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The Dark Ascendant #1
Shadowed Fate
Until my magic awakened, I didn’t know Grimstone Academy—or the world of magic—existed. Now it might just destroy me.
I’ve always been an outcast, plagued by visions I can’t explain. Now I've been ripped from my quiet life and thrown into a world I never knew existed, the center of a dangerous game that could end me.
Surviving Grimstone means battling bullies, uncovering forbidden secrets, and resisting the pull of five infuriatingly irresistible men:
A grumpy fae warrior who acts like he hates me as much as he protects me.
A silver-tongued prince who never plays fair.
A golden-hearted Irish werewolf hiding a sorrow deeper than I imagined.
A serious druid who sees straight through my walls.
And then there’s the mysterious tattooed loner who knows my darkest truths—and tempts me with even darker promises.
With every answer I find, new questions--and dangers--emerge. A shadowy king hunts me. A deadly power stirs within me. And as my connection to these men deepens, the line between ally and enemy blurs.
One thing is certain—magic has marked me for something far more than I ever imagined. And destiny always demands a price.
Shadowed Fates is a spicy Paranormal Reverse Harem romance with morally gray, forbidden magic, fated mates, enemies to lovers, fae, witches, vampires and werewolves. It's Why Choose so our girl doesn’t have to choose between love interests, all set in a gothic supernatural academy. No sword crossing. Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger and is the first book in the Dark Ascendent series.
I’ve always been an outcast, plagued by visions I can’t explain. Now I've been ripped from my quiet life and thrown into a world I never knew existed, the center of a dangerous game that could end me.
Surviving Grimstone means battling bullies, uncovering forbidden secrets, and resisting the pull of five infuriatingly irresistible men:
A grumpy fae warrior who acts like he hates me as much as he protects me.
A silver-tongued prince who never plays fair.
A golden-hearted Irish werewolf hiding a sorrow deeper than I imagined.
A serious druid who sees straight through my walls.
And then there’s the mysterious tattooed loner who knows my darkest truths—and tempts me with even darker promises.
With every answer I find, new questions--and dangers--emerge. A shadowy king hunts me. A deadly power stirs within me. And as my connection to these men deepens, the line between ally and enemy blurs.
One thing is certain—magic has marked me for something far more than I ever imagined. And destiny always demands a price.
Shadowed Fates is a spicy Paranormal Reverse Harem romance with morally gray, forbidden magic, fated mates, enemies to lovers, fae, witches, vampires and werewolves. It's Why Choose so our girl doesn’t have to choose between love interests, all set in a gothic supernatural academy. No sword crossing. Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger and is the first book in the Dark Ascendent series.
420 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2024
1113 people are currently reading
758 people want to read
About the author
Rowan Shane
8 books25 followersRowan Shane is an author of steamy romance. When she's not writing about protective guys and the women who have their hearts, you can find her curled up with a good book, experimenting with new recipes, or planning her next adventure.
Rowan loves connecting with her readers and sharing her passion for all things romance. If you crave dominant heroes, real heroines who can hold their own, and scorching hot scenes, then her books are for you.
Prepare for possessive alphas, undeniable attraction, a few cliffhangers, and a whole lot of happily ever afters.
Rowan loves connecting with her readers and sharing her passion for all things romance. If you crave dominant heroes, real heroines who can hold their own, and scorching hot scenes, then her books are for you.
Prepare for possessive alphas, undeniable attraction, a few cliffhangers, and a whole lot of happily ever afters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 12, 2025
There are good bones for a story in this but the writing is terrible. I don’t know how to explain this but, it feels staccato. At times there feels like no progress is happening. Then you turn the page and it feels like you’ve missed something. A lot of times I would read a paragraph and it sounded like this:
“I did this. Then I did this. Then he said this. I walked here next. I think this thought.”
And that pattern just repeated. With as much magic and as many creatures exist in this world you would expect there to be at least a little thrill and adventure. This is incredibly juvenile. It needs an editor as well as a rewrite.
“I did this. Then I did this. Then he said this. I walked here next. I think this thought.”
And that pattern just repeated. With as much magic and as many creatures exist in this world you would expect there to be at least a little thrill and adventure. This is incredibly juvenile. It needs an editor as well as a rewrite.
December 16, 2024
Shadowed Fate was unexpected. It is a slow-burn romance that builds as the story progresses.
The mythological parallels of the story were fascinating, and truly helped to build the intrigue surrounding the overarching plot.
The men in the story were each unique and brought out different pieces of the FMC. Some MMCs are all in from the start, while others take an enemies-to-lovers style approach to the pull between them. This led to dramatic fissures in their friendships, and I am excited to see how they find that balance again!
The FMC isn't a pushover, but she isn't a strong FMC either. She's growing into herself, one of my favorite FMC arcs! Learning to navigate newly discovered powers while unraveling the secrets around who she is was difficult when so many of the characters were against her.
I can't wait to see what happens in book two and follow more of their story!
The mythological parallels of the story were fascinating, and truly helped to build the intrigue surrounding the overarching plot.
The men in the story were each unique and brought out different pieces of the FMC. Some MMCs are all in from the start, while others take an enemies-to-lovers style approach to the pull between them. This led to dramatic fissures in their friendships, and I am excited to see how they find that balance again!
The FMC isn't a pushover, but she isn't a strong FMC either. She's growing into herself, one of my favorite FMC arcs! Learning to navigate newly discovered powers while unraveling the secrets around who she is was difficult when so many of the characters were against her.
I can't wait to see what happens in book two and follow more of their story!
March 13, 2025
I’m so confused how this book is getting 5 star reviews.
I spent the entire book wondering what the timeline was.
I also spent the whole time wondering if I’d missed chapters.
The chapter kept jumping ahead and missing out whole dialogue that would’ve actually helped, but when it jumped, I had no clue if it was days or weeks.
It was so bad.
The actual story was alright, not the best or worst I’ve read, but the MMCs were just so flat! So predictable but with no evidence behind it. By 45% she’s already mated to 2 of them, and then we hardly ever see them again. They also said “we’re mated” she says “ok then” that’s it. Then they don’t even speak! And I’ve got no idea for how long because there’s no timeline.
Every chapter that has a MMC in it, 5% actual story and 95% angst for FMC. And our FMC was boring too. Just goes on and on about being bullied by mean girls. She’s in her twenties, and they’re all acting like teens.
There’s next to no smut! So really it felt like a spicy YA.
The best chapters were 1&2. Then nothing happens. Then last 6% void/rift and we’re done. Poor Rory! Then she on an alter being fondled. What!!!
And Marius the mysterious, your riddles are just annoying. If you know everything, just say already. I’m bored.
Troupes:
Enemies to lovers
Insta love
100% miscommunication
I spent the entire book wondering what the timeline was.
I also spent the whole time wondering if I’d missed chapters.
The chapter kept jumping ahead and missing out whole dialogue that would’ve actually helped, but when it jumped, I had no clue if it was days or weeks.
It was so bad.
The actual story was alright, not the best or worst I’ve read, but the MMCs were just so flat! So predictable but with no evidence behind it. By 45% she’s already mated to 2 of them, and then we hardly ever see them again. They also said “we’re mated” she says “ok then” that’s it. Then they don’t even speak! And I’ve got no idea for how long because there’s no timeline.
Every chapter that has a MMC in it, 5% actual story and 95% angst for FMC. And our FMC was boring too. Just goes on and on about being bullied by mean girls. She’s in her twenties, and they’re all acting like teens.
There’s next to no smut! So really it felt like a spicy YA.
The best chapters were 1&2. Then nothing happens. Then last 6% void/rift and we’re done. Poor Rory! Then she on an alter being fondled. What!!!
And Marius the mysterious, your riddles are just annoying. If you know everything, just say already. I’m bored.
Troupes:
Enemies to lovers
Insta love
100% miscommunication
December 23, 2024
I could not put this book down! Now I’ve made a countdown for book 2? I need to know what Brigid finds out about the past. And the *clears throat” cave pictures….
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 20, 2024
Rowan Shane has me enslaved to her world! This book gave me Fourth Wing X Harry Potter vibes and is the kind of book you simply can't put down. Her world-building has elements of other books but is done up with her unique twist.
The harrowing is like the gauntlet from Fourth Wing, the school is like Harry Potter with moving staircases and hidden rooms. The air of mystery and magic is undeniably captivating. I also felt like there was a bit of Quinn Loftis's magic with wolf shifters and rifts.
Overall, I loved this book! It was so intriguing and constantly kept me guessing. Right now, all I want to know is: Where is Rory? And who is the Raven King? I sincerely can't wait to find out!
The harrowing is like the gauntlet from Fourth Wing, the school is like Harry Potter with moving staircases and hidden rooms. The air of mystery and magic is undeniably captivating. I also felt like there was a bit of Quinn Loftis's magic with wolf shifters and rifts.
Overall, I loved this book! It was so intriguing and constantly kept me guessing. Right now, all I want to know is: Where is Rory? And who is the Raven King? I sincerely can't wait to find out!
April 13, 2025
More like a 2/2.5. Characters felt flat.
December 15, 2024
4.5*
This new author’s debut is an academy why choose romance, with an fmc with newly awakened powers and a lot of mystery about who’s good or bad. I like the sinister vibe that’s present in this storyline. It’s not just Brigid and her unstable shadow powers that add to this atmosphere. We’ve also got potential harem members with secrets, a governing body that could be corrupt and academy students whose roles are even more unclear. It leads to a storyline that makes you question everything that happens.
The relationship building feels a little all over the place, and as confused as the characters were at times, as confused as I was. For me, this might have made the storyline a little too complicated. The push and pull seems to be felt by everyone, and the spice development doesn’t always vibe with where the relationships are at. At least, that’s how I felt about it, but that might have been a me thing.
All in all, I liked this debut, and I totally feel the potential of this series. I have a few ideas about the next developments, but the author wrote a story complex enough to still leave a lot unclear. I’m looking forward to see what book two will bring.
This new author’s debut is an academy why choose romance, with an fmc with newly awakened powers and a lot of mystery about who’s good or bad. I like the sinister vibe that’s present in this storyline. It’s not just Brigid and her unstable shadow powers that add to this atmosphere. We’ve also got potential harem members with secrets, a governing body that could be corrupt and academy students whose roles are even more unclear. It leads to a storyline that makes you question everything that happens.
The relationship building feels a little all over the place, and as confused as the characters were at times, as confused as I was. For me, this might have made the storyline a little too complicated. The push and pull seems to be felt by everyone, and the spice development doesn’t always vibe with where the relationships are at. At least, that’s how I felt about it, but that might have been a me thing.
All in all, I liked this debut, and I totally feel the potential of this series. I have a few ideas about the next developments, but the author wrote a story complex enough to still leave a lot unclear. I’m looking forward to see what book two will bring.
December 21, 2024
Decent
A decent, interesting first book filled with lots of mystery and intrigue. Lots of questions up in the air. A mild cliffhanger.
A decent, interesting first book filled with lots of mystery and intrigue. Lots of questions up in the air. A mild cliffhanger.
February 17, 2025
It felt like everything in this book was trying so hard to be "mysterious" that we never ended up learning anything. To keep that air of mystique, the author never actually let us get to know the characters. Because of that, when "big reveals" happen, there's no feelings invoked. It creates the, "I'm sorry that happened to you, but I genuinely don't care. I don't even remember who you are," feeling. The writing itself also felt a little flat. It's reminds me of the feeling you get when watching those really cringey movies with no good actors, so all of the characters don't really show or invoke a lot of emotions they just... exist. It creates a big disconnect with the viewer. I really hope this gets rewritten because I would be willing to give it a second chance. There's a foundation for a good story, this just feels like more of a rough draft versus a published book.
December 24, 2024
Dark ascendant
This book dumps you into a very strange academy with absolutely no background, description or explanation. There is no world development, the characters are over the top tropy, and the main characters have no personality. This needs a continuity editor. However, the prose is quite well written and the author shows great potential. The plot is just all over the place and doesn't flow.
This book dumps you into a very strange academy with absolutely no background, description or explanation. There is no world development, the characters are over the top tropy, and the main characters have no personality. This needs a continuity editor. However, the prose is quite well written and the author shows great potential. The plot is just all over the place and doesn't flow.
December 25, 2024
The book synopsis was everything I couldve wanted in a book, was very hyped up about reading it until i read it. The flow of the story and the way its written was simply not there (may be personal preference). Left the book after a couple of chapters.
March 18, 2025
Found on Kindle Unlimited. It had an interesting premise but never materialized. I kept wishing for more, but by the end I wish I hadn’t wasted my time reading it. Don’t recommend picking this one up.
December 22, 2024
This is an interesting start to a new series. The story has action, mystery, lots of bulling and doozy of a cliffhanger at the end.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 15, 2024
I couldn't help but remember Hogwarts and apparently so does the author when the mention of Voldemort.
Let just say this is Hogwarts, Harry Potter is adult version and "Harry" is surrounded by super hot males😁
Good first time reading from the author.
The males have their own characters, that's a plus.
Surely, grouchy and stuck in his own ass, Lochan.
Deceptive Prince charming, Callen.
Calm, and kinda nerdy bookish sweet, Tiernan.
The boyish Rory.
Mysterious and dark, Marius.
Brigid story feels lots like Harry in the background, but the mystery flare the author gave with the hint of steamy romance, definitly separate them both.
Good cliffy.
Can't wait for the next book.
And definitly waiting for the steamy started cause this first book? None 😁😂.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Let just say this is Hogwarts, Harry Potter is adult version and "Harry" is surrounded by super hot males😁
Good first time reading from the author.
The males have their own characters, that's a plus.
Surely, grouchy and stuck in his own ass, Lochan.
Deceptive Prince charming, Callen.
Calm, and kinda nerdy bookish sweet, Tiernan.
The boyish Rory.
Mysterious and dark, Marius.
Brigid story feels lots like Harry in the background, but the mystery flare the author gave with the hint of steamy romance, definitly separate them both.
Good cliffy.
Can't wait for the next book.
And definitly waiting for the steamy started cause this first book? None 😁😂.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 3, 2025
DNF @ 75%
Just read any of the other two and one star reviews, and you’ll know exactly how I felt about this book. In a nutshell, it was confusing, slow, boring, unlikable and needed editing and a rewrite
Just read any of the other two and one star reviews, and you’ll know exactly how I felt about this book. In a nutshell, it was confusing, slow, boring, unlikable and needed editing and a rewrite
June 10, 2025
Shadow Magic
So she has no idea magic exists. Until two guys come out of the darkness to save her. She’s wished away to a magic school to learn about herself. But no one tells her anything.
Love the characters. Loving the story. Heartbroken about R but hoping that changes.
So she has no idea magic exists. Until two guys come out of the darkness to save her. She’s wished away to a magic school to learn about herself. But no one tells her anything.
Love the characters. Loving the story. Heartbroken about R but hoping that changes.
March 12, 2025
Whoa!!
I have no idea why I waited so long to read this!! Ita soo dang good!! I need to know what happens next. I have sooo many questions!!!
I have no idea why I waited so long to read this!! Ita soo dang good!! I need to know what happens next. I have sooo many questions!!!
June 2, 2025
2.5⭐️
This story has the bare bones of something great, but there’s just a discordance in the writing and the story’s development
This story has the bare bones of something great, but there’s just a discordance in the writing and the story’s development
August 14, 2025
i dont know how i feel but i want to know how it works out lmao
April 22, 2025
concept is there but the execution isn't. spent more time on angst or trying to get laid than on figuring out the new magical world or even why everyone fears shadow magic, which is what I would be focusing on if I was suddenly told I'm magical and dangerous.
timeline was also all over the place so the story was difficult to follow. one minute we're following every step and thought the next we've jumped to class an unknown amount of time later then jump forward again but everyone's acting like that events of the previous jump didn't happen. it really threw me out of the story and made it difficult to connect to any of the characters or care about the story
timeline was also all over the place so the story was difficult to follow. one minute we're following every step and thought the next we've jumped to class an unknown amount of time later then jump forward again but everyone's acting like that events of the previous jump didn't happen. it really threw me out of the story and made it difficult to connect to any of the characters or care about the story
December 31, 2024
needs more depth
I’m intrigued by the story, but it feels a little flat. Not a lot of character development. Things mentioned in the story that seem important but never get delved into or fleshed out.
I’m intrigued by the story, but it feels a little flat. Not a lot of character development. Things mentioned in the story that seem important but never get delved into or fleshed out.
May 6, 2025
Meh
Plot was good but the female lead character seems to think irrationally a lot. She doesn’t defend herself against the bullies and destroying her reputation at the school, like come on. It wasn’t even really mentioned after the assembly and Laria attacked her. Made her lose control of her shadows during the assembly and there wasn’t even a mention of it afterwards besides the council ordering her to train with Lochlan.
I seriously felt like that person, yelling at the tv screen, telling her not to run upstairs because there’s no way out with a bad guy chasing her. It didn’t happen like that but it just bugged me how she reacted or should I say didn’t react.
Of course, Rory her Irish werewolf shifter was stolen from a rip of dark shadows she created. This didn’t help with the build up of all the bullying against her as there wasn’t time for redemption of them all before she has to go save him.
I hate stories when there’s a missing member of the main group, whether it was kidnapping, stolen, or death. It kinda ruins all the build up of negative stuff happening to the female lead character, nothing seems to go her way and I feel like there was some serious balance issues in this book. If there was some positive stuff thrown in there I would have rated it higher. This book had my anxiety high and I was close to not finishing it.
Plot was good but the female lead character seems to think irrationally a lot. She doesn’t defend herself against the bullies and destroying her reputation at the school, like come on. It wasn’t even really mentioned after the assembly and Laria attacked her. Made her lose control of her shadows during the assembly and there wasn’t even a mention of it afterwards besides the council ordering her to train with Lochlan.
I seriously felt like that person, yelling at the tv screen, telling her not to run upstairs because there’s no way out with a bad guy chasing her. It didn’t happen like that but it just bugged me how she reacted or should I say didn’t react.
Of course, Rory her Irish werewolf shifter was stolen from a rip of dark shadows she created. This didn’t help with the build up of all the bullying against her as there wasn’t time for redemption of them all before she has to go save him.
I hate stories when there’s a missing member of the main group, whether it was kidnapping, stolen, or death. It kinda ruins all the build up of negative stuff happening to the female lead character, nothing seems to go her way and I feel like there was some serious balance issues in this book. If there was some positive stuff thrown in there I would have rated it higher. This book had my anxiety high and I was close to not finishing it.
January 18, 2025
DNF Not for me
I found my mind wandering with this book, I just couldn't get into it. When I then refocused Brigid was so one dimensional I was bored with her characterisation. Even her conversations were flat. Just how many times does her jaw drop? Surely they were other expressions to use.
One of the things I've always found annoying, is reading a scene that expresses urgency yet the characters are written out to be dragging their feet. For no reason or in anyway affecting the plot. Why write it that way to just ignore the edict in the same breath??? Another per hate of mine is mentioning other authors work in a story. Now I will definitely not be reading the other book after this.
The MMCs were the tick boxes for most RH, problem is, they didn't stand out. Normally one at the very least should carry the plot, be a welcome buffer from the other characters. No such luck... Sigh.
The writing style is what lost stars for me. The plot should be interesting, should pull at heart strings but the delivery let it down.
I found my mind wandering with this book, I just couldn't get into it. When I then refocused Brigid was so one dimensional I was bored with her characterisation. Even her conversations were flat. Just how many times does her jaw drop? Surely they were other expressions to use.
One of the things I've always found annoying, is reading a scene that expresses urgency yet the characters are written out to be dragging their feet. For no reason or in anyway affecting the plot. Why write it that way to just ignore the edict in the same breath??? Another per hate of mine is mentioning other authors work in a story. Now I will definitely not be reading the other book after this.
The MMCs were the tick boxes for most RH, problem is, they didn't stand out. Normally one at the very least should carry the plot, be a welcome buffer from the other characters. No such luck... Sigh.
