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The Monster and the Puppet
Izel is a wanted assassin, a faerie with black wings that's been viewed as an outcast all her life.
Deyanira is a human with a secret that will change everything.
When the two meet, worlds collide and a love like which neither has known takes hold of them both. However, their love is threatened by a darkness that wears a black crown.
In order to save Deyanira from a life that wouldn't be her own, Izel must become the monster that's always been hiding under her skin.
But will it be enough?
Deyanira is a human with a secret that will change everything.
When the two meet, worlds collide and a love like which neither has known takes hold of them both. However, their love is threatened by a darkness that wears a black crown.
In order to save Deyanira from a life that wouldn't be her own, Izel must become the monster that's always been hiding under her skin.
But will it be enough?
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 17, 2023
[I want to note I did recieve this as an ARC from the author but my review and rating remains 100% honest.]
This book was everything a queer fantasy novel should be. I adored the carachters and the plot was like a hook, reeling me in further and further the more I read. This is a novel of queer-ness, fantasy worlds, fae, magical creatures, magic, romance, and fated mates.
During some parts I found that it was a bit hard to keep track of what had happened to whom, as it is a duel-POV novel - which I also loved. It was easy to slip back into the story, though.
I am more than excited for the release of this book so I can have more people to talk about it with. I will however warn you that you will crave the second book by the end and you will do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to keep reading of this world.
This book was everything a queer fantasy novel should be. I adored the carachters and the plot was like a hook, reeling me in further and further the more I read. This is a novel of queer-ness, fantasy worlds, fae, magical creatures, magic, romance, and fated mates.
During some parts I found that it was a bit hard to keep track of what had happened to whom, as it is a duel-POV novel - which I also loved. It was easy to slip back into the story, though.
I am more than excited for the release of this book so I can have more people to talk about it with. I will however warn you that you will crave the second book by the end and you will do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to keep reading of this world.
August 23, 2023
5/5/23: Just dropping by to post my rating, I'm holding my review hostage until closer to publication day👀
———
8/23/23: UPDATE WE HAVE A PUB DATE I REPEAT WE HAVE A PUB DATE! Ya'll can get your hands on this FABULOUS book September 21,2023!!!! 👏🏻pre👏🏻order👏🏻it👏🏻rn👏🏻
5/5 stars⭐️and so totally worth all five!
(I did beta read this but it is my honest review of the original manuscript, I'm excited to reread it and see how it changed and developed with editing!!)
Obviously with beta reading there are mistakes with grammar and sometimes rough sentence structure butttt Jamie seems very responsive and thankful for the comments and critiques I left so I’m hopeful that the final product will be absolutely flawless! Without further ado, here is my review on the story and writing alone:
😭Anything and everything for you.😭 i cri
This is a refreshing take on fated mates & forced marriage tropes with a touch her and you die love interest and an absolutely despicable villain.
!!!LGBTQ+ representation (Sapphic love)!!!
The writing is great!! There are some fabulous one liners scattered throughout and the overall skill in writing is there. Do I think as Jamie continues to write that she’ll get even better? Yes, but that’s the same for every writer ever. They always get better with time!
Izel falls first, Deyanira falls harder (but that’s bc she’s human and the mating bond is intense). It’s the “mate that knows about the bond/mate that doesn’t” trope and I ate it uppppp. We love a protective, semi-obsessed love interest (Izel my loveeee)
The slowwwwwwest of slow burns (but so very worth it, and the buildup???? Chefs kiss🤌🏻✨)
World-building is fabulous. There’s a sprinkling of lore mixed in throughout so it’s not heavy on info-dumping. Locations are described enough and in a way that has you imagining everything as you read.
Fabulous plot twists mixed in. Lots of OMG moments, lots of heart wrenching moments.
Seriah needs to leave. Rn. I do not like him even though I know Jaimie was attempting to get him set up for a potential redemption towards the end (I’m assuming in prep for book two). Unfortunately for Jamie, she's too good at making him absolutely despicable and despise-able. I hated reading any section with him in it, literally had a look of disgust on my face whenever he showed up on page.
Ended without a cliffhanger and with just enough intrigue for book two (which I'm starting to beta read or soon)!
———
8/23/23: UPDATE WE HAVE A PUB DATE I REPEAT WE HAVE A PUB DATE! Ya'll can get your hands on this FABULOUS book September 21,2023!!!! 👏🏻pre👏🏻order👏🏻it👏🏻rn👏🏻
5/5 stars⭐️and so totally worth all five!
(I did beta read this but it is my honest review of the original manuscript, I'm excited to reread it and see how it changed and developed with editing!!)
Obviously with beta reading there are mistakes with grammar and sometimes rough sentence structure butttt Jamie seems very responsive and thankful for the comments and critiques I left so I’m hopeful that the final product will be absolutely flawless! Without further ado, here is my review on the story and writing alone:
😭Anything and everything for you.😭 i cri
This is a refreshing take on fated mates & forced marriage tropes with a touch her and you die love interest and an absolutely despicable villain.
!!!LGBTQ+ representation (Sapphic love)!!!
The writing is great!! There are some fabulous one liners scattered throughout and the overall skill in writing is there. Do I think as Jamie continues to write that she’ll get even better? Yes, but that’s the same for every writer ever. They always get better with time!
Izel falls first, Deyanira falls harder (but that’s bc she’s human and the mating bond is intense). It’s the “mate that knows about the bond/mate that doesn’t” trope and I ate it uppppp. We love a protective, semi-obsessed love interest (Izel my loveeee)
The slowwwwwwest of slow burns (but so very worth it, and the buildup???? Chefs kiss🤌🏻✨)
World-building is fabulous. There’s a sprinkling of lore mixed in throughout so it’s not heavy on info-dumping. Locations are described enough and in a way that has you imagining everything as you read.
Fabulous plot twists mixed in. Lots of OMG moments, lots of heart wrenching moments.
Seriah needs to leave. Rn. I do not like him even though I know Jaimie was attempting to get him set up for a potential redemption towards the end (I’m assuming in prep for book two). Unfortunately for Jamie, she's too good at making him absolutely despicable and despise-able. I hated reading any section with him in it, literally had a look of disgust on my face whenever he showed up on page.
Ended without a cliffhanger and with just enough intrigue for book two (which I'm starting to beta read or soon)!
June 6, 2023
This book kept breaking my heart and putting it back together. The beginning was slow, and I wasn't enjoying it. I think some of the word choices could be changed. I had to go to google quite a bit because I had no clue what something meant. I think changing it to something simpler. Other than that, the writing flowed beautifully. After the 50 page mark, everything got better. I loved the characters; obviously not Seriah. I did enjoy seeing the character development at the end. I loved how Izel protected, took care of, and would do anything for her mate. I have never felt as many emotions as I felt in this book. This is a new favorite. I need book two ASAP! I need more. I will definitely be buying a physical copy as soon as I am able to. I just want to display this masterpiece on my shelf.
September 5, 2023
I really thought about rating it at a 4 because of how much I disliked Seriah to be honest. He is insufferable and feels like the villain that poses as your friend. The book is great! There are definitely so many questions I have after finishing that I hope will be answered in the next book (or two), but for now I will just have to sit with them.
For tropes its a sapphic, fated mates, battle royale fantasy. There is a lot of action, and some plot twists where you can't tell who is the good guy and who is not. It was a very interesting concept that the bond has to be declared as opposed to just "oh we saw each other, that's it."
Would read again.
For tropes its a sapphic, fated mates, battle royale fantasy. There is a lot of action, and some plot twists where you can't tell who is the good guy and who is not. It was a very interesting concept that the bond has to be declared as opposed to just "oh we saw each other, that's it."
Would read again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2023
It's really hard to give a review without giving spoilers. This a quick read, but a fast paced, fun and adorable one. There are so many characters to love, and a few you want to punch in the throat and then hug. Hug optional. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read this in both it's beta and completed stages. Watching it evolve was a delight. Be warned though, this book is pure fun and might take your breath away.
June 5, 2023
I did receive this beautiful book as an arc! This is an epic fantasy that is a really fun read, the world is super well built and the leading characters are so well developed. The book was good, Id just say Im not in love with it personally? Super easy read, fast paced, I recommend yall check it out 🥰
June 20, 2023
This is a solid fantasy story. I really like the romance in it and I’m not a fated mates trope reader usually. The worldbuilding was present, but slightly over done and the plot tried to accomplish A LOT over the course of the story, which left me reeling at times.
izel is so likeable it’s hard to think of her as a monster, but I still hate the prince. There is no redemption arc that will get me on board with him.
izel is so likeable it’s hard to think of her as a monster, but I still hate the prince. There is no redemption arc that will get me on board with him.
October 27, 2023
So! Let me start off by saying that this book was a good time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, BUT there were a few things that kinda irked me. I am glad I FINALLY read it, but there are still a few things.
1) The world building. : I feel like the world building was a little loosey goosey. The way that Clazarene seems to be soooo much like earth, the differences seem pretty minimal aside from the technology and the weaponry. They have both swords and daggers, but also guns. I would have also liked to see some more detail about Earae and the other deities.
2) the fact that Deya and Izel seem to go through the most instalove situation I’ve seen recently, I didn’t like that. I’m not a huge fan of that trope, but it didn’t ruin the story for me.
3) I HATEDDSDD Seriah! I will say that Jamie Leonard did an A M A Z I N G job of writing a VERY easily hated villain. He was on the same level as Tamlin for me, fr. Or maybe Dain. Hate hate. HAAAAATE.
4) the story seemed to want to do a lot but still got very little actually done. I feel like this book might have laid the ground work, and I’m excited to see where the series continues to go with things like Arlin’s plan, if Seriah is going to change his ways, the development of Deyanira’s powers… I’m excited!
5) THE RITE. This really irked me! The fact that it was so so so much like The Hunger Games - with the way that Maertisa acted, to the set up number of entrants, the before/after. It was fun to read, but was slightly unoriginal.
6) This book was VERY action packed and I like that in a book!
All in all, 4 stars!!
1) The world building. : I feel like the world building was a little loosey goosey. The way that Clazarene seems to be soooo much like earth, the differences seem pretty minimal aside from the technology and the weaponry. They have both swords and daggers, but also guns. I would have also liked to see some more detail about Earae and the other deities.
2) the fact that Deya and Izel seem to go through the most instalove situation I’ve seen recently, I didn’t like that. I’m not a huge fan of that trope, but it didn’t ruin the story for me.
3) I HATEDDSDD Seriah! I will say that Jamie Leonard did an A M A Z I N G job of writing a VERY easily hated villain. He was on the same level as Tamlin for me, fr. Or maybe Dain. Hate hate. HAAAAATE.
4) the story seemed to want to do a lot but still got very little actually done. I feel like this book might have laid the ground work, and I’m excited to see where the series continues to go with things like Arlin’s plan, if Seriah is going to change his ways, the development of Deyanira’s powers… I’m excited!
5) THE RITE. This really irked me! The fact that it was so so so much like The Hunger Games - with the way that Maertisa acted, to the set up number of entrants, the before/after. It was fun to read, but was slightly unoriginal.
6) This book was VERY action packed and I like that in a book!
All in all, 4 stars!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2025
I am so very lucky and grateful to have gotten the chance to read this wonderful book early. It was so devastatingly beautiful and I absolutely loved it. The best way I can think of to describe this book is Throne of Glass meets The Hunger Games meets Aladdin, and so so so much more. The characters are so well written and I love all the descriptions we get of them. And don't even get me started on the love. This book contains a love that I think a lot of people dream of and it's sapphic. My only issues were some things felt a little rushed or like they happened too fast, but it didn't take anything away from the story. In the end, this book had me tearing up and my chest hurting, but that's how you know I'm insanely attached to these characters and invested in this story. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Jamie Leonard. Thank you for sharing this story with the world.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews