No Holly, you cannot leave us hanging like that!! Thankfully we just have to make it to August, but until then I will be suffering. 

This was such a good read!! It was fast paced and I was hooked from the beginning. I love when there is a good tension between the two main characters. Sprinkle in the fact they hate each other and I am one happy reader. And the relationship between Nyra and Dacre? It definitely delivers that and some spicy goodness. 

That ending was super messed up

Enjoyed this fast paced fantasy read — I read it in one sitting.
There are a lot of secrets and heated moments, longing, pining, bullying; I'm not sure if it could be considered romance, but it's definitely lust-filled.

The smut was really well done, and was easily the best thing about this whole book. Which I guess is fortunate considering there wasn't really any plot otherwise. I kept wishing there was more plot, but there wasn't. Seemed like such an interesting concept and then it was like… nothing? Just whispers. 

The ending was a mood killer, but also left me wanting more, so I guess it did it's job. It felt like it undid a bunch of stuff that happened in the rest of the book, and it broke my heart. I’m hoping we get answers to that in the next book, but it was such a shock that I briefly considered never reading this author again. 

Looking forward to the next in the series, hoping for a bit more plot but will likely devour it anyway, especially if the spice is as good. Overall, it had good vibes. 4/5

The story line is pretty good and I can’t wait to see how it continues into the second book especially the way it leaves you hanging. Some of the spicy scenes were not my fav but other than that I really enjoyed this book. It’s a super fast and easy read.

I'll give this a one-star rating because I think the concept of a hidden city is interesting and with more development, this book could have been good. The sex scenes honestly felt like there was a lot of dubious consent and then the final scene includes

revenge sex that the FMC isn't aware is revenge sex

which is tbh super

rape-y and IMO would read this as sexual assault, personally

and I felt like it needed a trigger warning. I didn't like the MMC or the FMC or their relationship and was just generally disappointed considering how 3 separate booktokers raved about it. Also there was like zero reason for them to be

fae

like they could have just been

humans with powers

and it honestly would have been the same book. Also for a fantasy book, she's wearing a

literal crop top at one point

and it threw me out of the entire book entirely. 

I finished this book, immediately tried to download and start reading the second and got my heartbroken when I realised it’s not out until July. Excuse me, miss Holly Renee but I cannot simply wait. That cliffhanger?! I am screamingggg. 

Dacre and his dirty talk deserve an award. I was blushing. I need to look up some fanart of this man when I’m done writing this review (no, I won’t take questions as to why at this time) and frankly I hope it’s everything I’m dreaming of. The jealousy, the possession? Run and read it right now. 

The world building was subtle, and therefore not overwhelming which is kind of refreshing for a fantasy read. I am intrigued to see where the story itself goes especially with how it ended. But the characters were sublime. Pacing was fast. I read this book in one sitting it was so addictive! The hype for this didn’t let me down. 

I have a lot of questions and can’t wait to see how they’re answered. I’m already buzzing to see where the next book goes and be reunited with all these characters. 

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN... If Holly Renee has a million fans, I am one of them. If Holly has ten fans, I am one of them. If Holly has only one fan, it's me. If Holly has no fans, that means I have been unalived.

Holly knows how to write the best spice out there, people. At least I think so. I have now read a handful of books from various series by her and I can confidently say she is an auto-buy author for me!

It's hard for any Holly Renee-written couple to top Evren & Adara in my heart, but let me tell you Dacre & Nyra got me feeling some type of way ✨🗡️ I loved their banter so much. It turned out to be a little bit more of a slow burn to me than Kingdom of Stars & Shadows Book 1 was for me and I wasn't upset one bit by that! Excited to see where things lead from here now for our MCs, so I guess I'll just have to read more...*wink wink*

This new The Veiled Kingdom series already has me in a chokehold 👀 The world, the magic, the characters, the plot twists, the nicknames ("little traitor," hehe), THE 🍷 SCENE !! Everything about this book was fantastic for me. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book (thank goodness it comes out middle of this year because I would not be able to wait much longer than that 🖤)

Side note: If you are a Xaden Riorson girlie, read this book! Dacre was giving MAJOR Wingleader vibes imo