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raemo's review against another edition
1.0
Good concept and I liked Ivy’s character initially. I feel that if the story was more fleshed out with deeper explanations about the angels and Ivy’s power along with more well-rounded and developed characters it could be really great. It fell flat for me personally, and I didn’t end up finishing the story after the time skip. I didn’t feel attached to the characters, the story line was confusing and had some plot holes, and the insta-love just isn’t my vibe. I would be willing to try another by this author because I enjoyed some of the banter and the writing style when it was from Ivy’s perspective, however this book just wasn’t it!!
rootmonika's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
painandpages's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jlbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This had promise but was a miss for me. The pacing, world building, and plot needed some more fleshing out as things were not fully explained. I didn’t totally understand the connection between the angels and one Greek god but maybe that’s a set up for the next book. The writing style itself is easy to read as well as a quick read.
mnap's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
this book was okay i guess. nothing really special imo. i did like the fallen angel idea, but i feel like it could’ve been brought about in a better way. normally church’s scenes are good, but in this book they were meh. there wasn’t really any scenes tbh. just like the lead up to it and it stopped. i did like ivy’s powers and her part in “dethroning” michael. i also liked how strong she became, and her turning out to be hades’ daughter was not something i expected.
amylittleford's review against another edition
3.0
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley for the eARC for an honest review! I couldn't help buying the special edition hardback (signed as well).
I really loved how the book began with the real life problems of working in retail. I worked at TESCO for 5 years and know that I hated it as much as Ivy (the MC) did. I flew through the first 200 pages in an evening and really didn't want to put it down but sleep is necessary apparently. Definitely signs of a well written book! As soon as we met Devlin, I knew I was going to love him (who doesn't?). The instant attraction between him and Ivy set the book up for a steamy romance, which it was! Dev, a fallen angel, needs Ivy to help him and his friends home with powers she has no idea she has. I love how her powers are slowly revealed throughout the whole book. I found the narrative witty and easy to read. I got Percy Jackson vibes with Hades and the Underworld and also some TVD vibes from Gabe and Devlin.
I found that sometimes the action scenes or impact scenes seemed to resolve too quickly for me. It felt like one page there was a problem and the next it was solved. It would have been great to have seen these scenes in more detail. I thought that the book would end after the battle scene and didn't expect a whole 6 months to have suddenly passed and the characters sent on another adventure. It seemed like a whole other story at the end of the first. I also felt that most of this book is more YA except with the sex scenes. So it felt like we were flitting from YA to NA quite a bit.
Freddy was definitely my favourite side character and I was so thrilled to see the LGBTQ+ rep that continued throughout the book. I loved his and Ivy's friendship! I feel like Ivy's character is dealt with well showing her weaknesses and they weren't just suddenly gone but worked through. Each character's growth is shown clearly. Ivy learning to be vulnerable being a main theme after her traumatic past. I definitely recommend this debut book to lovers of fantasy and romance and can't wait to see what Zola publishes next!
Amy x
I really loved how the book began with the real life problems of working in retail. I worked at TESCO for 5 years and know that I hated it as much as Ivy (the MC) did. I flew through the first 200 pages in an evening and really didn't want to put it down but sleep is necessary apparently. Definitely signs of a well written book! As soon as we met Devlin, I knew I was going to love him (who doesn't?). The instant attraction between him and Ivy set the book up for a steamy romance, which it was! Dev, a fallen angel, needs Ivy to help him and his friends home with powers she has no idea she has. I love how her powers are slowly revealed throughout the whole book. I found the narrative witty and easy to read. I got Percy Jackson vibes with Hades and the Underworld and also some TVD vibes from Gabe and Devlin.
I found that sometimes the action scenes or impact scenes seemed to resolve too quickly for me. It felt like one page there was a problem and the next it was solved. It would have been great to have seen these scenes in more detail. I thought that the book would end after the battle scene and didn't expect a whole 6 months to have suddenly passed and the characters sent on another adventure. It seemed like a whole other story at the end of the first. I also felt that most of this book is more YA except with the sex scenes. So it felt like we were flitting from YA to NA quite a bit.
Freddy was definitely my favourite side character and I was so thrilled to see the LGBTQ+ rep that continued throughout the book. I loved his and Ivy's friendship! I feel like Ivy's character is dealt with well showing her weaknesses and they weren't just suddenly gone but worked through. Each character's growth is shown clearly. Ivy learning to be vulnerable being a main theme after her traumatic past. I definitely recommend this debut book to lovers of fantasy and romance and can't wait to see what Zola publishes next!
Amy x
kmill's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bookshelves4paperelves's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so I’d like to start off by saying a huge thank you for allowing me to have an arc copy of this book! I absolutely adored it! It has the perfect balance of witty sarcasm, steamy romance and fast-paced action (with a small helping of gut-wrenching scenes that made me CRY.)
It says enough that I finished this in under 24 hours, but I’ll just follow up with some things I loved about this read:
- I loved the relationships in this book, especially the development between the love interests!
- The main character is so sassy, sarcastic and absolutely HILARIOUS!
- Jaz. That is all
- The story was fast-paced which I really enjoyed. It was like *boom* action from the get go.
I would highly recommend for fans of fantasy with romance aspects and those who like a gripping story.
Things I am not happy about with this book:
- There is currently not a second book. I need more
It says enough that I finished this in under 24 hours, but I’ll just follow up with some things I loved about this read:
- I loved the relationships in this book, especially the development between the love interests!
- The main character is so sassy, sarcastic and absolutely HILARIOUS!
- Jaz. That is all
- The story was fast-paced which I really enjoyed. It was like *boom* action from the get go.
I would highly recommend for fans of fantasy with romance aspects and those who like a gripping story.
Things I am not happy about with this book:
- There is currently not a second book. I need more
asunnyreadingcorner's review against another edition
3.0
This book left me primarily confused. I didn't dislike it- but it was a strange read. The book has a lot of potential but just missed the mark on a few things for me.
This book is about Ivy, who has her life upended when some fallen angels pop into it and pretty much tell her that she has to go with them or she's going to die. It's a new adult urban fantasy.
I did enjoy the book, and there are some specific things I can point to that I think were well done. The premise was fun- I love fallen angels as much as the next girl. I also enjoyed getting both the guy and the girl's perspectives.
There was a lot about this book that had me massively confused, though. The pacing was wild. I love a fast-paced book, and I love stand-alone books; I rarely have the patience for anything else- this was too fast and tried to cram too much into one book even for me. This book went at a breakneck speed opting for telling rather than showing in a rush to get through the plot. There were plot points that felt utterly abandoned by the end of the book. (Mostly the curse and whatever happened with Gabe.) The book had a climax at about halfway through, and then for the second half of the book, jumped and went down a completely different path and felt like a different book. I think it might have made more sense to turn this into a duology and flesh out each of those storylines a bit more.
The romance in this book suffers from a severe case of insta-lust. I'm happy to say that despite that I still liked both of their characters, I just wish that their relationship had played out a little differently. The blurb makes it feel like there will be a love triangle, but if that isn't your thing, I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this because I didn't feel that actually pull through for a majority of the book.
While I had many criticisms for the book and spent a good chunk of time confused about what I just read, I did finish the book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. I probably won't be rereading this; it had so much potential; it just needed some work to be the right fit for me. I hope that the author keeps writing because I think I would absolutely love their work with some tweaking.
This book is about Ivy, who has her life upended when some fallen angels pop into it and pretty much tell her that she has to go with them or she's going to die. It's a new adult urban fantasy.
I did enjoy the book, and there are some specific things I can point to that I think were well done. The premise was fun- I love fallen angels as much as the next girl. I also enjoyed getting both the guy and the girl's perspectives.
There was a lot about this book that had me massively confused, though. The pacing was wild. I love a fast-paced book, and I love stand-alone books; I rarely have the patience for anything else- this was too fast and tried to cram too much into one book even for me. This book went at a breakneck speed opting for telling rather than showing in a rush to get through the plot. There were plot points that felt utterly abandoned by the end of the book. (Mostly the curse and whatever happened with Gabe.) The book had a climax at about halfway through, and then for the second half of the book, jumped and went down a completely different path and felt like a different book. I think it might have made more sense to turn this into a duology and flesh out each of those storylines a bit more.
The romance in this book suffers from a severe case of insta-lust. I'm happy to say that despite that I still liked both of their characters, I just wish that their relationship had played out a little differently. The blurb makes it feel like there will be a love triangle, but if that isn't your thing, I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this because I didn't feel that actually pull through for a majority of the book.
While I had many criticisms for the book and spent a good chunk of time confused about what I just read, I did finish the book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. I probably won't be rereading this; it had so much potential; it just needed some work to be the right fit for me. I hope that the author keeps writing because I think I would absolutely love their work with some tweaking.