I’m no stranger to a vampire romance, especially when there are dark forces driving our main characters apart. The premise of this novel was too enticing to pass up, and when it was free on Kindle during a farofeb promotional period, I grabbed myself a copy and sat down to read.

The opening of this novel, like the beginning of any new fantasy world, threw me off kilter. I was trying to piece together the time period based on the mention of a doorbell and lamps or lanterns, deciphering if any magical element aided in the potential for electricity, all the while meeting our main characters at an 18th birthday party.

The first few chapters, and our initial meeting of the beautiful, mysterious party crasher, felt rushed and lacked the necessary chemistry to sell the impromptu make out scene upstairs. Instead of feeling the undeniable chemistry between these two characters we (the reader) just met, and who were complete strangers to each other, all I felt was a bit of confusion.

I didn’t want to let my initial response and impression sway me from continuing with this story, and ultimately I’m glad I kept going. This novel does build more suspense and tension between characters over time, while also settling into the time period. The family histories and generational world building was just as expansive as the political environment our MC Calla finds herself swept up in. We were also introduced to different sects of magical creatures with multitudes of abilities as the novel progressed.

On Goodreads this novel is classified as New Adult, but I think a more appropriate rating would be Young Adult. Some of the dialogue, and inner monologue, felt very young and juvenile. The sexual experiences between characters didn’t go any deeper than a few kissing scenes, and overall the vibe of the book felt like it was intended for a younger audience. While there are discussions of injuries, fighting, and blood (because hello, vampires), I don’t think it’s anything that couldn’t fall under a YA rating.

To put it as mildly as possible, I thought this novel was doing a lot, and that wasn’t always a good thing. Our characters would narrowly escape one experience, only to be caught 2 or 3 more times on the next few pages. That element of surprise and suspense, after a while, became a detriment to the pacing of the story. It also felt like there was an urgency to introduce as many characters from different locations as possible, and like this level of world building was taking the reins away from the plot itself. It felt like the author was trying to introduce different characters and groups of people who were indebted to Calla, so that they could be called on in future novels, instead of organically weaving them into the story.

My complaints with this novel are mostly directed towards the execution, and less on the plot itself. I think Calla, as well as the other characters, are very interesting, and her family’s history leaves a lot at stake for the future. The elemental magic, as well as the vampire factions, are all parts of this story that I’d want to explore more in the future. With some editing and intentional reworking I think this story has a lot of potential to become a great fantasy series.