mspilesofpaper's reviews
890 reviews

Dragonfruit is a standalone oceanic fantasy inspired by the Pacific Island mythology that is aimed at Young Adult readers but can be enjoyed by adults as well. (Given the intensity of some scenes, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 16 years.) It has a hint of romance (it is the sub-plot), so please ignore the "romantic fantasy".

The following review likely includes spoilers (especially in the TWs at the end).

PLOT
Hanalei "Hana" of Tamarind is the daughter of an old island family who lives in exile as her father stole a seadragon egg that had been meant for the ailing princess of the island. Following her father's death, she's forced to endure gruesome work as a child until she is too old for it, which pushes her to work for a school that studies the seadragons that roam in the Nominomi Sea. Upon such an encounter, she saves two dragons (and their eggs) from a dragon hunter who then takes her captive and forces her to help him hunt the two dragons (and their eggs). The hunt takes them to Tamarind where she gets the chance to flee and face her own past. What follows is her, and Samahtitamahenele's "Sam", hunt for the dragons and their eggs as well as Sam hopes to get one to heal his mother.

WORLD-BUILDING & MAGIC
The book is set in a fantasy world that is heavily influenced by Pacific Islander mythology and history. And while the the plot is relatively contained in terms of location (as the majority plays on Tamarind), the author still includes enough other islands, the outside world (aka white people), the islands' histories etc. to make the world feel alive and full.
As for the magic, there are the magical abilities of seadragon eggs that the consumption of parts of the baby dragon and the egg would fulfil someone's deepest wish (even if it comes with a terrible price). In addition, Tamarindi islanders have markings that are ... well, magical tattoos of animals that can become real creatures that can exist outside of the skin, so the marking's owner can use their marking. All markings have personality, names and their own character.

CHARACTERS
Hana and Sam are the main characters of the book and I found them very loveable and compelling as main characters. In addition to them, there are also plenty of side characters who are either on their side or are their opponents/enemies.

Hana is a young, independent woman who suffers from the past and thinks that she isn't welcome at Tamarind because of what happened (despite being a victim in a way as well). Her hardships have matured her beyond her age and she's well educated (especially when it comes to seadragons). She's brave and compassionate (especially towards the seadragons who are viewed as a pest by everyone else). Sam is the last prince of Tamarind, who cannot inherit his grandmother's throne as their society is matriarchal, so he's faced with the dilemma of having to marry and have many daughters or finding a dragon egg to heal his mother who's supposed to be the next queen. At some points, he feels slightly flat and could have benefitted from having a few more pages, but on average, he's an enjoyable young adult character.

My favourite side character was Vatuu (I hope that I wrote the name correctly because I listened to the audiobook, so I don't know the bat's spelling). Justice for Vatuu!

TW & CW
While the book is aimed at Young Adult readers, I wouldn't recommend it to readers on the younger spectrum because of a few violent/disturbing scenes (that even gave me pause and I'm in my mid 30s).

general violence, blood, injury, vore (a sea dragon devours several children and two adults, their bodies are visible when they are swallowed and fight against the dragon from the inside), animal cruelty and death, consumption of dead dragon babies, off-page death of parents, magical sleep, attempted sexual assault (I hope I didn't forget anything)

TL;DR
An ocean-inspired fantasy read for young adults and adults that features the question "How far would you go to achieve your deepest desire and are you willing to pay the price for it?. A well-rounded read with loveable characters and a new take on magic in the form of magical tattoos, which also incorporates the themes of community & family, greed & sacrifice, as well as responsibility and the history of one's family and with it the kingdoms. 

The Succubus's Prize is the fourth instalment in the on-going series A Deal With A Demon and features Belladonna (human) and Rusalka (succubus). It plays in the established universe from the previous books and mentions previous characters (only the other male leaders) but it can be 100% read as a standalone. It is a very short (not even 180 pages) fast-paced spicy monster romance.

The following review might include spoilers.

PLOT
Belladonna made a deal with the demon Azazel. In exchange for seven years of servitude, her sister will get treatment for her cancer, acceptance into her college of choice, and access to a trust fund. Rather reluctantly, Azazel allows her to sign the contract and whisks her away to his realm where she gets "auctioned off" to Rusalka. Unlike with the other leaders, Azazel talks to Rusalka before the auction to point out that they should take Belladonna as they are the most likely to do well with her as Belladonna suffers from massive religious trauma. Over a relatively short period of time, both get to know each other better and fall in love. Of course, there are struggles - just like in the previous books - but they do get their happy end at the end.

WORLD-BUILDING & MAGIC
As mentioned, it plays in the same universe as the previous books but focuses on Rusalka's realm where the succubus and incubi live. It's community-based living with "everyone does the job that they love while everyone will be involved into the undesired ones from time to time". The entire world-building is relatively superficial (similar to the previous books) and benefits from the fact that the reader is likely to know the world. If you haven't read the previous books: don't worry, Rusalka explains enough to Belladonna to give the reader a brief overview as well. E.g., why the realms require humans for offspring, how the first dragons/kraken/succubi & incubi/... came to be and so on. The magic is connected to the succubi (fire) and incubi (shadows) and isn't much touched upon aside from mentions that Rusalka has often her fire around her and that they can use it as a weapon if required. In addition, they can sense emotions and influence them as well (especially desire), and can shape-shift as they aren't limited to strict gender rules.

