I wish I had read this before I read A Touch of Darkness because if I had I have a feeling I would have rated it higher. I really wanted to like everything about it because I love Scarlett St. Clair’s writing but it just wasn’t as well written as her other works. I think there are two reasons for that. One is that, even though I received an ARC of the updated 2022 version, it was her first published book and it shows. The story isn’t as fleshed out as it could be and it seems to need more world building. The second is that while her other books are adult, with adult content, this is very much a YA novel and I just don’t relate to those the way I used to because I am old now. But, the idea was good and I cared enough about what was happening by the middle of the book to actually want to find out what happens. Hopefully we will get the promised book 2 at some point so I can have some closure.

DNF, this was disappointing as I have read many other Scarlett St. Clair books that are notated as adult reads. There is a disclaimer on the first few pages of the pages within the book that would have depictions of suicide. We see the first depiction of that within the first two pages. I was not expecting it to hit me as hard as it did but I was sick to my stomach. Extremely disappointed, but I understand that not every book is going to be for everyone.