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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Ugh. Well they can’t all be winners. This book had what only can be described as chaotic energy. It wanted to be everything all at once - a vampire fae court intrigue, with academy bully romance, but make it dragons? In the end, it delivered… none of it particularly well.
Let’s start with the characters. Are they immortal beings of power and legend, or messy teenagers in an early 2000s CW drama? Because the behavior is giving high school hallway meltdown. But they are also adults? But also immortal beings? But also in their 20s? The vibe whiplash was real. Also, can someone explain why they’re fae from other dimensions, but also vampires, but also dragon riders? OH AND DWARVES TOO. For fun. Wacky.
And the bullying? Oof. Not for me. They called each other bitch so much, I don’t know if it wanted to be gritty fantasy or a deleted scene from Mean Girls: Underworld Edition.
Can we also talk about the haunted soul of her long-dead fae mother? Why was that even a thing? What purpose did it serve? Other than giving me the ick and adding precisely zero value?
All of this is a shame, because somewhere under the chaos, there’s a glimmer of something. The political house dynamics, the dragon lore, Medra and Blake’s tension (!?!?!?!). That had potential! But it all got buried under tonal inconsistency and overwrought drama.
Will I read book two? Begrudgingly, probably yes. But if it doesn’t steer hard into a coherent lane, I’m ghosting this series (especially if they start introducing ghosts next 😒)
Let’s start with the characters. Are they immortal beings of power and legend, or messy teenagers in an early 2000s CW drama? Because the behavior is giving high school hallway meltdown. But they are also adults? But also immortal beings? But also in their 20s? The vibe whiplash was real. Also, can someone explain why they’re fae from other dimensions, but also vampires, but also dragon riders? OH AND DWARVES TOO. For fun. Wacky.
And the bullying? Oof. Not for me. They called each other bitch so much, I don’t know if it wanted to be gritty fantasy or a deleted scene from Mean Girls: Underworld Edition.
Can we also talk about the haunted soul of her long-dead fae mother? Why was that even a thing? What purpose did it serve? Other than giving me the ick and adding precisely zero value?
All of this is a shame, because somewhere under the chaos, there’s a glimmer of something. The political house dynamics, the dragon lore, Medra and Blake’s tension (!?!?!?!). That had potential! But it all got buried under tonal inconsistency and overwrought drama.
Will I read book two? Begrudgingly, probably yes. But if it doesn’t steer hard into a coherent lane, I’m ghosting this series (especially if they start introducing ghosts next 😒)
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you’ve read Zodiac Academy, this will feel very reminiscent due to the school setting and the bullying. The MFC is suddenly dropped into a creepy world where vampires rule. The MMC is a privileged vampire who isn’t entirely evil but also is too engrained in the world to see how entitled he is.
This book simply isn’t very good. I’d like to know where the story goes but not sure I do enough to read the rest of the series.
This book simply isn’t very good. I’d like to know where the story goes but not sure I do enough to read the rest of the series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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