3.5⭐️ I enjoyed the “alternative” idea for blood donors and that the love interest wasn’t completely obvious until the end. This book is definitely for late teens/ya looking for something to read during spooky season with adventure, easy plot, and no spice. Also, enjoyed the point of view from Megan at the end! Curious to see how her “visions” impact how the humans battle Aiden. Thanks for allowing me to read ahead of publication!

Ashen Veil is a light and engaging YA fantasy with a refreshing take on vampires. Riley, the compassionate heir to her clan, brings a sense of openness and new ideas that set her apart from the usual tropey heroine. The Edinburgh castle setting adds a nice layer of mystery, and while the world-building is lighter, it works well for the younger YA audience. A solid setup for a sequel and a great pick for teens looking for an easy, atmospheric read.
Thank you to Layney Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️ 5 stars for me!

WOW! I devoured this book.

The pacing felt kind of slow but fast at the same time, if you know what I mean. Everything was going so well that I just knew something was about to happen!

I kept guessing who the MMC would be. Seriously, everyone had the potential. I still don’t have a favorite, but I do think Riley would be good with any of them.

Looking forward to the 2nd and 3rd book. Saying I’m curious is an understatement!

This was an engaging read that I found easy to follow. The world building wasn’t too heavy and what I think is perfect for the YA category. If you like vampires and gothic vibes, definitely check this one out!

First off, huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Ashen Veil!

Going into this, I didn’t realize it leaned more toward YA, so I tried to read it through that lens. The older me struggled with some parts, but I could definitely see my younger self really enjoying this story. The world has some cool concepts and lots of potential, though it did feel a little repetitive at times. (If I read one more reminder that Riley can handle a fight because of all her training with Kellin… I get it! 😂)

That said, the foundation is solid, and I think the series has room to grow. I’m genuinely curious to see where the next book takes the story!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed this book and I thought the plot was good. However there was a lot of repetition of information and I felt like it was a little overly descriptive at points which I did not like as much, but some people may prefer that writing style.

3.75★

First off, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the author for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Now, onto the review itself. The blurb does not do this book any justice, let me preface with that. The premise of this book is truly stunning and revolutionary. I mean, at least I personally have never come across a post-apocalyptical book with vampires, let me tell you that much. This book has very little romance, although it does hint at several love interests for our fmc, so it's nicely YA. And while I don't usually enjoy books with this little romantic plot, this one was definitely an exception.

For the characters, there was a whole bunch of them, but I can actually remember very few. No, not every side character needs a name, I—with my goldfish memory—won't remember them anyways. Our FMC is immortal and probably over a century old (but I can't be sure cause I got lost in trying to figure that out), and yet she still often acts like a teenager. Many of her decisions are erratic and chaotic, and she definitely has some odd breed of a savior complex, but she's clearly trying to do what she believes to be for the best and help people.

Plot-wise, this book is geniusly planned, and even if some things didn't make sense to me in the first 60%, it all cleared up nicely in the remaining 40%. As I already said, I really like the idea of this book, and the last 2 chapters boosted my interest in the second one to the moon. I'mma need it now, ma'am, thank you.