I picked up this book primarily because I am always on the hunt for new-to-me authors. I don't read book descriptions, so I had no idea what the book was about. It ended up being such a heartfelt, emotional story that delved into the messiness that is the human experience. It also explored the intersectionality between race, gender, sexuality, and religion and encompassed a love story about family, friends, and romantic partners. And it was expertly done. I would say I spent a solid 20% of the book with tears streaming down my face, both sad and happy. This was just a really beautiful story, and I highly recommend it.💖 

I have started and stopped writing this review several times. I am not a master wordsmith, so finding the right combination of them is hard for me.

This book, this trilogy, this tale...was genuinely one of the best, darkest, hottest, most mind-f**king-est stories I have ever had the pleasure (??) to read.

Check Content Warnings ... it is dark. Like DARK, dark. But it is also stunning and beautiful. Godwin places you, the reader, squarely in the middle of everything. It'll make your heart race and ache, oftentimes simultaneously. 

All the stars. All of them

I love shifter and mythology books. Bradley combines those worlds to great effect. Add spicy romance and fated mates? Well that is a recipe made in a lab just for me. 😂 This was a fun, swoony story, with a suspense element that worked really well. 💖

This trilogy was such a great idea! The story's underpinnings were solid, the characters were well-formed, and the worldbuilding and magic systems were super promising. Each book got better, and while there were still problems with the overall execution, I was tearing up at the resolution by the end of the 3rd book. While the author was clearly a new writer who would have benefited from a more brutal edit (the last book did not need to be over 600 pages), she made me feel for all of the characters, and I was happy with how it ended. Moving forward, and with further work on crafting her tales, the author will be someone to watch for in the romantic fantasy genre.

4.25 ⭐️
This was the first book I have read by Naima Simone, and it won't be the last. She wrote a smart, sexy, story that really touched me. I felt like I could relate to both main characters who were dealing with the after effects of losses so big that they had encompassed their worlds. It was the one thing they had in common that not only brought them together but also lay at the center of their primary conflict. Great, emotional storytelling! 💖