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swissmischief's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
gammys_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
WOW! FANTASTIC! Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a magical and unique witchy fantasy romance that has your enemies to lovers trope, forbidden romance, morally gray characters, family rivalry, secrets, betrayals and a murder mystery! It is a journey filled with suspense, tension, magic binding spells, and unexpected twist and turns. I absolutely loved this book so much!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Sadie, who is a powerful witch and lawyer, lives in London. She avoids using her magic for fear it would lead her archenemy, Gabriel, straight to her. When she finds out that her brother is on trial for the murder of Gabriel's father, Sadie has to travel home to represent him in court. Will she be able to hide from Gabriel with the disguise spell on her? Better yet will she be able to resist the pull she has for him? Is her brother innocent? How far will she go to protect her family? Who is the true villain?
Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! I will say to be prepared because it does not end on a happily ever after. However, it does have a happy ending. Now I cannot wait for the next book in the series!! I highly recommend this book and it deserves all the stars!!✨✨🔮💫💫🧙♀️
What a magical and unique witchy fantasy romance that has your enemies to lovers trope, forbidden romance, morally gray characters, family rivalry, secrets, betrayals and a murder mystery! It is a journey filled with suspense, tension, magic binding spells, and unexpected twist and turns. I absolutely loved this book so much!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Sadie, who is a powerful witch and lawyer, lives in London. She avoids using her magic for fear it would lead her archenemy, Gabriel, straight to her. When she finds out that her brother is on trial for the murder of Gabriel's father, Sadie has to travel home to represent him in court. Will she be able to hide from Gabriel with the disguise spell on her? Better yet will she be able to resist the pull she has for him? Is her brother innocent? How far will she go to protect her family? Who is the true villain?
Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! I will say to be prepared because it does not end on a happily ever after. However, it does have a happy ending. Now I cannot wait for the next book in the series!! I highly recommend this book and it deserves all the stars!!✨✨🔮💫💫🧙♀️
babypancake's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
lyd_the_squid's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
konkst's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
super_doxie15's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lizziechap91's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mycupoftealcsw's review
**spoiler alert** DNF at 25% - I don’t normally rate DNFs unless it’s an “I’ve seen what I need to see” situation, and this definitely is. TW SA.
What in the normalizing/minimizing SA is this book?
The book starts fine - nothing amazing, but enjoyable enough. Sadie (the FMC) is living apart from her super magical family because she is bound to a magical rival and is trying to escape this. She also barely uses her own magic so the rival can’t track her and take her magic from her (the lien - as they call it - means the rival can take her magic - and something else, but we’ll get to that), but she is supposedly super powerful.
But then she gets called back home and everything gets so revolting.
First of all, her family is fully aware of why she left and knows the risks she takes by returning but ask her to do it anyway because their golden boy, Bren, is in trouble and she is supposedly the only one who can help him - he has been accused of murder and she is a lawyer. They all, especially her mother, address this risk with her with so much apathy and condescension I immediately hate them.
Second, her family is basically a magical mafia family and generally pretty horrendous. The father holds court like some king of old and where the lowly subjects come to him with requests or get dragged in for not making payments. The first request we see is some loser rando asking for a love potion so his coworker (who apparently isn’t interested in him at all) will fall in love with him. So, mafia dad (someone Sadie has made a point of saying is a good person twice before we even get to this part) gives the loser his potion for the agreed upon price. And apparently this is pretty common. So now this poor coworker who should be allowed to not like this loser will be forced to be with him - consent, who needs it? It’s an incel wet dream.
Next, we get more info on the deal she has with the rival - Gabriel. So, apparently Bren (yes, the same Bren who she has to risk herself for) is also responsible for Sadie being in her current predicament. He got caught doing something stupid by Gabriel who is punishing him by draining his power and asks for volunteers to take his place and the other siblings offer to be SA’d and give him some power (because that is a thing in his world) and he says “no - I want the 18 year old” (i.e. Sadie) - he’s at least 22 btw. Well, everyone is horrified, but Bren is the goldenest of golden boys so, what else can she do? She agrees (while her family stands around and does NOTHING - they all make a show of wanting to do something much later, but just couldn’t because…reasons). They go to his house where she prepares to be raped and drained but Gabriel says he’s not that much of a monster. By the way - they keep using the word “ravished” to make it more palatable. But, don’t start thinking Gabriel is a good guy - he puts a lien on her to take her power and rape her at a later date - what a prince! Of course, Sadie is freaked out but also really attracted to this guy, because what is a book that normalizes SA without the FMC thinking their would-be rapist is hot?
Also, Bren the Great has a history of driving off every guy that Sadie consensually is interested in (which is disgusting in itself) but does fuck all when she is dragged off by Gabriel. The excuse is he was too drained - but, sorry, the way this book makes up reasons for why this crap is allowed to happen is lazy and inconsistent.
This book literally made me nauseous.
What in the normalizing/minimizing SA is this book?
The book starts fine - nothing amazing, but enjoyable enough. Sadie (the FMC) is living apart from her super magical family because she is bound to a magical rival and is trying to escape this. She also barely uses her own magic so the rival can’t track her and take her magic from her (the lien - as they call it - means the rival can take her magic - and something else, but we’ll get to that), but she is supposedly super powerful.
But then she gets called back home and everything gets so revolting.
First of all, her family is fully aware of why she left and knows the risks she takes by returning but ask her to do it anyway because their golden boy, Bren, is in trouble and she is supposedly the only one who can help him - he has been accused of murder and she is a lawyer. They all, especially her mother, address this risk with her with so much apathy and condescension I immediately hate them.
Second, her family is basically a magical mafia family and generally pretty horrendous. The father holds court like some king of old and where the lowly subjects come to him with requests or get dragged in for not making payments. The first request we see is some loser rando asking for a love potion so his coworker (who apparently isn’t interested in him at all) will fall in love with him. So, mafia dad (someone Sadie has made a point of saying is a good person twice before we even get to this part) gives the loser his potion for the agreed upon price. And apparently this is pretty common. So now this poor coworker who should be allowed to not like this loser will be forced to be with him - consent, who needs it? It’s an incel wet dream.
Next, we get more info on the deal she has with the rival - Gabriel. So, apparently Bren (yes, the same Bren who she has to risk herself for) is also responsible for Sadie being in her current predicament. He got caught doing something stupid by Gabriel who is punishing him by draining his power and asks for volunteers to take his place and the other siblings offer to be SA’d and give him some power (because that is a thing in his world) and he says “no - I want the 18 year old” (i.e. Sadie) - he’s at least 22 btw. Well, everyone is horrified, but Bren is the goldenest of golden boys so, what else can she do? She agrees (while her family stands around and does NOTHING - they all make a show of wanting to do something much later, but just couldn’t because…reasons). They go to his house where she prepares to be raped and drained but Gabriel says he’s not that much of a monster. By the way - they keep using the word “ravished” to make it more palatable. But, don’t start thinking Gabriel is a good guy - he puts a lien on her to take her power and rape her at a later date - what a prince! Of course, Sadie is freaked out but also really attracted to this guy, because what is a book that normalizes SA without the FMC thinking their would-be rapist is hot?
Also, Bren the Great has a history of driving off every guy that Sadie consensually is interested in (which is disgusting in itself) but does fuck all when she is dragged off by Gabriel. The excuse is he was too drained - but, sorry, the way this book makes up reasons for why this crap is allowed to happen is lazy and inconsistent.
This book literally made me nauseous.
lilucske's review
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Storm Publishing for the ARC!
Unfortunately, this was not a book for me. The description seemed amazing, the cover was beautifully done- I was ready for a world of witches with a classic enemies to lovers, but too many things got in the way of the plot for me.
The basis of this book is amazing where magic practitioners live in an urban time and Sadie has to battle to save her brother all while avoiding the Gabe-until she can't.
I could not truly delve into The Twisted Mark as descriptions were often over-detailed and focused on trivial details rather than the larger picture. I felt I was lacking details about the plot throughout the story which I felt lead to a disconnect between the reader and first person POV.
Sadie was a little too much for me- full of herself and deemed very special. One part that particularly bothered me was when Sadie took a man to bed and thought "Before he has the chance to collect his senses or take control of the situation, I straddle him, lean over, and kiss him with renewed passion."
Unfortunately, this was not a book for me. The description seemed amazing, the cover was beautifully done- I was ready for a world of witches with a classic enemies to lovers, but too many things got in the way of the plot for me.
The basis of this book is amazing where magic practitioners live in an urban time and Sadie has to battle to save her brother all while avoiding the Gabe-until she can't.
I could not truly delve into The Twisted Mark as descriptions were often over-detailed and focused on trivial details rather than the larger picture. I felt I was lacking details about the plot throughout the story which I felt lead to a disconnect between the reader and first person POV.
Sadie was a little too much for me- full of herself and deemed very special. One part that particularly bothered me was when Sadie took a man to bed and thought "Before he has the chance to collect his senses or take control of the situation, I straddle him, lean over, and kiss him with renewed passion."
thestoriedblog's review
4.0
What. A. Rollercoaster. Okay buckle up because this courtroom drama/family feud/magical world/sexy romance is CRACK. It took a minute for me to get into the story as it is told in first person present, but once I was in I WAS IN. Sadie is an amazing independent woman who has made a life of her own away from everything she grew up with and loved. Her family loves each other and the town they rule dearly, almost to the point of insanity. When she returns, what she thought she knew about her life and her family is rocked with murder allegations and her own discoveries now as a full grown women with immense power. The person responsible for literally all of this and the man holding her freedom in his hands is Gabriel. Whooooooo boy Gabriel gives major Rhysand vibes and I will always be sat for that. I loved being in Sadie’s mind, but I would love a POV from Gabriel’s.
Moving on from our main characters to the plot. Part 1 is all set up and backstory, but Part 2 is where it all starts to move and boy does it move. Like Sadie’s bed, it is rocking with every new allegation and discovery both in the courtroom and outside. The plot moves quickly, but its the characters that really stick with you. Revelations of Sadie’s past and present, Gabriel’s involvement, the family feud, the protection of their town, the history of both families just keep coming and you cannot put this story down. Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel!
For more reviews check out The Storied Blog
Moving on from our main characters to the plot. Part 1 is all set up and backstory, but Part 2 is where it all starts to move and boy does it move. Like Sadie’s bed, it is rocking with every new allegation and discovery both in the courtroom and outside. The plot moves quickly, but its the characters that really stick with you. Revelations of Sadie’s past and present, Gabriel’s involvement, the family feud, the protection of their town, the history of both families just keep coming and you cannot put this story down. Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the sequel!
For more reviews check out The Storied Blog