What do you think?
Rate this book
Shadowbound #1
Bound by Shadows
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0CWVYR98P
Captured by the enemy. Bound to a cruel prince. Tempted by forbidden power.Aric Solarian, battlemage and wielder of outlawed magic, falls into the clutches of the notorious demon prince Malekith. Now a prisoner in a deadly game, Aric finds his resolve tested and his darkest hungers awakened.
Malekith is as captivating as he is ruthless, drawing Aric into a web of sinister plots and forbidden magic. Even as Aric plots his escape, he is inexorably enticed by the demon's magnetic pull.
As shadowy schemes unfold and the lines between enemies and allies blur, Aric must decide how far he's willing to go to uncover the secrets of demon magic . . . and what he's willing to sacrifice for a dangerous obsession that could destroy everything he's ever fought for.
Bound by Shadows is the first book in a darkly seductive M/M fantasy romance brimming with court intrigue, moral ambiguity, and scorching chemistry between a defiant mage and his demon prince captor. Vera Winters spins a captivating tale of power, betrayal and desire that will keep you spellbound until the last page.
Captured by the enemy. Bound to a cruel prince. Tempted by forbidden power.Aric Solarian, battlemage and wielder of outlawed magic, falls into the clutches of the notorious demon prince Malekith. Now a prisoner in a deadly game, Aric finds his resolve tested and his darkest hungers awakened.
Malekith is as captivating as he is ruthless, drawing Aric into a web of sinister plots and forbidden magic. Even as Aric plots his escape, he is inexorably enticed by the demon's magnetic pull.
As shadowy schemes unfold and the lines between enemies and allies blur, Aric must decide how far he's willing to go to uncover the secrets of demon magic . . . and what he's willing to sacrifice for a dangerous obsession that could destroy everything he's ever fought for.
Bound by Shadows is the first book in a darkly seductive M/M fantasy romance brimming with court intrigue, moral ambiguity, and scorching chemistry between a defiant mage and his demon prince captor. Vera Winters spins a captivating tale of power, betrayal and desire that will keep you spellbound until the last page.
355 pages, ebook
Published April 15, 2024
359 people are currently reading
646 people want to read
About the author
Vera Winters
18 books62 followersClasse 1989, autrice self, nata e cresciuta tra le verdi colline della Brianza, sono diplomata come corrispondente in lingue estere, ma il mio sogno è vivere di quello che scrivo.
Musica dipendente, fangirl fino al midollo, amo Stephen King, Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman e i gatti. Più di tutto i gatti
Tra le mie pubblicazioni trovate alcuni racconti editi con case editrice e distribuiti in diverse antologie, un romance dal titolo "E alla fine di ho incontrato", e la mia quadrilogia di punta #OpheliaHargreavesChronicles
Tutto è disponibile anche per Kindle Unlimited ovviamente.
Vi aspetto su IG poichè è il social che utilizzo di più, mi trovate sempre come Vera Winters, e se seguite l'hashtag di Ophelia è ancora più facile.
Much Love
V
Musica dipendente, fangirl fino al midollo, amo Stephen King, Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman e i gatti. Più di tutto i gatti
Tra le mie pubblicazioni trovate alcuni racconti editi con case editrice e distribuiti in diverse antologie, un romance dal titolo "E alla fine di ho incontrato", e la mia quadrilogia di punta #OpheliaHargreavesChronicles
Tutto è disponibile anche per Kindle Unlimited ovviamente.
Vi aspetto su IG poichè è il social che utilizzo di più, mi trovate sempre come Vera Winters, e se seguite l'hashtag di Ophelia è ancora più facile.
Much Love
V
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
May 6, 2024
I've had to consider my options here, while writing this review.
I'll start with the storyline being a good one, and it kept me interested despite nearly DNF'ing it several times. I enjoyed the characters, although the MC's, Aric and Malekith are, in reality, not very authentic. The magic system seemed interesting, but I really wanted more information on how it worked, other than just...existing.
Why did I have so many DNF moments? For starters, there's a lot of repeated information...like, a LOT, using different sentence structures and words (sometimes) to say the exact same thing. Nearly an entire chapter (and they're decent-sized chapters) has Aric warring with himself over his feelings...repeatedly. "I want to trust him, but should I?"...it's kind of amazing how many times this question was asked, in many different ways, for a huge chunk of a chapter.
This brings me to my final thoughts: This reeked of AI. While I did like the storyline and characters, there was an overall generic feel to it, paired with many things being repeated in different ways and long, drawn-out chapters of inner dialog (again, repeated elements). I'm not going to accuse the author of using AI, but it does seem as if AI was used at least in part, in my opinion.
Because of the repeated monotonous stretches and the unauthentic feel, I can't find it within myself to give anything more than 2 stars. It's unfortunate because I think this could have been an excellent series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I'll start with the storyline being a good one, and it kept me interested despite nearly DNF'ing it several times. I enjoyed the characters, although the MC's, Aric and Malekith are, in reality, not very authentic. The magic system seemed interesting, but I really wanted more information on how it worked, other than just...existing.
Why did I have so many DNF moments? For starters, there's a lot of repeated information...like, a LOT, using different sentence structures and words (sometimes) to say the exact same thing. Nearly an entire chapter (and they're decent-sized chapters) has Aric warring with himself over his feelings...repeatedly. "I want to trust him, but should I?"...it's kind of amazing how many times this question was asked, in many different ways, for a huge chunk of a chapter.
This brings me to my final thoughts: This reeked of AI. While I did like the storyline and characters, there was an overall generic feel to it, paired with many things being repeated in different ways and long, drawn-out chapters of inner dialog (again, repeated elements). I'm not going to accuse the author of using AI, but it does seem as if AI was used at least in part, in my opinion.
Because of the repeated monotonous stretches and the unauthentic feel, I can't find it within myself to give anything more than 2 stars. It's unfortunate because I think this could have been an excellent series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
avoid-as-fuck
October 31, 2024should I add another shelf 'screams AI' or smth
May 12, 2024
Welp. It helped me make GR goal. So…
May 20, 2024
I get recommended a lot of these now because I read (and greatly enjoyed) Kellen Graves's Rowan Blood series. I read these recommendations more in the hopes of finding a series just as good and less because I like the subject material.
This was... not it. I'm 90% sure the cover is AI, which is big poo-poo. The author has fairly limited, or zero, online presence, which is always kind of a red flag to me, especially after the whole Fraudis Moon saga. In any case, I couldn't track down a cover artist to disprove my suspicions, nor could I find anyone else talking about this book or cover to confirm them. But I have eyes, so there.
The one good thing that came of this book is that it made me very happy to have Kindle Unlimited. Usually I feel kinda skeevy when I read books on KU, simply because I worry the authors aren't being fairly compensated. To make up for that, if I find a book I really enjoy, like Graves' series, or D.N Bryn's Guides for Dating Vampires, or Arden Powell's Flos Magicae, I then go and purchase paper copies (sometimes multiple in the case of A Bone in His Teeth, which I've now bought for myself and two friends).
Not that I would have purchased this book with it's AI cover, but for the first time in all the months of having it, my Kindle Unlimited came in handy.
