Thank you very much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cate is a young woman who has always felt out of place, and when she arrives in England for college, she only feels stranger. Shortly after encountering two very handsome but very different young men, she learns that she is at the center of a prophecy from fantastical land - not to mention royalty.

I'll admit that I struggled through the middle of this book. There was some pacing in the second act that I didn't feel quite matched the pacing of the rest of the story, and I had a hard time feeling connected to Cate when I knew very little about who she was and what was important to her prior to arriving in Terra. I felt I learned more about Daniel and Lucas much more quickly.

There are some very sweet moments between Cate and her two love interests, though it really did not feel like enough trust had been established for her to trust them so quickly, which is perhaps why I felt the pace toward the beginning moved at a steadier clip than in other parts.

The Concealed

🌸 Thoughts 🌸

That first chapter was soo creepy— the taxi *shivers* if you know you know.

This was such a nostalgic read for me not because the content was similar to anything I’ve read before but mostly the feeling I got from it. It was very reminiscent to when I binged read Twilight in junior high. I loved that book. it was a book that helped me foster a love for reading. I feel this book could have a similar reaction to younger readers definitely within the 14-17 category would eat this up.

This book is young adult with a few fun tropes thrown in, chosen one, enemies to lovers, and awkward but loveable main lead. Cate is such a relatable kid, I feel that many younger girls would see a bit of themselves in Cate. This poor kid whole world gets turned upside down, but she still keeps chugging away at it, that kind of tenacity is a great character trait. She trusts way to easily and falls in love in the same breath but, that kind of naivety is something so refreshing in a main character— she wears her heart on her sleeve, and it’s her undoing.

The world building was one of my favourite things, such a fun and interesting world!

I liked the overall progression of the book I felt the first half went by quite quickly where it slowed down in the middle and picked up again, I do wish it was longer to help develop the relationships more, but I understand that this is the first book in a trilogy! So more fun to come.

Not sure about this one. I felt confused… a lot. The pacing was kind of bizarre, slow as molasses one minute and then strung out on speed fast. It’s also, very YA which I don’t think I was ready for. The premise was a decent one but it didn’t work well for me.

This was a 3.5 stars for me, but rounded up to 4 for the rating system. There was a lot I liked about this book and some things I think could definitely be improved. The main issue I had was actually getting into the book. The beginning felt so rushed. I kept saying to myself, "Why is Cate trusting these random guys she has known for 5 seconds?" When Daniel takes Cate on a hike after barely knowing each other, I thought, "What are you doing, Cate?!" I was frustrated that she was so cavalier with her safety. I felt like there needed to be a slower build up of that trust with both Lucas and Daniel. Give me the reasons why she has that trust instead of just telling me that she feels safe with them. The frustration I felt during the first few chapters was the reason it took me so long to actually finish the book. I kept putting it down and going to other books because I didn't want to read something that frustrated me so much.

Once they got through the portal, I was much more into the story and finished it within 2 days. I still felt like there could have been more character development, as well as more description of the magic and prophecy. And some of the dialogue seemed stilted. But I did have to remind myself that this is a YA book and I'm not the target audience. I'm also not a huge fantasy fan anyway, so I went into it already not sure how much I was going to enjoy it. Like I said, once they got through the portal, that's when I was really hooked and invested in the story. So I think if the beginning was developed more, the entire book would have hooked me from the start. I would like to see where the series goes and I may read this as a buddy read with my daughter to see what she thinks as well.

Thank you to SK Horton for this ARC copy. The are my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for the opportunity to review this title.

This story overall could have a more developed plot with its characters and setting, but it sometimes it was confusing or vague with pacing issues, lightly inconsistent character development, and an okay climax. Despite that, there's potential for improvement and expansion in future installments, should the author choose to pursue a series. Additionally, the narrative falls short in fully fleshing out its magic system, particularly concerning the element of air and the realm of Caelum. I wish I would’ve seen more. The depiction of air magic was underdeveloped, that left me having a hard time understanding its mechanics and limitations. I wished I saw more of that. While the portrayal of Caelum's land was interesting, it lacked exploration of its culture, society, or unique magical properties. This oversight detracts from the narrative's overall depth and complexity.

For the characters and character interactions, it could have been developed better. In the premise, it alluded to a possible love triangle, and it was made obvious from the beginning that it wasn’t leaning towards that and was more of an “insta-love” story. However, that is a personal taste of mine. The relationship between Daniel and Cate undergoes an inconsistent evolution, starting with Daniel's aloofness and swiftly transitioning to forced flirtation and affection. He kept explaining to Cate that he was trying to push her away, but it only happened on the night of the party, and when classes started the next day, that action to push her away instantly was gone. I could see the idea of a Romeo and Juliet that the author promised in her premise. But also, for me, it felt that their romance lacked depth and authenticity, giving in to a rushed development. With Daniels betrayal, I hoped that he would have come to her with his plan to pretend to still be under his father’s orders. I saw more chemistry between Lucas and Cate, and wished there was possibly some more interaction between them. Lucas was gone for most of it, which allowed the growth of Cate and Daniel.

The prophecy was mentioned, but not really explained. Why was she the one? What other powers did she have? I wanted to see more interaction between her and her father and how that plays into the prophecy.

I wish there was more time being spent at the palace training and focusing on her, rather than the journey from the portal to Terra. And the same thought with Daniel and Cate on their dates before they went through the portal.

The ending fell very flat. The final climax battle action scene was vague because Cate didn’t really do much with her powers and when she did, she didn’t realize she was doing it since she passed out. Seeing her being confident and in control of her powers would’ve made for a better character development.

All that being said, I still found it entertaining and tropey, but I can definitely see potential for future novels if she wanted to expand this series. The ending leaves the plot open-ended for the readers to forge their own path with the characters.

I did really like this book, some parts did feel a bit rushed and a lot was squeezed into a book, but I was very eager to finish it!

2.5 stars, rounded up. I found the world itself fairly interesting and was definitely left wanting to know more about the politics and overall history of the world. Maybe that will be explored further in a future book of the series. The overall plot sequencing, structure and where to cap it off was done well. The book’s subtitle is “Heir of Earth and Sky Book One” (which I just now get the reference for, nicely done). So, I am assuming there are more in the series planned. In a lot of planned fantasy series, it often feels like the major plot archs are mapped out so poorly across the entire series where a book will end with basically nothing happening and the characters spending their time journeying to the next thing or have too much action packed into it and not spaced out well across the series. I don’t feel that way with this book. It was reasonable to have all the major plot points occur in one book. The writing was also very accessible. The way it was written reminded me a lot of the fanfictions I would read in high school, in the best way possible. It was very easy to ust eat up in one sitting.
However, there were some issues. The pacing is off and makes it a little challenging to believe. The way Cate so very quickly and completely trusts Lucas and Daniel, both of whom she only just met, and trusts them with her life when she’s been targeted by other unknown individuals was really hard for me to believe, (not a spoiler, it happens within like the first 3 chapters). There were other pacing issues beyond just relationships developing far too quickly, but I can’t explain them without spoilers. Though I agree with the number of plot points that were in the book, it felt like some pieces should have been longer, especially the beginning journey to the world and the final arch. I’m not sure if there was a publisher limit on the number of pages that impacted this, but it certainly felt that way, especially when the middle arch had the adequate time paid attention to it.
Overall, it was a fine book. I don’t know that I’d pick up another in the series, but it didn’t feel like a waste of time either.

NETGALLEY ARC

The concealed

Care heads to the UK for college and ends up in trouble, attacks and attempted kidnapping!

Two boys who seem to hate each other but want to protect her. At this point the pace picks up and very quickly they end up in a parallel universe with lots of trouble on the way to the destination.

The pacing was fast which I like but some problems seem to be resolved too quickly?

There's a lot of tropes happening in this book at the same time but doesn't mean it isn't hard to follow.

Definitely a YA book for those interested.

I would have loved to see more character development but otherwise I enjoyed this ☺️

The Concealed
by SK Horton

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy, teens & YA

This sounded like a fun read but I gave up on it at about 30%.
I found the characters very flat and uninteresting, I just couldn't connect with them. The plots were rushed at one moment then dragged out and didn't really seem to do anything for the story.
Maybe its me, I'm way past the YA target, but I have enjoyed some great reads in this genre. Sadly for me this wasn't one of them.
As always though, what I don't like about the book could be what makes it perfect for you. We all want different types of stories thankfully, so make your own mind up.

Stars: Two, just not one for me sadly.

ARC supplied by netgalley and publishers

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

The premise of this novel was intriguing and pulled me in, however, I found the actual story was definitely lacking. The pacing was all over the place - starting out quite rushed and then slowing down to a snail's pace - which took me out of the story. I wish there was some more character development instead of just stuffing the story with as many romantasy tropes as possible. The writing was also quite childish at times and that didn't fit with the theme of the story at all.

Thank you SK Horton and team for advance copy of this book. This book hooked me in from the beginning, and I could not put it down. We follow Cate on her journey to a foreign magical realm with two irresistible men. I really liked the story and characters, and it was easy for me to paint a picture in my head while reading along with Horton’s style of writing.

I’m rating this a 4/5 because I wish it was longer in order to develop scenes better. Some scenes and descriptions felt rushed and could have been more detailed. For example, I feel like the main character got over certain hurdles quite easily, or was quick to submit in certain situations. Overall, this was a really solid read, and I can’t wait for book 2.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I did not finish this. Not because it wasn’t entertaining, but it was just way to predictable and was hard to really become engrossed into the story.

The Concealed By SK Horton features a girl called Cate from Orgeon who moves to the UK for a fresh start, starting at a new school called Staton.

The book was aimed towards and written for the YA genre and rightfully so. I like how accessible and easy it was to get into, it is a good book for someone wanting to get into fantasy to start with. To deal with the fantasy tropes without getting too deep and lost in it. This book did not feel too fantastical and did not feel like one would get lost and confused in, making it perfect for any new YA fantasy readers. What i also liked was the realistic feelings that Cate dealt with that made her feel more real, her anxiety for example and struggles with her new powers. This fresh approach to showing a young teenager deal with stress realistically rather than overcoming it straight away is one of the few things I enjoyed about this book.

What i did not enjoy about this book was the pace and some of the writing. The pace seemed to move too fast at times and in some ways it felt like i could not sit and enjoy the book without thinking 'wait what's going on here?' , the writing did not capture the full plot or idea. It felt repetitive after a while.

Overall 3/5 stars. I do see the potential with this author and the idea was good! and in time I hope to see more of their work!

I received this book through NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

The Concealed is a YA Romance book that follows Cate - a young woman from Oregon off to college in Britain, and about to have her life changed forever when she finds out she is the chosen one. She's targeted by ruthless enemies, and has a prophecy thrust upon her, with Lucas and Daniel by her side.

Cate is very relatable, and very clumsy. I found parts repetitive - by chapter 10, I think Cate had fallen over maybe 5 times... But she doesn't adapt to the new world straight away - she literally gets taken to a new world and has to adapt like a human being. Her first days in the new world she cries like a baby and it's so good to see because that's such a real reaction to stress. She has to learn how powers - which again, is great because I hate a main character who's perfect at everything straight away. Also, I particularly like this book because at the start of chapter 8, she needs to pee. I love a fantasy book that includes stuff like that.
I found it a bit questionable that she was in love with a guy after knowing him less than a week but also. It's fantasy and this isn't something new. I enjoyed this being a shorter read - not every fantasy has to be 500+ pages - however it's a shame the relationships were so rushed, particularly at the beginning. I definitely felt suspicious of Daniel by the 50% mark, so his twists weren't particularly surprising.

This book somehow felt both slow and rushed. By the 75% mark, our heroine hadn't even begun her necessary training to fulfil her destiny - to save and reunite the enemies territories. The only difference between the first page and the 75% mark is that she is aware the kingdoms exist. I found myself quite worried how the author was going to wrap up the story... I found the "solution" to the big battle to be very rushed - it all suddenly got fixed in the last 8% of the book...

It was a fun and easy read. The language is very young, but it is YA, and honestly, I found it welcoming to have a simple read as it added to the appeal. I think people of all ages are gonna like this and it's a great introduction to YA Fantasy. It gives similar vibes to Fallen by Lauren Kate published in 2009 so if you liked that, I would recommend The Concealed to you.

I really wanted to like “The Concealed,” but I just had a hard time reading the book and fully immersing myself in the universe. I feel like this is such a great concept and the author has a great plot going. However, I just had trouble with the pacing of the book. It was too fast paced in the first two chapters and everything all happened at once. I wish the author slowed it down just a little bit and went into detail about everything that was happening. It also feels very conversation heavy.

I think this book would be good for YA readers closer to 12-14 where you need fast pace books to stay engaged. There’s not enough depth for the older YA readers and the conversations between Cate and the other character’s is just unrealistic in the sense that no high schooler talks like that (at least from my experience).

I might eventually try and re-read this at a later time.

I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was quick and easy to follow. The characters were great, especially Cate. The protagonist is incredibly relatable; experiencing a sense of not fitting in and struggling to meet others' expectations. Many of us have felt that way at some point, and I truly connected with her.
I would love to know what happens next in this series and will be looking out for it.
So if you love YA fantasy then this would be a great read.

Thank you Netgalley, S.K. Horton, and Aethon Books for this Arc in return for an honest review.

Very lovable characters!
Fun fantasy, overall really enjoy this YA fantasy story. On the lighter side of the genre.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of The Concealed, S.K. Horton. Here is my honest review in return.

The Concealed, follows a girl named Cate, who travelled from Oregon to attend a university in England, only to find herself facing unexpected challenges. Shes targeted by a ruthless enemy, and is unaware of a prophecy declaring her destiny. Being talked on campus, she escapes through a portal wih two boys to a magical land on the brink of war. With chaos, and finding love, she must unravel the prophecy and trust the right allies to save her new home.


I really wanted to enjoy this book and gave it a fair chance. However, I struggled to stay engaged due to the lack of character relationship development. Early on, Cate befriends Jenna and Lucas, but their interactions felt two dimensional. I was excited the potential for an Enemies to Lovers dynamic with Daniel, but it was brief. It seemed like the author tried to include too many tropes, making the story feel crowded.

On a positive note, the vivid descriptions of the world building stood out to me. The world created was captivating.

While I understand this is a young adult fantasy, the dialogue and relationships felt overly immature for the story's context, and very rushed.

Overall, I'd rate this book 2.5 stars. Thank you for the chance to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this debut book read by SK Horton.

Honestly the description for this book was the first to hook me. Multi world Harry Potter like circumstances is always a win. The world building sounded so interesting to me and this being the first book of a series was a plus.

I would say that the world building and character relationships felt a bit rushed. The characters were relatable but also predictable. With how short of a read this was, there was a lot of content and the bones of that content was enjoyable…but I found myself wanting more time taken with certain parts of the plot.

Despite that, I would be interested in seeing how the author continues the series and will be looking out for them to do so!