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Fae of Alastríona #1
The Divine and the Cursed
From award-winning author J.E. Reed comes a breathtaking new series full of curses, love, and survival.
A queen in hiding.
When eighteen-year-old Arianna is stolen from her family and sold into slavery, she spends months disguised as a half-breed Fae struggling against the devastations of a decade-long war. But she never expected to find herself at the mercy of her country's greatest enemy.
General Rion is ruthless and commanding. He relishes in his reputation as The Demon-a vile creature incapable of love or compassion. With a secret no one can know, Arianna strives to placate him while plotting her escape, but sometimes fate has other plans and rumors can't always be trusted.
She'll have to make a choice. Kill the most feared male on the continent or stay and let a forbidden bond take root. But what will happen when he discovers her secret?
A queen in hiding.
When eighteen-year-old Arianna is stolen from her family and sold into slavery, she spends months disguised as a half-breed Fae struggling against the devastations of a decade-long war. But she never expected to find herself at the mercy of her country's greatest enemy.
General Rion is ruthless and commanding. He relishes in his reputation as The Demon-a vile creature incapable of love or compassion. With a secret no one can know, Arianna strives to placate him while plotting her escape, but sometimes fate has other plans and rumors can't always be trusted.
She'll have to make a choice. Kill the most feared male on the continent or stay and let a forbidden bond take root. But what will happen when he discovers her secret?
12 pages, Audible Audio
Published May 25, 2023
4090 people are currently reading
51754 people want to read
About the author
J.E. Reed
9 books451 followersJ.E. Reed lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two cats. She’s always had an interest in writing, but didn’t explore that talent fully until 2015. Reed works as a Licensed Massage Therapist in the quiet town of Anderson. She graduated massage school in 2009 and has spent the last three years building her small business. She enjoys swimming, yoga and the occasional mud run with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,184 reviews
June 27, 2023
"Are you afraid?" She kept hr voice soft.
"No." His hot breath tickled the back of her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine, then he whispered, "I'm terrified."
A jolt went through her at his admission, but she didn’t turn. “Why?” She wanted to break down that wall gently, brick by brick if she had to.
“Because you can hurt me in ways I’ve never been hurt. Without lifting a finger, you could shatter me completely.”
🧚🏼♂️𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗗 - 𝗕𝗬 𝗝.𝗘. 𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗🧚🏼♂️
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐½
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🆈🅰/🅽🅰
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 - 𝙵𝙰𝙴 - 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙼𝚄𝙻𝚃𝙸 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝙳 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙻𝚈 𝚁𝙾𝚈𝙰𝙻 - 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿 - 𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙾𝚁/𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 - 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙴𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝙴
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥/5
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/5
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜/5
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀/5 (𝚂𝙻𝙰𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈 - 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴/𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁 - 𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝚄𝙼𝙰 - 𝙷𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙴𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙱𝙸𝙰)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥/5
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 & 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒/5 (𝙵𝙰𝙳𝙴-𝚃𝙾-𝙱𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙺)
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐/5 (𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙲𝚄𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙼𝙾𝚂𝚃𝙻𝚈 𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈 𝙲𝙻𝙴𝙰𝙽)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 🌹🌹🌹/5
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗥𝗘𝗣: 𝙽𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙰𝙽𝚃
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤🖤/5
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
This is one of the most DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
It took me a little to convince myself to add it to my tbr, because, let's be honest, the current one doesn't do it justice and it almost made me wanna pull a Kaz Brekker on my own eyeballs.
I'm shallow just like that when it comes to my books. Sue me.
Anyway.
The blurb and the positive reviews were stronger than my distaste, and I eventually caved.
THANKFULLY, I'd add, because The Divine and the Cursed is actually avwell written and interesting little gem that will definitely surprise its reader.
Reed's prose is absolutely clear and
I must admit I found the romance a little boring. In some ways, the dynamic and the immeasurably melodramatic love they felt for each other, reminded me a lot of Twilight's Edward and Bella with their histrionic speeches. I guess we could say it's a very emotional relationship rather, than a physical one, and while I appreciated the way it was presented, I would have liked it to be a little less intense in its telling and a little more audacious in its showing.
I'm not talking about smut, mind it. I was glad, for one, that even if there's some action, but it's the behind the scene kind. It totally fits the novel, and it's not relevat to the story.
I just...I don't know, I felt like something wasn't where and how it should have been.
However, I have zero complaints about how the enemies-to-lovers part was handled and I find super refreshing how Rion and Arianna were virgins. It was very cute, especially considering that Rion's this big and strong and deadly soldier who you'd think has sex every other minute.
I appreciated the choice the author made, because it's in line with his troubled past that eventually resulted in him hating being touched.
I liked the characters, especially Arianna. I also absolutely loved the multi pov perspective.
Overall, I think J.E. Reed did a good job with this one.
The world-building could use a little polishing, but I enjoyed myself and will definitely keep and eye out for this author in the future.
But please, I'm begging whoever is in charge of this stuff: give this book the pretty cover it deserves.
edit june 2024: I just found out this finally got a cover makeover and the new one is absolutely gorgeous! FINALLY!
Arianna stepped back when the creature rose to its full height. It stared at them a moment longer then turned, disappearing into the forest with crushing steps.
The sun illuminated the area enough for her to witness the exhilaration on Rion’s face and the Fairy Folk that played at their feet.
“They’re not afraid of the Dark Fae?”
“They’re kindred spirits. It’s how I knew they weren’t what others claimed them to be.”
“Dare I ask what prompted you to come here in the first place?”
Rion stared after the creature’s retreating form. “Maybe I hoped the monsters would welcome one of their own.”
August 12, 2023
3.5 Ice and Sand Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 0.5🌶️/5 (Closed door/Metaphorical)
So I finally finished this book. And it is no mistake in the plot, quality of writing (which is excellent), or the story why it took me so long. It's just I enjoyed this as an audiobook, which I received from the author directly, and I didn't really have a lot of time with everything going on in my life to sit down and listen to the book.
I truly loved the escapism that this book gave me, in those short snippets of time when I was able to dive back into the world of Alastríona and just listen to the tale between the Divine and the Cursed.
This is a multiple-POV story (with the majority of the time from Arianna's POV). Arianna has spent almost 2 years posing as a Half-Fae and hiding that she is the rightful queen of Alastríona as she possesses the power of "The Divine" - Healing. She is currently a slave in Brónach, the country which has been in a decade-long war against her homeland Móirín. She soon finds herself the allocated slave for the Demon General - Rion and over time discovers that he is not exactly what the rumours about him claim to be.
From a "plot" perspective, this story is simple. As most of the reveals and secrets, you know pretty early on in the story. But this doesn't detract from the book as it allows a strong focus on the character development. This is very much an emotional journey for the two characters. It is about how both of them have gone through traumatic experiences, that have left them wounded and lacking trust and how through each other they learn to open themselves to each other.
It can at times almost be a little bit too character-focused that it just feels like there's a lot of emotion at times going on in this relationship and not as much showing. There are a lot of dramatic affirmations, thoughts and feelings stated versus seeing a physical display of these. It's not that I mind, it was actually sweet that this was closed-door and very metaphorical as it ties into how these characters are dealing emotionally. But this does tend to lean towards insta-lovey as very quickly they are leaning into these metaphors but we haven't physically seen much of the development of the relationship.
I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and magic in this. The descriptions of how the magic worked and wound itself around the characters and how they used it were incredibly unique for a take on elemental magic and beautifully written.
I also want to give a major, major shout-out to Laura Horowitz, who did the audiobook for this. She did an amazing read of all of this, and I definitely increased my enjoyment of the story. I loved the way that she managed to give a personality and a distinct voice to every single one of the characters that were portrayed.
So ultimately, if you want:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Age Gap
▶ Captive/Captor
▶ Warring Kingdoms
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Character Driven/Emotional
This is definitely for you!
Spicy Level: 0.5🌶️/5 (Closed door/Metaphorical)
So I finally finished this book. And it is no mistake in the plot, quality of writing (which is excellent), or the story why it took me so long. It's just I enjoyed this as an audiobook, which I received from the author directly, and I didn't really have a lot of time with everything going on in my life to sit down and listen to the book.
I truly loved the escapism that this book gave me, in those short snippets of time when I was able to dive back into the world of Alastríona and just listen to the tale between the Divine and the Cursed.
This is a multiple-POV story (with the majority of the time from Arianna's POV). Arianna has spent almost 2 years posing as a Half-Fae and hiding that she is the rightful queen of Alastríona as she possesses the power of "The Divine" - Healing. She is currently a slave in Brónach, the country which has been in a decade-long war against her homeland Móirín. She soon finds herself the allocated slave for the Demon General - Rion and over time discovers that he is not exactly what the rumours about him claim to be.
From a "plot" perspective, this story is simple. As most of the reveals and secrets, you know pretty early on in the story. But this doesn't detract from the book as it allows a strong focus on the character development. This is very much an emotional journey for the two characters. It is about how both of them have gone through traumatic experiences, that have left them wounded and lacking trust and how through each other they learn to open themselves to each other.
It can at times almost be a little bit too character-focused that it just feels like there's a lot of emotion at times going on in this relationship and not as much showing. There are a lot of dramatic affirmations, thoughts and feelings stated versus seeing a physical display of these. It's not that I mind, it was actually sweet that this was closed-door and very metaphorical as it ties into how these characters are dealing emotionally. But this does tend to lean towards insta-lovey as very quickly they are leaning into these metaphors but we haven't physically seen much of the development of the relationship.
I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and magic in this. The descriptions of how the magic worked and wound itself around the characters and how they used it were incredibly unique for a take on elemental magic and beautifully written.
I also want to give a major, major shout-out to Laura Horowitz, who did the audiobook for this. She did an amazing read of all of this, and I definitely increased my enjoyment of the story. I loved the way that she managed to give a personality and a distinct voice to every single one of the characters that were portrayed.
So ultimately, if you want:
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Age Gap
▶ Captive/Captor
▶ Warring Kingdoms
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Character Driven/Emotional
This is definitely for you!
April 16, 2023
The protagonist makes Bella Swan look like a very intelligent, grounded in reality and sensible main character.
December 29, 2022
4,5 ♥️♥️💔♥️🔥💥💥💦🌟🌟🌟🌟s❗️❗️❣️❣️
I loved it!!!!!
Nothing had prepared me for this amazing read!!!
I was so carried away with Rion and Arianna’s suspenseful yet emotional journey! I was dreading to reach the end...
It was filled with action, romance, twists and turns and the characters’ growth was fantastic.
There was a hea but the main story continues in the next part for which I can’t wait for!!!!
I loved it!!!!!
Nothing had prepared me for this amazing read!!!
I was so carried away with Rion and Arianna’s suspenseful yet emotional journey! I was dreading to reach the end...
It was filled with action, romance, twists and turns and the characters’ growth was fantastic.
There was a hea but the main story continues in the next part for which I can’t wait for!!!!
March 18, 2023
Do not use instagram for book recommendations🤡
January 19, 2023
1.5 stars
The .5 is just there because I somehow managed to finish it. A wood block for an MMC who slams doors, growls and kills people for fun. He has no personality whatsoever. The FMC on the other hand starts crying at every minor inconvenience. So much so that it's a personality trait at this point. I lost count after 30. And after everything she's been through, one would think that maybe she'd learned something but nope. She's the naivest of creatures on earth. Although the writing was okay, some of the battle scenes didn't make sense at all. The story had potential and could've been much better if the main characters were worked upon.