This book... is not it. The white main character is boring, with no resolve. Like, I get the enemies to lovers thing, but this went from generalized hatred to hand-holding and borderline worshipping waaaay too quick to sell that ish. Most of my comments that I wrote down whilst I was reading are wow, that was fast, because it's literally, like, one ten-page chapter between "I hate this guy he's holding me prisoner, kidnapped me from my home, and wants to use me and abuse me" to "wow, he has real depth and complexity". There's very little real tension, it's moreso just... the author saying words to indicate there would be tension, here, if there was any real buildup or payoff.
The plot is predictable. It loops between repetitive motives, banal 'surprises', and expected deaths. There's a lot of reiteration, essentially creating an echo chamber of the same thoughts, over and over, with little to no variation. You are introduced to four female characters, one of which gets, like, two pages of exposure, and then you never hear from her again.
The pacing is rough. We go from zero to one-hundred and ten in, like, four pages. Hoo boy. It burns itself out real quick.
There's a generalized lack of editing, I think. A few mistakes are common in most self-pub and indie-pub things, no biggie. But there are just weird sections that make no sense and even one that's like six paragraphs completely repeated out of the blue. There is at least one instance where we suddenly know a character's name without being introduced.
Sometimes the environment descriptions are nice-- if predictable, you know, eternal darkness and rivers of lava for the demon kingdom, whoop-de-doo-- but then they get named things like The Whispering Woods. What Neopets-ass shit is this.
Scattered between Disney-levels of predictable we get some nice turns of phrase, some beautiful wording, and genuinely thorough, if not very creative, descriptions. But it's literally like finding a needle in a haystack. I saved a few lines that I thought were marginally poetic.
All in all, uh. It sure was a book that I read! There's not even really enough smut to make it worthwhile (you'd be amazed at the things I can overlook when the sex is good). It really just goes to show the quality of the work behind an AI cover, I think, and affirms why I was so hesitant to read it in the first place. I saw a take on Xitter that was essentially someone saying they wouldn't read books with AI covers because how can they trust that the writing isn't AI, too, which I think is incredibly valid and doubly endorsed, in this case, even though I have zero idea how advanced writing AI is at the moment because I avoid that shit like the plague.
Do yourself a favor and go read any of the authors that I listed up above, instead!
This was... not it. I'm 90% sure the cover is AI, which is big poo-poo. The author has fairly limited, or zero, online presence, which is always kind of a red flag to me, especially after the whole Fraudis Moon saga. In any case, I couldn't track down a cover artist to disprove my suspicions, nor could I find anyone else talking about this book or cover to confirm them. But I have eyes, so there.
The one good thing that came of this book is that it made me very happy to have Kindle Unlimited. Usually I feel kinda skeevy when I read books on KU, simply because I worry the authors aren't being fairly compensated. To make up for that, if I find a book I really enjoy, like Graves' series, or D.N Bryn's Guides for Dating Vampires, or Arden Powell's Flos Magicae, I then go and purchase paper copies (sometimes multiple in the case of A Bone in His Teeth, which I've now bought for myself and two friends).
Not that I would have purchased this book with it's AI cover, but for the first time in all the months of having it, my Kindle Unlimited came in handy.
This book... is not it. The white main character is boring, with no resolve. Like, I get the enemies to lovers thing, but this went from generalized hatred to hand-holding and borderline worshipping waaaay too quick to sell that ish. Most of my comments that I wrote down whilst I was reading are wow, that was fast, because it's literally, like, one ten-page chapter between "I hate this guy he's holding me prisoner, kidnapped me from my home, and wants to use me and abuse me" to "wow, he has real depth and complexity". There's very little real tension, it's moreso just... the author saying words to indicate there would be tension, here, if there was any real buildup or payoff.
The plot is predictable. It loops between repetitive motives, banal 'surprises', and expected deaths. There's a lot of reiteration, essentially creating an echo chamber of the same thoughts, over and over, with little to no variation. You are introduced to four female characters, one of which gets, like, two pages of exposure, and then you never hear from her again.
The pacing is rough. We go from zero to one-hundred and ten in, like, four pages. Hoo boy. It burns itself out real quick.
There's a generalized lack of editing, I think. A few mistakes are common in most self-pub and indie-pub things, no biggie. But there are just weird sections that make no sense and even one that's like six paragraphs completely repeated out of the blue. There is at least one instance where we suddenly know a character's name without being introduced.
Sometimes the environment descriptions are nice-- if predictable, you know, eternal darkness and rivers of lava for the demon kingdom, whoop-de-doo-- but then they get named things like The Whispering Woods. What Neopets-ass shit is this.
Scattered between Disney-levels of predictable we get some nice turns of phrase, some beautiful wording, and genuinely thorough, if not very creative, descriptions. But it's literally like finding a needle in a haystack. I saved a few lines that I thought were marginally poetic.
All in all, uh. It sure was a book that I read! There's not even really enough smut to make it worthwhile (you'd be amazed at the things I can overlook when the sex is good). It really just goes to show the quality of the work behind an AI cover, I think, and affirms why I was so hesitant to read it in the first place. I saw a take on Xitter that was essentially someone saying they wouldn't read books with AI covers because how can they trust that the writing isn't AI, too, which I think is incredibly valid and doubly endorsed, in this case, even though I have zero idea how advanced writing AI is at the moment because I avoid that shit like the plague.
Do yourself a favor and go read any of the authors that I listed up above, instead!
June 3, 2024
This book was exhausting, all the games and the back and forth feelings. 😩
January 19, 2025
There are TONS of typos but I'm a sucker for fantasy, especially with a dark/light dynamic. Y'all got me good with this one
June 8, 2024
Food for the DNF shelf @50%
Which is sad. I love the pretty cover and the premise sounded good but the execution was very poorly done. The writing itself is okay but the actual book clearly wasn’t edited. There is a several page long section in chapter 13 (I think) that is copy, pasted on accident. So you read about 5 pages of text then those exact same 5 pages start up again right after a page break and then the chapter ends once it’s done. I’ve never encountered such a glaring error before.
As far as story goes it gets boring very quickly because we are simply repeating the same thoughts and actions over and over while moving to slightly different locations. So Aric is subdued by Malekith or another demon, he gets mad, tries and fails to use his powers, then feels helpless because he can’t use his powers. This same thing happens over and over again. Even using the same sentences to describe him trying to use his suppressed powers or thinking his captor is hot. Yet more evidence that this book was not edited.
I saw one user say this book feels like it was written by AI (not that I’m claiming that it is) but it certainly feels like it was in several places. The writing will either repeat itself using the same phrases, or it’s so painfully stiff and boring that you just don’t care what’s happening on page. Would not recommend.
Which is sad. I love the pretty cover and the premise sounded good but the execution was very poorly done. The writing itself is okay but the actual book clearly wasn’t edited. There is a several page long section in chapter 13 (I think) that is copy, pasted on accident. So you read about 5 pages of text then those exact same 5 pages start up again right after a page break and then the chapter ends once it’s done. I’ve never encountered such a glaring error before.
