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3.91 AVERAGE


This book is terrible and it makes me sad. I am trying so hard not to give up on it but damn, the struggle is real.

The present tense writing is awkward and clunky. “I walk down the hallway” is not what I want to read. It should be “I walked down the hallway”. The author tries so hard to make things sound extra literary. Almost like she went thru a thesaurus to find the most pretentious and cliche words she could find. At one point the MFC compares herself to a goat? Sodden roses are brought up at one point?

Characters make decisions that make no sense. Why save your enemy? There is a lot of stinky land fill added to fill in space. Multiple paragraphs are devoted to world history and a few geography lessons that aren’t needed. All these empty calories are clearly being used to hide the fact that the book has no substance to it.

I’m only 20% in and have little hope that things will improve. I’ll try my hardest not to be quitter but I dunno. This book reads like it was written by an amateur fan fiction author and not one of the good ones.

Edit: 5 min later… “Curiosity pecks into my brain like a chickadee gobbling up seeds…”. I mean come on! Seriously? One of the dumbest lines I have ever read.

Edit: several minutes later… the plot is inconsistent. In one moment Wren is working to control her magic but in the next she’s claiming she doesn’t know where it’s key it. One moment she’s stating she’s a blood queen but does nothing to access her powers or stand up for herself. I wish I could give this book zero stars.

Edit: a day or two later. It did not get better and life is too short to force myself to read a terrible book. I’d like to know how it ends but the writing is too bad so I guess I’ll never know. I am convinced that people who review this book highly are being paid to do so or are the author creating multiple accounts.

This book makes me sad for myself. Sad that I am out here in a recession, working hard for my money while other people are out here “writing” stuff like this and somehow getting published!?? Make that make sense.

DNF
adventurous dark 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⭐️/3.5

To say I am officially obsessed with this series, these characters, this story, would be an understatement. I was hooked about five minutes in and I absolutely could not put it down after that. Our FMC, Wren, is fiery and fierce and powerful, but she carries a magic forbidden to the realm. Our MMC is the most powerful mage in the realm, and her greatest enemy.

Circumstance lands her as his captive, but when he comes to her with an offer of a truce, she agrees reluctantly in exchange for his help. However, as political tensions rise, so does the heat between them. The chemistry and the banter are off the charts, and I found myself desperate for more of them.

This is definitely a slow burn romantasy with an intriguing plot and a spicy payoff toward the end - but this is book one of a trilogy, and the cliffhanger is a doozy. Thankfully, book 2 is currently available, which I will be reading immediately, but book three is unreleased... which means I'm in for a world of pain until we receive the final installment in Sin and Wren's story.

This is definitely my favorite read of the year so far and I HIGHLY recommend to anyone who loves dark fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, slow burn spice, morally grey mmcs, political intrigue, dark secrets, and devastating betrayal.
adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

4 ⭐️ 2.5-3
adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Easy read, enjoyable plot, few spicy scenes but very descriptive