Quote: “It’s for my little Nee. A lilting goodbye so she isn’t taken away without knowing how much she’s loved.”

Who else cried their eyes out over a paper lark? Who felt personally victimised by this - raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ Sarah A. Parker must answer to her crimes for the heartbreak in this book 😭 I needed 3-5 business days to recover.

Gosh. Where do I START with this book?! I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel more than the first. It’s true you need to get used to the style of writing - it is more lyrical with a lot of metaphors. I struggled with the first book for this reason but this time I was more prepared and I honestly think the style suits this story and the themes in it - grief, loss, trauma and identity.

Raeve is still a crazy bitch but she is less resistant and as her journey progresses she begins to face her trauma head on. Of course along the way she has help from Kaan and co. - shout out to The Other, Veya, Pyrok, Roan and even Borg (who I LOVE btw).

I enjoyed having the different POV’s - I feel like I can’t talk much about that, without giving spoilers but it definitely helped progress the storyline in my opinion. We got to learn a lot more about Kyzari which I was pleased about but I would’ve liked some flash back chapters of her story - maybe we will get this in the next book??? I can also see how some ‘side quest’ chapters may be important for the story to come - ahem Grihm 👀

Kaan and Raeve’s love story is still beautiful, messy and of course, devastating. But truly, there is nothing this man can do to make me hate him - his devotion to Raeve is unmatched and top tier book boyfriend category 😮‍💨

The Scavenger King was an impressive villain. Though at times I did have some empathy for his backstory, I truly despised him and his cruelty most of the time. And don’t even get me STARTED on Tyroth - unredeemable!!! I can’t wait for him to get what’s coming to him 😤 🙅🏼‍♀️

I cried through the last 5% of the book. I’m gonna need the next book to repair my heart and soul to FIX the level of suffering this book put me through 🤣😭🥹👉🏻👈🏻

Quote: “We only choose once, and we tie our lives to our chosen, so we must pick correctly. And I waited centuries for you.”

Man, I loved having my bad bitch Anassa QUEEN back in my life 🤩 I love how snarky she is and how much her and Meryn’s bond grows and develops in this book. Devastated I have to wait until next year to read more of her and I hope we can get more insight into her history with Cratos and the direwolves in the time waiting for Meryn.

Of course I LOVED having Stark’s POV in this book. It really helped in understanding his motivations and behaviour. The yearning and tension between him and Meryn was *chefs kiss 🤌🏻💋

I am thankful the book picked up from where the first book ended and it was very action packed so I liked the pacing. The introduction of new places and characters was also really good - Lucien being a new favourite but I’m not sure yet whether I can fully trust him!

I personally like the direction the story is going in regarding gods/goddesses but I do enjoy that trope so that’s so no surprise for me. Hurry up July 2027 for the final book!!!

Thank you to the author and publisher for a physical ARC of this book 🫶🏻

I really enjoyed this book. It pulled me in straight away with a fresh take on Greek mythology and a story that keeps building with unexpected twists. Delphi is a strong, relatable character who has been through a lot but keeps pushing forward, and I loved her friendship with Spencer.

The dynamic with Apollo adds tension and intrigue, starting off rocky but revealing more depth as the story goes on. As Delphi is drawn into a world she somehow belongs to but doesn’t remember, the mystery deepens and keeps you hooked.

It is an engaging read with great character development and a storyline that keeps you turning the pages, especially with that ending leaving me wanting more.

Quote: “I hate that I make myself less so that others won’t feel uncomfortable around me.”

Selena is fae with emotion magic - she’s a rebel and enters the atonement trials which is a deadly competition run by dragon shifters. The dragons are in power, after an alleged history of slavery by the fae which has resulted in the fae being ‘locked’ in their court and controlled in all aspects of their lives. The atonement trials allow the fae to compete in the chance of gaining freedom.

Selena uses this as her chance… only her efforts are constantly thawed by Draven, a feared dragon shifter warrior who takes a keen interest in her.

I enjoyed this story - the banter between Selena and Draven was honestly a highlight for me - it just worked, and the tension (and spice 👀) was good. A slight criticism though is that it did feel a little one dimensional at times… their connection appeared more physical than stemmed from an emotional bond so I hope we get this in the next book.

Selena as a character was relatable. Her people-pleasing tendencies and struggle between wanting to be liked and doing what’s right for herself felt very real. The plot kept things moving the whole time, especially with the trials. They felt intense because there were basically no set rules, just whatever the dragon shifters decided in the moment so the stakes were constantly high.

I enjoyed reading the bonus chapter of Draven at the end so I hope we get dual POV in the next book. I think in this story it would’ve added so much and probably pushed this to a 5-star read for me. Either way I really enjoyed the story and highly recommend it to others!

Onto the next book - I’m excited to see what life will be like now for Selena after THAT ending 👀

Booksta and BookThreads made me do this 😭

This was my second only ever monster smut book. I did not find this overall THAT smutty tbh. Given the expanse of the world I thought there might be more exploration of other species, etc!

