Excellent book!! Enjoyed this thoroughly.
An epic read for anyone looking for an original story.
Will be keeping this author on my radar.

This book jumped around a lot and had a lot of info dumps. I generally liked the characters and the plot but there were a few things that didn’t work for me. Valeria comes off a bit whiny at the beginning but she becomes more likable as the book continues. Gideon is a sweetheart but I don’t know how to feel about Vemdour. It just seemed like the time with Vemdour took up too much time in the book. The side characters are amazing and the setting was great. I did eat this book up and read it in one sitting so it kept me enthralled.

This book gave me ACOTAR vibes and I'm here for it. I loved the idea of the different realms and I was definitely engrossed in Valeria's journey and felt like the writing style was done well. Valeria was sassy, and I am here for it.

It started with a bang. The world-building was not complex and the realms were intriguing. I love the 'demons among the mortals' thing, it gave Supernatural vibes. And I loved how Empyrean was depicted. I was hooked.

I was hoping for royal politics surrounding the throne; instead, Realm of the Forsaken happened (and dragged on for way too long, take me back to Seraphicity 🥲) Not gonna lie tho, I would've stayed with Vemdour (he's another version of the darkling)

The reason this book slightly missed the mark is because of the protagonist. Valeria is an "eighteen-year-old princess hoping to get laid." The girl is fickle AF, and I swear to gods, she changes her feelings like her outfits. Imagine reading it from a point of view of someone who is unconsistent and unlikable 😬

Honestly, that last whatever fraction of the book saved it from falling flat 🔥 I mean, the plot twists were unpredictable (also why I rounded it up to 4 stars)

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁: Oh, the amount of potential this one had! Sliver of hope exists for book two to be better 🪄

🪻 ARC

This one was a fun and solid read, I’ve never read something from this author before.

The world building is interesting and I absolutely wanna know, how the story is continuing!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Author for this ARC!

This is fantasy/ fantasy romance. Our female main character is 17 and just about to graduate high school, but she's also a princess who has been kept in the mortal realm to prevent her being killed by demons for the last several years.

When demons try to kill her on her prom night, she gets rescued and taken back home. When she gets there she discovers that her father is terrible and has ruined the realm, her brother is evil and killed people, she now has a soulmate bond and also there's a whole thing with the king of hell.

There are elements of this which I think show promise, in the story and the world building, but the main character really pulled this down. If you're doing a single first person point of view, they just can't be this unlikeable.

She's a shallow, self obsessed toddler who also tries to have sex with every man she meets. Maybe it's judgemental, but I feel there's probably a better life goal for someone who's just turned 18, than having a threesome.

There are 3 love interests in this - it's not clear if we should be rooting for one over the others, as none are great. The spicy content with a 17/18 year old was maybe just not for me.

I think it tries to pack too much stuff happening in, without allowing the characters (and readers) to take a moment and feel the impact of anything.

But the ending was enough to potentially make me interested in book 2, so there is that!

URGH!, I'm so sad. I just didn't love this at all.
I don't know if I just read it at the wrong time but it just wasn't for me. I didn't love the characters, I felt they were very flat. There was a lot of world building that just felt glossed over and could have been developed a lot more. The pacing felt off and it just didn't work for me.

I can see how others love this book, and I certainly did like points of it. Will I read book 2? Yes, I probably will - just so I know what happened, But I won't be rushing back for a re-read.

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Good pace and worldbuilding, funny and intriguing characters. Loved the story and loved how good its was to read this book cover to cover in one sit.

Lara Buckheit's debut novel, "A Realm of Ash and Shadow," is an addictive and thrilling fantasy read that will leave readers craving for more. From the very beginning, the story grips you with its enticing blend of drama, world-building, and captivating characters.

Set in a realm where mortals and gods coexist, we follow the journey of Valeria Breault, an eighteen-year-old princess who has been exiled from Empyrean. Valeria's sharp tongue and penchant for trouble make her an engaging and relatable protagonist. As a horde of demons crashes prom, Valeria's life takes a dangerous turn, leading her to fight for her survival and confront the truths about her kingdom.

Buckheit's world-building is exceptional, crafting a complex and immersive realm filled with gods, monsters, and power struggles. The vivid descriptions transport readers into the heart of the story, allowing them to visualize every scene with remarkable clarity. The author skillfully balances the introduction of new details and revelations, keeping the pacing engaging and never overwhelming.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its well-developed characters. Valeria shines as a resilient and multifaceted protagonist. Her journey of self-discovery, complicated emotions, and desire for power and belonging make her highly relatable and realistic. The supporting characters are equally intriguing, with distinct personalities and motives that add depth to the story. The presence of a love triangle adds an extra layer of tension and keeps readers guessing.

The book successfully blends elements of enemies-to-lovers romance with fantasy, offering a captivating and addictive read. The narrative is infused with spice, stabby energy, and unexpected twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Buckheit's writing style is accessible, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story and connect with the characters.

"A Realm of Ash and Shadow" has already garnered comparisons to popular fantasy works such as "From Blood and Ash" and "Kingdom of the Wicked," and it certainly lives up to the hype. Lara Buckheit's debut is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, combining elements of betrayal, found family, and power plays. It's a book that will appeal to fans of fantasy who appreciate strong heroines, intricate world-building, and compelling storytelling.

Overall, "A Realm of Ash and Shadow" is a remarkable debut that showcases Lara Buckheit's talent as a writer. With its enthralling plot, well-drawn characters, and magnetic world-building, this book marks the beginning of an exciting new series. Readers will be left eagerly anticipating the release of the sequel, as Buckheit has proven herself as a rising star in the fantasy genre.

This book is just another look at something that just didn't work out for me. It was confusing and at times boring and slow. Then the pace would change in a way to just confuse me some more. The characters were half way decent but not fully formed and the story at large felt a mess.

This was an extremely fun to read rollercoaster of a book! A new adult fantasy novel with plenty of romance, lust, magic, and conflict. I am still shocked by how much happened in just 300ish pages. The main character was very intriguing and I really enjoyed her internal dialogue, which is something I can have a hard time to enjoy in fantasy novels sometimes.

The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I would be absolutely delighted if I could read the sequel now!

Nope nope nope nope nope. This book gave me major ick, which sucks cause I wanted to like it. I'm a big fan of romance-fantasy and I'll basically consume anything in that genre, but this was just nope.

The main character was whiny and the perfect example of a 'I'm not like other girls' girl. It felt like the author was trying so hard to make a badass female lead, and it ended up falling into the cookie cutter of what people think that should be.

I found the whole thing to be very highschool, teen drama blah. Just not for me at all.

I was intrigued by the description, and the magic system seemed very cool. While parts of this book were great, some of the plot was confusing. It seemed like nothing was happening, but then all at once, it was faced paced. Some aspects were added that made it very confusing and hard to follow. I also only liked the characters some of the time. Overall, it was entertaining but left me with more questions than answers.

This book hit the bullseye when it found its way to me!

There is just something about a princess, a little spice, and a great setting that turns my brain into a pleased pile of goop. This book had everything that I craved for something to turn my brain of an just enjoy.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received for review: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to Netgalley and the author.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: The author has set up a fascinating story, an intriguing world, and compelling characters. I'm very interested in seeing what happens next and flew through this one. Ended on a minor cliff.

I went into this one without any expectations. I chose to read it because of the genre and the cover. You never know what you'll get when you go in with zero expectations, but I really enjoyed this one. It gripped my attention pretty quickly. The character isn't always lovable and made some stupid decisions, but I enjoyed seeing her journey/watching it progress, and I loved Gideon.

If you like romantasy, give this one a go. It's an interesting start and debut from an author I'll be keeping tabs on from now on.

Content: Strong language throughout, tamer new adult over 18 sexual content, underage drinking, violence.

Love,

Danica Page

Found on netgalley was drawn to it by the blurb
Looked instering so I requested it and so happy i was approved to read it. I do recommend this book and already told a few that they need to read this book. 5 star book. Kept me pulled into it. Couldn't put it dowm at all. Might reread it later on in the year.

The story, characters, and world building was amazing! There was one death I wasn't sure needed to really happen, but the story was still great! The way the main characters powers were fully unlocked at the end were sad but it made sense that losing someone like that would help unlock someone's full potential.

I will definitely recommend this book to others and I plan to purchase a physical copy! I hope a 2nd one is coming and can't wait to read it too!

DNF

unfortunately this book simply did not catch my attention :(
It felt too tropey and not original enough to keep me wanting to read. Nothing about it was bad, it just wasn’t much different from so many other NA fantasy stories out there.

Author is right that it does feel similar to ACOTAR. I did enjoy the main character and the world building was interesting. The mated trope was complicated with a third character that was both interesting but also felt under-developed. I was shocked when I had only 10% left and felt like it would end in a cliffhanger and it did not - though it did feel rushed to tie out a lot of loose ends. I was expecting a bit of a twist with some characters though perhaps that comes with the next book in what I presume is a series. Invested enough that I will read the next one too, it was a diverting read. I received a complimentary copy of this book, thank you NetGalley.

🌿Tropes & Themes 🌿
•Soulmates
•Love triangle
•Morally gray love interest
•Found family
•Enemies to lovers -ish
•Who did this to you?

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

I would like to thank Sword & Shield Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this read! I was definitely hooked and curious about what would happen next. Usually I can predict certain aspects but this book took a lot of unexpected turns! The world building is done well and has some interesting elements. The author paints wonderful images of the different realms and weaves in some history of them as well.

It starts slow and true to the story, Val was raised in the mortal realm, living a normal mortal life other than when she was training to kill demons and be the princess of another realm called Empyrean. I always love a lost or exiled princess lead to believe her kingdom is a utopia only to find out the shocking truth not everything is as it seems. I loved that she admits to wanting revenge and power and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants!

The relationship between Val and her love interests could have been fleshed out a bit more. There are some scenes which I adored but wish there was more of that! Gideon didn’t really feel like much of an enemy to lover. The god of the forsaken and their relationship definitely feels like it had more potential for an enemy to lover trope.

“Because when I kiss you, your body will beg for more. Your knees will quake, your heart will pound, and desire will consume you until your left with an aching that only I can satisfy”

Would definitely recommend! It reminded me in some aspects of ACOTAR, From Blood and Ash, and a little bit of a hades x Persephone retelling.