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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Very Enchanted
I was so excited by this book, the plot, characters, and the world.
Lilac is such an independent spirit who takes her destiny into her own hands. Her open mindingness about the daemons and willing to be educated on what she has been taught vs reality.
The relationship with Garin is beautiful, funny and I love that he understands her desire to do things by herself so he doesn’t stop her but helps and shows her that leaning on someone you care for is okay.
I am so damn excited for the next book. I am excited to see the relationship between mortals and daemons go from fear to acceptance.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was so excited by this book, the plot, characters, and the world.
Lilac is such an independent spirit who takes her destiny into her own hands. Her open mindingness about the daemons and willing to be educated on what she has been taught vs reality.
The relationship with Garin is beautiful, funny and I love that he understands her desire to do things by herself so he doesn’t stop her but helps and shows her that leaning on someone you care for is okay.
I am so damn excited for the next book. I am excited to see the relationship between mortals and daemons go from fear to acceptance.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"I am not a creature of honor, of faith, or reasoning. I am a creature of want, of desire, and the haunt that follows."
Disenchanted embarks on a folklore inspired "dark" romance between a snarky princess and a sassy vampire. This novel offers readers intriguing tale with a slow-burning spicy romance while taking them on a journey laden with tough choices and haunting pasts.
While the novel can feel slow at times, Brianna Sugalski has done a remarkable job at developing characters and providing intriguing stories with deep themes. At times you cannot discern hero from villian from damsel and monster based on the morally grey decisons and opinions presented within the narrative.
I cannot wait to see where the next book(s) of A Lay of Ruinous Reign transports readers.
Disenchanted embarks on a folklore inspired "dark" romance between a snarky princess and a sassy vampire. This novel offers readers intriguing tale with a slow-burning spicy romance while taking them on a journey laden with tough choices and haunting pasts.
While the novel can feel slow at times, Brianna Sugalski has done a remarkable job at developing characters and providing intriguing stories with deep themes. At times you cannot discern hero from villian from damsel and monster based on the morally grey decisons and opinions presented within the narrative.
I cannot wait to see where the next book(s) of A Lay of Ruinous Reign transports readers.
He did WHAT with the dagger??? I’m in a perpetual state of shock right now—in the best way though I MUST admit. Giggling & kicking still as I write this.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
🌶🌶🌶
Amazing.
It gave me Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, DnD, and Baldurs Gate 3 vibes. And that's something that I'm always here for.
Lilac, the princess struggling with her future roll as queen and Garin, the sarcastic vampire tormented by his darker side.
The world - and relationship building is done well. I enjoy a good slow burn.
I felt like this story is the setup for what will be a grander story involving the intricacies and politics of magical and non-magical creatures co-existing.
Lilac and Garin had a great push and pull. The flirting and banter had me silently squeeling.
The story ends on a happy for now note.
And I want more, so bad! I'm very curious to see where the next part of the story will take us!
Amazing.
It gave me Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, DnD, and Baldurs Gate 3 vibes. And that's something that I'm always here for.
Lilac, the princess struggling with her future roll as queen and Garin, the sarcastic vampire tormented by his darker side.
The world - and relationship building is done well. I enjoy a good slow burn.
I felt like this story is the setup for what will be a grander story involving the intricacies and politics of magical and non-magical creatures co-existing.
Lilac and Garin had a great push and pull. The flirting and banter had me silently squeeling.
The story ends on a happy for now note.
And I want more, so bad! I'm very curious to see where the next part of the story will take us!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was really set to be one of my favorite reads of the year until the last hour of reading. i’m so disappointed with the ending.
the tension, the banter, the adventure, the romance, all 10/10. then in the last ten minutes it’s like the author resolved the three biggest plot issues with get out of jail free cards. i felt cheated. i’m SO sad. this would have been a 5/5 read if the end had been in any way satisfying.
in the last few chapters,male main character’s longtime regret who vowed to kill him if she ever saw him again spontaneously forgives him, fmc’s spineless drunkard dad suddenly stands up for her in front of the whole kingdom with no provocation or lead-up, and the arranged marriage you spend the whole book worrying about suddenly is completely out of the picture because he got sick at the wedding?? three of the biggest plot struggles are resolved Ex Machina with the plot not ever leading up to those conclusions
the tension, the banter, the adventure, the romance, all 10/10. then in the last ten minutes it’s like the author resolved the three biggest plot issues with get out of jail free cards. i felt cheated. i’m SO sad. this would have been a 5/5 read if the end had been in any way satisfying.
in the last few chapters,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Sexual assault
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault
obviously horny vampire bloodsucking
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The author is clearly a talented writer (albeit with too much access to a thesaurus) but the plot and character development were far from seamless.
Garin is a decent attempt at a morally grey MMC, but without the moral strength and true goodness needed, I didn’t connect with him at all and the attempts to make him likable were weak at best. Strong “touch her and you die” vibes but without any of the build up to that - the romance felt very forced and most of the tension was built around not knowing if he wanted to feed on her or sleep with her (both as the reader and as MCs, which made it hard to feel the connection and root for them). Also lots of in-depth details to an unnecessary extent while also at the same time not answering some of the most important questions and leaving us to take some things for granted. I think it would have great potential if it were tightened up, clarified some more, and had more fleshed out characters.
Things I did enjoy: pretty good execution of forced proximity/enemies to lovers, and the subplot with the le Tellacs was compelling - I wish that would have been played out more with respect to building up the “touch her and you die” tension. Writing style is compelling and mostly easy to follow albeit a little over the top in some places. Lilac is a pretty strong FMC, I wish we could have gotten more of her backstory as opposed to punting it to the second book which appears to be the plan.
