C. F. E. Black

The Shadow Heir is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Black, but it definitely won’t be the last!

This is the enemies to lovers trope in the most literal sense and I was more than curious to find out how this would play out, since Cas was the one orchestrating Zara’s death.

The fae court was… disgusting, appalling, cruel… all of that and more and I wasn’t so sure if I could like one or more of the faes, since they are all so indifferent towards human lives. It definitely had show more Hunger Games vibes, even though the human entertainers weren’t fighting against each other.

“I couldn’t hate them any more than I hated them in that moment. Our death was their sport. Our pain was their thrill.”

Zara is a fighter and I loved that she isn’t too easily swayed by Cas’s good looks. But there is something between them from the beginning, when she was still pretty clueless what her fate should look like.

Cas is definitely not as evil as he seemed in the beginning - and wants others to believe he is - but he also changes through Zara. He starts to care for her in a kind of confusing way, since he does not have a solution that could save the human entertainers.

“Stars, Valencia, you could have died.”

This comment seemed almost cruel, if he wouldn’t have been so sincere. So to say Zara was confused, not knowing what to believe or who to trust is kind of an understatement.

But we see glimpses of what Cas is dealing with and there is more going on than “just” deadly games.

The only thing I would have wished for would have been to see more of the other entertainers, to get to know them better and to see them work together. Even though they are all trying to help each other or at least are not standing in each other's ways it always seemed like Zara was the one with a brilliant idea or the one with some sort of trick that saved her from the death threat of the tests. I don’t completely know why she is so special to beat more of the dangers and also to get Cas’s attention or change his mind when nobody before her could, especially considering his way longer lifespan as a fae.

But like I said, there is obvious chemistry between Cas and Zara and I loved how the ice between them melted. I’m not always a fan of nicknames because they often seem cheesy or even belittling, but I have to say I swooned a little every time Cas called Zara “little spark”.

“I’m not afraid of him, Zara. I’m afraid that the light I’ve come to see will go out, and I will be left alone in the dark.”
“What are you talk-”
“You, little spark.” He pushed my chin with his thumb until I met his gaze. “You.”

The ending and solution for everything that was going on was a bit quick and I feel that we could have used a few more details about why and who but I still thought everything was wrapped up nicely and I just want to dive into the Starlit Prince, since I haven’t read the first book of the series yet.

I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of clean romantasy - and a slow burn enemies to lovers trope done well!

As a side note - as a Christian I also appreciated the hints to the one true God, but they are pretty subtle and rare, so I don’t think a non Christian reader would mind them.

* Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own. show less

Thank you to Prism and the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mind Of Mine
By: C.F.E. Black

*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Mind Of Mine begins with a contradictory title because the characters are not in control of their own minds. Imagine sharing every thought, feeling, etc. with fifteen people for your entire life. It's just an ordinary everyday occurrence for V, our heroine, and the other members of her pod. They are blessed with genetically engineered/enhanced show more intelligence as a gift to humanity. This knowledge will be used to better mankind. Gift or curse? V is not an individual but more like a cog in a machine. Would that bother you? I would hate being mass produced to ultimately fill a job position. V begins to realize that she can't differentiate between herself and her pod members. It's a choice now: pursue individuality or remain in sync forever with others for the betterment of science. The question at the heart of the story is a complex one with no right answer. The story is compelling and thought provoking. Although it's speculative fiction, the premise is plausible. I liked V because of her daring. She questions the system that she has always accepted. I enjoyed the story because it really gives you something to think about after the last page. The ideas will stay with you. I've become a fan lately of speculative fiction, and Mind Of Mine is a great example of excellent story telling in this genre. Definitely try it out! show less

In C. F. E. Black’s debut novel, Valeria’s (aka Valeria V, Val, V) world should be black and white. After all, she was created to be better than almost everyone else and her purpose is to improve life for humanity.

Yet, there are all sorts of gray areas. She struggles with her identity. With fifteen other people’s thoughts and experiences in her head, can you blame her?

V’s desire and drive to be free of people invading her mind lead to rash decisions with unforeseen show more consequences.

Black keeps readers on their toes with the twists and unexpected turns, making it difficult to guess whether V’s wish will come true.

While at times I felt sorry for V, there were plenty of instances where she irked me with her condescension and haughtiness because she was “better.”

Mind of Mine is an interesting YA science fiction read but also a cautionary tale. Life on the other side of the fence comes with its own difficulties.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. show less

A classic enemies to lovers read! I liked the magic structure in this book! The sorcerer’s magic comes from the truth which comes from the Truthwell! Using lies for power is the black magic! So it also has that good vs evil going on! The main characters are nice; they have that witty banter going on which adds to the chemistry between them! That is probably the only thing I would have liked to have a little more of! But there will probably be more in the next book so I will be looking show more forward to the next book in the series! show less