Years ago, war raged in Olyrium taking the lives of both humans and fae. A great sacrifice banished the enemy to an island surrounded by an impenetrable barrier. But when the barrier starts to tear, it leaves all the realms vulnerable to the Banished King, whose only goal is mass destruction.
Aliyah
Born an orphan, Aliyah has spent most of her life alone, until she meets her best friend Saraphena. Aliyah struggles to find her place in the world as she embarks on a great adventure to unknown lands in search of the family she never had. But her life is turned upside down when a handsome fae decides Aliyah is his.
Enzo
Determined to never find love, Enzo spends his life training for battle and balancing his friends' witty attitudes. Set out to save a small village from attack, Enzo finds himself taking home his trophy, with no intention of ever letting her go.
UGH!!!! This book EMOTIONALLY WRECKED ME!!!! But I absolutely loved it!
In this book, we follow Aliyah on a perilous journey of self-discovery as she searches for her place in the world. Aliyah and her friends are in danger at every turn as they venture through Olyrium seeking answers. As we journey with them, we come to understand each character and their personal struggles. Love, betrayal, self-discovery, and found family are just a few of the themes explored in this fantastic story. This book is likely in my top 10 reads. It kept me engaged and yearning for more. While I predicted some events, others took me by surprise. I laughed, cried, and shouted while reading this book. What I loved most was finding myself in some characters, understanding their motivations and actions.
Originally I said it felt like it was written by AI that was given Wattpad as its knowledge base. I still stand by that. The reason I’m upping to two stars is bc I did appreciate the pacing of the book. It got right to the action and kept moving quickly. That’s how I was able to finish and not DNF.
What an amazing read! I read in two days and loved it but you will definitely hate the ending g unless the authors have a surprise for us in the next book. I highly recommend but be prepared to be frustrated!
This book was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! I haven't read a five star book in SOOO long. The author did an amazing job taking a Fae Romantasy and making it her own. It is so different from other books that I was excited to finish it.
Vague Snippet (No Spoilers). There are three main groups in this book fae, humans, and the evil demon/zombie army (I imagined the rat king army mixed with white walkers no idea why.)
The MC is an orphan that was discarded when she was a baby and grew up in an orphanage. She was constantly mistreated and had to do hard things to survive. During her young teens the MC picks up a guardian fae but she thinks it's just her bestie. She also has vivid dreams of someone, but can't make out who. One day the human village is invaded by the Evil king and his army. While trying to hide the MC is picked up by a soldier from her dreams. Her and her "bestie" are transported to the Fae realm when suddenly the MC is Fae which slowly unravels who the MC really is.
Loved: I loved in this book how there were actual adult relationships and friendships. Instead of staying mad, being childish, and causing more issues in the book anytime there was a problem the characters would talk about it and get over it...LIKE ADULTS SHOULD DO!
To build the story without giving it away the author drops settle hints with each setting they are in as to who the MC really is. This is great for setting up the plot and to have more background of what and why the event happened without bombarding the reader at the very end.
It was great to read a moderately
PERKS TO THE AUTHOR FOR HAVING A TRAUMA, BOUNDARY, AND CONSENT SPEECH BETWEEN THE MAIN COUPLE!!! I like that the author puts something like "I haven't actually had sex with anyone I wanted to" instead of putting a descriptive traumatizing SA episode. Then when the male MC automatically respects it, probably one of the best parts of the book.
The author was amazing at having cliche and typical things happen in the book but she would twist it so that it wasn't cliche but something of her very own. That's a hard thing to do so the fact Jane did that so many times in through the first book is a great skillset.
The banter in this book was great as well. Gave you dialogue to read that got you attached to the friend group.
Also.....THE AX AND THE NECKLACE!!! GENIUS!!!!!
Book is paced well without having to push catastrophic events every other page like so many others do because they were desperate for drama. This book is constantly moving along with events that contribute to the story.
Final thoughts The book did tend to drag in the end. I wish there was more than a fight scene and maybe more secret spilling or crap talking between to the enemy. However, this is such an amazing book and I cannot wait for the next one.
