What do you think?
Rate this book
Fall of Dawn
House of Night
Only she knows the secret of what happened that night …
Trapped in an upside-down castle, Georgia is met at every turn by a creature as cruel and vicious as his vampire kin. Valen, the cursed lord of the manor, is the monstrous minotaur lurking at the center of Georgia’s maze. He stalks her steps, his gaze forever on her as she desperately searches for escape. He wants her memories, memories that are just as lost to her as she is to the outside world.
Valen has no intention of ever letting her go, not when she is the key to his ascendency to the vampire throne. He desires nothing more than her secrets. Not her entrancing eyes, her soft skin, her coursing blood. Once he breaks her apart and extracts her memories, he’ll be done with the mortal who haunts his days and nights, who dances just outside his grasp, who defies him at every turn.
But fate looks different in the light of day, and night can’t obscure the truth forever. . .
House of Night is a full-length dark gothic romance and is the first of the House of Night trilogy. This series is for readers who enjoy dark, atmospheric elements, horrormance, and an engrossing plot that drags you in and refuses to let you claw your way out.
Trapped in an upside-down castle, Georgia is met at every turn by a creature as cruel and vicious as his vampire kin. Valen, the cursed lord of the manor, is the monstrous minotaur lurking at the center of Georgia’s maze. He stalks her steps, his gaze forever on her as she desperately searches for escape. He wants her memories, memories that are just as lost to her as she is to the outside world.
Valen has no intention of ever letting her go, not when she is the key to his ascendency to the vampire throne. He desires nothing more than her secrets. Not her entrancing eyes, her soft skin, her coursing blood. Once he breaks her apart and extracts her memories, he’ll be done with the mortal who haunts his days and nights, who dances just outside his grasp, who defies him at every turn.
But fate looks different in the light of day, and night can’t obscure the truth forever. . .
House of Night is a full-length dark gothic romance and is the first of the House of Night trilogy. This series is for readers who enjoy dark, atmospheric elements, horrormance, and an engrossing plot that drags you in and refuses to let you claw your way out.
342 pages, Unknown Binding
Published March 2, 2025
373 people are currently reading
8176 people want to read
About the author
Celia Aaron
62 books4,334 followersCelia Aaron is a recovering attorney and USA Today bestselling author. Upstart crow. Cat person. Thanks for reading.
Sign up for my newsletter at celiaaaron.com to get information on new releases. (I would never spam you or sell your info, just send you book news and goodies sometimes). ;)
You can find me on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorceliaa...
Instagram: celia_aaron
Sign up for my newsletter at celiaaaron.com to get information on new releases. (I would never spam you or sell your info, just send you book news and goodies sometimes). ;)
You can find me on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorceliaa...
Instagram: celia_aaron
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 338 reviews
April 18, 2025
It’s literally the plot of Manacled but with a vampire apocalypse 💀 felt really weird about this book considering there are SO many similarities, way too many for it to be a coincidence.
UPDATE: made a LONG list of the similarities between this book and Manacled and I’m sorry, but it’s giving *plagiarized* …. SEE LIST BELOW (will contain spoilers for both)
No real Manacled & SenLinYu fan would support this blatant copy. I’m shocked this was allowed to be published. It does not give “Manacled vibes”, it’s a plain copy. And it’s not Dramione coded (like the author herself not so subtly advertised it as). This author took advantage of the fact that Manacled was removed from AO3 before SenLinYu publishes Alchemised in September. Is it a coincidence that this “trilogy” is being released rapidly back to back before Alchemised is published? Sounds really suspicious to me.
If you’ve read Manacled, you’ve read this book. If you’ve read this book, support the REAL author behind the fanfiction Manacled, SenLinYu, and her book Alchemised releasing 9/30/25!!
SIMILARITIES:
— FMC is captured and kept in a cell with no memories of certain key events or people
— FMC uses to be a healer / doctor
— FMC was a genius prodigy
— Before capture, FMC was working on something that would change the tide of the war
— FMC is “given” to MMC to do as he pleases and to retrieve her memories
— Dark Lord is trying to recover FMC’s memories to find a traitor and her secrets
— MMC is a powerful commander and killer with abilities that make him indispensable to Dark Lord
— Dark Lord is a psycho ruler and kills mercilessly but his physical / mental state is weakening
— MMC is forced to a set time limit in order to retrieve her memories
— FMC is taken to live in the MMC’s mansion and is kept comfortable
— FMC is subject to mind reading and compulsions to follow orders
— FMC is checked on by an evil doctor weekly to check memories / progress
— FMC has headaches whenever she thinks too hard about missing memories or experiences de ja vu
— FMC has a jealous and cruel roommate
— FMC is forced to take walks outside in a garden for her wellbeing
— MMC is cold and cruel but wildly protective over FMC
— FMC is attacked (by roommate and others) and MMC saves her every time exactly when she needs him
— FMC is subject to attempted r*pe while unable to move until MMC saves her and kills the perpetrator
— FMC develops “Stockholm syndrome” and begins to care for her captor
— FMC explores and researches in MMC’s giant library
— MMC is tortured by Dark Lord over “failures” and FMC asks to heal him
— MMC has a tragic backstory that involved his mother being killed by the Dark Lord
— FMC is made to believe that MMC killed best friend (plot twist, MMC actually saved that character and was hiding them away)
— FMC guesses there is a secret plot against Dark Lord that MMC is involved in
— Ends with FMC about to recover her memories
UPDATE: made a LONG list of the similarities between this book and Manacled and I’m sorry, but it’s giving *plagiarized* …. SEE LIST BELOW (will contain spoilers for both)
No real Manacled & SenLinYu fan would support this blatant copy. I’m shocked this was allowed to be published. It does not give “Manacled vibes”, it’s a plain copy. And it’s not Dramione coded (like the author herself not so subtly advertised it as). This author took advantage of the fact that Manacled was removed from AO3 before SenLinYu publishes Alchemised in September. Is it a coincidence that this “trilogy” is being released rapidly back to back before Alchemised is published? Sounds really suspicious to me.
If you’ve read Manacled, you’ve read this book. If you’ve read this book, support the REAL author behind the fanfiction Manacled, SenLinYu, and her book Alchemised releasing 9/30/25!!
SIMILARITIES:
— FMC is captured and kept in a cell with no memories of certain key events or people
— FMC uses to be a healer / doctor
— FMC was a genius prodigy
— Before capture, FMC was working on something that would change the tide of the war
— FMC is “given” to MMC to do as he pleases and to retrieve her memories
— Dark Lord is trying to recover FMC’s memories to find a traitor and her secrets
— MMC is a powerful commander and killer with abilities that make him indispensable to Dark Lord
— Dark Lord is a psycho ruler and kills mercilessly but his physical / mental state is weakening
— MMC is forced to a set time limit in order to retrieve her memories
— FMC is taken to live in the MMC’s mansion and is kept comfortable
— FMC is subject to mind reading and compulsions to follow orders
— FMC is checked on by an evil doctor weekly to check memories / progress
— FMC has headaches whenever she thinks too hard about missing memories or experiences de ja vu
— FMC has a jealous and cruel roommate
— FMC is forced to take walks outside in a garden for her wellbeing
— MMC is cold and cruel but wildly protective over FMC
— FMC is attacked (by roommate and others) and MMC saves her every time exactly when she needs him
— FMC is subject to attempted r*pe while unable to move until MMC saves her and kills the perpetrator
— FMC develops “Stockholm syndrome” and begins to care for her captor
— FMC explores and researches in MMC’s giant library
— MMC is tortured by Dark Lord over “failures” and FMC asks to heal him
— MMC has a tragic backstory that involved his mother being killed by the Dark Lord
— FMC is made to believe that MMC killed best friend (plot twist, MMC actually saved that character and was hiding them away)
— FMC guesses there is a secret plot against Dark Lord that MMC is involved in
— Ends with FMC about to recover her memories
April 5, 2025
I removed my review because the more I sit with this book, the more I feel like it is almost the same book as Manacled/Alchemised. Although the setting was different and you do have the gothic vampire element, the more I thought about the story structure, the character dynamics, the overall plot, and the ending, I couldn’t ignore the similarities.
Read
July 27, 2025House of Night is so dark and completely immersive! It’s like if Manacled, A Discovery of Witches, and a vampire apocalypse movie had a baby—gory, cinematic, and full of tension. From the very beginning, it’s bloody and gut-wrenching. Vampires have overtaken the U.S., systematically wiping out humans in a brutal act of revenge, and if the vampires don’t get you, there’s a plague to finish the job. It’s raw, intense horror that plays out vividly in your mind.
The story follows Georgia, who is gifted to the head vampire's son and general, Valen. Valen is tasked with finding out what she can remember about the death of his brother and heir to the throne. She’s locked away in a castle buried underground, with no way out, and the tension between them is palpable. The slow burn here is real—the focus is on world-building and filling in the gaps of Georgia’s memory, which had me hooked as I desperately wanted to understand how she ended up in this nightmarish situation. The hero and heroine don’t share much page time at first, but it’s clear there’s something building, something we’re missing, and it keeps you guessing.
The constant threat of pain and interrogation adds a chilling layer to the plot, as Valen’s father, the head vampire, seeks answers from Georgia. Georgia and Valen must be crafty to stay alive. The cliffhanger ending is brutal—deaths, shocking reveals, and the promise of answers that I can’t wait to explore in the next book.
