Rebecca L. Garcia

This dark, immersive fantasy kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Azkiel, the cursed God of Death, and Calista, a ruthless witch, as they navigate a deadly tournament with high stakes. The tension between them is palpable, with their enemies-to-lovers dynamic adding depth to the plot. The world-building is rich, and the gothic atmosphere pulls you in, though the pacing sometimes feels slow. Despite this, the twists and morally grey characters make it captivating. If you show more enjoy dark fantasy romance with complex relationships and high stakes, this book is worth picking up. show less

Ask me why I love to read romantasy books. It is because of the gorgeous storyline and rich characters. That is what Rebecca brings us with this book. Rebecca weaves a lovely story that will have you spellbound.

Instantly, I was drawn to both Calista and Azkiel. Their voices are distinct and really lend to their stories. I felt for them both and what their prophecies are and how their intertwined with each other. The abilities that Calista possessed made her an outcast. Yet, she did not let show more this get her down. This is why I liked Calista a lot.

Azkiel may seem like a villain but underneath he is a good one. The best of both worlds a little bad and good. Whenever Azkiel was around, he demanded your attention. He and Calista are soooo good together. show less

When it comes to vampire romance, these books can be a hit or miss for me. Some of them have a promising premise, characters that you will be thinking of long after you have placed the book down, and a plotline that will make you eager to find the next book. I have had many hits and very few misses when it comes to vampire novels. This one was indeed promising, the storyline, and the characters seemed to stand out from other novels that I have read. The whole series is right up my alley and show more I am glad I was able to devour the first book within a matter of hours. Was it disappointing? Nope. The only thing that disappointed me was the female lead, but Sebastian - I find him absolutely book boyfriend material and all so scrumdiddlyumptious delicious.

Can I have him? Is there a way to have him? Do I have to lick him and say he is mine? Is that how this works?

Because both she and her mother are sorceresses, Olivia has a big target on her back, but the problem is her abilities are lacking. Just fourteen days ago, her boyfriend committed suicide but Olivia does not have much time to grieve when her city is attacked by vampires. Her mother has gone missing during a mission and Olivia has been rescued by a vampire, who has made her a "guest" in his own home. Olivia desperately wants to find her mother and her best friend and be far, far away from the vampires. But that is easier said than done when she learns what exactly her mother has been trying to protect her.

Olivia does not come across as a likable character. She is selfish and pretty much a brat throughout this book. She does not grow up nor does she show any character development. She has become my least favorite character. She does things that make me want to grab the nearest iron skillet and smash her head with it. Although I understand she wants to find both her mother and Draven, she should also realize that the target on her back does not magically disappear; it remains like a neon sign right over her head.

Sebastian, Zach, Anna, and Erianna are all my favorites. They rescue Olivia when her city is attacked and take her back to Sebastian's home. I don't know how any of them have the patience for Olivia's childishness, but everyone, except Zach, seems to tolerate it and maybe they believe that her attitude may be due to the change she has gone through - her city being attacked, her best friend being ripped away from her, and her mother missing. I loved these characters. We do get to know a little bit of Sebastian's background; I would have loved a lot more of the others. Their character developments were much better and Sebastian has now become my book boyfriend (I keep a list!)

The world-building sounds amazing and there is so much out there I would like to know - how were vampires created, why sorceresses are so sacred to them, and how did Olivia's mother and father meet? INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW THIS!

Also, the romance between Sebastian and Olivia seemed a bit shaky almost to the point it did not feel like a enemies-to-lovers, but more like Sebastian babysitting Olivia and playing along to help her find both her mother and Draven. For me, that was a bit of a disappointment. I mean, how can you not be disappointed because there is so much chemistry out there to be touched on with them.

Okay, so it is my inquiring mind. xD Seriously, I cannot wait to read books two and three. I know this will probably be answered in the next books but can we have a story with Olivia's parents? Part of me does not quite believe there is not something between more between them. show less

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I have mixed feelings. Why? Because this book had so much potential. I truly wish I'd enjoyed it more as it started amazingly.

The main problem for me was the continuous repetitions played throughout the book. Okay if you said it once, okay if you say the same thing twice. Even thrice I can understand. But after? No, it hindered the reading enormously for me.

Another small problem that I found was how show more the glossary was made. Okay with the name and pronunciations- but all the small extras? I would have preferred learning about this world as I turned page, instead of having a lore being dumped from page one like that.

This truly had so much potential. A better version of Lightlark in terms of plot and maybe even writing (which taking out the fact that it was wayyy to much repetitive was even a bit too flowery where maybe a dialogue would have been better). This isn't a bad book. And I'll probably read book two when it comes out. I just hope that all the small things I found that hindered my experience while reading will have been taken care off.

There were even come editing mistakes. But I blame this on the ARC as it's not the finally copy that will be released to the public.

Spice? 0.5 show less