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Secrets & Curses of Exile
“You are a monster, Thea. The prophet told the realm of your monstrosity. You will crumble kingdoms. You will kill kings. But the real question is, which kingdom will you be a monster for?”
All Thea wants is freedom and a sense of belonging. Trapped in Exile along with all of the other elite magic users, she can't fathom a life beyond her confinement, let alone remember the life she had before it. As Thea’s dreams offer glimpses into her past, she tries to piece together the clues to who she is. When a mysterious man visits her dreams claiming to be a friend, Thea wonders if he can be trusted. Does her dream stalker have answers to her forgotten past?
After a surprise opportunity arises to free everyone in Exile, Thea seizes it, even though it means putting herself directly in the path of the Crimson King. When the trials commence, Thea struggles with the brooding Captain of the Crimson Guard and contestants who will stop at nothing to see her fail.
As the trials and the secrets of her past collide, Thea struggles to understand her new reality. Thea must find a way to unravel her past and win the trials or condemn herself and everyone in Exile to death.
All Thea wants is freedom and a sense of belonging. Trapped in Exile along with all of the other elite magic users, she can't fathom a life beyond her confinement, let alone remember the life she had before it. As Thea’s dreams offer glimpses into her past, she tries to piece together the clues to who she is. When a mysterious man visits her dreams claiming to be a friend, Thea wonders if he can be trusted. Does her dream stalker have answers to her forgotten past?
After a surprise opportunity arises to free everyone in Exile, Thea seizes it, even though it means putting herself directly in the path of the Crimson King. When the trials commence, Thea struggles with the brooding Captain of the Crimson Guard and contestants who will stop at nothing to see her fail.
As the trials and the secrets of her past collide, Thea struggles to understand her new reality. Thea must find a way to unravel her past and win the trials or condemn herself and everyone in Exile to death.
494 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2024
816 people are currently reading
4905 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
July 15, 2024
Summary: In this gripping fantasy novel, Thea, branded as a monster by prophecy, seeks freedom and belonging in a world where elite magic users are imprisoned by the ruthless Crimson King. When a rare opportunity arises, she enters a set of trials to liberate herself and her fellow prisoners. Facing the Crimson King, Thea’s quest reveals dark secrets and forgotten memories. Perfect for all fantasy / romance readers! You will be captivated by the intense trials, magical intrigue, and passionate undercurrents driving Thea's struggle for redemption and love.
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Thoughts: This book has so many twists and turns, I truly couldn’t put it down. The banter between the characters is so fun, and a bit on the spicy side. The ending had me at a loss for words - my jaw was on the floor! I am so excited for the next book in this series and to jump back into this world!
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Genre: Adult Fantasy / Romance
Pacing: Medium / Fast
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Star Ratings:
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing Style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thoughts: This book has so many twists and turns, I truly couldn’t put it down. The banter between the characters is so fun, and a bit on the spicy side. The ending had me at a loss for words - my jaw was on the floor! I am so excited for the next book in this series and to jump back into this world!
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Genre: Adult Fantasy / Romance
Pacing: Medium / Fast
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Star Ratings:
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing Style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 23, 2026
What just happened ???!!!!! No like truly. WHAT. This series is like CRACK. Onto book 2 !! 🏃♀️
June 18, 2024
I wanted to love this, but between the grammatical errors and the random shift, I just couldn’t. There were many great elements; I think the help of a good editor could remedy many of my problems with the book.
March 13, 2025
Whaaat. Are we all reading the same book? I had to stop right after 50%.
I was so excited the first 10-15%. As soon as the “trials” started EVERYTHING fell flat. Every conversation ending with an intense statement and “then he left.”
So many plot holes, jumping all around, characters that were not well formed and lacked any depth. I have to stop. And I’m BUMMED because honestly - the idea, the potential world, the plot seemed SO COOL, but unfortunately this is not well written.
I was so excited the first 10-15%. As soon as the “trials” started EVERYTHING fell flat. Every conversation ending with an intense statement and “then he left.”
So many plot holes, jumping all around, characters that were not well formed and lacked any depth. I have to stop. And I’m BUMMED because honestly - the idea, the potential world, the plot seemed SO COOL, but unfortunately this is not well written.
February 19, 2026
So off the bat I struggled with this because the writing felt quite juvenile/simple but I pushed through because I liked the plot concept but I think it was just poorly executed. Thea was so easily manipulate and insecure it was actually quite annoying and Cassius was just a dick.
February 26, 2026
I’m immediately picking up book two and that’s all I have to say. 5 stars.
August 29, 2024
Thea and others with Elite magic, have been put into Exile by the King of Crimson. There is a shadow boundary, which means no one can get in or out.. Except Thea, after trying to end her life by stepping through the boundary, Thea realises she can come and go.
Thea steals food and supplies for Exile, but whilst out in a town, she sees a flyer for a wish to be granted by the King, if contestants complete the trials.
Thea decides she is going to go, leaving her friends behind with the promise that she will use her wish to free them from Exile.
When Thea makes it to Crimson, she sees a familiar face.. a guard dressed in a black uniform, a man who regularly visits her in her dreams and calls her Little Viper.
The Guards name is Cassius and Thea feels this pull towards him, which she just can’t explain.
Thea starts to make her way through the trials, but little does she know that the trials are the least of her worries.. because the closer Thea gets to the end of the trials, the more secrets, betrayal and manipulation she is about to uncover.
This book has such a unique storyline which kept me hooked from the beginning, I struggled to put it down, constantly wanting to know what happened next!
It had so many twists and turns, literally giving me mental & emotional whiplash 🫣
I liked the magic system and how there were different levels of fae, the different magic that they held and I found it fascinating reading about Thea’s magic.
I enjoyed Thea’s character but really did feel bad for her throughout the book, as she was so confused on who she was and negative feelings about herself. My heart broke for her need to feel wanted and loved after having no memory of her life before Exile.
Cassius was our typical MMC who was a grump blowing hot and cold, but we knew he was secretly into our FMC! I loved how he reassured Thea and comforted her, always trying to check in from the sidelines whilst trying to protect her.
The ending of this book had me shook!! I can’t believe it ended that way 🫣 I wasn’t expecting it at all!
I kind of have an idea where it will go in book 2, but I am so excited and want to know if I’m right or wrong 🙈
I kindly received this book as an arc, however all opinions are my own 🖤
Thea steals food and supplies for Exile, but whilst out in a town, she sees a flyer for a wish to be granted by the King, if contestants complete the trials.
Thea decides she is going to go, leaving her friends behind with the promise that she will use her wish to free them from Exile.
When Thea makes it to Crimson, she sees a familiar face.. a guard dressed in a black uniform, a man who regularly visits her in her dreams and calls her Little Viper.
The Guards name is Cassius and Thea feels this pull towards him, which she just can’t explain.
Thea starts to make her way through the trials, but little does she know that the trials are the least of her worries.. because the closer Thea gets to the end of the trials, the more secrets, betrayal and manipulation she is about to uncover.
This book has such a unique storyline which kept me hooked from the beginning, I struggled to put it down, constantly wanting to know what happened next!
It had so many twists and turns, literally giving me mental & emotional whiplash 🫣
I liked the magic system and how there were different levels of fae, the different magic that they held and I found it fascinating reading about Thea’s magic.
I enjoyed Thea’s character but really did feel bad for her throughout the book, as she was so confused on who she was and negative feelings about herself. My heart broke for her need to feel wanted and loved after having no memory of her life before Exile.
Cassius was our typical MMC who was a grump blowing hot and cold, but we knew he was secretly into our FMC! I loved how he reassured Thea and comforted her, always trying to check in from the sidelines whilst trying to protect her.