The writing was… OK. The internal monologue got very annoying, sometimes it happened inbetween dialog - like 2 pages before the conversation of the characters continued. I found myself skipping large parts for this reason because it got boring real quick.

I will say that I actually liked the world building of the story but the storyline itself??? I’ve no clue what REALLY happened. What I can surmise is:

MFC in debt - gets a job at a pharmaceutical firm specialising in sperm donation/genetic testing.

MFC and MMC meet via job. Both have a crush on each other - they bump into each other in a coffee shop.

MFC and MMC begin dating and she gets a new job at the end.

THE END.

Quote: “All over again, she felt like a phantom amongst a world that had no place for her.”

Death’s Rose follows Elvira who is one of the Thorn twins - she describes herself as a wallflower and constantly being overlooked due to her twin sister. This dynamic was full of love, jealousy and loathing at times. It did grate on me a little bit, it made me dislike Elvira at times as I found her self-pity a bit too overwhelming and boring.

After a miserable start at the debut ball, Elvira hides away in her favourite library only to discover a mysterious man - Caius. He hates her immediately and the reasons unclear at first.

Caius bargains with Elvira to help him break a magical curse in exchange for helping her capture the attention of the prince and other suitors. So, they set out on a quest to find the Arcana cards to begin unravelling the mystery that surrounds the Saints and both Caius and Elvira’s involvement in it all.

I’d describe this story as a mix of Bridgerton vibes with Beauty and the Beast, with a darker and eerie edge. It’s filled with royalty, lavish balls, and masquerades, alongside a really interesting magic system.

I’m giving this 3.5 stars because I found the dialog a little robotic at times. The book does a lot of telling rather than showing but regardless, this is a strong story and I will definitely read the next book to see how this story concludes!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC review 🫶🏻

I think this one just didn’t work for me, and a big part of that comes down to expectations. It was sold as an intense Romantasy similar to Fourth Wing and ACOTAR, but it never really delivered on that. The overall vibe felt much softer and more low-stakes.

I hate to say it but the romance was probably my biggest issue. It didn’t feel developed enough to be believable so it felt really abrupt.

I also found the world a bit lacking. It felt quite surface-level, and I never fully felt immersed in it. If anything, it left me with more questions than answers but not in a way to make me inclined to pick up the next book.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t live up to what I was expecting, and I came away feeling pretty underwhelmed.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this eARC 🫶🏻

Quote: “May the whispers in your heart become a wind that leads you out.”

There’s no denying how atmospheric and beautifully written this story is. The prose has a very lyrical quality that really shines once the setting shifts into the darker, more magical elements of the “otherworld.” The gothic tone, the presence of spirits and spells, and the introduction of Lord Death all add a rich, immersive layer that I genuinely appreciated.

That said, I struggled quite a bit with the pacing. For a large portion of the book, the story felt slow and unfocused, and I found myself losing interest more than once. It took a long time to feel invested, and even then, my connection to Salomé never fully developed. Her character often came across as easily influenced and uncertain, which made it difficult to stay engaged with her journey.

Some elements also felt underdeveloped or unnecessary. Certain characters seemed important at first but didn’t really add much overall, and parts of the magic system were confusing and not clearly explained. I kept questioning how certain things worked, but those answers never really came.

By the end, there is a sense that things begin to come together, but it requires patience to get there. Overall, while I admired the writing style and darker atmosphere, the slow pacing and lack of clarity in places made this a mixed reading experience for me.

This ended up being a mixed experience for me. It was an easy, quick read and I didn’t struggle to get through it, but it never quite lived up to what I expected. The writing felt a bit underdeveloped at times, with repeated phrasing and not enough depth in certain areas, which made it harder to fully immerse myself.

The story started strong and pulled me in early on, but somewhere around the middle it shifted and lost some of that momentum. A major reveal came quite suddenly and didn’t feel properly built up, which made it less impactful than it could have been. There were also elements that seemed introduced and then dropped for long stretches, only to return later without much progression.

That said, I did enjoy the dynamic between the main characters. Their tension and slow build kept me invested, even when the pacing frustrated me. The MMC had a compelling presence, and their relationship had some emotional moments that worked well. I just wish the romance had a bit more payoff and that the spice wasn’t so minimal.

Overall, it’s not a bad standalone and works well as a light palate cleanser, but it lacks the polish and consistency to make it truly memorable.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a physical ARC 🫶🏻

Quote: “Hurt and grief are not the price of love; they are the testaments to its strengths.”

I went into this expecting to love it. A story built around the God of War and the Goddess of Love with an enemies to lovers dynamic has so much potential, especially in a Greek mythology setting.

While I can see why this will appeal to a lot of readers, it didn’t fully land for me. The writing is polished and easy to read, but it leans more toward a romance set in a mythological world rather than a deeper retelling. The pacing felt uneven, and I found myself losing interest when the focus shifted away from the main relationship.

The mythology changes are interesting but not explored in much depth, and the gods feel very human, which takes away some of their impact. That said, I think this will work well for readers who prefer character driven romantasy over traditional myth retellings.

Overall, a solid read with clear appeal, just not quite what I was hoping for.