DNF’d at 56% so sorry but there was literally NOTHING happening 😫😫😫. It just felt like American college students but make it supernatural

***POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING AHEAD***


714 pages and I could have read 300 more pages . I totally can't believe the plot twist at the end , now I mean I got vibes that Connor might have been the bad guy, that they might have broken up, but for what truly happened? I never saw that coming .

I felt so many feelings while reading this one - happy , sad, exciting. This story was a WHIRLWHILD of emotions for me and I can truly say I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR HALF OF IT.

I honestly CANNOT wait for book 2 in March of 2026. I will definitely be picking that one up to add to my collection.

I feel like I totally got Sarah j Maas vibes from the 1st love I interest not being the one she stays with and also Rebecca yarros vibes because he died . And my heart is truly broken because Connor is perfect 😭😭😭😭

Welcome to Avalon Academy and be prepared to stay!

4.5 stars – dark academia meets romantasy with a haunted heroine, a deadly mystery and secrets that refuse to stay buried

Summer arrives at Avalon University—prestigious, arcane, and the perfect place to hide. Or so she hopes. But anonymity isn’t easy when your roommate is a sociopathic vampire princess and the school’s most adored golden boy falls hard and fast for you.

This romantasy blends mystery, murder, and magic with a sharp emotional core. Fae girls are being killed in ritualistic patterns, each one eerily resembling Summer—and wearing stolen pieces of her clothing. As the danger closes in, so do the shadows of her past.

The emotional arc is a highlight: a heroine confronting trauma, learning to trust, and finally allowing herself to be loved. Still, the book could have been tighter—many of the spicy scenes were repetitive and diluted the impact of the central storyline. Yes, they act like overgrown college students; no, we didn’t need to be reminded quite so often.

Also, while the romance was marketed as friends to lovers, that dynamic didn’t fully land here—possibly setup for the sequel?

Overall, a strong, addictive read with a brooding atmosphere, high stakes, and just the right blend of romance and suspense. I closed the book satisfied but full of questions—and very ready for book two.


⸻

⚠️ Spoiler Section Below – Read at Your Own Risk














Around the three-quarter mark, it becomes heartbreakingly clear that Summer is not meant to end up with Avalon’s golden boy—despite how deeply she loves him. The looming sense of doom grows as it feels like the only way out is his death. Meanwhile, the mysterious stranger, who seems tied to her destiny, begins to take on greater narrative weight. I’m still convinced it’s J. Emrys, and I can’t wait to see how this plays out. The emotional fallout from this realization lingers—tragic, inevitable, and beautifully done.

I was able to get an ARC from Net Galley for this book. Over all I would rate it 3 stars. There are a few things I have listed in this review, even though written vaguely, may be considered spoilers so I have marked it as containing spoilers.

Blood and Betrayals takes place at Avalon University and has a dark academia vibe, magical intrigue, with a main character that is more on the prickly side. Summer Tuatha De Daanan arrives at the elite magical school hoping to stay invisible; but secrets, stalkers, and supernatural roommates is usually a combination for have other plans.

What stood out to me:
Positives:
- The setting is immersive with Avalon University dripping in gothic atmosphere and magical tension.
- The mystery of the “Seven lessons” and the serial killer stalking the halls keeps things interesting.
- The darker themes and warnings associated are explored in nuanced way.

Negatives:
- The pacing could have been improved, especially with exposition-heavy scenes and repetitive internal monologues.
- Some character interactions feel melodramatic and over done.
- At over 700 pages, it could’ve used a tighter edit to maintain momentum and to cut out some repetitive inner unnecessary monologues.

Overall, Blood & Betrayals is a moody, magic-infused world that may have enough intrigue to get me to read the next instalment. If you like your fantasy with emotional baggage and a dash of danger and 700 pages this one’s worth the read.

This book had me in a chokehold from beginning to end. Summer is a wonderfully complex main character, who you simultaneously love and are frequently frustrated with. She's surrounded by the most incredible cast of characters - Alice will forever have a place in my heart but I also loved how nuanced and real everyone felt. It's impossible to talk about this book without fangirling over the Stranger (if he's not the headmaster I will be shook!) I usually avoid mysteries as I guess the outcome, but this managed to keep me constantly on my toes and the reveals at the end left me with more questions than answers. That cliffhanger was brutal and I need book two NOW.

Omg, the ending of this book broke me!

This book is loooong, which didnt bother me, but I know some people might struggle. The settings were all so beautifully described, though. I wanna visit them all! The magic system, with the runes and the ancient text, argh I just loved it.
At times, I felt so much conflict whilst reading this book, Connor is a literal angel, but like Summer, I was so drawn to the stranger, I actually felt bad for feeling like this, never had a book make me feel guilty before, like seriously 🤣 And I still have no clue who the stranger is! At one point, I felt like I was spiralling trying to figure it out 🤣
Summer and Alice were actually hilarious together, always up to no good, a right messy pair, wifeys for lifey 🫶🏼
How I'm going to wait for book two I don't know 😭 I'm really hoping everything is not as it seems because that ending hurt!

Ok ok ok ok IM HOOOOOOKED ! Absolutely fantastic ! I cant wait for book 2 !

I need it last week !

Thank you NetGalley and Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune for allowing to read this book for an honest review!

This was such a gripping read from the get go, which had a good mix of dark academia and romantasy which are two of my favourite genres at the moment.. I loved how the the slow burn between the two main characters which was gradually built upon throughout the story making their romance feel more genuine, however I do wish the FMC wasn't so hard on herself and was more positive about herself, but loved how MMC supported her. Overall, a great read and can't wait to see where the story ends up going, and I can see why this is blowing up on booktok at the moment. I will now also be raving about this book to others

This is a highly rated and highly recommended book in some parts of BookTok—you either get it or you don't. Sadly, I don't.
First of all, the book is 1,000 pages long. My latest long read used all of that volume to describe the world, character paths, pre-events, and then tell the story itself. But in this book, we get a thousand pages of unrefined fae vampire party culture, half of which has nothing to do with the main plot. I didn't get the dark academia. I got Gossip Girl slash Vampire Diaries slash BookTok keywords and tropes in a trench coat.
The characters were not likable—the FMC is insufferable, Connor is spineless, and side characters are forgettable. If the authors went on a killing spree and executed the entire cast, I couldn't care less, truly. I was so excited when I got this eARC because the blurb sounds good and the promised setting sounds perfect, but perhaps the authors and I just have different understandings of dark academia.
My other beef with this book is that the authors couldn't seem to make up their minds about the world building. There's about every popular fantasy romance race included here, safe for shadow daddies—it's almost as if the book is written around the most popular things that are likely to get people interested, with absolutely no regard for the story itself.
So my verdict is: if you're looking for dark academia, keep looking. Likable or at least relatable characters with development arcs? Still nope, keep looking. But if you're looking for brain bubble gum that will last you a month, contain fae and/or vampires, excessive partying and all that comes with it—look no more.
Ah wait, there IS a mystery here, and it was actually decent. BUT with 800 pages of parties over 200 pages of story, the mystery sat sadly in the back seat and wasn't able to grab my attention enough for me to care. The ending? I didn't care for the ending either—the characters were just too shallow for me to get any emotions about what comes their way.

Not included in public review: I am grateful to have received a copy and perhaps for another reader this story would be a good fit, but I have to rate it low fast editing seems to be lacking and the story have been lost behind all the fillers

I was hyped to read this book as had seen so many people rave about it. However I was thoroughly disappointed.

For starters there was too much filler and not enough substance. It definitely needed a proper edit and so much was included that really didn’t need to be. The spice included. I’m all for a lot of spice but it got to the point in this book where I had to skip through the spice scenes as it just wasn’t needed.

The book is based at Avalon University - an institution for magical beings from different realms that attend once they’re in their late 20s.

Ok great. However everyone in the book acted more like they were in their late teens early 20s.

Different realms and magical beings? We got a couple but not in any great detail. Summer doesn’t like the fae - of which she is one, with no real explanation. We don’t even learn that much about the fae.

The Morningstar brothers started off strong and then we lost them - they were mentioned sparingly and only when it seemed plot of story issues were needed to be dealt with.

Alice - has some great one liners and is a great character. It would have been nice to seen more development in her character. A bit more understanding of who she is etc. they go to her home realm for two weeks - but we don’t really get to hear anything about it.

Most likely of the story seemed to revolve around summer and Connor banging and telling each other they loved each other. Then summer would get annoyed when other males didn’t ‘want’ her (Max and Stranger). I get it she has issues in her past but she came off as a bit of a spoiled brat.

There was no real suspense. No real background into the magic or the world. Summer was nervous about the murders happening but it wasn’t fully told how she was investigating. What about that book she got from stranger!?? Again no real detail.

The ending. I’ve seen so many people go on about the ending. It was predictable and anti climatic.

I’m sorry but this book was just ok. It was far too long, no real magic or world building. And the characters were superficial. Take the spice out of it and make it teen or YA as definitely not up to par for adult.

The following review was posted to Goodreads on July 8, 2025:

“4 ⭐️

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter! I saw multiple people on social media talking about how amazing Blood & Betrayals was so, imagine my surprise and excitement when I received word that I had been approved for this ARC of the book.

Rose & Rune’s writing style is so easy to read and I absolutely loved the fantastical academy setting that our FMC finds herself in. This world is made up of realms of different creatures that are connected by portals and all of our favorite fantasy creatures come together to attend Avalon University, including angels, shifters, sorcerers, faeries, vampires and more. The murder mystery plot line had me on my toes, there is also a precious found family and the primary steamy romance will rip your heart out in the best (and worst?) way. That being said, there are definitely more vying for the heart of our FMC than her main man. This is truly a prime example of a dark academia romantasy book, and I absolutely loved it.

This book leans romance forward, but there was still excellent plot and a fabulous cast of characters that I truly became so attached to. It was definitely heavier on spice, with frequent (though not excessively long) intimate scenes, so I would rate this a 3.75 🌶️ on my spicy scale. The sheer amount and frequency of graphic spice felt unnecessary to me, so that did take my rating down a half star. My only other critique is that her nickname for her man, Big Guy, was just something that I found super cringy. It was used super frequently and I personally found it so annoying that I knocked another half star off my rating.

This book had me on the edge of my seat truly the whole book, with so many questions still left unanswered, and I enjoyed every minute of it! The ending is absolutely devastating, though, and the book closes on a huge cliffhanger so I am very much anticipating reading book two. Thank you so much to NetGalley and authors Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for the opportunity to read this ARC of Blood & Betrayals!”

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7667291397

I absolutely devoured this book! My only critiques can be found in my review above but they do ultimately come down to personal preference. The book was very well written and I can’t wait to read book 2! Thank you again to both Netgalley and authors Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I really genuinely wanted to love Blood & Betrayals. It had me at Zodiac Academy + Nocticadia vibes. While I got some of the ZA vibes, for me, I did not get Nocticadia (and I 💜 that book so hard I've read and listened to the audiobook) . I think if you are a fan of ZA, you might like this but I had too many issues with it to recommend. This book was just ok and when I got to the end, I was super pissed. For a book that is 1,000 pages, not much happens that couldn't have been condensed down to 600 pages max and I feel like I pushed thru only to feel like I wasted so much of my time on this.

This was me at the end:
<img src="https://media1.tenor.com/m/NVnwNljOF0cAAAAd/nathan-hungry.gif"/>

When I started this, I wasn't too sure about it because it reads very YA. I get this book is about non human species with Summer, our FMC, being 27 and most of the characters are around that 27-30 age range but they read like 15 year olds. This continued to irk me the entire book. I kept going because 2 Booktokers I usually agree with their recs loved this book but I'm gonna be honest -- I had to get past the urge to DNF numerous times.

I really could not stand Summer. When the books starts, Summer is all grumpy/loner/outcast vibes which quickly goes out the window. Aside from her negative "I don't deserve love/good things," I felt things quickly shift. I wasn't expecting her to get into a full on relationship with the first dude she encounters. I am not a fan of instalove (I'm totally fine with instalust and would've been fine with her exploring some of her fellow peers). Summer's bf, Connor, was super sweet but that relationship read like a 15 year YA wattpad book. They dropped the l bomb waaaaay too soon. Don't even get me started on the nickname she gives him: big guy. She calls him big guy 122 times in the book. I wanted to gouge my eyes out by the 5th time. There's a lot of spice in this book but it's the same boring scene repeated every single time the 2 MCs get on together. I would've rather more quality over quantity and again, omitting some it would've cut down on pages in a good way. Why was every dude in love with her? She gives pick me vibes.

The side characters stand out and I was more interested in them than the FMC and her MMC. Alice, Summer's vampire roommate is a more extreme version of what I expected from Summer. I would have loved if this had more POVs or was written in third person. Connor's brother, Rafe, is another that I was more interested in. I kept wishing he was the main love interest. With how long the book is, it's shocking how surface level the character development feels.

The only thing that kept me going is the mystery with the stranger and the killer. I know we have to wait for book 2 for a lot of questions to be answered but after 1,000 pages, to have basically nothing, I was livid. I really cannot see myself reading book 2. I would rather someone spoil it for me.

Appreciate the map but I think this book would benefit from a species glossary that includes pertinent details about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.25⭐️

This book was a journey. A proper JOURNEY. The way we start and it seems like a normal college with cute moments and a cute romance to the the way it ENDS? Ummm. excuse me? I was trying to turn the pages of the book on netgalley shelf app (i have it set to show me the no. of pages legt) and when i saw it saying "0 pages left", I went all "OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW."

I love Summer and the way she took her time to open up to characters which is completely understandable and realistic.

Connor is such a sweet boy. I absolutely loved him. I think he's the perfect man.

Alice, i love you. You're THE girl bestie. and so mysterious too? I wanna know more about her. (and RAFE) I LOVEEEED her and summer's friendship.

The stranger though!? Well, hello sir. I was dyinggggg to know more about him. Quite literally screaming.

There were 2 more characters that made me go"👀😏" but not going to name them
Crazy ending. I was flabbergasted.
In short: I am left with more questions and 0 answers. thankyou for THAT.
I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2 TO BE OUT.

This book is very long and I feel like nothing really happens in the middle. The fact that Summer is always so negative about herself and hesitant to let herself be happy with Connor has made me want to DNF this book multiple times. I’m sticking it out for the series cause I want to know what happens but I really wish I liked the FMC more. I love Connor and am curious about all the other guys.

This was such a gripping read with the perfect mix of dark academia, fantasy, and romance. I loved how the tension between the characters built slowly, making their connection feel earned rather than rushed. The world felt immersive, with just enough magic and danger to keep things interesting without overwhelming the story.

Some parts of the plot were a little predictable, and I wished a few of the secondary characters had more depth, but honestly, the atmosphere and the main storyline made up for it. The twists, betrayals, and emotional moments really pulled me in.

Overall, I'd give it 4 stars.

6 stars. Yes, SIX.

I’ve been in such a fantasy slump lately, and I kept putting this one off… but wow. I finally caved and read Blood and Betrayals in three sittings and honestly, I have no idea how this book is so long because it flew.

Now that I’ve finished it, I have SO many questions. It absolutely wrecked me. I was in tears by the end (and I do not cry at books, yet here we are).

Okay, hands up, I’ll admit, some bits felt slightly repetitive. Like, yes, I knew every morning was going to start with a coffee run, and if I never read the phrase “big guy” again, it’ll be too soon. But honestly? Even with those little things, I feel like the filler just helped set the tone and pace for what’s coming next. It built the world, the relationships, the vibe.

Now I’m literally rereading the last chapter like… WHAT. How did Con get there? Max?? WHERE is this cave?! I need answers. Immediately.

People keep saying it’s giving Zodiac Academy energy and yep I completely agree. It has that same addictive, emotional chaos, and I am so here for it. A total chef’s kiss. Absolute book slump buster.

Bring on book two!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this does not influence my review. Unfortunately I had to DNF, I did not like the writing style

I do not even know where to start. This book was so good. Probably the best book I have read all year. The way I could literally not put this down - I am already counting down the days until the next one is released!

The characters in this book were perfection. They felt so real and well rounded and I would literally like to befriend all of them 😍

The romance in this book was one of my favourite parts. The love interests are all 10s and I do not know who I am rooting for in the absolute best way possible (can I recommend a why choose trope going forward?).

While the book was long, the pace was fast and there was never a dull moment. Everything felt important - whether it was adding to the plot, building the characters, or adding some much enjoyed levity! I laughed a lot reading this book which is always my favourite way to enjoy romantasies.

I have heard this book being compared to Zodiac Academy which is one of my all time favourite series so I had high expectations going in and it absolutely did not disappoint. I can already feel a re-read in my future.

Infinite stars - I will be recommending this to everyone that I know. As a side note when can I purchase pretty special editions of this??

4.5☆ this rating was purely based on vibes and vibes alone bc I was having so much fun with this one. it may have been over a thousand pages but it did not feel like it. I was so addicted I couldn’t stop. I can definitely see why people say this gave off zodiac academy vibes a bit.

summer and alice - I love them, they’re dumb and dumber when together it’s HILARIOUS. connor - my perfect golden boy, I can’t my heart HURTS. stranger shadow man - I need to know who you are RN bc 🫦. headmaster, rage and max - I can fix them 😏 there are so many hot men in this book, I can’t just choose one??! so many questions are running through my head bc WHO WHAT WHY HOW?!? and that ending…FUCKEDDD!! I need book two NOW BC WDYM 😭

Goodreads review
Well, that was some ride! And now March 2026 feels a LONG time away!
I became really invested by the end
(I admit I had a wobble in the middle where I nearly DNF)

I really enjoyed the mystery, gore, tension and characters. I feel like the scene is set up now and ready to lean into the PAIN.

Summer
💔 "There is solace in being the only person who can break your own heart"
Some lovely mental health rep in this book.
Did not love the shallow, party girl, loved up version we saw a lot of in the book.
As she started to find her strength I started to get on board.

🧛 Alice "the wife"
Found family at its greatest. So funny.
Add Tequila and you have Christina & Meridith vibes. No complaints, I love that.
"If someone comes for one of us, they come for both of us."

😇 Connor - an actual Angel love interest - perfect in every way, wrapped in green flags. Very sweet & safe.
"Big Guy" 🤮 & Summer gave us plenty of spice but no substance (hump&pump)
I get that he's so important for the healing Summer needed - it was hard to be invested - the relationship felt superficial and filled the book.
"His smile brightens, almost blinding me. I hate how handsome I find his stupid, cheerful face."

....Enter 'Stranger'. DELICIOUS. 🤌
"Your darkness calls to me."
Mysterious, intelligent, protective. He made the book for me. Reveal yourself Stranger!
He allowed us to delve into Summers dark and twisty side way more.

"Go. Leave me in the dark." he snarls. "Return to your lies."

More Headmaster, Rafe & Max please!
More Runes and magic too!

Grumbles -
- waaaaaaaay too long by 25%, making parts a bit repetitive, I have to admit I nearly DNF whilst we were in the midst of summers party girl, soppy romance. if the content had delved into the magic - there's even lessons that could have enlightened us!
it would have been worth it but I think we wait until 30% into the book until we start seeing some actual magic use.
- for characters supposed to be in their late 20s/30s they felt much, much younger in life experience and attitude so was harder to invest.
- hard to read the nexus messages on Kindle
....
I'm 30% through - I'm sorry I misjudged how quickly I could read this as didn't realise it was so long.
I'm having a good time - I love Alice!! I want to know more about hot proffessor and have a lot of questions about her power, magic and history. I'm hoping we get back to the darker stuff the book opened with as we go on but so far I'm invested and enjoying the read.

I have put a part way review on good reads too which I will update.
Thank you.