to each other. They also actively try to seduce each other during classes? In front of other students? Extremely bizarre.
The secondary characters of the story are unbearably two dimensional. There is no depth or sense of friendship or camaraderie. There are hardly any classes despite being set at a school. Some students are instantly friends with Willow for one scene, others decide to beat her up because she’s not welcome. It just feels… fake.
The storytelling was weak, the magic system was simplistic, the characters were strange and flat, and the plot was sloppy. I apologize, I hate giving harsh reviews and I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t very good.
That being said, I will probably still read the second book (I already bought it—serves me right for judging a book by its cover
dark
funny
tense
fast-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
Wow! I did not know what to expect with that book but I had so much fun! I loved every second! It drew me in so fast and it’s everything I wanted!!
3.5 rounded up to 4
Listen, this book had me for the majority of it...and then the ending happened, and boy was I angry. I hated the ending. The funny thing about it, is I can't pinpoint what exactly I hate about the ending. It felt like something that the characters can't come back from. So why are there two more books?!
Things I loved:
- the sassiness
- the banter
- the magic system/world
- the characters and the development
- Willow's little brother (he should've gotten more page time)
Things I hated:
- everything else
Listen, this book had me for the majority of it...and then the ending happened, and boy was I angry. I hated the ending. The funny thing about it, is I can't pinpoint what exactly I hate about the ending. It felt like something that the characters can't come back from. So why are there two more books?!
Things I loved:
- the sassiness
- the banter
- the magic system/world
- the characters and the development
- Willow's little brother (he should've gotten more page time)
Things I hated:
- everything else
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No