katvou's reviews
491 reviews

The blurb sounded interesting, but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. Half the time I was confused by who the characters were and who was related to whom.

The plot had potential but in my opinion would have benefited from more work and editing. Now everything happened way too fast for my liking, and there wasn’t enough buildup for anything. Also, the revelation at the end felt like a cheap, easy way to excuse the MMC’s behavior.

Additionally, this was marketed as a biker / motorcycle club story, but the whole motorcycle club aspect wasn’t really a part of the story, other than being mentioned in passing.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

DNF after 35%

Like the blurb says, this felt like a mixture of Harry Potter, Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, and Arthurian legends, but not necessarily in a good way. I personally felt like there was too much going on, but nothing really made sense.

Sounded interesting and I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. The first few chapters were promising, but after that I just couldn’t get into the story.

Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“Magic requires sacrifice.”
“So we’re on the same page… you rode all the way over here, to my side of town, to tell me to stay here on my side of town.”
“Things don’t change. And people don’t change.”
“Even if you were right, why would you care? Why do you even fucking care?”

I liked Dakota as a main character. Her work as an alchemist was interesting, and she seemed like a strong character.

I’m usually not a huge fan of second-chance romance, but it worked well for the plot and I loved the slow burn between Dakota and Callum. I would love to learn more about their shared past and maybe see some flashbacks about their past relationship.

I enjoyed the strong friendships between characters, and there were multiple interesting side characters I would love to learn more about.

The magic/alchemy system was unique. I loved learning more about it throughout the book, and can’t wait to learn more in the coming books.

The plot itself was intriguing and kept me hooked. It took me a while to get fully immersed in the story, but when I did, I couldn’t put the book down. There was a lot going on and I never knew what was going to happen next. In the future books I would love to see a bit more world-building.

The book is written in 3rd person which took a little while getting used to after reading mostly 1st person.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The idea sounded great and was something I usually really enjoy, but I personally felt that some parts could have used a bit more explanation.

The plot twist toward the end came out of nowhere without any foreshadowing, leaving me feeling like I had skipped a few chapters. I had to reread some parts to better grasp what was going on.

Overall, a quick, fun, and spicy read. Not a bad book by any means, but I was a bit disappointed with the rushed plot. I felt like the story had a lot of potential and might have worked better as a longer book.

Please check the trigger warnings before reading!

“Tsk tsk, Sadie girl. When we instruct you to do something, you do it.”

“We own your pleasure and your pain.”

“You don’t deserve to enjoy this. Bad girls don’t get rewarded.”

“The three of us. Our souls are forever connected. We don’t hide shit. We take it head on together or not at fucking all.”

Short, quick to read, fun and spicy dark taboo romance.

The book continues to follow Colton, Sadie and Maddox, and this time Colton & Maddox have their moment too. I also liked seeing their mother being part of the story.

Loved the relationship and dynamic between the characters and can’t wait to read more about them.

Please check the trigger warnings before reading!

“The truth can be as useful as a lie.”
“Tell me, monkey boy, what makes you think you’re so much better than me?”
“Magic doesn’t always work the way you think it will.”
“I’ll be your distraction if that’s what you need. But I also want to be your peace. I want to be the thing that tethers you when you feel your world crumbling.”
“Just because someone is powerful doesn’t mean they’re hiding something.”


This book was amazing! The tournament itself was an interesting concept and the story was filled with magic, mysteries, secrets, political intrigue, plot twists and complicated dynamics between different characters. There truly weren’t any dull moments.

At times, the tournament reminded me of the Hunger Games and also Caraval. The world-building was well written and captivating, and I personally enjoy rich world-building with a lot of detail. The magic system was well developed and explained, and I loved how the magic had a price.

The dual-POV storytelling worked well for the plot, and I found both Rose and Leo to be fascinating, strong characters. I loved learning more about both of their backstories throughout the book. 

The plot itself kept me hooked from start to finish, with multiple plot twists I didn’t see coming. I can’t wait to read more books from the author.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

“When I want something, I always get it and I don’t just want this man, I need him.”
“Would it be inappropriate of me to tell you how I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either?”
“I will love you forever, I will wait for you, I will always be yours.”

Dark and intense revenge story with a fiery, strong FMC. 

Loved having Maisy’s journal entries sprinkled throughout the book. They helped showcase why Ashley was doing what she did.

There was a lot happening and a few parts that had me speechless. The ending was something I didn’t see coming.

Please check the trigger warnings before reading!

NJ is the queen of haunted books that make you question what is going on. 

Loved the relationship and dynamic between Lola, Cillian and Paxton. They all had dark and difficult pasts, and they were able to find healing and solace together.

Loved the mysterious vibes and the haunted carnival atmosphere. Some parts made me question what was going on and whether it was all in Lola’s head. It was nice to see some of the scenes through different characters’ eyes, and how Lola’s grief played a part in her story and character development.

Hauntingly beautifully written. I already know I need to reread this at some point to fully understand everything that happened. Can’t wait to read more!

The blurb sounded interesting but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time trying to get into the story and felt like the plot was all over the place.

In my opinion, the writing could have used more work and editing. I would have also preferred more showing instead of telling, and less internal monologue.

Also, the number of ~ being used was just weird. For example ~seems impossible~, ~and~, source~, supernatural~, ~very unsettling~, ~Anastasia~, and ~.~ were all used on one page.

DNF after 55 pages (14%)

I just couldn’t get into the story and found the MMC to be quite annoying.

I think that the storyline has potential, but in my opinion the writing could have used more work and editing.

Check the trigger warnings before reading!

Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.