Triggers Mention of SA Hard childhood Non-consensual whippings
Tropes: Grumpy/Grumpy Touch her and die Found family Fast love Open communication Cliffhanger
The content page of this book states the goal of this book is to ruin you emotionally, mentally, and physically, It did just that!!
I fell in love with each of the characters and the worlds that were built throughout this book! I literally couldn’t put it down and by the end I was sobbing.
If you love a good cry while reading this book is definitely for you.
This book also has everything you could want and more! Romance, Fantasy, World building, War, and so much more.
I still think about Aliyah and Enzo daily and I’m impatiently waiting on book 2.
Overall I loved the pace, I felt like it was well balanced and everytime it got dark there would be something to lighten the mood right after, and while i was warned about the heartbreak I still was caught off gaurd at the end. The banter in this is amazing and I will definitely be recommending this and looking forward to release day.
I need to escape to this world! Absolutely loved the story and characters ❤️ Found family in this is the best! I am holding on to hope for the rest of the series 🤞🏻
This book emotionally killed me inside! It was an amazing book. I thought I had the ending figured out but it really got me. Everyone should read this book!
This book is a fast paced adventure, slow burn romance I never knew I needed! Loved every single second of it! It broke me in ways I can’t even comprehend! 5⭐️ all around!
You know how you find a book, a certain series that becomes your Roman Empire? Well, this book is the start of my Roman Empire. The words flow so easily. The words are like silk gliding through the air. The world building is astonishing. The description of the different empires, villages, and castles are described so elegantly. I’ve read so many books in my 41 years and have come across many that I love, but this one….it’s different. This one had me feeling every possible emotion a person can have. I cried, I laughed, was in utter shock, and was so, so mad. I knew, when I read the Prologue, that this was going to be more than just a fantastic read but a life shattering experience. This will be a series I will read over and over again and continuously recommend. 🖤 Brandi
I have now read this book TWICE in the past 3 months. I thought it was good the first time and honestly it only got better the second time. The banter, the found family, the feelings while reading this - are all AMAZING! I honestly am impatiently waiting for the second book to come out! I need more of these characters!
- the Banter is giving so much and it's not just one Character but all the mains! I Love it so much! - Mrs. Ma'am thank you for a good fast pace romantacy spice:🫑 more ploy then spice. Found family is beautifully written.
I LOVED this book! I couldn’t put it down! The story was well written and honestly kept me interested the entire book. The ending was sad and I was so excited to read what happens next.. but I have to wait a month 😭
My favorite part of this book was the relationship between all the main characters! I LOVED them. I felt a little detached by the end of the book because of how quick the events occurred, but I am hoping book 2 has much more plot+ character development. I am excited to see what happens in the next book!
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD -----> Excellent start to a series! I was impressed with the world building and the setting. I thought the character development was done well and the story kept me coming back. I am looking forward to book 2 as the author shows some promise. I had a love/hate relationship with the morally gray MMC so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. There were some things that I did, however, think were difficult to get through while reading. The FMC had a victim mentality through most of the book and while I certainly understand the origin of her feelings ( things that have happened to her) I felt there were inconsistencies with her attitude once she reached the faerie realm. Aliyah would assert herself one minute and then whine about how she wasn't good enough the next and it got annoying. Also, there was the part that the queen gave Aliyah a ring, giving the impression that it was going to play large role in the series, additionally the fact that the queen claims to have seen Aliyah in the reflecting pool several years ago and then ---- Aliyah is K!LLED at the very end of book one!! The main character! How is the series going to continue without knowing (thus far- we do not know) how her being seen in the reflecting pool or having been given that ring is/ was going to play a large part as was given the impression?? Also, the whole quest in the book started with the group going out to find Aliyah's past and family, to discover her origin and it was the biggest part of the plot and now she is dead, so does that not matter anymore, and if it does, how will it change anything if she is deceased? I struggled with that. As far as housekeeping: I would love to see Jane Rose use more and different descriptors, (she used the word 'crystals' 7 times in one paragraph (p. 117), but as with editing, things get missed and that is ok, things will and do get better over time! I have seen authors of series pull it off and Jane Rose has a good voice writes well so I hope that these things are addressed in the very next book "Anguish and Anarchy" as opposed to any other time, because at that point, too much time will have passed but I just wish that it had been, as least, foreshadowed, before the conclusion of THIS book! I wouldn't call it a plot hole because it is not a stand alone, so I am hopeful for the next book and see where things go. I will say though that the author, Jane Rose, has a thorough understanding of the Fae and the worlds in which they can live. And she is refreshingly creative with her world building and the creatures within it. It truly was a nice read and I am happy to have read this book and get into her series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book follows Aliyah, since she was a baby she grew up in an orphanage. She was very mistreated and had to do a lot of things to survive, but she then meets Sara who is her best friend, and they live in the mortal world together.
Where they are living ends up getting attacked, and Aliyah ends up getting saved by our MMC Enzo.
Aliyah doesn’t know who Enzo is, Enzo sees her and basically says “she’s mine” and saved her.
She is then transported to the Fae realm. And Aliyah realizes that she is actually fae.
Aliyah wants to find out who her birth parents are, so they are on a mission to try and find her birth parents. They are exploring different kingdoms going on these adventures.
The kingdoms are:
Krystal Kingdom- which is built all out of krystals , and you can find Alicanto, which is a bonded animal to the fae.
SunSpark Kingdom- which is daylight 24/7 and is super hot.
Twilight Kingdom- which is dark 24/7. The stars are always out.
I loved this book!! I read this so fast! It’s super fast paced and very entertaining! You just want to keep reading it!
I loved the characters! Normally fantasy takes me so long to get into, with this book, I was hooked from start to finish. It was absolutely amazing!! I loved everything about this book! The ending by the way literal cliffhanger!!! I started book 2 instantly!!!
Well, I've been saying I wanted a book to break me and boy did this one did good job! I didn't see it coming til it came. I thought, well, this isn't as bad as the warning said...and I ATE.MY.WORDS. 😭💔 I'm SO MAD/SAD for Enzo 😅 Great job Jane! Great story, I loved the diversity of the kingdoms & their world in general. This one will definitely leave a scar on my heart 🖤❤️🩹 & now I need to get into book 2!
I really wanted to love this book but something bothered me that I can't quite grasp. I was hoping for a dreadful, heart-wrenching experience but I felt it was underwhelming or even got tamer in its approach to dark scenes throughout the book. Sometimes the FMC was acting so beyond what she's being described as by everyone else. So self centered and insensitive or even stupid by the end.
It had so much potential and I think I'm hating on it so much because I couldn't warm up to it.
Let me tell you a tale about this tale. I loved it, it was an easy read. But around 60% through I was asking myself why I was still reading this book, almost contemplated a soft dnf. I am so glad I didn't!!! The other shoe dropped and I cried, then it was ok - ish, then I cried again. The ending made me cry.
There was so much potential with this narrative but the writing, specifically the timing and lack of depth in any one event, was disappointing. I did finish as it was a quick read but considered it might be a DNF multiple times.
I really liked this book and I’m excited to read the next one. I did feel like Enzo/ali’s love story was a little rushed. They were both so confidently in love with each other before they even got a chance to know each other/spend time together
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Lascher Anfang und verwirrend geendet. Die guten Bewertungen verstehe ich absolut nicht. Das Buch hat sehr viele Fragen aufgeworfen, die nicht beantwortet wurden.
I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. The FMC, Aliyah, was just so annoying to me. I was hoping for a stronger character that could persevere regardless of what happened in her past. But instead, you got a girl who sought reassurance from Enzo, the MMC, every couple seconds and until the very end of the book. She was just constantly in this mentality of “Do you really think I’m strong enough? 🥺” and I couldn’t take it. And the way Enzo “kidnapped” her seemed really random and didn’t have any proper set up. Their romance was too instant and felt like she just instantly fell in love which was not was I was expecting.