pastelwriter's reviews
1099 reviews

This was…fine. I consider it the definition of mid. It wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t great. It was a decent enough way to kill time 🤷🏻‍♀️

The truth of the matter is that this very much has erotica vibes, but no erotica should be 380 pages long. Sure, this tried to have some plot in there…but it felt flimsy at best. Robert didn’t seem able to decide if she wanted this to straight up be erotica or develop it fully as a romance. It left it in a terrible middle space that just had me 🤨

I also must admit that I’m getting sick and tired of Hades and Persephone retellings. It’s getting old and boring. This didn’t really bring to the table anything that made that dynamic new or different. 

At the end of the day, I didn’t hate reading this. It just didn’t leave a memorable impact. 

The way I consumed this as if my very life depended on it 😩💖 I absolutely adored it. F.T. Lukens continues to be an icon in the YA fantasy romance section. They have never let me down in any of the 3 books I’ve read by them. 

First of all, the romance between Tal and Athlen had me swooning and grinning ear to ear. They were so adorable! I loved the dynamic of Tal being a little love sick while Athlen is charming, and a little too familiar, but also a little too aloof. It was lovely! They both saw each other as wonderful, magical creatures, and they truly learned to be there for each other 💖🥺💖

The side characters in this were also great. Shay in particular stands out because heck yes. Give me a woman with a sword 🤩 I’m on my knees immediately. I totally get her love interest being all 🥰 for her because I would be the same. 

I also liked that some of the side characters really challenged Tal, and his view of the world because of his sheltered upbringing. Ultimately, this brought out the best in him as he had good intentions to start with. It also made him better embrace the darker side of himself that he also needed to accept ✨

To be honest, the only reason this lost half a star was because the resolution was so cheesy 😂 I absolutely adored it, but it was dramatic and silly. It felt a little bit off compared to some of the other parts of the story. Still, I love me some cheese, so I ate up the drama and theatrics. 

All in all? This was a great time. I can’t wait to buddy read the newest novel by F.T. Lukens with my friend 💖

I have…conflicting feelings about this book. 

For one, it took me absolutely way too long to get into this story. For about 200 pages, I wasn’t particularly compelled to pick it up. It wasn’t bad (by any means), but I was struggling to convince myself to read it despite the fact that I would enjoy it once I decided to pay it attention again.

Another dilemma was that I was hit hard by the reality that I’m not the target audience of this book. It read very clearly as a YA novel. This is not inherently a bad thing, but it means it’s a type of writing I’m less and less compelled by. It honestly read like a staple of YA—with all its strengths and shortcomings. 

Still. Once I made it 200 pages in, I began to be invested in the narrative and the characters. I was becoming more curious about the trials and the competitors. I became invested in Teo, Niya, and Xio’s friendship. I found the trials themselves engaging and thrilling to read. Although I had a strong sense of where the story would go, I didn’t mind because I was still driven enough by the storytelling to keep reading. 

I ended up loving not just the friendships in this novel, but the blooming romance between Teo and Aurelio. Aurelio is definitely the quiet and reserved type. So, Teo and Aurelio took a while to rekindle their previous friendship and their romantic feelings for each other. Still, I loved how respectful Aurelio was of Teo’s boundaries as it showed a deep and genuine care for him. 

I also have to say that one of the characters to steal my heart away was Xio. That’s my baby child! I adore him and want to protect him at all costs.

I don’t care that he played a role in what happened in the conclusion of this novel…and that he brings more questions than answers considering he’s an Obsidian…I DON’T CARE. THAT’s STILL MY BABY 😭

All this to say, I still found things to love about this book. I don’t regret having read it or owning 3 copies of it 🙈 I look forward to reading the sequel. However, I would say that readers who might be “outgrowing” YA might not be the best served by this book 🤷🏻‍♀️

I absolutely loved this conclusion to the series 🥺 Sure, I would’ve loved to read more…but this was still wonderful. 

I liked that we got a glimpse into Mitsuki and Shinomiya living together. They definitely had struggles, but they clearly loved each other so much that they were willing to work through them 💖

It was also delightful to see how, in the end, they both ended up proposing to each other. It was definitely a struggle to get them there as they were coming at it from different perspectives, but it all worked out. Bless em 🥺💖

The love I feel in my heart for Mitsuki and Shinomiya is astronomical 💖😭💖 If I love a straight couple, it’s THEM ✨

Honestly, this volume was truly such a delight. I loved seeing them navigate more parts of their relationship and meet part of each other’s family! Shinomiya’s sister was a true icon 🙏🏼 I also loved that Shinomiya was able to help Naoto navigate his relationship troubles. It showed his genuine care not only for Mitsuki but for her family as well. 

Honestly, this whole volume made my heart feel warm! I’m sad it’s all going to end in volume 6! 😭 But I’m sure I’ll love it too

I’m finally free of the shackles of this volume 😭 I absolutely HATE this arc of the story. I need Light to be evil to feel happiness. 

I remember watching the anime, and this arc was also dreadful. I don’t think it’s a bad inclusion, it makes sense, but the problem is that I love it when my man Light is intentionally being unhinged. Him genuinely trying to help L is painful. I want to see him SCHEMING. 

Thankfully, it’s over. The war is over. I can finally move on to the rest of the volumes 🙏🏼 Technically, the arc isn’t over yet but we’re getting there. 

Ah yes. Romance PEAKED when this was written. Poetry also peaked when this was written. What a gift it was to read this! 

Although I wouldn’t say this is without flaws, it was also written in a way to fully satisfy my reading preferences. I love a deeply romantic narrative set in a sci-fi setting that is hard to grasp. Who needs to know how the technology works when you can be swept away by the beauty in the letters Red and Blue write to each other? NOT I. I don’t need that nonsense 😌 I need only Romance. 

Being serious though, I adored this. It truly is a love story. It’s not a romance novel in a traditional sense, so I wouldn’t call it that. It is a love story between two women caught in opposite sides of a time war. It has some of the most beautiful confessions of love I’ve read. It’s beautiful, and I love it just the way it is. 

Eventually… I might find more to say. As it stands, I highly recommend this. It made me swoon, and it made my heart ache. 

The love I feel in my heart for Shizuma and Minato knows no bounds. They are my everything. I adore them 💖😭💖

I’m running out of things to say about this series because all I can say is that I would risk it all for them 😭 I love seeing them as they navigate the challenges of their relationship. There’s realism while also hope. This is seen clearly in this volume with the plot line of them trying to get an apartment. 

In general, though, we got a lot of cute moments between Minato and Shizuma in this volume 💖 That’s what I love to see. Even the part where Minato forgets Shizuma’s birthday is sweet because of how stressed out he ends up about it 🥺 Bless him 

I will simply have to see what develops further with Shizuma’s boss, since she wasn’t in this volume much. Hhhmm…

I’m absolutely loving this series! Megumi and Tsugumi are everything to me 💖

I love how all in Tsugumi is since he’s understood and accepted his feelings for Megumi. He can definitely have a one track mind with everything, but it’s all coming from a genuine place. He’s so sure of his love for Megumi that even if he can get concerned about Megumi’s own investment in the relationship, it doesn’t change his overall desire to love and protect Megumi. 

On the other hand… Inami truly is a pest, but I’m glad that all he’s succeeded in doing is fortifying Megumi and Tsugumi’s relationship 😂👌🏼 I love to see him fail! 

Anyway. I’m curious to see how the conversation goes with Megumi and his father…especially now that we know Inami will be there too!

As always, I absolutely love reading about Kuroji and Harutsugu! They are everything to me with how in love they are 🥺💖

I really enjoyed this book 💖 I bought it out of a desperate need for more monster romances written by poc authors, and it definitely didn’t disappoint!

I really found Joy and Malachi’s relationship sweet 💖 I loved how they both saw the dark sides of each other and embraced them. I also enjoyed watching how they navigated their traumas in order to find a way to be happy and in love together. It was really tender ✨ 

And I loved seeing Joy’s rapist be brutally murdered 🤩 We love revenge in this house.

And sure. This was hella cheesy in parts, but I kinda really liked it. Ultimately, this accomplished what it was trying to, and I had a good time. I’m looking forward to picking up book 2!