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Elysian #1
The Trials of the Elysian
Book 1 of the Elysian Series.
The TRUTH of the City.
Bonus The Fate of Elysian (Mind State book of MMC altering FMC memories)
Bonus The Fate of Empyrean (Mind state book of Trials from the City)
* disobey the City & die - obey the City & live * Will you live a life that is predestined and controlled from your first breath of air? A life full of darkness, destruction, and pain. Where your existence is owed to the survival of humanity. Welcome to the Six Trials of The Elysian. In a futuristic world founded to cope with the effects of a famine that altered the course of humanity, there are certain commandments to follow to live a prosperous life. Faye steps into the City with unanswered questions. All she has is a mysterious symbol to find her soulmate, who was predestined at birth. Not knowing who her symbol will light up for, she must trust her judgment or her destiny. What will she choose? Not understanding the truth of the wickedness of the City walls, Faye is pushed to uncover the truth. The Trials push them to their limits and only those strong enough to make their City better will survive the tests. Either succeed in their trials or perish outside of the walls. Her rebelliousness leads her to uncover a disturbing truth about the City. Along with her mentor, Faye is determined to find the missing pieces and bring justice to herself and her family. She becomes fearless and not afraid to challenge those who are in power. But has her whole life been a lie? Will she uncover the truth of why she was born? Does she fight to be with the love of her life or follow the City, and let the City guide her to her symbols pair? Faye must decide. Your mentor falls. So do you. He’s the eyes. The ears of the City. Disobey him. You’re disobeying the City.
Long Book Description
* disobey the City & die - obey the City & live *
Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2024
12 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
November 19, 2024
✯✯✯✯4/5 stars✯✯✯✯
this was one of the books i was most excited to get to, and WHEW it did not disappoint. as soon as i saw “hunger games meets divergent meets the 100” i was sold, i RAN to that ARC application.
this book was such a rollercoaster, so many twists and moments that had me baffled but i had SO much fun. i had no idea who to trust (just like the fmc) so naturally, i trusted nobody 🫠 which was the right decision with some characters… the betrayals were CRAZY and i didn’t see them coming at all. the trials had me so invested and i would literally do anything to see this as a movie. i can’t say much about the characters because i want to avoid spoiling but i will say that i loved Faye and Henri. i wasn’t sure how i felt about pretty much everyone else because again, i have trust issues✨
i just need book 2 already because that ending has me UNWELL.
thank you to the lovely Reese Sherron for this ARC 💗
☀︎︎☀︎︎༻Quotes༺☀︎︎☀︎︎
“Your beauty and strength are unmatched by anyone else I have laid my eyes on. And anyone who dares to see you as anything less is a complete fool.”
“I believe in you because I have seen your heart in action, relentless and brave. More brave than any soul that has walked these walls.”
“I didn’t just see someone I was born to protect. I saw… I saw my future.”
“I shouldn’t have to choose between the rebellion, or the woman who makes my heart beat as if it were beating for the first time.”
“This world, the next, and any world after that. The air that I breathe and my heart that beats is forever yours. Fayollah Whitlock, death cannot keep me from loving you.”
this was one of the books i was most excited to get to, and WHEW it did not disappoint. as soon as i saw “hunger games meets divergent meets the 100” i was sold, i RAN to that ARC application.
this book was such a rollercoaster, so many twists and moments that had me baffled but i had SO much fun. i had no idea who to trust (just like the fmc) so naturally, i trusted nobody 🫠 which was the right decision with some characters… the betrayals were CRAZY and i didn’t see them coming at all. the trials had me so invested and i would literally do anything to see this as a movie. i can’t say much about the characters because i want to avoid spoiling but i will say that i loved Faye and Henri. i wasn’t sure how i felt about pretty much everyone else because again, i have trust issues✨
i just need book 2 already because that ending has me UNWELL.
thank you to the lovely Reese Sherron for this ARC 💗
☀︎︎☀︎︎༻Quotes༺☀︎︎☀︎︎
“Your beauty and strength are unmatched by anyone else I have laid my eyes on. And anyone who dares to see you as anything less is a complete fool.”
“I believe in you because I have seen your heart in action, relentless and brave. More brave than any soul that has walked these walls.”
“I didn’t just see someone I was born to protect. I saw… I saw my future.”
“I shouldn’t have to choose between the rebellion, or the woman who makes my heart beat as if it were beating for the first time.”
“This world, the next, and any world after that. The air that I breathe and my heart that beats is forever yours. Fayollah Whitlock, death cannot keep me from loving you.”
November 14, 2024
Even though I gave this a two star rating, I believe it was worth the read! After chapter 15, it really started to redeem itself. The ending was worth suffering through the beginning.
All in all, with better development, this easily could have been a five-star, AND I could see it becoming an incredible movie or TV adaptation! The idea behind it is incredible. The world has so much potential. With some better writing techniques, character development, and a scrutinizing editor, this has the potential to be an INCREDIBLE series.
I REALLY wanted to love this. I REALLY wanted this to be a five-star read! I mean, when someone tells you that this book is a mash up of all your favorites (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, The 100 and more), all rolled into one... I was ready to swoon and soar.
The eARC copy had quite a few typos to be worked out, but that's to be expected.
I feel like this story had so much potential if time was really taken to develop the charcters, government, and hone in on the writing. It feels too rushed, like a really great editor could have MADE this book one to jump the top of the charts.
It's not a bad storyline or idea. The world seems really cool, too! In fact, those aspects are incredible if they were better developed with better writing. The characters lack depth. Aside from one scene where Henri and Faye risk their own lives to save another, nothing about their character stands out very strongly.
There are so many lines that are repetitive. There are so many lines that don't make sense, and have you re-read them. The writing is descriptive but needs more of the "show don't tell" that readers fall in love with. 80% of the time, it's all tell.
There are so many spots in the book that are confusing. It lacks "info dumps" where we are clued into SOME details of this place, this world, the trials. We don't get any of that in the beginning, which makes the first 15+ chapters feel like you are chewing through tree bark. We don't finally start getting some of that after about halfway through. But there was so much potential for new charcters to share info about the zones with more description. Who the six are and want their purpose is. Etc.
It almost feels like two different authors wrote the book. The one who started in the beginning did not have refined writing at all. It felt like a newer author who hasn't found the finesse of writing eloquent or powerfully moving lines. She has a lot of really great ideas and some description, but not the immersive writing. The technique needs to be refined. Many of the sentences don't flow well. The beginning was painstakingly slow.
A good twist in the story is awesome. Two or thre great! Several... whiplash. If time had been taken to develop two or three of these twists the storyline could have benefitted so much. The plot would have been developed far better. Other twists and betrayals could have come out in further books, creating a better story here and more material for later.
Last time I'll say it. Better developed story line and characters.
*** SPOILERS ***
The first few chapters are REALLY confusing. The FMC has no idea what's going on. We don't get any info downloads as to how this process works. She's been left in the dark and is so unsure of what's happening that it makes this entire stretch of chapters very hard to follow. We get it... She's scared and has no clue what's happening. So put some characters in there to START helping us figure out what is about to happen. Instead, the readers are left in this wild unknown without any sense of what's happening.
The character interactions are also weird. The FMC is unsure of everything happening but immediately trusts and depends on the first guy to speak to her. A complete stranger. She has no idea what to do, and he says his survival depends on her, but instead of staying to explain everything, he just takes off to his Zone. I'm sorry, if MY LIFE depended on someone else succeeding in a trial and I was their MENTOR, I would be explaining things to them and training them to succeed.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the FMC. She gives me whiplash and is so indecisive about everything. "I trust Henri." "He lied to me." "I love him." "More lies." "Everyone lied to me." "I'll die to save him." Like what....? She also let's every man who steps into her realm of vision control her. They touch her face, grab her arms, drag her from room to room, whisper hushed words in her ear and over her lips. She's in love with one, but let's all these other dudes drool over her. No thanks.
Why does everyone BUT her know about the city and what happens there? I mean everyone. She is the ONLY person who seems to have no idea what ANYTHING is.
For someone whose life depends on Faye doing well in the trials, Henri sure does a crappy job of preparing Faye of them, hell of even telling her ANYTHING about them. It seems like everyone else preps her for the trials that both of their lives depend on. I don't really get that... if she fails the trials, he dies too. I'm not saying tell her about the Rebellion, but at least prepare her for the trials.
I have had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. There is no back stories off page. The FMC meets these people as we are reading along and immediately trusts them. Immediately depends on them. Immediately "knows" them. After only two days of knowing a character says, "This isn't like him." It takes YEARS of knowing someone before you can understand what is or isn't like them in different situations. At one point, one of these men even tells her, "I like to keep you guessing." Amidst lies and secrets, she's told this and kept in the dark. Her life is at risk, and yet she's still falling for these guys. It's so ridiculous.
Chapter 9 is when we finally start getting into some of the good parts of the storyline. Chapter 10 we get a very brief introduction to the actual trials, but aside from shouting and being scared, our FMC does nothing.
I wish the trials had more depth to them. It seems like our FMC just floats through them blindly. They don't take any skill or brains to get through. Sit in a chair take a drink, let some giy fight for you. Pass. Sit in the chair, take a drink find each other in the dark. Pass. What?
If you can hang on until Chapter 15, that's where the story finally starts to take off. Though our FMC still really needs to start thinking for herself and stop relying on these guys, she barely knows.... at least now we are starting to get some info about The City and the rebellion!
Right around halfway, the tempo of the book picked up. It became more exciting, and it seemed like the writing shifted. There were still some confusing sentences and parts where it felt like the idea wasn't fully developed, but it got so much better. Even in the more exciting chapters, it felt like the world, the government, and different aspects of how the City worked weren't fully thought through. It left a lot of plot holes in the reading.
