Maxima Lana is a 16 year old hybrid has the perfectly awful Cinderella life that causes the reader to cringe. As a baby her mother died, as a child her father remarried Sierra Duff, a powerful and evil witch, and as a child Maxima (known as Max) father dies leaving her in the custody of her stepmother and at the mercy of that stepmother and two evil stepsisters.

From the first line the reader is drawn into the conflicted world of a child who is the target of her stepmother's magic and the torment of her stepsisters. Sierra Duff is a powerful and influential in the world of witches and warlocks, the keeper of secrets and the manipulator of many. She wields the power of enhancing beauty and has mastered the art of appearing innocent and harmless - just like her daughters.

For Max living with her stepmother and sisters means being the target of illegal magic and terrible spells. Her only reprieve a kind witch named Maria who lives hidden in the woods. Maria has more than once sent her familiar to gather up Max when Sierra changes her to a toad or a mouse. But all this changes on one terrible day, when of her own volition Max shifts into a bat thinking her stepmother has spelled her again. The shift means that Max is gifted with the x-gene, a highly coveted gene that means extra powers and means admittance into Beaumond Academy.

Just as you think it could get better for Max it only gets worse and the mystery surrounding her, the secrets she is shrouded in become all the more tangled.

Gabriel Hendrix is the weapon wielder, and a trainer for the Shield (a force of highly trained x-gene supernaturals). He is searching for the Shadowed, to destroy them and free children who have been taken by them. But his life becomes more complicated when Maxima Lane is sent to him to be trained and when he runs into Liz Lane, Max's evil witch stepsister. He feels a pull to Max but seems to be drawn into lust with Liz. The tangled triangle can mean nothing but trouble.

The book is a quick read, although for me I am a fan of longer reads if the story is more complete. The last chapter leaves you tense and wanting to see the ending. However, it looks like there is going to be a total of 4 books in this series along with a prequal.

Yes! I've already purchased my copy of the prequel and am following the reader for the release of the rest of the book. This is a series I am sure that I will re-read again and again.

I received a free digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review of the book.

#innocence #netgalley #adriennewoods

In simple words me no like. I wish I did as I'm a sucker for academia books but with this one, I couldn't vibe with this book. What was annoying me was the writing and believe me I wrote this with heavy heart as I can only imagine how much effort the author must have put into writing this book. But as with all books sometimes they are just not for you, and it's okay.

I had enjoyed previous novels by Ms. Woods and was curious about her newest novel. It has some dark themes, but overall an enjoyable read. It has a slight Cinderella twist, but also includes magic and other supernatural creatures, even hybrids. The story is mostly told from Max’s point of view, where she suffers at the hands of her stepfamily and does not understand why, but knows she needs to find a way to escape them. However, her stepmother has many connections, for she deals in secrets, which makes her very dangerous. When Max receives a letter that she has the X-gene, which indicates she possesses supernatural abilities, she knows this is her opportunity to leave her stepfamily, but it brings more questions than answers. Max meets both friends and enemies, but knows it is only a matter of time before her stepmother gets involved. Max gets help with trying to bring out her X-gene, but still has trouble and time is running out. I look forward to the next novel in their series!
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Enter the Cinderella retelling with a witchy twist.
Right from the beginning you are absorbed into Max's less than stellar life when her stepmother turns her into a mouse, at least it wasn't a toad, right? It wasn't the first time her stepmother and two evil witch sisters have tortured her, and her one escape is when she exhibits traits of the X-gene power that gets her a ticket into the Beaumond Academy for all the supernatural elite, but it isn't a guarantee of a happier future for Max until she proves herself worthy to stay. Plus, there's a sexy warlock-werewolf that has caught her eye... but also her evil stepsister's... dangers await Max, and obstacles that keep you reading to the very end!

There is a missing vampire princess, and the whole story, even from the beginning (it isn't a spoiler) alludes to all the inconsistencies that make you suspect that Max is that missing vampire princess... but how could she be, when she's a half-breed? I guess we'll just have to read book two to find out. I, for one, am excited to continue reading the series, and can't wait for the next installment.

I received a free copy from NetGalley, and am leaving my honest review. (added my review to Amazon, book not found on BookBub.)

Maxima, aka Max, finds out on her 16th birthday that she has the X-Gene. This makes her part of the paranormal world and eligible to go to school at Beaumond. Her stepmother and stepsisters are not her biggest fans and Max must hide until she can actually show up at school. Once there, things start happening to her and the staff must help keep her safe.
Gabe needs Max's powers to help him catch someone who has escaped. As a teacher, even though he is young, Gabe needs to keep his distance but also wants to keep close, if only to keep her safe.
Opinion
This book is compelling! I found myself reading it while at work when I had a few minutes simply because it was so good. This book was able to draw out strong emotions as I followed through the story. The biggest emotion came from the ending when I wanted to throw my phone against the wall. It ended in such a cliff hanger that I immediately searched out when the second book was coming. I have high hopes that this will be a long series.
I would not recommend this book to young teenagers as it does have mild sex scenes in it (and some foul language.) Other than that, I think this book is perfect for anyone wanting a paranormal roller coaster ride.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Fire Quill Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book.

So thankful to have received an arc copy!

I could not put this book down! I read it in one night staying up way past my bedtime. What a wonderful reimagination of Cinderella!

This book has everything I could ask for in a fantasy book: a strong FMC, great friends, magic and of course a horrendous step mother as a villain! The twists in this book had me turning pages faster than I thought possible!

A new to me author and different take on a book I wasn't expecting. Very enjoyable. I would read Adrienne Woods again.

Ohhhh!!!! That ending!! Gah! I seriously really want to read the next one already. I have to know what happens with Max and Gabe!