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Her Vicious Beasts #4
Her Tortured Beasts
It’s finally happened. I’ve surrendered myself to my father and the beasts who would pay to own me. I did it to protect my friends and my mates, but I’d NEVER guessed that the one mate who resented me the most would betray me so brutally.
Xander Drakos is a hateful dragon with a cursed heart and now that he’s formally rejected me, he is free to do as he pleases. Chained and bound, he escorts me to Drakos Estate, where horrors await..
The only thing we didn’t expect? That Xander’s dragon isn’t happy with what he’s done.
Xander Drakos is a hateful dragon with a cursed heart and now that he’s formally rejected me, he is free to do as he pleases. Chained and bound, he escorts me to Drakos Estate, where horrors await..
The only thing we didn’t expect? That Xander’s dragon isn’t happy with what he’s done.
555 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2025
946 people are currently reading
2362 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 723 reviews
April 2, 2025
Xander breaks the bond at the end of book three, declares himself free of fate and female entanglement, and then immediately opens this book by enslaving his mate (but is she still? I don't know) and locking her in a cage. Bold choices all around.
The first half is just unrelenting trauma—leashes, collars, creepy doctors, and two other “mates” who either watch or participate in her captivity like that’s not weird. The emotional stakes are murky at best. No one seems especially concerned. Including her... She’s just furious and fixated on murdering her father but seems weirdly chill about everyone else. (Girl, maybe widen the kill list?)
Things go off the rails in the second half, which includes but is not limited to: unethical marine biology, trauma-bonded aquarium stocking, and a deeply confusing redemption arc.
Somewhere in the second half, the book starts hinting at healing—but it’s less emotional growth and more “everyone is sad now so I guess that counts.” There’s lots of guilt, dramatic speeches, and grand gestures that feel like they belong in a completely different book. Justice? Closure? Who’s to say. I think I disassociated halfway through and just kept reading on autopilot.
2 stars because I read it in almost one sitting like it was a fever dream and I guess I was the sick one. Probably best read back-to-back before you have time to realize how little any of this makes sense.
The first half is just unrelenting trauma—leashes, collars, creepy doctors, and two other “mates” who either watch or participate in her captivity like that’s not weird. The emotional stakes are murky at best. No one seems especially concerned. Including her... She’s just furious and fixated on murdering her father but seems weirdly chill about everyone else. (Girl, maybe widen the kill list?)
Things go off the rails in the second half, which includes but is not limited to: unethical marine biology, trauma-bonded aquarium stocking, and a deeply confusing redemption arc.
Somewhere in the second half, the book starts hinting at healing—but it’s less emotional growth and more “everyone is sad now so I guess that counts.” There’s lots of guilt, dramatic speeches, and grand gestures that feel like they belong in a completely different book. Justice? Closure? Who’s to say. I think I disassociated halfway through and just kept reading on autopilot.
2 stars because I read it in almost one sitting like it was a fever dream and I guess I was the sick one. Probably best read back-to-back before you have time to realize how little any of this makes sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2025
I was in a reading slump until this book showed up on my Kindle like divine intervention…. And in less than 24 hours. I had finished the book.
But to be honest… this book finished me.
You know that feeling when you love something so much, you have no idea how to express it? You can’t form the right words about how important and special and life changing a book is for you?
That’s how I feel right now. I feel overwhelmed. I feel grateful I get to read this series in my lifetime. I could gush about this series for days and not even make a dent in properly explaining how it makes me feel. How much I adore it.
So… this book was the most emotional out of the series so far. I feel like I say that every time but then the author raises the bar and I’m left in a puddle of my own snot and tears.
This book is… hate to lovers… I’m not going to sugar coat it.
“Only a man so obsessed with a woman could hate her that much.”
There’s some insults slung and there may be a collar and leash involved…. I’m just gonna… throw that out there. This is dark. There is so much hate in this book. But… Hate is just pain personified… and…. It’s torture.
So the title of this book… very fitting.
“A broken scream fills the air, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s mine.”
This is the darkest book in the series so far.
There’s epic battles. Rescue missions. Captives. Painful separation. Rejection. Betrayal. Trauma. Like... big on the trauma. But there’s growth… and… it’s incredible to witness.
Some of her mates are forced to stay away from her and that all consuming rage and anger to get her back is so palpable you can taste it.
“The roar in my head rattles the bones of my skull”
This book is painful…. But… also… very… very… Yummy…
I think why I gravitate and am desperate for why choose with high stakes. Impossibly high stakes. Is that it doesn’t just rip your heart out it… it stomps on it and throws it in the trash. And then the rest of the book is just a giant rescue mission to save your precious dying heart. It’s a lot. And I love it.
I love a good reunion….. If you know what I mean….
“I meant all of it,” I whisper. “Every last word. And even if you hate me, I’m glad you feel something for me. I can hold on to that.”
To me… this is one of the slowest burn series I have ever read. You don’t get the love… you don’t get the healing… until you pass through the fire. Until you burn. But you’ll come out the other side feeling like a new person. A stronger person. With the love and support you’ve been dreaming of your entire existence. You’re stronger together… not apart. A Phoenix… rising from the ashes.
This is one of my favorite series of all time. please read it.
But to be honest… this book finished me.
You know that feeling when you love something so much, you have no idea how to express it? You can’t form the right words about how important and special and life changing a book is for you?
That’s how I feel right now. I feel overwhelmed. I feel grateful I get to read this series in my lifetime. I could gush about this series for days and not even make a dent in properly explaining how it makes me feel. How much I adore it.
So… this book was the most emotional out of the series so far. I feel like I say that every time but then the author raises the bar and I’m left in a puddle of my own snot and tears.
This book is… hate to lovers… I’m not going to sugar coat it.
“Only a man so obsessed with a woman could hate her that much.”
There’s some insults slung and there may be a collar and leash involved…. I’m just gonna… throw that out there. This is dark. There is so much hate in this book. But… Hate is just pain personified… and…. It’s torture.
So the title of this book… very fitting.
“A broken scream fills the air, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s mine.”
This is the darkest book in the series so far.
There’s epic battles. Rescue missions. Captives. Painful separation. Rejection. Betrayal. Trauma. Like... big on the trauma. But there’s growth… and… it’s incredible to witness.
Some of her mates are forced to stay away from her and that all consuming rage and anger to get her back is so palpable you can taste it.
“The roar in my head rattles the bones of my skull”
This book is painful…. But… also… very… very… Yummy…
I think why I gravitate and am desperate for why choose with high stakes. Impossibly high stakes. Is that it doesn’t just rip your heart out it… it stomps on it and throws it in the trash. And then the rest of the book is just a giant rescue mission to save your precious dying heart. It’s a lot. And I love it.
I love a good reunion….. If you know what I mean….
“I meant all of it,” I whisper. “Every last word. And even if you hate me, I’m glad you feel something for me. I can hold on to that.”
To me… this is one of the slowest burn series I have ever read. You don’t get the love… you don’t get the healing… until you pass through the fire. Until you burn. But you’ll come out the other side feeling like a new person. A stronger person. With the love and support you’ve been dreaming of your entire existence. You’re stronger together… not apart. A Phoenix… rising from the ashes.
This is one of my favorite series of all time. please read it.
March 29, 2025
There’s something deeply unsettling about the way this book is written - it feels like torture porn. I thought I was prepared based on the previous books and the warnings, but I was not. It feels gratuitous.
August 7, 2025
LAST BOOK ISNT OUT FOR MONTHS? I FEEL TORTURED
March 29, 2025
My theory from the end of the last book was that Lia and Xander had come up with a plan where they had pretended to break the bond so they could either spy or break his family away from the abusive father.
Nope.
It’s just Lia with yet another stupid decision that blew up in her face to the surprise of no one except her.
And I don’t care how much of a good boy Xander is by the end, the things she was subjected to because of him really are irredeemable. With how much he values intelligence and pride, to me it makes no sense that he would be so desperate to be around his abusive dad without any kind of plan to take him out of power.
If I hadn’t been so invested in the plot from the first few books in the series this would have been a DNF. The book did get better maybe around 60-65% when they were finally decided being willing prisoners for no reason wasn’t such a good idea.
The plot is good and I’m curious how everything is going to play out. Hopefully the characters find a way to develop a touch more sense in the final book.
Nope.
It’s just Lia with yet another stupid decision that blew up in her face to the surprise of no one except her.
And I don’t care how much of a good boy Xander is by the end, the things she was subjected to because of him really are irredeemable. With how much he values intelligence and pride, to me it makes no sense that he would be so desperate to be around his abusive dad without any kind of plan to take him out of power.
If I hadn’t been so invested in the plot from the first few books in the series this would have been a DNF. The book did get better maybe around 60-65% when they were finally decided being willing prisoners for no reason wasn’t such a good idea.
The plot is good and I’m curious how everything is going to play out. Hopefully the characters find a way to develop a touch more sense in the final book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2025
This book was a fun ride and I obviously read all of them so I did enjoy it. BUT Aurelia only has two brain cells and they’re both in her vagina and I just can’t take it anymore.
April 7, 2025
2.5.
Behold : spoilers below.
Sooooo.... definitely a letdown. I was READY for the whole bad guys Xander era, but two things bug me and left me with a bitter taste:
1) This is not an organic hate to lovers developpement at all. It is a humiliation fest-bully-and-torturer becomes a lovesick puppet.
I feel like the author got so invested into making him a villain that she did not know how to stick the hate to love landing.
Xander's change of heart makes no sense in terms of character development. Quite frankly, it feels like chapters are missing (would have loved to see his mother and sister giving him shit for his behavior for example...).
It doesn't bode well for the Ghoul development. AT ALL.
But hey, maybe it's just me. Violence and humiliation are prohibitive to a love story (or at least not in the span of a single book)
2) IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING.
The whole Mace Naga doing his nasty business in the background feels like a cheap way to extend the series to 5 books (get it ? Because there are 5 mates).
It is painfully reiterated several times that Aurelia got there willingly to get revenge on her father. And after more than 50% of the books being increasingly tortured and broken, we are told that it was for nothing ?? Not a single lead on anything ??
Can't we have a FMC that is reckless but also mature enough to make good decisions ? Can we have consistent plot development instead of justifying each plot point by an 'oopsie' decision ?
I get it, she had to be exposed to dragon politics, but separating the plotlines so neatly is exhausting. It feels like a neverending video game (new boss unlocked : The Collectionnist !).
Meh.
Nb: the only characters who's POV is still interesting after his arc is Savage. The rest all got dumb bitch syndrom once they mate.
Behold : spoilers below.
Sooooo.... definitely a letdown. I was READY for the whole bad guys Xander era, but two things bug me and left me with a bitter taste:
1) This is not an organic hate to lovers developpement at all. It is a humiliation fest-bully-and-torturer becomes a lovesick puppet.
I feel like the author got so invested into making him a villain that she did not know how to stick the hate to love landing.
Xander's change of heart makes no sense in terms of character development. Quite frankly, it feels like chapters are missing (would have loved to see his mother and sister giving him shit for his behavior for example...).
It doesn't bode well for the Ghoul development. AT ALL.
But hey, maybe it's just me. Violence and humiliation are prohibitive to a love story (or at least not in the span of a single book)
2) IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING.
The whole Mace Naga doing his nasty business in the background feels like a cheap way to extend the series to 5 books (get it ? Because there are 5 mates).
It is painfully reiterated several times that Aurelia got there willingly to get revenge on her father. And after more than 50% of the books being increasingly tortured and broken, we are told that it was for nothing ?? Not a single lead on anything ??
Can't we have a FMC that is reckless but also mature enough to make good decisions ? Can we have consistent plot development instead of justifying each plot point by an 'oopsie' decision ?
I get it, she had to be exposed to dragon politics, but separating the plotlines so neatly is exhausting. It feels like a neverending video game (new boss unlocked : The Collectionnist !).
Meh.
Nb: the only characters who's POV is still interesting after his arc is Savage. The rest all got dumb bitch syndrom once they mate.
December 5, 2025
No.
This series honestly started out really well, but has just spiralled into an absolute disaster! How are we meant to forgive Xander for what he did?! I love a good redemption arc, and I must admit, the grovelling was great, but nothing can justify what he did to her, and he doesn’t deserve redemption. He didn’t do it because he didn’t have a choice or to save his family… it was just out of hate! An unjustified hate at that! What reason did he even have to hate her?! And to do that to his brothers after all they did for him? Just to go back to the father who maimed and cast him out in the first place? What the actual fuck… these guys made Mace look like a decent guy!
And where did his change of heart come from?! One minute her LOATHES her, and the next he’s madly in love?!
This man severed their bond, put a leash on here while parading her around naked, made her sleep in a small DOG CAGE, let them feed her dog food, called her “It” instead of “her”, allowed the scientists and Ghoul to torture her for weeks in the dark room, knew about the breeding auction and was cool with it (don’t care if he stepped in last minute, the intention was still there), and married someone right in front of her after severing the bond… How exact is grovelling supposed to make up for that?!
And Ghoul is obviously a sociopath and no grovelling from him in the next one is gonna work for me. She should stick to 3 mates and call it a day. The other two are obviously defective…
And lastly… Lia is a dumb bitch who only thinks with her vagina. This woman has 0 self respect because HOW is she sleeping with this man after everything he’s done? Even WHILE it was happening, she allowed him to touch her 🤦🏻♀️
I’m sorry, but I have no respect for her
This series honestly started out really well, but has just spiralled into an absolute disaster! How are we meant to forgive Xander for what he did?! I love a good redemption arc, and I must admit, the grovelling was great, but nothing can justify what he did to her, and he doesn’t deserve redemption. He didn’t do it because he didn’t have a choice or to save his family… it was just out of hate! An unjustified hate at that! What reason did he even have to hate her?! And to do that to his brothers after all they did for him? Just to go back to the father who maimed and cast him out in the first place? What the actual fuck… these guys made Mace look like a decent guy!
And where did his change of heart come from?! One minute her LOATHES her, and the next he’s madly in love?!
This man severed their bond, put a leash on here while parading her around naked, made her sleep in a small DOG CAGE, let them feed her dog food, called her “It” instead of “her”, allowed the scientists and Ghoul to torture her for weeks in the dark room, knew about the breeding auction and was cool with it (don’t care if he stepped in last minute, the intention was still there), and married someone right in front of her after severing the bond… How exact is grovelling supposed to make up for that?!
And Ghoul is obviously a sociopath and no grovelling from him in the next one is gonna work for me. She should stick to 3 mates and call it a day. The other two are obviously defective…
And lastly… Lia is a dumb bitch who only thinks with her vagina. This woman has 0 self respect because HOW is she sleeping with this man after everything he’s done? Even WHILE it was happening, she allowed him to touch her 🤦🏻♀️
I’m sorry, but I have no respect for her
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2025
Extremelyyyy spoiler and rant heavy review
This was not a fun or enjoyable read that lived up to the anticipation we were left with at the end of the last book. I spent almost the entire time shaking my head at every turn. Xander’s sudden change of heart was pretty unbelievable given how much time and energy the author invested making his character viscerally hate and gleefully torture the FMC. And Aurelia’s whole martyr thing was for nothing? Literally, she accomplished absolutely nothing and all of her suffering was beyond pointless. She goes back broken and traumatized, has an unsatisfying reunion with her three other mates, and then we don’t even get a satisfying conclusion. I hate reading books that just beat down and break characters over and over, and at one point I just lost so much respect for Aurelia. The author seems to enjoy reducing her to a sex starved weakling who wouldn’t dream of doing anything less than rolling over in need for people who abuse and betray her in the worst way possible - like seriously, can you grow a freaking backbone and not give it up so easily for those who do nothing but humiliate and belittle you?? I could care less that they are “mates” that whole thing with Ghoul and Xander just made me want to give up on the book. The FMC’s father is basically chilling in the background twirling his evil mustache with his bestie the whole time and every single one of the MC’s are left worse off than they were at the end of the last book. I would much rather have saved myself the irritation and skipped this book entirely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2026
Reread: Jan. 2, 2026
First Read: April 18, 2025
Four stars purely for the vibes. No thoughts are allowed going into this book.
Some parts had me screaming “why!” into the abyss. I tried so hard to understand the FMC’s choices but I couldn’t. I don’t understand her thought process of surrendering herself for what?? To bring Scythe back? I think she could have tried something else first! The way Xander treated her… I never liked him but I HATED him here. There is a turning point that gave me faith but I need the next book now!
Although critically, there’s a lot left wanting in this book, it was such an addictive read. The romance, the devotion, the drama, the action! There was never a time I was bored. Whether it was because I hated what was happening, or loving it, I could not out it down! Why do I also do this to myself because now I have to wait for the last book to come out. There’s still so much to unravel and tie up in this story I don’t know how it’s going to be done.
First Read: April 18, 2025
Four stars purely for the vibes. No thoughts are allowed going into this book.
Some parts had me screaming “why!” into the abyss. I tried so hard to understand the FMC’s choices but I couldn’t. I don’t understand her thought process of surrendering herself for what?? To bring Scythe back? I think she could have tried something else first! The way Xander treated her… I never liked him but I HATED him here. There is a turning point that gave me faith but I need the next book now!
Although critically, there’s a lot left wanting in this book, it was such an addictive read. The romance, the devotion, the drama, the action! There was never a time I was bored. Whether it was because I hated what was happening, or loving it, I could not out it down! Why do I also do this to myself because now I have to wait for the last book to come out. There’s still so much to unravel and tie up in this story I don’t know how it’s going to be done.
December 31, 2025
The first 60% of this book is legit torture porn. I found it really off-putting and hard to get through. The FMC is quite literally tortured until she is rescued at 65%. Xander was so unlikeable for the majority of the book. His groveling was good, but I wanted more of it. She folded a bit too easily into having sex with him.
From 65% - 95%, I mostly enjoyed this book again.
I didn't love this cliffhanger. Amnesia + fake-mate-bonds are some of my least favorite tropes/plot devices in why choose books.
From 65% - 95%, I mostly enjoyed this book again.
I didn't love this cliffhanger. Amnesia + fake-mate-bonds are some of my least favorite tropes/plot devices in why choose books.
October 22, 2024
Looking very forward to this one. Loving the series. Why can I find these jems as a completed series before I read them. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 1000000% on my future tbh list
October 23, 2025
4.5 stars. ARC Review - thank you so much to E.P. Bali and her team for the ARC!!!
Book 4 is much darker than Prequel through book 3, be forewarned and pay attention to the trigger warnings! Overall I really liked HTB. It doesn't hit the 5-star level as the last few books did for a few reasons (below) but it is still an addicting read and this is still my favorite reverse harem fantasy series.
Overall, the book tore my heart out. Xander is one complicated, tragic mate for Lia. Ghoul is pretty much insane, but Xander just has so much anger and hate that he cannot process. There are certain chapters that were delightful and happy to read, but others that were just pain pain pain. E.P. Bali knows how to hit you where it hurts and she really puts Lia through it in this book. Xander has SO MUCH to redeem himself for.
By the end, I have a much better picture of why Xander was the way he was, and as usual, the ending tore me to pieces! I really hope this ends up being a 6-book series so we have book 5 as Ghoul's book and then one final book with all the men together!
Things I loved: Don't click unless you want spoilers!
Some things that kept it from 5 stars for me: Don't click unless you want spoilers!
Book 4 is much darker than Prequel through book 3, be forewarned and pay attention to the trigger warnings! Overall I really liked HTB. It doesn't hit the 5-star level as the last few books did for a few reasons (below) but it is still an addicting read and this is still my favorite reverse harem fantasy series.
Overall, the book tore my heart out. Xander is one complicated, tragic mate for Lia. Ghoul is pretty much insane, but Xander just has so much anger and hate that he cannot process. There are certain chapters that were delightful and happy to read, but others that were just pain pain pain. E.P. Bali knows how to hit you where it hurts and she really puts Lia through it in this book. Xander has SO MUCH to redeem himself for.
By the end, I have a much better picture of why Xander was the way he was, and as usual, the ending tore me to pieces! I really hope this ends up being a 6-book series so we have book 5 as Ghoul's book and then one final book with all the men together!
Things I loved: Don't click unless you want spoilers!
Some things that kept it from 5 stars for me: Don't click unless you want spoilers!
March 30, 2025
I’ve read over 150 books this year, this MFC is the worst by far
I’ve tolerated this series until this book. I can’t handle the MFC any longer. She’s awful on every level. She is far worse than her “captors”. A complete follower. She is without a doubt the most un-smart character. Every single choice choice she has made the entire series has caused nothing but problems, and brought pain to others yet she continues to make bad choice after bad choice.
She is an abuser who goes on to abuse another in the same way she was. This makes her worse than those who treated her that way.
The storyline is Ludacris. There’s too many things that do not track.
1. She’s incredibly powerful in most forms, more so than we’ve seen in the past, yet she does nothing with that power. When it could help her in almost every situation.
2. She has the power of invisibility yet rarely uses it in this book which she used with abundance in the others.
3. She can squeeze someone’s heart telepathically. She took down a dragon doing so yet she allows herself to be attacked over and over.
4. She has the power of the Phoenix yet never uses it until the very end. She constantly chooses to be a regular bird instead. Even in times that it very much works against her.
5. She can multi shift at will but never takes advantage of it when she should.
The whole situation with ghoul makes no sense.
Her choices caused the huge loss of life, her friend being prisoner, and her other friend giving up his life to the collector. Yet she continues to think that she’s making the right choice. And why is it that she never once asked about Connor once she gets back? She’s too busy getting it on with her mates and punishing Xander to even care what is happening to him.
She made the choice to go there, and because she ended up suffering from her own choice she decides to blame Xander. She is selfish, immature, judgmental, and so petty.
This is just being stretched into too many books with too many ridiculous situations. I have zero desire to waste any more time on these books.
The MFC completely ruined this book. I really can’t force myself to waste more hours of free time in her head.
I’ve tolerated this series until this book. I can’t handle the MFC any longer. She’s awful on every level. She is far worse than her “captors”. A complete follower. She is without a doubt the most un-smart character. Every single choice choice she has made the entire series has caused nothing but problems, and brought pain to others yet she continues to make bad choice after bad choice.
She is an abuser who goes on to abuse another in the same way she was. This makes her worse than those who treated her that way.
The storyline is Ludacris. There’s too many things that do not track.
1. She’s incredibly powerful in most forms, more so than we’ve seen in the past, yet she does nothing with that power. When it could help her in almost every situation.
2. She has the power of invisibility yet rarely uses it in this book which she used with abundance in the others.
3. She can squeeze someone’s heart telepathically. She took down a dragon doing so yet she allows herself to be attacked over and over.
4. She has the power of the Phoenix yet never uses it until the very end. She constantly chooses to be a regular bird instead. Even in times that it very much works against her.
5. She can multi shift at will but never takes advantage of it when she should.
The whole situation with ghoul makes no sense.
Her choices caused the huge loss of life, her friend being prisoner, and her other friend giving up his life to the collector. Yet she continues to think that she’s making the right choice. And why is it that she never once asked about Connor once she gets back? She’s too busy getting it on with her mates and punishing Xander to even care what is happening to him.
She made the choice to go there, and because she ended up suffering from her own choice she decides to blame Xander. She is selfish, immature, judgmental, and so petty.
This is just being stretched into too many books with too many ridiculous situations. I have zero desire to waste any more time on these books.
The MFC completely ruined this book. I really can’t force myself to waste more hours of free time in her head.
April 3, 2025
I received this ARC and am leaving an honest review:
I really debated giving this a one star review but I settled on 1,5 so rounded up. I wanted to DNF this so many times but I was way too far into the series at this point and honestly I really did enjoy the previous books!
This one however made ZERO sense. The FMC has been now reduced to a brainless, weak, pathetic, pushover without any kind of personality or individuality... IN SPITE OF HER BEING THE ONE AND ONLY MOST POWERFUL BEING ON THE PLANET! Make it make sense.
The last book made it seem like she had some kind of plan when she was captured. She said she was going in to destroy the people who hurt her mother right? Instead she acomplishes literally nothing. Attempts nothing, plans nothing, does NOTHING.
This whole book felt like it was just an excuse to indulge in sick torture pron or something? There was no substance or character development. Xander just magically decides he is now different... no explanation, just flipped a switch... OK... And we are all just rolling with that I guess.
Also am I on crazy pills or are there a bunch of major inconsistencies in this book? Like Lia turning into a dragon as if it was some miraculous new thing? Or Xaden having a bunch of powers that he didn't before? And nobody cares about Connor now?? What about Lorian?? Hell even Racquel was going to rot if it wasn't for Stacy randomly reminding Lia about it.
Ugh... can we pretend this book never happened and move on to the next? Not because I give a flying fart in space about Ghoul, but because I NEED the poor unicorn to get rescued.
I really debated giving this a one star review but I settled on 1,5 so rounded up. I wanted to DNF this so many times but I was way too far into the series at this point and honestly I really did enjoy the previous books!
This one however made ZERO sense. The FMC has been now reduced to a brainless, weak, pathetic, pushover without any kind of personality or individuality... IN SPITE OF HER BEING THE ONE AND ONLY MOST POWERFUL BEING ON THE PLANET! Make it make sense.
The last book made it seem like she had some kind of plan when she was captured. She said she was going in to destroy the people who hurt her mother right? Instead she acomplishes literally nothing. Attempts nothing, plans nothing, does NOTHING.
This whole book felt like it was just an excuse to indulge in sick torture pron or something? There was no substance or character development. Xander just magically decides he is now different... no explanation, just flipped a switch... OK... And we are all just rolling with that I guess.
Also am I on crazy pills or are there a bunch of major inconsistencies in this book? Like Lia turning into a dragon as if it was some miraculous new thing? Or Xaden having a bunch of powers that he didn't before? And nobody cares about Connor now?? What about Lorian?? Hell even Racquel was going to rot if it wasn't for Stacy randomly reminding Lia about it.
Ugh... can we pretend this book never happened and move on to the next? Not because I give a flying fart in space about Ghoul, but because I NEED the poor unicorn to get rescued.
April 10, 2025
... this is one of the books that finished ME
April 29, 2025
3⭐️
ahhhh i’m so sad to give this only 3 stars after giving the other books at least 4 but… where do i even begin?
a bit of spoilers!
Aurelia just decided to lose all fucking common sense at the end of the last book and has kept that attitude through all this as well, which was very disappointing to say the least.
she made a stupid fucking choice to avenge her mother and then she just… forgot about it. or rather she just did NOTHING. didn’t even TRY to plot something, she just took every vile thing they did to her.
her giving herself to her enemies willingly was simply a stupid choice that she made for absolutely no valid reason and she didn’t even try to think about ANYTHING before doing something so drastic, and even then not having a plan! just going there without a fucking thought!
all of that and she just blocks out her mates, again with no reason, who are going insane and on a rampage, and just ignores them and prohibits them from going after her. which was another fucking idiotic choice.
my men????? WHY TF were they so absent! i was already furious that Scythe’s book wasn’t all that satisfying in terms of his relationship with aurelia, and we get their reunion at 70%??????? huh????? and not only were they separated, but they BARELY had any chapters throughout the entire book! i wanted to be in their mind instead of that asshole!
which brings me to Xander.
i cannot even express the amount of dislike i’ve had for this MMC which is something that is really fucking hard to achieve because i’m entertained and become obsessed with fictional man so fucking easily.
he just didn’t make sense. AT ALL.
his hate was not justified whatsoever, the reason he lost his eyes was fucking stupid, and again made zero sense, and him wanting to back to his family was? guess what? again fucking stupid.
if his relationship with Aurelia had had even A TINY BIT of tension, angst, longing or fucking anything really this might have been tolerable.
instead he just hated her for 3.5 books before this and just continued to do it for more than half of this book.
the way he treated her was so fucking disgusting… and let me tell you i have read so many fucked up books, SO MANY but the pure humiliation and contempt and HATE he felt towards Aurelia (again, WITHOUT ANY REASON WHY) was just irredeemable.
he even married another fucking woman and thought he was having sex with HER! nah.
and then he simply says that he fell in love with her? huh? WHEN!? he just felt GUILTY because he realized he acted in a DISGUSTING way.
his so called love literally came out of nowhere, and just stemmed from guilt, which is a real shame because when groveling he actually acted like a really good simp, and i was enjoying it until i remembered how he acted before.
his only good moment was when he bade the treasure haze and it was simply because he wasn’t in his right mind. do with that what you will.
aurelia might be a better woman than me (or maybe just plainly fucking stupid at this point) because how do you take him back after everything he did? why would you???? after TELLING him she would never forgive him, he just comes back, does a bit of humiliating forced stuff and she just forgets all about it, kisses him, sleeps with him? nah i needed RAGE and her treating him like shit, or better yet fucking ignoring him. she was just too forgiving, not even speaking about everything he did and just taking him back with no thought.
lastly, ghoul? i don’t know what to do with him tbh. i don’t know his motives, his agenda, his plans, what he feels for aurelia. he actually seems like a useless character, but he’s supposed to be an MMC? he is barely there, and anything he does i don’t care about because i don’t know anything about him.
P.S GIVE ME MORE SCYTHE FOR FUCK’S SAKE PLEASE I DESERVE IT
ahhhh i’m so sad to give this only 3 stars after giving the other books at least 4 but… where do i even begin?
a bit of spoilers!
Aurelia just decided to lose all fucking common sense at the end of the last book and has kept that attitude through all this as well, which was very disappointing to say the least.
she made a stupid fucking choice to avenge her mother and then she just… forgot about it. or rather she just did NOTHING. didn’t even TRY to plot something, she just took every vile thing they did to her.
her giving herself to her enemies willingly was simply a stupid choice that she made for absolutely no valid reason and she didn’t even try to think about ANYTHING before doing something so drastic, and even then not having a plan! just going there without a fucking thought!
all of that and she just blocks out her mates, again with no reason, who are going insane and on a rampage, and just ignores them and prohibits them from going after her. which was another fucking idiotic choice.
my men????? WHY TF were they so absent! i was already furious that Scythe’s book wasn’t all that satisfying in terms of his relationship with aurelia, and we get their reunion at 70%??????? huh????? and not only were they separated, but they BARELY had any chapters throughout the entire book! i wanted to be in their mind instead of that asshole!
which brings me to Xander.
i cannot even express the amount of dislike i’ve had for this MMC which is something that is really fucking hard to achieve because i’m entertained and become obsessed with fictional man so fucking easily.
he just didn’t make sense. AT ALL.
his hate was not justified whatsoever, the reason he lost his eyes was fucking stupid, and again made zero sense, and him wanting to back to his family was? guess what? again fucking stupid.
if his relationship with Aurelia had had even A TINY BIT of tension, angst, longing or fucking anything really this might have been tolerable.
instead he just hated her for 3.5 books before this and just continued to do it for more than half of this book.
the way he treated her was so fucking disgusting… and let me tell you i have read so many fucked up books, SO MANY but the pure humiliation and contempt and HATE he felt towards Aurelia (again, WITHOUT ANY REASON WHY) was just irredeemable.
he even married another fucking woman and thought he was having sex with HER! nah.
and then he simply says that he fell in love with her? huh? WHEN!? he just felt GUILTY because he realized he acted in a DISGUSTING way.
his so called love literally came out of nowhere, and just stemmed from guilt, which is a real shame because when groveling he actually acted like a really good simp, and i was enjoying it until i remembered how he acted before.
his only good moment was when he bade the treasure haze and it was simply because he wasn’t in his right mind. do with that what you will.
aurelia might be a better woman than me (or maybe just plainly fucking stupid at this point) because how do you take him back after everything he did? why would you???? after TELLING him she would never forgive him, he just comes back, does a bit of humiliating forced stuff and she just forgets all about it, kisses him, sleeps with him? nah i needed RAGE and her treating him like shit, or better yet fucking ignoring him. she was just too forgiving, not even speaking about everything he did and just taking him back with no thought.
lastly, ghoul? i don’t know what to do with him tbh. i don’t know his motives, his agenda, his plans, what he feels for aurelia. he actually seems like a useless character, but he’s supposed to be an MMC? he is barely there, and anything he does i don’t care about because i don’t know anything about him.
P.S GIVE ME MORE SCYTHE FOR FUCK’S SAKE PLEASE I DESERVE IT
July 21, 2025
DNF 88%
I just can’t do it anymore. How did a series with so much promise and intrigue end up like this? Xander had a complete personality change after torturing Aurelia for half a book. Aurelia continues to make dumb decisions with no plan whatsoever and only seems to think with her clit. The fact this book made the 180 on Xander and now because he’s willing to what, say he’s sorry, that just erases the humiliation, sexual abuse, physical and mental torture that he put Aurelia through? And she just FORGIVES THAT.
I have never read a more irredeemable character than Xander. The fact she had to completely change his personality to find that redemption just reeks of a writer that wrote herself into a corner.
Lyle is a doormat with no personality other than brushing Aurelia’s hair now. Scythe is just a hype man to Aurelia. And savage I have no complaints about.
Also?? The whole Ghoul thing?? Like if Xander can be redeemed I assume that’s the route headed for Ghoul too and I just can’t.
I just can’t do it anymore. How did a series with so much promise and intrigue end up like this? Xander had a complete personality change after torturing Aurelia for half a book. Aurelia continues to make dumb decisions with no plan whatsoever and only seems to think with her clit. The fact this book made the 180 on Xander and now because he’s willing to what, say he’s sorry, that just erases the humiliation, sexual abuse, physical and mental torture that he put Aurelia through? And she just FORGIVES THAT.
I have never read a more irredeemable character than Xander. The fact she had to completely change his personality to find that redemption just reeks of a writer that wrote herself into a corner.
Lyle is a doormat with no personality other than brushing Aurelia’s hair now. Scythe is just a hype man to Aurelia. And savage I have no complaints about.
Also?? The whole Ghoul thing?? Like if Xander can be redeemed I assume that’s the route headed for Ghoul too and I just can’t.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2025
FIRST READ REVIEW:
what the F-WORD WAS THAT ENDING???? ARE WE SERIOUS??? NOOOO MY BABIES
like i cannot for the life of me pick my jaw up off the floor. that ending was CRIMINAL
the collector is the WORST villain i have read about in a loooong time. are we effing serious? she imprisoned her OWN mates btw, and is just the GREEDIEST person ever.
i’m actually so angry for aurelia. i need to take a calming breath and remind myself that this is fiction lol. what i DONT need to remind myself is that the final book isn’t out yet. ….yeahhhh. that’s not fiction (emo much?). this is about to be the MOST tortuous few months of my life. december? the END of december? i will literally go insane before then, straight jacket and all. she made them BOW. KNEEL. then ordered them to kill lia. WTFFFFFF.
i genuinely hate this b-word. omg. that crocodile ass needs to GO. effective immediately. aurelia needs to have it out with her, floridian style. i’m talking grabbing that stank ass croc by the tail and throwing it into the nearest tropical storm (conveniently a couple miles away. this is tallahassee, after all). i’m actually screaming inside. ALL OF THEM? ALL FOUR? ghoul can kick rocks that ho. i don’t care if he’s sexy and tall (okay maybe. toxic looks good on 7 ft tall men). HE NEEDS TO DIE.
first of all, this whole review is going to be a rant, and, per usual, there will be spoilers. meant to say that before i raged about the collector owning scythe, lyle, savage, and xander. oops! now ya know!
SECOND OF ALL: i originally thought xander was done for. how can he come back from whatever the first 65% was. like genuinely he was a manic idiot asshole (so same as before just more cruel). why would he ever EVER want to help his dad? to get back into the family? i get that, for his mom and sister if anything. BUT THIS MAN DID NOTHING TO HELP EITHER OF THEM. he was blind (oopsie) to the abuse toward his sister and mom and what’s worse, he was abusive toward lia! the things he did were actually horrific and a few times i caught myself literally being sick to my stomach on how aurelia survived any of it. like a couple weeks in isolation and darkness??? no babes. i start pitching a fit if i haven’t eaten in 6 hours. okay, let’s be realistic, it’s more like 2. but still, xander was DISGUSTING. i expected it from everyone else but brooooo. like i hate him. hated? we’ll get onto that later.
THIRD OF ALL: why are we having freaky time with our captors and abusers? aurelia, sweetheart. i know she was in heat and stuff, and ghoul and xander are her mates, but they were ABUSING HER. ACTIVELY. one of them literally works for her pops (second worst villain after asshole collector (she doesn’t collect assholes, i’m just describing her overall cheery disposition)), and the other is carting her around by a COLLAR AND CHAIN (not in a kinky way)???? like what the actual hell. i forgive you, lia, but those scenes were so conflicting. like i don’t care if xander all of a sudden begrudgingly thinks your eyes are “kinda pretty for a snake spawn” and lets you suck him off. HE WAS CANOODLING (not in any sexual connotation i just like that word) WITH YOUR DAD AND DEPRIVING YOU OF FOOD WHILE YOU KNEEL AT HIS FEET NAKED TWO MINUTES AGO. okay. sorry. had to get that off my chest. can’t turn a blind eye (i’m so sorry) to these sorts of things. ghoul is NOT forgiven. i think he still has potential but he’s got a LONGGGGGG way to go. in fact, the groveling he needs to do is gonna need to be longer than one book so that’s a tiny dilemma seeing as there’s only one left. interesting. welp, best of luck shadow daddy (negative connotation. misty father? snakey papa? i’ll come back to it.).
FOURTH OF ALL: i forgive xander. i knowwwww it seems really effed up and toxic after everything, but man the kid’s got some issues. i think his punishment made sense and aurelia forgave him anyway, so no sense in hating the guy when his regina clearly doesn’t.
FIFTH OF ALL: im not even going to speak on mace naga or any snakes that can’t control shadows. you aren’t important here. i want to know the backstory behind selena and her awful husband. glad her and the kids are safe. kiss kiss. i am concerned about franscesca whatever her face is being still alive. she’s gots to go. actually, everyone but the animas and the bone weaver pack need to go. then i’ll be happy. SPEAKING OF BONEWEAVER. that leads me to my sixth point—
SIXTH OF ALL: I KNOW I MENTIONED IT ABOVE BUT THAT ENDING????????? i need the second book now. i NEED to see the collector die and lia get her mates back and the bond restored and everything in its right place (radiohead sneak 🤭). like i need it like i need all good things on this earth. WHAT DO YOU MEAN KILL AURELIA BONEWEAVER??? AND THEY COMPLIED??? when i tell you i almost punched a wall in shock (i rocked backwards in befuddlement and knocked my head against the wall. there were no fists involved. im so badass. #concussed). that was the craziest shit ever. and i mean shit. i need need neeeeeed aurelia to rip that ho a new one. i need her to bippity boppity boo her mating bond back, kill ass-collector, get her mates back, free all of those poor poor animals (and the unicorn!!!!! especially the unicorn), violently slay all her enemies (starting with mace), then have great celebration sex with her recovered mates! this set of events will concur wether or not ghoul (asshole) will be involved in said celebration tango. only time will tell. lia still owes him two favors and some poison anyway. i’m unfortunately forgetting the unicorns name (the ONE thing he wanted lia to remember how embarrassing) but him and celeste should reunite! they honestly deserve it from whatever the hell this book ended with. UGHHHH I NEED THE LAST ONE LIKE YESTERDAYYYY.
this may be my longest review ever. will have to check back to ALLTW and kiss of the basilisk (huh what a coincidence) to see for sure. BUT. it’s for good reason. this series has been soooooo effing good. like ughhhhhh. i will be impatiently waiting for the next.
i just realized i only talked about the enraging stuff in this book and not why i loved it so much. there’s a lot of reasons really, but it’s still the same things i loved about the last one. the progression of the characters and how the plot has been thickening (and boy is she thick now). i seriously have loved this series, and after bonds of hercules comes out, i know exactly which new release will become my most anticipated. december can’t come fast enough 😪
message for xander, savage, lyle, and scythe: come home the kids (me and lia) miss you 💔
slight P.S. for myself:
songs i listened to while reading—
north…clairo
welcome to the jungle…guns n roses
creep…radiohead
what’s up?…4 non blondes
don’t hide…so supa
black summer…red hot chili peppers
dreams and nightmares…meek mill
tears…sabrina carpenter
devil in a new dress…kanye west
dreamer…livin joy
4:44…jay-z
SECOND READ REVIEW:
AYYYY I FINISHED IT AND IM ABOUT TO READ THE LAST BOOK. i have been waiting for MONTHS for this next book. excitement is an understatement for how im feeling. yall already know how i feel about this book and this wickedly amazing series so im not gonna rant toooo much. but still, that was one of the most awesome fight scenes ive ever read and also one of the NASTIEST cliff hangers ever. why cant my boneweaver babies just be happy 😕
ghoul BETTER step his game up next book or problems are gonna be had.
here’s some more songs i listened to in addition to the playlist on the review above as well as the playlist i made for the last one:
war pigs/lukes wall—black sabbath (when aurelia turns into a badass dragonnn)
enter sandman—metallica (ghoul and xander vibes)
lithium—nirvana (absolutely xander being sad vibes)
in this shirt—the irrepressibles (xander and lia in the cave, and then the very very end of this book when hyena hag and crocodile bitch come in)
once upon a dream—lana del ray (when xander and lia are sitting on the edge of the school, right before xander gets curb stomped by everyone lmao)
also, i know i mentioned this previously, but KING BY FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE IS LITERALLY AURELIA OKAY THANK YOU.
what the F-WORD WAS THAT ENDING???? ARE WE SERIOUS??? NOOOO MY BABIES
like i cannot for the life of me pick my jaw up off the floor. that ending was CRIMINAL
the collector is the WORST villain i have read about in a loooong time. are we effing serious? she imprisoned her OWN mates btw, and is just the GREEDIEST person ever.
i’m actually so angry for aurelia. i need to take a calming breath and remind myself that this is fiction lol. what i DONT need to remind myself is that the final book isn’t out yet. ….yeahhhh. that’s not fiction (emo much?). this is about to be the MOST tortuous few months of my life. december? the END of december? i will literally go insane before then, straight jacket and all. she made them BOW. KNEEL. then ordered them to kill lia. WTFFFFFF.
i genuinely hate this b-word. omg. that crocodile ass needs to GO. effective immediately. aurelia needs to have it out with her, floridian style. i’m talking grabbing that stank ass croc by the tail and throwing it into the nearest tropical storm (conveniently a couple miles away. this is tallahassee, after all). i’m actually screaming inside. ALL OF THEM? ALL FOUR? ghoul can kick rocks that ho. i don’t care if he’s sexy and tall (okay maybe. toxic looks good on 7 ft tall men). HE NEEDS TO DIE.
first of all, this whole review is going to be a rant, and, per usual, there will be spoilers. meant to say that before i raged about the collector owning scythe, lyle, savage, and xander. oops! now ya know!
SECOND OF ALL: i originally thought xander was done for. how can he come back from whatever the first 65% was. like genuinely he was a manic idiot asshole (so same as before just more cruel). why would he ever EVER want to help his dad? to get back into the family? i get that, for his mom and sister if anything. BUT THIS MAN DID NOTHING TO HELP EITHER OF THEM. he was blind (oopsie) to the abuse toward his sister and mom and what’s worse, he was abusive toward lia! the things he did were actually horrific and a few times i caught myself literally being sick to my stomach on how aurelia survived any of it. like a couple weeks in isolation and darkness??? no babes. i start pitching a fit if i haven’t eaten in 6 hours. okay, let’s be realistic, it’s more like 2. but still, xander was DISGUSTING. i expected it from everyone else but brooooo. like i hate him. hated? we’ll get onto that later.
THIRD OF ALL: why are we having freaky time with our captors and abusers? aurelia, sweetheart. i know she was in heat and stuff, and ghoul and xander are her mates, but they were ABUSING HER. ACTIVELY. one of them literally works for her pops (second worst villain after asshole collector (she doesn’t collect assholes, i’m just describing her overall cheery disposition)), and the other is carting her around by a COLLAR AND CHAIN (not in a kinky way)???? like what the actual hell. i forgive you, lia, but those scenes were so conflicting. like i don’t care if xander all of a sudden begrudgingly thinks your eyes are “kinda pretty for a snake spawn” and lets you suck him off. HE WAS CANOODLING (not in any sexual connotation i just like that word) WITH YOUR DAD AND DEPRIVING YOU OF FOOD WHILE YOU KNEEL AT HIS FEET NAKED TWO MINUTES AGO. okay. sorry. had to get that off my chest. can’t turn a blind eye (i’m so sorry) to these sorts of things. ghoul is NOT forgiven. i think he still has potential but he’s got a LONGGGGGG way to go. in fact, the groveling he needs to do is gonna need to be longer than one book so that’s a tiny dilemma seeing as there’s only one left. interesting. welp, best of luck shadow daddy (negative connotation. misty father? snakey papa? i’ll come back to it.).
FOURTH OF ALL: i forgive xander. i knowwwww it seems really effed up and toxic after everything, but man the kid’s got some issues. i think his punishment made sense and aurelia forgave him anyway, so no sense in hating the guy when his regina clearly doesn’t.
FIFTH OF ALL: im not even going to speak on mace naga or any snakes that can’t control shadows. you aren’t important here. i want to know the backstory behind selena and her awful husband. glad her and the kids are safe. kiss kiss. i am concerned about franscesca whatever her face is being still alive. she’s gots to go. actually, everyone but the animas and the bone weaver pack need to go. then i’ll be happy. SPEAKING OF BONEWEAVER. that leads me to my sixth point—
SIXTH OF ALL: I KNOW I MENTIONED IT ABOVE BUT THAT ENDING????????? i need the second book now. i NEED to see the collector die and lia get her mates back and the bond restored and everything in its right place (radiohead sneak 🤭). like i need it like i need all good things on this earth. WHAT DO YOU MEAN KILL AURELIA BONEWEAVER??? AND THEY COMPLIED??? when i tell you i almost punched a wall in shock (i rocked backwards in befuddlement and knocked my head against the wall. there were no fists involved. im so badass. #concussed). that was the craziest shit ever. and i mean shit. i need need neeeeeed aurelia to rip that ho a new one. i need her to bippity boppity boo her mating bond back, kill ass-collector, get her mates back, free all of those poor poor animals (and the unicorn!!!!! especially the unicorn), violently slay all her enemies (starting with mace), then have great celebration sex with her recovered mates! this set of events will concur wether or not ghoul (asshole) will be involved in said celebration tango. only time will tell. lia still owes him two favors and some poison anyway. i’m unfortunately forgetting the unicorns name (the ONE thing he wanted lia to remember how embarrassing) but him and celeste should reunite! they honestly deserve it from whatever the hell this book ended with. UGHHHH I NEED THE LAST ONE LIKE YESTERDAYYYY.
this may be my longest review ever. will have to check back to ALLTW and kiss of the basilisk (huh what a coincidence) to see for sure. BUT. it’s for good reason. this series has been soooooo effing good. like ughhhhhh. i will be impatiently waiting for the next.
i just realized i only talked about the enraging stuff in this book and not why i loved it so much. there’s a lot of reasons really, but it’s still the same things i loved about the last one. the progression of the characters and how the plot has been thickening (and boy is she thick now). i seriously have loved this series, and after bonds of hercules comes out, i know exactly which new release will become my most anticipated. december can’t come fast enough 😪
message for xander, savage, lyle, and scythe: come home the kids (me and lia) miss you 💔
slight P.S. for myself:
songs i listened to while reading—
north…clairo
welcome to the jungle…guns n roses
creep…radiohead
what’s up?…4 non blondes
don’t hide…so supa
black summer…red hot chili peppers
dreams and nightmares…meek mill
tears…sabrina carpenter
devil in a new dress…kanye west
dreamer…livin joy
4:44…jay-z
SECOND READ REVIEW:
AYYYY I FINISHED IT AND IM ABOUT TO READ THE LAST BOOK. i have been waiting for MONTHS for this next book. excitement is an understatement for how im feeling. yall already know how i feel about this book and this wickedly amazing series so im not gonna rant toooo much. but still, that was one of the most awesome fight scenes ive ever read and also one of the NASTIEST cliff hangers ever. why cant my boneweaver babies just be happy 😕
ghoul BETTER step his game up next book or problems are gonna be had.
here’s some more songs i listened to in addition to the playlist on the review above as well as the playlist i made for the last one:
war pigs/lukes wall—black sabbath (when aurelia turns into a badass dragonnn)
enter sandman—metallica (ghoul and xander vibes)
lithium—nirvana (absolutely xander being sad vibes)
in this shirt—the irrepressibles (xander and lia in the cave, and then the very very end of this book when hyena hag and crocodile bitch come in)
once upon a dream—lana del ray (when xander and lia are sitting on the edge of the school, right before xander gets curb stomped by everyone lmao)
also, i know i mentioned this previously, but KING BY FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE IS LITERALLY AURELIA OKAY THANK YOU.
December 14, 2025
The ending has got my heart in my throat!! 😭💔
𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 picks up where the last book ended and follows Aurelia under the chains of Xander's family while seperated from the rest of her pack.
~
I simply do not know how to write this review without simultaneously combusting into tears and/or screaming.
I want no I NEED Xander's redemption. He wasn't done dirty or anything but I want him to melt in Aurelia's hold and weep and beg for forgiveness for all of eternity for all he has done.
I love how this was also acknowledged that he can never be truly forgiven, that the scars are too deep. This book was indeed the author's darkest yet, which I both love and am in turmoil because of.
Now the ending.... you all are going to be screaming and I understand. I am hoping above all that somehow Xander is redeems himself and that Ghoul’s story is not as angst filled.
~
4.01 / 5 ★
Thanks to the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 picks up where the last book ended and follows Aurelia under the chains of Xander's family while seperated from the rest of her pack.
~
I simply do not know how to write this review without simultaneously combusting into tears and/or screaming.
I want no I NEED Xander's redemption. He wasn't done dirty or anything but I want him to melt in Aurelia's hold and weep and beg for forgiveness for all of eternity for all he has done.
I love how this was also acknowledged that he can never be truly forgiven, that the scars are too deep. This book was indeed the author's darkest yet, which I both love and am in turmoil because of.
Now the ending.... you all are going to be screaming and I understand. I am hoping above all that somehow Xander is redeems himself and that Ghoul’s story is not as angst filled.
~
4.01 / 5 ★
Thanks to the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 4, 2025
This may be the most unhinged series I’ve ever stuck with over time. I don’t think I could ever discuss it with another person irl. What a wild ride. At one point someone literally became a starfish so they could regrow a limb and it’s plot twists like that that really keep me turning the pages. This author literally does whatever she wants with this world building and I guess I respect that innovation and audacity?? Brutal 7 month cliffhanger until the finals.
April 5, 2025
EXCUSE ME?!?!?! WHAT WAS THAT ENDING???????
July 27, 2025
4.5✨ I honestly kind of hate that I was so into this one because he was SUCH an asshole for 3 books straight and half of this but unfortunately I couldn’t put it down, I was eagerly waiting for that hate to love.. For that ending I’ll round it up, pls don’t hurt them
April 2, 2025
Hello, 911? I’d like to report a crime.
That cliffhanger killed me 🪦 & honestly, the entire book did. I had the best worst time reading it!!
I said I was ready for the emotional damage, but I absolutely was not 😭 I knew things were going to be pretty rough based on how the last book ended, but my god dude!! My girl can't catch a break 😭
“We endured for millennia together. We endured betrayal and death. We endured through blood and fire. You are the last of your kind in this world. Do not leave it lying in a pool of your own misery. Leave it fighting. Leave it with the blood of your enemies in your teeth. Leave it raging. Get. Up.”
I really hope big daddy Ghoul gets his act together in the next book & WITH A QUICKNESS!! (I’ll love him either way tho hehe)
Pls pls pls if you're a fan of The Bonds that Tie & love the silliness of Zodiac Academy, READ THIS SERIES!!
That cliffhanger killed me 🪦 & honestly, the entire book did. I had the best worst time reading it!!
I said I was ready for the emotional damage, but I absolutely was not 😭 I knew things were going to be pretty rough based on how the last book ended, but my god dude!! My girl can't catch a break 😭
“We endured for millennia together. We endured betrayal and death. We endured through blood and fire. You are the last of your kind in this world. Do not leave it lying in a pool of your own misery. Leave it fighting. Leave it with the blood of your enemies in your teeth. Leave it raging. Get. Up.”
I really hope big daddy Ghoul gets his act together in the next book & WITH A QUICKNESS!! (I’ll love him either way tho hehe)
Pls pls pls if you're a fan of The Bonds that Tie & love the silliness of Zodiac Academy, READ THIS SERIES!!
March 30, 2025
Phenomenal!! I’d give this more than 5 stars if I could!! It had everything that I love in a book-angst, sorrow, heart, and spice. This book once again proves how amazing of a why choose series this is. If you love why choose and you haven’t started this yet, pick it up immediately!
We find Aurelia in the horrendous circumstances she’s surrendered herself to. Xander, the ever stubborn dragon, cannot see past his need to return to his family and is willing to do whatever necessary, even if it means hurting Lia. The consequences of their actions means a lot of suffering and heartbreak. Yet, through it all, Lia remains determined, brave, and compassionate. Her other mates are in agony trying to get back to her. They are not only enduring the loss of their mate but also their bond brother. Watching them all struggle and fight towards getting back to each other is my favorite kind of torment. And Xander! The author blew me away with his character development. I didn’t think I could like him after what he did but he still managed to find a way into my heart!
And that ending?!?! It left me with my jaw on the floor because I did not see that coming! I have no idea how this will all resolve but the wait for the next book will be complete agony. Many thanks to the author for the arc!
We find Aurelia in the horrendous circumstances she’s surrendered herself to. Xander, the ever stubborn dragon, cannot see past his need to return to his family and is willing to do whatever necessary, even if it means hurting Lia. The consequences of their actions means a lot of suffering and heartbreak. Yet, through it all, Lia remains determined, brave, and compassionate. Her other mates are in agony trying to get back to her. They are not only enduring the loss of their mate but also their bond brother. Watching them all struggle and fight towards getting back to each other is my favorite kind of torment. And Xander! The author blew me away with his character development. I didn’t think I could like him after what he did but he still managed to find a way into my heart!
And that ending?!?! It left me with my jaw on the floor because I did not see that coming! I have no idea how this will all resolve but the wait for the next book will be complete agony. Many thanks to the author for the arc!
December 13, 2025
ARC Review – Huge thanks to E.P. Bali and her team for letting me get my hands on this early!!
Listen, I love angst. I live for angst. But this book? This book chewed me up, spit me out, and then asked if I was ready for more. And somehow, I am.
The tension, the heartbreak... This book wrecked me in the best possible way. It is everything I love in a dark, emotionally charged romance, and E.P. Bali delivered.
The characters felt so real. They are flawed, complex, and painfully alive, with layers that make you feel everything. Aurelia isn’t a damsel, but she’s not arrogant either. She is beautifully broken and strong in equal measure. Every relationship she has with her mates or her friends feels authentic.
For the first time ever, I spent 80% of a book convinced I didn’t want a redemption arc… only to end up desperate for one by the time I turned the last page. Not because he had a tragic past to excuse his behaviour, but because he is actually owning his mistakes. There is no "he's suffered, so let’s forgive him." No "love conquers all, so everything’s fine now." It is messy. It is painful. And it makes everything feel so much more real.
The writing pulled me in so completely that I physically could not put it down. I screamed. I cried. I threw my Kindle. And that ending? I need 5–10 business days to recover.
If you’re thinking about reading this book, I have just two words for you: Good luck. This series, and this book in particular, will break you… but in all the best ways.
Listen, I love angst. I live for angst. But this book? This book chewed me up, spit me out, and then asked if I was ready for more. And somehow, I am.
The tension, the heartbreak... This book wrecked me in the best possible way. It is everything I love in a dark, emotionally charged romance, and E.P. Bali delivered.
The characters felt so real. They are flawed, complex, and painfully alive, with layers that make you feel everything. Aurelia isn’t a damsel, but she’s not arrogant either. She is beautifully broken and strong in equal measure. Every relationship she has with her mates or her friends feels authentic.
For the first time ever, I spent 80% of a book convinced I didn’t want a redemption arc… only to end up desperate for one by the time I turned the last page. Not because he had a tragic past to excuse his behaviour, but because he is actually owning his mistakes. There is no "he's suffered, so let’s forgive him." No "love conquers all, so everything’s fine now." It is messy. It is painful. And it makes everything feel so much more real.
The writing pulled me in so completely that I physically could not put it down. I screamed. I cried. I threw my Kindle. And that ending? I need 5–10 business days to recover.
If you’re thinking about reading this book, I have just two words for you: Good luck. This series, and this book in particular, will break you… but in all the best ways.
August 3, 2025
I have so, so many thoughts and none of them are good. Trauma porn at its finest for no real reason. I looooved book 1 and 2. I was iffy about 3. This just wasn't even good from a literary stand point. The character development, lack there of and total backtracking, made no sense. The strong convictions that sent the FMC to her captors? Yeah she does nothing with them. That love of her friends who she always puts first? BIG LOL. She can shift into any animal and yet she always chooses a small, damn near helpless bird. She wanted revenge for her mother? Wrong, because she would have gotten it but this bitty wanted revenge on Scythe and in trying to punish him, look at the destruction she brings. So much loss of life, her friends are traumatized, and what does Lia do? Bang her mates... On that subject, Xander deserves no forgiveness. Period. After the way he treated her, he deserves nothing but his own castration.
July 29, 2025
I thought Scythe’s book was devastating but Xander’s was soul crushing.
I had convinced myself that Xander was in on the plan and he didn’t really break the soul bond and proceeded to die inside coming to terms with how broken Xander was. Somehow by the end of the book Xander bought a fish tank and convinced me Aurelia needed him in her mating group. It’s dark, angsty, painful, and perfect.
I had convinced myself that Xander was in on the plan and he didn’t really break the soul bond and proceeded to die inside coming to terms with how broken Xander was. Somehow by the end of the book Xander bought a fish tank and convinced me Aurelia needed him in her mating group. It’s dark, angsty, painful, and perfect.
April 3, 2025
Tortured for 62% of this book
TORTURED by the ending.
I can not wait for the next one. I had to take a breath after finishing this one before writing up anything on it. I feel like yet again this is a very quick read for how long it is and also something you will experience a lot of emotions with.
ARC copy provided by author.
TORTURED by the ending.
I can not wait for the next one. I had to take a breath after finishing this one before writing up anything on it. I feel like yet again this is a very quick read for how long it is and also something you will experience a lot of emotions with.
ARC copy provided by author.
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