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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
ARC Review:
This is a sweet romantasy fairytale standalone that's a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia. I fell into this story quickly and didn't resurface until the very end. It's engaging, fast-paced and filled with fun characters. I'm glad to see that this is just the first in a series of standalones. But without reading the rest, I think this will be my favorite.
Daemon has been imprisoned for nearly 90 years by his half brother, King Thorne. Throne is literally and figuratively the thorn in everyone's side. It's his fault, his kingdom is cursed with his subjects turning into beasts when dusk falls. Thorne bargains with Daemon for his help to find his intended, Isabella, in exchange for his freedom. However, it's been decades since Thorne has seen her but she should be identifiable by a necklace he gave her. The bearer of this necklace can remain ageless and thus immortal.
In the human realm he finds Alix and they have a one-night stand...and then kidnaps her. He assumes she's Isabella when he finds the necklace and her grandmother's books. So begins our little adventure.
Our main characters, Alix and Daemon, are just too cute. Alix adapts fairly well considering she's been kidnapped into fantasy world. Which I suppose beats dealing with a cheating husband and an overbearing mother. Their chemistry is immediate and his protectiveness toward her is swoon-worthy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to the rest of the series.
This is a sweet romantasy fairytale standalone that's a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Anastasia. I fell into this story quickly and didn't resurface until the very end. It's engaging, fast-paced and filled with fun characters. I'm glad to see that this is just the first in a series of standalones. But without reading the rest, I think this will be my favorite.
Daemon has been imprisoned for nearly 90 years by his half brother, King Thorne. Throne is literally and figuratively the thorn in everyone's side. It's his fault, his kingdom is cursed with his subjects turning into beasts when dusk falls. Thorne bargains with Daemon for his help to find his intended, Isabella, in exchange for his freedom. However, it's been decades since Thorne has seen her but she should be identifiable by a necklace he gave her. The bearer of this necklace can remain ageless and thus immortal.
In the human realm he finds Alix and they have a one-night stand...and then kidnaps her. He assumes she's Isabella when he finds the necklace and her grandmother's books. So begins our little adventure.
Our main characters, Alix and Daemon, are just too cute. Alix adapts fairly well considering she's been kidnapped into fantasy world. Which I suppose beats dealing with a cheating husband and an overbearing mother. Their chemistry is immediate and his protectiveness toward her is swoon-worthy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to the rest of the series.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was such a cute read. Contemporary meets fantasy in such a good way.
Thank you Ingram Sparks for the gifted copy!
2.5 ⭐️
I should have loved this—Beauty and the Beast retelling with fae? Right up my alley.
But this was so wildly cringe, I just….couldn’t. And that’s coming from someone who is ALSO incredibly cringe. The FMC is giving “not like other girls, I’m quirky!” energy to the point it bypassed endearing and instead just made me roll my eyes multiple times.
And the fact that this was published in *2025* and there was a Harry Potter reference? 🤮🤮 I would have DNF’d right there if this hasn’t been gifted to me. I regret not stopping there.
I couldn’t connect with a single character—they all felt incredibly one dimensional, just existing to tie together one liners and pop culture references vs being developed and actually relevant to the story.
This was for sure not for me, but if cringey characters, dialogue, and incredibly random plot are your vibe—you’ll have a fantastic time!
2.5 ⭐️
I should have loved this—Beauty and the Beast retelling with fae? Right up my alley.
But this was so wildly cringe, I just….couldn’t. And that’s coming from someone who is ALSO incredibly cringe. The FMC is giving “not like other girls, I’m quirky!” energy to the point it bypassed endearing and instead just made me roll my eyes multiple times.
And the fact that this was published in *2025* and there was a Harry Potter reference? 🤮🤮 I would have DNF’d right there if this hasn’t been gifted to me. I regret not stopping there.
I couldn’t connect with a single character—they all felt incredibly one dimensional, just existing to tie together one liners and pop culture references vs being developed and actually relevant to the story.
This was for sure not for me, but if cringey characters, dialogue, and incredibly random plot are your vibe—you’ll have a fantastic time!
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
This book is so much fun! Alix is an adult woman who behaves and thinks like an adult woman. Her life is a mess, but she's trying to improve her self. She's self aware, but not too self deprecating. Daemon is even more of a mess, but he manages. Some of the things he says are so funny. I like that he's gruff and intense. I really like that he spends so much of the book suffering. He wants Alix so badly. He tries to fight it, which just makes it worse. He's not subtle.
The curse is interesting. There is a level of desperation and despair about it that's present throughout. The solution seems obvious, but it takes our heroes until the last minute to get to it.
The curse is interesting. There is a level of desperation and despair about it that's present throughout. The solution seems obvious, but it takes our heroes until the last minute to get to it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail