3.25 Stars

This book was super engaging and I was able to binge it in 2 days. The twists were fun and I am definitely curious about how the story will go in the next one. I liked the little entries at the end of the chapters that gave us more insight into other characters and events that happened in the past, but I don’t think it was enough to offset the lack of world building and exposition.

I liked Cate and Callum’s relationship, and I do think they had enough scenes together to be fleshed out, but since the whole story takes place over the course of around 2 weeks, the plausibility of their love felt too unrealistic. I know they have the Bond, but the book doesn’t do a very good job explaining what it is exactly and how it works. I do think they have great chemistry but the ending decision they made feels very rushed for the timeline and I wish there was either more resistance to make the characters yearn more, or that the timeline was longer to make it more believable.

Speaking of being confused, the world building and character depth was lacking in the book.

The motivations of the characters politically was unclear, and I’m not totally sure how the old versus new government operate. We don’t get much backstory on the war or how the new regime took over or even what the new regimes goal is. The book focused so much on the task of finding the new candidate, but we don’t actually know too much about the state of their world. I hate to say it but even though the spicy scenes were done really well, I’d rather have had less of them if I could get more world building.

Besides the two main characters, a lot of the side characters and the main villain fell flat, since they weren’t in that many scenes comparatively. After reading the book I’m still unclear about their true motivations and I don’t buy some of the bonds these characters supposedly have. I know for the sake of a larger series some things are supposed to remain mysterious, but the twin sisters barely had any scenes together to make me understand their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

First off, this cover is one of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen. Stunning!

In the first 20% of the book felt like this had five star potential. The setting was interesting with magical courtesans in a fantasy world. Getting to see Cate using her gift in action was so fun. I do wish that her gift would have shown up more throughout the story. It’s such a unique part of her yet we didn’t get to see her use it very often to aid the story. It felt solely there just as a plot device to get her and Callum to meet.

The reason I felt myself drifting away from the story was that certain choices started to not make sense to me. There were major questions I would sit with that would distract me from reading like:

-Cate was going to get enough money to buy her and her sister‘s contract out. Why did she agree to the extra part of lady M’s bargain?
-How does the bond actually work? It seems like you can go a long time being away from each other, but then another scene you can’t?
-On the day of Callum‘s father‘s murder when Cate and Callum woke up late why did Kait immediately start dumping out all of the nefarious things she was doing? It felt inauthentic in that scene and just done to aid the plot.
-I need some other context behind why Alex decided to be a part of the uprising. Doing it just because you know they’ll win and you want to get the inside scoop doesn’t make enough sense.

Overall, it was a good read, but I think it could have been even greater! To be honest, this is a rare case where I think it should’ve been 100-200 pages longer. It would have benefited from some extra space to build out the connection between the main characters and the world building.

Boy, this book has had some harsh reviews, and I'm here wondering if we all read the same book? I loved this. No, it wasn't perfect, but I think its exactly what its been promoted as and it's just a really good time.

Considering Ballard has been a contemporary romance author, I was really impressed with her world building. The concept is relatively simple, but WELL executed, and I'll take that over complicated and convoluted any day of the week. Furthermore, the world building felt natural, certainly helped along by the first person narrative, but there was never a point where we had to get info dumped on in order to simply understand what's happening.

The political intrigue and unrest is a really interesting backdrop for this story and I liked the way that plotline played out. I liked that the Uprising wasn't perfect, and in fact, really kinda screwed up. I loved the double agent, and the way that relationship played out on page in the aftermath. I really REALLY loved the snippets of correspondence or news at the end of each chapter, which were intriguing and confusing but also helped start putting things together. That was a unique touch that I REALLY enjoyed.

Is it insta-love? Yes, but at least there's a fated mates trope in the Bonding idea that makes that make sense, it's not just gratuitous. Does Callum make a kinda sharp about face in a pretty short stretch of time in terms of his ideals and values? Yeah, the pacing there left something to be desired, BUT I think it made him a lot more likable and sympathetic in the second half of the book. Was the "I'm no good for you" line a little repetitive? Also yes. And Lady MacVeigh being only Lady M for some reason took me out of the story every time--I know it was to make that Macbeth association but it felt jarring to read every time and I don't even know why.

All of that said, this definitely has some elements that weren't perfect, but overall I had a great time reading this and I absolutely don't think it deserves the rough feedback I've seen for it on Netgalley.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book!

Falon Ballard's first foray into romantasy is a SPICY one! I have been wanting a fantasy book that was different and unique and she nailed it with this world building! It is difficult to condense this plot down into a synopsis because there are many interweaving plots between the two main characters, Cate, who is a Gifted courtesans whose gift allows her to ease the emotions of her lovers and Callum, who is the prince and has been given an almost impossible task to complete. Callum visits Cate for her gift and a deeper connection develops. Their connection sets them down a path to save those they love and save their kingdom.

I can say that i enjoyed this read with all the spice and powers. It was a quick read for me. I was surprised by the spice, it was very hot. The story was also interesting. There was something different about the way this went.

I have enjoyed Falon Ballard’s fun, lighthearted romance novels, so I was so excited to see her branch into romantasy. The concept was super promising - Moulin Rouge meets Macbeth- what more could I ask for?! And the cover art was so incredibly swoon-worthy - there was no way I couldn’t read it! After reading it pretty quickly, I found myself a bit mixed about it.

I enjoyed how fast-paced it was - I read it within just a few days and it was a fun romp. The first few chapters really suck you in - there was so much intrigue and passion that make it easy to fall into. Also many, many Chile peppers here - it was quite spicy (especially the sex lessons), adding to the fun. I also appreciated the destigmatization of sex/sex work throughout the book.

On the other hand, I felt like the execution of a few parts of the book really held me back from liking this book. It was an ambitious concept, but felt a bit messy and all over the place. My biggest issue was the world-building really didn’t land for me. It felt very superficial, and I definitely needed to be a bit more fleshed out more to really make the story come alive. I really wanted to dive deeper into the magical system, but got as little detail as possible there. I also didn’t quite understand the political system and the rebellion’s motivations fully - I needed way more to make a compelling case for the plot. I also wanted a bit more out of Catherine and Callum’s story - it was instalust with no depth. I wanted to root for them more, but felt like there was something more missing to get me invested.

While there were several things to like, I found that it really didn’t hit the mark for me. A bit disappointed on this one overall.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc!

Firstly I have to say thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!

This book really had SO much promise in the first 60% for me, and unfortunately it went pretty (not necessarily downhill, but definitely) stagnant from there. I think the book actually could’ve been 5 stars had it ended at the 60% mark and had the rest in a better-written sequel.

Not sure what happened, but it seemed like both the quality and overall vibe went from pretty good high fantasy to fluffy low-consequence YA.

I left with an overall feeling of “meh” at most, unfortunately. A little disappointing because of how excited I was during the first part of the story!

3.5/5

Premise was promising and the overall plot was interesting but I felt like it fell flat. I’m not sure if it was the characters or the pace or the plot. Probably a mix. I was curious enough to see the ending through and would probably read the next book but I just felt like there was a bit of a let down.

The cover is incredible and completely drew me in. I enjoyed getting to know Callum and Cate and their brief backstories. They both deeply loved their families. However, the romance and the plot fell flat for me. I was very confused by much of the world building which distracted me from the stakes and the romance.

Thank you to netgalley and putnam for a complimentary earc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how only the women were gifted. I enjoyed the sisterly bond Cate had in the story. The heartbreaking moments in the book helped me connect with the characters. I thought the story was very interesting and I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

I wanted more from this. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters & I was a little confused by the politics/leadership of the Kingdom or whatever.

I was fortunate to read an ARC of this book and though it didn't grab me at first, it did grow on me as it progressed. I think the trouble was the MMC Cal, I didn't really love him so I wasn't really rooting for the romance in a romance novel. I kind of wished his sister Dom was the romantic interest. I did love the bonds with the girls and each of the Gifted powers. The plot really picked up in the second half and it went way harder than I expected.

The cover of this book is beautiful which is what drew me in. I loved the premise of the book and the different political aspects of the book. It took me awhile to get into the book but once I did I sped through it. There was at times I felt like things were repeated and also told not shown. At times it felt like things were rushed. For example, them falling in love in about 2-3 days?? Despite that I do feel like it was a great book.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for letting me read this ARC

This book was so good! I went on an emotional rollercoaster reading this. In my opinion it wasn’t super spicy. But I’d still say 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 The tension was definitely there. But I have read spicier.

Falon Ballard is an auto read author for me but I had no idea what to expect with her foray into romantasy. This was a page turner, I loved the relationship of Callum and Cate. Several parts of the plot feel unfinished but I would imagine those will result in additional books. I wish we learned a bit more about the uprising and how the takeover happened, it feels like we jumped into the book in the middle. Regardless, this was a very fun read.

Something Wicked has the most gorgeous cover, it’s what drew me in and made me want to read this book. We get politics, class dichotomies, magic, bonds, romance, loss, found family and more. I think this book has a really interesting premise and world that could be different and intriguing, I just didn’t feel like it was all the way fleshed out in this one. There’s were some pacing issues, a bit of fumbling in the writing at times with receptiveness and telling not showing. There were also times where the story drew me in, but I found myself being pulled out of the story a lot and having a hard time connecting with the characters and storylines. I don’t think I will continue the series but I do think this story has potential! Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this E-ARC.

Unfortunately the file that I received for this ebook seems to be corrupt or unable to be read. It was illegible on my kindle so I was unable to read beyond three chapters as it was very hard for me to understand the file. I had tried to contact the publisher for a new file but it wasn’t possible. It sounds so good though so I’m excited to be reading it when the book releases and I can properly read it on my kindle! Giving it 5 stars just because I do know I’ll love it when I am able to properly read it.

It was different? Interesting? (Honestly, I was sold on the cover! It’s so pretty!) The plot wasn’t really what I was expecting and the spice was .. definitely spice-ing! I probably should have (totally should have) read up on some of the content warnings before I read it .. but it was fast-paced, which I liked as I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump with fantasy books lately. All in all, I think it wasn’t as engaging as I was hoping?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Not going to lie I requested this mainly for the cover because that is one of the most beautiful and sexiest covers I have ever seen. Also I do like Falon Ballards books, I have read a couple of them previously. While I knew this book was going to be on the "spicier" side I still was not prepared for it to be taking over the entiretity of the book. There was little to no romance, the vibes were great but I dont know it just did not do it for me like her other books.

3ish stars - I think I’m wishing I liked this book more than I did.

I was so down with the beginning of this book! The moulin rouge vibes in La Puissance, the interesting characters, the “Gifted” magic dynamics- all of it really drew me in! It was fun and exciting and romantic and seductive, but it all just got a bit too big for its britches I think. This book really could have used a more condensed storyline, or splitting it up into two books and developing the first 50%/last 50% much more. The set up made me want to really dive into these characters and their magic and their relationships! But then everything was presented to the reader so haphazardly and then quickly moved along, and it made for a very surface level experience and I’m sad about it!

Things I noted while reading that completely pulled me out of the experience:
1. why is this royal family so accepting of their father’s impending murder?? why is callum the ONLY person with any qualms about, not just his father dying, but BEING the person killing his father? Alex and Dom are like zero percent sympathetic
2. Caterine's immediate switch up and forgetting any of her motivations because she's 'so drawn to' Callum. Like day 2 of their arrangement, Caterine is 'wearing a mask', treating Callum like a “mark”; but then day 3 she’s like ‘sure come to the orphanage with me! I see no problem with that. Come see my sad past and watch me cry’ and then they’re immediately in love? whiplash. (and the “bonded” plot line later just felt like a copout for instalove here)
3. They were just THROWING back that whiskey? Maybe it’s just my own low tolerance to alcohol that’s making it feel insane, but I think at one point Caterine had three 2-finger shots in succession? And then more later in the scene?
4. Speaking of their relationship, I was so sick of them having the same conversation a million times where one of them would be like ‘I don’t think we should be together because I am bad for you’, and the other would respond with something like ‘oh but you don’t get to make decisions for me, I love you and we are bonded’ and then they would just have sex and that was that? But this exact same thing happened probably 4-5 times in the span of like 50 pages??
And 5. (this one pissed me off) They REALLY just let Lady M walk away? After all that drama and fighting she’s just like ‘boo hoo you’ve won this time, but you haven’t seen the last of me!’ shakes her fist and leaves…? which does not make sense to her character at all? If the rules are: kill the person who killed the person who killed the king, why didn’t Lady M just turn and murder Cate??

This book really did not benefit from being this ambitious, and the characters she created certainly didn’t. Between the sheer amount of plot we got through, the combination of magic and politics, the very simple writing style at a very fast pace, and the letters/mystery we were trying to piece together between chapters, it was just too much to have executed any of it well.
This book had something special in the tee up, but it did not stick the landing. 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!