Kerin's debut novel was full of action and nebulous adventure. The author easily won me over with her world building, her plot heavily influenced by religious mythology, her intriguing and broken characters, and everything else that exploded from this book and made me a fan. Between learning more about the well-developed characters and never knowing what would happen next, I was on the edge of my seat for this journey from beginning to end. The path proved treacherous and I enjoyed every spine-tingling minute of it!

This story centers around (and is told mostly by) three principle characters:
★ Seycia - she's a clever, courageous, fearless, and extremely headstrong. Alone during her formative years, after witnessing her parents death in her war-torn country, she's learned to survive and protect her little brother. Her love for her sibling is what really drew me to her, because big sisters love like no other. No one can touch, talk, or even think about our little ones. She's willing to do anything for him and ends up making the biggest sacrifice of all.

★ Haben - once a human who lived centuries ago, now a demon slave to the ruler of the Underworld. He has been turned into the Savage, a demon who comes to Earth twice a year to eat human sacrifices. He hates what he has become but feels his punishment matches his crime. You'll spend much of the book trying to figure out what he did to deserve this. Once Seycia finds herself in the Underworld, Haben does everything he can to help her survive. He becomes friend (and maybe more?), educator, and support when Seycia needs it most. FYI to the author... Haben IS this story and I need more of this man ASAP!!

★ Miko - Seycia's younger brother who ends up being the the Light for the people of his land. He's twelve and finds that his age doesn't diminish his strength or the fortitude required to do something about what is happening to his people. While he mourns his sister, he finds purpose and joins others in toppling the autocracy that his dominated his people for years. He's brave and intelligent, but still a bit naive and childish. His story arc intrigues me almost as much as Haben's does.

Other characters play a decidedly major role although they had minor parts:
⦾ General Simeon - he was the brutal ruler of Khronasa, with no love for its people or its traditions. He had an intense need to wipe out Seycia and her brother for wrongs done to him and lacked compunction for any of the evil he perpetrated. He was answerable and fearful of Emperor Caius, who had forced the people into subservience.

⦾ Dhov - ruler of the Underworld. He doled out pain and punishment on a whim. He was creepy, scary, and I would never want to meet him. He was right there, at every turn, during Haben and Seycia's mission to the Great Forest. He had spies everywhere and nowhere was safe from his wrath.

There were a ton of other characters we come to know. Some to love and some to hate along with everyone else. With her first novel, Kerin has established herself as a must-read author for the genre. She gave me everything I crave in a YA story and left me hungry for more. Now, at the end of this chapter of the tale, I'm tense and anxious to find out where this story will lead me next. I NEED a book two PRONTO!!

I could not put this down! The setting is fantastic – an intriguing post-apocalyptic world paired with an equally compelling underworld that is part Greek mythology and part Dante’s Inferno. Granted, you must accept that an underworld exists in the capacity that the author has described, but that is part of the fun of the novel.

The characters are understandable and likeable. Seycia is a self-reliant, stubborn, and tough young woman who refuses to be victimized. I loved her determination. Miko is a child character who never acts older than his age. Haben is perfectly executed – he is surly and bitter but never abusive. The reason for his curse is not a surprise, nor is his redemptive arc, but this did not take away from the story for me. I also love a good beauty and the beast tale, so I enjoyed their burgeoning relationship. The General was despicable and had clear motives – he never became a caricature of a villain. When Dohv is on the page he is menacing and unrelenting; a great pairing with the General’s tenuous hold on his power.

While the prose was evocative and descriptive without being boring, but there were some inconsistencies and repeated descriptions of emotions (such as people being exasperated). There wasn’t enough of this to be distracting, but it could have been tightened.

I’m a big fan of quest narratives and this novel had real tension. I could feel the threat of Dohv everywhere the pair travelled. The sections with Miko dragged a little for me. They weren’t poorly done or boring, but I was wanting to get back to the underworld!

I wasn’t a fan of the ending. While I understand it was set up for a sequel, it could have ended more definitively. But that seems to be the trend today.

Overall, a very fun, interesting, enjoyable novel!

So when I sat down to write my review for The Phantom Forest, all I wanted to write is this:

Protect this character
Seriously, protect this character
Take them away from Liz Kerin; it’s the only way to protect them
But uh, that doesn’t work as a review (maybe one day). Anyways.

