The book was enjoyable and the dynamic between Jasmine and Asher was sweet! The banter between the two was entertaining and the characters made some growth together towards the end. Jasmine is a Keeper whose sole purpose is to protect a charge - who so happens to be Asher. I would say that it could be described as bodyguard romance/enemies to lovers, but they are not true enemies.. The book didn't set up world building as much as I had hoped, but the pace of the book was good. There were for sure moments that lasted a bit too long that seemed unnecessary to the continuing story. I did, however, really enjoy how the book ended, especially the epilogue and how it alluded that there was more to the story. There is romance, a little action, and some twists/turns that still entertained me!
Thank you Netgalley and A.N. Skye for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

I realise that writing a book is an emotional journey for a writer. It takes courage to put your hardwork out there for the world to read. I acknowledge the hardwork put in by this author for this book although it wasn't for me.

The Keeper of Scarlet petals begins with a promising start but then just stays linear. There are not much character developments and the dialogues were quite mouthy with no charm to it.

I wish the author fleshed out the leads more and encompassed a lot more into the plotline. Sometimes it felt that the author went back on the development. For ex: Asher was the best keeper but suddenly he doesn't even have the basic instinct of a warrior. Also they were too trusting with information.

The epilogue of the book was quite promising. I feel that if this book is marketed as YA, it will generate a wider audience.

I give this book 2 stars. I thank NetGalley for the E-Arc and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

To begin with, thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for this ARC!

I have many thoughts about this book. I like the idea and premise of it, but to me, it felt a little flat. The characters weren’t my favorite. Jasmine’s character was a little all over the place. I wasn’t a fan of her inner dialogue in between the narration of the story. There was little world building and was unsure of what time period the book was set in. I had an idea from the description of the technology, but the way the characters spoke felt too modern. Jasmine’s character also felt a little juvenile at times. I did admire her perseverance and dedication to her training, but I didn’t know why her training in the other facets of her education were lacking. They seemed strict about it, but I was unsure if her education and training were at her own pace. I figured they would have like a class schedule so everybody would have equal training. I wanted to know more about her background from early on, instead of very small snippets besides her being homeless and being selected by the king.

Asher’s character was a little more developed, but he still lacked much personality. It seemed as if his families death wasn’t spoken about much, and the process of figuring out his magic was tedious to read. The scenes with Jasmine and Asher were a little repetitive and I wished they had more tension between them. The scene where they get together felt random and there was little to none sexual tension even at that point. And the use of “dating” the next morning that Jasmine told Lydia felt very forced and the nature of their relationship didn’t feel natural.
The other Keeper teachers were probably the most developed characters in terms of their personality. I wished there was more interaction with Esther and Jasmine.

Even around 60% the plot was almost non-existent. There is very little mention about the enemy group, Last Light and there is mostly training and weirdly, a lot of interaction of cooking and food.
The writing and narration was okay, and also around 60% we don’t learn anything that the title of the book is based on. The pace is decent, but again, the chapters of the training and cooking lasted too long taking away from the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. These are my honest opinions.

I really liked this book! I went in not too sure what to expect, but I quickly understood the premise and the main characters. I enjoyed the progression of the beginning and the dynamic between Jasmine and Asher. One thing I found different in a good way was the reverse roll of the fmc having to take care of mmc. This book has some spice but not too much! Also really enjoyed the side characters Lydia is hilarious and I love her relationship with both Asher and Jasmine. Pina came in unexpectedly, but I ended up really liking her. The mystery of not knowing who is behind everything and then learning it at the end was great! Can’t wait to read the next book.

First and foremost thank you for allowing me to read this book. This book took a minute to get into. I found the main characters inner voice to be very annoying. However, as the book went on the book got so much better. I love the premise, the shorty, and the twists and turns. Great job.

I was really drawn to the description and cover of this book but it unfortunately wasn't for me.
Disclaimer that I did DNF so maybe it improves it really read like a YA novel. The main character repeatedly mentions how she just really likes fighting and doesn't study anything else, to the point where it is annoying.
There is little background into this academy and why she's being sent off for the big mission. I feel like more of the plot should've centered around the training before transitioning, as it is it reads like she is woefully unprepared and is unbelievable.
I really wanted to enjoy the plot, there was just too many holes jumped over to get to the juicy bits

Thank you NetGalley and Aethon Books for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Where do I begin?

It is commendable and a huge accomplishment for your work to be published and distributed, so for that I admire A. N. Skye. I couldn't have written a book even if my life depended on it.

However this whole book really did my head in. The blurb sounds right up my alley and a book this size would normally take me max 3 days to read. Yet, my experience was anything but enjoyable. Maybe it just wasn't for me. But I really suffered through and pushed to finish the book.

It had me questioning: did I finish this book, or did this book finish me?

The writing was mainly dialogue and felt stilted. There was barely any world building, let alone any romance or fantasy (which is what the blurb promised). There was no chemistry or tension between the main leads. Even when they finally got together, I wasn't even smiling/giggling/kicking my feet. There was just nothing there to root for. The characterisations also fell flat and felt disjointed. For the main female lead who supposedly 'hated' the main male lead, she sure folded like a lawn chair pretty quickly. She goes on to proclaim herself as his friend but yet it took her forever to acknowledge his family tragedy - and this was AFTER her whining about not passing her classes. The main male lead was no better. He has no substance - I don't even remember what his character was like and I just finished reading this book half an hour ago.

The pacing was out of whack. The climax was anti-climatic. The antagonists and their lore was glossed over (despite this being the first book in the series that was supposed to set the scene/world). Even the secondary antagonists were obvious. There was no action until literally the last 30 pages. The rest of the book was about the main female lead learning to make eggs and the main male lead trying to use his magic.

I know this is an ARC so I do expect further revisions prior to it being published but yikesssss. This book needs a few rounds with an editor. So many filler scenes which did nothing to further the plot or would have been more appropriate if it was condensed in a few sentences. For example, there were a couple of pages dedicated to the main female lead learning how to make scrambled eggs. Another thing: "Jasine" (????? literally her name was spelt correctly only a few words before and after this). There were so many instances where I had to question whether I had a cerebral event or not. Turns out it was not me, it was the writing. Case in point: "he massaged her head gently with one hand while of his hands while the other cupped her backside".

Would not read again.

Overall rating: 1/5

Action, adventure, and some fairly crappy romance. This was more of a young adult story than I had anticipated, but it was still fun to read. The vibe reminded me more of the Divergent series than the other comparisons I've heard. Jasmine starts out pretty unlikeable and flat but as her relationship with Asher develops, so does her character. I liked Asher from the beginning. A strong but sensitive guy with his own insecurities. Their spicy scenes are frankly terrible but fortunately short and don't get in the way of the storyline. I will keep my eye out for this series to continue.

A great fantasy novel. I loved the characters relationship and how it evolved from hatred to something more. The action and fight scenes where fun and exciting to read.

I thoroughly loved this. It combines a few of my favorite things: enemies to lovers, a school for magic, forced proximity, a lush new world and society and badass heroine lead. The only thing I would push for to make it perfect for me is more spice, it was pretty vanilla 🌶️🌶️ish. I did like that all the characters seemed a bit fluid and it was the norm/ expected to date both men and women. That has nothing to do with the plot/book but I am glad I am seeing more perspectives on what romance looks like.

I will do my best to review this book with no spoilers so if it seams vague that would be why. Giving to many details would ruin some of the surprises in the book.
Jasmin was plucked off the streets and placed into a school that trains Keepers, kind of like Warder's from a wheel of time. Before her trining is complete she is given a keeper assignment she does not feel prepared to take.

The MMC and MFC have great chemistry and their relationship develops nicely during the length of the book and I look forward to seeing more of them together in the next book. The world building is light and magic system was easy to understand and not overly complex. This is a great combination for a Romantisy book.

The age of the characters and the mild spice makes this a new adult book, IMO. The book did have a lead in to the next book but fully wrapped up all major plot lines nicely.

I will defiantly read the next book when it is written and rereleased.

I tried really hard to enjoy this book. I wasn't feeling it the first time I picked it up, so I put it down and picked it up again a few days later. But I still wasn't enjoying this book.

I had such a hard time getting into the book because it is mostly dialogue from the very beginning. It lacked really any form of worldbuilding. Also, I didn't like the main FMC she was immediately cocky and snarky in an annoying way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book had promise, but it just didn't work for me. I was interested in the world and the system of Keepers, Xolani and the kingdom itself, but there was not much development. I would let that slide as it is a romance novel, but the development of the main characters, Jasmine and Asher, was incredibly flat, and I felt that there was no chemistry between the whatsoever. When the reveal at the start of the book came out, there was no surprise since there was no buildup to it.

Overall, the book could be great if there was more fleshing out of characters and more building of the world.

⁃ FMC guard (aka. Keeper)
⁃ poor girl rich guy
⁃ 3 romantic interludes 🌶️
⁃ M/F
⁃ Guard romance
⁃ A little mystery; a lot of action
⁃ Banter
⁃ Forced Proximity

Asher: suddenly heir after his family died
Jasmine: lower class volunteer for the king’s guard (keeper). Not exactly army; they protect specific magicians.
Riker: Jasmine’s Mentor
Qian--an aloof, intimidating teacher
Lydia--bff with a griddle and sass

Jasmine entered the Keeper academy after gaining approval from the King, and she had spent her first year only improving her fighting skills. As a scrappy slum rat, she didn’t care about the other aspects of being a Keeper, or guard to the rich (I mean, magic users) such as cooking, discourse, and deportment.

As such, she was at risk of failing out of the program or undergoing remedial education. Her best friend Lydia was cooking for her, but all that changed when she is suddenly assigned to guard a new noble (Magic user and noble). The Keepers were overwhelmed by guerrilla or rebellions everywhere that they were now drafting students. Jasmine suddenly had both school and work, and she could not attend her classes. I feel for her! There was almost no way to succeed (And I have been there. It’s an oncoming train wreck.)

Asher was a fellow keeper-in-training, but with the murder of his family, he found himself stuck with his secret paramour as his guard. Unlike his peers, he exhibited no magic, and fellow students like Pira demeaned him for his lack. With Jasmine now guarding him, the teasing intensified. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to create a team rather than a dependent relationship, but neither of them were pleased by the arrangement.

When Asher was actually attacked by assassins, Jasmine stopped the assassin in a phenomenally engaging fight. Frankly, the fight scenes were my favorite parts! But the attacker managed to partially shove a cursed blade into Asher’s chest before he was defeated, and Jasmine’s extraction of the blade bonded the two of them.

She healed faster and was stronger. Asher, however, still struggled to show any magic ability. Only through an accident did they find that touching created a conduit for his magic. This ability was so unique that Qian was willing to work with them.

The story gets more intense as exams approach, and there is a really fascinating scene in the woods (yes, a fight scene!). The ending opens up more questions while also completing this story segment. Technically, it is not a cliffhanger but you will still want to grab the second novel.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I feel it could have had more depth and world building? What was the world like outside the sanctuary, why where the keepers running out?. I loved the characters loved the development and friendships between them all, loved Lydia and her energetic personality she was a breath of fresh air, I would read the second book as I would like to see how the story develops as I enjoyed the story line ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a story based in an academic setting with magic wielders "starvein" and "keepers" which are essentially their body guards!

The description of this book led me to believe the fmc and mmc didn't get along and that it would be an enemies/rivals to lovers type scenario, but I felt that was not the case. The relationship between then never seemed to have any hate. Yeah, they sparred together, but it seemed friendly enough so I didn't see how she "couldn't stand" him as the blurb described. Their relationship just felt a bit flat, one minute they're just plodding along, and then suddenly they're together and in love.
As for the rest of the story, I felt it was lacking a bit of world building. We don't really understand too much about the world outside of sanctuary. We only ever hear about 2 teachers and a small number of students, which seems strange if it's this whole academy the story is set in.
I liked the little twist at the end, although I felt it was quite clear who was responsible even if there was the attempt to throw us off.
I really wanted to love this book and it has potential, but it just didn't keep me intrigued, I would love to see a bit more depth to the story and world around it.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC of this for me to leave my honest review.

To begin with, I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To say that Keeper of Scarlet Petals has been incredibly enjoyable would be a lie, for it has been a crazy wild ride. The book managed to get me hooked with just a few pages and at some point, definitely in chapter 2, I was already unable to put the book down. To be honest, I get hooked rather easily, but Keeper of the Scarlet Petals has managed to keep me interested in reading until the end.

I am insanely satisfied with the development of the plot, although I wish we could’ve learnt more about the world building and the history behind the Sanctuary, the Keepers and Starveins. For a debut, I believe this has so much potential to become incredibly popular and I’m currently awaiting for sequel news… especially after that ending!

All in all, Keeper of Scarlet Petals has the right amount of twists and turns, and romance! I’ve been throughly entertained and I’m ready for what the author has in mind for the future.

Keeper of Scarlet Petals - A.N Skye
5✨
Geez this book had me hooked from page 1. I’m a sucker for a badass FMC and Jas is just that. Clawed her way from the gutters to become a keeper, the best in her class with a sword (can’t cook to save her life but same) Watching her grow in herself and slowly learning who she is was awesome. She won’t hesitate to sacrifice herself for people she doesn’t even know or like. That is the kind of girl I wish I was.
Everything in this book is perfection, from the pacing to the plot, the romance was not to fast but not slow burn. I could hardly put this book down to sleep! I got so caught up in it all that I lost track of time and life. That is what I want from a book.
⚔️Magic
⚔️Keepers (bodyguard vibes)
⚔️Assassins
⚔️Romance
⚔️Stabby FMC
⚔️Secrets and lies

I highly recommend this book if you like any of the above.
Thank you Netgalley, A.N Skye and Aethon Books for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily💜

**spoilers**
im a huge fantasy fan, and i was super excited to receive this ARC because of the description, title, and cover! However, upon reading this, I was kind of stumped as to how it made me feel.
I feel like I wasnt able to connect to any character, especially asher considering he lost his whole family to the Last Light. We arent really given any context or backstory to the 2 main characters, jasmine and asher, which left me asking a lot of questions; why was jasmine in the gutters to begin with, how did they end up here and how is that decision made other than them being keepers because they arent stareveins, who is the king, who is esther, etc, etc. this book lacked context in everything and i was left more and more confused the more i read.
another thing, i felt that asher and jasmine were kind of forced into a "relationship" (if you can even call it that considering theyre only really showing the barest of affection), and that they didnt truly know eachother outside of sparring and jasmine being ashers keeper.
i didnt feel like the stakes were super high for someone who was on a group of assassins' radar... why are they just casually going to the kitchen, ALONE, mind you (why go to the kitchen alone when people want to kill asher, wouldnt you want to be in a crowded area?????). esther being, i guess, with the last light was predictable considering its assumed pretty early on.
the "scarlet petals" part of the title has no correlation to the story, atleast in my opinion. the magic is still very confusing and not explained enough, the xolanis are still something im confused about as well, and the way the whole kingdom functions is also confusing. everythings confusing and left with no context. world-building is non-existent.
i had high hopes for this, but it fell flat for me :(