The twist about Kace. Ok damn, I knew something was up and that he was a bad guy, but DAMN. I didn't expect either of the two first bombs that got dropped about him.
In Chapter 23, we finally get a REAL trial. A battle to the death. It is very similar to hunger games except two live (mentor and mentee). This fight to the death only lasts a few hours. Not days. Ok, this chapter definitely threw in an AMAZING twist I did not see coming!
It is incredibly annoying that EVERY male that our FMC comes into contact with is either in love with her, wants her, or is bonded to her 🙄 Can't we just have a good guy be a friend. Not everyone dropping their gazes to stare at her lips or have heat in their eyes.
Chapter 27 makes you realize just how naive the silly FMC really is because EVERYONE has betrayed her or tricked her into believing they were something they aren't. The ones who pretended to be good are bad and vice versa. Well, with the exception of the chancellor... she's still bad. Girl, again... stop trusting everyone. Start using your brain. Be observant. Ugh.
I am debating about continuing the series. I like the story idea and the world so much that skimming the boring parts and ignoring the annoying characters might be worth getting more from the storyline!
All in all, with better development, this easily could have been a five-star, AND I could see it becoming an incredible movie or TV adaptation! The idea behind it is incredible. The world has so much potential. With some better writing techniques, character development, and a scrutinizing editor, this has the potential to be an INCREDIBLE series.
I REALLY wanted to love this. I REALLY wanted this to be a five-star read! I mean, when someone tells you that this book is a mash up of all your favorites (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, The 100 and more), all rolled into one... I was ready to swoon and soar.
The eARC copy had quite a few typos to be worked out, but that's to be expected.
I feel like this story had so much potential if time was really taken to develop the charcters, government, and hone in on the writing. It feels too rushed, like a really great editor could have MADE this book one to jump the top of the charts.
It's not a bad storyline or idea. The world seems really cool, too! In fact, those aspects are incredible if they were better developed with better writing. The characters lack depth. Aside from one scene where Henri and Faye risk their own lives to save another, nothing about their character stands out very strongly.
There are so many lines that are repetitive. There are so many lines that don't make sense, and have you re-read them. The writing is descriptive but needs more of the "show don't tell" that readers fall in love with. 80% of the time, it's all tell.
There are so many spots in the book that are confusing. It lacks "info dumps" where we are clued into SOME details of this place, this world, the trials. We don't get any of that in the beginning, which makes the first 15+ chapters feel like you are chewing through tree bark. We don't finally start getting some of that after about halfway through. But there was so much potential for new charcters to share info about the zones with more description. Who the six are and want their purpose is. Etc.
It almost feels like two different authors wrote the book. The one who started in the beginning did not have refined writing at all. It felt like a newer author who hasn't found the finesse of writing eloquent or powerfully moving lines. She has a lot of really great ideas and some description, but not the immersive writing. The technique needs to be refined. Many of the sentences don't flow well. The beginning was painstakingly slow.
A good twist in the story is awesome. Two or thre great! Several... whiplash. If time had been taken to develop two or three of these twists the storyline could have benefitted so much. The plot would have been developed far better. Other twists and betrayals could have come out in further books, creating a better story here and more material for later.
Last time I'll say it. Better developed story line and characters.
*** SPOILERS ***
The first few chapters are REALLY confusing. The FMC has no idea what's going on. We don't get any info downloads as to how this process works. She's been left in the dark and is so unsure of what's happening that it makes this entire stretch of chapters very hard to follow. We get it... She's scared and has no clue what's happening. So put some characters in there to START helping us figure out what is about to happen. Instead, the readers are left in this wild unknown without any sense of what's happening.
The character interactions are also weird. The FMC is unsure of everything happening but immediately trusts and depends on the first guy to speak to her. A complete stranger. She has no idea what to do, and he says his survival depends on her, but instead of staying to explain everything, he just takes off to his Zone. I'm sorry, if MY LIFE depended on someone else succeeding in a trial and I was their MENTOR, I would be explaining things to them and training them to succeed.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the FMC. She gives me whiplash and is so indecisive about everything. "I trust Henri." "He lied to me." "I love him." "More lies." "Everyone lied to me." "I'll die to save him." Like what....? She also let's every man who steps into her realm of vision control her. They touch her face, grab her arms, drag her from room to room, whisper hushed words in her ear and over her lips. She's in love with one, but let's all these other dudes drool over her. No thanks.
Why does everyone BUT her know about the city and what happens there? I mean everyone. She is the ONLY person who seems to have no idea what ANYTHING is.
For someone whose life depends on Faye doing well in the trials, Henri sure does a crappy job of preparing Faye of them, hell of even telling her ANYTHING about them. It seems like everyone else preps her for the trials that both of their lives depend on. I don't really get that... if she fails the trials, he dies too. I'm not saying tell her about the Rebellion, but at least prepare her for the trials.
I have had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. There is no back stories off page. The FMC meets these people as we are reading along and immediately trusts them. Immediately depends on them. Immediately "knows" them. After only two days of knowing a character says, "This isn't like him." It takes YEARS of knowing someone before you can understand what is or isn't like them in different situations. At one point, one of these men even tells her, "I like to keep you guessing." Amidst lies and secrets, she's told this and kept in the dark. Her life is at risk, and yet she's still falling for these guys. It's so ridiculous.
Chapter 9 is when we finally start getting into some of the good parts of the storyline. Chapter 10 we get a very brief introduction to the actual trials, but aside from shouting and being scared, our FMC does nothing.
I wish the trials had more depth to them. It seems like our FMC just floats through them blindly. They don't take any skill or brains to get through. Sit in a chair take a drink, let some giy fight for you. Pass. Sit in the chair, take a drink find each other in the dark. Pass. What?
If you can hang on until Chapter 15, that's where the story finally starts to take off. Though our FMC still really needs to start thinking for herself and stop relying on these guys, she barely knows.... at least now we are starting to get some info about The City and the rebellion!
Right around halfway, the tempo of the book picked up. It became more exciting, and it seemed like the writing shifted. There were still some confusing sentences and parts where it felt like the idea wasn't fully developed, but it got so much better. Even in the more exciting chapters, it felt like the world, the government, and different aspects of how the City worked weren't fully thought through. It left a lot of plot holes in the reading.
The twist about Kace. Ok damn, I knew something was up and that he was a bad guy, but DAMN. I didn't expect either of the two first bombs that got dropped about him.
In Chapter 23, we finally get a REAL trial. A battle to the death. It is very similar to hunger games except two live (mentor and mentee). This fight to the death only lasts a few hours. Not days. Ok, this chapter definitely threw in an AMAZING twist I did not see coming!
It is incredibly annoying that EVERY male that our FMC comes into contact with is either in love with her, wants her, or is bonded to her 🙄 Can't we just have a good guy be a friend. Not everyone dropping their gazes to stare at her lips or have heat in their eyes.
Chapter 27 makes you realize just how naive the silly FMC really is because EVERYONE has betrayed her or tricked her into believing they were something they aren't. The ones who pretended to be good are bad and vice versa. Well, with the exception of the chancellor... she's still bad. Girl, again... stop trusting everyone. Start using your brain. Be observant. Ugh.
I am debating about continuing the series. I like the story idea and the world so much that skimming the boring parts and ignoring the annoying characters might be worth getting more from the storyline!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2024
I’m sorry but what was that ending!!?? I need book 2 already! The whiplash I sustained with these twists. The gaslighting from these men. Speaking of men I need a chart to track them. Also, someone tell me where Kace is. I just wanna talk. I’m a Henri girl 100% he’s now on my book boyfriend list
October 28, 2024
There is so much I could say about this book, most of which I spammed Reese’s inbox with. First, yes this is a slow burn story. You don’t get smacked with full romance early on. But trust the process. It is absolutely necessary! It’s a dystopian story, the fate of humanity is on our hands, they are very particular with who can end up with who. Now while the romance is a slow burn, everything else is NOT. There is so much happening from the start that can grab your interest. Get lost in the lore or the side characters we meet on the way. Be stressed about the trials alongside our main characters. Try to figure out the secrets and mysteries of the City. I loved all of the details that Reese put into the entire City from the trials, to the character development, to antagonists.
Trust is a huge theme that pops up multiple times through the book. Trust what, trust who, trust me, don’t trust them. So as a reader, I TRUSTED NOTHING AND NO ONE! The twists and turns and reveals were so amazing! They made me emotional, but I was supposed to feel things. Without spoiling, one of my favorite reveals was the antagonist! If you love to hate a villain, you definitely will like this!
Everything from the writing style to the pacing to the imagery was pretty on point for me. It’s been stated by other readers but I agree that this easily could be made into a movie or something. Definitely can’t wait for book 2, the ending was brutal!!!
Trust is a huge theme that pops up multiple times through the book. Trust what, trust who, trust me, don’t trust them. So as a reader, I TRUSTED NOTHING AND NO ONE! The twists and turns and reveals were so amazing! They made me emotional, but I was supposed to feel things. Without spoiling, one of my favorite reveals was the antagonist! If you love to hate a villain, you definitely will like this!
Everything from the writing style to the pacing to the imagery was pretty on point for me. It’s been stated by other readers but I agree that this easily could be made into a movie or something. Definitely can’t wait for book 2, the ending was brutal!!!
Currently reading
October 5, 2024I just received the ARC for this and am sooooo excited to dive in!
The Hunger Games meets Divergent meets The 100?! Heck yes.
The Hunger Games meets Divergent meets The 100?! Heck yes.
