How Does It Feel?

This book offers an exceptional and immersive reading experience that transcends the typical fantasy romance genre. The characters are well-developed and the plot is intricate, making it an engaging and unpredictable journey. The dynamic between the human protagonist and the enigmatic Unseelie Fae prince is complex and thrilling, infusing the story with a unique blend of tension and allure. Although the story starts at a measured pace, it quickly picks up and keeps the reader hooked till the end. The unexpected twists, particularly towards the end, left me eagerly awaiting the sequel. This book is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and nuanced relationships, and it stands out due to its refreshing and immersive storyline.

💭 My Thoughts

As someone who loves fae stories and fantasy romance, I went into this one with some high expectations but also cautious as it is supposedly dark romance. The premise had all the ingredients I usually devour: a morally gray fae prince, dangerous trials, obsession, and that tension-heavy enemies-to-lovers dynamic.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.

I struggled to connect with both the story and the characters. The main character repeatedly insisting she wasn’t an assassin became frustrating rather than compelling, and her long internal monologues started to feel repetitive. Instead of deepening my connection to her, they pulled me out of the momentum of the story.

The pacing was also uneven for me. Around show more Chapter 10, things began to pick up and I thought I was finally getting pulled in, but the writing style and scene transitions kept disrupting that immersion. It wasn’t confusing — it simply didn’t grip me the way I had hoped.

The concept itself is strong. Fae courts, deadly trials, obsession, power struggles — it’s all there. I just felt that the execution didn’t fully deliver on the promise of the premise. Even the twist, which I expected to shift my feelings, didn’t quite land.

That said, I always respect authors for putting their work into the world. This simply came down to personal taste and style preference. For readers who enjoy intense internal monologues and a heavy focus on obsessive tension, this might work better.

For me, it ended up being a 2 out of 5 stars — not a DNF (I powered through for book club solidarity 🫡📚), but not one I personally connected with.

Tropes & Themes

Unseelie Fae Prince

Enemies to Lovers

Deadly Trials

Touch Her and Die Energy

Obsessed Villain

Human in the Fae Realm

Forced Proximity

Morally Gray Love Interest

Dual POV show less

This is very much a slow burn enemies to lovers series. I almost questioned if it was a romance book. Id be interested in seeing where the second book goes as this ends on a cliffhanger. This is almost all backstory which isn’t bad just warning for those who look for the love interest aspect and spice throughout or even by half way mark. This is about Callie who is from the human realm and is captured by the unseelie Fae prince.

I cannot figure out how I feel about this book. If I go by the second half then I thought it was great. If I add in the first half, it was boring and slow but... once you get to the end, the boredom of the first half makes sense.

This book surprised me which not many books do. I'm usually pretty good at picking up on the inevitable twist but I didn't see this coming. There were early character revelations and plot developments that had me thinking I knew exactly what was going on but knowing the ending, it is interesting to revisit and figure out which were red herrings and which were actual clues.

A few times throughout reading I thought this was utterly ridiculous and my rating was heading lower but it fought it's way back as the show more action increased. The plot twists were insane which I loved so even though I only rated this three and a half stars, I'll probably read book two when it comes out.

In a nutshell, I would describe this book as Fae Fifty Shades of Grey with a sprinkling of Hunger Games. show less

This was a little cheesy. A little smutty. Entirely entertaining. Don’t expect a deep read but enjoy the ride and the wild ending!

After thinking on it and reading other reviews I realized that I rated this way too high. Elementary writing, subpar plot, and dull characters pretty much sums up this entire book.
The FMC was annoying and unrelatable. The love interest was so desperate it felt satire. The plot twist honestly just made things more confusing.
After all that being said, did I eat up every second of it?
Absolutely. Am I going to read the next book? Sure why not. Would I ever recommend this to someone? I would never put anyone else through this torture...so definitely not.

This is legitimately one of the worst books I've read. Why did any of you give this 5 stars? Am I going to find the 50 Shades series and Colleen Hoover on your favorites list, too? I'm teasing, buuuuut also kind of not. I've read so many AO3 and Wattpad stories better than this.



I originally DNF'ed it at about 75% because I just didn't think I could take any more of the cornball story, but I kept seeing people harp about the amaaaaazing and SHOCKING "twist" at the end (the most predictable thing happens that literally anyone with a brain could guess, I seriously don't get how it shocked y'all), plus I am too curious for my own damn good and am actually bothered by not completing things, so I literally dragged myself kicking and screaming show more to the end. I have never wanted a book to end so badly...and it sucked. I want my time back show less