The .5 is just there because I somehow managed to finish it. A wood block for an MMC who slams doors, growls and kills people for fun. He has no personality whatsoever. The FMC on the other hand starts crying at every minor inconvenience. So much so that it's a personality trait at this point. I lost count after 30. And after everything she's been through, one would think that maybe she'd learned something but nope. She's the naivest of creatures on earth. Although the writing was okay, some of the battle scenes didn't make sense at all. The story had potential and could've been much better if the main characters were worked upon.
March 27, 2023
Terrible. Stockholm syndrome. Awful. No world building. Cliche. All I’m saying is there’s better ways to spend your time.
July 3, 2024
I loved this one!
The drama, the lies, the betrayal, the REDEMPTION!
This is a fae centered fantasy romance with monsters of all kinds. A prophecy of the divine that will unite the people. An enemies to lovers trope that had me rooting for the forbidden love!
NEED the second one! (Audio narration was amazing too if you love audio books!)
The drama, the lies, the betrayal, the REDEMPTION!
This is a fae centered fantasy romance with monsters of all kinds. A prophecy of the divine that will unite the people. An enemies to lovers trope that had me rooting for the forbidden love!
NEED the second one! (Audio narration was amazing too if you love audio books!)
August 20, 2023
Today I present you with another instance of "Txell picking up a book she's clearly not going to like but deciding to read it back to back anyway". This is not even going to be a decent review, but I really needed to get some things off my ches.
To put it plainly, this was terrible. The only reason it doesn't have one star is that I don't think I actively hated it, but it was just so painful to read. From everything being terribly plot convenient, to there being no stakes at all in any point of the book because everything happened in the most predictable way... I truly should've dnf'd it halfway through.
Other notes:
- Males / Females. Need I say more.
- Mates (why is this a fucking thing I hate it sm).
- Instantest insta love ever.
- 18 and 93.
- Again. 18 and 93. What was the need?
- The whole concept of The Divine. And the way Arianna handled it. ffs.
- And also, why can fae smell FUCKING EVERYTHING? From lies to where you are to who you fucked what happened to privacy ?!?!?!
- I simply don't think I'll ever get the "I can't help but love him even though he killed someone I loved so much" bullshit.
- Not even good smut.
- Talon is the most unlikable character ever.
- To be fair though, all of them are terribly unlikable.
- But God does Talon stand out.
- And let's not forget our ever self-pitying Rion. Excuse me, The Demon
- His trust issues did annoy me quite a lot though. After the first one, I couldn't not roll my eyes every time he explained what had happened to him.
- Why were there almost 100 pages of war plot if this was supposed to be a romance novel?
- The names of all the countries. They just gave me the ick.
- Also, why do they mention 5 countries if only 3 of them are going to be relevant. I know the world's wide and everything, but if I haven't seen them in a map I don't need to know they exist, and hearing abotu them will only be distracting.
- The writing was pretty poor.
- Was there an editor involved in this? Because there are full paragraphs that should've been deleted.
I couldn't come up with any good sides, so maybe this should be a one star, lol. Tbf, I didn't realize so many things had annoyed me until I actually started writing the list lol.
On the other hand, I literally picked this up because someone commented it on a reel without even reading the blurb, so it's partially my fault.
To put it plainly, this was terrible. The only reason it doesn't have one star is that I don't think I actively hated it, but it was just so painful to read. From everything being terribly plot convenient, to there being no stakes at all in any point of the book because everything happened in the most predictable way... I truly should've dnf'd it halfway through.
Other notes:
- Males / Females. Need I say more.
- Mates (why is this a fucking thing I hate it sm).
- Instantest insta love ever.
- 18 and 93.
- Again. 18 and 93. What was the need?
- The whole concept of The Divine. And the way Arianna handled it. ffs.
- And also, why can fae smell FUCKING EVERYTHING? From lies to where you are to who you fucked what happened to privacy ?!?!?!
- I simply don't think I'll ever get the "I can't help but love him even though he killed someone I loved so much" bullshit.
- Not even good smut.
- Talon is the most unlikable character ever.
- To be fair though, all of them are terribly unlikable.
- But God does Talon stand out.
- And let's not forget our ever self-pitying Rion. Excuse me, The Demon
- His trust issues did annoy me quite a lot though. After the first one, I couldn't not roll my eyes every time he explained what had happened to him.
- Why were there almost 100 pages of war plot if this was supposed to be a romance novel?
- The names of all the countries. They just gave me the ick.
- Also, why do they mention 5 countries if only 3 of them are going to be relevant. I know the world's wide and everything, but if I haven't seen them in a map I don't need to know they exist, and hearing abotu them will only be distracting.
- The writing was pretty poor.
- Was there an editor involved in this? Because there are full paragraphs that should've been deleted.
I couldn't come up with any good sides, so maybe this should be a one star, lol. Tbf, I didn't realize so many things had annoyed me until I actually started writing the list lol.
On the other hand, I literally picked this up because someone commented it on a reel without even reading the blurb, so it's partially my fault.
May 29, 2023
Loved the beginning. A true enemies to lovers with tropes i adore! I thought the magic and fighting scenes were fantastically done as well.
However, the insta love really took it down for me. I also needed more character personality and development from both main characters. I found myself losing interest after about 60%.
Still, of you love a quicker romance, you will love this!
However, the insta love really took it down for me. I also needed more character personality and development from both main characters. I found myself losing interest after about 60%.
Still, of you love a quicker romance, you will love this!
January 8, 2023
The innocent, sweet heroine trope is a little boring to me.
January 9, 2023
Having seen some hype for this book on Instagram, I went in with cautious optimism. Fae romance is all the rage at the moment, and since I could get this for free with KU, I took the plunge.
Unfortunately, the book did not quite live up to my modest expectations, for a number of reasons.
The setting was promising, but ended up being quite bland, with most of the book taking place between a war camp and two of the most generic Fae cities imaginable. One setting I will not mention due to spoilers was quite interesting, but it was quickly done away with in a matter of two chapters, which was a pity.
Now, the characters. To be honest, Arianna ended up feeling a tad - or a lot - like Aelin Galathynius, only with less personality and a touch of Stockholm syndrome thrown in the mix. I will admit, however, that Rion - the male lead - was rather interesting and well fleshed-out, perhaps more so than your average romance novel hero.
The plot was the best thing about the book, but it was poorly paced, with some sections dragging and others being resolved way too quickly. It was also a little predictable, but I am in fairness a bit more prone to guessing where a story will lead than most considering how much I read in this genre.
Finally, the writing. Unfortunately, it was the worst thing about the book, for two main reasons: firstly, the sheer amount of telling over showing, which felt very amateurish and secondly, the monumental lack of editing. The entire book was rife with spelling errors, typos, and several words were used incorrectly throughout (i.e. the word 'shuttering', meaning 'closing', being used in place of the word 'shuddering', meaning 'trembling' in every single instance I found in the book). It unfortunately ruined any sense of immersion I experienced while reading, and could have been easily fixed with a basic round of editing.
A pity, but I cannot in good faith award this anything more than 2.5 stars.
Unfortunately, the book did not quite live up to my modest expectations, for a number of reasons.
The setting was promising, but ended up being quite bland, with most of the book taking place between a war camp and two of the most generic Fae cities imaginable. One setting I will not mention due to spoilers was quite interesting, but it was quickly done away with in a matter of two chapters, which was a pity.
Now, the characters. To be honest, Arianna ended up feeling a tad - or a lot - like Aelin Galathynius, only with less personality and a touch of Stockholm syndrome thrown in the mix. I will admit, however, that Rion - the male lead - was rather interesting and well fleshed-out, perhaps more so than your average romance novel hero.
The plot was the best thing about the book, but it was poorly paced, with some sections dragging and others being resolved way too quickly. It was also a little predictable, but I am in fairness a bit more prone to guessing where a story will lead than most considering how much I read in this genre.
Finally, the writing. Unfortunately, it was the worst thing about the book, for two main reasons: firstly, the sheer amount of telling over showing, which felt very amateurish and secondly, the monumental lack of editing. The entire book was rife with spelling errors, typos, and several words were used incorrectly throughout (i.e. the word 'shuttering', meaning 'closing', being used in place of the word 'shuddering', meaning 'trembling' in every single instance I found in the book). It unfortunately ruined any sense of immersion I experienced while reading, and could have been easily fixed with a basic round of editing.
A pity, but I cannot in good faith award this anything more than 2.5 stars.
January 20, 2023
I don’t understand how there can be so much potential and so little follow through? Doesn’t anybody have beta readers, and editors anymore? This book could have been so good….and I’m so disappointed that the author didn’t take the time to give more depth, and create a little clearer story line. Additionally our main love interest, Rion is literally a crying emotional mess one minute and then a killer the next? Like what? You can’t have spent the last 100 years murdered people violently and then be so emotional, it just doesn’t track. And that ending? I appreciate miss Arianna sweeping right in to save the day and being all bad-A but come on Rion like fight back a little? Just a little back bone, please?
October 6, 2023
Was this a clique fantasy book with a morally gray male lead? Yes
Did I eat this shit up and finish it in a day? Also yes
Good soup.
Did I eat this shit up and finish it in a day? Also yes
Good soup.
June 20, 2022
ARC given to me for free for an honest review.
I´m just going to start of by saying OMG this book was SO GOOD! I literally could´t put it down and finished it within a day! I really should be focusing on my exams, but this book was too good!
If you like SJM books, you´ll probably really like this book too!
Enemies to lovers: Check
Strong heroine: Check
Reluctant mates: Check
Territorial fae male: Check
Touch her and you die: Check
One bed: Check
This book was honestly a *chefs kiss* I loved this book so much!
The book starts with a bang, the writing is easy to understand, the chapters are short, which just helps to pull you in and not let go.
The suspense and the tension in this book, literally had me screaming. Ugh I just, I can´t this book was just so good. I might be blinded but the story and the romance just had me in their grip, and wouldn´t let me go.
And the magic system was pretty cool, but I would have liked it to be more in depth.
As for cons. Where´s the world building?? And the changing POV´s sometimes had me a little confused. But I might just be really slow lol.
The book was a little gory at times. As in, blood, murder etc.
Some of the names, oh boy it was a little hard to pronounce, but that´s just because Irish is such a hard language!
And the ending. OMG! I NEED MORE!!! I´m already looking forward to the sequel.
I´m definitely re-reading this book again.
I´m just going to start of by saying OMG this book was SO GOOD! I literally could´t put it down and finished it within a day! I really should be focusing on my exams, but this book was too good!
If you like SJM books, you´ll probably really like this book too!
Enemies to lovers: Check
Strong heroine: Check
Reluctant mates: Check
Territorial fae male: Check
Touch her and you die: Check
One bed: Check
This book was honestly a *chefs kiss* I loved this book so much!
The book starts with a bang, the writing is easy to understand, the chapters are short, which just helps to pull you in and not let go.
The suspense and the tension in this book, literally had me screaming. Ugh I just, I can´t this book was just so good. I might be blinded but the story and the romance just had me in their grip, and wouldn´t let me go.
And the magic system was pretty cool, but I would have liked it to be more in depth.
As for cons. Where´s the world building?? And the changing POV´s sometimes had me a little confused. But I might just be really slow lol.
The book was a little gory at times. As in, blood, murder etc.
Some of the names, oh boy it was a little hard to pronounce, but that´s just because Irish is such a hard language!
And the ending. OMG! I NEED MORE!!! I´m already looking forward to the sequel.
I´m definitely re-reading this book again.
January 28, 2024
Hmmm…
I think there was a lot of potential in this one. There was a great foundation supporting it, I just think the way it was presented was meh. I don’t know if it was me but I was just a bit jumbled up by the writing style.
I think the romance was too insta love for me. I wanted there to be more angst and pining. It felt like the romance was built from absolutely nothing but close proximity and/ or a single thought. I did however enjoy them as a couple in the long run, I just didn’t understand why and how they felt that way because there were no clear signs or meaning toward their love for one another. (Needed to mention the dialogue between the fmc & the mmc, since it was the best part of the book. That sh*t was a 5⭐️.)
I thought the book was well paced mostly. The 60%-70% mark was a bit boring for me, which had me debating whether I should DNF but overall I thought I had to carrying on and I’m kinda glad I did.
Overall. I think this books doesn’t bring anything new to the genre (maybe a lil quirk) and though it had a great foundation, parts of it was lacking in certain areas.
However, If this was tweaked, I think it would have a really great place in the traditionally published market in the Upper YA Fantasy section. I can see a younger audience enjoying this if it was made a little more age appropriate and some of the stuff i’ve said above was changed.
3/5⭐️
I think there was a lot of potential in this one. There was a great foundation supporting it, I just think the way it was presented was meh. I don’t know if it was me but I was just a bit jumbled up by the writing style.
I think the romance was too insta love for me. I wanted there to be more angst and pining. It felt like the romance was built from absolutely nothing but close proximity and/ or a single thought. I did however enjoy them as a couple in the long run, I just didn’t understand why and how they felt that way because there were no clear signs or meaning toward their love for one another. (Needed to mention the dialogue between the fmc & the mmc, since it was the best part of the book. That sh*t was a 5⭐️.)
I thought the book was well paced mostly. The 60%-70% mark was a bit boring for me, which had me debating whether I should DNF but overall I thought I had to carrying on and I’m kinda glad I did.
Overall. I think this books doesn’t bring anything new to the genre (maybe a lil quirk) and though it had a great foundation, parts of it was lacking in certain areas.
However, If this was tweaked, I think it would have a really great place in the traditionally published market in the Upper YA Fantasy section. I can see a younger audience enjoying this if it was made a little more age appropriate and some of the stuff i’ve said above was changed.
3/5⭐️
December 8, 2024
I love it. Feel like there's something missing.
Full review will come when I get the chance!
Review: Okay! Sorry it took me so long!
The Divine and the Cursed: Heart wrenching, amazing, beautifully written, beautiful characters, and character development throught the book (especially Rion😩)
Pace ✅
World building ✅
Character development ✅
Plot ✅✅✅✅
Characters ✅
I overall loved it! Though there was something missing from it. I can't put my finger on it though. But I would definitely recommend it to anyone into/getting into fantasy.
Happy reading 😊
Full review will come when I get the chance!
Review: Okay! Sorry it took me so long!
The Divine and the Cursed: Heart wrenching, amazing, beautifully written, beautiful characters, and character development throught the book (especially Rion😩)
Pace ✅
World building ✅
Character development ✅
Plot ✅✅✅✅
Characters ✅
I overall loved it! Though there was something missing from it. I can't put my finger on it though. But I would definitely recommend it to anyone into/getting into fantasy.
Happy reading 😊
March 6, 2024
I wanted to like this. Princess in slavery, forced into inaction, finding a worthy person to trust. But. That wasn't this. The FMC didn't want her powerful status, appeared to be happy to clean the house of her captor, only peripherally thought about her homeland being slaughtered, seemed happy to lick at MC's boots, and was always trying to justify the MC's behavior (which read as so bizarre because she didn't have a reason for his violence except he had a hard childhood and people call him a monster so that's what he became chicken/egg arguments, but his behavior was literally murder of hundreds of her homeland people and treat her like she was no one). She just literally never wanted to take any action. Not fun to follow as our main character.
I hated the romance. The MC was awful. Just truly sucky. I'm not talking bad-boy sweet-only-for-her—I'm talking he turned on her at every opportunity and treated her like shit and murdered relentlessly. She came to him as a slave and that is how he saw her.
I waited till about 70% of the book looking for reasons to like the MC (because I respect that enemies-to-lovers takes time! Starts bully but little clues let you see the potential nice end. I was patient.) but I never got a single reason! It was dictionary definition of stockholm syndrome and with a little one-sided insta-love.
I also felt like there was a lot of contradictions where we're told something but it's then abandoned one chapter later. For instance, we're told everyone would worship FMC if they knew her power, but then learn that is only true for older fae that know the stories (and MC didn't give a hoot about it). Or when FMC monologues about how people don't understand MC can't be a monster because "he knows how to love," then one single chapter later admits to herself that he won't come save her because he can barely stand her. (😭wtf). Or—the one I never got over—at the start of the book,
OOOH this books makes me mad. 🥲 Maybe it's just too dark romance YA for me and I am a crotchety old 20-something?
I hated the romance. The MC was awful. Just truly sucky. I'm not talking bad-boy sweet-only-for-her—I'm talking he turned on her at every opportunity and treated her like shit and murdered relentlessly. She came to him as a slave and that is how he saw her.
I waited till about 70% of the book looking for reasons to like the MC (because I respect that enemies-to-lovers takes time! Starts bully but little clues let you see the potential nice end. I was patient.) but I never got a single reason! It was dictionary definition of stockholm syndrome and with a little one-sided insta-love.
I also felt like there was a lot of contradictions where we're told something but it's then abandoned one chapter later. For instance, we're told everyone would worship FMC if they knew her power, but then learn that is only true for older fae that know the stories (and MC didn't give a hoot about it). Or when FMC monologues about how people don't understand MC can't be a monster because "he knows how to love," then one single chapter later admits to herself that he won't come save her because he can barely stand her. (😭wtf). Or—the one I never got over—at the start of the book,
OOOH this books makes me mad. 🥲 Maybe it's just too dark romance YA for me and I am a crotchety old 20-something?
July 15, 2023
This book sucks
March 17, 2025
Behold the future queen who thinks it's her birthright to be the all mighty divine over a bunch of faes who growls and snarls most of the book. There is a war she could have prevented or at least stopped but decides ruling isn't her thing 💅. Instead she gets captured and ends up on enemy camp. To make things easier she heals a enemy cause she is the goody good and can't deal with suffering just to slaughter faes later 🥱 She falls in love as in blinded by Stockholm syndrome to a dangerous demon fae who growls and snarls but he offers a bowl of soup so it must be love🥰 Hiding who she is but then she decides to heal a lot of more enemy faes just cause she is the saint ✨ and ofc then they will worship the ground she walks but let's not get to too detailed on that. It is a minor plot when we have this demon hunk to drool over. He is just misunderstood and emotional soft man 🥰. So emotional that when angry he has decades of history of killing everyone. What an alpha! 😍 He carries his family's burdens so like I said just misunderstood 😤 and now past is past so we can ride to sunset with this hunk🤩. Only that it can't happen cause the princess is found and there is this misunderstandings that actually the hunk doesn't love her and this future divine is off to her palace. Where she gets more misinformation and depressed just to get into another war so our hunk can come in a shining armour to save her and then to sacrifice himself to then the princess to demand him as her mate, all the misunderstood to be cleared and to a happy ending 🌈 until next war ✨.
Lets just say the plot was a mess.
Lets just say the plot was a mess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2025
I devoured this book and couldn’t put it down it’s such an underrated book and deserves more recognition!! Arianna (FMC) is the focus of the story, a fae forced to hide her identity and sold into slavery.
Rion (MMC) is one of my top favourite MMCs he is a general known to everyone as being brutal, ruthless, horrible, impossible to love & “the demon.” But is he really what they say 😏 as FMC plans her escape fate had other ideas it’s impossible not to love these characters
This story is true romantasy it is upper YA imo as it’s not spicy but it does have steamy bits based on the descriptions of attraction they have for each other. This is a slow burn and has yearning they took time to know each other a true enemies to lovers I adore them 💜 The relationship between these characters is of trauma and survival which creates a compelling arc of healing, trust & transformation. The themes of trauma, love, redemption prove to emerge even through the darkest times. Their relationship also consists of a territorial fae, who did this to you? one bed, grumpy x sunshine, touch her & 💀 touch him & 💀 elemental powers and forced proximity.
The world building is also quite strong I felt like I was immersed into the world as I was reading. FMC also developed a lot as a character throughout this book she’s a badass I can’t wait to read about what happens next. I highly recommend this book 💜💜
Rion (MMC) is one of my top favourite MMCs he is a general known to everyone as being brutal, ruthless, horrible, impossible to love & “the demon.” But is he really what they say 😏 as FMC plans her escape fate had other ideas it’s impossible not to love these characters
This story is true romantasy it is upper YA imo as it’s not spicy but it does have steamy bits based on the descriptions of attraction they have for each other. This is a slow burn and has yearning they took time to know each other a true enemies to lovers I adore them 💜 The relationship between these characters is of trauma and survival which creates a compelling arc of healing, trust & transformation. The themes of trauma, love, redemption prove to emerge even through the darkest times. Their relationship also consists of a territorial fae, who did this to you? one bed, grumpy x sunshine, touch her & 💀 touch him & 💀 elemental powers and forced proximity.
The world building is also quite strong I felt like I was immersed into the world as I was reading. FMC also developed a lot as a character throughout this book she’s a badass I can’t wait to read about what happens next. I highly recommend this book 💜💜
May 18, 2023
I annotated the crap out of this book because it’s so freaking good!!!
This book has:
- Enemies To Lovers
- Who did this to you? (So perfectly executed)
- Touch her and 💀
- Touch him and 💀
- Fated Mates
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- Elemental powers
- Forced Proximity
- I hate everyone but her
This book has everything you want in a Romantasy. And even tho this book is not spicy there is a bit of steam because of the description towards the attraction they have for each other. The beginning of this book starts off as a love triangle but that’s because relationships are allowed if you have not yet found your mate. Clearly she found her mate and she turned feral to protect him from anyone who would hurt him. She protects him and he protects her.
I don’t know where to begin with how good this book is the world building and the traveling that happened went smooth. The transition from enemies to lovers was fucking excellent!!! The small steps they took so he could learn he can trust her was so beautiful I cried for every step he took towards her.
The hurt Rion went through he really is the definition of “A villain is not born they are made” he got attacked at 10 years old just because his gift isn’t like the others and ever since then he had to protect himself once I learned his story I cried for all the suffering he went through, alone.
I loved the development from Adrianna she learned to be a fighter and protected what was hers. I can’t wait to see how this story continues now that there is a new war on the rise.
Definitely recommend this book to every fantasy, romance and romantasy lover out there!!
This book has:
- Enemies To Lovers
- Who did this to you? (So perfectly executed)
- Touch her and 💀
- Touch him and 💀
- Fated Mates
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- Elemental powers
- Forced Proximity
- I hate everyone but her
This book has everything you want in a Romantasy. And even tho this book is not spicy there is a bit of steam because of the description towards the attraction they have for each other. The beginning of this book starts off as a love triangle but that’s because relationships are allowed if you have not yet found your mate. Clearly she found her mate and she turned feral to protect him from anyone who would hurt him. She protects him and he protects her.
I don’t know where to begin with how good this book is the world building and the traveling that happened went smooth. The transition from enemies to lovers was fucking excellent!!! The small steps they took so he could learn he can trust her was so beautiful I cried for every step he took towards her.
The hurt Rion went through he really is the definition of “A villain is not born they are made” he got attacked at 10 years old just because his gift isn’t like the others and ever since then he had to protect himself once I learned his story I cried for all the suffering he went through, alone.
I loved the development from Adrianna she learned to be a fighter and protected what was hers. I can’t wait to see how this story continues now that there is a new war on the rise.
Definitely recommend this book to every fantasy, romance and romantasy lover out there!!
May 1, 2024
so we’re just not going to talk about how this actual child had stockholm syndrome?????
May 16, 2025
I rate this 3.5 it was an okay read I feel the MFC and the love interest fell for each other to quickly I’d of preferred a slow burn considering there is 3 more books in the series the romance definitely was rushed I don’t feel a connection to any of the characters as of yet but the series has me interested enough to continue I’m hoping book two brings more to it than this one.The pacing fell off in this book as well
I can’t say whether I’d recommend this yet I will read book two and leave a review and maybe then you can make up your mind as to whether you pick it up or not I’m really hoping for some character growth and more plot in book two but I guess we will see .
I can’t say whether I’d recommend this yet I will read book two and leave a review and maybe then you can make up your mind as to whether you pick it up or not I’m really hoping for some character growth and more plot in book two but I guess we will see .
October 8, 2025
LOVED this! LOVE Rion. (I think this is how you spell his name. I read with my ears.) The hero in this book is everything.
February 26, 2023
Author has a bright future just needs an editor
First of all this series has a really fresh idea to it. It has a magic system that isn’t just a male fantasy lead with shadows and darkness. I thought the demons that Rion struggled with and the way they manifested into his character becoming the demon was really interesting. I thought the author did a good job of empathizing the fact that his trauma wasn’t instantly washed away but what was happening.
I also appreciated the tropes in this story that fantasy romance readers love to read. The sick/nurse, one bed, enemies to lovers, forced proximity. This book has it ALL. And I loved reading about the female lead walked the male lead through his trauma.
The story was compelling and I really thought the idea was original in lots of ways and would read a series of it.
However, the reason I’m rating it low is that this book is desperately in need of an editor. There were so many errors that it consistently brought me out of moments in the book. There is a scene between a villain fae and his commander that was super unnecessary and felt like not trusting the readers to connect the dots. There were some errors in the sentences and the pacing didn’t make sense.
For the pacing, I appreciate how things immediately kick off but the female main meets the male main like immediately and way too conveniently. They fall for each other way too fast with very limited obstacles that aren’t just communication. Bad communication is a trope I despise and that’s very prominent in this book.
Speaking of bad communication most of it is because the MMC DOESN’T TALK. He has very limited dialogue most of the book and not in the “Rowan in heir of fire Sarah j Maas” quiet tension but like this man just does not talk at all. To the point where it feels like the female MC is living with an angry animal. It doesn’t feel like they have a gradual falling in love either, the switch just flips without her knowing THAT much about him (cause he doesn’t really talk) and that was hard to swallow.
The female main character also overthinks everything to the point where half the writing in a chapter is her worrying written down.
Finally the slavery aspect. The couple meet when the female MC is the MMC’s slave. At the beginning he doesn’t make a strong stance of being anti slave at all despite us later finding out he’s a lord and could have been fighting harder for that instead of just sneaking his slaves out. It feels like we’re supposed to excuse him and his family having slaves cause “they treat them well” which will make you hate any main character. I found it hard to love this MMC a lot because HE AND HIS FAMILY HAD SLAVES and wasn’t more vocal about abolishing it, rather just making sure they were treated nicely.
Overall I loved the premise of the magic system and some of the aspects of the characters, I just kinda wish there was a rewrite where the slavery aspect was gotten rid of or handled way better. And a rewrite where we could have gotten a male main character that speaks so we know more about him and get more clues to him besides his long monologue at the end where he just tells her everything. It was a mystery how they fell in love with him just being her “nice owner” and saying almost nothing but being gentle sometimes. There is a LOT of potential in this story but in the end the flaws made the book hard to look fondly at for me
First of all this series has a really fresh idea to it. It has a magic system that isn’t just a male fantasy lead with shadows and darkness. I thought the demons that Rion struggled with and the way they manifested into his character becoming the demon was really interesting. I thought the author did a good job of empathizing the fact that his trauma wasn’t instantly washed away but what was happening.
I also appreciated the tropes in this story that fantasy romance readers love to read. The sick/nurse, one bed, enemies to lovers, forced proximity. This book has it ALL. And I loved reading about the female lead walked the male lead through his trauma.
The story was compelling and I really thought the idea was original in lots of ways and would read a series of it.
However, the reason I’m rating it low is that this book is desperately in need of an editor. There were so many errors that it consistently brought me out of moments in the book. There is a scene between a villain fae and his commander that was super unnecessary and felt like not trusting the readers to connect the dots. There were some errors in the sentences and the pacing didn’t make sense.
For the pacing, I appreciate how things immediately kick off but the female main meets the male main like immediately and way too conveniently. They fall for each other way too fast with very limited obstacles that aren’t just communication. Bad communication is a trope I despise and that’s very prominent in this book.
Speaking of bad communication most of it is because the MMC DOESN’T TALK. He has very limited dialogue most of the book and not in the “Rowan in heir of fire Sarah j Maas” quiet tension but like this man just does not talk at all. To the point where it feels like the female MC is living with an angry animal. It doesn’t feel like they have a gradual falling in love either, the switch just flips without her knowing THAT much about him (cause he doesn’t really talk) and that was hard to swallow.
The female main character also overthinks everything to the point where half the writing in a chapter is her worrying written down.
Finally the slavery aspect. The couple meet when the female MC is the MMC’s slave. At the beginning he doesn’t make a strong stance of being anti slave at all despite us later finding out he’s a lord and could have been fighting harder for that instead of just sneaking his slaves out. It feels like we’re supposed to excuse him and his family having slaves cause “they treat them well” which will make you hate any main character. I found it hard to love this MMC a lot because HE AND HIS FAMILY HAD SLAVES and wasn’t more vocal about abolishing it, rather just making sure they were treated nicely.
Overall I loved the premise of the magic system and some of the aspects of the characters, I just kinda wish there was a rewrite where the slavery aspect was gotten rid of or handled way better. And a rewrite where we could have gotten a male main character that speaks so we know more about him and get more clues to him besides his long monologue at the end where he just tells her everything. It was a mystery how they fell in love with him just being her “nice owner” and saying almost nothing but being gentle sometimes. There is a LOT of potential in this story but in the end the flaws made the book hard to look fondly at for me
February 9, 2023
Am apreciat construcția lumii și a magiei, puterea cuvântului și multitudinea de categorii de oameni ce formează societățile din universul lui J.E. Reed. Ambii protagoniști beneficiază de o poveste complexă, de o creștere realistă pe parcursul romanului, iar relația lor este plină de momente de tensiune, de incertitudine, dar și încredere și speranță.
Recenzia mea, aici.
Recenzia mea, aici.
February 19, 2023
2.5/5 🌟
Good story. Good romance. Good fantasy elements.
But then why end it so abruptly?
There were loopholes and I’m guessing they’ll be addressed in the next book because if not then this book had the shittiest ending ever.
And that sequel better be about the same couple because even their romantic conclusion felt abrupt.
This could’ve been such a nice series had they paced it well and not just rushed through the events to make it a standalone. Is it even a standalone? I’m so confused. 🧐
[UPDATE]
Oh, so there is a sequel in the works. Well, good then! There’s still hope for this story to redeem itself.
Okay so now I might agree on 3/5 🌟 but not more because even for the first book of a series, it did feel abrupt.
Hoping the next one turns out to be better 🤷🏻♀️
Good story. Good romance. Good fantasy elements.
But then why end it so abruptly?
There were loopholes and I’m guessing they’ll be addressed in the next book because if not then this book had the shittiest ending ever.
And that sequel better be about the same couple because even their romantic conclusion felt abrupt.
This could’ve been such a nice series had they paced it well and not just rushed through the events to make it a standalone. Is it even a standalone? I’m so confused. 🧐
[UPDATE]
Oh, so there is a sequel in the works. Well, good then! There’s still hope for this story to redeem itself.
Okay so now I might agree on 3/5 🌟 but not more because even for the first book of a series, it did feel abrupt.
Hoping the next one turns out to be better 🤷🏻♀️
February 8, 2025
Well. That was bad.
Let me use my favorite phrase: “What was that?”No, seriously, that was REALLY bad.
The FMC is basically Bella Swan, but more insufferable, which is WILD to me. She is plain and annoying, not my cup of tea.
Now, The MMC, on the other hand, is literally a walking emotional-mess it is hilarious 😂. God knows how hard I was trying to not burst out laughing in public.
What really threw me off, though, is the romance. She literally wanted him to kiss her simply because he didn’t treat her like a piece of shit (for the most part). Yup. That’s it. Bella swan seems decent to me now.
Anyways, to sum it up, writing was meh and everything else that matters in a novel wasn’t good either.
Also, the amount of times the word “cringe” was mentioned was diabolical. 💀
Let me use my favorite phrase: “What was that?”No, seriously, that was REALLY bad.
The FMC is basically Bella Swan, but more insufferable, which is WILD to me. She is plain and annoying, not my cup of tea.
Now, The MMC, on the other hand, is literally a walking emotional-mess it is hilarious 😂. God knows how hard I was trying to not burst out laughing in public.
What really threw me off, though, is the romance. She literally wanted him to kiss her simply because he didn’t treat her like a piece of shit (for the most part). Yup. That’s it. Bella swan seems decent to me now.
Anyways, to sum it up, writing was meh and everything else that matters in a novel wasn’t good either.
Also, the amount of times the word “cringe” was mentioned was diabolical. 💀
June 24, 2022
This book begins by introducing the main character, Arianna, who has been captured and enslaved. I really liked that the author does not give the full story upfront, but reels you in slowly. You learn about her anquish and pain she is experiencing and piece by piece how she came to be there.
I really felt connected to both main characters. Rion is the "demon" and is hardened from his own battles and pain.
The world building lacked a little ,but you can easily tell that is not the main focus of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the story the author created.
I fell into the story and had a hard time putting it down.
I really felt connected to both main characters. Rion is the "demon" and is hardened from his own battles and pain.
The world building lacked a little ,but you can easily tell that is not the main focus of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the story the author created.
I fell into the story and had a hard time putting it down.
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