The ending of this book had me shook!! I can’t believe it ended that way 🫣 I wasn’t expecting it at all!
I kind of have an idea where it will go in book 2, but I am so excited and want to know if I’m right or wrong 🙈
I kindly received this book as an arc, however all opinions are my own 🖤
March 8, 2026
DNF @ 26%. The plot seemed intriguing but the writing was just too bad to push through.
May 4, 2025
This book had SO much potential. Like, painfully so. It was original and the plot was fun and exciting. But the writing/editing was not great (awkward dialogue, no variation in sentence length/structure, incorrect tenses, etc.) and the characters were super confusing. Like, this person is great, oh wait, no they aren't... but now they are again?? I read the whole book because again, the plot was fantastic.
But that ending?? What the actual fuck. I can only deal with people lying so many times for seemingly pointless reasons, and I met my limit about halfway through the damn book. I am very curious about what happens in the rest of the series because it's clear that the author is super creative, but I just don't think I can put myself through it.
But that ending?? What the actual fuck. I can only deal with people lying so many times for seemingly pointless reasons, and I met my limit about halfway through the damn book. I am very curious about what happens in the rest of the series because it's clear that the author is super creative, but I just don't think I can put myself through it.
March 10, 2024
This book was amazing. The more a read the more questions I had. I couldn’t put it down I needed all my questions answered. This book kept me guessing the whole time that is what I loved most about it. The relationship between Thea and Cassius did not disappoint. The ending literally I can’t even think about it. The next book cannot come soon enough
February 26, 2026
Binged this one!! literally couldn’t put it down!!
the mind fuck that this book is… INSANE. i had no idea what was going on the whole time, i didn’t know who to trust, and i didn’t know what to believe 😩😩 but that was the lure of the whole book and it definitely keeps you invested as a reader!
this one has an amnesia trope, games and trials, betrayal, magical powers, fae, and more and ugh just ate it up!
would def recommend!!
the mind fuck that this book is… INSANE. i had no idea what was going on the whole time, i didn’t know who to trust, and i didn’t know what to believe 😩😩 but that was the lure of the whole book and it definitely keeps you invested as a reader!
this one has an amnesia trope, games and trials, betrayal, magical powers, fae, and more and ugh just ate it up!
would def recommend!!
March 10, 2026
Terrible writing elementary plot.
Reading this was a waste of time. There were many things that kept throwing me off and I said keep reading it will get better
It never did. The constant hinting that everyone knew something but her was annoying, like we set it it doesn't need to be said every chapter. Her attention to MC made since because he was showing up in her dreams. His attraction to her while awake made no sense he didn't know her while awake so his -possessiveness was random. Her crawling to him because he asked was random their prior interactions did not for any reason lead me to believe there was about to be a sex scene
Then she meets the royal family once for dinner and now she is important enough to miss the trials to go save MMC that was my last straw DNF there is a way to build suspense and reveal the MC secret and the writing just isn't it. I could care less who she was before losing her memory enough people recognize her that her leaving exil to compete in the trials makes no sense she would be sent back or killed to the person on tik tok that recommended this book hope your pillow stays warm and you catch every red light everytime you leave your house.
Reading this was a waste of time. There were many things that kept throwing me off and I said keep reading it will get better
It never did. The constant hinting that everyone knew something but her was annoying, like we set it it doesn't need to be said every chapter. Her attention to MC made since because he was showing up in her dreams. His attraction to her while awake made no sense he didn't know her while awake so his -possessiveness was random. Her crawling to him because he asked was random their prior interactions did not for any reason lead me to believe there was about to be a sex scene
Then she meets the royal family once for dinner and now she is important enough to miss the trials to go save MMC that was my last straw DNF there is a way to build suspense and reveal the MC secret and the writing just isn't it. I could care less who she was before losing her memory enough people recognize her that her leaving exil to compete in the trials makes no sense she would be sent back or killed to the person on tik tok that recommended this book hope your pillow stays warm and you catch every red light everytime you leave your house.
March 11, 2024
This was my first ever ARC book, and I have to say I’m deeply glad it was this book.
The beginning was slightly slow going but hooked me in almost immediately once it began picking up more.
I was kept shocked at every turn it took, and kept reading to learn more about Thea as she learned about herself. Thea, herself, was a beautifully written character who was deeply confused and overly-cautious, and rightfully so. I felt as if everything she learned, I was also learning with her about the world that this story was set in.
The ending of this story had my stomach in knots as I tried to decipher every word, looking for clues about who was lying, and why they would have been lying in the first place.
The second installment cannot come fast enough for me! If you pick up any fae romantasy book soon, make SURE it is this one.
The beginning was slightly slow going but hooked me in almost immediately once it began picking up more.
I was kept shocked at every turn it took, and kept reading to learn more about Thea as she learned about herself. Thea, herself, was a beautifully written character who was deeply confused and overly-cautious, and rightfully so. I felt as if everything she learned, I was also learning with her about the world that this story was set in.
The ending of this story had my stomach in knots as I tried to decipher every word, looking for clues about who was lying, and why they would have been lying in the first place.
The second installment cannot come fast enough for me! If you pick up any fae romantasy book soon, make SURE it is this one.
April 1, 2024
TLDR: 5 Star ARC read let down by lack of editing
Let me preface this by saying the story is excellent. The plot twists are fabulous. The right level of spice. It’s got all the makings of an incredible series.
But…
This hasn’t seen an editor and it shows.
There are lots of spelling/grammar errors, and early on it really put me off (it took me 3 weeks to read this). Once I got past those, I devoured 300+ pages in a couple of days. Usually I will DNF an ARC if it’s not for me.
I felt like some of the dialogues between the enemies to lovers gave me whiplash but it does all become clear later on.
Some of the horse scenes are a bit impractical. And I think the horses could have been named.
I would’ve liked to have seen some scenes expanded on and the characters fleshed out a little more at the beginning.
Some phrases used left me scratching my head as they didn’t 100% make sense.
All of the above would be remedied with an editor.
I have fed back to the author as I do really think this has potential and I look forward to a sequel as I’m now invested! I simply must know what happens next.
Let me preface this by saying the story is excellent. The plot twists are fabulous. The right level of spice. It’s got all the makings of an incredible series.
But…
This hasn’t seen an editor and it shows.
There are lots of spelling/grammar errors, and early on it really put me off (it took me 3 weeks to read this). Once I got past those, I devoured 300+ pages in a couple of days. Usually I will DNF an ARC if it’s not for me.
I felt like some of the dialogues between the enemies to lovers gave me whiplash but it does all become clear later on.
Some of the horse scenes are a bit impractical. And I think the horses could have been named.
I would’ve liked to have seen some scenes expanded on and the characters fleshed out a little more at the beginning.
Some phrases used left me scratching my head as they didn’t 100% make sense.
All of the above would be remedied with an editor.
I have fed back to the author as I do really think this has potential and I look forward to a sequel as I’m now invested! I simply must know what happens next.
August 29, 2024
I had the honor of reading this as an ARC, and I’m not okay…
It’s a spicy mix of the hunger games, divergent, the maze runner and acotar. It was exactly what I want in a book.
And yet, I’m heartbroken… Throughout the book I had so many questions, many of which I didn’t get an answer to (in fact, I only got more and more questions as the book progressed). It was such a rollercoaster - when you started believing in one thing, oh wait, no THIS is the truth… or maybe not? At the end of the book I didn’t know what to believe anymore, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Normally I can predict what’s going to happen to a certain degree, but this book made me a confused mess 🙃 plot twist on plot twist, and then there’s the end - I just NEED to know what happens next… Shay I applaud you, but also; who hurt you?? 😭❤️
It’s a spicy mix of the hunger games, divergent, the maze runner and acotar. It was exactly what I want in a book.
And yet, I’m heartbroken… Throughout the book I had so many questions, many of which I didn’t get an answer to (in fact, I only got more and more questions as the book progressed). It was such a rollercoaster - when you started believing in one thing, oh wait, no THIS is the truth… or maybe not? At the end of the book I didn’t know what to believe anymore, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Normally I can predict what’s going to happen to a certain degree, but this book made me a confused mess 🙃 plot twist on plot twist, and then there’s the end - I just NEED to know what happens next… Shay I applaud you, but also; who hurt you?? 😭❤️
September 23, 2025
Started reading this thinking it would be different but nope, same old stuff 😤
This book sounded cool: girl with no memories gets exiled, has weird visions of some sexy guy, she has powers others don’t. I was like “finally, something that might be different!” And for the first chunk, I was actually into it, but then it just went blah 😑
Thea who started out all strong and mysterious? Yeah, she basically throws that out the window to make dumb choices for a shadow daddy. The twists I could see coming a mile away, the trials felt recycled from every other fantasy book, and don’t even get me started on how Cassius is a copy of all other “morally gray” MMCs. Maybe I’m getting too picky with my romantasy reads, but this one just didn’t deliver on what it promised. 📚💔
This book sounded cool: girl with no memories gets exiled, has weird visions of some sexy guy, she has powers others don’t. I was like “finally, something that might be different!” And for the first chunk, I was actually into it, but then it just went blah 😑
Thea who started out all strong and mysterious? Yeah, she basically throws that out the window to make dumb choices for a shadow daddy. The twists I could see coming a mile away, the trials felt recycled from every other fantasy book, and don’t even get me started on how Cassius is a copy of all other “morally gray” MMCs. Maybe I’m getting too picky with my romantasy reads, but this one just didn’t deliver on what it promised. 📚💔
July 22, 2025
dnf at 53. I wanted to like this. it had so much potential. But unfortunately this read like a first draft. There were far too many inconsistencies and plot hole. the world building was not fleshed out enough and the writing was just so weak and uninspired.
March 23, 2024
Man sitt med spørsmål gjennom hele boka. Både om ka som skjer videre og ka som har skjed tidligere. Spicen e amazing og sluttn etterlot mæ gråtende og sint. Glede mæ te bok nr. 2!
December 27, 2024
I wanted to like this book so much. I liked a lot of parts of it but equally hated parts of it. It was confusing and all over the place.
February 17, 2026
*4 1/2 start rating*
Wow! All those hidden truths and secrets led to a nuclear bomb in the end...
To wake up one day and not know who you are and have so many different stories be told to you and then realizing people knew who you were is a hard pill to swallow. And then not knowing who is actually speaking the truth is even worse!
Thea sounds like she was unbreakable and then to see her try and figure out who she was and who she's supposed to be is not easy to watch.
Cassius is a big question mark. I have no idea who I'm rooting for and what is actually happening. I can tell there's still more than meets the eye but trying to untangle all the lies and the truth is actually not as easy as I thought it would be.
I'm very excited to continue the series. I want to unravel it all!
Wow! All those hidden truths and secrets led to a nuclear bomb in the end...
To wake up one day and not know who you are and have so many different stories be told to you and then realizing people knew who you were is a hard pill to swallow. And then not knowing who is actually speaking the truth is even worse!
Thea sounds like she was unbreakable and then to see her try and figure out who she was and who she's supposed to be is not easy to watch.
Cassius is a big question mark. I have no idea who I'm rooting for and what is actually happening. I can tell there's still more than meets the eye but trying to untangle all the lies and the truth is actually not as easy as I thought it would be.
I'm very excited to continue the series. I want to unravel it all!
February 20, 2025
Genuinely impressed with this book. I’m not going to lie, Thea gets a little annoying sometimes but I still enjoyed her character. She’s obviously just looking for love and it affects her decisions and thoughts.
The twists have me so emotional and, like Thea, I genuinely cannot tell who to trust. Some times I’m obsessed with Cassius, sometimes I hate him.
I was sucked into this story and I’m already foaming at the mouth to start the next book. I know some people mentioned typos, but I really didn’t see any, maybe I was too engrossed with the plot. Either way, goddamn this was a good read.
The twists have me so emotional and, like Thea, I genuinely cannot tell who to trust. Some times I’m obsessed with Cassius, sometimes I hate him.
I was sucked into this story and I’m already foaming at the mouth to start the next book. I know some people mentioned typos, but I really didn’t see any, maybe I was too engrossed with the plot. Either way, goddamn this was a good read.
May 5, 2024
In this addictive first book in the series we meet Thea. Our strong minded FMC, who has faced many trials and tribulations sadly her memory loss means many events she simply can’t remember. We follow Thea on her quest for vengeance to free her friends from Exile.
Cue Cassian, I still can’t decide what to make of him. Is he friend or foe? Shay builds a magical world, with a plot full of twists and turns as we follow Thea in her quest.
Can’t wait to read the next book!
I leave this review voluntarily after being lucky enough to receive an ARC.
Cue Cassian, I still can’t decide what to make of him. Is he friend or foe? Shay builds a magical world, with a plot full of twists and turns as we follow Thea in her quest.
Can’t wait to read the next book!
I leave this review voluntarily after being lucky enough to receive an ARC.
January 8, 2025
The ultimate betrayal. The ending left me wanting to leave work and lay in bed.
Love the FMC and her darkness, I giggle every time she shows no mercy. One thing about Thea, don’t call her bluff. I had a rollercoaster of emotions for the MMC, but after the ending I officially hate him. Not sure how Cassius can come back from betraying Thea so deeply and spewing such hate-filled words.
Loved the plot and all the twists and turns, I was left absolutely rocked by some of them.
Very curious to see how this all plays out. Will Thea get her happy ending? I fucking hope so after all the bullshit she’s been through.
Love the FMC and her darkness, I giggle every time she shows no mercy. One thing about Thea, don’t call her bluff. I had a rollercoaster of emotions for the MMC, but after the ending I officially hate him. Not sure how Cassius can come back from betraying Thea so deeply and spewing such hate-filled words.
Loved the plot and all the twists and turns, I was left absolutely rocked by some of them.
Very curious to see how this all plays out. Will Thea get her happy ending? I fucking hope so after all the bullshit she’s been through.
March 12, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ 3 🌶️
I had the pleasure of reading this arc; after watching the author for some time on TikTok and I must say- wow. It’s been such a privilege. I really enjoyed the characters- the dark and moody/angry FMC and the shadow daddy MMC. The spice was spicing and the plot was thick with twists & turns!! Well done!! Please read it when available May 3rd 2024!
I had the pleasure of reading this arc; after watching the author for some time on TikTok and I must say- wow. It’s been such a privilege. I really enjoyed the characters- the dark and moody/angry FMC and the shadow daddy MMC. The spice was spicing and the plot was thick with twists & turns!! Well done!! Please read it when available May 3rd 2024!
September 2, 2024
lost memories and love
This book was a whirlwind of back and forths that were never expected at each one. The ending was such a shock and I can’t wait to see what happens for Thea in the next book
This book was a whirlwind of back and forths that were never expected at each one. The ending was such a shock and I can’t wait to see what happens for Thea in the next book
January 3, 2025
This book was absolutely amazing! I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting. It was so captivating, and I experienced a whirlwind of emotions throughout. Not to mention, the MMC had me in a total chokehold with some of the things he was saying 🥵.
February 22, 2026
Shay, you have broken my heart.
March 3, 2026
4.5 🌟
March 17, 2026
Running to book 2 🏃🏼♀️➡️🏃🏼♀️➡️
April 8, 2026
No bc what the hell was that ending!!!! 😭immediately going to book 2
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