What do you think?
Rate this book
War of the Four Realms #1
A Realm of Ash and Shadow
Eighteen-year-old princess, Valeria Breault, is sure of three things. One, she was exiled from Empyrean because her father didn't want the hassle of raising her. Two, her perfect realm would be better off without a mortal-raised smart-ass with a foul mouth and penchant for trouble. And three, neither of those things matter when a horde of demons crashes prom.
Forced to fight for her life, Valeria narrowly escapes being captured by the Realm of the Forsaken, only to be dragged back to Empyrean before she is meant to return. Instead of the beautiful utopia from her bedtime stories, Val finds herself thrown into a hellish nightmare where the poor are dying, the rich are thriving, and her claim to the throne is in jeopardy. But not if Valeria can help it.
The overwhelming desire to belong and a craving for power has her making choices that make it harder and harder to guard her heart against the man who's bound to protect her, the god she's vowed to hate, and the darkness that's growing inside her. Only time will tell if the secrets she unravels and the alliances she makes will lead to the throne or the pyre.
Forced to fight for her life, Valeria narrowly escapes being captured by the Realm of the Forsaken, only to be dragged back to Empyrean before she is meant to return. Instead of the beautiful utopia from her bedtime stories, Val finds herself thrown into a hellish nightmare where the poor are dying, the rich are thriving, and her claim to the throne is in jeopardy. But not if Valeria can help it.
The overwhelming desire to belong and a craving for power has her making choices that make it harder and harder to guard her heart against the man who's bound to protect her, the god she's vowed to hate, and the darkness that's growing inside her. Only time will tell if the secrets she unravels and the alliances she makes will lead to the throne or the pyre.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 11, 2023
40 people are currently reading
2875 people want to read
About the author
Lara Buckheit
5 books149 followersLara Buckheit was born and raised on the Eastern Shore. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Wilmington University, is a 2021 WriteMentor Mentee, an avid writer (and reader) of spice, and one time she met Taylor Swift’s dad.
She started writing at a very young age, mostly fanfiction centered around women with swords and men with devilish grins. And she hasn’t stopped since.
When not writing, Lara can be found drinking tea, hustling for her day job, reading from her endless TBR pile, or hanging out on her body confidence Instagram.
Lara currently lives in Charlottesville, VA, with her husband, dog, and thirteen houseplants named after fictional characters.
She started writing at a very young age, mostly fanfiction centered around women with swords and men with devilish grins. And she hasn’t stopped since.
When not writing, Lara can be found drinking tea, hustling for her day job, reading from her endless TBR pile, or hanging out on her body confidence Instagram.
Lara currently lives in Charlottesville, VA, with her husband, dog, and thirteen houseplants named after fictional characters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
March 30, 2023
Yup, I don't like this. I'm not going to sugarcoat this review. I don't like this book.
It's in the way how messy the plot and the conflict is. There were a lot of things that very confusing, like how something didn't add up or didn't match. There were one things that didn't make sense inside my head too. I'm not sure was it because I was too stupid to understand or was it simply too complicated to understand? But I'm not gonna lie that this is a very intriguing and interesting story, the premise was promising too and I admit that beside the cover, the synopsis what got me to read this one. But it's an unfortunate that the way it was executed was very messy and I don't like it.
The first section of the book was slow paced and felt very long and without any significant events happening. Towards the middle of the book, I actually grew to like the plot a bit more since it started to pick up it paced and knowing this book is using the same formula as ACOTAR and it worked pretty well in my opinion. But then toward climaxing the conflict everything just got messy, the way these characters trying to resolve a conflict with little effort doesn't sit well in my mind, then the whole info dump/history was just so fucking branched out I got confused as hell, I even got confused which one is the true enemy here. Fuck even I got confused which one is the true love interest here. It's safe to say that the whole plot and story was like tangled yarn that is quite impossible to untangle.
For characters, well I honestly don't like the Valeria. It was just how I couldn't connect with her in deep connection and there were times that I found myself saying she really is a stupid girl lmao. Sure she was relatable and have that certain badass, but was it badass or just stubbornness? The way this girl cheated on her soulmate too 💀 look honestly I'm not sure if it's called cheating because as I said there were a lot of things that very much confusing in this book and that includes the fmc's love interest, so yeah, I think it still counts as cheating too lmao. But honestly I think she is a very interesting character, if the author really do well in evolving her in later books I think it'll be fantastic. It's still book one after all and she's only 18 so I do understand that some things were necessary because we're talking about big picture here. Other than that some characters were okay, I like Cayden he's pretty cool, Gideon was weird but okay too, Vemdour however. Man- that god is just so sensual and fuck I fell for his trap too 😭 Malachi was cool, Sabel was meh, Red was awesome for me. All of them were cool.
But I do actually want to appraise the writing, it was amazing. And throughout the read I found myself mesmerized by the author's writing. I think it's in the way at some point how eloquent the writing felt, it was sometimes funny too and witty. Although I still have to admit that the flow didn't flow smoothly, there were times that the plot felt so dragging and went by too fast. And it went too fast at action scenes especially, it felt like the author didn't dedicate more words or times for those scenes to really happened and it went dragging when nothing particular happened in the plot.
Overall this book has a lot of potential and I feel like all of the things I mentioned above was fair to happened in a first book especially if we're talking about more than tetra or pentalogy. Idk what this book will be but I'm honestly intrigued to see what will happen next and I did enjoy this though not so much.
So I'm gonna give this a 3 stars.
Worth a try if you like a fantasy with different realms at once.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Big thanks to Lara Buckheit, her publisher, and netgalley for providing me the arc in exchange for an honest review✌🏻
It's in the way how messy the plot and the conflict is. There were a lot of things that very confusing, like how something didn't add up or didn't match. There were one things that didn't make sense inside my head too. I'm not sure was it because I was too stupid to understand or was it simply too complicated to understand? But I'm not gonna lie that this is a very intriguing and interesting story, the premise was promising too and I admit that beside the cover, the synopsis what got me to read this one. But it's an unfortunate that the way it was executed was very messy and I don't like it.
The first section of the book was slow paced and felt very long and without any significant events happening. Towards the middle of the book, I actually grew to like the plot a bit more since it started to pick up it paced and knowing this book is using the same formula as ACOTAR and it worked pretty well in my opinion. But then toward climaxing the conflict everything just got messy, the way these characters trying to resolve a conflict with little effort doesn't sit well in my mind, then the whole info dump/history was just so fucking branched out I got confused as hell, I even got confused which one is the true enemy here. Fuck even I got confused which one is the true love interest here. It's safe to say that the whole plot and story was like tangled yarn that is quite impossible to untangle.
For characters, well I honestly don't like the Valeria. It was just how I couldn't connect with her in deep connection and there were times that I found myself saying she really is a stupid girl lmao. Sure she was relatable and have that certain badass, but was it badass or just stubbornness? The way this girl cheated on her soulmate too 💀 look honestly I'm not sure if it's called cheating because as I said there were a lot of things that very much confusing in this book and that includes the fmc's love interest, so yeah, I think it still counts as cheating too lmao. But honestly I think she is a very interesting character, if the author really do well in evolving her in later books I think it'll be fantastic. It's still book one after all and she's only 18 so I do understand that some things were necessary because we're talking about big picture here. Other than that some characters were okay, I like Cayden he's pretty cool, Gideon was weird but okay too, Vemdour however. Man- that god is just so sensual and fuck I fell for his trap too 😭 Malachi was cool, Sabel was meh, Red was awesome for me. All of them were cool.
But I do actually want to appraise the writing, it was amazing. And throughout the read I found myself mesmerized by the author's writing. I think it's in the way at some point how eloquent the writing felt, it was sometimes funny too and witty. Although I still have to admit that the flow didn't flow smoothly, there were times that the plot felt so dragging and went by too fast. And it went too fast at action scenes especially, it felt like the author didn't dedicate more words or times for those scenes to really happened and it went dragging when nothing particular happened in the plot.
Overall this book has a lot of potential and I feel like all of the things I mentioned above was fair to happened in a first book especially if we're talking about more than tetra or pentalogy. Idk what this book will be but I'm honestly intrigued to see what will happen next and I did enjoy this though not so much.
So I'm gonna give this a 3 stars.
Worth a try if you like a fantasy with different realms at once.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Big thanks to Lara Buckheit, her publisher, and netgalley for providing me the arc in exchange for an honest review✌🏻
February 11, 2024
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Sword & Silk books). All thoughts and opinions are my own.
✅ Interesting ideas in the world-building
🆗 Plot and pace
🆗 Some info-dump at the beginning of the book
🆗❌ High school setting (only at the beginning) / Jealous girl drama
🆗❌ Characters
❌ Romance
❌ Described as an “enemies to lovers”, but it is not, don’t get fooled
DNF at 46%
Valeria, or Val, is the princess of a magical realm called Empyrean, and she has been hiding on Earth for most of her life, where she has been raised and trained by Mistress Marjorie, and where she also tries to live a “normal” human life, until her 18th birthday when she will have to go back to Empyrean.
That’s about all there is to it for the first 46%. Not much politics or real plot, just Val dealing with jealous teenage girl drama, insta-lust, and a lot of whining, even though she insists on saying that she is a tough cookie, and she is NOT like all the other girls.
I hesitated before requesting an ARC of this one because the main character is a high school student, and I am VERY picky when it comes to school/academy settings. Sadly, this one was not for me, partly because of the immature main character, but also because of the plot. While the ideas were interesting, and the world-building was not bad overall, the plot just felt a little messy. Some things didn’t add up, and the first half of the book focuses more on teenage romance drama than the actual political plot I was led to believe this was about.
Val was a rather bland main character, and very annoying too. She has been trained her whole life for her return to her realm, to take up her role as a princess, but despite all those years of training, she seems to have no manners or grasp of politics at all. She is also portrayed as a badass that can fight, but she spends half of her time whining, and her inner monologues didn’t give us any insight, it only felt like she was narrating her daily life, which made it very easy to feel detached from her.
Val made many annoying/stupid decisions, and it made her seem selfish and bratty at times. As an example, her life is in danger, she got attacked, and she still insists on going to prom because she HAS to live this human experience, and she does not want to let the threat of demons prevent her from this special evening. I understand wanting to have a “normal” human life, but now she is putting her life, and her classmates’ lives in danger too and it made her appear selfish. The more self-centered reasoning makes sense if you take into consideration the fact that Val is 18 and still in high school, but it didn’t resonate with me at all. I am looking for more mature main characters in the books I read.
She also insists that she is a simple girl, she even says to one of her maids (once she arrives at the palace) to choose whatever she wants for Val to wear because she’s not picky at all, but 2 minutes later, she is stating that she will not be wearing what the maid picked because it’s something a grandmother would wear… So is she picky or not? Does she care about superficial things such as clothes or not? Because we get two different messages here.
Mason was not much better as a secondary character, to be honest. He was fine at first, but then he showed signs of a special ability, so they HAD to tell him everything of course, and he just took everything in stride. He asked a few questions but was basically willing to uproot his whole life for Val after hearing their info-dump about her true identity and where she comes from.
The romance… I feel that the author forced herself to add romance to the story, even if it was not really necessary. First, there is Val and Mason, and even though Val makes it clear that she is not in love with him and that it’s only a friends-with-benefits situation, she gets jealous when another girl flirts with him. She also gets excited at the idea that Mason might want her more than he did before he learned who she truly was, but then she just forgets about him once she arrives in her new realm. It’s as if Mason never existed, because she’s suddenly surrounded by better-looking and sexier men.
Then there is Gideon. I think his relationship with Val is supposed to be a hate-to-love because Val decides that she hates him for a not-so-good reason (in my humble opinion), but then there is this undeniable physical attraction between them, that didn’t spark anything in me by the way, it just felt bland and boring. Val then tries to make Gideon jealous? To get revenge on him for something that she didn’t really let him explain? I am not sure what the goal was here, but it felt as if the author just crammed a bunch of unnecessary events together just so she could add some drama, jealousy, and a few popular tropes while she was at it, but none of it felt relevant to the plot (that was still unclear at the 46% mark).
Follow me on Instagram 🙂
✅ Interesting ideas in the world-building
🆗 Plot and pace
🆗 Some info-dump at the beginning of the book
🆗❌ High school setting (only at the beginning) / Jealous girl drama
🆗❌ Characters
❌ Romance
❌ Described as an “enemies to lovers”, but it is not, don’t get fooled
DNF at 46%
A girl can dream. A princess cannot.
Valeria, or Val, is the princess of a magical realm called Empyrean, and she has been hiding on Earth for most of her life, where she has been raised and trained by Mistress Marjorie, and where she also tries to live a “normal” human life, until her 18th birthday when she will have to go back to Empyrean.
That’s about all there is to it for the first 46%. Not much politics or real plot, just Val dealing with jealous teenage girl drama, insta-lust, and a lot of whining, even though she insists on saying that she is a tough cookie, and she is NOT like all the other girls.
I hesitated before requesting an ARC of this one because the main character is a high school student, and I am VERY picky when it comes to school/academy settings. Sadly, this one was not for me, partly because of the immature main character, but also because of the plot. While the ideas were interesting, and the world-building was not bad overall, the plot just felt a little messy. Some things didn’t add up, and the first half of the book focuses more on teenage romance drama than the actual political plot I was led to believe this was about.
“Tell me, little one, what are you truly willing to risk to belong in Empyrean? Your life? Would you accept the same fate as Iris if it meant sitting on the throne and being adored by your people?”
Val was a rather bland main character, and very annoying too. She has been trained her whole life for her return to her realm, to take up her role as a princess, but despite all those years of training, she seems to have no manners or grasp of politics at all. She is also portrayed as a badass that can fight, but she spends half of her time whining, and her inner monologues didn’t give us any insight, it only felt like she was narrating her daily life, which made it very easy to feel detached from her.
“I just need to get back to my keeper. She’ll keep me safe until it’s time for me to leave. I’m not missing graduation.”
He closed the distance between us with three steps, grasping my hands as he towered over me. I had to tilt my head back to look at him. His blue gaze glowed in the starlight. “You would put more lives in danger for something so… mortal?”
Val made many annoying/stupid decisions, and it made her seem selfish and bratty at times. As an example, her life is in danger, she got attacked, and she still insists on going to prom because she HAS to live this human experience, and she does not want to let the threat of demons prevent her from this special evening. I understand wanting to have a “normal” human life, but now she is putting her life, and her classmates’ lives in danger too and it made her appear selfish. The more self-centered reasoning makes sense if you take into consideration the fact that Val is 18 and still in high school, but it didn’t resonate with me at all. I am looking for more mature main characters in the books I read.
She also insists that she is a simple girl, she even says to one of her maids (once she arrives at the palace) to choose whatever she wants for Val to wear because she’s not picky at all, but 2 minutes later, she is stating that she will not be wearing what the maid picked because it’s something a grandmother would wear… So is she picky or not? Does she care about superficial things such as clothes or not? Because we get two different messages here.
Mason was not much better as a secondary character, to be honest. He was fine at first, but then he showed signs of a special ability, so they HAD to tell him everything of course, and he just took everything in stride. He asked a few questions but was basically willing to uproot his whole life for Val after hearing their info-dump about her true identity and where she comes from.
The romance… I feel that the author forced herself to add romance to the story, even if it was not really necessary. First, there is Val and Mason, and even though Val makes it clear that she is not in love with him and that it’s only a friends-with-benefits situation, she gets jealous when another girl flirts with him. She also gets excited at the idea that Mason might want her more than he did before he learned who she truly was, but then she just forgets about him once she arrives in her new realm. It’s as if Mason never existed, because she’s suddenly surrounded by better-looking and sexier men.
Then there is Gideon. I think his relationship with Val is supposed to be a hate-to-love because Val decides that she hates him for a not-so-good reason (in my humble opinion), but then there is this undeniable physical attraction between them, that didn’t spark anything in me by the way, it just felt bland and boring. Val then tries to make Gideon jealous? To get revenge on him for something that she didn’t really let him explain? I am not sure what the goal was here, but it felt as if the author just crammed a bunch of unnecessary events together just so she could add some drama, jealousy, and a few popular tropes while she was at it, but none of it felt relevant to the plot (that was still unclear at the 46% mark).
