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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m so on the fence about this one!
First off, loved the found family trope and the fact that there’s a dog all the way through this. I was really interested in the first half of the book but as it started to get through it, I just felt like I just wasn’t as interested as I first was. I’m not really it why, I guess I just expected more but I’m not sure how if that makes sense?
Like the 76% mark, and the whole thing with Ezra, idk if I’m being dumb but that felt left field for me. And the whole outcome seemed to resolve easily, so the climax didn’t feel that all important.
Overall, I did enjoy it but feel like there could’ve been so much more too.
First off, loved the found family trope and the fact that there’s a dog all the way through this. I was really interested in the first half of the book but as it started to get through it, I just felt like I just wasn’t as interested as I first was. I’m not really it why, I guess I just expected more but I’m not sure how if that makes sense?
Like the 76% mark, and the whole thing with Ezra, idk if I’m being dumb but that felt left field for me. And the whole outcome seemed to resolve easily, so the climax didn’t feel that all important.
Overall, I did enjoy it but feel like there could’ve been so much more too.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
i read this on a whim, lured in by the interesting cover and while i wouldn't say it was a bad time, it was also not a very well-executed one either. not aiming to be harsh on all of it - there were some really interesting world-building elements to it, a setting that constantly kept unveiling new things and some nice characters - but the time line and the pace was simply way too fast. it was obviously engaging enough for me to finish it, but i find myself thinking that way too much was packed into this way too fast.
stories taking place in a short time exists, but i felt like this one simply had too much happening in a one week time-frame, both action/conflict wise and for the character/relationship developments too. i think it'd have benefitted a lot from the author stretching the time line out more and spending a bit longer on believably progressing the characters from point A to B.
to begin with, this story wants to do A LOT. the main character is on the run from their own cartel family, is being haunted by some mysterious entity from time to time while also dealing with guilt and feelings of missing his left-behind twin sister. in a lot of other books these elements alone would be the whole set up, but here we also have vampirism introduced, followed up by 2 set of additional cast (the main found family + their side friend group) and an additional threat gunning for our main character. all this while the mc finds himself in a found family and romance situation.
like i said - it's just... A LOT. these elements aren't bad, just a lot, and i truly believe it takes huge skill to satisfyingly connect and lay out all of them in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming and hasty. the writer made a commendable attempt at it especially for a debut book, but unfortunately for me, most of it did feel hasty. i'm okay with plot and action being fast paced, that i don't much mind, but the characters and their relationships is where i need stories to take a deeper breath.
if a character is on the run from a deathly threat then logically speaking i need them to be more cautious to trust others and not share their deepest secrets in just 2 days of knowing them. if a character finds themselves suddenly turning into a vampire after a traumatic event then i expect that to be emotionally explored a lot more than just them instantly rolling with all of it as if it's just another tuesday. people who were obviously set up to like each other by the end of it do so instantly, instead of believable interpersonal distance or sometimes even tension.
what made me the most engaged was the main trio of Marigold, Killian and Ezra. even though a lot of their development also suffered from what i just described above, i still ended up liking them as characters. found family is favorite trope, so i'll bite on that every time. i do wish their interpersonal coming together was even more slowly explored - honestly i just thought that Ezra fell in line with them way too easy for someone who was so emotionally troubled and haunted.
i only later found out that this story gets compared to the All For The Game series a lot, which is one of my all time favorite comfort fixations. while i do see where some would draw the lines of similarities - mc on the run from crime family, m/m romance, found family - i'll have to be honest and say that what makes the overpacked jumble of otherwise outlandish concepts of AFTG work is the way that it excels at all of the stuff i just criticized in this one. i don't want to go into this in a more detailed fashion because it always makes me uncomfortable to compare different titles in reviews, but i guess what i'd impart as an advice here is that having patience in your narrative both towards conflicts and character progression will make or break your reader's emotional journey.
either way, i hope this author continues to hone their craft and publish many more stories in the future. there is a lot of passion to be found in this debut, many interesting concepts and good characters drawn up. and obviously, i am in the minority here since i see plenty readers rating this book very high and enjoying it big time. we all enjoy our books differently and your stories will always find their audience. as for me, this time i'm clocking out at 2.5 stars.
stories taking place in a short time exists, but i felt like this one simply had too much happening in a one week time-frame, both action/conflict wise and for the character/relationship developments too. i think it'd have benefitted a lot from the author stretching the time line out more and spending a bit longer on believably progressing the characters from point A to B.
to begin with, this story wants to do A LOT. the main character is on the run from their own cartel family, is being haunted by some mysterious entity from time to time while also dealing with guilt and feelings of missing his left-behind twin sister. in a lot of other books these elements alone would be the whole set up, but here we also have vampirism introduced, followed up by 2 set of additional cast (the main found family + their side friend group) and an additional threat gunning for our main character. all this while the mc finds himself in a found family and romance situation.
