This book was definitely not what I expected, sadly, in a disappointing way...

What I did enjoy was the fun, fast-paced plot, the sassy dragons (was not prepared for how much I’d love them), and a twist that totally caught me off guard.

There were a few things that knocked it down a bit for me though:

- Some of the dialogue felt super modern, which didn’t really match the setting. The FMC came from a town that in description almost felt like it was the Dark Age, but she spoke like she’d just walked off TikTok? It was a little jarring—especially during the romance scenes when she casually called the MMC “mate” 🙈
- I would’ve liked more build-up to the romance. One minute they were noticing each other, the next they couldn’t live without each other? Insta-love/insta-lust is definitely my least favourite trope
- I also think it could’ve used a content warning or two. I wasn’t personally affected by the themes, but there’s a lot of heavy language around SA, and I can see that being upsetting for some readers.

One can only take so many descriptions of the MC's breasts/tits/heaving chest/bosom and 'hair that was the same colour as something you'd find in the privy', before giving up. I'm sure this book will find a loving audience, but sadly, I'm not part of that group.
DNF at 55%

This fantasy follows Ember, a thief on her accidental fall into the role of the Promised One, who is supposed to save the Kingdom, but is only viewed as a way to produce heirs with the “beastly” grandson of the King. She must figure out who to trust in the castle, and figure out a way to get back home. All the while being surrounded by the “most attractive” man she’s ever seen, and wondering if she can trust him to help.
I loved the world building, and the way magic worked in that world. I really enjoyed the banter between Ember and Rhaell throughout the slow burn of the book. The surprises in the end kept coming, and kept me on my toes. Some I didn’t see coming at all. I appreciated the discussion around birth, abortion, and women’s autonomy in a fantasy setting.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fantasy book with a heroine who understands her worth, and isn’t apologetic for the decisions she’s made in the past.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

***Spoiler Alert***

4 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this story. Mostly.

I was captivated straight from the start. The pace was good; it was fast and action packed. The characters were well rounded and believable. The interactions were fun. Puzzling out all the pieces to the story was a treat.

Up until the 90% mark.

The reveal about Rhaell and Bronadyr was a slap in the face and completely unnecessary. His Rakaa heritage, perfectly fine. His Rakaa status, no problem. Him being the prince all along? Biggest eye roll ever.
Was it just so that we'd have a "dark moment" where all hope is lost? So they could argue and "hate" each other? I found this to be a cheap twist and unbelievable. First they're madly in love, then wanting to cause unimaginable pain on the other, then marrying in secret? All in the span of like 4% ???? It soured what was a really good book otherwise.

In addition, I wish tropes are announced, because I i really hate secret heir tropes. Ember is the heir of a goddess? She can absorb her power? The tree that fuelled everyone's powers is gone, but now power has been restored? Maybe I missed something, but none of it makes any sense.
To be fair, when the author had Rhaell explaining the history early in the story, she did have him say "it's a magic tree, it doesn't have to make sense"... And I giggled, at that point in the story... But not at the end, where everything felt convenient in the climax 🤷 dunno.

I did like the twist with Onas though. And I enjoyed the chapters with Deer and Rainbow.

A solid Romantasy for those after a more light hearted story, with plenty of spice and lots of feels. Especially those who like secret heir and chosen one tropes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 rounded to 4

I'll be honest, a few pages in I thought this would be a hate read for me. It was so ridiculous from the get go, with a foul-mouthed FMC I was sure I'd dislike. But, dearest readers, it grew on me! I ended up devouring the whole thing in under 12 hours, and while I never fully loved Ember, I sure as hell enjoyed her mad journey! The romantasy fans will lap this one up: a beastly prince, a dashing misunderstood captain of the guard, a brash young thief turned reluctant Chosen One. There's scintillating, passionate romance, high stakes and over the top plot twists. It's a highly entertaining and fun popcorn read.

Recommended for anyone who loved From Blood and Ash, A Fire In The Sky and Trial of the Sun Queen.

I absolutely adored this book!!! Definitely not just another “cookie cutter” romantasy - this took so many conventions and turned them on their heads in new and surprising ways. (This “chosen one” couldn’t be more ordinary, and there was a “my husband” moment that made me absolutely FERAL)

The plot twists (of which there were SEVERAL) shocked and delighted, the romance was sizzling, and the writing was descriptive and beautiful. Flawless!

Ember and Rhaell are my new favorite fantasy couple! I loved their alliance story and the yearning throughout. This story was full of twists and adventure, I didnt want it to end. Ive been recommending it to all my romantasy lovers and cannot wait to encourage all of the book clubs to select this one

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Ember, una joven ladrona de la empobrecida Ciudad Mecánica que, al intentar robar una misteriosa joya, termina atrapada en un ritual mágico. Al despertar, descubre que ha sido transportada a un mundo desconocido y fantástico, Yskara, donde la consideran parte de una profecía para salvar el reino y restaurar su magia.

No quiere ser reina, ni casarse con un príncipe monstruoso, ni mucho menos salvar a un pueblo que no conoce. Su objetivo inicial es claro: escapar. Es durante su intento de huida que conoce a Rhaell, un guerrero enigmático que rápidamente se convierte en una figura central en su vida. Rhaell es fuerte, sereno y leal, y aunque al principio parece otro eslabón del sistema que quiere usarla, se revela como alguien dispuesto a protegerla incluso contra los deseos del rey.


.

Me sorprendio que Ember no se diera cuenta sobre la verdadera identidad de cierto personaje.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

I LOVED this book. It was perfect for getting into -or back into- romantacy after a slump. While it does have court politics and lore to follow, it’s not difficult to understand. The main characters are funny and easy to love. The whole time you’re kind of thinking “what the hell am I missing here???” And that kept me engaged, plus the rapid evolution of their relationship was so crazy to follow.
The concept of the book is a little edgy but pretty well executed, it was a really interesting take on blight, chosen one and forced engagement tropes too.
And at the same time, this book at the end of the day is not that series (it was never that serious). I would kill to get more of Ember and Rhaell’s hate banter. I also enjoyed the sex dynamic reversal for them (she called him “buttercup,” was always coming onto him, confident in her body, experienced) and he was the opposite of all those things.
I loved this book and am absolutely feral for another to be released. There’s still so much I want to see play out in these worlds, and I will be rereading once I can get my hands on a physical copy!
(The thing that kept this from a 5 star was that I predicted a couple of things, and that I wasn’t able to follow certain reveals but I feel like once I reread instead of listen it’ll click)
1.5🌶️ 4.24⭐️

Dnfed at 11%
Sadly I'm just not really vibing with this book at the moment, a mix of the beginning just being really overwhelming with information and just not being in the mood for something like this at the moment

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC! This book turned out to be quite different to what I expected it to be 😂 My first monster romance read?!

One thing I did love was the entertaining plot, along with sassy dragons (was not expecting that) and a twist that I did NOT see coming.

There were a few things that knocked the rating down for me, though:
- Some of the dialogue was super modern (I did cringe once or twice ahhh) which didn’t seem to fit the setting at all. The FMC came from a town that seemed very set back historically yet she seemed to speak with modern slang? It did feel a little jarring when the romantic storyline was progressing and she called the MMC ‘mate’ 🙈

- I felt there could have been more of a build up to the romance. They’d spotted some attractive things about each other, but next minute they couldn’t live without each other?

- I do feel like the book should contain a trigger warning or two. I’m not personally affected by the themes in this book but I can totally see why others may be. The language relating to SA is quite heavy for most of the book.

Overall, I’m glad I finished the book and the twist really did catch me out! Really interesting plot but unfortunately I don’t think I’ll reach for book two as I feel it’s going to be much more of a monster romance, which just isn’t quite right for me. ☺️

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and One More Chapter for the advance reader copy.

This was a quick read but not a great one. There could have been a lot more world building which might have helped the story.
The ending was rushed and I’m assuming this is the first in a series due to the ending.

The main characters were fine - I’m not a fan of instalust/instalove as a trope and this book unfortunately features this. There is also a lot of talk of ‘breeding’ and a weird obsession with describing Ember’s chest continually.

This was unfortunately not a book for me.

DNF at around 15 %, at least for now.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing and I had no problem with the setting and how the story was going, my issue was with the dialogue and language used. The fmc sounds like an average american teenager, and in my opinion it doesn't fit the setting. This is not an urban fantasy and the fmc doesn't come from the "normal" world, so I don't see why she would speak like a contemporary teenager. Also, there was an unnecessary focus on her figure.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Rating
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC!
Ember gets sucked into a world that isn't her own, and is being told she's the "Promised One". She freaks out over being told she has to marry a guy that everyone is told is "beastly," so she starts working with the Captain of the Guard to get back to her own world.

This book hasn't even come out yet and I am chomping at the bit for the next book! If you like Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, or From Blood and Ash, this is a book for you. I am obsessed with Ember and Rhaell! Ember even more so, because who doesn't enjoy a foul-mouthed fmc? She's so fricken funny and I love how she confuses people with her slang. Some of the shocking twists didn't surprise me, but there were a couple that did!

This book was fast-paced and I ate it up. I finished it in a day. I am so looking forward to the next book!

(Kate.. there's gonna be a next book, right? PLEASE?)

Thrust into a new world where she’s declared the ‘Promised One’, thief Ember Hart finds herself bound by prophecy to the beastly Prince. Unwilling to doom herself, Ember strikes an alliance with the Captain of the Guard to restore magic to the kingdom. But as she spends more time with the handsome Rhaell, will she find herself risking her promised freedom and losing her heart?

I have such mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it and on the other, I really struggled.

To start with my highlights:
• The book was pacy and engaging. It flowed really well and it was easy to get drawn in to the action that was happening, particularly from around the 60% mark when the action really ramped up.
• The mystery element of finding the stones and working out how to use them to restore magic was really intriguing. I found myself drawn into the mystery and trying to pick out key clues to discover what was happening alongside our characters. There was maybe some predictability, and I did find myself working out a pretty big reveal early on, but overall, I really enjoyed this aspect of the story.
• I really liked Rhaell. I think of our two main characters, his story was the most interesting to me and he felt slightly more three dimensional than Ember did. I found myself rooting for him and understanding him more – it was just that bit easier to pick out his motivations for his actions and therefore get behind them.
• The book offers an important commentary on the issue of female autonomy and reproductive rights. The ability/decision to have children is a core feature of the book and this is something it’s worth being aware of going into it if this is a potential trigger for you. I liked the different perspectives on this we saw and the challenge to the status quo that Ember offered.

And on to my hesitations:
• At times, the book felt a bit jarring with the disconnect between Ember’s more modern/advanced world and the more typical fantasy world that she found herself transported into. We spent so little time in Ember’s world that the language she used at times or the technology she referred to felt very out of place. The longer she spent in her new world the less I did notice this, but it had the effect, particularly early on, of taking me out of the story. This also added to some early difficulties in getting fully immersed in the world I was reading about and finding the book a bit slow to start (although as I’ve already noted, the pace absolutely ramped up as the book went on).
• The language was also quite crude at times. As an example, there was a big fascination with women’s chests – it was a major topic of conversation and contemplation throughout the early chapters of the book. Not to be outdone, a man’s crotch was also considered in great detail at one stage. To me this was unnecessary, and really took me out of the story while reading.
• As we approached the end, it felt slightly like new characters and plot points were being brought in to set the book up as a series when prior to the last 30 or so pages, it very much felt like it could have worked as a standalone. While I don’t necessarily have a problem with this, it did feel a bit forced at times and honestly, I’d have very happily wrapped this up the way I thought it was going as a standalone. Nonetheless, some interesting characters were introduced and I am definitely intrigued for the sequel.

Overall, I felt this was a really promising book. It did have a few elements I struggled with, but generally, it was pacy, intriguing and kept me keen to read on, and I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel.

With thanks to the publisher One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ahead of publication.

DNF at 50%

This book was amazing – it started out with good writing, pacing and worldbuilding, and I was kind of in love with it until the romance part started.

The writing and story initially hooked me from the first sentence, and I practically flew through it delightedly, sure that this would become one of my faves.
I must say I really enjoyed the writing style, which is engaging and beautiful. It is also very easy to read, and I was making fast progress.
The characters, especially the FMC, had me intrigued. Ember started out as an interesting, headstrong and independent protagonist.
Sadly, as soon as the romance plot started in earnest the story lost its charm for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Rhaell and Ember at all. They went from strangers, to lustfully pining and then professing their undying love for each other in the blink of an eye. There was no emotional buildup to their love story, and it all left me feeling like I was missing some vital info.
Their lack of chemistry and debauched/wildly inappropriate thoughts made the romantic scenes seem more awkward and weird than anything else.
As the story went on, the way Ember talked also threw me off. Her dialogue began to feel overly simplistic, which made it hard to take her seriously.
I did like the world building, at least the bit we get to know. We learn very little about Ember’s world but judging by the way she talks and the little info she gives about where she is from, I assume she is from “our” world, just a few hundred years earlier.
We do learn more about the world she stumbles, or rather falls, into and it seemed rather interesting. I was really torn about whether I should try to power through, because I do want to know how it all ends, and I’m also sure that it is going to get way more interesting, alas I think life is too short to spend your time reading a book that frustrates you and I really didn’t want to resent a book that I was initially so excited about.
That being said, this is by no means a bad book – the story is interesting, the characters are well written with distinct personalities, and the writing is solid, but I am no fan of romantasy, especially not the graphic, overly spicy type.
I’m quite sure that lovers of the genre, who like a spicy edge and a fast-moving romantic arc and appreciate a good, engaging plot as well as interesting magical worlds will love this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperColling UK, One More Chapter for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will keep you at the edge of your seat with all of its twists and turns. Somehow I guessed one of the twists at the beginning of the book and it did not disappoint. This book has spice, romance, danger, adventure and everything in between. If you like romantasy, you will love this book. I would have liked it more if there were shorter chapters and if it was more clear on who's POV it was but you can't have everything! This book did not disappoint and if there was to be a second book I would definitely read it.

Thank you to net galley, Harper Collins UK One More Chapter, and Kate Johnson for allowing me to read this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this book 4✨ it was easy and fun book to read. We follow our fmc Ember Hart is a thief with a hidden past and wakes up into a strange new world. As a prophecy goes in the strange new world a promise one will drop from the sky which is exactly what she’s did!! Now she’s is to make the prince who is known to be a brutal beast and hideous.
Then we meet Rhaell Captain of the Guard who promise to return her home if she’s helps restore the kingdom’s lost magic.

Rhaell is my bb - the poor male was constantly doubting and hating on himself. The twist was one I did not see coming.

I enjoyed the premise and story of this book, however was occasionally thrown off by the modern language interspersed.

A fun reading experience from start to finish. Intriguing story, characters that will appeal to all reads and action packed twists and turns.