I only wish there was a bit more romantic development, there was barely a whisper of romance and there's zero spice. This is a SLOOOOOOOOW burn. I just know the pay off is going to be incredible.
The story follows Georgia, who is gifted to the head vampire's son and general, Valen. Valen is tasked with finding out what she can remember about the death of his brother and heir to the throne. She’s locked away in a castle buried underground, with no way out, and the tension between them is palpable. The slow burn here is real—the focus is on world-building and filling in the gaps of Georgia’s memory, which had me hooked as I desperately wanted to understand how she ended up in this nightmarish situation. The hero and heroine don’t share much page time at first, but it’s clear there’s something building, something we’re missing, and it keeps you guessing.
The constant threat of pain and interrogation adds a chilling layer to the plot, as Valen’s father, the head vampire, seeks answers from Georgia. Georgia and Valen must be crafty to stay alive. The cliffhanger ending is brutal—deaths, shocking reveals, and the promise of answers that I can’t wait to explore in the next book.
I only wish there was a bit more romantic development, there was barely a whisper of romance and there's zero spice. This is a SLOOOOOOOOW burn. I just know the pay off is going to be incredible.
March 1, 2025
5 STARS.
Check trigger warnings before reading this because this shit is DARK.
HOOOOOLY SHIT. A dark gothic vampire romance?! TRUE enemies to lovers?! MANACLED VIBES?!?!?!! I ATE THIS ARC UP!!!!!
Georgia, our FMC is a doctor who was trying to find the cure for the plague but wakes up in a cage, captured by vampires and doesn’t remember a single thing. Georgia is helped captive by Valen Dragonis, who’s been ordered to break her, to find out if she knows who killed the vampire king’s son.
Valen, our MMC is scary and violent and gives all the “touch her and die” vibes. But he also has glimmers of humanity which makes you want to root for him. I love a big scary protective vampire!!
The tension between Georgia and Valen throughout this book is delicious and I can’t get enough. The fact that we didn’t get a single 🌶️ scene kills me but I KNOW ITS COMING!!!
I will 100% be buying the physical copy of this and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you to the nerd fam for the gifted eARC
Check trigger warnings before reading this because this shit is DARK.
HOOOOOLY SHIT. A dark gothic vampire romance?! TRUE enemies to lovers?! MANACLED VIBES?!?!?!! I ATE THIS ARC UP!!!!!
Georgia, our FMC is a doctor who was trying to find the cure for the plague but wakes up in a cage, captured by vampires and doesn’t remember a single thing. Georgia is helped captive by Valen Dragonis, who’s been ordered to break her, to find out if she knows who killed the vampire king’s son.
Valen, our MMC is scary and violent and gives all the “touch her and die” vibes. But he also has glimmers of humanity which makes you want to root for him. I love a big scary protective vampire!!
The tension between Georgia and Valen throughout this book is delicious and I can’t get enough. The fact that we didn’t get a single 🌶️ scene kills me but I KNOW ITS COMING!!!
I will 100% be buying the physical copy of this and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Thank you to the nerd fam for the gifted eARC
April 29, 2025
0 ⭐️ basically the plot of Manacled / Alchemised????
Here is my summary of this book. Now tell me, is this describing Manacled or House of Night? Because comparing the two it’s quite clear a lot of the story, plot points, dialogue, etc was stole directly from Manacled by SenLinYu.
“The FMC (a doctor) wakes up in a dark, unfamiliar cell, missing memories and her friends all dead. She is soon "gifted" to the second-in-command (MMC) of a dark army, led by a Lord trying to eradicate an entire species. Her new owner is tasked with extracting her lost memories.
Though she has vague memories of him from years past, the man before is now cold and cruel to everyone else, but treats her with a weird sort of kindness and protectiveness.
With the help of mind reading and compulsions, can he find out the truth of the memories?”
Some examples (will contain spoilers for both):
1. Compulsions are used in both stories to control the FMC.
2. A man she previous met but cannot remember tries to r*pe her while she is unable to stop it, he exposes her breasts and is stopped by the MMC (who then kills the man)
3. The MMC saves her best friend.
4. The FMC has suspicions about the Dark Lord, this part was taken almost directly from Manacled (see below)
For more example, check out my notes and highlights where I share a bunch of manacled references.
***
House of Night:
“Is there a question”
[ big long paragraph explaining Gregor ] “Gregor though, he looks ..”
“Well, you know how he looks. Like he’s suffering from a wasting disease. Skin grey, eyes sunken-“ I grimace. “So my question is this: is Gregor dying?”
Im right. Gregor is dying.