CHARACTERS
Belladonna (she/her) and Rusalka (she/they) are the main characters of the story. In addition to them, there are three side characters that makeup Rusalka's court (her inner circle), a few other side characters (the mate of one court member, the gardener that takes Belladonna under his wing, ...), short scenes with Azazel and Ramanu, and mentions of Sol (the dragon from book 1), Thane (the kraken from book 2) and Bram (the gargoyle from book 3).

Belladonna deals with massive religious trauma as her parents are part of a cult-like Christian church but also suffers from shame and guilt. The shame is partly explained (and linked to her religious upbringing) but the guilt part isn't really explained. The author just says that she suffers from guilt and that's it. In addition, she's a mid-sized/plus-sized character and views herself as unattractive due to her upbringing. She's the kind of character who puts others above her own needs and safety, e.g. getting into a deal with a demon for her sister (who doesn't really love her imo), offering to have the child as "it will benefit your people" and so on. Her healing feels very rushed (despite the epilogue) and I think the deconstruction of her religious trauma could have been handled better as it feels very heavy-handed and partly like a soap opera with the dialogue/monologue concerning it (e.g., "I have desires but I cannot act on them because of my shitty parents and their pastor" or "I want the shape-shifting succubus but I was told that sex is a sin!" or "If I do it, it will be for the people because I was told that I'm worth nothing"), which gets exhausting.
Rusalka on the other hand is a self-sacrificing character who would do anything for their people. I think with them, it's a case of "hard shell, soft inside" because they are worried about Belladonna's well-being and mentions more than once that "a more ruthless leader would accept her offer to have a child even if Belladonna would suffer from it". They are the kind of character who thinks that they have to do everything on their own, without relying on other people, despite having a supporting group who would be there to help.

ROMANCE
Unfortunately, the entire romance is utterly rushed. Their relationship could have benefitted from having more pages dedicated to the romance's development, so it would feel ... well, healthy. It is especially important as Belladonna is utterly fine with a play scene with four people (well, five if you consider herself as well) after one day of being in the realm and despite her religious upbringing that drilled into her "pre-marriage sex is sin, sex is to procreate, do not have sex with the same gender". Despite her vocal agreement, the scene felt icky as Belladonna is under the influence of Rusalka's magic to increase her desire and let her forget her shame/guilt for the time.

For the sex, I would give it 3 🌶️ as it is graphic and explicit but feels less intense than the sex scenes from the previous books. The sex scenes include oral sex, vaginal sex, double-sided fire dildo, fingering, sex parties, double vaginal penetration (epilogue), cream pie (epilogue), soft BDSM (restraints), "good girl", soft Dom/Sub, breeding kink, tail play, "let me care take of you".

TW & CW
For the TWs: religious trauma (alt-right church, cult-like church), emotional abuse by parents, toxic family members, gaslighting by family members, guilt-tripping by family members and the church, harmful body image, internalised homophobia/queerphobia, general concept of sin, cancer (sibling, mentioned multiple times in the story), drugging (consensual & magical), wanted pregnancy, wanted non-monogamous relationship. (Please, check the author's trigger warnings as well!)

As for the sexual content warnings: breeding kink, sex parties, shape-shifted sex (genital-related), sex toys, oral and vaginal sex, restraints (handcuffs), soft Dom/Sub, tail play, double vaginal penetration.

TL;DR
Sapphic/gender-fluid monster romance (with spicy scenes) that feels rushed and uninspired (compared to the previous books). The deconstruction of the religious trauma could have been handled better as it plays a massive part in the main character's background (and their relationship). Unfortunately, there are also a lot of typos and grammar mistakes that dimmed my enjoyment as well. Overall, very lacklustre and I did expect more/better. 

Run, Run Rabbit is the first instalment in a new, darker, series that plays in the Cambric Creek universe that the author had developed in previous novels like Morning Glory Milking Farm (which run under the series Cambric Creek). It can be read as a standalone but benefits from reading at least Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic as the other Hemmings make appearances and the clinic is mentioned as well.

PLOT
The book follows Vanessa and her developing relationship with Grayson Hemming as well her development in her career as she joins the law office (where Grayson is one of the partners). The plot starts in the present, at the year's Lupercalia festival, before it does a time jump into the past (six years prior and then from there to the present again), so the reader learns more about her and Grayson's relationship. Don't expect too much plot as sex plays the major factor in their relationship.

WORLD-BUILDING & MAGIC
As previously said, it plays in the Cambric Creek universe but mostly outside of Cambric Creek in Bridgeton as the law office is situated there. Cambric Creek starts to become the setting from the halfway point onwards when they go on dates or have lunch with Grayson's family after a full moon. Of course, the coffee shop, that plays a role in Morning Glory Milking Farm as well as in Sweet Berries is the setting for one scene as well. As the majority happens either at the law office, Grayson's house or at the Lupercalia festival, the entire world-building is rather shallow.

My personal issue with the Lupercalia festival: it's basically a sex party that is excused with "ancient rites". I wouldn't mind it much but the author mentions something along the lines of "if you are wolf, you will participate because it is in your nature" and Trapp appears shortly afterwards who is - as far as the reader knows - at the point in a committed relationship with a human woman. And it is known that Trapp participates because Vanessa thinks about how it would be if he would catch and fuck her at the festival.

CHARACTERS
Vanessa and Grayson are the main characters of the book but the reader meets the rest of his family as well (or again if they already read another book of the Cambric Creek universe as the Hemming family is a major player). Both characters are highly unsympathetic as they are manipulative assholes (mostly with each other but Vanessa also uses Grayson's family to get back at him when he left her).

In general, Vanessa is a horrible character. She is constantly scheming and planning to keep him interested ("the chase") but also to advance her career (and how she could use her new relationships with Grayson's family to her advantage). Especially icky in my opinion: the change of her political stance. She grew up in a mostly human neighbourhood, so her parents taught her to be "proud but quiet" about being a werewolf, which she never questioned. While she favoured the shifter community (highlighted by her career aspirations), she never had active issues with humans. As soon as she meets Jack (Grayson's father), she starts to change her view on the human/shifter situation and starts openly sharing Jack's opinion that shifters "are better than humans". It's a massive case of racism. In addition, I found her change especially problematic (and also Jack's opinion in general) because Jackson's wife is a human and Trapp is dating a human at the time. Vanessa even mentions that she can't understand why Trapp is wasting his time with a human woman when he could have a nice wolf instead.

Grayson, on the other hand, is a cold-hearted asshole. He's extremely arrogant, whines about his father's plans for him (e.g., "being a judge can't finance this lifestyle"), and gives generally major "rich privileged white cis man" vibes. I think of him as a buff, dark-haired Christian Grey as they both share the "I fuck, I don't love" view. Just like Vanessa, he's also manipulative and plays massive mind games with her (which borderline on emotional abuse at the workplace in my opinion). In my opinion, he isn't even just an "alphahole", he's just an abusive, mean asshole. And while he's a cold-hearted asshole mostly with Vanessa, and at work, he's rather open and warm with his family, which gave me whiplash.

(So far, the only Hemming werewolf that doesn't annoy me is Trapp but it might change after reading his book that comes out in summer 2024.)

ROMANCE
It's a toxic workplace romance that functions mostly on the forbidden aspect of it and feels very obsessive. While they aren't officially committed to each other, and occasionally fuck other men/women, they both react very jealously whenever one of them fucked someone else. Especially Grayson as soon as Vanessa had been with another werewolf between the full moon phases. Neither of them can communicate with the other (out of stubbornness/fear/... - there's no official mention of it but they have massive miscommunication issues), which results in problems in the last third of the book. If either of them had actually said "Hey, I want to be in a serious relationship with you" (which is something that Vanessa had been chasing pretty early on and Grayson had the possessive behaviour to match), they would have been a lot happier with each other.

I would rate the sex scenes with 4 🌶️ on the spice scale as they are rather graphic and explicit.

TW & CW
For general trigger warnings, head the author's warnings at the beginning of the book.

inappropriate workplace romance, power imbalance between main characters (boss/semi-direct employee), general sexual content, toxic relationship, abortion & unwanted pregnancy, emotional abuse, classism/racism, sexual assault/harassment (at the Lupercalia festival), gossiping at the workplace, non-monogamic relationship, discussions of trafficking

For the sexual content warnings:
primal play, knotting, breeding kink, power play, public sex & voyeurism, off-page sex with multiple partners, beastality (shifted shifter with unshifted shifter sex), soft BDSM vibes, choking/breathplay

TL;DR
A toxic and inappropriate workplace romance with highly unlikeable two wolf shifters as main characters who manipulate each other all the time. Plays in an established universe but can be read on its own. A darker, spicy paranormal romance without an actual HEA. 

Kings and Monsters is the fourth instalment in the Three Fates Mafia series although it can also be read as a standalone. It's a fast-paced spicy monster romance with a M/M. As it has barely 200 pages, it feels like a novella and can be easily read within a day.

The review might contain spoilers.

PLOT
Unlike with Killers and Monsters, the fourth book has actually a plot. Granted, it isn't a very large one but there's a plot. ;)
Grim and Ryan meet in a sex club where they engage in each other before parting ways. In the following six months, Grim moves from job to job, from place to place, as death follows him. He has finally enough when the decapitated head of his boss starts to speak, so he flees the scene but gets pursued by machine monsters that force him over a cliff where he lands on Ryan's car, causing a massive accident. Ryan knows right away that Grim is a demi-god and despite his urge to kill him, he takes him away from the scene and flees to his apartment with the unconscious Grim. Due to sexual tension, they both decide that they will fuck one night before Grim will leave as he doesn't want to be a demi-god and just wants a peaceful life. The following morning, Grim gets assaulted by Theseus and the Chimera after leaving Ryan's mansion and gets kidnapped to act as bait for Ryan as it is revealed that they are fated mates. The following chapters are just about them finding each other again and finding a way to be together. Here, Grim also gets his memories back, which sparks their revenge on Theseus as he is behind everything.

WORLD-BUILDING & MAGIC
As it is still set in the same world as Killers and Monsters, it plays in Moirai, a fictional city in California. Time-wise, it's roughly a year after the second instalment as Serena's twins are born and can breathe fire (so I would say that they are around 6 months old and she was in the 1st trimester in her epilogue). The book still incorporates mafia elements but they are more subdued and play only a role when it comes to taking revenge on Theseus. There's still no actual magic but Grim has powers granted by his godly father, Hades, which are magical enough. In addition, there's the introduction of the actual Labyrinth of the Minoan Bull myth. The Labyrinth exists outside of time and space as its own thing, so days within it can either be hours/weeks/months or years on the outside (or vice versa). It has a mind of its own as well.

CHARACTERS
In comparison, the cast is very small in Kings and Monsters as the book follows Grim and Ryan on their journey to become a couple (and to take revenge). Of course, there are mentions of characters that have been met in the previous books (e.g., Ian/Serena/Luca, Cerberus & their mate, Percy & Madeline, Theseus and Orpheus) but they play very small side roles.
Grim is the son of Hades and is rather pragmatic and still surprisingly optimistic despite his past. Still, he's rather sardonic from time to time and fed up with the bizarre things happening around him (in the first chapters). He's described as tall (over 6 feet), broad-shouldered and with a soft stomach, so he might be on the plus-size spectrum. While there's fan art within the book, I still found it difficult to tell if he's really plus-size or not. Ryan is the Minoan Bull and can shapeshift between his true bull form and his human form. True to him being a bull: he can be stubborn. He's also a worrier (about his place within the Three Fates mafia, about his employees considering him a good boss, ...) and has a horrible memory for names. For a monster, he feels very human and more fleshed out than Ian.

ROMANCE
Due to the "fated mates" trope, their romance is also insta-lust and insta-love. Unlike the Serena/Luca/Ian relationship, I found Grim's and Ryan's relationship by far healthier and better developed. They talk with each other and take each other's concerns seriously. There's no obsession, blackmail or grooming/paedophilia in their relationship. Of course, there's an age gap but Grim is an adult (in his 30s), so the power balance isn't too one-sided.

For the sex, I would also give it 4 🌶️ as it is very graphic and the book opens with a sex scene (oral and anal sex). Overall, the two constantly fuck (for hours) and there's sex in pretty much every chapter. If you are into it: large, golden bull cock, pierced penis, oral and anal sex, choking & breath play, nipple play & nipple pumps, BDSM, Dom/Sub (both are switches), mating bites, actual monster sex (as in Ryan being in his bull form), collaring, leashing, paddling, breeding kink, consensual degradation, sensory deprivation (blindfolds), restraints (handcuffs), gags and muzzles, rimming & edging, primal hunting/play, size differences. (I likely forgot something but let's just say that the sex is very spicy.)

TW & CW
Please, head the trigger warnings and content warnings that the author lists at the beginning of the book. In addition, I would add the following for TWs:

decapitation, multiple murders, general violence, multiple death of main character, attempted murder, trafficking and child slavery (Grim gets sold as a child to Theseus as his foster father blames him for a death), grooming (Theseus grooms Grim into an assassin), death of family (mother, grandparents, aunt & uncle, cousin), foster care, captivity and kidnapping (on page and past), drugging, memory/mind manipulation, ...

As for the sexual content warnings:
bull cock, pierced penis, oral and anal sex, choking & breath play, nipple play & nipple pumps, BDSM, Dom/Sub, mating bites, actual monster sex, collaring, leashing, paddling, breeding kink, consensual degradation, sensory deprivation (blindfolds), restraints (handcuffs), gags and muzzles, rimming & edging, primal hunting/play, size differences, impact play, begging, flogging, frotting, large amount of cum, ...

Please check other reviews for more or additional trigger warnings and content warnings as these are the ones that I just mentioned in my journal entries on Storygraph.

TL;DR
Short, fast-paced monster romance with a focus on graphic and explicit sex scenes with an M/M pairing and the "fated mates" trope. Both MMCs are burley cinnamon rolls with murderous tendencies who have a surprisingly healthy relationship with each other (especially for a mafia setting). Based on the Minoan Bull myth but with a HEA for the bull. 

Killers and Monsters is the second instalment in the Three Fates Mafia series although it can be read alone. It's a spicy monster romance with a M/M, M/F, and M/M/F pairing.

The review might contain spoilers.

PLOT
Let's be honest: there's no actual plot. If it would be a fanfiction on AO3, it would have the tag "porn without plot" because the main aspect of the book is the sex scenes. There's a bare minimum of plot into which the romance/the sex is nestled into. Serena is the niece of a mafia boss and gets married to another mafia boss - Ian, the Dragon - when she's barely 18 years old, which results in her moving from Italy to California where she lives in a remote castle/villa with her personal bodyguard, Luca, and several other guards hired by Ian. In all those years, she sees her husband only twice, which in her opinion, is twice too much. In her opinion, he's a monster, so when she receives news that he plans to visit her, she snaps. Luca and her plan to kill Ian but they never receive the chance as dark secrets start to appear and Serena realises: her husband isn't as horrible as she thought he would be.

WORLD-BUILDING & MAGIC
There's not much concerning the world-building. It plays on our planet in somewhat modern times (there's no mention of a year) but it incorporates mafia elements and Ancient Greek mythology in the form of Gods, demi-gods, monsters, and the three fates. There's no actual magic but the demi-gods have powers granted by their godly parent, so it can be considered as a type of magic. The entire book plays in a fictional city in California (USA) but there are references to other countries (e.g., Italy) but everything is very superficial.

CHARACTERS
The main characters are Serena, Luca and Ian. There are a few other characters who either appeared in the first novel or will appear in the following books. It is known that Ian is a monster, an actual dragon, while Serena and Luca consider themselves as humans until the truth comes out and it is revealed that Serena is a demi-god.
Serena is "a princess/a queen" and acts like a spoiled child all the time despite being considered as tough and deadly. Of course, she's also utterly beautiful. Luca is so angsty - emo teenagers have nothing on him - with his "my darkness will push her away". He's utterly obsessed with Serena, extremely possessive and brutal. Ian is the only one who has a functional brain cell and uses it occasionally. He's considered as brutal and arrogant as well but he's rather soft towards Serena (and Luca). There's not much depth to any character and some of their actions lack conviction as well. As for their sexualities: Serena is straight, Ian and Luca are bi-/pansexual.

ROMANCE
Insta-lust, obsession, insta-love, and insta-forgiveness. The author gets partly away with it by making all Serena and Luca mates to Ian, and with each other despite being not monsters, but the insta-forgiveness is my pet peeve (e.g., Serena thought that Ian forbid her from leaving the villa for 10 years when it had been Luca who kept her captive there). Their relationship is so utterly toxic (especially the one between Serena/Luca and Luca/Ian) as it's built on obsession, stalking, tons of lies and blackmail. There's also the fact that Luca met Serena as a child, saved her in some alley, and became already smitten with her there. I know that the author wanted to highlight that she's his first love but he's a few years older than her and it has soft grooming/paedophilia vibes to me. While Ian demanded Serena as his "price" when she was just 17 years old while he is an ancient dragon, so there's also paedophilia there. Plus, he dreamed of her as an adult as soon as she was born.

It is a polyamorous romance as all three are in a relationship with each other. It starts as Serena/Ian and Serena/Luca, with Ian/Luca on the side, but evolves quickly into all three being together as they each Ian's mates (and Serena/Luca become mates as well).

As for the sex, I would give it 4 🌶️. It's very graphic and very sexual from the start (although the actual sex scenes happen after a few chapters). If you are into it: two dragon cocks, double penetration (vaginal, anal), threesomes, BDSM moments, actual monster sex (as in Ian in his half-dragon and full-dragon forms), choking, non-consensual voyeurism, degradation play, mating bites, masturbation, breeding kink, Dom/Sub. I'm sure that I forgot something but let's just say that it's very spicy.

TW
Head the trigger warnings that the author already lists at the beginning of the book.

Voyeurism, breeding kink, degradation, double vaginal penetration, erotic photo (consensual and non-consensual), biting, cum inflation, dragon sex, size difference, BDSM, general violence, multiple murders, intimate partner violence, captivity, arranged/forced marriage, attempted rape, paedophilia, (soft grooming), alcohol, alcohol abuse, hangover, unprotected sex, fear of flying, anxiety, mentioned past parent's death, general sexism, soft ableism (concerning mental health), child slavery (Luca gets sold as a child to pay a debt), sex toys, pregnancy (epilogue), blackmailing, obsessional love, stalking, toxic relationship, ...

Please check other reviews for more/additional trigger warnings. These are the ones that I noticed/marked in my Storygraph journal for the book.

TL;DR
Monster romance with a focus on the sex scenes (that are very explicit and graphic). The romance itself is between two men and a woman (all are in one relationship and are each other's mates). Based on the idea "What if the princess fucks the dragon that kept her in a tower and falls also in love with the knight that was meant to save her?" (just with a dark knight). 

Whispers of the Deep is the first instalment in a series (so far, one book has been published and the second instalment will be published in September, and I suspect that it might become a trilogy as there are three main-ish merman) that falls into the paranormal romance category.

The following review might contain spoilers.

PLOT 📖
Humankind left the land centuries ago as massive storms are destroying the lands, making surface life difficult. To find a new home, they turned towards the ocean and developed underwater cities in various depths (the deeper, the newer the technology) that belong - more or less - to corporations instead of nations or governments. Mira belongs to the city Beta and works as an engineer to keep the city running. During a solo job in an abandoned section of Beta, she encounters Arges - an undine. Humans consider them monsters and undines consider the humans as monsters as they destroy the ocean with their cities. A failed attack by Arges and his group leads to them helping each other to survive to return to their respective people. The contact results in a new task for Arges: find her, steal her and use her to find out how to destroy her city. So he steals her and keeps her, protects and feeds her, and falls for her as much as she falls for him. Their future will decide the future of their people.

CHARACTERS 🧜🏻‍♂️ 👩🏻‍🦰
The main characters are Mira and Arges while there are a few side characters of various importance as well. Among others, Arges' brothers who will be the main characters of the following books. Where Arges is slightly distrustful and grumpy, despite being considered as 'chatty' by his people, and very protective of Mira in later chapters, she's surprisingly optimistic. Occasionally anxious but mostly optimistic about her own future while she worries about Arges' safety/life in later chapters. They both are incredibly stubborn. 😂

I have to say that I found the leader of the People of the Water extremely shortsighted in her decision-making. "Oh, she will die because she is not meant to live underwater? Oh well, tough luck, Arges, go and find a new one." Arges' brother is also extremely distrustful, aggressive and impatient. There are hints at him having a difficult past but for the majority of the book, his behaviour is rather unexplained.

WORLD-BUILDING 🌎
Rather superficial because the author just informs the reader that the land is inhabitable for humans due to storms (hurricanes, tsunamis) and volcanos and that humankind went beneath the sea several centuries ago. There's a lore drop towards the end when Byte, an android that Arges found for Mira, explains who is behind the idea of underwater cities. In addition, the robot will reveal the truth about one founder's fate to Mira even later, which results in Mira's decision to choose Arges. Aside from these two lore drops, there are only a few scattered ones considering the underwater cities but if anyone would ask me to describe those, I couldn't do it. All I know is that there are four cities in various depths and that they use glass to create the domes for the cities.

The world-building for the merpeople is equally superficial because all the reader learns is that there seem to be various kinds of merpeople who are organised in pods but still have a family structure, and have their own gods (all sea-related) and something called The Ancients who are responsible for future telling, and are more or less their own kind of gods.

The author mentions it in the foreword but I want to highlight it: you will need a good amount of suspension of disbelief when reading the book because physics (and the basic principles of it) are only loosely used. Please, don't think too much about how it's possible.

ROMANCE 💘
I'm pretty sure that the romance qualifies as 'Stockholm Syndrome' because he kidnaps her and they fall for each other while she's still kidnapped. Aside from it, I think it's one of the few books where the trope "enemies-to-lovers" is accurate because their people are enemies. Arges wants to gain information from Mira, so he's rather aggressive, while she's distrustful and considers him a monster. Over time, as it's a slow burn, they learn more about each other and learn their languages (with the help of technology) as well.

If you want to read the book for the spice: there are only two sex scenes, which I would rate with 2 🌶️ because they are mildly graphic but not as intense or extreme as you might expect for a monster romance. Yes, he has two dicks 🍆, which adds a bit of spice to the sex scenes but it's still surprisingly mild. (Especially if you compare it to "Entranced by the Basilisks" by Lillian Lark where the basilisk has also two dicks.) You will need a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief because the author described positions that might not be doable in real life (even not underwater, haha).

TL;DR
A quick paranormal romance read with a human x merman pairing that's built on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Despite a monster romance, the spice level is rather low and the focus is on the development of the romance/relationship. The male main character can be an ass but is still surprisingly romantic in his own way. Healthy dose of suspension of disbelief is required for the novel but if you're ok with it, you will get a cute and funny read with Whispers of the Deep. 

How To Fake It With A Fae is the first instalment in a series that will spawn seven books. It's a romantasy with two sex scenes, lots of tension and funny banter.

The following review might contain spoilers.

PLOT 📖
Addison Thornrose is the witch without magic and as soon as a male wizard knows about it, he will end the relationship because "What good is a witch without her magic?". So, she's extremely excited when her current boyfriend invites her to a restaurant because she's sure that he will ask her if she wants to marry him! Unfortunately, he ends the relationship and shortly after, Addison learns of her grandmother's death and what it means for the family, so she's forced to come home. Quickly, she finds out that her family's magic is vanishing until all seven sisters are married, so they have to hold witch balls (balls in Bridgerton style) to find potential suitors for each sister. When her ex confronts Addison during the ball, she claims that she's already engaged to someone: Feylin, the fae king, who plays along and causes ancient fae magic to happen. Following this, both will pretend to date each other to reach their own goals until feelings actually happen.

CHARACTERS 🧙🏽‍♀️ 🧝🏻‍♂️
The author used the sunshine/grump trope for Addison and Feylin. While Addison is fierce, eternally optimistic, bold, and on the neurodivergent spectrum (likely autism based on the itchy clothes, picky eating, ...), Feylin is arrogant and has walls around his heart but he still supports her and helps her find her magic.

Aside from these two main characters, there are also several side characters: Addison's family as well as Feylin's cousin Ryals, and his best friend Trawick, but also a few other characters that play more or less a role.

WORLD-BUILDING 🌎 & MAGIC 🔮
The entire story plays in modern times (I don't think there was a year mentioned but it feels very 2020s) while it still has elements that I would connect with Regency England (e.g., the witch balls) or general fantasy worlds (e.g., the existence of fae, witches & wizards, werewolves & vampires and the fact that their world and the human world co-exist). The modern setting results in pop culture references and Feylin being described as "a grumpy Henry Cavill" (especially with a focus on Cavill's role in The Witcher). As it plays in the South of the USA, it has plenty of Southern touches (e.g., sweet iced tea, the "y'all" and other dialect-specific English, witches riding on iron skillets, ...), which irritated me occasionally because I'm from Germany and not very familiar with Southern things (aside from typical stereotypes). Overall, the entire world-building is very superficial as the romance is the main point.

ROMANCE 💘
While it is insta-lust, and to some degree also insta-love, it is still a rather cute romance. As they learn more about the other one, they actually fall for each other and get to know each other (which is more than I can say about some other romantasy novels).

The author mentions in the foreword that the book will contain sex scenes but they can be skippable. There are two sex scenes that I would rate with 1 🌶️ because they are mildly graphic (though not a true "fade to black", the author danced around certain vocabulary, so it's rather mild).

My main issue with the romance is the 3rd act breakup as it is built on intrigue, miscommunication and results in the destruction of someone's happy place. Unfortunately, Addison forgives Feylin rather quickly because "he did it out of love for you", which is an utterly stupid argument as to why he destroyed a family's income and Addison's happy place. He knew exactly how important it was to her, and her family, and was still set on revenge because he didn't trust her, and didn't listen to her either. I hate insta-forgiveness (it's even worse than insta-lust and insta-love) because they didn't work through what actually happened. It's basically "I didn't mean to do it, I did it because I love you so much, but I found out the truth through a third party whom I believed (instead of believing and listening to you), so let's get back together", which is the cheapest way of solving a conflict and is the solve reason why I didn't give this book 4 ⭐.

TL;DR
A short and light-hearted romantasy novel with a witch and a fae as main characters that plays in Southern USA. Addison fakes an engagement with the fae king to save her family's magical legacy but their pretend relationship turns quickly into something real. However, a third-act breakup based on misunderstanding and revenge strains credibility, leading to a rushed reconciliation. 

Danke an Netgalley und die Autorin für die Bereitstellung dieses Rezensionsexemplars.

Don't Kill The Demon - Das Artefakt ist ein Fantasy Jugendroman, der Auftakt einer Trilogie, welcher im Jahr 2022 spielt und damit viele Anspielungen auf moderne Popkultur hat. Stellt euch also auf Marvel & Co. ein. Leider fällt das Buch in die Kategorie "it's not you, it's me", weil ich einfach zu alt bin. Die Zielgruppe ist definitiv 14 - 18 Jahre und hätte ich es damals gelesen, so hätte ich es wahrscheinlich mit 5 ⭐ bewertet. Leider bin ich mittlerweile Mitte 30 und habe immer wieder gemerkt, dass ich zu alt für Jugendromane bin.

Die folgende Bewertung enthält eventuelle Spoiler.

HANDLUNG
Im Grunde gibt es vier Handlungsstränge, welche miteinander zu tun haben und teilweise in diesem Buch, aber definitiv im nächsten Buch, zusammen fließen. Handlungsstrang 1 betrifft Liz' Mutter und Stiefvater, welche ein gesuchtes, und gefährliches, Artefakt in Yemen gefunden haben, und es zerstören müssen, um die Welt zu retten. Dieser Handlungsstrang löst den zweiten Handlungsstrang aus, welcher Liz selbst betrifft, die auf einmal aus ihrem Internat in Potsdam flüchten muss, um in Oxford Zuflucht zu finden. Hier lernt sie, dass sie noch eine Großmutter hat und sie selbst nicht ganz menschlich ist. Im Laufe dieses Handlungsstranges wird Liz zum Spielball anderer Charaktere, die hoffen über das Mädchen an das Artefakt zu kommen. Die letzten Handlungsstränge sind nicht ganz offensichtlich, aber betrifft die politischen Intrigen innerhalb der nicht-menschlichen Gemeinschaft sowie den Plan des (vermeintlichen) Bösewichts.

CHARAKTERE
Elisabeth "Liz" Farnsworth ist die Hauptfigur des Buches (und damit der Trilogie) und gerade einmal 17 Jahre alt. Leider fällt sie ein wenig in das typische Schema einer weiblichen Hauptfigur in Jugendbüchern und hat "special snowflake" Tendenzen. Natürlich findet sie sich nicht schön mit ihren auffällig roten Haaren und den zahlreichen Sommersprossen während andere sie als wunderschön beschreiben. So ähnlich ist es leider auch mit ihren Fähigkeiten und ihrem Wissen. Und natürlich auch wenn es um ihre Abstammung geht. Leider ist sie auch der Typ Charakter, der handelt bevor er nachdenkt, und ich bin kein Freund von solchen Figuren. Wäre ich selbst 16 Jahre alt, so hätte ich sie wahrscheinlich unglaublich cool gefunden, aber mit Mitte 30 habe ich mir immer nur gedacht "Ich brauch einen vernünftigen Erwachsenen, der mal kurz für Ordnung sorgt".

Connor "Con" Saint James und Gideon (der, glaube ich, nie mit Nachnamen benannt wird) sind ihre potenziellen Love Interests und relativ unterschiedlich. Connor ist der abgebrühte, unheimlich gefährliche Kämpfer während Gideon zwar unheimlich attraktiv ist, aber meist auf seinen eigenen Vorteil bedacht ist und ggf. Dinge nach Regelwerk machen möchte. Mit Gideon hat Liz eine "hot and cold" Beziehung, die arg von der Situation abhängt während sie mit Connor eher eine "wenn ich dich foppe, heißt das, dass ich dich mag" Kiste fährt. Natürlich entwickelt sich eine Romanze zwischen ihr und Connor, aber die kommt irgendwie aus dem Nichts heraus (inkl. des Liebesgeständnis) und wirkt nicht wirklich natürlich. Aber gut, ich finde Romanzen in Fantasy Büchern meistens eh doof und würde die Seiten für mehr Handlung und World-Building verwenden.

Neben den drei Jugendlichen gibt es dann natürlich noch weitere Nebenfiguren wie Paulina, die Hexe, Nisha, Liz' beste Freundin, Arnaud, der Vampir, die Riege der Bösewichte, sowie Liz' Mutter und Stiefvater. Letzere sorgen zwar für einige Kapitel aus anderer Sicht, aber tragen ansonsten nicht so viel bei. Hätten sie nicht das Artefakt, so wären sie wahrscheinlich komplett sinnfrei.

WELT UND MAGIE
Der Grundgedanke für die entwickelte Welt ist, dass es nicht nur Menschen sondern "Menschen 3.0" gibt, welche im Grunde allmögliche Figuren aus Fabeln und Mythen sind. Werwölfe? Sind Gestaltwandler, welche sich in ihre jeweilige Tierrasse verwandeln können. Feen und Elfen? Vorhanden. Hexen und Hexer? Check. Vampire? Ja, sind vorhanden. Meerjungfrauen? Werden erwähnt, gelten als ausgestorben. Im Grunde könnte man einen Dartpfeil an eine Wand voller Figuren werfen und zu 98% ist die Figur definitiv ein Linewalker, wie die "Menschen 3.0" genannt werden. Zudem gibt es dann noch Jäger, welche versuchen die Menschheit zu beschützen, aber im Laufe der Jahre angefangen haben mit den Linewalkers zusammen zu arbeiten, und im Grunde nur noch gefährliche Wesen jagen.
Während die Geschichte hauptsächlich in unserer Welt, die wir kennen, spielt, so gibt es noch Portale, welche verschiedene Orte miteinander verbinden, und so den Linewalkers ermöglicht halbwegs unerkannt in der heutigen Welt zu leben. Dadurch, dass es in unserer Welt, im Jahr 2022, spielt, gibt es zahlreiche Anmerkungen auf moderne Popkultur wie Film und Musik. Vor allem die Marvel und DC Filme/Comics werden häufiger erwähnt.
Während die Linewalkers auch Magie besitzen (zumindest einige Arten), so scheinen sie auch viel weiter in der Technologieentwicklung zu sein als die reguläre Menschheit. Die Kombination von Magie und Technologie fand ich teilweise verwirrend und hat mich auch öfters aus dem Konzept gebracht, vor allem wenn die Umgebung dann wieder eher Mittelalter Style hat (Verliese, ...).

SONSTIGES
Ich weiß nicht, ob es am Leseexemplar lag, und es damit keine überarbeitete Version ist, oder ob die reguläre Version unter der gleichen Problematik leidet, aber leider gibt es Szenen und Dialoge, wo die Charaktere auf etwas reagieren was nie gesagt wurde bzw. gar nicht vorhanden ist. Es ist als ob Szenen davor fehlen, die im Laufe des Editing einfach entfernt wurden. Dementsprechend fühlen sich viele Dialoge auch unheimlich unnatürlich an was die Problematik verstärkt, dass die Dialoge viel "es wird gesagt, aber nicht gezeigt" sind. Vieles, was der Leser über die Welt erfährt, passiert über Dialoge oder Monologe, so dass es sich manchmal sehr plumb anfühlt. (Das ist etwas, was ich z.B. bei "Fourth Wing" auch gehasst habe, weil alles World-Building dort über Monologe passiert während sich Violet von Herausforderung zu Herausforderung hangelt.)

TL;DR
Don't Kill The Demon - Das Artefakt ist ein Fantasy Jugendroman und den Auftakt einer Trilogie bildet. Die Geschichte folgt Liz, einer 17 Jährigen Internatsschülerin aus Potsdam, die in ein Abenteuer um ein gefährliches Artefakt verwickelt wird. Trotz einer interessanten Welt mit vielfältigen Figuren und Magie leidet das Buch unter unglaubwürdigen Dialogen und fehlender Kohärenz in einigen Szenen. Geeignet für 14-18-Jährige, könnte ältere Leser jedoch aufgrund der jugendlichen Hauptfigur und der typischen YA-Romanze weniger ansprechen. 

I will not review the book because the author is a zionist and I cannot support that.

(Aside from it: plenty of technical inaccuracies about the sport, why is a white author writing a Latinx character [Carrie is Argentinian-American], and why is she pitting a Latinx and a bi-racial Asian against each other?)

Alpha Dragon's Tiger is an omegaverse shifter romance that is the first book in a series (that is currently, as of April 2024, unfinished). It is similar to Bro And The Beast as they are both M/M paranormal romances with mpreg.

Please be aware that the following review includes spoilers.

PLOT OVERVIEW
Taylor is an omega tiger shifter who is satisfied with his lot in life (even if he isn't happy with it) and has accepted that he would never be anyone's omega. Tricked by his friend, and fellow omega, he joins a TV dating show that the seven dragon brothers created to find their mates. Upon arrival at the remote island where the dragons live, Taylor realises quickly that he might like Crimson, the first dragon brother to find his mate, and continues to stay on the show. In the vein of dating shows/reality TV, they have to pass some challenges to prove themselves to Crimson to have a chance at a date. Much to some contestants' disapproval, Taylor wins all of them. Crimson is the only dragon brother who doesn't appreciate the idea of being on a dating show to find his mate but realises just as quickly that he has a connection with Taylor, and endures being on the show to get closer to the tiger shifter.

CHARACTERS
There are two main characters, Taylor and Crimson, who are accompanied by a bunch of side characters of various importance. While the two main characters are relatively well developed, the other characters feel rather flat (especially the other omegas). Even Taylor's best friends, Poppy and Muzo, feel underdeveloped and are reduced to their main character traits: Poppy being anxious and afraid all the time, and Muzo being a trickster and joker with a never-ending amount of optimism. While relatively flat, their friendship with Taylor is sweet and I suppose that they will find their mates in one of the dragon brothers, too. (Or with the gryphon host as he doesn't seem to have a mate either.) The other dragons have somewhat more depth than the omegas but I suppose they will get more fleshed out in their respective books.

ROMANCE
Taylor and Crimson work relatively well together, and the omegaverse setting acts as an explanation for why they are instantly in love with each other, and the author tries to flesh out the development of their romance with each scene. The challenges are utterly stupid and I fail to see how they tested the participants of the traits that Crimson might find important in a mate. If the connection wouldn't have been there already, Crimson might've lost his fated mate to one of the challenges because the man wasn't able to swim or climb a mountain. My main issues with the romance are: the claiming without consent (as it was unclear if it was the "magical" claiming bite or just a kink) and the egg laying (the pregnancy in itself as well but especially the egg thing).

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

TL;DR
Cute omegaverse romance with a happy end (and happily ever after although the epilogue is too close to the last chapter to act as actual HEA) that requires some suspension of disbelief to ignore basic principles of physics and logic. A quick read (~200 pages) for when you don't want a more engaging romance or fantasy novel.