December 17, 2024
I had a wild time reading this!!! I saw this advertised as ‘the 100 / divergent / hunger games’ & I 100% got that vibe🤌🏽
It took me a while to feel engaged but when I got to the half point, I could not put this down. I needed to finish it in one go!!
This would be an amazing TV/MOVIE adaption. I absolutely loved the whole world & how the trials came into it & all the characters with the twists & turns. I constantly felt like something was coming next. Loved the mentor detail.
The trials were pretty cool. Deffo gave Divergent vibes in a way. I loved the whole sci-fi vibe it was giving. I loved how the whole serum thing worked & the whole thing that they were actually doing behind closed doors which you learn more as you get towards of the end of the book is WILD.
The roses!!!🌹 Thats all I will say. I loved this detail.
Betrayal!!!! Massively! I was gasping at some several moments. I had no idea who I was trusting & not once did I feel safe committing myself to anyone✋😂
THE EXTRA part at the end had me NEEDING the next book, like now!!! The way the book ended officially.. maybe I could cope with but now knowing what has happened since? Excuse me!!! Anything with this type of thing happening in books (can’t say as spoilers!) has me always on the edge of my seat & wanting to know more🤯🤯
However - the FMC was painful to read about sometimes. The way her relationships with other characters just magically appeared out of thin air with them? I just didn’t meh, wasn’t feeling that. I wanted more development between them. That is simply me being really picky.
Fun ride. Highly recommend for sci-fi dystopian romance fans!
It took me a while to feel engaged but when I got to the half point, I could not put this down. I needed to finish it in one go!!
This would be an amazing TV/MOVIE adaption. I absolutely loved the whole world & how the trials came into it & all the characters with the twists & turns. I constantly felt like something was coming next. Loved the mentor detail.
The trials were pretty cool. Deffo gave Divergent vibes in a way. I loved the whole sci-fi vibe it was giving. I loved how the whole serum thing worked & the whole thing that they were actually doing behind closed doors which you learn more as you get towards of the end of the book is WILD.
The roses!!!🌹 Thats all I will say. I loved this detail.
Betrayal!!!! Massively! I was gasping at some several moments. I had no idea who I was trusting & not once did I feel safe committing myself to anyone✋😂
THE EXTRA part at the end had me NEEDING the next book, like now!!! The way the book ended officially.. maybe I could cope with but now knowing what has happened since? Excuse me!!! Anything with this type of thing happening in books (can’t say as spoilers!) has me always on the edge of my seat & wanting to know more🤯🤯
However - the FMC was painful to read about sometimes. The way her relationships with other characters just magically appeared out of thin air with them? I just didn’t meh, wasn’t feeling that. I wanted more development between them. That is simply me being really picky.
Fun ride. Highly recommend for sci-fi dystopian romance fans!
October 27, 2024
3.5 stars!! I really enjoyed the book although I did find it confusing at parts but that could just be me! Some good twists and turns and you never quite know who is good and who is a villain. A good dystopian read and I absolutely need to read the next book!
November 10, 2024
I was given the opportunity to read this 2000s-esque dystopian and man was I excited!! While there were pieces of the story that did give me that vibe, this was majorly a new tale. While fast paced and interesting, I did find the story confusing at many points.. while ARCs are obviously pre-publication, there were quite a few times where wrong names and/or pronouns were used – leaving me having to sit with the sentence to figure out who was actually being talked about or coming into the scene. There are many 'love interests', however none felt real or believable to me. The FMC is naive, which matches her backstory, but in a way that left me frustrated for much of the book. So many people cared only for/about her that it made getting to know anything about the side characters quite difficult. I love a good twisty story, but I think there may have been a couple too many as some plot points could have benefited from more page-time/exploring. Overall, I did enjoy it for the nostalgic vibes and the action but it wasn't my favorite. Do with that what you will.
This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions regarding The Trials of the Elysian. ♥
This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions regarding The Trials of the Elysian. ♥
November 22, 2024
"Obey the City & live. Disobey the City & die".
Those first words were enough for me to get goosebumps. Goosebumps from anticipating what was going to happen & what I was about to experience while reading The Trialy of the Elysian, Book 1 in Reese Sherron's dystopian series. A series made for us who grew up loving the stories of Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. A series offering you so much. A series with so many twists and plots that my head was spinning the entire time.
Who to love? Who to hate? And, most importantly, who to trust? It felt like I was there in the City, with Faye, the FMC, untangling the mysteries and navigating the secrets of the City and its rulers. The story has kept me on the edge of my seat; I was biting my nails, hoping to be right, hoping to discover the truth behind it all. And oh, I was wrong in so many instances. But, to me, that makes a great story; it keeps you guessing—sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you are so wrong.
"Your mentor falls. So do you".
In a City where only the strongest survive, where freedoms are non-existent, and choices are anything but your own, how can you tell right from wrong? In a City where you are subjected to ruthless trials, mind games, and fights to the death, could there ever be a true victor?
I loved how Reese navigated through the maze of the City and its mercilessness, how she crafted the characters, and how she made us question each word and decision. But, still, amidst it all, amidst all the secrets and lies, something true & pure will find its way. We just need to decide what that is.
"The world through your eyes is vibrant with hope and possibilities. Through mine, I see duties, and paths lay out by destiny and prophecy. But through yours...I see choices. Freedom. Through your eyes, I see light where there is supposed to be darkness".
And that is the main take The Trails of the Elysian leaves you. There is truth, love, and freedom; you just have to fight for it.
The Trials of the Elysian is being released on November 30th. Remember the date, and remember to never stop searching for the light.
Those first words were enough for me to get goosebumps. Goosebumps from anticipating what was going to happen & what I was about to experience while reading The Trialy of the Elysian, Book 1 in Reese Sherron's dystopian series. A series made for us who grew up loving the stories of Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. A series offering you so much. A series with so many twists and plots that my head was spinning the entire time.
Who to love? Who to hate? And, most importantly, who to trust? It felt like I was there in the City, with Faye, the FMC, untangling the mysteries and navigating the secrets of the City and its rulers. The story has kept me on the edge of my seat; I was biting my nails, hoping to be right, hoping to discover the truth behind it all. And oh, I was wrong in so many instances. But, to me, that makes a great story; it keeps you guessing—sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you are so wrong.
"Your mentor falls. So do you".
In a City where only the strongest survive, where freedoms are non-existent, and choices are anything but your own, how can you tell right from wrong? In a City where you are subjected to ruthless trials, mind games, and fights to the death, could there ever be a true victor?
I loved how Reese navigated through the maze of the City and its mercilessness, how she crafted the characters, and how she made us question each word and decision. But, still, amidst it all, amidst all the secrets and lies, something true & pure will find its way. We just need to decide what that is.
"The world through your eyes is vibrant with hope and possibilities. Through mine, I see duties, and paths lay out by destiny and prophecy. But through yours...I see choices. Freedom. Through your eyes, I see light where there is supposed to be darkness".
And that is the main take The Trails of the Elysian leaves you. There is truth, love, and freedom; you just have to fight for it.
The Trials of the Elysian is being released on November 30th. Remember the date, and remember to never stop searching for the light.
November 12, 2024
The story seems overly repetitive and has an abundance of plot twists. Faye's innocence and her constant shouting are frustrating, although I understand this might be part of her character. I'm still optimistic about the remainder of the series, but my enjoyment hasn't met my initial expectations. The pace is too rapid, leaving me struggling to keep up, and I'm let down by the lack of gradual development. I anticipated a deeper exploration of her journey in finding a match. Parts of this story were also confusing, as stated before I wish there had been more world building and plot build up. Not as slow burn as I was anticipating either, and she ends up falling in love with someone I didn’t want her to end up with.
This review is my full, honest opinion. I was selected to read this ARC by the author’s team.
This review is my full, honest opinion. I was selected to read this ARC by the author’s team.
November 29, 2024
I've been on Reeses' ARC team from the very beginning and had read the bonus books prior to reading The Trials of Elysian. I think that helped because those bonus books helped with the world building that this book kind of felt like it lacked. The plot twists still got me even having prior knowledge of the City from the other books. All in all a decent read that kept my attention and interest throughout. I'm anxious to see where the story goes and how this series grows. It has the potential to be an amazing movie/TV series!
4 star rating. Thanks to Reese Sherron for an advanced copy for my honest review.
4 star rating. Thanks to Reese Sherron for an advanced copy for my honest review.
December 2, 2024
Let’s talk about The Trails of the Elysian! If you’re craving a good dystopian read, this one DELIVERS. But let’s be real: the beginning? Slow. Like, "can we pick up the pace already?" slow. It could’ve been edited down quite a bit.
However, once we hit the trails? IT. WENT. DOWN. The twists? Jaw-dropping. The betrayals? HEARTBREAKING. I spent the whole time whispering, “trust no one” to myself—and wow, was I right.
And the ending? Chef’s kiss. I’m officially hooked and READY for book 2. This book reminded me why I love a good dystopian story. If you can push through the slow start, you’re in for a wild, twisty, unforgettable ride!
However, once we hit the trails? IT. WENT. DOWN. The twists? Jaw-dropping. The betrayals? HEARTBREAKING. I spent the whole time whispering, “trust no one” to myself—and wow, was I right.
And the ending? Chef’s kiss. I’m officially hooked and READY for book 2. This book reminded me why I love a good dystopian story. If you can push through the slow start, you’re in for a wild, twisty, unforgettable ride!
December 13, 2024
back and better than ever
I think you should read this book!
This book has has a face lift (was rewritten) and now it back! I loved the book before when it was The Fate of Elysian and I love it even more with the Trials of the Elysian!
The first few chapters, you may be confused but you have to push through it. Like all fantasy books, there are things you have to learn. Unfortunately our FMC is not informed about a lot so when she is confused, so are the readers. The FMC is naive. I am excited to see her character development in the next book. After everything that happened in this book, I just know she will be bad a in book two.
I think you should read this book!
This book has has a face lift (was rewritten) and now it back! I loved the book before when it was The Fate of Elysian and I love it even more with the Trials of the Elysian!
The first few chapters, you may be confused but you have to push through it. Like all fantasy books, there are things you have to learn. Unfortunately our FMC is not informed about a lot so when she is confused, so are the readers. The FMC is naive. I am excited to see her character development in the next book. After everything that happened in this book, I just know she will be bad a in book two.
December 27, 2024
I want to start this off by saying that I was given this book and am doing an honest and very optimistic and thankful review on it!
To start off….DON’T let the 3.5 star review deter you from this book. Especially if you read based off vibes because the story is CREATIVE and genuinely ADDICTING!!!
What lowered it a bit was there was quite a bit of telling instead of showing, which did throw me for a loop for the first 50 pages but once I got past that I feel like it flew by. Another thing that lowered it was I felt like EVERYONE was in love with our main character, Faye, and I felt like that wasn’t entirely my cup of tea.
I also wish we had gotten more of the trials and that they had been more in depth and strenuous in a sense of preparation.
I didn’t really care for some of the scenes with Henri because they did feel a bit cliche, but as the story progressed I became much more interested in his story and what was going on.
Other than those things the book was SOOOOO good and I highly recommend it if you love dystopian fantasy!
Not only was the storyline and plot addicting for me, the twists in this, as well as the ending absolutely left me NEEDING the second book.
If you like:
Lovers-enemies
Mentor/Mentee
Trials/ games
Betrayal
Mind games
You’re going to LOVE this!
Truly I enjoyed the book very much despite some of the "negatives", though truly I believe those will change as this wonderful author writes more and learned what style works best for her.
Thank you so much Reece Sharon for this book and I CANNOT wait for the second one! You did a wonderful job and I can’t wait to see where you’re writing career goes🥹🫶🏻
To start off….DON’T let the 3.5 star review deter you from this book. Especially if you read based off vibes because the story is CREATIVE and genuinely ADDICTING!!!
What lowered it a bit was there was quite a bit of telling instead of showing, which did throw me for a loop for the first 50 pages but once I got past that I feel like it flew by. Another thing that lowered it was I felt like EVERYONE was in love with our main character, Faye, and I felt like that wasn’t entirely my cup of tea.
I also wish we had gotten more of the trials and that they had been more in depth and strenuous in a sense of preparation.
I didn’t really care for some of the scenes with Henri because they did feel a bit cliche, but as the story progressed I became much more interested in his story and what was going on.
Other than those things the book was SOOOOO good and I highly recommend it if you love dystopian fantasy!
Not only was the storyline and plot addicting for me, the twists in this, as well as the ending absolutely left me NEEDING the second book.
If you like:
Lovers-enemies
Mentor/Mentee
Trials/ games
Betrayal
Mind games
You’re going to LOVE this!
Truly I enjoyed the book very much despite some of the "negatives", though truly I believe those will change as this wonderful author writes more and learned what style works best for her.
Thank you so much Reece Sharon for this book and I CANNOT wait for the second one! You did a wonderful job and I can’t wait to see where you’re writing career goes🥹🫶🏻
December 31, 2024
WOW. WOW. WOW. I am at a loss for words. Reese is on some Rebecca Yarros type shit with not caring about the readers well being lol.
This is a YA dystopian novel with twists and turns the entire way. this book gives off divergent, hunger games, and a tiny bit maze runner vibes. I was hooked from the beginning but the last 50%-40% is one of the most engrossing things i’ve ever read. i was fully invested and living for the story.
i cried, i laughed, i loved…i felt all the feelings in my bones. please read this book it’s too good to not be blasted everywhere.
This is a YA dystopian novel with twists and turns the entire way. this book gives off divergent, hunger games, and a tiny bit maze runner vibes. I was hooked from the beginning but the last 50%-40% is one of the most engrossing things i’ve ever read. i was fully invested and living for the story.
i cried, i laughed, i loved…i felt all the feelings in my bones. please read this book it’s too good to not be blasted everywhere.
October 21, 2024
I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this book for a while and was so excited to receive an ARC for it!! I love the storyline for this book. I could totally see this being made into a movie. The ending had me SHOOK and I’m desperate to find out what happens next!
dnf
December 24, 2024Dnf at 36%, this book claims to be a mix of so many dystopian novels but all it is, is confusing. The world-building makes 0 sense, the fmc gives “I’m not like other girls vibes”, and the “trials” seemed interesting but when I really thought about, it made no sense and I didn’t care to know.
November 27, 2024
4/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
✨ Dystopian world
✨ Trials
✨ Fated mates
✨ Love triangle
✨ Slow burn
Thank you Theresa for giving me an ARC for an honest review 🧡
I immediately fell for the dystopian / romance genre, because I grew up with the Hunger Games and Maze Runner. This story is a Hunger Games x The 100, so sign me up!
The story takes place in the city of Tacenda where different zones stand for different parts in the society. Every year a group of youngsters are taken to the city from the outer parts to take part in the trials and hope to find their fated mate within the walls of the city.
I loved how the story took off in the outer parts of this world and you were slowly taken into the vibrant city of Tacenda. The world building in this book was really strong! As each zone has its own characteristics and reading through this book really took me to a lot of different places. The reason why I didn’t gave this book 5 stars is because I excepted a little more from the trials. However, Theresa is a queen in the field of plot twists 😍
1/5 🌶️
✨ Dystopian world
✨ Trials
✨ Fated mates
✨ Love triangle
✨ Slow burn
Thank you Theresa for giving me an ARC for an honest review 🧡
I immediately fell for the dystopian / romance genre, because I grew up with the Hunger Games and Maze Runner. This story is a Hunger Games x The 100, so sign me up!
The story takes place in the city of Tacenda where different zones stand for different parts in the society. Every year a group of youngsters are taken to the city from the outer parts to take part in the trials and hope to find their fated mate within the walls of the city.
I loved how the story took off in the outer parts of this world and you were slowly taken into the vibrant city of Tacenda. The world building in this book was really strong! As each zone has its own characteristics and reading through this book really took me to a lot of different places. The reason why I didn’t gave this book 5 stars is because I excepted a little more from the trials. However, Theresa is a queen in the field of plot twists 😍
October 18, 2024
I knew this book wasn’t going to be for me almost right away. I DNFd at like 15% cause if you can’t hook me by then I’m not going to drag myself through this book.
October 26, 2024
I am a big fan of Reese’s for a few years now and have been excited for her new take on her story.
If you love the 100, hunger games, dystopian, sci fy, fantasy mix you’ll love this! The ending will leave you saying WTF and wanting the next book ASAP. Don’t miss your chance to read this next best seller now!
Faye is our main character going to enter the city and fulfill her duties but she TRULY has no idea what she’s getting herself into!
If you love the 100, hunger games, dystopian, sci fy, fantasy mix you’ll love this! The ending will leave you saying WTF and wanting the next book ASAP. Don’t miss your chance to read this next best seller now!
Faye is our main character going to enter the city and fulfill her duties but she TRULY has no idea what she’s getting herself into!
February 4, 2025
ARC review:
4.5⭐️
First things first WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!?
I really enjoyed reading this story. I thought the plot was so original and new, it has trials, betrayal, lies, plot twists that will make you say WHAT WHY 😂 and an badass FMC who will do anything to learn the truth about the City. There is also a bit of romance and handsome MMC’s to obsess over! 👀😉
I can’t wait to read the second one!
4.5⭐️
First things first WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!?
I really enjoyed reading this story. I thought the plot was so original and new, it has trials, betrayal, lies, plot twists that will make you say WHAT WHY 😂 and an badass FMC who will do anything to learn the truth about the City. There is also a bit of romance and handsome MMC’s to obsess over! 👀😉
I can’t wait to read the second one!
December 1, 2024
➸ 𝖆𝖗𝖈 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 ღ
𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘:
This was an insane ride of a book. So I'll be honest, I definitely don't usually read YA and I can't remember if I signed up to arc this knowing it was YA or not but, I was so intrigued by the whole idea behind the book that I probably overlooked it being YA. I'll be honest, I'm still a bit confused on if it's considered YA or NA. The arc I read had one scene that was fade to black but, when looking through Reese's instagram she markets it as having spice. So I'm unsure if later books have spice - which I'm confused why they would and not this one? Usually books that have spice in later books is because NOTHING happens in the books w/o spice. There IS sex that happens, they speak about it but, it fades to black. So it's interesting to do it that way then add spice in later books? I know there are two extra novellas I believe, I'm unsure if they're novellas or actual full length but, they're two separate books that will be released that are extras - one being I believe the scenes that are changed during her mindwipe at the end which does include the fade to black sex scene so *maybe* the sex scene is explicate in that book? Although again, interesting choice. Even after reading it, yeah I prefer my books spicy BUT, again I was just so enchanted by the world building that I didn't really care too much. The 100 references? Absolutely yes. One of my favorite shows (until they ruined it with the last season but, we pretend she does not exist). Deadly trials? Dystopian world with huge secrets? Sign me all the way up.
That being said, the YA part that probably bugged me the most was how naive and immature Faye was and that's probably where I struggled to connect with most YA books anymore because I'm 32 years old and just can't quite fit into that mindset of being that niave and immature. However, I've definitely read NA books with 18 year old characters who weren't as niave but, that's probably where a huge distinction in the YA/NA comes from. I struggled to really like Faye because man her choices and decisions just irritated me beyond belief. However, I also understand that she was incredibly sheltered and knew next to nothing about what was going on. I understand that's part of her character development and who she is. So while that can be seen as a negative - I tried not to judge this story too harshly on that because, 1) I think it gives her character time to really grow and 2) I'm sure people who enjoy YA/younger people in general would probably actually not find her nearly as irritating as I did. Let me be clear, I did not hate Faye at all. I just struggled to really identify with her and I disliked a lot her choices. That is probably the only reason I rated this a 4 instead of 5 but, it was not enough to make me dislike this story. Because overall the story was incredible and I truly believe Faye is going to continue to grow as a character.
The worldbuilding was absolutely fantastic. Reese is a fantastic writer and keeps you intrigued and constantly questioning every character - who can be trusted, who's a bad guy vs good guy - what's really happening. By the end I was completely thrown by what was happening! The twists had me reeling because I thought I had an idea of where this was going but, then it definitely did not go where I thought it was. The people who end up betraying Faye and the people who end up actually being in her corner - had me mind blown.
As for the romance? Well, there was definitely more than a love triangle going on. We have two MMCs that are truly vying for Faye's attention: Henri and Kace. Both don't like each other and we're slowly fed the story of why. But, the whole time you're wondering who is truly trustworthy and who Faye will choose. They both are hiding things, they're both lying for various reasons and you're right there with Faye trying to figure out who to trust. Then you have two other MMCs that are introduced that kinda seem like they have a thing for Faye but, you have no idea if anything will actually happen between them or not.
My only other complaint was that I felt like a lot of things happened quickly with no real build up. Especially in the relationship department. Almost immediately Faye, who realizes very quickly she knows NOTHING about what was to be expected of her in the City and what is going on and who has never had any friends, who has always been rather nervous of trusting other people and who is very weary already about the life she THINKS she's going to have to live in City, almost every person she meets she just immediately trusts them without even truly getting to know them. And while I understood more of her trusting Henri because the whole mentor/mentee thing (aka if mentor dies, mentee also dies and vise versa) so obviously it'd make sense to trust your mentor because they definitely do not want you dying. It was just interesting she chose to so easily trust pretty much every one else, even when she noticed they were lying or doing things that seemed like it might not be good for her. And I don't feel like you can chalk that up to being "oh she's naive" when she literally spent her entire life questioning they City in her mind and how she wanted to run and be free and felt something was off about the people/City as a whole. She immediately becomes besties with her roommate, she immediately falls for Kace and struggles with her feelings/friendship with Henri. I just wish we actually got more on page building of these relationships/friendships.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and the world. I can't wait for the rest of the series and to see where Reese takes the characters and story. And I'm super grateful I was able to arc review.
𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘:
Ღ ᴅʏꜱᴛᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ
Ღ ᴛʜᴇ 100 x ᴅɪᴠᴇʀɢᴇɴᴛ x ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ
Ღ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʀɪᴀɴɢʟᴇ/ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛꜱ
Ღ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
Ღ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ
Ღ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
Ღ ꜱʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ
Ღ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ, ʟɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ
Ღ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜᴇʀ & ᴅɪᴇ
Ღ ɴɪᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴍᴄ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ
𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘:
⭐: 𝟒/𝟓
🌶️: 𝟏/𝟓 (tension/fade to black)
𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘:
This was an insane ride of a book. So I'll be honest, I definitely don't usually read YA and I can't remember if I signed up to arc this knowing it was YA or not but, I was so intrigued by the whole idea behind the book that I probably overlooked it being YA. I'll be honest, I'm still a bit confused on if it's considered YA or NA. The arc I read had one scene that was fade to black but, when looking through Reese's instagram she markets it as having spice. So I'm unsure if later books have spice - which I'm confused why they would and not this one? Usually books that have spice in later books is because NOTHING happens in the books w/o spice. There IS sex that happens, they speak about it but, it fades to black. So it's interesting to do it that way then add spice in later books? I know there are two extra novellas I believe, I'm unsure if they're novellas or actual full length but, they're two separate books that will be released that are extras - one being I believe the scenes that are changed during her mindwipe at the end which does include the fade to black sex scene so *maybe* the sex scene is explicate in that book? Although again, interesting choice. Even after reading it, yeah I prefer my books spicy BUT, again I was just so enchanted by the world building that I didn't really care too much. The 100 references? Absolutely yes. One of my favorite shows (until they ruined it with the last season but, we pretend she does not exist). Deadly trials? Dystopian world with huge secrets? Sign me all the way up.
That being said, the YA part that probably bugged me the most was how naive and immature Faye was and that's probably where I struggled to connect with most YA books anymore because I'm 32 years old and just can't quite fit into that mindset of being that niave and immature. However, I've definitely read NA books with 18 year old characters who weren't as niave but, that's probably where a huge distinction in the YA/NA comes from. I struggled to really like Faye because man her choices and decisions just irritated me beyond belief. However, I also understand that she was incredibly sheltered and knew next to nothing about what was going on. I understand that's part of her character development and who she is. So while that can be seen as a negative - I tried not to judge this story too harshly on that because, 1) I think it gives her character time to really grow and 2) I'm sure people who enjoy YA/younger people in general would probably actually not find her nearly as irritating as I did. Let me be clear, I did not hate Faye at all. I just struggled to really identify with her and I disliked a lot her choices. That is probably the only reason I rated this a 4 instead of 5 but, it was not enough to make me dislike this story. Because overall the story was incredible and I truly believe Faye is going to continue to grow as a character.
The worldbuilding was absolutely fantastic. Reese is a fantastic writer and keeps you intrigued and constantly questioning every character - who can be trusted, who's a bad guy vs good guy - what's really happening. By the end I was completely thrown by what was happening! The twists had me reeling because I thought I had an idea of where this was going but, then it definitely did not go where I thought it was. The people who end up betraying Faye and the people who end up actually being in her corner - had me mind blown.
As for the romance? Well, there was definitely more than a love triangle going on. We have two MMCs that are truly vying for Faye's attention: Henri and Kace. Both don't like each other and we're slowly fed the story of why. But, the whole time you're wondering who is truly trustworthy and who Faye will choose. They both are hiding things, they're both lying for various reasons and you're right there with Faye trying to figure out who to trust. Then you have two other MMCs that are introduced that kinda seem like they have a thing for Faye but, you have no idea if anything will actually happen between them or not.
My only other complaint was that I felt like a lot of things happened quickly with no real build up. Especially in the relationship department. Almost immediately Faye, who realizes very quickly she knows NOTHING about what was to be expected of her in the City and what is going on and who has never had any friends, who has always been rather nervous of trusting other people and who is very weary already about the life she THINKS she's going to have to live in City, almost every person she meets she just immediately trusts them without even truly getting to know them. And while I understood more of her trusting Henri because the whole mentor/mentee thing (aka if mentor dies, mentee also dies and vise versa) so obviously it'd make sense to trust your mentor because they definitely do not want you dying. It was just interesting she chose to so easily trust pretty much every one else, even when she noticed they were lying or doing things that seemed like it might not be good for her. And I don't feel like you can chalk that up to being "oh she's naive" when she literally spent her entire life questioning they City in her mind and how she wanted to run and be free and felt something was off about the people/City as a whole. She immediately becomes besties with her roommate, she immediately falls for Kace and struggles with her feelings/friendship with Henri. I just wish we actually got more on page building of these relationships/friendships.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and the world. I can't wait for the rest of the series and to see where Reese takes the characters and story. And I'm super grateful I was able to arc review.
𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘:
Ღ ᴅʏꜱᴛᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ
Ღ ᴛʜᴇ 100 x ᴅɪᴠᴇʀɢᴇɴᴛ x ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ
Ღ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʀɪᴀɴɢʟᴇ/ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛꜱ
Ღ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
Ღ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ
Ღ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
Ღ ꜱʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ
Ღ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ, ʟɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ
Ღ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜᴇʀ & ᴅɪᴇ
Ღ ɴɪᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴍᴄ ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ
𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘:
⭐: 𝟒/𝟓
🌶️: 𝟏/𝟓 (tension/fade to black)
November 27, 2024
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book and had a hard time coming to a rating, but I landed on a 3.75 for this book. I will also say that there were times at the start of the book where I considered DNFing it, but I had glimpsed other reviews who said around chapters 15/16 is when the book turns around and I will agree.
It's not that the first part of the book is bad, but I think it needed to be fined tuned. There were a lot of great ideas, but I think there could have been more development around the storyline, the world and the characters. It just all felt a little rushed and that they were skimming over these really cool aspects because they had so much, they wanted to get to but in the end left me confused because I didn't fully understand this world and not connecting to the characters because they had little to no dept or personality. In fact, it made me like the FMC less because all she came off was super naive (which I get was a trope, but I didn't realize how naive) but also really indecisive and a little whiny. I just wish there had been more focus on developing the world more and proving that information to the reader to not just alleviate the confusion but to become invested in who and what was happening.
But the 2nd half of the book did become more engaging and the characters and what was going on seemed a little more developed. Like the trials they were a little more high energy and thus more entertaining to read. Previously they lasted what seemed like only a page or two while the later one was more involved with twists that I really enjoyed. The 2nd half of the book had a lot of twists actually that I enjoyed because some I didn't see coming.
I wish I could say I loved the characters, but the writing didn't start them out on the right foot for me to like. Like I said the FMC Faye was so naive, indecisive and whinny that I was just not a fan. Then you have one of the main MMCs Henri who just made so many weird choices like saying our lives depend on each other surviving these trials, but he doesn't tell her anything, doesn't help her prep and just disappears and only returns to yell at Faye for breaking rules or not taking things seriously but how can she when you're not doing ur job as a mentor. Then there is Kace the other main MMC for the most part who right off the bat had my major creep signals blaring so when the "twist" came about him it wasn't surprising to be honest i was like yup that tracks but it feels like the writing was trying to set up a love triangle between the three that really didn't take off.
Overall, I think the 2nd half of this book is worth reading but you have to really stick it out through a part of the book that I think needs more development in the story and characters. But even with the ending I don't think I will be reading the next in the series as this leaves on a cliff hanger.
This book is about Faye who lives in a world decimated by famine so severe most of the population died out. So, the City was created that changed the course of humanity with those left as long as they followed the commandments of the city which would allow them to live a prosperous life. Now is Faye's time to leave her village to go the mysterious City she has heard about her whole life but really knows very little about. The reason she hopes to be meet her predestined soulmate who will be revealed when matching symbols light up on her body. But what she didn't know is she must first survive the trials to prove her worth to the City. These trials where she is assigned a mentor who will help her with the trials but will have deadly consequences for the other if one fails. The trials will not only push her to her limits but also reveal the wickedness of the City that leads to her asking questions that have her drawing the eyes of those in charge who see these questions as rebellion against the City and all that it stands for. So now she must decide whether to fall in line and continue to prove her worth to the city in hopes for a better life and a soul mate or will she fight and continue to question things so that she can uncover the truth of what is really going on.
I received an ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review.
It's not that the first part of the book is bad, but I think it needed to be fined tuned. There were a lot of great ideas, but I think there could have been more development around the storyline, the world and the characters. It just all felt a little rushed and that they were skimming over these really cool aspects because they had so much, they wanted to get to but in the end left me confused because I didn't fully understand this world and not connecting to the characters because they had little to no dept or personality. In fact, it made me like the FMC less because all she came off was super naive (which I get was a trope, but I didn't realize how naive) but also really indecisive and a little whiny. I just wish there had been more focus on developing the world more and proving that information to the reader to not just alleviate the confusion but to become invested in who and what was happening.
But the 2nd half of the book did become more engaging and the characters and what was going on seemed a little more developed. Like the trials they were a little more high energy and thus more entertaining to read. Previously they lasted what seemed like only a page or two while the later one was more involved with twists that I really enjoyed. The 2nd half of the book had a lot of twists actually that I enjoyed because some I didn't see coming.
I wish I could say I loved the characters, but the writing didn't start them out on the right foot for me to like. Like I said the FMC Faye was so naive, indecisive and whinny that I was just not a fan. Then you have one of the main MMCs Henri who just made so many weird choices like saying our lives depend on each other surviving these trials, but he doesn't tell her anything, doesn't help her prep and just disappears and only returns to yell at Faye for breaking rules or not taking things seriously but how can she when you're not doing ur job as a mentor. Then there is Kace the other main MMC for the most part who right off the bat had my major creep signals blaring so when the "twist" came about him it wasn't surprising to be honest i was like yup that tracks but it feels like the writing was trying to set up a love triangle between the three that really didn't take off.
Overall, I think the 2nd half of this book is worth reading but you have to really stick it out through a part of the book that I think needs more development in the story and characters. But even with the ending I don't think I will be reading the next in the series as this leaves on a cliff hanger.
This book is about Faye who lives in a world decimated by famine so severe most of the population died out. So, the City was created that changed the course of humanity with those left as long as they followed the commandments of the city which would allow them to live a prosperous life. Now is Faye's time to leave her village to go the mysterious City she has heard about her whole life but really knows very little about. The reason she hopes to be meet her predestined soulmate who will be revealed when matching symbols light up on her body. But what she didn't know is she must first survive the trials to prove her worth to the City. These trials where she is assigned a mentor who will help her with the trials but will have deadly consequences for the other if one fails. The trials will not only push her to her limits but also reveal the wickedness of the City that leads to her asking questions that have her drawing the eyes of those in charge who see these questions as rebellion against the City and all that it stands for. So now she must decide whether to fall in line and continue to prove her worth to the city in hopes for a better life and a soul mate or will she fight and continue to question things so that she can uncover the truth of what is really going on.
I received an ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 30, 2024
2.5☆
I liked the start, it excited me immediately. Having homes reminds me of hogwarts and made me look forward into learning about the world and all the zones
Having the zones split and introduced the way that they were was really thrilling, i wanted to know more
Something about this quote after the four zones being introduced to us "Welcome to the six trials of the Elysians" filled me with so much joy and anxiety (in a good way).
I could feel the suffocation of being in a new area with no one and no familiarity! It's scary and confusing and gives me vicarious anxiety
"I sit here on the golden bench outside of the tunnel, waiting. All dressed up in the suit they gave me, until my name gets called out, utterly lost and lonely."
And the writing leading up to it truly made me feel lost and lonely as well
However, for the first few chapters that was about all the positives, after the initial excitement i found the character building lacking and Moving too fast, at times it didn't even make sense to me, we just met kace and he doesn't like seeing her with henri?
Our main characters Henri and faye are also moving too fast, it Does not feel natural at all and makes for a weird reading experience
I couldn't understand How kace was telling her certain things when they just met ? (Don't break my heart..etc) and how is she okay with it?
Unnecessarily superfluous, slightly confusing to me personally because the dynamic is too forward between henry faye and kace. I'd thought there ought to be more angst between henri and faye and more suffocating confusion from faye's pov because in her situation, being confused and scared would make most sense Rather than mild romance. It feels forced
I felt there was a lot of potential however the writing made the experience a bit off, at times it got very repetitive and confusing to follow,
The writing gets a bit better around chapter 7 then again at chapter 9
"You won't light up for him,
My heart sinks at his words and i can feel the blood drain from my face"
Truly confused at how this relationship escalated to garret this reaction, we had just met kace (and henri for what it's worth, going from he's a stranger to trusting him fully to borderline dying for him ..etc) and in the one encounter he's been a weirdo ?
And now we're, ten chapters in, heartbroken at kace not being our match?!
Huh ?!
The romance did not make sense to me at all.
Also, apart from the romance, just as a mentor and mentee.. there really was no mentoring happening.. like at all! I don't understand how it's so serious to the point of both her and her mentor dying at her failure but also not so serious where we have him actually mentoring her
A lot of the writing when it comes to the action parts told us instead of showing us.
World building makes no sense at all.. i wish more time has been spent editing and fine tuning the world instead of hyper focusing on the romance
The later parts of the middle to the end make the beginning worth suffering through a little thou, as it did get better however i still found it hard to connect to the story or any of the characters, everything lacked something.
I debated DNF all the way through to be honest.
As a whole, there is a lot of potential here but in my opinion it needs a lot of work still
I liked the start, it excited me immediately. Having homes reminds me of hogwarts and made me look forward into learning about the world and all the zones
Having the zones split and introduced the way that they were was really thrilling, i wanted to know more
Something about this quote after the four zones being introduced to us "Welcome to the six trials of the Elysians" filled me with so much joy and anxiety (in a good way).
I could feel the suffocation of being in a new area with no one and no familiarity! It's scary and confusing and gives me vicarious anxiety
"I sit here on the golden bench outside of the tunnel, waiting. All dressed up in the suit they gave me, until my name gets called out, utterly lost and lonely."
And the writing leading up to it truly made me feel lost and lonely as well
However, for the first few chapters that was about all the positives, after the initial excitement i found the character building lacking and Moving too fast, at times it didn't even make sense to me, we just met kace and he doesn't like seeing her with henri?
Our main characters Henri and faye are also moving too fast, it Does not feel natural at all and makes for a weird reading experience
I couldn't understand How kace was telling her certain things when they just met ? (Don't break my heart..etc) and how is she okay with it?
Unnecessarily superfluous, slightly confusing to me personally because the dynamic is too forward between henry faye and kace. I'd thought there ought to be more angst between henri and faye and more suffocating confusion from faye's pov because in her situation, being confused and scared would make most sense Rather than mild romance. It feels forced
I felt there was a lot of potential however the writing made the experience a bit off, at times it got very repetitive and confusing to follow,
The writing gets a bit better around chapter 7 then again at chapter 9
"You won't light up for him,
My heart sinks at his words and i can feel the blood drain from my face"
Truly confused at how this relationship escalated to garret this reaction, we had just met kace (and henri for what it's worth, going from he's a stranger to trusting him fully to borderline dying for him ..etc) and in the one encounter he's been a weirdo ?
And now we're, ten chapters in, heartbroken at kace not being our match?!
Huh ?!
The romance did not make sense to me at all.
Also, apart from the romance, just as a mentor and mentee.. there really was no mentoring happening.. like at all! I don't understand how it's so serious to the point of both her and her mentor dying at her failure but also not so serious where we have him actually mentoring her
A lot of the writing when it comes to the action parts told us instead of showing us.
World building makes no sense at all.. i wish more time has been spent editing and fine tuning the world instead of hyper focusing on the romance
The later parts of the middle to the end make the beginning worth suffering through a little thou, as it did get better however i still found it hard to connect to the story or any of the characters, everything lacked something.
I debated DNF all the way through to be honest.
As a whole, there is a lot of potential here but in my opinion it needs a lot of work still
October 11, 2024
The Trials of the Elysian follows Faye, a naive girl from a village outside of the city walls. Everyone goes into the city walls to find their bonded soul mate that appears as a matching symbol on their arms. To stay in the city you must pass six deadly trials as well as find your bonded in order to be accepted. She uncovers the corrupt truth of the city and some truths about herself that she didn’t know to look for. The city controls everything about you and she has to decide if she wants her fate controlled or to rebel and find out what life is like on the other side of the deadly sea.
I really enjoyed reading this book, made me think of the books I read in the early 2000s. There are a lot of twists and turns. Some I saw coming but a few I definitely did not. The storyline runs at a decent pace, it’s a great debut book Reese! I would love more character development and back stories for some of the characters because seriously, I need more Bane. I can’t wait to see how this story continues and I hope they burn that city to the ground!
Faye- She’s not one of my favorite characters but I kept reminding myself that she’s a naive, sheltered and young girl. Think Peeta in Hunger Games. She’s not quick to catch on to anything in the beginning and has some serious anxiety without control, but towards the end I was all about her! Every-time she has an outburst my thought was-shut the hell up before they kill you😅She did grow as a character and found out who she was meant to be. I’m so excited to see her journey continue in the next book!
Henri- Was not my favorite MMC. “Trust me and only me” was a turn off to me and I didn’t feel any chemistry until about the middle of the book. He manipulates and gaslights Faye a lot in the beginning which really bothered me. But then he started growing on me, I still am not sure if he truly loves Faye or if it is because she can access the flame and is the chosen one. He hasn’t convinced me yet. I mean he threatened to kill her too many times for me to have goo goo eyes for him this soon.
Kace- INSTANT chemistry! I was all about him and his mommy issues. I definitely thought he was going to be the end game (well he kind of was 🫣). I immediately knew his mother was the Chancellor and thought he was the black sheep, rebellious type. Then he started getting clingy and stalker ish so I waved it off and was like he’s not for her but maybe he’s still good inside, he was groomed into this. I should’ve known with the white roses and how they instantly made me barf. I then realized I disregarded a lot of red flags and should probably go to a therapy session because he’s a straight psychopath.
Bane- I freaking love him!! Not sure what’s wrong with me but I loved him as soon as he was introduced. And then he just continued to get more interesting! “If you might die by the city’s hands, why not just enjoy being alive tonight.” And he’s the freaking rebellion leader!! Can they please be end game?!
I enjoyed most of the side characters and hope to see more of them!
The freaking ending though!!!! I had a feeling Rose was still alive but I did not see THAT coming! Kace is past redemption at this point.
I was given this book as an ARC! Thank you so much for having me on your team!
I really enjoyed reading this book, made me think of the books I read in the early 2000s. There are a lot of twists and turns. Some I saw coming but a few I definitely did not. The storyline runs at a decent pace, it’s a great debut book Reese! I would love more character development and back stories for some of the characters because seriously, I need more Bane. I can’t wait to see how this story continues and I hope they burn that city to the ground!
Faye- She’s not one of my favorite characters but I kept reminding myself that she’s a naive, sheltered and young girl. Think Peeta in Hunger Games. She’s not quick to catch on to anything in the beginning and has some serious anxiety without control, but towards the end I was all about her! Every-time she has an outburst my thought was-shut the hell up before they kill you😅She did grow as a character and found out who she was meant to be. I’m so excited to see her journey continue in the next book!
Henri- Was not my favorite MMC. “Trust me and only me” was a turn off to me and I didn’t feel any chemistry until about the middle of the book. He manipulates and gaslights Faye a lot in the beginning which really bothered me. But then he started growing on me, I still am not sure if he truly loves Faye or if it is because she can access the flame and is the chosen one. He hasn’t convinced me yet. I mean he threatened to kill her too many times for me to have goo goo eyes for him this soon.
Kace- INSTANT chemistry! I was all about him and his mommy issues. I definitely thought he was going to be the end game (well he kind of was 🫣). I immediately knew his mother was the Chancellor and thought he was the black sheep, rebellious type. Then he started getting clingy and stalker ish so I waved it off and was like he’s not for her but maybe he’s still good inside, he was groomed into this. I should’ve known with the white roses and how they instantly made me barf. I then realized I disregarded a lot of red flags and should probably go to a therapy session because he’s a straight psychopath.
Bane- I freaking love him!! Not sure what’s wrong with me but I loved him as soon as he was introduced. And then he just continued to get more interesting! “If you might die by the city’s hands, why not just enjoy being alive tonight.” And he’s the freaking rebellion leader!! Can they please be end game?!
I enjoyed most of the side characters and hope to see more of them!
The freaking ending though!!!! I had a feeling Rose was still alive but I did not see THAT coming! Kace is past redemption at this point.
I was given this book as an ARC! Thank you so much for having me on your team!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2025
I met this lovely author at the Alluxia Stardust and Shadows Soiree and I was incredibly excited to read this. It's an independently published book and we love supporting indie authors. The edition I have is gorgeous and came with character art both as prints and built into the book. So, I wanted to 5 star love-it-to-pieces. And while, by the end, I was hooked an invested in what was happening to these characters, it was a long journey to get there.
Let me explain:
This is a very unique story that leans into the dystopia theme of a utopia that is dark behind the scenes. A perfect city where they keep only the perfect people with the goal of saving the world as they know it and prevent catastrophe from re-occurring. There are a lot of technical advancements and elements that are fascinating and dip a toe into the realm of fantasy just a little with science as the backbone.
As things pick up, you start to see the seedy side to The City that is hinted at throughout and you begin to see the real danger our characters face as they near the climax of the story.
Trials, chosen ones, love triangles, "fated pairs", authoritarian governments, plot twists, it has it all. And I think, should you give it a chance and get through some of the more rough parts, it's a story that you will very much enjoy if you love stories with these elements.
That being said, I'm going to be very honest with those of you reading this review right now. This book was very much in need of an editor. It's an independently published work without the traditional editing pipeline and boy, does it make me really appreciate those in the publishing industry whose entire job is making sure the books we read make sense when we read them. There are grammatical elements, word choices, and some plot and confounding timelines that can take you out of the story. "Scuffed" instead of "scoffed", limited time in this world where the characters talk about how they "always" do something or "always" felt some kind of way when they were brand new to an environment.
These things, when I look at the whole story, are those that I'm sure a lot of authors struggle with and take a lot of time to hone. It's the introduction to your story. There are a lot of moments and filler you need that you don't always account for while planning your story so when something works, you run with it, even if later something else might have worked a little better but then you end up rewriting the whole thing or give up. (Ask me how I know).
I'm so glad Reese wrote her story. Multiple times during this read I gasped out loud because I didn't see something coming and I LOVE that in books I read. Looking back I realize there were hints to a few of them that I completely missed. I won't give absolutely anything away because I want you to read it and get to experience these moments.
It's rough around the edges, but give it a good chance with the understanding this is an indie author and this is her first published book. She's promoting her second right now which is first in it's own series, and I plan on getting it. I can see the stories she's building and I want in.
Do you?
Let me explain:
This is a very unique story that leans into the dystopia theme of a utopia that is dark behind the scenes. A perfect city where they keep only the perfect people with the goal of saving the world as they know it and prevent catastrophe from re-occurring. There are a lot of technical advancements and elements that are fascinating and dip a toe into the realm of fantasy just a little with science as the backbone.
As things pick up, you start to see the seedy side to The City that is hinted at throughout and you begin to see the real danger our characters face as they near the climax of the story.
Trials, chosen ones, love triangles, "fated pairs", authoritarian governments, plot twists, it has it all. And I think, should you give it a chance and get through some of the more rough parts, it's a story that you will very much enjoy if you love stories with these elements.
That being said, I'm going to be very honest with those of you reading this review right now. This book was very much in need of an editor. It's an independently published work without the traditional editing pipeline and boy, does it make me really appreciate those in the publishing industry whose entire job is making sure the books we read make sense when we read them. There are grammatical elements, word choices, and some plot and confounding timelines that can take you out of the story. "Scuffed" instead of "scoffed", limited time in this world where the characters talk about how they "always" do something or "always" felt some kind of way when they were brand new to an environment.
These things, when I look at the whole story, are those that I'm sure a lot of authors struggle with and take a lot of time to hone. It's the introduction to your story. There are a lot of moments and filler you need that you don't always account for while planning your story so when something works, you run with it, even if later something else might have worked a little better but then you end up rewriting the whole thing or give up. (Ask me how I know).
I'm so glad Reese wrote her story. Multiple times during this read I gasped out loud because I didn't see something coming and I LOVE that in books I read. Looking back I realize there were hints to a few of them that I completely missed. I won't give absolutely anything away because I want you to read it and get to experience these moments.
It's rough around the edges, but give it a good chance with the understanding this is an indie author and this is her first published book. She's promoting her second right now which is first in it's own series, and I plan on getting it. I can see the stories she's building and I want in.
Do you?
November 21, 2024
Ohhhh boy this was a book. I’m still puzzling through how I feel about it as a whole. I actually read through some of the other reviews posted which made me continue reading because I was ready to give up at the start BUT after around 40% it gets drastically better.
The long story short - the first half and second half are polar opposites. If you can get through you will enjoy it.
The plot and premise is good. Some of the execution is iffy.
The villains are so much cooler than the heroes.
The beginning is ALOT and not in the best way. There’s unreliable world building. A very confused narrator and zero actual valid information about anything that’s coming in the second half of the book. I’m genuinely still confused about how this book starts and I have a few unanswered questions - the main one being the main character has never bled in her life… a female main character… Is it canon they don’t experience periods in this world? 😅
The second half is drastically better. It flows better. The plot is better. The characters aren’t as annoying.
The sci-fi aspects are a lot cooler and felt more purposeful and some of the conspiracy and rebellion starts unfolding which makes it a worthy read.
There’s more action and less thinking in this half which I think makes it more comprehensive. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was happening.
The characters I don’t really care for. I like the way the villains were written a lot more than the heroes. I think the premise of the City and the experiments are the best part of this book and it would have been better if Faye was less rebellious before finding out all the information and then having an epiphany moment later.
I wish we learnt less about the rebellion throughout and it was used more as a mic drop plot twist moment towards the end of the book.
I found Faye to be pretty insufferable honestly. The relationships I didn’t care entirely for either they felt really forced and only written because it felt expected.
I feel like I need a prequel to explain the world building better. I also want a prequel to the lab and how it was made.
Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
This is my honest opinion.
The long story short - the first half and second half are polar opposites. If you can get through you will enjoy it.
The plot and premise is good. Some of the execution is iffy.
The villains are so much cooler than the heroes.
The beginning is ALOT and not in the best way. There’s unreliable world building. A very confused narrator and zero actual valid information about anything that’s coming in the second half of the book. I’m genuinely still confused about how this book starts and I have a few unanswered questions - the main one being the main character has never bled in her life… a female main character… Is it canon they don’t experience periods in this world? 😅
The second half is drastically better. It flows better. The plot is better. The characters aren’t as annoying.
The sci-fi aspects are a lot cooler and felt more purposeful and some of the conspiracy and rebellion starts unfolding which makes it a worthy read.
There’s more action and less thinking in this half which I think makes it more comprehensive. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was happening.
The characters I don’t really care for. I like the way the villains were written a lot more than the heroes. I think the premise of the City and the experiments are the best part of this book and it would have been better if Faye was less rebellious before finding out all the information and then having an epiphany moment later.
I wish we learnt less about the rebellion throughout and it was used more as a mic drop plot twist moment towards the end of the book.
I found Faye to be pretty insufferable honestly. The relationships I didn’t care entirely for either they felt really forced and only written because it felt expected.
I feel like I need a prequel to explain the world building better. I also want a prequel to the lab and how it was made.
Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
This is my honest opinion.
November 19, 2024
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of The Trials of the Elysian l from the author!
The Trials of the Elysian is everything I could have ever asked for from a dystopian novel and I am officially beyond obsessed and love this so much! 💕 I want this to become a movie because I think it would be absolutely incredible on the big screen. I was hooked instantaneously from the dedication page and when I say that this is a wild ride I mean it because it’s absolutely insane in the best possible way! 🤪 I legitimately had a journal where I wrote down all my of theories of what I thought was going to happen. I ended up being wrong on everything I guessed and was in for a massive shock with every single plot twist! 🙀🙀🙀 I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and when they say not to trust anybody I was in for such a treat. I kept changing my mind over and over again of who I should trust and who I shouldn’t and it was just such a fun game to play while reading. I thought the world-building was masterclass level and that the drama was exquisite. The MMCs (yes there is more than one 🤫) are seriously all so well-written and I was eating up all of their lines like I was eating a bag of potato chips because I just kept wanting more and more! 🤭 Lastly, I warn all of you to not drink anything while reading the ending of this book because that cliffhanger had me in such shock that I snorted water out of my nose because the emotional damage I have experienced while reading it all is world-class! 😱😱 I need book two immediately in my hands because I need to know what happens next. If you love dystopian reads from the 2000s, Hunger Games, Divergent, The 100, Severance, slow burn, mentor x mentee, mind games, betrayal, drama, touch him/her and ☠️, deadly trials, major plot twists and turns, lots of secrets 🤫, and a book that will emotionally destroy you then this is a must-read! 🫶
The Trials of the Elysian is everything I could have ever asked for from a dystopian novel and I am officially beyond obsessed and love this so much! 💕 I want this to become a movie because I think it would be absolutely incredible on the big screen. I was hooked instantaneously from the dedication page and when I say that this is a wild ride I mean it because it’s absolutely insane in the best possible way! 🤪 I legitimately had a journal where I wrote down all my of theories of what I thought was going to happen. I ended up being wrong on everything I guessed and was in for a massive shock with every single plot twist! 🙀🙀🙀 I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and when they say not to trust anybody I was in for such a treat. I kept changing my mind over and over again of who I should trust and who I shouldn’t and it was just such a fun game to play while reading. I thought the world-building was masterclass level and that the drama was exquisite. The MMCs (yes there is more than one 🤫) are seriously all so well-written and I was eating up all of their lines like I was eating a bag of potato chips because I just kept wanting more and more! 🤭 Lastly, I warn all of you to not drink anything while reading the ending of this book because that cliffhanger had me in such shock that I snorted water out of my nose because the emotional damage I have experienced while reading it all is world-class! 😱😱 I need book two immediately in my hands because I need to know what happens next. If you love dystopian reads from the 2000s, Hunger Games, Divergent, The 100, Severance, slow burn, mentor x mentee, mind games, betrayal, drama, touch him/her and ☠️, deadly trials, major plot twists and turns, lots of secrets 🤫, and a book that will emotionally destroy you then this is a must-read! 🫶
December 1, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book reminds me of The 100, by Kass Morgan. That series was also made into a show back in 2014 that I followed religiously! If you haven't seen it, you should! This also had Hunger Games all over it, which is another book series that I enjoyed very much. I enjoyed that this book has that dystopian world in it, and that's something that I like in books like Red Rising. We follow Faye, who is our main character, as she ventures off into her journey into a world where you fall and your mentor falls too. This is a cutthroat world! The world building was great, and I enjoyed that there were a lot of details to back it up. The only thing I would say is that there were several parts that I felt were a bit too fast-paced for me. I prefer books that are a bit lengthy in some areas to really get to know the characters. That's just my preference and has nothing to do with how the story was written. As for the romance, that seems fairly slow burn for me, considering I'm not sure who she's going to end up with! Faye is naive and young and has so much against her. She is sheltered, and she is trying to figure herself out. There are parts where you can get frustrated with her character due to her choices, but it's meant to make you feel that way. Faye would be the complete opposite of Aelin/Caelena in TOG in the book. While Faye trusts everyone, Caelena was far from that. This book generally gets better halfway through. I think that the ending is definitely one plot twist you don't want to miss!
This book reminds me of The 100, by Kass Morgan. That series was also made into a show back in 2014 that I followed religiously! If you haven't seen it, you should! This also had Hunger Games all over it, which is another book series that I enjoyed very much. I enjoyed that this book has that dystopian world in it, and that's something that I like in books like Red Rising. We follow Faye, who is our main character, as she ventures off into her journey into a world where you fall and your mentor falls too. This is a cutthroat world! The world building was great, and I enjoyed that there were a lot of details to back it up. The only thing I would say is that there were several parts that I felt were a bit too fast-paced for me. I prefer books that are a bit lengthy in some areas to really get to know the characters. That's just my preference and has nothing to do with how the story was written. As for the romance, that seems fairly slow burn for me, considering I'm not sure who she's going to end up with! Faye is naive and young and has so much against her. She is sheltered, and she is trying to figure herself out. There are parts where you can get frustrated with her character due to her choices, but it's meant to make you feel that way. Faye would be the complete opposite of Aelin/Caelena in TOG in the book. While Faye trusts everyone, Caelena was far from that. This book generally gets better halfway through. I think that the ending is definitely one plot twist you don't want to miss!
December 2, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
This was so amazing! 👏
If you’re looking for a gripping dystopian read that’s impossible to put down, this is it. This pulls you into a world where every choice feels like life or death, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Imagine living in a City where every breath you take is controlled, and stepping out of line could mean the end of your life. That’s the world Faye is thrown into. She’s supposed to find her soulmate—marked by a mysterious symbol—and face brutal Trials to prove her worth. But the City isn’t just about rules; it’s hiding secrets. And Faye, rebellious and determined, is ready to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.
This book is packed with tension, twists, and moments that make you question everything. The world-building is on point, making the City feel real and oppressive. Faye’s journey is emotional and relatable—she’s flawed, brave, and so easy to root for. Her fight for freedom and love against a system built to crush her is what makes this story so compelling.
The Trials are intense, pushing Faye and the other characters to their limits. And just when you think you know where the story is going, it throws you a curveball. The romance? It’s complicated, heartfelt, and keeps you guessing—will Faye follow her heart or the path the City has set for her?
**Bottom Line:**
The Trials of The Elysian is a fast-paced, addictive read that balances action, mystery, and emotion perfectly. If you’re into dystopian worlds, strong heroines, and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, this book should be at the top of your list.
Thank you Reese Sherron for letting me be a part of you Arc team for this amazing book! 💕
This was so amazing! 👏
If you’re looking for a gripping dystopian read that’s impossible to put down, this is it. This pulls you into a world where every choice feels like life or death, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Imagine living in a City where every breath you take is controlled, and stepping out of line could mean the end of your life. That’s the world Faye is thrown into. She’s supposed to find her soulmate—marked by a mysterious symbol—and face brutal Trials to prove her worth. But the City isn’t just about rules; it’s hiding secrets. And Faye, rebellious and determined, is ready to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.
This book is packed with tension, twists, and moments that make you question everything. The world-building is on point, making the City feel real and oppressive. Faye’s journey is emotional and relatable—she’s flawed, brave, and so easy to root for. Her fight for freedom and love against a system built to crush her is what makes this story so compelling.
The Trials are intense, pushing Faye and the other characters to their limits. And just when you think you know where the story is going, it throws you a curveball. The romance? It’s complicated, heartfelt, and keeps you guessing—will Faye follow her heart or the path the City has set for her?
**Bottom Line:**
The Trials of The Elysian is a fast-paced, addictive read that balances action, mystery, and emotion perfectly. If you’re into dystopian worlds, strong heroines, and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, this book should be at the top of your list.
Thank you Reese Sherron for letting me be a part of you Arc team for this amazing book! 💕
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