The writing style is what lost stars for me. The plot should be interesting, should pull at heart strings but the delivery let it down.
October 26, 2025
This needed a little bit more time spent on editing. I always feel like if I'm finding multiple errors, there is a big ol' problem because I am not grammatically inclined. I friggin wish I were, but that is not a skill I possess.
What this did have was entertainment. It was a quick, easy read that I read in one sitting, and I so appreciate books like this that I can just zone out to. I do feel like it's very similar to a lot of other things I've read as far as reverse harems go, but I'm not mad about it. Will be moving on to book 2 now.
What this did have was entertainment. It was a quick, easy read that I read in one sitting, and I so appreciate books like this that I can just zone out to. I do feel like it's very similar to a lot of other things I've read as far as reverse harems go, but I'm not mad about it. Will be moving on to book 2 now.
January 13, 2025
DNF 35%
The plot seemed interesting but I just couldn't connect with the writing style. Phrases simply don't flow well, too little content and too many dots, felt like a pause every 2 seconds in my head.
Perfect example of the writing style in another review by BeaWitched.
The plot seemed interesting but I just couldn't connect with the writing style. Phrases simply don't flow well, too little content and too many dots, felt like a pause every 2 seconds in my head.
Perfect example of the writing style in another review by BeaWitched.
January 26, 2025
Interesting plot, poor execution. It's like it's fast forward: no time elements, nothing is explained and you get glimpse of scenes.
Everyone is cryptic and no one bother to help the poor girl and teach her to control her power despite her being a huge risk.
Everyone is cryptic and no one bother to help the poor girl and teach her to control her power despite her being a huge risk.
June 14, 2025
DNF 34%
I have no idea how this book has such good reviews. Our FMC, Brigid, is an orphan two times over. She lives in a small town of superstition people who treat her like crap. Including, her adoptive uncle who took her in at 5 years old after her adoptive parents died. Her only friend is a much older, slightly eccentric woman, Fiona. Brigid has been horribly bullied her entire life and so is meal and broken down. She comes off as weak and that nearly caused me to stop reading really early on because I loathe a weak FMC.
Chapter three introduces our MMCs. Tiernan, a cryptic Druid. Lochan, a jerky warrior fae. Callen, a horny fae prince. Rory, a happy go lucky Irish werewolf. Who’ve been charged with collecting the FMC and bringing her to Grimstone Academy. Only Lochan and Callen go to retrieve Brigid and save her from a shadow that’s attempting to kill her. Lochan is a dick the entire time and Callen basically seduces her into agreeing. Brigid doesn’t protest nearly enough, gives them far too much information about herself, and gives in far too quickly to be believable. And again, I nearly stopped right here.
Callen comes off as predatory, there’s a lot of blatant non-con as he uses his magic on her without her knowledge.
She’s far too trusting and believes everything they tell her immediately, even though most of it sounds insane. Her immediate attraction to all four MMCs is ridiculous and annoying. She can think they’re good looking without immediately being besotted. She basically lets them do whatever without consequences, including changing everything about her looks and wardrobe. She has no backbone, no self respect.
Some of the descriptions, especially of scents are ridiculous. Sandalwood and secrets? Really??
The book needs some serious editing. Lots of errors with incorrect words, duplicate words, missing words, extra words, a mix of first and third person narration. Not to mention the woeful dialogue, that’s so cringe it hurts.
I have no idea what ages our MCs are but everything feels very high school. There’s obviously a mean girl, outcasts, nerds, bad boys, players, jocks. It’s all so contrived and full of the worst tropes.
The pacing of this book is so fast, it’ll make your head spin. Nothing feels natural because it’s so rushed. There’s no slow build or world building, barely any character building for that matter. It’s the epitome of telling rather than showing and info dumping in every chapter.
I couldn’t continue with this book.
I have no idea how this book has such good reviews. Our FMC, Brigid, is an orphan two times over. She lives in a small town of superstition people who treat her like crap. Including, her adoptive uncle who took her in at 5 years old after her adoptive parents died. Her only friend is a much older, slightly eccentric woman, Fiona. Brigid has been horribly bullied her entire life and so is meal and broken down. She comes off as weak and that nearly caused me to stop reading really early on because I loathe a weak FMC.
Chapter three introduces our MMCs. Tiernan, a cryptic Druid. Lochan, a jerky warrior fae. Callen, a horny fae prince. Rory, a happy go lucky Irish werewolf. Who’ve been charged with collecting the FMC and bringing her to Grimstone Academy. Only Lochan and Callen go to retrieve Brigid and save her from a shadow that’s attempting to kill her. Lochan is a dick the entire time and Callen basically seduces her into agreeing. Brigid doesn’t protest nearly enough, gives them far too much information about herself, and gives in far too quickly to be believable. And again, I nearly stopped right here.
Callen comes off as predatory, there’s a lot of blatant non-con as he uses his magic on her without her knowledge.
She’s far too trusting and believes everything they tell her immediately, even though most of it sounds insane. Her immediate attraction to all four MMCs is ridiculous and annoying. She can think they’re good looking without immediately being besotted. She basically lets them do whatever without consequences, including changing everything about her looks and wardrobe. She has no backbone, no self respect.
Some of the descriptions, especially of scents are ridiculous. Sandalwood and secrets? Really??
The book needs some serious editing. Lots of errors with incorrect words, duplicate words, missing words, extra words, a mix of first and third person narration. Not to mention the woeful dialogue, that’s so cringe it hurts.
I have no idea what ages our MCs are but everything feels very high school. There’s obviously a mean girl, outcasts, nerds, bad boys, players, jocks. It’s all so contrived and full of the worst tropes.
The pacing of this book is so fast, it’ll make your head spin. Nothing feels natural because it’s so rushed. There’s no slow build or world building, barely any character building for that matter. It’s the epitome of telling rather than showing and info dumping in every chapter.
I couldn’t continue with this book.
April 17, 2025
2,5
Il fatto che Rowan Shane sia un'esordiente mette sotto una luce diversa questo libro, anche se solo un pò, diciamo che penso che questa scrittrice abbia margini di miglioramento.
Questo non cambia il fatto che il libro è un disastro, avrebbe bisogno di essere riscritto praticamente daccapo, con un buon editing alle spalle e con l'aggiunta di capitoli che congiungano parti della storia altrimenti disallineate l'una dall'altra.
I personaggi principali, tutti, non sarebbero degni nemmeno di essere nominati, la loro personalità ha la profondità di una pozzanghera.
La totale mancanza di motivazione dietro le loro azioni e i loro sentimenti è un altro grosso problema di questo romanzo, ad esempio il fatto che Brighid non si fidi di Marius non ha senso, o meglio, avrebbe senso se non si fidasse di nessuno, ma a quanto pare si fida degli altri 4 ragazzi nonostante uno di loro la tratti malissimo, allora perché scappare sempre da Marius? Non voglio pensare che sia perché le hanno detto che è strano e che tutti all' accademia lo evitano, quanto sarebbe ipocrita tutto ciò tenendo conto che per tutta la vita è stata altrettanto emarginata?
Il libro va avanti troppo velocemente, talmente tanto che sembra siano stati tagliati interi capitoli, ad un certo punto, assolutamente dal nulla, senza che prima ci siano state chissà quali interazioni, Rory e Tiernan dicono alla protagonista che lei è la loro compagna.
In un capitolo la protagonista conosce una ragazza, e 2 capitoli dopo afferma che è la sua migliore amica, che le vuole bene e che farebbe tutto per tenerla al sicuro.
Questo libro manca talmente tanto di profondità da fare quasi rabbia, perché l'idea non era per niente male, ma ovviamente così com'è è illeggibile.
Il fatto che Rowan Shane sia un'esordiente mette sotto una luce diversa questo libro, anche se solo un pò, diciamo che penso che questa scrittrice abbia margini di miglioramento.
Questo non cambia il fatto che il libro è un disastro, avrebbe bisogno di essere riscritto praticamente daccapo, con un buon editing alle spalle e con l'aggiunta di capitoli che congiungano parti della storia altrimenti disallineate l'una dall'altra.
I personaggi principali, tutti, non sarebbero degni nemmeno di essere nominati, la loro personalità ha la profondità di una pozzanghera.
La totale mancanza di motivazione dietro le loro azioni e i loro sentimenti è un altro grosso problema di questo romanzo, ad esempio il fatto che Brighid non si fidi di Marius non ha senso, o meglio, avrebbe senso se non si fidasse di nessuno, ma a quanto pare si fida degli altri 4 ragazzi nonostante uno di loro la tratti malissimo, allora perché scappare sempre da Marius? Non voglio pensare che sia perché le hanno detto che è strano e che tutti all' accademia lo evitano, quanto sarebbe ipocrita tutto ciò tenendo conto che per tutta la vita è stata altrettanto emarginata?
Il libro va avanti troppo velocemente, talmente tanto che sembra siano stati tagliati interi capitoli, ad un certo punto, assolutamente dal nulla, senza che prima ci siano state chissà quali interazioni, Rory e Tiernan dicono alla protagonista che lei è la loro compagna.
In un capitolo la protagonista conosce una ragazza, e 2 capitoli dopo afferma che è la sua migliore amica, che le vuole bene e che farebbe tutto per tenerla al sicuro.
Questo libro manca talmente tanto di profondità da fare quasi rabbia, perché l'idea non era per niente male, ma ovviamente così com'è è illeggibile.
June 1, 2025
Brigid comes from a very difficult background. That said, when she arrives at the Academy, she seems to have decided to start standing up for herself. I was impressed for a short while. Unfortunately, after she started hanging out with the guys she seemed to turn into a different person. I can handle her not trusting, but she seemed to become weaker and weaker emotionally as the story progressed. One minute she would like the guys. The next minute she didn’t trust them or like them. None of the guys are really wonderful. Rory and Tiernan are OK. But Loche and Callen are terrible. And don’t get me started on Marius. I was really upset at the end of this book with what happened with that whole situation. While I understand that Brigid doesn’t have control over her powers, I just feel like she’s a whiny baby and kind of just goes with the flow. She seems to be indecisive. She has no motivation. Right now, at the end of this first book, I’m disappointed. I like the plot. But the characters leave a lot to be desired. Brigid is really weak. She’s not weak and power, but she is weak in personality. She also seems to be ruled by her libido. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that necessarily, she could at least pick guys who treat her decently! I’ll keep reading, but I’m not overly impressed right now
August 30, 2025
OK, this book was a bit slow for me. I found the synopsis of it quite interesting and wanted to read it. And while I’ll say it wasn’t bad it just didn’t capture my attention fully until the very end.
It does have some interesting concepts about it. I’ve read a lot of reviews that said people thought of this is like kind of like Harry Potter. And while I will say some aspects are the same. For example, there are staircases that move and Food just happens to be an extreme amount of quantity, as well as as rooms that disappear. This is also very different. For example, corridors changed, and the food is brought out by staff.
Not to mention there is a council. And an unclear villain. I will also say that I don’t know if it’s labeled as a bully romance. I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a lot of bullying going on. But there is some from one of the male main characters. It’s due to his past, but he still treats her as though she’s dirt because of it.
As far as world building goes, I wanna say like we didn’t really get much in regards to anything. She’s kind of thrust into this world and has no clue what’s going on and neither do we. Nothing’s really explained.
So I do not think I will be continuing the series
It does have some interesting concepts about it. I’ve read a lot of reviews that said people thought of this is like kind of like Harry Potter. And while I will say some aspects are the same. For example, there are staircases that move and Food just happens to be an extreme amount of quantity, as well as as rooms that disappear. This is also very different. For example, corridors changed, and the food is brought out by staff.
Not to mention there is a council. And an unclear villain. I will also say that I don’t know if it’s labeled as a bully romance. I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a lot of bullying going on. But there is some from one of the male main characters. It’s due to his past, but he still treats her as though she’s dirt because of it.
As far as world building goes, I wanna say like we didn’t really get much in regards to anything. She’s kind of thrust into this world and has no clue what’s going on and neither do we. Nothing’s really explained.
So I do not think I will be continuing the series
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