I may or may not read the second book when it comes out. Love that this was a fleshed out adaptation of a YA version - hopefully the author will only continue to flesh this out more!
Garin is a decent attempt at a morally grey MMC, but without the moral strength and true goodness needed, I didn’t connect with him at all and the attempts to make him likable were weak at best. Strong “touch her and you die” vibes but without any of the build up to that - the romance felt very forced and most of the tension was built around not knowing if he wanted to feed on her or sleep with her (both as the reader and as MCs, which made it hard to feel the connection and root for them). Also lots of in-depth details to an unnecessary extent while also at the same time not answering some of the most important questions and leaving us to take some things for granted. I think it would have great potential if it were tightened up, clarified some more, and had more fleshed out characters.
Things I did enjoy: pretty good execution of forced proximity/enemies to lovers, and the subplot with the le Tellacs was compelling - I wish that would have been played out more with respect to building up the “touch her and you die” tension. Writing style is compelling and mostly easy to follow albeit a little over the top in some places. Lilac is a pretty strong FMC, I wish we could have gotten more of her backstory as opposed to punting it to the second book which appears to be the plan.
I may or may not read the second book when it comes out. Love that this was a fleshed out adaptation of a YA version - hopefully the author will only continue to flesh this out more!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Disenchanted
Author: Brianna Sugalski
Book Series: Disenchanted Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: vampire lovers, fantasy lovers, ya readers, romance lovers
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual content, romance, language, death, violence, gore)
Publisher: The Parliament House Press
Pages: 456
Synopsis: A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents' castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst... Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.
Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.
This is the story of a cursed princess,
A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch that can save them both.
Review: For the most part I liked the book. I thought the author excelled at world building and I love all the lore she put into the book. The book did well to keep me intrigued in the story as well and the pacing was very on point.
However, wow I didn’t realize that this was a vampire romance book and I was thrown for a loop when I did realize it. The cover does not give that vibe at all lol. The book also had some weird writing, with the characters using modern language and swears and the characters doing some really weird things. The book was also super predictable.
Verdict: It was good, just needs some work.
Book: Disenchanted
Author: Brianna Sugalski
Book Series: Disenchanted Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: vampire lovers, fantasy lovers, ya readers, romance lovers
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual content, romance, language, death, violence, gore)
Publisher: The Parliament House Press
Pages: 456
Synopsis: A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents' castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst... Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.
Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.
This is the story of a cursed princess,
A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch that can save them both.
Review: For the most part I liked the book. I thought the author excelled at world building and I love all the lore she put into the book. The book did well to keep me intrigued in the story as well and the pacing was very on point.
However, wow I didn’t realize that this was a vampire romance book and I was thrown for a loop when I did realize it. The cover does not give that vibe at all lol. The book also had some weird writing, with the characters using modern language and swears and the characters doing some really weird things. The book was also super predictable.
Verdict: It was good, just needs some work.
Fairies, vampires, curses and a runaway princess, that’s what you are in for with this book. I love how the setting is realistic and then the fantasy is woven into it. I wasn’t able to out this book down, I was totally engrossed.
I love characters that you get to discover more about as the story goes, and this book has that in spades. Personal revelations, dark secrets, it all comes out. Lilac is such a great heroine to cheer for; on a separate note I love the name Lilac and it has been added to my list of potential, future baby names.
I really really really really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t expecting to become so invested in the story, but before I knew it was taking every spare moment to read. Highly recommend to anyone interested in a princesses, curses, and dark, attractive strangers.
I love characters that you get to discover more about as the story goes, and this book has that in spades. Personal revelations, dark secrets, it all comes out. Lilac is such a great heroine to cheer for; on a separate note I love the name Lilac and it has been added to my list of potential, future baby names.
I really really really really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t expecting to become so invested in the story, but before I knew it was taking every spare moment to read. Highly recommend to anyone interested in a princesses, curses, and dark, attractive strangers.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book! It’s about a girl named Lilac who runs away to find a witch who can cure her curse until she meets a man on her way. This was a very enjoyable read and perfect for the Halloween season. It’s a dark story that involves curses, witches and even vampires. I loved the author’s writing for this book and thought that the pacing was perfect. The setting and story plot line was well written and had much information about the world. I didn’t have much problem with the writing or story except getting into it in the beginning but once I did it was hard to stop.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Lilac and Garin are the main characters of this book. I enjoyed Lilac character and her development. She is a character that developed a lot from her weakness. I was instantly hooked on Garin and LOVED his character. I mean who wouldn’t?! I can’t spoil major details about him but I love his dark mysterious vibe. I enjoyed these two characters relationship and this is kind of like an enemies-friends-lovers relationship.
This book had a good ending but I need a sequel to read more about Lilac and Garin! Hopefully there is one. Overall this was a wonderful book but my only problem was not getting hooked into the story. If you love fantasy and witches/vampires then you will love this book.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Lilac and Garin are the main characters of this book. I enjoyed Lilac character and her development. She is a character that developed a lot from her weakness. I was instantly hooked on Garin and LOVED his character. I mean who wouldn’t?! I can’t spoil major details about him but I love his dark mysterious vibe. I enjoyed these two characters relationship and this is kind of like an enemies-friends-lovers relationship.
This book had a good ending but I need a sequel to read more about Lilac and Garin! Hopefully there is one. Overall this was a wonderful book but my only problem was not getting hooked into the story. If you love fantasy and witches/vampires then you will love this book.