You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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:
No
Very reminiscent of ACOTAR, but the world and fae are original enough to keep me intrigued. The plot twist surprised me! loved how complex the MC’s personality became and the romance wasn’t juvenile, you could tell they were confident adults, which was refreshing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
Ooo idk, I definitely think the start/stop pacing I read this influenced my final rating... don't quote me on this 😭
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had such high hopes for this book, and I think that, ultimately, was its downfall. The hype was just too high for what I ended up getting. Remy is a red witch, one of the last of her kind and after the massacre 13 years ago in which nearly all the other red witches and the High Mountain Court royal fae died. Forced into hiding by witch hunters, Remy and her found family survive by working in taverns and moving every 2-3 years--until the night that Remy runs into four powerful fae who recognize her for the red witch she is. Their leader, Prince Hale of the Northern Court, asks for her help finding the surviving heir to the High Mountain Court and stopping the war that threatens not only his own borders but their entire realm.
You've got to admit, that sounds like the start of a great story! And when I saw that the author goes by she/they pronouns, I was especially excited. I want more diversity in my books, and after reading a disappointing number of straight books for my first Pride month being out as demi, I was really hoping for some LGBTQ+ characters and romances. I was sadly disappointed.
SPOILERS BELOW!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
There is one character who goes by they/them pronouns, who is featured in about two chapters--maybe 20 pages out of 368. There are two characters who are gay, but one of them dies after getting exactly one line in the entire book, and the other plays a minor role throughout. The main/only love story, between Remi and Hale, is not only extremely heterosexual, but also way over the top. Did we seriously need that many sex scenes back to back? Including one literally on top of a horse and then up against a tree in the woods? Maybe it's just the demi in me, but ick. Major ick.
Okay, so romance and sex aren't my thing. But that doesn't mean the plot can't be good, right? True, but I correctly predicted every single twist and turn, so even though the storyline was okay, it lacked all dazzle and pizzazz for me. Worse, the writing style just wasn't for me, filled with short, staccato sentences that started to grate on me after about one paragraph, and jumps that were confusing at best and nonsensical at worst. He's dead, but wait the magic antidote saved him from the poison (spoiler alert: antidotes only work if you're still alive to consume them), now she's dead, JK no she's not. All inside of one chapter. Then, at the end of the book, we did the she's dead thing again, but the magic of her mated partner that kept her alive last time won't work this time for reasons that are completely unexplained, and then it's witchy powers and self-sacrificing mothers to the rescue! Like, what? It wasn't a bad story, but between the jumbled, predictable plot, disappointingly hetero-normative characters, and a writing style that clashed terribly with my own preferences, it just wasn't for me.
A quick note, in case A.K. Mulford reads reviews of their own books, all of this is not to say that I'm not happy for their success as a writer! As a member of the queer community and an aspiring writer myself, I dream of having as much success as they have, and I hope their books continue to do well! Not every book is for every reader, and this book and I just weren't a good fit for each other, especially when I went into it thinking we would be a fantastic match.
You've got to admit, that sounds like the start of a great story! And when I saw that the author goes by she/they pronouns, I was especially excited. I want more diversity in my books, and after reading a disappointing number of straight books for my first Pride month being out as demi, I was really hoping for some LGBTQ+ characters and romances. I was sadly disappointed.
SPOILERS BELOW!
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
There is one character who goes by they/them pronouns, who is featured in about two chapters--maybe 20 pages out of 368. There are two characters who are gay, but one of them dies after getting exactly one line in the entire book, and the other plays a minor role throughout. The main/only love story, between Remi and Hale, is not only extremely heterosexual, but also way over the top. Did we seriously need that many sex scenes back to back? Including one literally on top of a horse and then up against a tree in the woods? Maybe it's just the demi in me, but ick. Major ick.
Okay, so romance and sex aren't my thing. But that doesn't mean the plot can't be good, right? True, but I correctly predicted every single twist and turn, so even though the storyline was okay, it lacked all dazzle and pizzazz for me. Worse, the writing style just wasn't for me, filled with short, staccato sentences that started to grate on me after about one paragraph, and jumps that were confusing at best and nonsensical at worst. He's dead, but wait the magic antidote saved him from the poison (spoiler alert: antidotes only work if you're still alive to consume them), now she's dead, JK no she's not. All inside of one chapter. Then, at the end of the book, we did the she's dead thing again, but the magic of her mated partner that kept her alive last time won't work this time for reasons that are completely unexplained, and then it's witchy powers and self-sacrificing mothers to the rescue! Like, what? It wasn't a bad story, but between the jumbled, predictable plot, disappointingly hetero-normative characters, and a writing style that clashed terribly with my own preferences, it just wasn't for me.
A quick note, in case A.K. Mulford reads reviews of their own books, all of this is not to say that I'm not happy for their success as a writer! As a member of the queer community and an aspiring writer myself, I dream of having as much success as they have, and I hope their books continue to do well! Not every book is for every reader, and this book and I just weren't a good fit for each other, especially when I went into it thinking we would be a fantastic match.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
I just stopped caring about the characters (I don’t think I ever really cared about them.) It seemed as if the author wanted to tell this tale of found-family, close friendships, and epic romance but didn’t want to put in the work of showing us these relationships building on page. Like all of a sudden, Remy is close with Bri and Carys but we never see how it got there. We’re just supposed to buy it. Same with the romance plot line. That wouldn’t bother me so much if the plot kept me intrigued. I guessed what I’m sure was supposed to be a plot-twist about 80 pages in.
I don’t want to say that AK Mulford ripped another author off , because I know that artists are inspired by others they respect, admire, etc. but thelast living member of the royal family who was long thought dead plotting to take back her throne plot<\spoiler> is very reminiscent of the plot of a very popular romantasy author’s first series. Also, when when Remy and Hale are getting sexy and trying to distract the other royal fae by being lewd, and they accidentally get turned on even though they are acting<\spoiler> I can’t help but be reminded of that same romantasy authors very famous throne room scene in another one of her series. It’s practically the same thing. There were so many lines that I highlighted that I’m like , I remember this dialogue from another authors fantasy romance series. I would say this is beyond being inspired or influenced by another author. I don’t want to accuse of plagiarism, but the similarities are too uncanny to be a mere coincidence.
There were some sweet moments, likable characters, and a promising premise, but it all fell flat. I just didn’t believe that the stakes were as high as Mulford was trying to convince us. I did not believe the romantic or platonic connections were there with the characters. I can’t bring myself to care how this story ends. Bottom line:this author spent a lot of time telling us these relationships and stakes exist, but did little to make the reader believe or care.
Props for diversity in race, gender, and sexuality. That was the only thing that didn’t seem forced and it was believable for the characters.
I don’t want to say that AK Mulford ripped another author off , because I know that artists are inspired by others they respect, admire, etc. but the
There were some sweet moments, likable characters, and a promising premise, but it all fell flat. I just didn’t believe that the stakes were as high as Mulford was trying to convince us. I did not believe the romantic or platonic connections were there with the characters. I can’t bring myself to care how this story ends. Bottom line:this author spent a lot of time telling us these relationships and stakes exist, but did little to make the reader believe or care.
Props for diversity in race, gender, and sexuality. That was the only thing that didn’t seem forced and it was believable for the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence
4.5 ⭐️ Well I think I have to give a high rating since I finished this book in less than 12 hours. Something about this read was just very….comforting to me. It reminded me of something I would have obsessed over as a teenager, if that makes sense. Were there some overused fantasy cliches? Yeah. But I still really enjoyed this read for all the non-cliche, pleasantly surprising details.
First: DIVERSITY. And not just one light skin secondary character with two lines. Multiple black main characters, plus size women, gay and lesbian characters, and a non-binary fae character. But it all felt very natural and not used just for plot development ya know.
Second: An easy to understand magic system. Fae, witches, humans. Five courts. I thought there was a good amount of world building and detail without being too bogged down.
Third: I really loved the main characters, Remy and Hale. They were strong and feisty and clever of course but my favorite was their vulnerability. I wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers trope…more like “we got off on the wrong foot but you’re super cool so I’d like to know you better” trope.
Fourth: Pacing. They moved around the kingdoms a lot which kept me focused rather than slogging through 4 chapters of them sitting at court or something.
So yeah, maybe a little reminiscent of other fae fantasy books in some things but all in all I really liked this book. I can definitely see myself reading it again.
But one thing….can we please stop making the female MC nineteen years old?? For the love, I want a semi-adult woman kicking ass just once PLEASE
First: DIVERSITY. And not just one light skin secondary character with two lines. Multiple black main characters, plus size women, gay and lesbian characters, and a non-binary fae character. But it all felt very natural and not used just for plot development ya know.
Second: An easy to understand magic system. Fae, witches, humans. Five courts. I thought there was a good amount of world building and detail without being too bogged down.
Third: I really loved the main characters, Remy and Hale. They were strong and feisty and clever of course but my favorite was their vulnerability. I wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers trope…more like “we got off on the wrong foot but you’re super cool so I’d like to know you better” trope.
Fourth: Pacing. They moved around the kingdoms a lot which kept me focused rather than slogging through 4 chapters of them sitting at court or something.
So yeah, maybe a little reminiscent of other fae fantasy books in some things but all in all I really liked this book. I can definitely see myself reading it again.
But one thing….can we please stop making the female MC nineteen years old?? For the love, I want a semi-adult woman kicking ass just once PLEASE