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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
fast-paced
dark
I wasn’t expecting much from this read. And I was happily surprised! Would recommend for those who enjoy this type of book and will definitely be reading the sequel when it arrives!
Yeah okay, this was… fine. A perfectly okay time. Not terrible, not great, but also not particularly different from the mountain of fantasy romances currently clogging the shelves. Will I remember it a few books from now? Doubtful.
Let’s start with the good: the set-up actually worked for me. The pacing between world-building and action was solid.
From the prison break to the grimoire heist to the trek to vampire-land, it all felt mostly earned. Sure, there was some yada-yada-ing (weeks of healing at a random cabin, blink and you’ll miss it), but for the most part the plot progression was clean, the kingdoms and creatures were interesting, and praise xenu the vampires actually felt dangerous. After suffering through a few recent “soft sparkle” vampire reads, it was nice to get something with actual bite. (I’ll see myself out.)
But then… the characters. Oof. What a miss. Our FMC’s “mystery past” is about as mysterious as a neon sign. We all know exactly who she is and where this is going. Meanwhile, her naivety is played as stubbornness and rage, which just reads like idiocy. Girlfriend — they are vampires. Yes, they drink blood. They are doing it as humanely as possible. Your endless fury over this is maddening. And the MMC? A cardboard cutout of “insert broody male lead here” but make it like more bland. He cares, but why? He likes her, but why? He exists, but… why? Other than sprinkling in the occasional and inexplicable “touch her and die” moment, he barely registers. The side characters? A little more fleshed out, but still firmly in “set dressing” territory. Solidly mid.
I did appreciate the restraint on spice — I’ll always prefer a slow burn that actually simmers — but while the tension was patient, the ending felt completely rushed. Samara spends like 90% of the book shrieking about how much she fears and despises vampires, then gets turned and reacts like it’s a mild inconvenience at best. And the jump from “lifelong void” to “instant necromancer revenge queen” was whiplash-inducing. No shock? No confusion? Just boom — here’s your new identity, and it’s fully accepted with no question. Disingenuous at best.
Overall? Meh. I’ll read the next one, because completionist chaos owns me, but the hype was louder than the actual story. And a hell of a lot louder than these characters deserved.
Let’s start with the good: the set-up actually worked for me. The pacing between world-building and action was solid.
From the prison break to the grimoire heist to the trek to vampire-land, it all felt mostly earned. Sure, there was some yada-yada-ing (weeks of healing at a random cabin, blink and you’ll miss it), but for the most part the plot progression was clean, the kingdoms and creatures were interesting, and praise xenu the vampires actually felt dangerous. After suffering through a few recent “soft sparkle” vampire reads, it was nice to get something with actual bite. (I’ll see myself out.)
But then… the characters. Oof. What a miss. Our FMC’s “mystery past” is about as mysterious as a neon sign. We all know exactly who she is and where this is going. Meanwhile, her naivety is played as stubbornness and rage, which just reads like idiocy. Girlfriend — they are vampires. Yes, they drink blood. They are doing it as humanely as possible. Your endless fury over this is maddening. And the MMC? A cardboard cutout of “insert broody male lead here” but make it like more bland. He cares, but why? He likes her, but why? He exists, but… why? Other than sprinkling in the occasional and inexplicable “touch her and die” moment, he barely registers. The side characters? A little more fleshed out, but still firmly in “set dressing” territory. Solidly mid.
I did appreciate the restraint on spice — I’ll always prefer a slow burn that actually simmers — but while the tension was patient, the ending felt completely rushed. Samara spends like 90% of the book shrieking about how much she fears and despises vampires, then gets turned and reacts like it’s a mild inconvenience at best. And the jump from “lifelong void” to “instant necromancer revenge queen” was whiplash-inducing. No shock? No confusion? Just boom — here’s your new identity, and it’s fully accepted with no question. Disingenuous at best.
Overall? Meh. I’ll read the next one, because completionist chaos owns me, but the hype was louder than the actual story. And a hell of a lot louder than these characters deserved.
adventurous
dark
tense
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
MC annoys me to no end. She was fine most of the book but towards the end I was pulling my hair out. I don’t think I will continue the series.
I really wanted to finish but the FMC was becoming too frustrating and difficult to relate with. There’s really interesting world-building and some other cool and appealing characters.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes