littleredmacks's Reviews (528)

I will be coming back to this book at some point, but I'm just not sure when. I was really excited for this book and even enjoyed the 'cringy' parts others didn't. However, I have a lot on my plate right now and the characters having multiple names they could be called was so confusing. I couldn't keep them straight. I'm still not even sure if the king and the emperor are the same person or two different people. Hopefully, when things at work lighten up, I can come back to this and follow it better. 

If this had been aged up it’s likely it could have tackled these darker themes much better than it did (ie the toxic relationships). 

I enjoyed the message. The ending was a bit predictable. Pacing and plot/world building could have been tightened up in places. 

Overall it was a book that I really enjoyed reading but I did have some unanswered questions about the world/how things work as the magic system and the world aren’t completely fleshed out. 

Meh. Could be better. Could be worse. 

I enjoyed the premise of this book so much more than I enjoyed the books itself and it took me a while to pinpoint why. And I've come to the conclusion that I don't feel like we got enough screen time to really appreciate either storyline. Darren and Kendal didn't really feel like they had that much of a connection and I was hoping to see it grow. While it 'grew' in the sense that they got together, the feelings didn't feel like they developed. I felt the same about Decklee and Mickinlee. Imagine how strong and heartbreaking that storyline could have been compared to what we were given. 

The potential was there and I did enjoy the read. I was hoping for more of a connection to the characters that what were given. 

The only crime in this book is that it wasn't longer. I adored this so much and am surprised by the average rating. 

Now, I feel the world building and plot could have been stronger if this was a full length novel, but as is, it wasn't bad. It felt easy enough to follow along. I'm sure there were probably plot holes, but I didn't notice any. 

I do know there were a lot of people that hate the ending, but I really, really loved the ending. I felt it was poetic in a way. I'd love to see a sequal that is 10 years later. 

February 2025 UPDATE:
Still love this book. Still wish there was more. Still cried at the end EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END. 

I do not have words for how much I disliked this book. I should have DNFd but by the time I realized that the ick the characters gave me was not going away, it was too late and I was going to spite finish the book so it counted. 

We went from INSTA lust - despite him being a terrible person and her being extremely disrespectful to her literal boss - to INSTA love - despite no character growth happening by that point. 

Don't even get me started on how he walked out on her then wanted a chance to explain himself and prove he could be better. Stop. No. Or the fact that he was CATFISHING her and her boss? But he couldn't help it because his dick was doing all the thinking. Oh, but don't worry, he'll tell you he's great at leaving emotions out of every decision. I guess lust doesn't count as an emotion. Who knew? 

This book was a problematic mess not worth the time. 

The magic system was unique but the characters and romance fell very flat for me. Lore is meant to be this amazing spy and throughout the novel she proved she was actually a terrible spy. So much information was revealed at the end that it was just a lot and we could have been sprinkled throughout the plot. Bastian was a better spy than she was and he was supposed the be a write off. 

The romance felt very fated with things like "she felt like she knew him her whole life" and things like that. And the dialogue between the characters didn't match the theme/tone the descriptions were setting. It felt very juvenile. 

This book was What We Do In the Shadows in book form but with more heart. I adored it. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. 

Not great. Not bad. I was hoping for more.