Follow me on Instagram 🙂
April 3, 2023
Gave me some ACOTAR vibes
Valeria was exiled to the mortal world after her mother's death. She was told it was for her safety. But on her 18th birthday, she was to return to Empyrean and take on her princess duties. Upon her return, Empyrean didn't turn out as she had imagined. Instead of being lush and thriving, Empyrean was failing. Its people were struggling and starving. What has her father done? Can she overthrow her father? Can she be the change Empyrean needs?
It was a captivating story from beginning to end! There were betrayals, secrecy, romance, friendship, fights, and battles. However, there were a few minor flaws that made the novel less engaging. One issue I had was the heroine, Valeria. She is supposed to be this badass and strong character. But she came off as foolish and annoying. She was hotheaded and jumped to conclusions. I understand she's young and supposed to have some character growth, but there wasn't enough to make me like her. This leads me to the second issue, the characters' depth and development. The characters needed more depth and development to help make them feel more authentic. Lastly, the story ended too abruptly. With that being said, I still really enjoy the story. I found it entertaining and can't wait to read the next installment.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Lara Buckheit, and Sword and Silk Books for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Valeria was exiled to the mortal world after her mother's death. She was told it was for her safety. But on her 18th birthday, she was to return to Empyrean and take on her princess duties. Upon her return, Empyrean didn't turn out as she had imagined. Instead of being lush and thriving, Empyrean was failing. Its people were struggling and starving. What has her father done? Can she overthrow her father? Can she be the change Empyrean needs?
It was a captivating story from beginning to end! There were betrayals, secrecy, romance, friendship, fights, and battles. However, there were a few minor flaws that made the novel less engaging. One issue I had was the heroine, Valeria. She is supposed to be this badass and strong character. But she came off as foolish and annoying. She was hotheaded and jumped to conclusions. I understand she's young and supposed to have some character growth, but there wasn't enough to make me like her. This leads me to the second issue, the characters' depth and development. The characters needed more depth and development to help make them feel more authentic. Lastly, the story ended too abruptly. With that being said, I still really enjoy the story. I found it entertaining and can't wait to read the next installment.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Lara Buckheit, and Sword and Silk Books for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
March 18, 2023
3.75✨
A Realm of Ash and Shadow was a pleasant surprise! I haven't expected to like it this much but I did.
The book had me hooked since the beginning with it's mix of three different realms, the Realm of the Mortals where our FMC Valeria was raise for eighteen years, the Empyrean realm where her throne and birthright is ruled by her ruthless father and the Realm of the Forsaken where Valeria will find herself in later on.
The plot was gripping, it had it's ups and downs but overall it had me interested throughout the book specially the last quarter or so when Valeria is on the Forsaken Realm, I devoured that part.
I liked Valeria and how sassy she is. Gideon is a sweetheart and I never thought I be swooning for a blondie (don't get me wrong, they're great but dark haired males supremacy...), although the spotlight goes to Vemdour, the God of the Forsaken. I'm rooting for him and Valeria even after seeing how things ended.
I liked all the side characters too, each one of them was special on its own specially Mason and Malachi.
Overall, it's a solid debut with a very interesting and entertaining story. I'm looking forward to the next book of the series.
I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.
A Realm of Ash and Shadow was a pleasant surprise! I haven't expected to like it this much but I did.
The book had me hooked since the beginning with it's mix of three different realms, the Realm of the Mortals where our FMC Valeria was raise for eighteen years, the Empyrean realm where her throne and birthright is ruled by her ruthless father and the Realm of the Forsaken where Valeria will find herself in later on.
The plot was gripping, it had it's ups and downs but overall it had me interested throughout the book specially the last quarter or so when Valeria is on the Forsaken Realm, I devoured that part.
I liked Valeria and how sassy she is. Gideon is a sweetheart and I never thought I be swooning for a blondie (don't get me wrong, they're great but dark haired males supremacy...), although the spotlight goes to Vemdour, the God of the Forsaken. I'm rooting for him and Valeria even after seeing how things ended.
I liked all the side characters too, each one of them was special on its own specially Mason and Malachi.
Overall, it's a solid debut with a very interesting and entertaining story. I'm looking forward to the next book of the series.
I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.
May 11, 2023
Release day is just over a month away, so I thought it'd be fun if I dropped you all a little note.
I'm still surprised that A REALM OF ASH AND SHADOW is my debut... not because I spent four years working on this story, rewriting Val's journey, her wants, her needs, and her desires. But because at some point in the drafting process, I stopped writing what I thought everyone wanted to read and instead wrote a book filled with all of MY favorite things. Magic, romance, toeing the line between light and dark and fear and hope, and easter eggs galore.
This book is a love letter to my younger self who thought I would never be loved because I was too much. Too loud. Too big. Too wrapped up in fantasy worlds. Too this. Too that. It wasn't until many years later that I realized I was worthy of being loved in the ways that I wanted (and needed) to be loved—wholly, utterly, and infinitely.
So if you've ever felt this way... please know that A REALM OF ASH AND SHADOW is for you. You will see this fear in Val and although she doesn't believe she is worthy of love, she loves fiercely. I hope you do the same.
Thank you so much for reading my debut <3
--
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Sexual Content, Graphic Violence and Gore, Abusive Relationships and Domestic Violence (via a single flashback), Abandonment and Grief, and Profanity.
I'm still surprised that A REALM OF ASH AND SHADOW is my debut... not because I spent four years working on this story, rewriting Val's journey, her wants, her needs, and her desires. But because at some point in the drafting process, I stopped writing what I thought everyone wanted to read and instead wrote a book filled with all of MY favorite things. Magic, romance, toeing the line between light and dark and fear and hope, and easter eggs galore.
This book is a love letter to my younger self who thought I would never be loved because I was too much. Too loud. Too big. Too wrapped up in fantasy worlds. Too this. Too that. It wasn't until many years later that I realized I was worthy of being loved in the ways that I wanted (and needed) to be loved—wholly, utterly, and infinitely.
So if you've ever felt this way... please know that A REALM OF ASH AND SHADOW is for you. You will see this fear in Val and although she doesn't believe she is worthy of love, she loves fiercely. I hope you do the same.
Thank you so much for reading my debut <3
--
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Sexual Content, Graphic Violence and Gore, Abusive Relationships and Domestic Violence (via a single flashback), Abandonment and Grief, and Profanity.
Want to read
April 7, 2022Kingdom of the Wicked meets These Hollow Vows 👀🔥
Where can I sign my soul away for an ARC of this??? I need it STAT. ✍🏻
Where can I sign my soul away for an ARC of this??? I need it STAT. ✍🏻
March 30, 2023
I struggled so hard to finish this book and almost dnf’ed multiple times.
Although the story has an interesting premise the execution was far from flawless. The MC was generally one of the most annoying I’ve read with very few positive traits. What irritated me the most was she seemed to throw herself at any man with a pulse unless they were related. Every time a new male character was introduced I was questioning whether or not she would hook up with them, and more than 90% of that time she did. Even the God of hell who tortured her supposed best friend??? who she also hooked up with??
There are so many more critiques I could make but I choose to not waste anymore time on this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
Although the story has an interesting premise the execution was far from flawless. The MC was generally one of the most annoying I’ve read with very few positive traits. What irritated me the most was she seemed to throw herself at any man with a pulse unless they were related. Every time a new male character was introduced I was questioning whether or not she would hook up with them, and more than 90% of that time she did. Even the God of hell who tortured her supposed best friend??? who she also hooked up with??
There are so many more critiques I could make but I choose to not waste anymore time on this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
These days very few YA fantasy books keep me guessing and feel completely unpredictable- this one though- it’s amazing!! One of the best fantasy adventures I’ve read in a long time. I absolutely loved it! Valeria is a kick ass lead and her story is awesome. Definitely looking forward to the next book! I received an advanced copy from NetGalley All views are my own.
April 10, 2023
For lovers of Sarah J. Maas and Julie Kagawa comes a new fantasy new adult series featuring a kick-ass heroine, swoon-worthy romance, and political intrigue!
Our main character, Valeria, has been exiled to the mortal realm for most of her life, but on the day of her 18th birthday, she will be sent back to live the rest of her days in Empyrean. Terrified of leaving her life behind for one unknown, she tries to make the most of her last few days in her small town as a normal high school senior. At her prom, however, she is attacked by hundreds of demons, throwing her into the realm of Empyrean with a strange young man named Gideon. As she learns more about who she is and her place in her new world, she dreams of having power and agency, finding people she can trust, and navigating the hidden histories of her past.
Buckheit succeeds in creating a world that kept me interested, with a lore that slowly unraveled as the story progressed, and promises to keep developing in future books in the series. Valeria, while whiny and a tad insufferable near the beginning, developed into a more nuanced and mature character as the book moved along, and I eventually came to appreciate her mild immaturity and sharp honesty. I'm hoping for some epic development further into this series for her. For romance readers, this book will certainly deliver if you like the leading love interest as romantic and knight-esque.
Where this book fell a little flat for this reader is the pacing of the romance and the love triangle (rectangle?) that the author created. The development of the romance took up about the first half of the book and the second half was mostly focused on Valeria's inner conflict -- dealing with her innate desire for power at any cost. I found the latter half to be much more engaging with the romance intertwined than the first half. In the first half, the pacing felt off for me because the intimacy between Gideon and Valeria developed so quickly that it felt inauthentic to the experiences she had with Mason at the beginning of the novel. Their relationship develops so quickly that I don't even think I need to mark that as a spoiler! I do love their dynamic though, and will continue to read this series to see where these two end up.
Our main character, Valeria, has been exiled to the mortal realm for most of her life, but on the day of her 18th birthday, she will be sent back to live the rest of her days in Empyrean. Terrified of leaving her life behind for one unknown, she tries to make the most of her last few days in her small town as a normal high school senior. At her prom, however, she is attacked by hundreds of demons, throwing her into the realm of Empyrean with a strange young man named Gideon. As she learns more about who she is and her place in her new world, she dreams of having power and agency, finding people she can trust, and navigating the hidden histories of her past.
Buckheit succeeds in creating a world that kept me interested, with a lore that slowly unraveled as the story progressed, and promises to keep developing in future books in the series. Valeria, while whiny and a tad insufferable near the beginning, developed into a more nuanced and mature character as the book moved along, and I eventually came to appreciate her mild immaturity and sharp honesty. I'm hoping for some epic development further into this series for her. For romance readers, this book will certainly deliver if you like the leading love interest as romantic and knight-esque.
Where this book fell a little flat for this reader is the pacing of the romance and the love triangle (rectangle?) that the author created. The development of the romance took up about the first half of the book and the second half was mostly focused on Valeria's inner conflict -- dealing with her innate desire for power at any cost. I found the latter half to be much more engaging with the romance intertwined than the first half. In the first half, the pacing felt off for me because the intimacy between Gideon and Valeria developed so quickly that it felt inauthentic to the experiences she had with Mason at the beginning of the novel. Their relationship develops so quickly that I don't even think I need to mark that as a spoiler! I do love their dynamic though, and will continue to read this series to see where these two end up.
February 28, 2023
Rating: 4✨
Spice: 1🌶
I would like to start by thanking the author for this eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is completely voluntary and honest.
Lara did an incredible job of introducing you to the series & keeping you guessing on what might happen throughout the book. There were some plot twists at the end that I did not see coming. She also did an amazing job at having you become invested in each character's stories and possible future developments!
I think the only part I wished for more of was for more relationship development between the FMC & both MMCs. In this case being Valeria, Gideon and Vemdour. Without giving spoilers, I felt parts of the story and dynamic between them was rushed, so I wished we could have seen more build up in their connections.
Valeria is a badass. She is a heroine that you might get frustrated with at times, but she's also very relatable because of that. She is honest when she makes mistakes & owns up to them. She also does whatever she must to make up for them. She is fiercely loving & caring even though she claims to not know what love feels like. From the beginning of the story to the end, we see a big change in who she becomes. The darkness she kept at bay has come out to play & we have yet to see what impact it will have on her and those around her.
Gideon is an angel that I just love. He is supportive, loving, but also flirty & confident. He is fully devoted to those he cares for & the cause he believes in.
Vemdour, I'm confused about you as of now! I don't know how to FEEL.
This book had a mixture of the modern world but then you get thrown into a fantastical land of Gods & Demons with different realms & easy to follow world building! I truly enjoyed & recommend this read.
Spice: 1🌶
I would like to start by thanking the author for this eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is completely voluntary and honest.
Lara did an incredible job of introducing you to the series & keeping you guessing on what might happen throughout the book. There were some plot twists at the end that I did not see coming. She also did an amazing job at having you become invested in each character's stories and possible future developments!
I think the only part I wished for more of was for more relationship development between the FMC & both MMCs. In this case being Valeria, Gideon and Vemdour. Without giving spoilers, I felt parts of the story and dynamic between them was rushed, so I wished we could have seen more build up in their connections.
Valeria is a badass. She is a heroine that you might get frustrated with at times, but she's also very relatable because of that. She is honest when she makes mistakes & owns up to them. She also does whatever she must to make up for them. She is fiercely loving & caring even though she claims to not know what love feels like. From the beginning of the story to the end, we see a big change in who she becomes. The darkness she kept at bay has come out to play & we have yet to see what impact it will have on her and those around her.
Gideon is an angel that I just love. He is supportive, loving, but also flirty & confident. He is fully devoted to those he cares for & the cause he believes in.
Vemdour, I'm confused about you as of now! I don't know how to FEEL.
This book had a mixture of the modern world but then you get thrown into a fantastical land of Gods & Demons with different realms & easy to follow world building! I truly enjoyed & recommend this read.
April 4, 2023
4,5 ⭐️ THIS BOOKKKK !!! Portray this, crescent city #1 without the murder, a shorter book, and a couple that COMMUNICATES.
The plot was something I had seen, to a certain extent, but even then, the book always had something to surprise me.
I love how the author wrote the narration, her writing style was very nice.
I was chuckling after every page, the characters were all so funny, and for once, the main character was my favorite one. Val is hands down one of the funniest characters I got to read this year, her ironic remarks were EVERYTHING. She is not the typical fantasy female character but rather someone that could be seen as a ‘real person’, the way she acted really felt like I was reading the story of a friend.
I also find it very nice the way the characters were all introduced, for some reason, it is something that did mark me more than in the other books I have read.
Now onto the juicy part, THE LOVE INTEREST, finally FINALLY a couple that COMMUNICATES with each other. Even if it was indeed enemies to lovers, it wasn’t something based on miscommunication and misunderstanding but rather on a TRUE enemy to lover. I did think the way the main characters fell in love with each other was maybe a bit too fast for my liking but nothing can be perfect right?
To sum it up, very very good fantasy, the characters will make you laugh and the story will stick in your head for days after you’re done praying to get the second book. So go go go read it !!
The plot was something I had seen, to a certain extent, but even then, the book always had something to surprise me.
I love how the author wrote the narration, her writing style was very nice.
I was chuckling after every page, the characters were all so funny, and for once, the main character was my favorite one. Val is hands down one of the funniest characters I got to read this year, her ironic remarks were EVERYTHING. She is not the typical fantasy female character but rather someone that could be seen as a ‘real person’, the way she acted really felt like I was reading the story of a friend.
I also find it very nice the way the characters were all introduced, for some reason, it is something that did mark me more than in the other books I have read.
Now onto the juicy part, THE LOVE INTEREST, finally FINALLY a couple that COMMUNICATES with each other. Even if it was indeed enemies to lovers, it wasn’t something based on miscommunication and misunderstanding but rather on a TRUE enemy to lover. I did think the way the main characters fell in love with each other was maybe a bit too fast for my liking but nothing can be perfect right?
To sum it up, very very good fantasy, the characters will make you laugh and the story will stick in your head for days after you’re done praying to get the second book. So go go go read it !!
February 16, 2023
It was a fun read! Fast-paced, filled with many characters, and lots of twist :)
Valeria is a good enough lead (sometimes her temper got her in trouble but who could blame her, really), but if I have to pick... My fav character might not be everyone's fav lol. It's Vemdour. Not (just) because he is a (hot) god, but I love his scheming and how he created webs to trap everyone. Want to see what other tricks he got under his sleeves! Gideon is an absolute sweetheart and I love Malachi's sass too.
ARoAaS is a good start to a new romantasy series. Can't wait for the next book!
Valeria is a good enough lead (sometimes her temper got her in trouble but who could blame her, really), but if I have to pick... My fav character might not be everyone's fav lol. It's Vemdour. Not (just) because he is a (hot) god, but I love his scheming and how he created webs to trap everyone. Want to see what other tricks he got under his sleeves! Gideon is an absolute sweetheart and I love Malachi's sass too.
ARoAaS is a good start to a new romantasy series. Can't wait for the next book!
April 17, 2022
I’ve read this book three times since it became a tangible entity and each tim was better than the last. I promise you will NOT regret picking up the final product a year from now and I’ll be back here to update this review with the changes I haven’t seen yet!
dnf
April 11, 2023dnf at 30%
I was not having a good time.... i'm so sad. I wanted to like this but bro this was not good....
I really wanted to like this but I was bro i struggleedddddd.
I dnf'ed 30% and even getting to 30% was a slog. I believe if I continued I would rate this 2 stars. I found it hard to pick the book up again and continue so I decide to not fight this feeling.
Valeria was an immature 18 year old who gained a love interest every time she entered a room. The world-building was interesting but the characters instantly being enamoured and in love with Valeria was annoying. I love fated-mates or mate bonds but this pairing didn't work for me and I felt no connection to any character.
I am interested in what this author will write int he future but for now I won't be reading this book.
**I was provided with an ARC from Sword and Silk Books for an honest review**
Blog ✿ Goodreads ✿ Twitter ✿ Instagram ✿ Pinterest ✿ StoryGraph ✿ Discovery ✿
April 10, 2023
I really wanted to like this one but I almost DNF’d a few times. The title and cover reeled me in, but I just could not get into the story itself. I found myself skimming sentences just to read the dialogue 😭 I found the FMC to be too juvenile for my liking, and honestly I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. I was intrigued with the magic system, but I felt like it wasn’t explained enough at all. It might just be me but I’m just confused about it overall.
This book felt more young adult and I think that’s where it went downhill for me unfortunately 🥲 I think there was definitely a lot of potential for a great story but it fell flat to me.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy! This is an honest review with my own thoughts + opinions 🫶🏼
This book felt more young adult and I think that’s where it went downhill for me unfortunately 🥲 I think there was definitely a lot of potential for a great story but it fell flat to me.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy! This is an honest review with my own thoughts + opinions 🫶🏼
June 25, 2023
I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up “A Realm of Ash and Shadow,” but I do know that I was hooked from the very first chapter! Valeria Breault is the princess of Empyrean, but she’s spent her whole life in exile in the mortal realm. When she finally does go back to Empyrean, she’s shocked to find that nothing is as she imagined it would be. I really loved this book; I thought Valeria was a likable protagonist, and I liked that she actually acted her age. I loved all the twists and turns this novel took, as well. If you’re a fan of snarky banter, heroines who aren’t damsels in distress, and/or unique fantasy worlds, I would definitley recommend that you read this book!!!
March 27, 2023
3.5/5 stars
A Realm of Ash and Shadow promised to combine From Blood and Ash with Kingdom of the Feared and SJM, and I would say that it delivered on that promise. It combines a badass queen fighting for her kingdom, with a sexy demon underworld, and a thrilling love triangle (or a square technically?).
Things I liked:
- a strong and capable FMC who didn't need any males fighting for her ("A girl can dream. A princess cannot.")
- descriptive writing and believable narration from the main character, with relatively solid world building
- an intriguing plot that got me really rooting for the main characters by the end
- a good amount of romance and swooning
- a morally grey antagonist that reminds me of Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked and Rhys from ACOTAR (he helps the FMC reach her full ass-kicking potential and likes to pick invisible lint off of himself)
Things I didn't like:
- the pacing wasn't always the best and there were times it felt like it was either moving too fast or too slow
- it felt a bit cheesy at times (for example, the FMC thinks a man is so attractive she says "sweet sassy molassey, he was gorgeous"), and the FMC uses the term "guys" way too much
- I questioned some of the choices that the FMC was making and it didn't seem like enough justification was put into it sometimes. I get that she's only 18 and going through some stuff, but sometimes it just felt a little rushed and it left me confused
- a little light on the spice, especially when compared to the series its likened to above (but that didn't detract from the story or anything, more just preference)
Overall, it was an enjoyable book and I am definitely planning on continuing to read the series.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Sword & Silk books).
A Realm of Ash and Shadow promised to combine From Blood and Ash with Kingdom of the Feared and SJM, and I would say that it delivered on that promise. It combines a badass queen fighting for her kingdom, with a sexy demon underworld, and a thrilling love triangle (or a square technically?).
Things I liked:
- a strong and capable FMC who didn't need any males fighting for her ("A girl can dream. A princess cannot.")
- descriptive writing and believable narration from the main character, with relatively solid world building
- an intriguing plot that got me really rooting for the main characters by the end
- a good amount of romance and swooning
- a morally grey antagonist that reminds me of Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked and Rhys from ACOTAR (he helps the FMC reach her full ass-kicking potential and likes to pick invisible lint off of himself)
Things I didn't like:
- the pacing wasn't always the best and there were times it felt like it was either moving too fast or too slow
- it felt a bit cheesy at times (for example, the FMC thinks a man is so attractive she says "sweet sassy molassey, he was gorgeous"), and the FMC uses the term "guys" way too much
- I questioned some of the choices that the FMC was making and it didn't seem like enough justification was put into it sometimes. I get that she's only 18 and going through some stuff, but sometimes it just felt a little rushed and it left me confused
- a little light on the spice, especially when compared to the series its likened to above (but that didn't detract from the story or anything, more just preference)
Overall, it was an enjoyable book and I am definitely planning on continuing to read the series.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley (thank you Sword & Silk books).
April 16, 2023
Okay, uhm when’s the next book! I need more!
I thoroughly enjoyed this and it’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far!
Who doesn’t love a prophecy based fantasy book?
I can’t want to continue to watch Val grow into herself and what will come of her, her fiends, and the realm with outside threats coming for them
I highly recommend this book if you love fantasy with a bit of romance!
I thoroughly enjoyed this and it’s one of my favorite reads of the year so far!
Who doesn’t love a prophecy based fantasy book?
I can’t want to continue to watch Val grow into herself and what will come of her, her fiends, and the realm with outside threats coming for them
I highly recommend this book if you love fantasy with a bit of romance!
February 24, 2023
Relatable FMC ✅
Fun cast ✅
Hot male characters ✅
This is great for those who loved Kingdom of the Wicked and ACOTAR. Interesting twists and turns, and great prose!
This story is as dreamy as the cover—you won’t want to put it down.
Fun cast ✅
Hot male characters ✅
This is great for those who loved Kingdom of the Wicked and ACOTAR. Interesting twists and turns, and great prose!
This story is as dreamy as the cover—you won’t want to put it down.
April 18, 2023
I absolutely loved this book.
Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. The main female character Valeria can be frustrating, relatable, funny! And the love I have for Mason and Gideon! I felt so many different emotions while reading. Spice was minimal but in a good way, like it was part of the story but not the main point. The plot twist kept me guessing. I laughed, I cried and my mouth dropped in shock several times. It was a really good book and that ending! I cannot wait for book 2!
Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. The main female character Valeria can be frustrating, relatable, funny! And the love I have for Mason and Gideon! I felt so many different emotions while reading. Spice was minimal but in a good way, like it was part of the story but not the main point. The plot twist kept me guessing. I laughed, I cried and my mouth dropped in shock several times. It was a really good book and that ending! I cannot wait for book 2!
April 18, 2023
A Realm of Ash and Shadow is an enthralling enemies-to-lovers romantasy that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The story follows Valeria Breault, an exiled princess forced to fight for her life against demons and navigate a treacherous world where her claim to the throne is at risk. With elements of drama and spice this book delivers on the promise of an addictive read. The world-building is magnetic, drawing readers into a vividly imagined realm. If you enjoy a good romantasy you won't be able to put down A Realm of Ash and Shadow!
Thank you to Lara Buckheit and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
Thank you to Lara Buckheit and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
June 22, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Indigo for the ARC of this book!
A really good first-time fantasy novel with some amazing cover art! I highly enjoyed this Fantasy romance and will definitely be checking out the rest of the series. The love triangle was not cringe worthy like many others have been lately and the world building was done in a very organic way with no info-dumping or with being left confused for pages and pages. The main character felt relatable and had a good internal voice (something that can often be lacking in fantasy romance). My only compliant would be that some parts felt a bit formulaic but that comes more from me having read wayyyy to many fantasy novels than any fault of the author. Overall, I would recommend this book and be waiting for book 2!
A really good first-time fantasy novel with some amazing cover art! I highly enjoyed this Fantasy romance and will definitely be checking out the rest of the series. The love triangle was not cringe worthy like many others have been lately and the world building was done in a very organic way with no info-dumping or with being left confused for pages and pages. The main character felt relatable and had a good internal voice (something that can often be lacking in fantasy romance). My only compliant would be that some parts felt a bit formulaic but that comes more from me having read wayyyy to many fantasy novels than any fault of the author. Overall, I would recommend this book and be waiting for book 2!
April 2, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy for my honest review!
Book Review
Overall, I thought this book was a good entry for the fantasy world. It felt a little immature compared to other fantasy novels but I would recommend this for someone who is trying to find out / figure out if they like fantasy or not. Some of the plot felt like it had holes in it and some things just didn't tie together. It also felt a bit rushed in some ways and that might have been because the beginning of the book felt draaaaagged on and nothing really of importance happened. We would have understood the Realm of the Mortal and how meaningful Valeria and Mason's friendship was without having so many chapters dedicated to it. I think that later on in the story deserved more information. The middle and the ending of this novel was really interesting and kept my attention a lot more than the first 25% or so of the book. The rushing of the rest of the story did make for a lack of relationship development for characters that really deserved it.
Also, not to be a prude, but it was a little hard for me to enjoy reading about a girl that just turned eighteen and all of her sexual experiences. (Particularly the ones that happened when she was still 17.) Not saying that girls of that age don't have these experiences but as someone who is 30? I would rather not be reading that, I think.
I did enjoy all of the realms and I look forward to reading the future books to see how all of the realms and the people in them come to fruition.
Book Synopsis: Valeria Breault, a newly turned 18 year old Princess was exiled to the Realm of the Mortal from Empyrean, her home, when she was just a baby due to her father not wanting to raise her. During prom, one of her last experiences before returning to Empyrean, Valeria narrowly escapes being captured by the Realm of the Forsaken.
Once she is back in Empyrean, Valeria is battling the desire to belong and a craving for power. Her choices become more important and harder to make.
Things I liked:
It was a quick, fast paced read once the story really started going.
The world building and the potential it has to be really captivating. (Once the author dedicates more time to them!)
I liked most of the characters, even the ones we weren't really supposed to like.
Things I did not like:
The story being dragged on for quite some time before it got to the real story.
Some plot holes / plot feeling weak at some points.
Things just need to be fleshed out more.
All in all, I think this is a really good debut novel for the author and it is a good introductory book to the realm of fantasy. I think the author has a loooot of potential and I am hoping the next books in this series are more focused on world building, relationship building and just the story in entirety. I would recommend this book as I think it will only improve as the series goes on. :)
Book Review
Overall, I thought this book was a good entry for the fantasy world. It felt a little immature compared to other fantasy novels but I would recommend this for someone who is trying to find out / figure out if they like fantasy or not. Some of the plot felt like it had holes in it and some things just didn't tie together. It also felt a bit rushed in some ways and that might have been because the beginning of the book felt draaaaagged on and nothing really of importance happened. We would have understood the Realm of the Mortal and how meaningful Valeria and Mason's friendship was without having so many chapters dedicated to it. I think that later on in the story deserved more information. The middle and the ending of this novel was really interesting and kept my attention a lot more than the first 25% or so of the book. The rushing of the rest of the story did make for a lack of relationship development for characters that really deserved it.
Also, not to be a prude, but it was a little hard for me to enjoy reading about a girl that just turned eighteen and all of her sexual experiences. (Particularly the ones that happened when she was still 17.) Not saying that girls of that age don't have these experiences but as someone who is 30? I would rather not be reading that, I think.
I did enjoy all of the realms and I look forward to reading the future books to see how all of the realms and the people in them come to fruition.
Book Synopsis: Valeria Breault, a newly turned 18 year old Princess was exiled to the Realm of the Mortal from Empyrean, her home, when she was just a baby due to her father not wanting to raise her. During prom, one of her last experiences before returning to Empyrean, Valeria narrowly escapes being captured by the Realm of the Forsaken.
Once she is back in Empyrean, Valeria is battling the desire to belong and a craving for power. Her choices become more important and harder to make.
Things I liked:
It was a quick, fast paced read once the story really started going.
The world building and the potential it has to be really captivating. (Once the author dedicates more time to them!)
I liked most of the characters, even the ones we weren't really supposed to like.
Things I did not like:
The story being dragged on for quite some time before it got to the real story.
Some plot holes / plot feeling weak at some points.
Things just need to be fleshed out more.
All in all, I think this is a really good debut novel for the author and it is a good introductory book to the realm of fantasy. I think the author has a loooot of potential and I am hoping the next books in this series are more focused on world building, relationship building and just the story in entirety. I would recommend this book as I think it will only improve as the series goes on. :)
March 27, 2023
3.25 stars, rounded down
I wanted to like this one so badly. The writing pulled me in immediately with its beautifully immersive descriptions of setting and entertainingly relatable dialogue. Within the first 30 pages or so I was certain I was on my way to a 5-star read. But that 5-star train derailed so quickly and I’m honestly not over it yet.
The main character, Valeria, is supposed to be this badass princess with immense power. She knows that she will one day take over her father’s throne once she finally returns back to her realm after being exiled by her father as a child. She was raised with all of this in mind and has become a young woman eager to return and rule the way she believes her realm should be ruled. Unfortunately, things aren’t the way she imagined it when she returns home. Poor people are running out of food and starving, and Valeria is heartbroken about what she’s seeing. She confronts her father and his council about the issue, and there’s so much lead-up to this, presumably, big moment when she finally gets a chance to prove herself as the realm’s future ruler, and do you know what she says?? “We can harness magic and ensure that our food supply doesn’t run out, like ever, so that no one starves again.”
Did you catch it? Like. Ever. When I tell you that all hope for this book went out the window at those two words… It threw me out of my immersion immediately. It didn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Well, except for the author’s peculiar use of the term “guys” all. the. time. “Suddenly, a guy leapt out”… “The guy wasted no time”… “Both of the guys flanked my sides”… It was so grating. The rest of the writing was actually quite good and I think it was ruined for me by these random immature terms that I didn’t see any reason to include.
I think this could have been an amazing book if some of the plot and characters were fleshed out a bit more. The pacing felt random, some of the plot concepts felt weak, unexplained, or unnecessary, and there was a bit too much convenience for my liking (things happening at just the right moment, etc.)
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
I wanted to like this one so badly. The writing pulled me in immediately with its beautifully immersive descriptions of setting and entertainingly relatable dialogue. Within the first 30 pages or so I was certain I was on my way to a 5-star read. But that 5-star train derailed so quickly and I’m honestly not over it yet.
The main character, Valeria, is supposed to be this badass princess with immense power. She knows that she will one day take over her father’s throne once she finally returns back to her realm after being exiled by her father as a child. She was raised with all of this in mind and has become a young woman eager to return and rule the way she believes her realm should be ruled. Unfortunately, things aren’t the way she imagined it when she returns home. Poor people are running out of food and starving, and Valeria is heartbroken about what she’s seeing. She confronts her father and his council about the issue, and there’s so much lead-up to this, presumably, big moment when she finally gets a chance to prove herself as the realm’s future ruler, and do you know what she says?? “We can harness magic and ensure that our food supply doesn’t run out, like ever, so that no one starves again.”
Did you catch it? Like. Ever. When I tell you that all hope for this book went out the window at those two words… It threw me out of my immersion immediately. It didn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Well, except for the author’s peculiar use of the term “guys” all. the. time. “Suddenly, a guy leapt out”… “The guy wasted no time”… “Both of the guys flanked my sides”… It was so grating. The rest of the writing was actually quite good and I think it was ruined for me by these random immature terms that I didn’t see any reason to include.
I think this could have been an amazing book if some of the plot and characters were fleshed out a bit more. The pacing felt random, some of the plot concepts felt weak, unexplained, or unnecessary, and there was a bit too much convenience for my liking (things happening at just the right moment, etc.)
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 14, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up
A Realm of Ash and Shadow is billed as perfect for fans of Sarah J Mass and Jennifer L Armentrout. However, it was not for me.
Valeria Breault has been living in the mortal realm, kept safe, for almost 18 years. All she wants is to attend prom and graduation before returning to her home. However, things go south when demons attack during prom, and she is forced to return home early. And things only get more interesting from there…
I’m gonna come out and say it: I felt this book had really bad pacing issues. The beginning absolutely draaaaged for me. I had to try 3 separate times to get into this book. The author does have a good eye for detail and good world building, however I just wish the book didn’t lag so much at times.
I will say the concept for the various realms was quite interesting and I was impressed with how she described the various places. As I said the author has a great talent for world building and writing about details in a scene.
Character wise, I was not a huge fan of Valeria. She came off as immature and selfish and I just found it hard to root for her. I understand that she is still relatively young, but I just felt like it was too much? She does grow as the novel goes on, but I just never felt a connection to her. The rest of the cast was fine. Gideon was amusing, Mistress Marjorie was a badass. Everyone else was kinda just there and didn’t overly standout or make a huge impression on me.
The last 20-ish% of the book are when things get interesting and there are several plot twists and turns that tie things up while setting up for the next book.
On the whole I just feel like this novel isn’t for me. It might be perfect for a reader closer in age to the main character or someone who is more interested in world building as opposed to characterization. I am undecided if I will give book 2 a shot, but we’ll see.
Thanks very much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A Realm of Ash and Shadow is billed as perfect for fans of Sarah J Mass and Jennifer L Armentrout. However, it was not for me.
Valeria Breault has been living in the mortal realm, kept safe, for almost 18 years. All she wants is to attend prom and graduation before returning to her home. However, things go south when demons attack during prom, and she is forced to return home early. And things only get more interesting from there…
I’m gonna come out and say it: I felt this book had really bad pacing issues. The beginning absolutely draaaaged for me. I had to try 3 separate times to get into this book. The author does have a good eye for detail and good world building, however I just wish the book didn’t lag so much at times.
I will say the concept for the various realms was quite interesting and I was impressed with how she described the various places. As I said the author has a great talent for world building and writing about details in a scene.
Character wise, I was not a huge fan of Valeria. She came off as immature and selfish and I just found it hard to root for her. I understand that she is still relatively young, but I just felt like it was too much? She does grow as the novel goes on, but I just never felt a connection to her. The rest of the cast was fine. Gideon was amusing, Mistress Marjorie was a badass. Everyone else was kinda just there and didn’t overly standout or make a huge impression on me.
The last 20-ish% of the book are when things get interesting and there are several plot twists and turns that tie things up while setting up for the next book.
On the whole I just feel like this novel isn’t for me. It might be perfect for a reader closer in age to the main character or someone who is more interested in world building as opposed to characterization. I am undecided if I will give book 2 a shot, but we’ll see.
Thanks very much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 21, 2023
Thank you netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book!
I went back and forth on the rating of this book for a little bit because well, it's kind of giving Wattpad. That's not necessarily a bad thing though!
Plot
The plot of this book is partially what makes it feel so Wattpad like. At the surface, it's not that much like Wattpad. However reading it through, some of the choices the characters make that push the plot forward has that sort of...vibe.
I read a LOT of fanfiction. So at least for me when I say something is Wattpad or fanfic like, that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are just specific tropes, writing styles, sentences, etc. that fall into that category. For example, in the first few chapters a sentence that sounds like it's ripped straight from fanfics comes up, and that set the tone for the entire book going forward.
Overall, the plot was good, it wasn't the most solid thing ever, but it wasn't unstable either. There weren't any blatant potholes. I don't think it was anything to rave about, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was a solid 3/5 for plot.
Characters
Admittedly, the characters within the book were not my favorite. You can tell that they're attempted to be made three dimensional, but it does fall short of that a bit. Some of the choices that are made feel a little odd, but that could also be lack of time with them, since it is quite a short book.
With the characters comes the relationship development, and there isn't too much within the story. Most of the development is spent on the main character, with the relationships around her falling short.
Overall the characters, for me at least, were also a 3/5.
Worldbuilding
One of the things I really did like within the book was the setting and the world building. I liked the concepts presented, while I do with there was more show not tell with parts of it, I understand why there's so much "tell". The character is new to all of this, its to be expected that a lot of it is explained and not told.
Overall the world building was a 4/5 for me.
Overall
I did enjoy this book, I'm not sure if i would read it again. I enjoyed the ending enough that when book two comes out, I will very very likely be picking that up as well. Overall it's a solid book, while not exceptional by my standards, it was solid, well written, and good. So I'd give it a 3.25/5 if i could.
I went back and forth on the rating of this book for a little bit because well, it's kind of giving Wattpad. That's not necessarily a bad thing though!
Plot
The plot of this book is partially what makes it feel so Wattpad like. At the surface, it's not that much like Wattpad. However reading it through, some of the choices the characters make that push the plot forward has that sort of...vibe.
I read a LOT of fanfiction. So at least for me when I say something is Wattpad or fanfic like, that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are just specific tropes, writing styles, sentences, etc. that fall into that category. For example, in the first few chapters a sentence that sounds like it's ripped straight from fanfics comes up, and that set the tone for the entire book going forward.
Overall, the plot was good, it wasn't the most solid thing ever, but it wasn't unstable either. There weren't any blatant potholes. I don't think it was anything to rave about, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was a solid 3/5 for plot.
Characters
Admittedly, the characters within the book were not my favorite. You can tell that they're attempted to be made three dimensional, but it does fall short of that a bit. Some of the choices that are made feel a little odd, but that could also be lack of time with them, since it is quite a short book.
With the characters comes the relationship development, and there isn't too much within the story. Most of the development is spent on the main character, with the relationships around her falling short.
Overall the characters, for me at least, were also a 3/5.
Worldbuilding
One of the things I really did like within the book was the setting and the world building. I liked the concepts presented, while I do with there was more show not tell with parts of it, I understand why there's so much "tell". The character is new to all of this, its to be expected that a lot of it is explained and not told.
Overall the world building was a 4/5 for me.
Overall
I did enjoy this book, I'm not sure if i would read it again. I enjoyed the ending enough that when book two comes out, I will very very likely be picking that up as well. Overall it's a solid book, while not exceptional by my standards, it was solid, well written, and good. So I'd give it a 3.25/5 if i could.
March 25, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Sword & Silk Books for a copy of this book as an ARC.
Tropes:
+ Soulmates
+ Love triangle
+ Morally Gray Love Interest
The cover and title is what drew me in and the description sounded interesting, but the story just got overwhelming at times. The romance also suffers because of this and the love triangle feels more like a collection of flings.
There is a lot that happens in this book and sometimes it feels like the plot just jumps from point to point without really fleshing out the new information we are given. For example, we learn that the FMC needs to be trained more in her magic, and that is briefly touched on, but then the magic is never really explained with what it can do or what grater power looks like. Frankly, the magic overall was one of the more frustrating aspects of this book because it was mostly only used to solve a minor problem and none of it felt cohesive. There was apparently also two types of magic, but again I could not tell you how they differed or functioned.
As for the romance, a lot of it felt vary rushed or surface level. The FMC and the MMC start out on unsteady footing because there are assumptions and the FMC does not try to clarify anything. Some truths are revealed and the FMC again does not clarify anything, and the FMC acts like a fool and says some really hurtful things. Within two chapters, they have forgiven each other with minimal conversation and are ready to be together. This is all explained away by the bond they have and just accepted.
While this is tagged as a new adult book, there are times it feels vary young adult, and the FMC seemed to also bounce between that genre too. She sometimes had vary altruistic goals, but then hold grudges for minor incidents and make that her whole personality for 3 chapters.
The world itself sounded interesting and I wished it was fleshed out more. Like more details on the gods and the role they played or how the different realms interact with each other. I will most likely read the next book just to see if this is fleshed out more and to see if the magic makes any more sense. Also, I hope trigger warnings are included at the start of this book in the final copy, as there are some gruesome and tough aspects of this book.
Trigger Warnings:
+ On page violence and gore
+ On page child abuse, both physical and emotional
+ Explicit language
+ Sexually explicit scenes
+ Conversations about past abandonment
Tropes:
+ Soulmates
+ Love triangle
+ Morally Gray Love Interest
The cover and title is what drew me in and the description sounded interesting, but the story just got overwhelming at times. The romance also suffers because of this and the love triangle feels more like a collection of flings.
There is a lot that happens in this book and sometimes it feels like the plot just jumps from point to point without really fleshing out the new information we are given. For example, we learn that the FMC needs to be trained more in her magic, and that is briefly touched on, but then the magic is never really explained with what it can do or what grater power looks like. Frankly, the magic overall was one of the more frustrating aspects of this book because it was mostly only used to solve a minor problem and none of it felt cohesive. There was apparently also two types of magic, but again I could not tell you how they differed or functioned.
As for the romance, a lot of it felt vary rushed or surface level. The FMC and the MMC start out on unsteady footing because there are assumptions and the FMC does not try to clarify anything. Some truths are revealed and the FMC again does not clarify anything, and the FMC acts like a fool and says some really hurtful things. Within two chapters, they have forgiven each other with minimal conversation and are ready to be together. This is all explained away by the bond they have and just accepted.
While this is tagged as a new adult book, there are times it feels vary young adult, and the FMC seemed to also bounce between that genre too. She sometimes had vary altruistic goals, but then hold grudges for minor incidents and make that her whole personality for 3 chapters.
The world itself sounded interesting and I wished it was fleshed out more. Like more details on the gods and the role they played or how the different realms interact with each other. I will most likely read the next book just to see if this is fleshed out more and to see if the magic makes any more sense. Also, I hope trigger warnings are included at the start of this book in the final copy, as there are some gruesome and tough aspects of this book.
Trigger Warnings:
+ On page violence and gore
+ On page child abuse, both physical and emotional
+ Explicit language
+ Sexually explicit scenes
+ Conversations about past abandonment
did-not-finish
April 4, 2023DNF at 40%. I received my copy through Netgalley.
The blurb was interesting enough so I got a free copy to read. I struggled to get into it though. I feel like I just slogged through the pages until I admitted defeat and finally gave up.
I found the female lead to be juvenile and petty. She whined about being a neglected daughter because her father is "hiding" her in the human world.
She also got mad at whatshisname because he brought her to Empyrean before she was able to graduate. Of course, let's just forget that she was fighting demons at the time and he actually rescued her and saved her life.
And when she found out her fck buddy was taken by demons (he let himself be taken because he knew she went missing and of course why not be heroi-stupid by offering yourself so you can get to another world you have NO CLUE about), she attacked whatshisname because she was blaming him.
And of course since the fck buddy/friend is with the baddies, she has to rescue him, right? Thankfully, I'm not going to see/read whatever happens about it.
Oh, and of course she has to be mad about being bonded to whatshisname even though he had no control over it.
Overall, she's just not someone I'd like to read about so I'm sorry but it's a no for me. Lol
The blurb was interesting enough so I got a free copy to read. I struggled to get into it though. I feel like I just slogged through the pages until I admitted defeat and finally gave up.
I found the female lead to be juvenile and petty. She whined about being a neglected daughter because her father is "hiding" her in the human world.
She also got mad at whatshisname because he brought her to Empyrean before she was able to graduate. Of course, let's just forget that she was fighting demons at the time and he actually rescued her and saved her life.
And when she found out her fck buddy was taken by demons (he let himself be taken because he knew she went missing and of course why not be heroi-stupid by offering yourself so you can get to another world you have NO CLUE about), she attacked whatshisname because she was blaming him.
And of course since the fck buddy/friend is with the baddies, she has to rescue him, right? Thankfully, I'm not going to see/read whatever happens about it.
Oh, and of course she has to be mad about being bonded to whatshisname even though he had no control over it.
Overall, she's just not someone I'd like to read about so I'm sorry but it's a no for me. Lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I quite enjoyed this! We follow Valeria who has lived her entire life up to this point in the Mortal Realm, dreading the day when she would have to go back to the realm she was born in. When that day comes it's unexpected and early and she might meet a handsome stranger who saves her life.
I really enjoyed the characters and the different relationships between the characters. Gideon and Malachi's friendship was definitely one of my favorites. I loved Cayden as a character because I found that he had an interesting backstory and plotline.
The romance was great, not too much spice and not too graphic. I really enjoyed Valeria and how she grappled with all the different emotions and feelings she had with Gideon and Vemdour. I found it quite fun to watch her struggle with the parts of her that wanted bloodshed and the parts that just wanted a break.
The plot twists were so fun and the turns had me gasping, and totally had my brother judging me for my facial reactions!
Overall if you enjoy a good fantasy with a romance plotline you'll enjoy this too! This comes out April 11th, definitely check it out!
p.s. that ending was wow. and yes I would like the sequel please thank you.
I quite enjoyed this! We follow Valeria who has lived her entire life up to this point in the Mortal Realm, dreading the day when she would have to go back to the realm she was born in. When that day comes it's unexpected and early and she might meet a handsome stranger who saves her life.
I really enjoyed the characters and the different relationships between the characters. Gideon and Malachi's friendship was definitely one of my favorites. I loved Cayden as a character because I found that he had an interesting backstory and plotline.
The romance was great, not too much spice and not too graphic. I really enjoyed Valeria and how she grappled with all the different emotions and feelings she had with Gideon and Vemdour. I found it quite fun to watch her struggle with the parts of her that wanted bloodshed and the parts that just wanted a break.
The plot twists were so fun and the turns had me gasping, and totally had my brother judging me for my facial reactions!
Overall if you enjoy a good fantasy with a romance plotline you'll enjoy this too! This comes out April 11th, definitely check it out!
p.s. that ending was wow. and yes I would like the sequel please thank you.
April 16, 2023
Thank you to Lara Buckheit and NetGalley for sharing an eARC of this book for an honest review!
This has been probably my favorite read of 2023 so far. I FLEW through this book. Like couldn’t put it down and read it late into the night until my eyes burned. This book has everything I love about the romantasy genre: tension, high stakes, solid world-building, who-did-this-to-you energy, beautiful imagery, a gripping plot, and incredible magic woven through the story.
Valeria is such a fun FMC and I found myself so invested in watching her succeed. Gideon (golden retriever energy) and Vemdour (dark demon daddy) are the two male leads and tbh I’d be down for either man too so I can’t blame Valeria’s struggle lol. 🥵
Overall, I think this was a stunning debut and I had such a fun time reading. Lara has an incredible way with words and her imagery has you experiencing the book with all five senses. I can’t wait to see where the rest of this series goes! 💕
This has been probably my favorite read of 2023 so far. I FLEW through this book. Like couldn’t put it down and read it late into the night until my eyes burned. This book has everything I love about the romantasy genre: tension, high stakes, solid world-building, who-did-this-to-you energy, beautiful imagery, a gripping plot, and incredible magic woven through the story.
Valeria is such a fun FMC and I found myself so invested in watching her succeed. Gideon (golden retriever energy) and Vemdour (dark demon daddy) are the two male leads and tbh I’d be down for either man too so I can’t blame Valeria’s struggle lol. 🥵
Overall, I think this was a stunning debut and I had such a fun time reading. Lara has an incredible way with words and her imagery has you experiencing the book with all five senses. I can’t wait to see where the rest of this series goes! 💕
Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews