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Nightshade
Veronica Belladonna is starved for respect.
Jinx Athanasia has dedicated her life to revenge.
On the small, isolated continent of The Two Kingdoms, magic lays within the land itself. The land has been ruled with an iron fist ever since the royal families rose to power centuries ago. The year is 2024, though the kingdoms have not evolved technologically since isolating themselves in 1792. Those who possess magic themselves, supernaturals, are public enemy number one.
Rebellion leader, vigilante and wanted criminal, Jinx Athanasia has made a myth of herself, defending supernaturals from the oppressive government who deemed their existance a threat. Earning the nickname of "Nightshade" as a child, she will not rest until the monarchy is toppled.
Second born Princess Veronica Belladonna is tired of being ignored and ridiculed. Her arranged marriage to the neighboring kingdom is the only thing that has kept her from snapping. Marrying into the Woods means everything she's ever wanted. A family. Respect. Power. But when Jinx and several of her rebels hijack the wedding, the two find their destinies linked.
For better or for worse.
This sapphic enemies to lovers will have you questioning who you can trust. That is... if you can trust anyone at all.
Jinx Athanasia has dedicated her life to revenge.
On the small, isolated continent of The Two Kingdoms, magic lays within the land itself. The land has been ruled with an iron fist ever since the royal families rose to power centuries ago. The year is 2024, though the kingdoms have not evolved technologically since isolating themselves in 1792. Those who possess magic themselves, supernaturals, are public enemy number one.
Rebellion leader, vigilante and wanted criminal, Jinx Athanasia has made a myth of herself, defending supernaturals from the oppressive government who deemed their existance a threat. Earning the nickname of "Nightshade" as a child, she will not rest until the monarchy is toppled.
Second born Princess Veronica Belladonna is tired of being ignored and ridiculed. Her arranged marriage to the neighboring kingdom is the only thing that has kept her from snapping. Marrying into the Woods means everything she's ever wanted. A family. Respect. Power. But when Jinx and several of her rebels hijack the wedding, the two find their destinies linked.
For better or for worse.
This sapphic enemies to lovers will have you questioning who you can trust. That is... if you can trust anyone at all.
266 pages, Paperback
Published May 13, 2024
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2024
To start this off, it is an immense accomplishment to even write a book in the first place, let alone go through the steps to self-publish. For going through the difficult process of writing a full-length novel and then putting in so much effort to also advertise on social media platforms, Percy Cadaver should feel proud of their efforts.
I write this review with the understanding that this book is not “for” me. Young Adult and Dark Fantasy are not genres I regularly consume. In addition, I am taking into account that this book is not only self-published but also did not have an editor according to the acknowledgments. Both of these have been accounted for in the rating.
A summary of my review: While this novel has many promising aspects and a few standout moments and characters, it has noticeable trouble with pacing, consistent characterization, and worldbuilding. That being said, there is potential for a stellar story and intriguing development in future installments.
All that being said, I will start with the aspects I felt were well done:
There were a few one-off characters that I enjoyed and felt had consistent characterization that made them fun to read about. This was mainly apparent in the character of Aella, who remained relatively consistent in characterization and dialogue throughout the book, which made her an anchor in most scenes she was a part of. Her at-times abrasive personality combined with her deep loyalty to her family and friends made her enjoyable to read.
There was a particular chapter about mid-way through the book that was a true standout: Chapter Twelve. While I would not recommend this book, if I were to suggest someone read an excerpt, this is the section I would have them read. The narration of the character for this chapter was consistent, fun, and wove in flashbacks with the present day very well. The central characters of this chapter were engaging and enjoyable to read; I would happily read a book that has a similar writing style and focuses on these characters alone.
At various points in the novel, there were standout lines, imagery, and even whole scenes that showed a real sense of creativity and potential. At times I found myself genuinely very invested and gripped by particular pieces of dialogue or character moments.
Now onto aspects where there is room to grow:
Pacing: This novel, throughout its three parts, has tremendous trouble with pacing. Scenes in the first part often moved at a breakneck speed, introducing new mysteries and events only to resolve them within the same chapter. Large and important character tableaus and scenes often occurred out of nowhere with seemingly no story significance, and scenes moved from one to the other with little in the way of consequences for major actions. Characters would get stabbed, yet suffer no consequences for these recurring and grievous injuries. Parts two and three slowed down significantly, but often to the detriment of the story, with part three in particular lacking a general sense of urgency or buildup to the climax. Even in these later parts, big scenes would occur only to be followed by an immediate time skip with little to no time to let significant story beats sink in for the story or the characters. This is an aspect that likely could have been greatly improved by a longer time spent in the outlining stage.
Characterization: Across the whole, most characters were inconsistent in their characterization. It was often difficult to get a grasp on each character’s personality and goals, and it was hard to parse their relationships with others in the story. This was an issue with the main character, Veronica, in particular, especially concerning her relationship with her sister and her parents. Characters would either describe themselves or other characters with descriptions that had no evidence to support these attributes. The character arcs also needed more time to develop and often felt rushed. While the story seemed to be aiming for a “found family” dynamic, it was hard to understand or feel the bond between them when the individual characters themselves were difficult to parse. This was prevalent in the main couple of the story, which felt as if it needed much slower development for the “enemies to lovers” trope it was going for. Overall, the story felt weighed down with too many characters in the cast and could have benefited from having fewer characters and more time spent on the development of each one.
Worldbuilding: When I initially read the summary of this novel, I was intrigued by what seemed to be a major twist being revealed in the synopsis. The concept of a story taking place in a technologically isolated kingdom, while done before, always has room to be played around with. Much of my mind during the first part was occupied with figuring out how a greater world outside the main setting would come into play, if it would at all in this entry in the series. Aspects of the alternate history are hinted at during various parts of the novel and were intriguing enough to keep me reading. However, much of this was not followed up on, with the story instead including seemingly random lingo and technology of the modern era more and more as the plot progresses, in a way that hardly affects the plot. Characters in a dark fantasy novel throwing out words and phrases such as “bigot,” “lesbian disaster,” and “toxic masculinity,” for example, took me out of the story as I felt that using these words with their modern connotations did not fit the setting, even with it technically taking place in 2024. The main setting itself lacked development, with key aspects of the kingdoms thrown in randomly. A big part of this was the supernatural element of the story; the early parts of the story were often confusing, with characters revealed as supernaturals left and right, and with their abilities often obfuscated and seemingly chosen at random for plot convenience. More in-depth explanations of each were given later in the story, but at a time that was inappropriate to the pacing and at that point no longer necessary, especially when these explanations repeated themselves. Overall, just as with the pacing, this was something that seems to have needed more time in earlier writing stages.
In addition, the tone of the story did not seem to fit the genre. While darker moments did occur, they were often undercut by a lack of buildup and a general sense of nonchalant humor common throughout the rest of the novel. While dark stories do need moments of levity, this plot often lacked the gravity needed for a story in the dark fantasy genre.
Finally, I’d like to emphasize the potential here. There are a lot of threads here that could become something truly stellar. Particular characters and story beats point to the beating heart of a great story underneath. The worldbuilding, character arcs, and story beats can all be expanded upon in future entries to the series in ways that feel satisfying and exciting. It’s easy to tell that, while raw, there are some real gems to be found here. I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes, from Shiro Nishi commenting on a geode in the film Whisper of the Heart:
“You see that rough surrounding stone? You can polish it all you want, but it'll still be worthless. But there might be something much more valuable inside that you can't yet see. You have to find the rough gems inside yourself, take the time, and polish them.”
I hope to see more works from this author in the future.
I write this review with the understanding that this book is not “for” me. Young Adult and Dark Fantasy are not genres I regularly consume. In addition, I am taking into account that this book is not only self-published but also did not have an editor according to the acknowledgments. Both of these have been accounted for in the rating.
A summary of my review: While this novel has many promising aspects and a few standout moments and characters, it has noticeable trouble with pacing, consistent characterization, and worldbuilding. That being said, there is potential for a stellar story and intriguing development in future installments.
All that being said, I will start with the aspects I felt were well done:
There were a few one-off characters that I enjoyed and felt had consistent characterization that made them fun to read about. This was mainly apparent in the character of Aella, who remained relatively consistent in characterization and dialogue throughout the book, which made her an anchor in most scenes she was a part of. Her at-times abrasive personality combined with her deep loyalty to her family and friends made her enjoyable to read.
There was a particular chapter about mid-way through the book that was a true standout: Chapter Twelve. While I would not recommend this book, if I were to suggest someone read an excerpt, this is the section I would have them read. The narration of the character for this chapter was consistent, fun, and wove in flashbacks with the present day very well. The central characters of this chapter were engaging and enjoyable to read; I would happily read a book that has a similar writing style and focuses on these characters alone.
At various points in the novel, there were standout lines, imagery, and even whole scenes that showed a real sense of creativity and potential. At times I found myself genuinely very invested and gripped by particular pieces of dialogue or character moments.
Now onto aspects where there is room to grow:
Pacing: This novel, throughout its three parts, has tremendous trouble with pacing. Scenes in the first part often moved at a breakneck speed, introducing new mysteries and events only to resolve them within the same chapter. Large and important character tableaus and scenes often occurred out of nowhere with seemingly no story significance, and scenes moved from one to the other with little in the way of consequences for major actions. Characters would get stabbed, yet suffer no consequences for these recurring and grievous injuries. Parts two and three slowed down significantly, but often to the detriment of the story, with part three in particular lacking a general sense of urgency or buildup to the climax. Even in these later parts, big scenes would occur only to be followed by an immediate time skip with little to no time to let significant story beats sink in for the story or the characters. This is an aspect that likely could have been greatly improved by a longer time spent in the outlining stage.
Characterization: Across the whole, most characters were inconsistent in their characterization. It was often difficult to get a grasp on each character’s personality and goals, and it was hard to parse their relationships with others in the story. This was an issue with the main character, Veronica, in particular, especially concerning her relationship with her sister and her parents. Characters would either describe themselves or other characters with descriptions that had no evidence to support these attributes. The character arcs also needed more time to develop and often felt rushed. While the story seemed to be aiming for a “found family” dynamic, it was hard to understand or feel the bond between them when the individual characters themselves were difficult to parse. This was prevalent in the main couple of the story, which felt as if it needed much slower development for the “enemies to lovers” trope it was going for. Overall, the story felt weighed down with too many characters in the cast and could have benefited from having fewer characters and more time spent on the development of each one.
Worldbuilding: When I initially read the summary of this novel, I was intrigued by what seemed to be a major twist being revealed in the synopsis. The concept of a story taking place in a technologically isolated kingdom, while done before, always has room to be played around with. Much of my mind during the first part was occupied with figuring out how a greater world outside the main setting would come into play, if it would at all in this entry in the series. Aspects of the alternate history are hinted at during various parts of the novel and were intriguing enough to keep me reading. However, much of this was not followed up on, with the story instead including seemingly random lingo and technology of the modern era more and more as the plot progresses, in a way that hardly affects the plot. Characters in a dark fantasy novel throwing out words and phrases such as “bigot,” “lesbian disaster,” and “toxic masculinity,” for example, took me out of the story as I felt that using these words with their modern connotations did not fit the setting, even with it technically taking place in 2024. The main setting itself lacked development, with key aspects of the kingdoms thrown in randomly. A big part of this was the supernatural element of the story; the early parts of the story were often confusing, with characters revealed as supernaturals left and right, and with their abilities often obfuscated and seemingly chosen at random for plot convenience. More in-depth explanations of each were given later in the story, but at a time that was inappropriate to the pacing and at that point no longer necessary, especially when these explanations repeated themselves. Overall, just as with the pacing, this was something that seems to have needed more time in earlier writing stages.
In addition, the tone of the story did not seem to fit the genre. While darker moments did occur, they were often undercut by a lack of buildup and a general sense of nonchalant humor common throughout the rest of the novel. While dark stories do need moments of levity, this plot often lacked the gravity needed for a story in the dark fantasy genre.
Finally, I’d like to emphasize the potential here. There are a lot of threads here that could become something truly stellar. Particular characters and story beats point to the beating heart of a great story underneath. The worldbuilding, character arcs, and story beats can all be expanded upon in future entries to the series in ways that feel satisfying and exciting. It’s easy to tell that, while raw, there are some real gems to be found here. I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes, from Shiro Nishi commenting on a geode in the film Whisper of the Heart:
“You see that rough surrounding stone? You can polish it all you want, but it'll still be worthless. But there might be something much more valuable inside that you can't yet see. You have to find the rough gems inside yourself, take the time, and polish them.”
I hope to see more works from this author in the future.
July 7, 2024
✨A big congratulations to Percy Cadaver! Self publishing a novel is a huge accomplishment! <3
❤️ Let’s start with the positives:
I enjoyed the originality of the story in its setting/world-building, tone, and creative uses of common tropes. There was a lot of intrigue throughout the whole story the kept me engaged with the plot as well as the characters-majority of whom I loved from the start. The characters (Beckett, my child!!! and Icylyn, basically me-and the rest) all had really good chemistry. The banter felt a little immature for the tone of the story, but still absolutely believable given the personalities. The romance was quite cute and an execution of enemies-to-lovers that I *gasp* actually liked???
🩶 Now for the necessary critiques. It would be unfair to pick apart the book, especially considering spoilers, so I'll speak generally.
Through the whole book, there was punctuation and grammatical errors that could be caught with a couple more rounds of editing. I still found it readable without too much distraction. There was a lot of showing rather than telling, though praise should be given to where it was used: it was well placed in terms of exposition or information being revealed, but a lot of it could have been set earlier on. And...well, there's a lot of cliches. It's not a serious complaint because it was a consistent style in the writing: very self-aware, and not hindering my enjoyment of the general story.
💖 OK, now more things I liked!
I really did like the characters. I adored the chemistry and dialogues and different relationships. Percy also does a wonderful job at incorporating diversity. From identities to character quirks, everything felt a true part of the story. The differences in all the characters made them all interesting in their own right! Despite many conveniences, the plot was engaging with real stakes. Not to mention the ending....my friend, that was unfair. I'm sending you my therapy bill...💔
❤️🔥 I'm looking forward to book 2 and I'm excited to see how Percy's writing improves and develops.
❤️ Let’s start with the positives:
I enjoyed the originality of the story in its setting/world-building, tone, and creative uses of common tropes. There was a lot of intrigue throughout the whole story the kept me engaged with the plot as well as the characters-majority of whom I loved from the start. The characters (Beckett, my child!!! and Icylyn, basically me-and the rest) all had really good chemistry. The banter felt a little immature for the tone of the story, but still absolutely believable given the personalities. The romance was quite cute and an execution of enemies-to-lovers that I *gasp* actually liked???
🩶 Now for the necessary critiques. It would be unfair to pick apart the book, especially considering spoilers, so I'll speak generally.
Through the whole book, there was punctuation and grammatical errors that could be caught with a couple more rounds of editing. I still found it readable without too much distraction. There was a lot of showing rather than telling, though praise should be given to where it was used: it was well placed in terms of exposition or information being revealed, but a lot of it could have been set earlier on. And...well, there's a lot of cliches. It's not a serious complaint because it was a consistent style in the writing: very self-aware, and not hindering my enjoyment of the general story.
💖 OK, now more things I liked!
I really did like the characters. I adored the chemistry and dialogues and different relationships. Percy also does a wonderful job at incorporating diversity. From identities to character quirks, everything felt a true part of the story. The differences in all the characters made them all interesting in their own right! Despite many conveniences, the plot was engaging with real stakes. Not to mention the ending....my friend, that was unfair. I'm sending you my therapy bill...💔
❤️🔥 I'm looking forward to book 2 and I'm excited to see how Percy's writing improves and develops.
March 21, 2025
This book is very precious to me and also everything that was precious about it lives rent free in my head heart and soul. There is an Ian McKellen reference amongst the gay vampires what more do you want?
That goes to say, this is a wonderful debut by Percy Cadaver and I look forward to more of their work!!
That goes to say, this is a wonderful debut by Percy Cadaver and I look forward to more of their work!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews