2.5 ⭐️

Too cliche and predictable!

This was like every other vampire fantasy book with nothing original going for it. The characters were not fully developed and the relationships of the fmc were all surface-level, even the one with the mmc. The world and magic system was not built on. The pacing and language was also really weird. In the beginning, the language was more medieval and formal (a 12 year old using the word exquisitely), but it became more casual and informal later on (vampire being called vamps). There were also some grammatical mistakes, but that’s to be expected of an indie book.

This is one of those books where the fmc does lots of stupid things and doesn’t think things through. She kept talking about the huntress in her even though she was only a huntress for a few days. She’s also overpowered without any reason. She’s not sleeping and hasn’t eaten properly during her fights with the other hunters, and yet she wins against them even though they’re trained hunters with years experience whereas she just started out. She’s supposed to have magical powers so her using magic to win would’ve made sense, but her being physically strong enough to not only take out humans with more experience than her, but also vampires who are stronger and faster than humans doesn’t make any sense.

Overall, I did not enjoy it and had to force myself to finish it. Will not be continuing with this series.

When I read the synopsis, I was excited to request this book and dive in. It sounded like something that would be right up my alley and an easy to love read.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this. The plot felt poorly put together, the characters offered multiple plot holes, and the writing felt like a high school put their heart into it as a final project for their creative writing class. Honestly it felt like Twilight's little sibling tried to be a cooler, edgier version and dropped the ball.

This one opens with some quick time jumps that made it a little hard to get grounded at first, but once the story settled, the dark vibes and revenge plot pulled me in.

The romance? 🔥 but rushed. It jumped from hatred to heat with not quite enough buildup, and Nyx needed more page time to really earn his emotional arc. Pacing was strong early on, dragged a bit in the middle, then picked up again by the end.

Still a fun, fast read if you’re into morally gray love interests and gothic tension. 👀

🩸 enemies to lovers
🦇 vampire fantasy

📖 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc.

I've been really enjoying the romantasy world lately and found this description interesting.

I found that I enjoyed the main plot of the story and will be looking forward to the second one. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the characters. Got frustrated at one point that she was still in the dang forest after so many chances to get out. Curious to see where the potential lifting of the curse will lead them.

3.5 but rounded to 4.

I struggled a bit with the world building and the way we bounced around a lot but I'm still intrigued to keep going!

The closer I got to the end, the more my interest faded. It had all the elements to be a solid romantasy, but the execution just didn’t land. Key points, like the queen’s powers, were explained over and over again. At one point, an entire set of sentences was repeated on the same page.

Lilah forgets about Ryker almost immediately. She flip-flops between wanting revenge and rushing off to help her “friends”—though they’re really just colleagues she barely knows.

Nyx is completely infatuated with her… or maybe just with her blood. What’s driving their connection beyond the physical and blood lust? The relationship/connection didn’t resonate for me.

Alerice and Nyx conveniently show up at the most unlikely times. They’re on the verge of death more than once, only to recover without any real explanation. This cycle plays out again and again across multiple chapters. It’s repeated so many times, that it becomes predictable.

Unless I missed it, I don’t think Dravian was ever physically described, which made it harder to visualize or connect with him. His relationship with Nyx could’ve used more development, especially since the banishment was covered so briefly.

The Veyl family…what’s their history? Maybe it’ll be explored more in book two, especially with Lilah now on the hunt for the dagger.

Unfortunately, the ending didn’t pull everything together for me. At this point, I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.

Overall, the book felt rushed and needed more editing and character development. Hopefully the second book will improve upon the first and give the characters more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I tried to read this but I just think my mood reading was mooding.
I will eventually go back and fully read this but I did enjoy the bits that I did read!

For that, I won't be posting my honest review on Goodreads until I give it it's true shot.

A very easy read. There was vampires, discord, with a sort of slowburn enemies to lovers outcome. Everything you love.

My issue: It was all over the place. I couldn't get into the revenge plotline. The story was there, I just need a little bit more. It also needs additional ideas. It was very repetitive. Vampires, kidnap, near death, saving, repeat.

I would read the second one in hoped that we get a little bit more information to give the plotline more depth.

This is a new adult vampire/huntress forbidden romantsy. It has a little spice but not too much. I love Lilah, but unsure how I feel about Nyx. Lilah is a kickass female determined to get vengeance for her father's death.
The last line of the book sums up this novel nicely: "Don't underestimate a woman raging in fury. She might just burn your world down."

I cannot waiti to read book 2 and see where Lilah and Nyx's relationship goes and just how Lilah gets her vengeance out.

This gave me major ACOTAR vibes but with its own unique twist. The morally grey love interest? Chef’s kiss. I loved the banter, the tension, and the overall vibe of the world. A few slow spots, but I was still hooked. Definitely a solid romantasy if you like danger, court intrigue, and slow-burn angst.

While I did enjoy the story and it kept me engaged it was a little more YA than I expected. I had a good time reading it, I’m invested and will definitely be reading the next one when it comes out!

•Noticing typos right off the bat (not even through the prologues yet).
•29 pages in and I don’t know what anyone looks like. Not a single character description yet.
•The lands snake. Always.
Ok I give up. You lost me when she called herself a killing machine. DNF at 12%

Brimming with promise—but sacrificed its own potential.

From the first page, I was ready to be consumed by vengeance, vampires, and vicious court politics. The setup? Interesting. Lilah watches her father murdered by vampires from the Dark Lands when she’s just twelve—and spends the next decade training to become the first Huntress of the Sunfire Court. It should’ve been epic.

But the truth? This book never let me in.

The worldbuilding is almost non-existent. We’re told of kingdoms, courts, and creatures, but nothing ever sticks. There’s no immersion, no sensory grounding, no real sense of place. I wanted to feel the heat of the Sunfire Court, the terror of the Dark Lands, the tension between realms—but it all felt vague, rushed, and glossed over.

And don’t even get me started on the characters. One introduction after another, with no room for depth. Everyone felt like a name on a page, not a person in a story. Even the romance, meant to be enemies-to-lovers, felt more like the author wanted to check it off her list of things that needed to be added into the story.

This book has a lot of promise but missed out on key vital things that make a story work.

Review ♥

❤️ Romance / New Adult / Fantasy
✔️ Enemies to Lovers
❤️ Dual POV - Mainly FMC
✔️ Mysterious & Dark Vibes
❤️ Beginning of a Series
✔️ Easy to Read
❤️ Vampire/Human Romance
✔️ Books “Twilight” & “A Land So Wide” Vibes

Lilah seeks vengeance for her father who was murdered in front of here when she was 12 by vampires from the Dark Lands. In order to mete out justice, she grows up and trains to become one of the Sunfire Court guards, the first Huntress.

There's a lot of elements here that are ripe with potential from Lilah's back story, to the Hunters, to the vampires, and to the Dark Lands.

The pacing of this book is significantly impeding all these elements from being fully-realized. Less than a third into this book, we are introduced from one character after another and for me all the characters become one note instead of full-fledged characters because time just isn't devoted to them on the page. In the same way, the romance is not satisfying because time isn't devoted to its growth on the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read this book in one sitting. It was an easy read.

Loved the story but there was no world building, literally just jumped straight in.
Lilah could be a really good character but there was no background to her life, who was she.? Couldn’t understand her personality.
Would want this book longer with more details and description's. The romance seemed to quick no longing,

It was a really good concept. I loved the plot! But it was too fast paced. I didn't really understand what was happening.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise had everything I usually go for: dark fae, forced proximity, enemies with major tension. But the execution didn’t quite live up to the setup.

Pros:
•The world had a cool concept. I liked the whole cursed court and fae politics vibe.
•There were moments of real chemistry between the two main characters that made me want more.
•Some of the side characters had interesting backstories and added little sparks to the plot.
•Quick, easy read. If you’re just looking to binge something fae and spicy, it delivers on that.

Cons:
•The pacing felt off. Some scenes dragged while others moved way too fast.
•The romance didn’t feel fully earned. I needed more buildup and less “suddenly we’re obsessed with each other.”
•The writing was inconsistent. Some parts were vivid and fun, others felt rushed or repetitive.
•I found myself skimming toward the end. The stakes didn’t feel that high and I didn’t fully connect to the main character.

Overall, it wasn’t bad. Just not super memorable. If you’re craving something in the ACOTAR realm and don’t mind a lighter, spicier take without as much depth, it might work for you. Just go in with chill expectations.

This romantic fantasy was everything! The couple in this were to die for! I love the writing style, and would definitely read more from this author!

I thought the premise was really intriguing, and I had a lot of hope for how it would all pan out.
But overall, everything felt so fast-paced and rushed, making me wish the book were longer so that scenes and character development could be fleshed out more. I would have loved to have expanded upon this world and maybe have more tension between Lilah and Nyx. She's supposed to be a Huntress, a vampire hunter, and here she is falling insta-in-love with Nyx. And the whole thing with the drinking of the blood, maybe I misunderstood, but was Nyx the only one who benefited from Lilah's blood? Did no one else gain temporary "humanity" from it?
There were a few times that I felt tired of the back and forth of Lilah fighting Alerice, and then a few pages later, doing it all over again. The "fights" felt like filler/fluff to me, just a way to fill pages.
But even with all of that being said, I would love to read the next book when it's released. I have so many questions that I would love to see answered!