The Phantom Forest is haunting.

Kerin’s debut is creepy, everyone. The world here is atmospheric and brings a chill or two, even when the story isn’t in the Underworld. In a world ruled by the Coalition where one practicing their belief in gods or superstition results in death, General Simeon overlooks a village with tight control. He keeps the people under his authority by taking a religious ritual where only criminals are sacrifices to one where anyone can be chosen.

I wanted General Simeon to choke on sharp pineapples while reading.

Since her father died, Seycia lives in hiding with her younger brother Miko in the village. It’s not long before General Simeon makes her a target and she becomes the next village sacrifice, sending her to the Underworld where she joins forces with Haben.

Interesting Characters Arcs
I find myself most invested in Haben’s story and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to Seycia and him as they journey across the Underworld. While The Phantom Forest has a multitude of POVs, most are from Seycia, Haben and Miko.

The story seems to focus on one character with the others sitting in the backseat, undergoing the most development. However, I do feel this is only the beginning, and there is more to come for both Seycia and Miko. Their story seems to stand in the back of the room, but they’ll likely develop in future books. I want to see what Kerin has in store even if I only want to protect Haben.

There are slow moments in The Phantom Forest
Kerin builds a world and plot that captures my attention from early in the novel. However, there are moments where I felt the scenes were maybe irrelevant and unnecessary. While it was a rough patch to go through, it was well worth it. I wanted to see to the end of the story, and I had a lot of questions that won my curiosity. By the end of The Phantom Forest, I still have plenty of questions, but I’m sure there will be answers eventually.

When I first read the premise for this book, I got super excited. The story follows a young girl named Seycia after she has been chosen as the human sacrifice to the demon Haben.

Sacrificed by the man who killed her parents, Seycia and Haben embark on a journey to the most sacred placed in the Underworld - The Forest of Laida. Every tree in the forest houses a soul that will return to the mortal world for many lives to come, but Seycia is determined to destroy the tree of the man who killed her.

This premise for this book sounded absolutely amazing, and I did end up actually enjoying the story. The subplot of the book follows Seycia's little brother, Miko, as he deals with the aftermath of Seycia's death. While I thought both plots were super interesting, there were times where both Seycia and Miko absolutely annoyed the crap out of me. To be fair though, they were supposed to be fairly young, so I gave them a little slack here. The writing was fairly good, and I was engrossed in the story from the very beginning. While the plot with Miko was interesting, I was a lot more invested in what was happening in the Underworld, and I wish the story had focused more on that. After reading The Phantom Forest, I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkshares for an advanced copy of The Phantom Forest in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REPORT for The Phantom Forest by Liz Kerin

Cover Story: High School Art
BFF Charms: Eventually, Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Historical Future
Bonus Factors: The Underworld, Brothers and Sisters
Factor: Standalone?
Relationship Status: There Might Be Something There

Trigger Warning: There’s a scene of attempted rape in The Phantom Forest that might be triggering for some readers.

Cover Story: High School Art

This cover is … fine. It’s a little juvenile, and doesn’t look polished. It’s intriguing, but at the same time, it seems like an unfinished project. It could be a lot better.

The Deal:

Seycia and her brother Miko have eked out a meager existence in the years since her parents were brutally murdered at the hands of General Simeon, the ruler of Khronasa, the city near which they live. They don’t have much, but they have each other … until, that is, Seycia and the weapon she got from her father—a fang from a paranormal creature—are spotted at the Sacrifice, a horrific event the people of Khronasa take part in to appease The Savage, a brutal creature from the underworld.

Seycia’s captured and ends up the next unwilling participant of the Sacrifice. But unlike all the unlucky others, Seycia doesn’t die. Instead, she forms an uneasy alliance with a demon, Haben, and works to protect Miko from beyond the veil.

BFF Charms: Eventually, Yay



Haben’s, well, a demon. He’s been damned for a reason, and it’s unclear until the end of the book what, exactly, that reason is. There’s good in him, sure, but the whole demon thing made me question his motives for much of the book.



Seycia’s a strong-willed, caring young woman with a good head on her shoulders. She’s a little eager to jump to action, rather than thinking things through, but she’d be a great partner to have on the sort of adventure they experience in this book.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

Seycia and Haben have a weird sort of connection that maybe turns into something more along the way. It’s not without swoon, but it’s also a little convenient (considering Seycia’s the first non-demon Haben’s met in, like, centuries).

Talky Talk: Historical Future

The Phantom Forest is set on Earth, but in a future where many of the people have reverted to a simpler time. Technology is scarce, and those who have it have all the power. There’s talk of a long-ago war that was fought, in part, because someone broke through to the literal Underworld, and religious factions the world over decided they didn’t like reality compared with what they believed. The world building of this book is excellent, and the Underworld is a truly fascinating place.

On the flip side, the language Kerin uses is at times clunky. There were a few phrases in the start of the book that completely took me out of the reading experience, and had me wondering if the story couldn’t use another pass by an editor. The relationship, too, was a little insta-love-y, and the near-rape scene at the start of the book was super jarring, and didn’t tie in with the feel of the rest of the story, which was far less brutal (even though there were other instances of violence).

Bonus Factor: The Underworld



I’m repeating myself a bit, but Kerin’s depiction of the Underworld was really gorgeous, even while being vicious. Anyone who can make Hell sound enticing has a definite way with words.

Bonus Factor: Brothers and Sisters



Seycia and Miko have a really sweet relationship. Even when they’re separated by seemingly insurmountable distance, they’re always thinking of each other and doing what they can to make sure each other are safe.

Factor: Standalone?



According to Goodreads, The Phantom Forest isn’t part of a series. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if Kerin released another book in the series at some point in the future. The book didn’t end on a complete cliffhanger, but there were a lot of plot points left somewhat unresolved.

Relationship Status: There Might Be Something There

Our date started our a little rocky, Book, but after I got past your weird turns of phrase and sucked into your story, things went pretty well. I wouldn’t say no to spending more time with you. I’m not sure we’re going to make it all the way to love, but I certainly wouldn’t write you off completely.

Literary Matchmaking:



● If you’re interested in spending more (figurative) time in the underworld, check out Jeff Giles’s The Edge of Everything series.

● Zoraida Cordova’s Labyrinth Lost also features an otherworldly “other” place in which the main character must go on an epic quest to save her family.

● And The Remnant Chronicles series by Mary E. Pearson also takes place in a world in which the people of Earth have reverted to an earlier way of life.


FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Inkshares, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. The Phantom Forest is available now.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the free book.*

I somewhat likes the premises of this book yet I wasn't to happy with the execution. After humanity has pierced the veil that divided the dimension of the demons from the human realm, humankind has suffered. They are terrorised from both the demons needing human sacrifice and by an totalitarian system where critics etc are hunted down and sacrificed.

A sister and her brother will fight evil overlords in both the human and the demonic realm. Maybe they can save the world and humankind?

Things I liked:
- references to former civilization
- survival
- idea of demons
- was entertaining

Things I disliked:
- random imba siblings
- world building quite week
- character and story development predicable
- pseudo Hunger Games
- weak plot

2,5 Stars

Liz Kerin's creativity flows off the pages and right to the heart. Not to mention she gives you characters that you desperately wish only the best for but as all good authors tend to do, she doesn't leave your heart in one complete piece. Haben shows great growth and development and Seycia is my favorite, a true strong personality and stubbornness that runs in not only her but her brother Miko.

The storyline is wonderfully paced and the world-building astounded me. The imagery that she describes is breathtaking and at times I just closed my eyes to drink in the descriptions I had read.

I would recommend this book to any fans of the fantasy genre.

Did not finish at 20%. Unfortunately this book isn't for me. At times the writing is excellent and I'll look forward to reading more from this author in the future, there's the potential there for her to tell some interesting stories. I just found that after such an amazing opening line (one of the best I've read in a novel) I just found that I didn't care for the plot or the characters. Maybe I will pick it up one day in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for an Advanced digital copy of this book.

Seycia had grown up with tales of the Forest of Laida as a child, but the old religion had been banned by the Coalition. General Simeon killed her parents and continues to sacrifice villagers to the demons like the old religion calls for, and he had marked Seycia for death as well. When she's sacrificed, however, she doesn't die. She now has to work with the demon Haben to journey to the Forest of Laida, the place where souls will regenerate. There are dangers above and below, and it won't be an easy task.

It's fascinating to see the world around the village of Khronasa. This is a post-apocalyptic world, with flashes of our own in pieces left behind, but it's not the focus of the story. Instead, there's Seycia's story thread, as she tries to protect her brother Miko in this harsh reality of the world they live in, and then Miko's thread as he struggles to survive without her. Because he's the only one to have escaped the sacrificial pit, the inevitable resistance that exists underground takes him in and hopes he can be a symbol for them. Seycia is more than human but not quite demon in the Underworld, and learns how the world had ended when mortals breached the divide between the Underworld and the land of the living.

The villains of the novel, General Simeon and the god Dohv, aren't simply cardboard cutouts of evil. While they may seem that way at first, there are other motivations at play and we get a chance to see them in action. I don't feel sorry for them in the slightest, and eagerly followed the action in both story threads. They interwove in places so that Seycia's love for her brother could literally help protect him because he's still a boy and not quite ready to be a leader. They're all capable of making mistakes as well as their great heroics so that they felt like real people. Seycia and Haben work better as a friendship, even though as the story progresses it seems like the narrative was trying to force a romantic relationship. That part didn't ring true to me at all, but I loved the rest of the novel.

This is Liz Kerin's first novel, but it's very finely crafted and flows pretty well. I hope this is the start of a series because it definitely feels like there are more stories to be told in this world.

Beautiful idea.
It was really interesting book still not free from cliche tropes of YA fantasy.
I like main idea of mixing mythical fantasy and light dystopian elements to build this world. I really captured my attention at the point when it was explained and I enjoyed idea of telling the story "What if we knew..." still it could be executed much better.
How this knowledge was affecting human mentality? I don't know. And that would be really interesting.
Instead we focus on, of course, heroine and her love interest. She is basically Katnis Everdeen but with no trauma at all, so it makes her unrealistic and well... not interesting.
He's story is more captivating: about responsibility, paying for Your actions and redemption. And that is something I don't see often in YA book. What is more, it is pretty well executed and moved me at some points.
There is also POV of little brother of main heroine which left me with questions about his motivations. I think I don't understand them and that is why I do not believe in them. I couldn't shake off the feeling that his character building as rebellious is forced.
Just as the romance, btw.

Nevertheless.
There are lots of cliche things that bothered me but I wouldn't mind them (and forget about the book right after I'd finished it) if the idea for world building wouldn't be so promising.
Therefore I will pick up next book when it comes out.
And for this one it's 3,75. Because it is typical YA based on beautiful idea with a promise for more. And I want that "more" soon.

A solid 4 out of 5 stars for The Phantom Forest, a debut novel by Liz Kerin. I’m going to get real. I decided a few years back that if I didn’t love a book I wasn’t finishing it. My time means a great deal to me and I refused to waste it finishing books that weren’t "worth it." When I first received The Phantom Forest I had trouble starting it. The very beginning with Haben threw me off so I struggled to make it even halfway through the first chapter! FOUR attempts later and two chapters in I was engrossed. I finished the whole book (300 pages) in less than two days. Those were work days too so I worked eight hours each day which means I read in the morning, during lunch, and at night because I HAD to know what would happen next. For me, that means I #CouldNotPutItDown.

I won’t bore you with a synopsis and I do my best to avoid spoilers so let me just say that the story of Seycia and Haben was beyond refreshing. The different worlds Kerin built for us were brilliant, of course, but the characters and their story arcs left me feeling hopeful and happy. I needed them to succeed so I could love the story but more than that I needed them to be more words on a page. I’ve always been one to form strong attachments to characters, I’m sure many of you can relate. It is so vital for a good story and often characters fall flat. Liz Kerin did not disappoint me and she won’t disappoint you. Also I ship Seycia and Haben to hell and back BUT don't worry guy I am very VERY picky about #LoveStories in books. Especially #YABooks. I hate it when they take over the plot. This loveI WOULD FIGHT ANYONE OVER. I won’t spoil it anymore than that so just go read it!

I genuinely recommend this book. I would say any fantasy reader would enjoy it as much as I did and most readers invested in good, solid writing, world building & character design would as well.

~LetRachelRead

I was provided an ARC of The Phantom Forest through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you as well to the publisher Inkshares.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, and I believe there is a fairly decent story. There were good parts and interesting secondary characters. The split in the world and the Forest of Laida (go soul trees!) were particular favorites of mine.

However, none of the characters appeared real to me, and I had difficulty believing some of their actions and the developments that happened throughout the story. Seycia, Haben, and Miko all made unexplained leaps or had out of character moments throughout the book. The secondary characters held promise though and provided some of my favorite moments of the books. General Simeon as the villain added to the story and gave a solid central figure for the protagonists to oppose (as did Dohv). The main romance did little to convince me that it was true feelings and not desperation or adrenaline.

There were odd jumps in the story-telling, and the pacing seemed all over the place. In some instances of information was repeated unnecessarily, and the principle of "show not tell" was completely ignored in terms of storytelling.

Overall, not a bad book, but I would be unlikely to suggest it to friends as it is now. I could see it as a possibility for older middle-school readers, but again - not quite something I would feel comfortable recommending as a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

2.5

With a fantastic premise and a gorgeous cover, I had high expectations for The Phantom Forest. Unfortunately, the confusing opening, flat characters, and dragging plot made the novel a struggle to read. Seycia and Haben had lacking personalities which led to much of the attention shifting to Miko. He made for a decent main character, but there was nothing extraordinary about him. Kerin had some great ideas, and I appreciated the Underworld plot, however, her ideas were not executed as well as they could have been.

Wow what a debut! I really enjoyed this book. I've never read anything about the underworld before but I wouldn't hesitate to read more if they were written like this.
The book follows the lives of seycia and her brother miko after the deaths of their parents. They have found themselves in hiding from Simone the man who killed their parents and the community he has continued to created during his rule over there country. Simone is leading the people whilst worshiping the leader of the underworld Dov and to keep him happy he sends human sacrifices to The Savage. Seycia ends up being a sacrifice to the Savage and gets taken to the underworld where she meets Haben who's been trapped there for ages and his punishment for the crimes he committed on earth is to become the Savage.
I loved the different creatures in the underworld and all the elements of it.
The story swaps from following Seycia in the underworld to Miko back on earth as he tries to live his life following the loss of his sister by avenging her captor.
Over all I really enjoyed the book but I found it a bit rushed at times and the love element was very predictable and came out of no where without much of a build up.
I can't believe the ending! I'm hoping there will be a second book as I need to know what happens next!

I received a free advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

This was an unique story based in a fascinating world. I thought it would be a horror which it was not but it was still a captivating tale.

The Phantom Forest tells the story of Seycia and Miko, two siblings orphaned by a villainous General Simeon of the Coalition. Before dying, their father gruesomely disfigured the general’s face. For this reason, they are despised by him and are living hidden in the outskirts of the town he rules, Khronasa. However, he catches up to them and Seycia disfigures him even further and is marked for sacrifice to the Savage, an underworld demon. However, something goes wrong during the sacrifice and, oddly enough, Seycia and the Savage, also known as Haben, team up to head to the Forest of Laida. All trees in the forest house souls, good and bad, and Seycia intends to destroy the general’s own before more innocents are sacrificed. However, the leader of the underworld, Dohv, was not in favor of that plan and is intent on stopping them anyway he could. Meanwhile, we also follow Miko and the band of rebels who have finally decided to fight back against the Coalition.

The thing I liked the most in this book was the description of the underworld. I felt as if I was flying along with Seycia and Haben on Norryn’s back looking down at the sights below. Liz Kerrin has a knack for making you feel as if you’re actually part of whichever scene she is describing. I suspect that may be due to her background in film.

Haben was the typical antihero. He was paying a heavy price for something he did in his mortal life, although in my opinion, it was not that bad. He was a demon but Seycia and others saw the good within him nearly instantly. However, Dohv is in control of him, and the Savage as a result, and he knows he will pay a terrible price for helping Seycia.

I actually preferred the underworld more. I did not like the fact that Miko took credit for something that he knew his sister did. And honestly, even though they stressed it repeatedly during the book, I am still to see why the Khronasans were so intent on making him the symbol of their rebellion. I did not think he was so special.

On that note, I am still to see why Seycia was the only one to look like her in the underworld or why the weapon she used only worked for her. At the end of the book, I was still confused as to what exactly ‘went wrong’ for her. Maybe these unanswered questions will be answered in a sequel *hint hint*.

This book was a haunting story and can be the beginning of a beautiful series. I truly enjoyed the story and would love to know what is in store for these characters.

I read this book because a good friend of mine recommended it and I will never doubt her recommendations again. While I'm usually not a huge fan of books with multiple POVs, I found myself interested in all three stories, probably because there were two different storylines - all working towards the same ending. Kerins writing pulled me in from the start and I just couldn't stop. I hád to know how the story ended, what happened to everyone, what the significance of some things were.

I'm a huge sucker for worldbuilding, and this book had plenty. I was on cloud nine with all the descriptions, and they continued all through the book, which was perfect. It wasn't too much so it started to get boring, but somehow Kerin made it all worthwhile!

This book is perfect for those who love the original Grimm stories, it's dark and gruesome and bloody and amazingly written. I loved the added references to resurrection and what seemed like the river Styx for me (kinda, not entirely). I loved the book and I really really hope this story is continued in some way. Definitely adding this writer to my auto-buy list!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was one of my favorite books of 2019. Loved the unique storyline. Loved the flow of the story. Will recommend to everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

*Actual rating 2.5/5, rounded up for Goodreads*

Phantom Forest had so much potential to be incredible, but it fell quite flat to me unfortunately. I wanted a lot more emotional involvement, and ultimately I didn’t hugely care what happened to most of the characters.

Seycia is killed as a sacrifice to the God of the Underworld, but something goes wrong and she turns up alive in the underworld. Haben, the monster enslaved to kill her, chooses not to and ultimately assists Seycia as she tries to influence the mortal world from the underworld. The concept? Sounds amazing! The execution? A bit lacklustre.

Let’s start with what I liked - HABEN. I do have such a thing for tortured villains forced into villainy, and so of course I liked Haben. He was enslaved by the god of the underworld as punishment for his mortal ‘sins’, and so turns into a monster that eats the mortal sacrifice offered up. Again, sounds amazing! Whilst Haben was my favourite of all the characters, there was still some emotional lack in his characterisation. His tortured soul felt a little superficial. There’s a moment when he manages to be in complete control of the monster despite the entire book up until that point saying he was uncontrollable when faced with that hunger. And actually when it comes to it, I really didn’t think his ‘sins’ were actually that bad.. He seems to be moping about forgiveness for…reasons that don’t actually seem valid? He did something to impress his father; father then took control and actually did all the bad things so Haben mopes for eternity? It just didn’t make a lot of sense to me. In saying that, I did enjoy Haben and his slow descent back to humanity, from learning to speak again to falling for Seycia.

Seycia herself was a bit meh for me - she was by no means terrible, there just wasn’t anything that stood out about her. She’s another fantasy girl who’s amazing at everything and special (though why she’s special isn’t ever actually explained). She’s part alive in the underworld, and it’s hinted it may be because of the weapon her father left her, or because something went wrong during the process, but never actually revealed why she is so special.

Zane was another character I did enjoy - creepy, dead, demon child! I wish we’d had a bit more of his creepy, gleeful demon hysteria, because I found him quite captivating for the moments he was on page.

All three of these characters spend most of their time in the underworld so it is no surprise that was the part of the story I enjoyed the most. I wish the story had just been set there entirely, as I didn’t care at all for what was happening in the mortal world. The underworld had some really cool creatures like the scarab beetles and the Soulless, and the action was much more involving in these sections.

Sadly, that’s where the positives end. I really didn’t care at all for any of the characters in the mortal world - Miko is your typical annoying young boy who thinks he’s so special because
his sister (Seycia) is doing all these cool things from the underworld, and he thinks he’s doing it (despite hearing and seeing his sister at these moments in time…)

I also thought the worldbuilding was very undercooked. I didn’t know until about 70% through the book that the big war everyone kept talking about was actually a human war, NOT humans vs demons. I also still haven’t a clue who the people in control of the mortal world are, where they came from and why they are bad.

I really expected great things from this book because it had such a fantastic concept, but unfortunately the lack of worldbuilding and emotional attachment I felt to any of the characters meant this book just didn’t work for me.

Review will go live on my blog Saturday 6 July.

Unfortunately this book was a "DNF" for me. I couldn't get into it although it was chilling and suspenseful it was hard for me to follow along and I got distracted easily.

Unfortunately, that was not for me. I felt that the book was full of cliches and it feel a ripoff of  “The 100” and so many others. I even started to try to guess what would happen next and I was right 100% of the times, until the game became boring and I just decided to leave the book. I did not finish reading. Maybe it's get better, who knows.