The whole time I was like did manacled and Daybreakers have a baby??

but aside from being a "yeah you can copy my home work just change some things around"

this book was SLOWWWW I was ready to jump off that ledge with her, it did pick up towards the end (78%)and was enjoyable but the parallels between manacled were blaring....and he's from the Dragon bloodline *stares unimpressedly* .....really....

With all that I probably will read the next one to see if it sticks to the manacled storyline

Vampires are real and Humanity is dying and not only because vampires are real. Georgia Clark a doctor and sister to the former president of the United states goal has been to save humanity from a disease wiping out everyone and then she is captured. Being held by cruel vampires Georgia is only alive because a very powerful vampire thinks she has information he needs. Finding herself tortured and captured Georgia's only goal is to get free and find a way to stop the disease and then help save humans from the evil vampires.

Georgia's capture is cruel and working for the vampire who wants information from her. But Georgia has very little memory's and even compulsion can't get information back. This is not a life every vampire is evil, until one seems to not be like the others even if she is working with them confusing Georgia even more. And as time goes by her capture seems to just maybe not be what she thinks either.

I loved this book. I feel like I can't say too much so I don't give away all the twists and turns that happen in this book. Make no mistake vampires are evil in this book, it doesn't start like most vampire books but that is just why I like it. Georgia is treated horribly and tortured but there is so much to this story and I loved every moment of it. It ends on I guess you would say a cliffhanger but for me I'd just say it ends at a pivotal moment where something huge is about to happen. I can't wait to read the next book, this was a phenomenal story I was captivated by from the very begging to the very end. When this book ended I actually was like what no this can't be the end of the book. It is such an amazing read I can't recommend enough.

*Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC copy

i’ve never read manacled so i can’t compare the plot or writing style, but i definitely will not continue with the rest of the series, especially given the plagiarism allegations surrounding it.

this book was alright, nothing mind blowing, which was disappointing as someone who’s obsessed with vampires. it’s a dark story with an iffy romance, but i appreciated the gore, horror aspects, and the science based take on vampirism.

the highlight for me was 100% the narrator, she did a fantastic job and made the story way more bearable.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC — opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This gave me the ick. Major Stockholm syndrome vibes until the last few chapters, and lots of triggering scenes. This is dark and gory and altogether gross at times, but interesting enough to keep me into the plot.

The plot is simple, for Georgia to escape Valen and rid the world of vampires and the plague. Easy, right? Obviously this task is insurmountable alone, and hopelessness is a persistent theme in this book. Valen seems like an absolute dick, but a protective dick at least, even if he does continue to refer to Georgia as his property. The high lord is off his rocker and melodramatic af, unhinged and very very scary because of it. His goal is to wipe out the human race because someone killed his son. Georgia seems to know something, but cannot access her memories for some reason, so she can never quite figure out what she knows. The ending is one of the cruelest cliffhangers, and, in my opinion, the beginning of the climax. I personally don’t think there is one overarching scene that constitutes the climax for this book; I believe it is more a set up for the future books. This isn’t my favorite format for series, I like each book to have interesting and exciting climactic points. Not to say there isn’t action, because there is absolutely loads of it, just no big AHA moment.

The characters aren’t lovable at all. Georgia is suspicious and tortured and confused, readers feel more pity towards her than anything for a long while. She’s obviously a trooper considering the abuse she goes through in this book. Valen is just… awful. I know he won’t be portrayed that in the next book, but in this one, he is one of the least lovable MMC I’ve ever come across. I do see his redeeming qualities peeking out more and more as you continue the book though.

The writing is easy to follow and not overly formal. Plenty of gothic feeling descriptions, but I wouldn’t say the style of writing is gothic. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed the narrator well enough, but every vampire had this particular tone and I really wasn’t a fan of it. That is likely intentional. The high lord was the absolute worst, it felt so melodramatic and cringy. As this book is told exclusively from Georgia’s POV, the narration is mostly of her thoughts and feelings, which suits me fine. Her voice was the least grating for me, although by the end I grew accustomed to the style the author chose.

All in all, not bad, but not great. The last few chapters really saved this for me, landing it at a 3.25⭐️.

4.5 Stars
This book had me hooked from the very first sentence. I listened to it via audiobook while reading along on my Kindle. I loved the narrators voice and could listen to her all day! Some parts of this book had me near tears, while others had me on the edge of my seat. And that ending?!?! I need book two ASAP!

3.75 stars ⭐️ The narrator, Emilia Bauer, did an incredible job telling the story with emotion. The story is vampire, post-apocalyptic, dark romance. I would have loved more romance in the book!! But I love an enemies to lovers and this delivered.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for the ALC Dreamscape Media & NetGalley

....I don't actually know for certain how I feel about this one.
Narration was pretty standard, nothing wrong with it.
I needed more information from the storyline though. It felt repetitive - taken, questioned, returned, angsty, hint of kindness, repeat. I wish they'd have given us more info on the plague, or any input on what's happening outside of this mysterious castle. Or had some sort of breakthrough on her memory before the very end. I think the ending was great, I just think the lead up to it could have been done in 3 chapters if not for the journal entries.

2*

This was an amazing read. It was such a suspenseful and thrilling read. The vampires in this book are crazy and I mean it somewhat literally. I would love to read more from this series. I think there could definitely be more as it ended on a cliffhanger. Georgia is such a great character and I loved how strong she was through everything she went through. Valen seems to be in a tough situation and I would love to know if my thoughts are correct on him.

In the beginning of this book, I was like, weird, Hermione in Manacled couldn’t remember either, and something was blocking her memories. Then I was like, weird, the evil vampire ruler reminds me of Voldemort. By the time I was halfway through, I knew how it would end because it had followed Manacled so closely, changing the story from witches to vampires but keeping every part of the plot the same. I’m so disappointed!

A gothic love child of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Passage by Justin Cronin, this book is set in a vampiric dystopian world. The main character has lost her memories and is housed in a mansion under the care of a master while she remembers whatever the dark lord wants to know for whatever reason…

While some of the writing was beautiful, there was barely any development of the plot or the characters themselves. The vast majority of this book takes place inside the female main character’s head. She barely remembers anything, so you’re left in the dark navigating what is happening through a haze that never really lifts.

There was also no tension or chemistry between the protagonist and her love interest. Their relationship was just creepy and annoying. Overall, not for me.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It kept my interest from the very beginning. The dystopian setting with the rule of vampires was a fun ride. The narrator did a good job acting out the book and voicing all the parts.

I received a gifted copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

This was interesting. Well written, I am interested in how this will play out. Surprisingly, the FMC put up more of a fight than other females in this situation(TV shows or movies ). This reminds me of Castlevania, which I loved. I love the fact that the FMC didn't just give in so quickly just because the dude was handsome. I love that we got to see clips of the past and how things got to where they are. I enjoyed this.

This book was so attention grabbing. I was so enthralled with the story and trying to predict what had happened in her past and his attachment to her.

Objectively, I enjoyed this book. She did a good job of describing the scenery and making you feel for the characters.

At the end though, there gets a point where it’s just a bit much. Killing off characters is not as impactful when it just keeps happening.

I am curious to see where it goes, but the ending was very predictable, and honestly, a bit disappointing.

I have seen a lot of commentary on the similarities between this book and Manacled, having not read Manacled yet, I can’t comment on that, but when there are so many people pointing it out it can’t be a coincidence. It is, honestly, a disappointment as this book had potential.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC, the narration was amazing.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for a honest review.

THAT ENDING!!!
I loved this book so much. An apocalyptic vampire romance that is so atmospheric it feels like you were right there with Georgia. But seriously when can I get my hands on the next book because I need to know what happens next asap!!

This was VERY similar to another VERY popular fan fiction. I don't particularly like reading books like this.

This book was a vampire fantasy and was really fun and quick to read it was well written and well narratored

Read if you're craving a dark gothic horrormance set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires.

Tropes/ Themes:
Vampires
Apocalypse
Slooooooooow Burn
Captive falling for captor
Memory Loss
Dark Gothic Vibes

I listened to this on audio (Narrated by Emilia Bauer), and it was a fantastic audiobook!

xxxxx
I gave it a 3.5 star review- The audio narration was great!

A dark, twisted story waiting to be told. A plague is killing humanity, and Georgia is trying to cure the human race, all while vampires are making their presence known in the world, and they are equally determined to bring about the demise of humanity. An unknown amount of time later, Georgia is a slave to the vampires, interrogated, fed upon, and she longs for death or freedom. The problem is that she can't answer their questions. Everything from before his capture is gone; there are no memories, only brief flashes. When she is given to Valen, the vampiric kind's blood son, she knows the end is near, or is it? Darkly twisted, this story is enthralling and disturbing, but I couldn't stop listening. My biggest complaint is that we were thrown into the story halfway through. We have never seen what happened in DC before Georgia lost her memory, but it has been mentioned several times. I felt like this should have been book two and not book 1.

This is tagged and marketed as a fantasy romance.
First: this isn't fantasy, it's paranormal. Urban fantasy at most. (not that it takes point away from the actual rating, I enjoy paranormal stories too, but it should be part of the marketing)
I don't like how the sinopsis ignores the fact that it is pretty much a post-apocalyptic setting.
Second: the romance. I'm conflicted, because on one hand there was not enough to call this a fantasy romance, but on the other hand, I disliked the dynamic between them so i'm not complaining about the lack of romantic interactions. The ''Dark'' part already comes from the circumstances, the setting, the compulsion, the captivity. You most certainly don't need to add rape threats to make it dark. Those just make me hope the MMC dies soon. I quite honestly don't care if it's all talk to action, if he did good things for others in the past and is actually great with rescued puppies; I dislike him.
No, it has nothing to do with triggers. It has everything to do with me simply not liking it. I don't have a problem reading about horrible things. I do, however, have a problem of ''inability to enjoy romance plots where the romantic interest makes me want to cringe/vomit''. I'm not triggered by it, I side eye it. Like when a friend dates someone who sucks. Why would I root for it?
Again, there was already a lot of dark stuff happening, so don't come and say ''oooh but this is a dark romance! it's supposed to be [redacted]'' cause it's not. If the only way you can make a story dark is with rape threats, then you're not a great story teller. (again, not aimed at this author, she did have a lot of dark elements overall)
Third: aside from all of that, the one thing I can't look past is the fact that it was not entertaining enough. I was bored during a big part of it.