This book wasn't bad by any means, but its greatest weakness is definitely the pacing. I really enjoyed the whole lore behind the curses and how they're passed on. The little loophole where Ashes' father died and was resuscitated leading to the curse being passed down was very neat. I'm also a big fan of a weird little animal and this book gives you a lot of silly skeleton dog scenes. Though I had fun with the worldbuilding and little side characters I found myself pretty bored in the latter half of this book. I think the biggest issue was the random detour to New York so that we can complete the relationship development. It just zapped a ton of momentum out of the story right as we were moving into the conclusion. It may not have worked for me, but if you're wanting a little witchy sapphic romance that draws from The Scarlet Letter in the creation of its curse then give this book a shot.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you were a Mortal Instruments loving girlie like me then this series is for you. There’s a mix of mystery solving, high octane drama, a bustling city setting, and of course gay stuff. I specifically think that if you enjoy Clary then this can work for you. Personally I love that messy girl but I know other people find the headstrong righteous thing annoying. Our lead, Reece, is constantly putting himself in danger for people he barely knows because it’s the right thing to do. I had a ton of fun with the drama and politicking and I’ll be putting book two on hold with the library ASAP.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year because of the premise: Hades becoming a mortal man and falling in love with a sunshiney florist. Instead of being a sweet contemporary romance with a dash of magic this read like poorly executed fluff fanfic. The first thing that really set me off was the utterly cringe writing. It was full of painfully millennial reference humor that made me grimace instead of giggle. Just because you add the word Daddy before referencing a celebrity doesn't make the line a joke. Frankly I should have known this was gonna be rough when the epigraph was a Taylor Swift song.

When I started this book I was really interested to learn more about the gods and how Harlow was stripped of his powers. So I was obviously disappointed when it became obvious that Pons had done basically no thinking about the magic system aside from the fact that his book could be marketed with the other "shadow daddy" slop permeating bookstores. I just can't logic a world in which the ever conceited Zeus would surrender his godly powers. Also where are the rest of the Greek pantheon? This mythology is just too well known so if you want to pick and choose what to use it needs to be justified. To add insult to injury Harlow is basically still a god aside from sorting souls in the underworld. He can see ghosts, has magical shadows he can control, is immortal, and can conjure the helm of Hades. If he's going to be forced to be mortal and start our story trying to become a god again then actually have the balls to just make him a regular guy.

If it was just abysmal fantasy worldbuilding then I would have probably given this book two stars, but Levi's storyline made me really see how much this book lacks in basic craft. We are following Levi in the first person and yet we know nothing about his trauma related to his brother's death until it becomes a convenient romantic beat. Would it kill Pons to do some foreshadowing in the first 20% of this book? With how impacted Levi is by grief in the latter portion of the story it should have been a key aspect of his narration. Give me scenes of Levi being positive and chipper to the outside world but in his internal monologue he's struggling with a deep sadness. That would have made his character feel real from the beginning. From other reviews it seems that this theme is resonating with people, which is great. It's very real that loss can feel overwhelming on specific anniversary dates, but this is a book with characters and themes. Be intentional! That kind of unprocessed grief is something that your character should think about, especially if their boyfriend is the god of death and presided over their family member's funeral.

Finally the third act break up is just stupid. The Fates have just chosen to lie about a loophole in the contract so that we can force an argument between Harlow and Levi. DUMB! Not to mention how this choice removes agency from one of your leads. If you want Harlow to actually make the difficult choice and reject his godhood, then godhood has to actually be on the table. Him making the choice to be with Levi and the little community they have would actually hit then.

I read Pons' debut novel and didn't care for it but I chalked it up to me not having any attachment to the Amazing Race. After picking this book up, I'll be honest I don't think he has the chops to write a compelling romance. It wasn't until I was almost done with the book that I found out Pons was previously a bookstagram influencer. Hearing that made everything make much more sense. Not to say that influencers can't write a good book but I've repeatedly had poor experiences with books by influencers. I'm at the point where I will probably only read influencer books from the library because DNFing won't negatively impact my NetGalley percentage.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Now that I’m two books into this series, I just don’t think it’s for me. Low stakes mysteries can be fun but we’re reaching the point of stakes so low I’m bored. The concept of the memory library is so interesting and I like the way that it played into this story. If someone doesn’t record their memories then they can give their future self unintentional amnesia. However, I think this concept works better in a political intrigue story like A Memory Called Empire. If you are craving something lower stakes and short then this series may scratch that itch.

This was a pretty fun heist thriller. I wouldn't describe this as bad by any means, it just didn't grab me personally. The cat and mouse dynamic between Chloe and Harper was initially quite fun, the Killing Eve fan in me just can't get enough of that. The portion of the story where that animosity was supposed to transition into charged romance didn't quite work for me. I think that's mainly because of Harper as a character, she's just not emotionally mature enough yet. That's very intentional on the authors part and if there hadn't been the invite that Chloe gives at the end then I would have liked it more. Harper feels to me like Shara Wheeler if she didn't undergo her character growth. If I'm going to root for the romance I need Harper to start to change, however the open ending leaves the romance in a good enough place. Overall, this is a pretty fun time and will be a solid summer thriller for those who want toxic sapphics.

CW: past death of a parent due to cancer, gun violence

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.