As far as story goes it gets boring very quickly because we are simply repeating the same thoughts and actions over and over while moving to slightly different locations. So Aric is subdued by Malekith or another demon, he gets mad, tries and fails to use his powers, then feels helpless because he can’t use his powers. This same thing happens over and over again. Even using the same sentences to describe him trying to use his suppressed powers or thinking his captor is hot. Yet more evidence that this book was not edited.
I saw one user say this book feels like it was written by AI (not that I’m claiming that it is) but it certainly feels like it was in several places. The writing will either repeat itself using the same phrases, or it’s so painfully stiff and boring that you just don’t care what’s happening on page. Would not recommend.
August 12, 2024
This is not cool. AI cover, AI writing.
Honestly disappointed in myself I didn’t realize it before I started actually reading it. This book ended up being a DNF for me. I just couldn’t do it.
I originally gave the benefit of the doubt when I started reading and came across the first part that didn’t seem right. I thought, independent book, maybe it’s just needs a good edit, but then a couple page later I come across a big contradiction only a paragraph apart. There is no way someone missed that. Right?
But now I am curious, so I start looking closer at the author, and the copyright page. I can’t find an artist credit anywhere. Red flag for AI art. And can’t find a single piece of information on the author included in this book. No cute little bio or picture. Sooo I’m looking for an author webpage, and what I do find is a massive feat that many authors would be amazed to achieve… Did you know that Vera Winters has 9 books being released this year? That’s a lot of books, friends.
And I thought Stephen King wrote fast.
Oof.
I guess my lesson learned here is to be more vigilant when picking up books that sound like they have a cute little premise.
Pls do yourself and all your favourite authors a favour and skip AI books.
Honestly disappointed in myself I didn’t realize it before I started actually reading it. This book ended up being a DNF for me. I just couldn’t do it.
I originally gave the benefit of the doubt when I started reading and came across the first part that didn’t seem right. I thought, independent book, maybe it’s just needs a good edit, but then a couple page later I come across a big contradiction only a paragraph apart. There is no way someone missed that. Right?
But now I am curious, so I start looking closer at the author, and the copyright page. I can’t find an artist credit anywhere. Red flag for AI art. And can’t find a single piece of information on the author included in this book. No cute little bio or picture. Sooo I’m looking for an author webpage, and what I do find is a massive feat that many authors would be amazed to achieve… Did you know that Vera Winters has 9 books being released this year? That’s a lot of books, friends.
And I thought Stephen King wrote fast.
Oof.
I guess my lesson learned here is to be more vigilant when picking up books that sound like they have a cute little premise.
Pls do yourself and all your favourite authors a favour and skip AI books.
May 17, 2024
Okay so this book reaches pretty high. Like, for the heavens from hell itself. (geddit? Cause demons?) And it tickled something inside me that dragged me back into the kindle unlimited book world. And I devoured it like a delicious treat.
Pros:
A long shopping list of morally grey characters, subterfuge, depravity, edgy demons and many promises of debauchery.
Cons:
It feels simultaneously overthought and underdeveloped at some points. An editor's help is needed in parts and I feel it could do with some more 'show don't feel'. There's too much telling about feeling but not enough showing.
Overall:
It aspires to be Captive Prince but trips over A Knife and a Blade and lands somewhere squarely in the middle. If you've read neither, or aren't familiar with the reference, this story aspires to be dark and plucking at some deep parts of your heart but trips over a safe slice of life with shadowy elements and just lands in it's own spot someplace between the two.
Now don't get me wrong, the story is interesting and does scratch some fun itches. If you want a good story about demons, pet play, lots of edging and some political demons vs humans story sprinkled in, sink your teeth into this one.
There's no terrible anxiety, mind breaking moments or big fuckery in this one. If anything, despite the subject matter, it almost felt... cosy?
Though I might just be getting desensitized to the subject matter. That is a thought that's occurred to me now...
Anyhow. Meta rating time.
Plot: 📕📕📕📕 (Captivating and interesting)
Characters: 👤👤👤👤 (I found myself caring about them, ok?)
Writing: 🖊️🖊️🖊️ (Sigh...)
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (All the hornballs)
Edging:🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 (So. Much. Blue. Balling.)
Edginess:🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 (Almost cut myself on my kindle)
Demon portrayal: 😈😈😈😈 (All the horny demons)
Pacing: 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠 (Chef's kiss! No notes!)
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪 (Where the show, don't tell would have come in handy)
-----------------------------
TOTAL: 🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 5/5 blue balls.
Pros:
A long shopping list of morally grey characters, subterfuge, depravity, edgy demons and many promises of debauchery.
Cons:
It feels simultaneously overthought and underdeveloped at some points. An editor's help is needed in parts and I feel it could do with some more 'show don't feel'. There's too much telling about feeling but not enough showing.
Overall:
It aspires to be Captive Prince but trips over A Knife and a Blade and lands somewhere squarely in the middle. If you've read neither, or aren't familiar with the reference, this story aspires to be dark and plucking at some deep parts of your heart but trips over a safe slice of life with shadowy elements and just lands in it's own spot someplace between the two.
Now don't get me wrong, the story is interesting and does scratch some fun itches. If you want a good story about demons, pet play, lots of edging and some political demons vs humans story sprinkled in, sink your teeth into this one.
There's no terrible anxiety, mind breaking moments or big fuckery in this one. If anything, despite the subject matter, it almost felt... cosy?
Though I might just be getting desensitized to the subject matter. That is a thought that's occurred to me now...
Anyhow. Meta rating time.
Plot: 📕📕📕📕 (Captivating and interesting)
Characters: 👤👤👤👤 (I found myself caring about them, ok?)
Writing: 🖊️🖊️🖊️ (Sigh...)
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (All the hornballs)
Edging:🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 (So. Much. Blue. Balling.)
Edginess:🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 (Almost cut myself on my kindle)
Demon portrayal: 😈😈😈😈 (All the horny demons)
Pacing: 🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠 (Chef's kiss! No notes!)
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪 (Where the show, don't tell would have come in handy)
-----------------------------
TOTAL: 🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵 5/5 blue balls.
dnf-but-try-again-later
June 25, 2024Dnf at 36%
Either I’m in a slump, or I’m simply not in the mood for the books I’ve been choosing. Sigh. I think I’ll try to come back to this one at another time.
Either I’m in a slump, or I’m simply not in the mood for the books I’ve been choosing. Sigh. I think I’ll try to come back to this one at another time.
June 28, 2024
There were errors...that's for an experience editor to correct. I swear a few of the pages were repeated.
Yet the story was interesting for a forced proximity novel. Just weird transitions. Gave it a four because I did tear up a bit. Also yelled at the book. So yeah, I had a time if it
Yet the story was interesting for a forced proximity novel. Just weird transitions. Gave it a four because I did tear up a bit. Also yelled at the book. So yeah, I had a time if it
April 30, 2024
Slow Start
Well. Not quite what I was expecting but nevertheless a good start for this series. This is my first time, I believe, reading a book from this writer. I gotta admit the cover pic drew me instantly she new what she was doing by using it 😏.
The build up was slowwwww, I walked the razor edge of dropping it but I'm glad I pushed through. Aric turmoil was palpable, his inner conflict was ginuine and didn't feel like he was milking it in an effort to prolong the story. To be honest his doubts and confusion was my doubts and confusion, very well executed.
Malekith played his role exceptionally well, the villain using the mask of vicious glee and callousness towards others to shield himself from the machinations of his realm. So when Aric and Malekith finally came together it felt real, it took work to get there, not that instantaneous bull that we get far too often.
Winters weaved this world well. I didn't have to figure out or used my own imagination to conjure what I think it looked like. Very descriptive language I like when I don't have to guess.
My only negative are 'predatory grace', 'predator stalking prey', 'lethal grace', was used an excessive amount of times, I found myself parroting those phrases in advance while reading, knowing they were coming. Sometimes just saying they approached or came closer would have sufficed, we already knew how Malekith moved, prowled, stalked within the first few pages. Reiterating it become redundant.
A solid 4.5 for me. I look forward to how Malekith and Aric navigate their bond and a way to true peace.
Well. Not quite what I was expecting but nevertheless a good start for this series. This is my first time, I believe, reading a book from this writer. I gotta admit the cover pic drew me instantly she new what she was doing by using it 😏.
The build up was slowwwww, I walked the razor edge of dropping it but I'm glad I pushed through. Aric turmoil was palpable, his inner conflict was ginuine and didn't feel like he was milking it in an effort to prolong the story. To be honest his doubts and confusion was my doubts and confusion, very well executed.
Malekith played his role exceptionally well, the villain using the mask of vicious glee and callousness towards others to shield himself from the machinations of his realm. So when Aric and Malekith finally came together it felt real, it took work to get there, not that instantaneous bull that we get far too often.
Winters weaved this world well. I didn't have to figure out or used my own imagination to conjure what I think it looked like. Very descriptive language I like when I don't have to guess.
My only negative are 'predatory grace', 'predator stalking prey', 'lethal grace', was used an excessive amount of times, I found myself parroting those phrases in advance while reading, knowing they were coming. Sometimes just saying they approached or came closer would have sufficed, we already knew how Malekith moved, prowled, stalked within the first few pages. Reiterating it become redundant.
A solid 4.5 for me. I look forward to how Malekith and Aric navigate their bond and a way to true peace.
April 28, 2024
This book had a very interesting beginning and the world building drew me in at the start but as the book went on it felt very one dimensional. the main characters were very repetitive and everything was on a need to know basis and the reader or Aric weren't to know. I did like the overall chemistry of Aric and Malekith but all the secrets just made it all very one note.
The story also has multiple writing issues and could defiantly used a editor or second pair of eyes to check over and catch the massive issues. for example at the end of chapter 12 it repeats half the chapter again and later a small scene where Aric takes a cup of water from Malekith and downs it but is then told to drink it and again is described as drinking the liquid. These are just a few examples but there were more.
Overall disappointed with this vague repetitive story and have no interest in the rest of the story to come.
The story also has multiple writing issues and could defiantly used a editor or second pair of eyes to check over and catch the massive issues. for example at the end of chapter 12 it repeats half the chapter again and later a small scene where Aric takes a cup of water from Malekith and downs it but is then told to drink it and again is described as drinking the liquid. These are just a few examples but there were more.
Overall disappointed with this vague repetitive story and have no interest in the rest of the story to come.
March 2, 2025
So many instances of repeated phrases, scenarios, and words, it felt like I was reading the same chapter again and again. There was a lack of editing not only in substance but in chapter 12 half the chapter is repeated verbatim midway through. It felt very bland and the characters were kinda mid. Stopped at 41% because I couldn’t take it anymore.
May 20, 2024
Distracting Errors
Bound by Shadows would have fared better with a more thorough round of editing. The grammar and spelling mistakes were glaring and distracting and chapter twelve was a mash up of the first half of chapter twelve...and the first half of chapter twelve repeated. There were numerous inconsistencies in descriptions between chapters and the writing seemed rushed and sloppy.
Further, I found this needlessly moody and prudish, which I found odd considering this was supposed to be a dark romance.
Bound by Shadows would have fared better with a more thorough round of editing. The grammar and spelling mistakes were glaring and distracting and chapter twelve was a mash up of the first half of chapter twelve...and the first half of chapter twelve repeated. There were numerous inconsistencies in descriptions between chapters and the writing seemed rushed and sloppy.
Further, I found this needlessly moody and prudish, which I found odd considering this was supposed to be a dark romance.
August 24, 2025
I DNFed this book. I feels extremely AI, as well as the plot rewrites parts of the book already 20 pages in. The friend dies by a demon but then dies by Arics fire? I can’t.
April 17, 2024
Great Start!
I took a chance on this one as it only had 1 review at the time but I was drawn in by the cover art and the premise sounded interesting. It could’ve used another round of editing as I found almost an entire chapter repeated among other things but I thought the characters were interesting & the world building as well. I’ll definitely give the 2nd one a try when it’s out.
I took a chance on this one as it only had 1 review at the time but I was drawn in by the cover art and the premise sounded interesting. It could’ve used another round of editing as I found almost an entire chapter repeated among other things but I thought the characters were interesting & the world building as well. I’ll definitely give the 2nd one a try when it’s out.
May 8, 2024
This could've been so good had it had an editor or beta reader to catch the staggering amount of repetitions and typos. I'm rather willing to believe that 70% of this book was not proof-read. Sentences and expressions get repeated within the same paragraph and the dynamic between the characters is the same until about 85% in. There's ways to create tension and having characters in each others faces is one way, but after the third time it loses its charm until it becomes annoying. The author seemed to forget what she was writing as an action would be described, then something would happen and that same initial action would be repeated. Aric and Malekith don't spend as much time together as would've expected for them to develop the type of bond Aric describes and while they have some good interactions, it was hard for me to believe the depth of their feelings. I'm sad, because it had a strong start and, again, it could've been good, but it falls flat. This needs some major editing and scenes added for it to have more cohesiveness and for the characters' actions to make more sense and their motivations to be believable.
I received this as an ARC through HiddenGems.
I received this as an ARC through HiddenGems.
May 10, 2024
DNF at 52%
I tried, I really did. The cover was beautiful and it had such great promise as a high fantasy novel. But "Slow Burn" is NOT my jam. Give me a deep connection from across the room or fated mate any time, just not this. The story was so slow and I don't mean just the romance, but it good enough that I made it so far into the book.
The other main issues I had with the book are the inconsistencies. They are all small things but still enough to drive me nuts. The best non-spoiler examples I can give is when the Supreme Lord shows up at the court, he marches in on "Cloven Hoof" and marches out with heavy boots. So which is it? Is he such a monstrous demon that he has hoofs for feet or does he have boots? Can't have it both ways.
Another example is when Aric is crumpled on the floor and Malekith gives him a hand up and they do the whole sexy smoldering eye thing while they are chest to chest and then Malekith steps back and orders the guards to "pick him up"...so is he standing or on his knees? Did he crumple back to the floor when you stepped back and you just didn't say that? What the What? I quit shortly after this scene.
I tried, I really did. The cover was beautiful and it had such great promise as a high fantasy novel. But "Slow Burn" is NOT my jam. Give me a deep connection from across the room or fated mate any time, just not this. The story was so slow and I don't mean just the romance, but it good enough that I made it so far into the book.
The other main issues I had with the book are the inconsistencies. They are all small things but still enough to drive me nuts. The best non-spoiler examples I can give is when the Supreme Lord shows up at the court, he marches in on "Cloven Hoof" and marches out with heavy boots. So which is it? Is he such a monstrous demon that he has hoofs for feet or does he have boots? Can't have it both ways.
Another example is when Aric is crumpled on the floor and Malekith gives him a hand up and they do the whole sexy smoldering eye thing while they are chest to chest and then Malekith steps back and orders the guards to "pick him up"...so is he standing or on his knees? Did he crumple back to the floor when you stepped back and you just didn't say that? What the What? I quit shortly after this scene.
June 13, 2024
The typos, overused phrasing, and plot holes nearly did me in. Cloying, cowing, and predatory. There's also an entire section that's duplicated... and it has different typos in each iteration.
This needs an editor.
And I need a refund.
[See my Kindle notes for more details, jokes, and rags.]
[EDIT - five minutes later] Oh! Because someone asked about the spice in this one, it is NOT worth the angst. Lots of smoldering looks, one scene depicting drug-induced exhibitionism at 70% in, and a missionary romp right before the anti-climax. All totaled, for E-t-L, it's like 2 jalapeños out of 5 on the spicy scale.
This needs an editor.
And I need a refund.
[See my Kindle notes for more details, jokes, and rags.]
[EDIT - five minutes later] Oh! Because someone asked about the spice in this one, it is NOT worth the angst. Lots of smoldering looks, one scene depicting drug-induced exhibitionism at 70% in, and a missionary romp right before the anti-climax. All totaled, for E-t-L, it's like 2 jalapeños out of 5 on the spicy scale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2024
This book was written with AI. The cover is made with AI, as are all the covers of their other books. Vera Winters has no social media presence, no contact information on their website. This is a scam. Do not purchase or read these books!
May 18, 2024
The plot had a lot of potential but the execution was disappointing. Rife with missing letters and plot holes.
September 18, 2024
DNF 40%
I at first thought I could read at least half of the book, but by 35% I realized that Aric and Malekith have done nothing. At 38%, I still didn’t have an idea of what Malekith wanted, what his goals were, what Aric’s role in them could be, what problems the demons were having. How can I be intrigued when I don’t know anything of what’s going on?
But maybe I’m giving this book too much credit, because even before I read the other reviews, I also wondered if this book had been written with AI, because the cover is definitely AI-made. I’m glad to know that other people also had that thought cross their minds.
▬ tl;dr
Generic characters, repetitive dialogue, and reliance on exposition to reveal pertinent world details. Also, could be written by AI. Not sure.
▬ more details on my brief sojourn into this unbearable land
✦ Characters are generic beyond belief and given that nothing happens (at least in the 40% I was able to read), they are unable to carry the story.
✧ Malekith’s dialogue feels like it was copy-pasted direct from the Little Villains’ Threatening Lines Handbook. Only the most generic versions. “I have no wish to fight you … but if you force my hand, I will not hesitate to crush you.” “I hope you’ll come to see things my way. It would be a shame to let such potential go to waste.”
Even Scooby-doo villains deliver more unique threats, all without saying anything.
And btw — at least up until the point I stopped reading — Malekith is nothing but all bark and no bite. Aric says that the “depths of [the demons’] depravity was shocking,” but honestly, the blood has truly grown thin as the only thing Malekith has threatened Aric with are generic, throwaway villain lines.
✧ Aric isn’t generic so much as generally undefined by anything other than a feeble insistence that he will utilize any opportunity to “break free” from Malekith’s grasp … and consistently fail to do anything of that kind. He’s just dragged from one scene to another yelling about how he can take care of himself and how he will never surrender. Okay. Call me when you’ve actually done something important.
✧ Hilariously, Aric’s subordinate Kaelan whomst he was so broken up about before is forgotten the minute he leaves the Silver Phallus Tower. So much for being his ~dramatique turning point.
✧ Don’t even bother looking for chemistry between these two. There is nothing for you here.
✦ Things are constantly being repeated when they don’t need to be:
✧ What Aric’s bedroom looks like (unless it’s substantially changed pls don’t describe it twice)
✧ Aric’s ~refusal to be ~broken and his ~vow to ~survive (? survive what? Luxury accommodations and the opportunity to learn in earnest what he had been struggling to learn in secret?)
✧ Phrases like “coiled serpent ready to strike”, “beautiful and terrible”, armor drinking in light, striking snake
✦ This book LOVES to gaslight readers. There are inconsistencies between chapters (and when I say “between chapters” I mean between the last page of the previous chapter and the first page of the succeeding one), and Aric will sometimes refer to situations that never happened.
✧ case #1
At the end of chapter 2, Aric “jolted awake” but “the only sound” was “the steady drip of water.” Only once awoken did “he [hear] it: the heavy clang of alarm bells, ringing out in the night.”
But at the very start of chapter 3, it says: “Aric awoke to the sound of alarm bells echoing through the dungeon.” So which is it? How did he wake up? Why did no one catch this?
✧ case #2
In chapter 3, Aric starts saying he’s “sore and stiff from his interrogation”, but during the “interrogation” with the Pompous Forgettable Semi-Antagonistic Leader, he is just standing there. Talking. Answering questions. But he makes it sound like he was tortured, which he wasn’t.
✧ case #3
In chapter 9, Aric himself says he has access to books and food that’s never too hot or too cold, and he doesn’t have to lift a finger to clean his own bedroom … bro, again: he has his own bedroom.
Then in the same chapter, Aric says “It had been too long since he had eaten a proper meal,” and also “he had learned long ago not to trust in the demon realm’s hospitality.” So he’s been starved and maltreated? Also “learned long ago” — what, in the two weeks you’ve been in Malekith’s abode? What?
✧ case #4
Aric’s magic is supposed to be suppressed. And yet in chapter 8 Aric mutters an incantation that translates a demon book into the common tongue.
*yelling* MOOOOOMM ARIC IS FORGETTING PLOT POINTS!! MOOOOOM
Anyway, again, my time is finite and also infinitely precious, so never mind pushing through with this book. It’s time to move on.
I at first thought I could read at least half of the book, but by 35% I realized that Aric and Malekith have done nothing. At 38%, I still didn’t have an idea of what Malekith wanted, what his goals were, what Aric’s role in them could be, what problems the demons were having. How can I be intrigued when I don’t know anything of what’s going on?
But maybe I’m giving this book too much credit, because even before I read the other reviews, I also wondered if this book had been written with AI, because the cover is definitely AI-made. I’m glad to know that other people also had that thought cross their minds.
▬ tl;dr
Generic characters, repetitive dialogue, and reliance on exposition to reveal pertinent world details. Also, could be written by AI. Not sure.
▬ more details on my brief sojourn into this unbearable land
✦ Characters are generic beyond belief and given that nothing happens (at least in the 40% I was able to read), they are unable to carry the story.
✧ Malekith’s dialogue feels like it was copy-pasted direct from the Little Villains’ Threatening Lines Handbook. Only the most generic versions. “I have no wish to fight you … but if you force my hand, I will not hesitate to crush you.” “I hope you’ll come to see things my way. It would be a shame to let such potential go to waste.”
Even Scooby-doo villains deliver more unique threats, all without saying anything.
And btw — at least up until the point I stopped reading — Malekith is nothing but all bark and no bite. Aric says that the “depths of [the demons’] depravity was shocking,” but honestly, the blood has truly grown thin as the only thing Malekith has threatened Aric with are generic, throwaway villain lines.
✧ Aric isn’t generic so much as generally undefined by anything other than a feeble insistence that he will utilize any opportunity to “break free” from Malekith’s grasp … and consistently fail to do anything of that kind. He’s just dragged from one scene to another yelling about how he can take care of himself and how he will never surrender. Okay. Call me when you’ve actually done something important.
✧ Hilariously, Aric’s subordinate Kaelan whomst he was so broken up about before is forgotten the minute he leaves the Silver Phallus Tower. So much for being his ~dramatique turning point.
✧ Don’t even bother looking for chemistry between these two. There is nothing for you here.
✦ Things are constantly being repeated when they don’t need to be:
✧ What Aric’s bedroom looks like (unless it’s substantially changed pls don’t describe it twice)
✧ Aric’s ~refusal to be ~broken and his ~vow to ~survive (? survive what? Luxury accommodations and the opportunity to learn in earnest what he had been struggling to learn in secret?)
✧ Phrases like “coiled serpent ready to strike”, “beautiful and terrible”, armor drinking in light, striking snake
✦ This book LOVES to gaslight readers. There are inconsistencies between chapters (and when I say “between chapters” I mean between the last page of the previous chapter and the first page of the succeeding one), and Aric will sometimes refer to situations that never happened.
✧ case #1
At the end of chapter 2, Aric “jolted awake” but “the only sound” was “the steady drip of water.” Only once awoken did “he [hear] it: the heavy clang of alarm bells, ringing out in the night.”
But at the very start of chapter 3, it says: “Aric awoke to the sound of alarm bells echoing through the dungeon.” So which is it? How did he wake up? Why did no one catch this?
✧ case #2
In chapter 3, Aric starts saying he’s “sore and stiff from his interrogation”, but during the “interrogation” with the Pompous Forgettable Semi-Antagonistic Leader, he is just standing there. Talking. Answering questions. But he makes it sound like he was tortured, which he wasn’t.
✧ case #3
In chapter 9, Aric himself says he has access to books and food that’s never too hot or too cold, and he doesn’t have to lift a finger to clean his own bedroom … bro, again: he has his own bedroom.
Then in the same chapter, Aric says “It had been too long since he had eaten a proper meal,” and also “he had learned long ago not to trust in the demon realm’s hospitality.” So he’s been starved and maltreated? Also “learned long ago” — what, in the two weeks you’ve been in Malekith’s abode? What?
✧ case #4
Aric’s magic is supposed to be suppressed. And yet in chapter 8 Aric mutters an incantation that translates a demon book into the common tongue.
*yelling* MOOOOOMM ARIC IS FORGETTING PLOT POINTS!! MOOOOOM
Anyway, again, my time is finite and also infinitely precious, so never mind pushing through with this book. It’s time to move on.
April 18, 2024
Dnf - Although I liked the idea of the story, I couldn't enjoy it due to the many irregularities.
For example (be aware, this section will contain some spoilers):
For one, in the scene of the human hunt, Malekith is first saying he wants to win. And not even a page later he is doing absolutely nothing to kill any of the humans, which is kind of a stipulent if you want to win a human hunt I'd say.
Just before that scene, Aric was given a bow and arrow to help with the hunt, then he suddenly has no weapons at all. It's like the author first wanted them to kill the poor human souls then halfway changed their mind.
Btw, in preparation of that scene, Aric and Malekith are sparring. First of all, why did they need to spar for that lackluster hunting scene. Second of all, first Malekith is way faster and stronger than Aric, which surprises him and then Aric suddenly becomes the better fighter. I mean, you can be a fast learner, but that fast?
Oh, before you get the wrong idea, it is not as if I wanted those humans dead (well, I didn't really care, but in general I don't think I am that bad of a person). It is just that I wanted something more after all that, you know. Malekith is supposed to be some horrible demon and I am all for that. I came because I wanted to see evil incarnate. But we hardly ever see him in action, at least until the point where I stopped reading we just heard about him being evil. To really appreciate his redeeming qualities, I feel like I first need to shudder a little bit about his evilness. Or is that just me?
Then there is the whole magic training and with that I mean just the one training. Aric an Malekith are actually only a handfull of times in the same room, the rest of the time Aric is just alone in a hotel room with good food and books. Still a prison, but it could have been worse. The training is more like a theoretical self study without any practice. But somehow, Aric just falls deeper in Malekith's, I don't know, trap?
Supposedly, he is also developing feelings. But he never sees Malekith. So why is he developping feelings just like that. I wanted enemies to lovers. I wanted to feel the tension, the hate, them misunderstanding each other and then I wanted them to slowly get to respect and finally to like each other. (I live for that shit, okay. Enemies to lovers in a fantasy world, man, I don't care that I've read hundreds of those books, I can't get enough.) This is not really what was happening. Aric developing feelings like that could however be understandable if Malekith was his only form of human contact, but alas, if that was the case, the author did not portray that well.
I can go on with this list, the seducing of Aric to the dark side by Malekith? More like Aric himself is doing the seducing and then trying to fight it. Or how about, the author writing constantly about everything that Aric had to go through and his resilience, even though nothing too bad had happened yet. At that point the vision punishment hadn't even been given.
And then I haven't even mentioned the constant repitition of certain phrases yet.
Anyway this review is already way too long. To summarize it for you (because that's how I learned it at school): I am disappointed. The world the author has created is intriguing and she did manage to give it this demonic vibe, but then it just started to feel flat for me. It is frustrating because I feel like more could have been done and if some (better?) beta reading or editting or something had been done, this book would have been so much better. Feel free to ignore my two cents though, and read it for yourself. You might disagree.
For example (be aware, this section will contain some spoilers):
For one, in the scene of the human hunt, Malekith is first saying he wants to win. And not even a page later he is doing absolutely nothing to kill any of the humans, which is kind of a stipulent if you want to win a human hunt I'd say.
Just before that scene, Aric was given a bow and arrow to help with the hunt, then he suddenly has no weapons at all. It's like the author first wanted them to kill the poor human souls then halfway changed their mind.
Btw, in preparation of that scene, Aric and Malekith are sparring. First of all, why did they need to spar for that lackluster hunting scene. Second of all, first Malekith is way faster and stronger than Aric, which surprises him and then Aric suddenly becomes the better fighter. I mean, you can be a fast learner, but that fast?
Oh, before you get the wrong idea, it is not as if I wanted those humans dead (well, I didn't really care, but in general I don't think I am that bad of a person). It is just that I wanted something more after all that, you know. Malekith is supposed to be some horrible demon and I am all for that. I came because I wanted to see evil incarnate. But we hardly ever see him in action, at least until the point where I stopped reading we just heard about him being evil. To really appreciate his redeeming qualities, I feel like I first need to shudder a little bit about his evilness. Or is that just me?
Then there is the whole magic training and with that I mean just the one training. Aric an Malekith are actually only a handfull of times in the same room, the rest of the time Aric is just alone in a hotel room with good food and books. Still a prison, but it could have been worse. The training is more like a theoretical self study without any practice. But somehow, Aric just falls deeper in Malekith's, I don't know, trap?
Supposedly, he is also developing feelings. But he never sees Malekith. So why is he developping feelings just like that. I wanted enemies to lovers. I wanted to feel the tension, the hate, them misunderstanding each other and then I wanted them to slowly get to respect and finally to like each other. (I live for that shit, okay. Enemies to lovers in a fantasy world, man, I don't care that I've read hundreds of those books, I can't get enough.) This is not really what was happening. Aric developing feelings like that could however be understandable if Malekith was his only form of human contact, but alas, if that was the case, the author did not portray that well.
I can go on with this list, the seducing of Aric to the dark side by Malekith? More like Aric himself is doing the seducing and then trying to fight it. Or how about, the author writing constantly about everything that Aric had to go through and his resilience, even though nothing too bad had happened yet. At that point the vision punishment hadn't even been given.
And then I haven't even mentioned the constant repitition of certain phrases yet.
Anyway this review is already way too long. To summarize it for you (because that's how I learned it at school): I am disappointed. The world the author has created is intriguing and she did manage to give it this demonic vibe, but then it just started to feel flat for me. It is frustrating because I feel like more could have been done and if some (better?) beta reading or editting or something had been done, this book would have been so much better. Feel free to ignore my two cents though, and read it for yourself. You might disagree.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
Dear Vera Winters, you truly need to edit your book. And the fact that there is NO sosial media activity from you or anywhere to contact you whatsoever it's actually a bit suspicious (thinking about the AI aspect here).
I understand and respect the fact that you want to be anon, but using a pen name is to help so others won't find you. You are still anon.
DNF around... 45% mark-ish? The two stars is because I liked the idea of the story. But the technicality of it all really pulled it down. I can accept much, but this way too much for me.
I was so excited to start this! I actually loved the writing style when I read the sample but when you get to chapter 12 (I think it was), there's a whole section of basically "copy-paste" of the beginning of the chapter, in the same chapter.
When they where on the hunt they where on horses, but then they where walking? There's repeated words and sentences. I don't mind typos - they happen, but considering all the other stuff that only added fuel to confusion.
I've read through some of the comments which tells it might be AI written, and I'm so sad because I do get the feeling that it is too. It's fine to have AI help you write your book, but don't tell it what to say and copy-paste it (at least put some effort into it and go through the text before you click the publish button). Chapter 12 seems like such a massive error to miss that I'm afraid the author didn't read through the book before publishing.
Unfortunantly I will not be buying more books from this author, which is so sad. Unless, of course, they actually edit the books they have and tell the readers they are taking what the readers are saying to heart and will re-publish the books.
I love helping other authors and writers and frequently look for new ones and with books that doesn't have a lot of reviews. I also don't go through the reviews much before buying because I want to make up my own mind.
The cover (I have the one where the horn guy have a small black see-through cardigan on) is beautiful! I loved the premise. But upon reading I find myself skipping ahead to see how the rest of the book might be and... I don't know.
It's DNFed for now, and I will not be buying the rest of the series, and unsure that I will be trying out other books from the author.
I understand and respect the fact that you want to be anon, but using a pen name is to help so others won't find you. You are still anon.
DNF around... 45% mark-ish? The two stars is because I liked the idea of the story. But the technicality of it all really pulled it down. I can accept much, but this way too much for me.
I was so excited to start this! I actually loved the writing style when I read the sample but when you get to chapter 12 (I think it was), there's a whole section of basically "copy-paste" of the beginning of the chapter, in the same chapter.
When they where on the hunt they where on horses, but then they where walking? There's repeated words and sentences. I don't mind typos - they happen, but considering all the other stuff that only added fuel to confusion.
I've read through some of the comments which tells it might be AI written, and I'm so sad because I do get the feeling that it is too. It's fine to have AI help you write your book, but don't tell it what to say and copy-paste it (at least put some effort into it and go through the text before you click the publish button). Chapter 12 seems like such a massive error to miss that I'm afraid the author didn't read through the book before publishing.
Unfortunantly I will not be buying more books from this author, which is so sad. Unless, of course, they actually edit the books they have and tell the readers they are taking what the readers are saying to heart and will re-publish the books.
I love helping other authors and writers and frequently look for new ones and with books that doesn't have a lot of reviews. I also don't go through the reviews much before buying because I want to make up my own mind.
The cover (I have the one where the horn guy have a small black see-through cardigan on) is beautiful! I loved the premise. But upon reading I find myself skipping ahead to see how the rest of the book might be and... I don't know.
It's DNFed for now, and I will not be buying the rest of the series, and unsure that I will be trying out other books from the author.
March 14, 2025
I️ wanted to like it because I liked many of the tropes and concepts in it.
There were some parts of the story that I enjoyed, which is why this book is technically a 1.5 star in my records. There were moments of intrigue, and I️ found the overall world interesting, though it would have benefited greatly from more depth in explaining the lore and world building. I even liked the characters, though they felt a little too shallow to be believable. The overall mysteriousness of Malekith kept me engaged. Though after finishing it I️ was disappointed by how little his behavior and motivations made sense. I️ felt the same about all of the other characters too.
I did finish the book but I have to say that I only finished it because it was so short that I was easily able to listen to it on audio book while doing other things today. I️ think if it took me more than a day to read, it would have been a DNF.
A lot of this book felt like it was just redundantly restating things that had already been said many times. There were also a lot of plot elements that made no sense— either because they lacked any sense of authentic character motivation, or had little overall connection to the structure of the plot.
I read it to the end, but I don’t believe I will read the rest of the series. There were enough plot holes, and just simple errors in it that I would not be surprised to find out this book was written by an AI, and that Vera Winters didn’t even bother to proofread it. If that is the case that is unfortunate. If it is not, Winters’ text would benefit strongly from a proper editor.
There were some parts of the story that I enjoyed, which is why this book is technically a 1.5 star in my records. There were moments of intrigue, and I️ found the overall world interesting, though it would have benefited greatly from more depth in explaining the lore and world building. I even liked the characters, though they felt a little too shallow to be believable. The overall mysteriousness of Malekith kept me engaged. Though after finishing it I️ was disappointed by how little his behavior and motivations made sense. I️ felt the same about all of the other characters too.
I did finish the book but I have to say that I only finished it because it was so short that I was easily able to listen to it on audio book while doing other things today. I️ think if it took me more than a day to read, it would have been a DNF.
A lot of this book felt like it was just redundantly restating things that had already been said many times. There were also a lot of plot elements that made no sense— either because they lacked any sense of authentic character motivation, or had little overall connection to the structure of the plot.
I read it to the end, but I don’t believe I will read the rest of the series. There were enough plot holes, and just simple errors in it that I would not be surprised to find out this book was written by an AI, and that Vera Winters didn’t even bother to proofread it. If that is the case that is unfortunate. If it is not, Winters’ text would benefit strongly from a proper editor.
September 24, 2024
Uff, this will be a hard one to explain...
I will start by saying that for me, the story was 10/10. I loved the characters, the idea of the book, the plot, the twists and turns... I love political scheming, and this one had that and more.
The relationship between Aric and Malekith was tricky... I think they are fated mates, this is why their connection is so strong despite being enemies. Their story started under the worst conditions, but Malekith's patience won the battle.
It was non-stop action, I will say this, so if you want a book that will keep you turning page after page, this one is for you.
There is a reasons why I gave this book 4.5⭐️'s instead of 5...
This book needs massive editing. Either the editor did a bad job or idk... it took away from the story. I am usually not one to notice these kinds of things if I love the story, but sometimes it was hard to ignore the mistakes or the way some things were repeated over and over again.
I have read the ARC for this books so maybe they did a final edit afterward... idk. If that was not the case, then I hope the author will consider editing it because the story is AMAZING, and it deserves the best and all the love. -0.5⭐️
Maybe for some, this will be a reason for fewer stars, but as I said, I LOVED the story and the characters, and I couldn't ignore this fact.
I can't wait to read the second book. 😍
Ahhhh, I almost forgot... this is a SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW BURN, but when it hit.... my God.
I will start by saying that for me, the story was 10/10. I loved the characters, the idea of the book, the plot, the twists and turns... I love political scheming, and this one had that and more.
The relationship between Aric and Malekith was tricky... I think they are fated mates, this is why their connection is so strong despite being enemies. Their story started under the worst conditions, but Malekith's patience won the battle.
It was non-stop action, I will say this, so if you want a book that will keep you turning page after page, this one is for you.
There is a reasons why I gave this book 4.5⭐️'s instead of 5...
This book needs massive editing. Either the editor did a bad job or idk... it took away from the story. I am usually not one to notice these kinds of things if I love the story, but sometimes it was hard to ignore the mistakes or the way some things were repeated over and over again.
I have read the ARC for this books so maybe they did a final edit afterward... idk. If that was not the case, then I hope the author will consider editing it because the story is AMAZING, and it deserves the best and all the love. -0.5⭐️
Maybe for some, this will be a reason for fewer stars, but as I said, I LOVED the story and the characters, and I couldn't ignore this fact.
I can't wait to read the second book. 😍
Ahhhh, I almost forgot... this is a SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW BURN, but when it hit.... my God.
June 16, 2024
So many errors.
The amount of errors in this book almost ruin the very intriguing storyline.
There is Far too much repetition, to the extent that sometimes there are three or four paragraphs, one after the other describing the exact same thing.
Occasionally there will also be an action that is taken, that is further retaken and repeated a couple of sentences later, despite already happening.
There is also a good half of a chapter that has been copy and pasted, forcing you to scroll through to find the actual end of that part of the chapter.
Names have been mixed up, and there is next to no separation between scenes. Which ultimately makes the book incredibly clunky and difficult to understand time frames between what is happening.
In some cases, the descriptions of areas in the story are contradictory to one another, describing having to travel through a dense forest, and then later describing the same area as flat Fields all the way around.
Whilst the idea of the story is really good, and I will read the second book in hopes of reading the conclusion, I cannot say that this is very well written.
In fact, it is very badly written and I'm surprised that it was published in this state.
The amount of errors in this book almost ruin the very intriguing storyline.
There is Far too much repetition, to the extent that sometimes there are three or four paragraphs, one after the other describing the exact same thing.
Occasionally there will also be an action that is taken, that is further retaken and repeated a couple of sentences later, despite already happening.
There is also a good half of a chapter that has been copy and pasted, forcing you to scroll through to find the actual end of that part of the chapter.
Names have been mixed up, and there is next to no separation between scenes. Which ultimately makes the book incredibly clunky and difficult to understand time frames between what is happening.
In some cases, the descriptions of areas in the story are contradictory to one another, describing having to travel through a dense forest, and then later describing the same area as flat Fields all the way around.
Whilst the idea of the story is really good, and I will read the second book in hopes of reading the conclusion, I cannot say that this is very well written.
In fact, it is very badly written and I'm surprised that it was published in this state.
June 5, 2024
this. ugh. this. it had the opportunity to be so so so good.
the dynamic of two species who are like prone to hating each other, but are equal in power is like a true enemies to lovers thing. i have no idea why the author chose to divert this by creating a strange power dynamic between the two creatures by stripping one of the characters of what makes him powerful/his love interest’s equal. the beginning is so good. the political intrigue of the “good guys” is so good. the ending is also good! the way the “bad boy” love interest is actually more morally grey / has pretty okay intentions is also fun.
but the middle. good fucking god the middle. the most redundant and repetitive and unnecessary drivel. this is supposed to be a slow burn but it doesn’t ever seem to progress. their relationship will grow, plateau, and then stay the same until the end when they get together. that’s not a slow burn that’s turning the pot off and then forgetting you have something on the stove.
ugh. i wanted to like this so bad. still gonna read the sequel because im a completionist. god bless me. i made it out alive.
the dynamic of two species who are like prone to hating each other, but are equal in power is like a true enemies to lovers thing. i have no idea why the author chose to divert this by creating a strange power dynamic between the two creatures by stripping one of the characters of what makes him powerful/his love interest’s equal. the beginning is so good. the political intrigue of the “good guys” is so good. the ending is also good! the way the “bad boy” love interest is actually more morally grey / has pretty okay intentions is also fun.
but the middle. good fucking god the middle. the most redundant and repetitive and unnecessary drivel. this is supposed to be a slow burn but it doesn’t ever seem to progress. their relationship will grow, plateau, and then stay the same until the end when they get together. that’s not a slow burn that’s turning the pot off and then forgetting you have something on the stove.
ugh. i wanted to like this so bad. still gonna read the sequel because im a completionist. god bless me. i made it out alive.
December 12, 2024
Honestly, this book started off pretty good. I *thought* it was well written in the beginning. The fight scenes were visually written and it kept me interested in what was going on and what was going to happen next. But then it got very VERY repetitive. I mean the same phrases over and over and over. The chemistry between the characters was non-existent. Aric says how he's drawn to Malekith but then out of his mouth he says "no, I'll never be yours". And it would just be more convincing if he actually felt like he didn't want to be Malekith's. Seems very........like playing hard to get. But in an obvious way. So that was annoying. And then Malekith.....he promises pain and breaking Aric and says he's about to show Aric how the demons do things. Well, he in fact does not do any of those things. He actually does the opposite and tells everyone there will be hell to pay if anyone touches him. So I'm all for some possessive alphas but...time and place. And it was all over the place so none of his actions made sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews