I wasn’t super into it this at first, I wasn’t very into the fantasy world politics, but then the romance started to draw me in more, and that made meI wasn’t super into it this at first, I wasn’t very into the fantasy world politics, but then the romance started to draw me in more, and that made me care more about the politics and overall plot because the stakes felt more personal to the characters at that point. The story ended up having some nice angst and tension with the characters being on the run together but also dealing with a coup and gods and magic.
I guess this was technically a fated romance, and it did happen fairly quickly, but it didn’t feel too forced or sudden the way those usually do for me. I believed they were into each other and felt a pull to each other, and they definitely had chemistry. (This author does know how to write a good sex scene.) Maybe they didn’t know every detail about each other, but they were in the kind of situation that shows you who a person is. Their romance was sweet and sexy, and I liked it.
The writing itself was enjoyable and flowed nicely and kept me in the story.
The audiobook narration by Gary Furlong was superb. Different accents, different voices, I was immersed, I was never confused, and it all sounded natural and fit the flow of the sentences and the emotions of the scenes.
You don’t need to have read the first book in the series. This takes place in the same world, but it’s about different characters, and I don’t think you’ll be missing any particularly important information.
Overall, it took me a little bit to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it more than the first and liking the tension-filled story and sweet, sexy romance!
*I received an audio copy of this from the Libro.fm ALC program. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a book about messy queer teens, and I lov*I received an audio copy of this from the Libro.fm ALC program. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a book about messy queer teens, and I loved that. They were imperfect and complicated in ways that made them feel believable. Their individual stories touched on a lot of complex topics without trying to truly tackle them, just letting them be part of the characters. And the friendships and relationships they had with each other were sometimes imperfect too but ultimately mostly touching.
The story felt pretty dark, though not without hope. Death and grief were big topics. It also touched on serious things like abuse, drug use, and homophobia. But it was also just the supernatural elements, the deals that were made, how it affected characters. Also, I guess, trigger warning for people wanting to force medical treatments / therapy on someone for perceived mental illness, though it doesn’t actually happen (well, it might’ve happened to that character in the past). I'm not sure how off-topic we're allowed to get on Goodreads, so I've put more thoughts on that in my review on my blog.
The audiobook narration by Giordan Diaz was not quite to my personal taste. It wasn’t the most natural, there was a sort of planned cadence, instead of going with the natural way different sentences would be said, which sometimes created random pauses. But it wasn’t the worst I’ve heard, and I did like how he adjusted for the mood of scenes. More urgent and dramatic in dramatic scenes, more calm in calm scenes, etc. Voices weren’t that different, but I didn’t usually have any confusion.
Somewhat off-topic thoughts aside, I don’t have a ton to say, but I really liked this. Overall, it was a great book with imperfect teen characters, touching friendship, difficult real life topics, supernatural horror, and a story that was fairly heavy but not without hope.
Recommended For: Anyone who likes imperfect queer teens, touching friendship, complex topics like grief and abuse, and supernatural horror that's fairly dark but not too scary and not without hope.
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
This was at times beautiful, at times sad, and altogether surpri*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
This was at times beautiful, at times sad, and altogether surprisingly unique! I want you to enjoy the fun and mystery of discovering it for yourself, so I'll just say, despite having read many paranormal books in my life, the paranormal elements in this one kept me intrigued. Well, I will say, *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[the main character is an invisible man, or at least he's becoming one, (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* which you find out pretty early, but I've hidden it just in case. I know this author didn't invent the idea, but it's not something I'd ever read about with a main character before, so that was cool, and it wasn't even the thing I found most interesting in the book.
The 1932 Berlin setting was also interesting, especially since the main character is a gay man and there were a lot of queer characters.
Near the end, I got a little confused. I didn't really understand the villain's plan when it was first revealed or even what the villain was. And then some stuff felt deus ex machina. But everything else was still good.
I wouldn't call this overall a romance, but there is some romance in the book. And even though Callum and Max barely knew each other, I was oddly touched by what they had. It just felt beautiful.
This functions as a prequel to the author's Arcadia Trust series, but it could be read as a standalone. I also think you could read this either before or after starting the series. It's related, but it's still its own separate story. It's also part of the Haunted Hearts series, which is a collection of Own Voices paranormal books by queer male authors.
Overall, despite a bit of confusion, this was an interesting queer paranormal story that kept me hooked!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes the supernatural, historical settings, own voices queer books, and stories that are unique, a little bit beautiful, and a little bit sad. Fans of Christian Baines's Arcadia Trust series, or new readers.
This was such a fun and silly book! The kind that’s not particularly realistic, but who cares, because it makes you laugh.
Avra is the kind of characteThis was such a fun and silly book! The kind that’s not particularly realistic, but who cares, because it makes you laugh.
Avra is the kind of character who is so fun to read about but would be insufferable in real life. Or maybe not. He’s ridiculous, but he’s a decent person who treats people with respect. So he’d probably be alright, as long as you weren’t in a no-bullshit mood. Unfortunately for Avra, Teveri’s only mood seems to be no-bullshit. At first I couldn’t understand why Teveri would even sleep with Avra, not because of any inherent unfuckability, just because their personalities did not seem to line up. But then I realized Teveri, though tough and badass, is ridiculous too, and they’re actually perfect for each other. And then there was Julian, who was smart and pretty unflappable and appreciated them both and was sort of the bridge they needed.
This isn’t a romance though, and despite lots of talk about sex (these characters really love it), I don’t think there were any actual sex scenes (just off-page). But there’s attraction and admiration and horniness and feelings and sometimes off-page sex and whatever unique relationships these three have with each other.
The story revolves around pirates trying to figure out a formula that keeps ships safe during sea serpent mating season, a government secret, so the crew can sell it. But the plot is mostly a vessel for shenanigans. There’s also a pirate cake competition! Not pirate cakes, pirates making cakes. And going around insulting everyone else’s cakes. (But the scene that made me laugh the hardest was Avra shouting, “Captain!” and Oskar screaming.)
I did have a small issue with the ending though. I feel like it would’ve been more satisfying with even just one more scene. I didn’t so much mind some things being left in the air (they’re sort of implied and not really necessary to this story that was being told), it was just that, well, *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[part of the story was about Avra and Julian wanting each other, and then we didn’t even get to see them kiss! Or know how things went with the trio once Julian’s oath was broken. And as I said above, Julian helped the two of them bridge their gaps, so does that continue? In the bedroom? Out of the bedroom? What is the dynamic now? Even just one scene, or extending the last scene a little longer, could’ve given a hint of it. And I don’t mean it had to be a sex scene, just any scene. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER* Unless perhaps this was just the first in a series? I do think it’s fine as a standalone though.
This was a queernormative world. At least two of the three main characters are bi/pan, and one of them is nonbinary.
This is actually set in the same world as A Taste of Gold and Iron, but you don’t need to be familiar with that one. This doesn’t relate in any way, and the world-building from that one isn’t even relevant here.
The audiobook, narrated by Casey Jones, was great. I actually forgot sometimes that it was just one person doing all the voices. He did such a great job with all of them. Everything sounded natural as well and had the right personality and emotion.
That’s about it! Ridiculous characters, lots of humor and horniness, and a fun story overall!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes funny books, ridiculous (and perpetually horny) characters, queer characters in a queernormative world, pirates, and what I can only describe as shenanigans.
It was sort of enemies to lovers, and Wyn was an asshole at first. But once they got past that part, I found tThis was such a sweet, adorable romance!
It was sort of enemies to lovers, and Wyn was an asshole at first. But once they got past that part, I found their romance to be an incredibly cute slow-burn. I don't call a lot of standalones slow-burn, but there were so many little moments of intimacy and tension as the two grew closer, holding hands, kissing knuckles, leaning close to whisper in the other's ear, lightly caressing a leg, realizing they were staring at the other... That's the way to do it. And then mmmm. That scene in the garden? Mmmm.
It was more than just tension though. They genuinely cared. They supported each other. Wyn saw how smart and skilled and hardworking Roger was and how he was always trying to make the world better, and he made sure to tell Roger how great he was. Meanwhile, Roger understood how difficult living in the city and going to social gatherings was for Wyn and would be his shield, make excuses for them to take a break, and check on Wyn because he cared about his well-being in a way no one else ever had. Things like that. They saw the best in each other and brought out the best in each other. Once they got past their issues, it was a very healthy and sweet relationship.
This was a queernormative world and a m/m romance. Roger was also fat and seemingly demisexual and/or gray ace. And I loved how Wyn always made sure Roger knew they didn't have to do anything he was uncomfortable with and also that Roger could ask him to stop at any time. And it really was as simple as that, just a complete non-issue.
The characters were easy to care about and feel for. Roger was a sweetheart. Wyn was definitely mean at first, but I understood why he'd acted that way once I got to know him.
I felt the story lost steam a bit near the end, once the romance lost tension, but there was still sweetness and the plot of working on magic together.
The audiobook, narrated by Matt Simpson, was enjoyable and pleasant to listen to. Voices were just different enough, and it all sounded natural.
Overall, this was a lovely and magical queer historical romance!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes somewhat slow burn romance, queernormative society and characters, fat and demisexual rep, historical fantasy, very sweet and adorable romance, and magic.
Full Review: *I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
This book was definitely not your typical paranorm4 Stars
Full Review: *I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
This book was definitely not your typical paranormal romance. I would actually call it a paranormal love story. And you know what? As much as I enjoy paranormal romance, I think love stories might be even more my thing. The former tend to be lighter and fluffier. The latter, like this book, tend to be a little darker and heavier, but still usually with a happy ending, and I think it's inspiring to see characters struggle only to come out better for it. And struggle these characters did. Colm and Nichol went through some serious hardships, and their story was not a perfect one, but it sure was a beautiful one.
This book was also not your typical mer story, as the blurb states. It was a surprising but interesting take on the creature, especially for a romance.
The best part about this book though was how ADORABLE the relationships were. Colm and Nichol weren't even dating yet at 30% in, but already they had me awww-ing and swooning. And the way they never gave up on each other throughout the story was what made it so beautiful. *SPOILER ALERT* (view spoiler)[I mean, Nichol even brushed the muck out of Colm's gills when they got clogged while he was battling the nihm fish! This is going to sound ridiculous, but I swear I almost started crying at the cuteness. I guess I'm just imagining it'd be pretty disgusting to brush muck out of gills... but Nichol didn't even hesitate because that was the person he loved. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER ALERT*
The family relationships were equally as adorable. The way Colm's sister spent the whole night with him before he left because she was going to miss him had me all mushy inside, the good-natured fun between Nichol and his grandmother always put a smile on my face, the way Nichol's grandmother took Colm in as one of her own made me love her even more, and the way Nichol's grandfather was there when Colm was at his lowest and needed help the most was just about the sweetest thing I've ever read. *SPOILER ALERT* (view spoiler)[I feel like the fact that the grandfather was a selkie in seal form and Colm was a merman only made it that much better. They couldn't even speak, but actions spoke so much louder than words, and the grandfather was absolutely not going to let Colm get caught or lay down and die, even if that meant occasionally slapping him in the face with a fish :-P (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER ALERT*
There were a few things in the story that seemed a little bit unnecessary or never really got explained or given closure *SPOILER ALERT* (view spoiler)[(Was Colm's mysterious mother a mermaid, or was his mer magic just a curse? How exactly did the mermaid legend about cutting out the man's heart translate into Nichol rubbing his blood all over Colm? Did Baylee ever make it to Caithmor?) (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER ALERT*, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment, and the important part of the story still had a satisfying conclusion.
So, to sum this up, this was a book I really didn't want to put down once I started, and I'm really glad I read it!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes adorable romantic and family relationship and M-M paranormal love stories.
This story is about one of the characters from A Wicked Bargain, but the stories are not at all linked, and you don’t need to read that one to understThis story is about one of the characters from A Wicked Bargain, but the stories are not at all linked, and you don’t need to read that one to understand this one. I remembered pretty much nothing from the other book.
Dami was the most interesting character in that book though, so I wanted to read their story! A nonbinary (genderfluid?) teenage demon who ended up in this situation because their mother promised her firstborn to a diablo. They tried to be aloof, and they did what they had to to survive, but being a demon never suited them very well.
The other characters were likeable too. Silas was harsh toward Dami at first, but understandably so, since Dami was the demon who sort of trapped him in a messed up situation in which he died like once a week for a whole year but never technically died because he always came back to life. I think he handled his cursed life with a lot more grace and rationality than I would. And although I don’t know that Marisol’s POV was really necessary, she was kind and brave.
The story was more adventurey than I thought it would be, which was fun. Not super action-packed, but there was a treasure hunt, a mysterious island, a curse, and lots of danger. It didn’t capture my attention immediately, but I got more into it as it went on.
Unfortunately, the ending was unsatisfying for me, not because it was bittersweet, but because a really big thing just wasn’t acknowledged. It seemed like either the author didn’t think about it, or he just hoped readers wouldn’t think about it, because the ending was presented as a perfect happy ending, and that made it feel weirdly hollow for me. *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[The ending seemed like it was implying a cute, happy romance in which both characters got everything they wanted individually as well. But Silas is going to grow old while Dami stays young forever. Obviously being a daywalker is a better option than not being a daywalker, since Dami was already stuck as a demon when they made that choice. It would also be fine if Dami had had a real choice and considered all the pros and cons and still chose demon over human. It’s the fact that this issue just never came up, even when they did consider pros and cons. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER*
The audiobook narration by Vico Ortiz was pretty good. They sounded mostly natural enough, but there were times when there was some emotion in the scene or the line that they just didn’t do, just sounded casual or the same as always. Also, the voice they did for Silas was almost sorta cartoony, but it did at least make characters easy to tell apart. A mostly enjoyable audiobook.
Overall, though it took me a bit to get into, I enjoyed this adventurous story and these likeable characters!
Four teens go into a haunted house, but only three come out. It's not a super unique premise, but I was hooked once I started reading nonetheless. I wFour teens go into a haunted house, but only three come out. It's not a super unique premise, but I was hooked once I started reading nonetheless. I wanted to know what happened to Ethan. I don't tend to like when stories keep past events from me as a way of forcing mystery, but dual timelines is a valid storytelling method and one that I felt worked well to build the mystery and tension here.
I also wanted to know what would happen in the present. The story kept my attention and was just the right amount of spooky for me. Not super scary, not gory (some injuries, not overly described), but there were ghosts and weird things happening.
I liked all the teen characters, even Colton. They were imperfect, but it was clear they were all just struggling and dealing with trauma in different ways. I also really liked the strained friendship dynamic. How they had their issues, but they used to be close and went through something traumatic together and were still going to look out for each other when it mattered.
Speaking of, I love that the effects of what they went through, both times, were acknowledged and part of the story. They were all affected emotionally, and some of them were affected physically. It felt realistic and grounded.
The audiobook narration by Max Meyers was great! The characters all sounded different and natural with slightly different voices and slightly different ways of talking that suited them. I enjoyed the audio.
Overall, I liked this! I was into it. I wanted to know what had happened in the past and what would happen in the present, and I enjoyed the paranormal spookiness and the realistic aftermath and the struggling but trying their best characters.
Recommended For: Anyone who likes haunted houses, paranormal horror that isn't too scary, imperfect characters doing their best, strained friendships, and dual timelines that reveal the mystery slowly.
I’ve read a few books with a goblin market or some other mysterious, magical market, so I went into this expecting it to be much the same. I thought iI’ve read a few books with a goblin market or some other mysterious, magical market, so I went into this expecting it to be much the same. I thought it would be a light romance with the market as just a kicking off point or a colorful backdrop. I was so wrong! There was so much detail and world-building (for the market at least, not so much the outside world), the whole story was entrenched in this goblin market and its dealings, and it was so interesting and fun and tricksy.
How clever does an author have to be to write characters who are this clever? With all of their tricky little deals and trades and contracts. At one point, someone offered a deal, and I was like, “Oh that sounds good,” and then the character immediately pointed out how it was worded like this and left this loophole and then I was like, “Ok I would not last five minutes at this place.”
And there were so many neat little things. Like the main character could speak to bells, and the way they talked was rhyming and melodic. One character could speak the language of gold, which was, like, gleams and shines. And characters were trading destinies and laughter and honesty. I just loved all of that.
I’m not sure we needed every point of view we got. I felt a few of them didn’t add anything. And occasionally I lost track of whose POV I was in since there was no clear delineation when it shifted. But I liked Deri and Owain, and I found the merchants interesting.
The romance seemed to get pretty deep pretty fast, I don’t feel like we saw it build that much, but it was sweet.
