The worldbuilding in this book was vivid and interesting to read about, however the romance fell flat for me. It was a bit cheesy and cliche that was at times cringe-worthy. I'm not sure if it's because we've heard these kinds of lines all too much already or what, but the execution threw me off. The royal paranormal aspect was what made the story.

2.75/5.00 stars
I should just post my rough draft as it is because I am out of words. Ha-Ha-Ha!
Moving on to the actual review...
I requested this book from NetGalley a long time ago. The premise sounded promising but I got lost along the way. I had to face the same problem I usually find in books like this one. The romance took over the entire plot. :/
While reading Vernal, I learn that it is a spin off series starter. Nothing wrong with that; although, for a new comer like myself, things were not 100% clear. Little details were offered regarding the world and plot. From what is presented, the setting, the magic system and its background seemed interesting. And this is unfortunate because, just like the characters, the story had a lot of potential.
Speaking of characters... I thought there is going to be more about exploration and build up when the romance element entered the scene. As in, how the protagonists connect and try to figure out this inexplicable connection/attraction they feel about each other. Instead... Bam! Everything ruined by the sex. They spend more time talking about and being intimate than knowing each other. Then, that whole "I am super possessive and inexplicable jealous alpha male. Everything you do is wrong and I own you" and "I am a strong woman capable of anything but I cannot live without you and I am owned by you and you are the only male who can tame me" was not my style. They looked like decent characters and had good qualities here and there but.... In the end, they got overshadowed by the romance and nonexistent plot. Also, there was not a concrete reason why Serena is special and has to become the next ruler.
All in all this book was not for me. Like I use to say, this was not my cuppa tea because of too much sugar was added. It was not what I expected at all.
[I gave it such a high rating because it had enough to keep me entertained and not DNF (do not finish) it.]

This is my sole opinion. ^_^

I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well I read this book without realising that it came after the revelation series, and it was a bit of a spoiler I must admit since I haven't finished the series yet. But I tried to keep the stories separated in my mind and kind of work ( I'm hoping).

That being said it was really fun to read about this new generation of gargoyles, their friends and enemies. They reminded me so much about their predecessors that I couldn't hold it together and wanted them to get over themselves and love each other, like yesterday.
But that's not how stories work so we bear with them fighting each other at every turn and at the same time falling so hard that there might not be a way back for either.

The main characters were amazing! Serena was strong, independent and smart; a bit too immature at first for my taste but she is young so we will forgive her for that.

Tristan was so ... Gage, yeah I think that's the best way to describe him, so similar but at the same time not that tainted by darkness. He might be going through a rough moment now but he doesn't know true darkness like his progenitor. He recognised the feeling from the start, he couldn't accept it but he knew; and that showed us he had a big and beautiful beating heart within.

And the cliffhanger we knew was coming, I can't wait to read the next part of this amazing an thrilling story!