like i said - it's just... A LOT. these elements aren't bad, just a lot, and i truly believe it takes huge skill to satisfyingly connect and lay out all of them in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming and hasty. the writer made a commendable attempt at it especially for a debut book, but unfortunately for me, most of it did feel hasty. i'm okay with plot and action being fast paced, that i don't much mind, but the characters and their relationships is where i need stories to take a deeper breath.
if a character is on the run from a deathly threat then logically speaking i need them to be more cautious to trust others and not share their deepest secrets in just 2 days of knowing them. if a character finds themselves suddenly turning into a vampire after a traumatic event then i expect that to be emotionally explored a lot more than just them instantly rolling with all of it as if it's just another tuesday. people who were obviously set up to like each other by the end of it do so instantly, instead of believable interpersonal distance or sometimes even tension.
what made me the most engaged was the main trio of Marigold, Killian and Ezra. even though a lot of their development also suffered from what i just described above, i still ended up liking them as characters. found family is favorite trope, so i'll bite on that every time. i do wish their interpersonal coming together was even more slowly explored - honestly i just thought that Ezra fell in line with them way too easy for someone who was so emotionally troubled and haunted.
i only later found out that this story gets compared to the All For The Game series a lot, which is one of my all time favorite comfort fixations. while i do see where some would draw the lines of similarities - mc on the run from crime family, m/m romance, found family - i'll have to be honest and say that what makes the overpacked jumble of otherwise outlandish concepts of AFTG work is the way that it excels at all of the stuff i just criticized in this one. i don't want to go into this in a more detailed fashion because it always makes me uncomfortable to compare different titles in reviews, but i guess what i'd impart as an advice here is that having patience in your narrative both towards conflicts and character progression will make or break your reader's emotional journey.
either way, i hope this author continues to hone their craft and publish many more stories in the future. there is a lot of passion to be found in this debut, many interesting concepts and good characters drawn up. and obviously, i am in the minority here since i see plenty readers rating this book very high and enjoying it big time. we all enjoy our books differently and your stories will always find their audience. as for me, this time i'm clocking out at 2.5 stars.
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
actual rating: 2.5
Most people seemed to really like this one so don't put too much stock in my review. I thought about rounding this up to 3 stars but I was so bored with it that I ended up skimming at least half of it and my general rule is that when I start skimming it gets an automatic 2 stars. There's nothing technically 'wrong' with this, it's well written in that there are not a lot of glaring grammatical errors and the pacing and structure is decent, but I just found all the characters to be incredibly two dimensional and never really connected with any of them and unfortunately that will make or break a book for me. The first few chapters were promising but to me they just never really developed to an extent that would make me care about what happened to them.
actual rating: 2.5
Most people seemed to really like this one so don't put too much stock in my review. I thought about rounding this up to 3 stars but I was so bored with it that I ended up skimming at least half of it and my general rule is that when I start skimming it gets an automatic 2 stars. There's nothing technically 'wrong' with this, it's well written in that there are not a lot of glaring grammatical errors and the pacing and structure is decent, but I just found all the characters to be incredibly two dimensional and never really connected with any of them and unfortunately that will make or break a book for me. The first few chapters were promising but to me they just never really developed to an extent that would make me care about what happened to them.
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Caylan MacRae for the ARC and allowing me this opportunity to read and share my thoughts!
First of all, what a lovely debut novel! MacRae really knows how to drag in your interest on page one! I was instantly intrigued by our main character, Ezra, and what is going on his life. MacRae really strives in the character department. All the characters were very intriguing to read about and some of them appeared with one sentence and made me go: "Yep, I love them."
This is a vampire romance story. I was interesting in the concept but also a little wary about how they were going to make vampires interesting when it has been done many times before. MacRae steps right up to the plate and gives vampires an interesting rework. Playing on the classic concepts of the night walkers and giving them more depth. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how the vampires work in this world! It was my favorite part besides the characters. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into it to make them more interesting for new-comers and people who already read plenty of vampire stories.
For the romance... I sadly couldn't get completely behind it. It wasn't bad! I wish there was more build up since it was very insta-love and made me not connect as much to their relationship. I was more connected with the friendship of the side characters with the main characters. Especially Mari. Gosh, I love Mari. Her relationship with every character in this story is so well done. I wish there was more downtime between the two main love interests so we can see them more happy and learn about each other, instead of there always being action at every turn preventing them from truly learning about one another.
Also, since I mentioned Mari, I should mention our other main lead. Killian is a charismatic guy and really likable as a character, but he did read very young when he is suppose to be much older. I know they explained it slightly but I feel like since he is been around so long and is old enough to know when he is acting irresponsible, he would make a change. Hopefully in the next book we can see more of him and see more of his depth as a character.
What a lovely story! MacRae set up so many threads throughout the book that there was a point where I was like "huh that is a little predictable" only for a bunch of plot twists to hit me in the face and say "you thought". Found family, cute vampire romance, intriguing plot and characters - Honestly a very amazing debut novel and I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for vampires and found families.
First of all, what a lovely debut novel! MacRae really knows how to drag in your interest on page one! I was instantly intrigued by our main character, Ezra, and what is going on his life. MacRae really strives in the character department. All the characters were very intriguing to read about and some of them appeared with one sentence and made me go: "Yep, I love them."
This is a vampire romance story. I was interesting in the concept but also a little wary about how they were going to make vampires interesting when it has been done many times before. MacRae steps right up to the plate and gives vampires an interesting rework. Playing on the classic concepts of the night walkers and giving them more depth. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how the vampires work in this world! It was my favorite part besides the characters. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into it to make them more interesting for new-comers and people who already read plenty of vampire stories.
For the romance... I sadly couldn't get completely behind it. It wasn't bad! I wish there was more build up since it was very insta-love and made me not connect as much to their relationship. I was more connected with the friendship of the side characters with the main characters. Especially Mari. Gosh, I love Mari. Her relationship with every character in this story is so well done. I wish there was more downtime between the two main love interests so we can see them more happy and learn about each other, instead of there always being action at every turn preventing them from truly learning about one another.
Also, since I mentioned Mari, I should mention our other main lead. Killian is a charismatic guy and really likable as a character, but he did read very young when he is suppose to be much older. I know they explained it slightly but I feel like since he is been around so long and is old enough to know when he is acting irresponsible, he would make a change. Hopefully in the next book we can see more of him and see more of his depth as a character.
What a lovely story! MacRae set up so many threads throughout the book that there was a point where I was like "huh that is a little predictable" only for a bunch of plot twists to hit me in the face and say "you thought". Found family, cute vampire romance, intriguing plot and characters - Honestly a very amazing debut novel and I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for vampires and found families.
Poor editing (e.g., all of the sentences are the same length, typos, egregious amount of comma splices) + poor characterization. Plot could have been interesting, but is neither well-written nor well-executed.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Caylan MacRae for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is the story of Ezra, a guy who is on the run and always looking over his shoulder and what happens when fate has him collide with a mysterious person who offers to help, while bringing in a whole new world of danger full of the paranormal (and a little bot of romance).
I really enjoyed this debut novel by Caylan MacRae. I read the majority of it (about 80%) in one sitting, which as someone who doesn’t like to be stuck sitting around, is a testament to how much I enjoyed reading it and getting lost in these characters.
I’m sucker (not the bloodsucker vampire kind though) for the found family trope and get plenty of it from this. Loved the character interactions and dynamics. I thought the main cast was well written and had enough depth to them and am interested in seeing more of the side characters we briefly met, along with the world itself being built upon even more in the future.
My only minor gripe would be it felt like Ezra opened up a bit too fast / was too trusting for a guy who had been on the run and paranoid for so long but it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book and on the plus side, it did mean important backstory stuff was revealed at a healthy pace (as I’m not a fan about vague answers that aren’t answered until the end of the book).
Overall I loved reading this and will be keeping a eye out for any future books in the series and future works by Caylan MacRae! Also thought the cover art looked really good as well.
This is the story of Ezra, a guy who is on the run and always looking over his shoulder and what happens when fate has him collide with a mysterious person who offers to help, while bringing in a whole new world of danger full of the paranormal (and a little bot of romance).
I really enjoyed this debut novel by Caylan MacRae. I read the majority of it (about 80%) in one sitting, which as someone who doesn’t like to be stuck sitting around, is a testament to how much I enjoyed reading it and getting lost in these characters.
I’m sucker (not the bloodsucker vampire kind though) for the found family trope and get plenty of it from this. Loved the character interactions and dynamics. I thought the main cast was well written and had enough depth to them and am interested in seeing more of the side characters we briefly met, along with the world itself being built upon even more in the future.
My only minor gripe would be it felt like Ezra opened up a bit too fast / was too trusting for a guy who had been on the run and paranoid for so long but it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book and on the plus side, it did mean important backstory stuff was revealed at a healthy pace (as I’m not a fan about vague answers that aren’t answered until the end of the book).
Overall I loved reading this and will be keeping a eye out for any future books in the series and future works by Caylan MacRae! Also thought the cover art looked really good as well.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes