this was a great start to a scifi novel, the characters were great and I liked that the author used the scifi in a unique way. It was fun to read about the different creatures in the series and I enjoyed the cliffhanger.

I absolutely got hooked into this series and actually pre-order the next two books because I really wanted to see how it all turns out.
The city of Al Khair is a legend where the supernatural and humans dwell in some of harmony and all are welcomed. A thousand years ago, the Dark Lord, a hybrid demon and vampire established this stronghold and rules over it in an uneasy truce with the current ruler. Alyssa is a poor orphan who has long dreamed of coming here and finding a home and happiness. It seems all her dreams are coming true when she finds herself hired as a scribe to the Queen, not only is she living in a tower in the palace but she has everything she has ever wanted and more.
However she has attracted the attention of Lord Damien who finds himself uncommonly fascinated with her. Then one night the unthinkable happens Damien open pits himself against the humans and brings Alyssa to his lair. What's next?
OMG I could barely wait for the next book to release,

It took me a while to get into this book. I'm always wary with indies because they can go so drastically in either direction.

It's set in a middle eastern (at least I assume so) city that is home to many different walks of life. Alyssa is an orphan who comes from absolutely nothing, scraping to get by, and she has struggled and saved and made it as far as the fabled city to try and make something of her life. She is cheerful despite her origins, and absolutely every. single. person. loves her.

I found it compulsively readable when I got past the 50% mark. I love this kind of brooding demon bad guy romancing the paragon of innocence vibe and the 'I have powers but don't know my fantasy race' trope. It's the kind of book that I generally devour, spit out the pit and move on to the next one immediately, but.

BUT.

It ends on an unacceptably egregious cliffhanger for which I am dropping a star but still want to read the next one, if with a frown on my face and a refusal to pay for it. If it happens to end up on kindle unlimited or if I get a chance to review it, I will bite, but for SPITE. Spite. I refuse to pay for it because that cliffhanger was a big fuck-you to your readers.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I found it interesting that this book features all the mythical creatures from different cultures around the world. Djinn, vampires, Magi, elves, werewolves, you name it; it’s here. The setting of Al Khair is like a metropolitan city featuring Arab, European, and Asian cultures, with its food, clothing, and languages. Alyssa’s rags-to-riches story, finding friendship and sense of belonging, is well written. I appreciate that this novel is clean, without romance, profanity, or graphic violence. Depending on how the sequels play out, I might recommend this title for my students.