The story, with all its aforementioned deals and whatnot, kept the tension well. It was rather serious, what with indentured children and teens at workhouses or sold to goblins. The main focus was on the main characters trying to get by and get out of their contracts, with the romance just giving them even more incentive. But it had some lighthearted moments as well.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Will Watt, was fantastic. He sounded natural and did different accents and slightly different voices so that I always knew who was talking. But he also brought just the right touch of whimsy without ever overdoing it. Because you need that little bit extra when there are talking bells and talking cats and goblin merchants with hair made of metal, but at the same time, it wasn’t a silly book, and he really found the perfect sweet spot.
Overall, the characters were sweet, and I especially loved how clever and magical this was!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes the goblin market as a setting, lots of magical and fun details and deals, a bit of romance, a touch of whimsy, and stories have a serious but not depressing tone.
*I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was such a cute book! I loved it!
The romance was sweet a*I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This was such a cute book! I loved it!
The romance was sweet and loving and sexy. There was only a tiny bit of angst, the problems were really just the situation they were stuck in. Mostly it was just them being so cute together. Also being so hot together, because the sex scenes were so lovely and full of just as much sweetness and care as the rest of the relationship.
The sibling and friendship relationships were sweet too.
I was a bit worried from the description that the third person in the marriage arrangement might be getting hurt, but no, she’s best friends with Coal and doesn’t actually want to marry him either, and she’s supportive of Coal and Hex.
There was also a nice hopeful story about someone enacting change and standing up to his abusive, controlling dad.
The holiday stuff was fun! I’m not actually a big Halloween person, but this author made the Halloween stuff sound so cool. A+ aesthetics. I was always a Christmas person, but I think I wanna go hang out with Hex and his court.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Ellis Evans was wonderful! He did such a perfect job of bringing Coal to life. It sounded natural and conversational and engaging and really suited all the voice and personality the character had.
Overall, I had a great time listening to this and loved both the sweet romance and the hopeful story!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes sweet, loving, sexy romances, supportive friend and sibling relationships, holidays, and hopeful stories about making change.
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
I’m not sure what to say about this book. It wasn’t 3 Stars
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
I’m not sure what to say about this book. It wasn’t bad, but it went off the rails a bit too much for my taste.
The first book had a lot of strangeness and randomness, but I didn’t mind because the characters and the relationships between them were great and carried the book through. I could enjoy just being along for the ride. In this book though, the characters were mostly separated, and most things that happened in the plot just felt so random or unnecessary or convenient. I felt like I was just being thrown from one strange thing to the next. It made the relationships and emotions between the characters seem more forced too since I didn’t get to see them interacting much, and their interactions were kinda choppy.
I know that all sounds really harsh, but there were good things about this book too. It moved the overall story forward. It gave the readers answers about certain things and let us learn more about certain characters (like Aster’s father and the guidance counselor). There were some cute and funny moments. There was again a lot of creativity in this world the author has created. And I do like the characters individually. The erratic plot just made this one too difficult for me to really get into though. It may be more enjoyable for anyone who likes really unique fantasy worlds with lots of strange and unpredictable happenings.
*Trigger Warning*: Sexual abuse/assault (view spoiler)[(a man sexually assaulting a teen girl with plans to rape/kill her and also touching/kissing her while she sleeps) (hide spoiler)].
Recommended For: Fans of Book 1 in Greg Keyes's High and Faraway series. Anyone who likes quests through fantasy realms, sweet friendships, character growth, a lot of magic, and just a bit of strangeness.
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of thoughts about this, but I enjoyed it, so I’ll keep this review simple.
All three characters had a bit of growth I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of thoughts about this, but I enjoyed it, so I’ll keep this review simple.
All three characters had a bit of growth and also went from grumpily, begrudgingly working together to caring about each other and making a good team. It was sweet.
Not very deep, but a nice queer romance.
Morgan was badass. And I liked that, even though the guys got the title and the romance, Morgan got her own spotlight and was not relegated to background status.
There was some funny and cute moments. Especially the hedgehogs.
Pretty full-color art.
The designs for the villains were cool.
It was a decent, if simple, story with a nice ending. Things moved quickly though. Sometimes I felt like I was getting a summary more than an in-depth story. But I know graphic novels can be like that, and the art somewhat makes up for it.
The story put its own cool twists on Arthurian legend, but you don’t need to know about that to enjoy it (I have only the vaguest familiarity).
I couldn’t tell how old these characters were supposed to be. They looked and acted like teens, but they were kings and queens and knights and traveling mages and living lives like adults. Still, I would call this YA for the feel of it.
Overall, there was magic and fae and action and romance and colorful art, and it was a nice story to spend a couple hours with!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes full color graphic novels, queer YA romance, twists on Arthurian legend, badass women, reluctant allies to friends dynamic, and magic.
This book was a little slow to start, but once I was about 25% in, I really liked it!
The romance was really cute. These two gave me some warm fuzzies This book was a little slow to start, but once I was about 25% in, I really liked it!
The romance was really cute. These two gave me some warm fuzzies and made me smile, remembering what it was like being a teen and spending time with a new crush. And these two were cute together. Instead of judging, Liam seemed endeared by Quill’s strangeness.
The dryad stuff was cool. The book was less plant-y than you might expect, but there were some interesting things that were different about Quill. And I just love reading about supernatural/magical beings that you don’t often find books about.
The story took me by surprise. It was mostly about the romance and Quill coming out of his sheltered life, but there was a mystery and a bit of tension and danger.
Sometimes in books about supernaturals or sheltered characters experiencing life among humans or out in the world for the first time, the things they know vs. don’t know are nonsensical. But I felt like they made sense in this book. For example, Quill knew what a car was and how to get in and out, he’d seen it in movies, but he didn’t know how much force was needed to open and shut the car door the first time.
In general, the way characters acted just felt like it made sense. Which feels like a weird thing to say, because isn’t that sort of the standard in books? But like I said, in these types of stories about supernaturals, sometimes that goes out the window. Whereas these characters felt grounded and believable to me. Sometimes they made questionable or bad decisions, but what teen (or human in general) doesn’t sometimes?
This was also such a great portrayal of what happens when parents are overprotective and controlling, even if it’s well-meaning. Quill’s mom could’ve taught him and supported him, and then he would’ve known what was safe and what wasn’t, could’ve talked to her about things, would’ve been more likely to listen to her advice and respect her rules, and could’ve made smart decisions. Instead, he had to sneak around and figure things out on his own and ended up taking risks that could’ve been avoided. I don’t know if that was meant to be one of the points of the book or not, but it just struck me as very realistic.
The audiobook, narrated by Michael Crouch, was great. He sounded natural and made characters sound just different enough to tell them apart. And he has a voice and style that I feel like was a good choice for this story and character.
Warning, the topics of parent death and cancer come up in this book. So it does get heavy at times, though it’s not an overall heavy book. *SPOILER* (view spoiler)[One parent is already gone, but the one with cancer ends up getting completely cured with magic. (hide spoiler)] *END SPOILER*
Overall, this was a great combination of realistic experiences, interesting dryad magic, and cute teen romance!
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a good book, but a hard one to review because it was fu*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
This was a good book, but a hard one to review because it was full of interdimensional / other realm / mental supernatural stuff, as well as sorta-twists and plans and machinations of different characters. Which are things I can’t talk about without spoilers. What I can say is, I had a bit of trouble fully grasping all the supernatural/magical stuff, but I still enjoyed it and was invested in the characters.
And ultimately these books are about the characters. Especially Reylan, who started the series seeming somewhat cold, but who has shown himself to have a surprisingly soft and forgiving heart. He just wants to save every wayward, confused, struggling person he finds. Numerous characters have grown on me though, and I like them too. Others have kind of done the opposite, they’ve done things that have made me not trust them, and yet I still care about them or want to know more.
I don’t know how to categorize or describe the relationships at this point, but their complexity is something I’ve always loved about the series. There is romance and genuine feelings, and usually some sex (though I can’t remember if there was any in this book specifically), but it’s complicated.
Of course there were also vampires, werewolves, witches, and more (though they aren’t called that).
Overall, this was a great continuation of the series with an interesting story full of twists and magic, and I want to know what’s going to happen next!
Recommended For: Fans of Books 1-3 in Christian Baines's Arcadia Trust series. Anyone who likes m/m paranormal, a fairly classic and sexy version of vampires, complex relationship dynamics, and some darkness.
Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight)
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