Manacled:
“I believe I missed the question”
“I haven’t asked it yet”
[big long paragraph explaining Voldemort] “he didn’t halt the war because he wants to, he did it because he has to”
“He’s dying. Isnt he?”
She’d finally asked her question. Which had hardly been a question because she was almost certain she was right. Voldemort was dying.”
***
And of course, book 1 ends exactly where Manacled part 1 ends. With the FMC getting her memories back. Let me guess, book 2 will be the flashbacks?
** reposted my review since it was removed by the author, but GoodReads said it met their standards and could be added again **
Here is my summary of this book. Now tell me, is this describing Manacled or House of Night? Because comparing the two it’s quite clear a lot of the story, plot points, dialogue, etc was stole directly from Manacled by SenLinYu.
“The FMC (a doctor) wakes up in a dark, unfamiliar cell, missing memories and her friends all dead. She is soon "gifted" to the second-in-command (MMC) of a dark army, led by a Lord trying to eradicate an entire species. Her new owner is tasked with extracting her lost memories.
Though she has vague memories of him from years past, the man before is now cold and cruel to everyone else, but treats her with a weird sort of kindness and protectiveness.
With the help of mind reading and compulsions, can he find out the truth of the memories?”
Some examples (will contain spoilers for both):
1. Compulsions are used in both stories to control the FMC.
2. A man she previous met but cannot remember tries to r*pe her while she is unable to stop it, he exposes her breasts and is stopped by the MMC (who then kills the man)
3. The MMC saves her best friend.
4. The FMC has suspicions about the Dark Lord, this part was taken almost directly from Manacled (see below)
For more example, check out my notes and highlights where I share a bunch of manacled references.
***
House of Night:
“Is there a question”
[ big long paragraph explaining Gregor ] “Gregor though, he looks ..”
“Well, you know how he looks. Like he’s suffering from a wasting disease. Skin grey, eyes sunken-“ I grimace. “So my question is this: is Gregor dying?”
Im right. Gregor is dying.
Manacled:
“I believe I missed the question”
“I haven’t asked it yet”
[big long paragraph explaining Voldemort] “he didn’t halt the war because he wants to, he did it because he has to”
“He’s dying. Isnt he?”
She’d finally asked her question. Which had hardly been a question because she was almost certain she was right. Voldemort was dying.”
***
And of course, book 1 ends exactly where Manacled part 1 ends. With the FMC getting her memories back. Let me guess, book 2 will be the flashbacks?
** reposted my review since it was removed by the author, but GoodReads said it met their standards and could be added again **
March 12, 2025
did someone pay yall or threaten you with a gun to your head??
April 19, 2025
No this is just blatant plagiarism of Manacled by SenlinYu
Want to read
April 10, 2025Hi Friends. I hate having to post this, but this has been going on for a couple of weeks, and I’m sick of being harassed, accused, and lied about by an angry mob.
I’ve never plagiarized a damn thing in my life. I don’t use AI. I don’t paraphrase other books. I don’t do a lot of things I’m currently being attacked for on the Goodreads reviews of my new series. Do I go to Goodreads? Not if I can help it. But a few readers have come to me and told there’s a group of reviewers 1-star bombing me and claiming I plagiarized House of Night. That’s complete and utter bullshit. I’m not going argue with anyone about it. I know my work, and I stand behind my work. I’ve been writing professionally for over a decade, and many of you have been along with me on this journey. I wasn’t going to address these accusations, but after receiving a few messages from readers asking me why I haven’t defended myself, I figured I’d go ahead and post it here.
When I first pitched House of Night, I pitched it as a cross between Castlevania, the fanfic Manacled, and The Last of Us (all contemporary big ticket items that the NY Publishers like to see in a pitch). A more accurate rundown of inspirations/comps would include I Am Legend by Matheson (which I read in the 90s), Anne Rice (also 90s reads), Vampire Diaries (never saw the show, only read the books, also in the 90s), True Blood, Empire of the Vampire, Salem’s Lot, The Andromeda Strain (a painfully old black and white movie), Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Bunnicula, Outbreak, The Walking Dead, The Strain, Dark Shadows (the super old show), and likely hundreds more books, films, and experiences I’ve had over the course of my reading and writing life. I’ve read a lot. A whole fucking lot. Still do. All of it inspires me/gets mushed inside my brain and eventually reformed into an original work by me.
Is my story like other stories? Yes. Is every story like other stories? Also yes. Is my story like Manacled? Yes. Is my story like Castlevania? Yes. Is my story like I Am Legend? Yes. Is one of my characters inspired by a character I enjoyed from Zootopia? Also yes. Is my story like several other stories with amnesia and enemies-to-lovers and captive heroines and spooky castles and vampires and plagues and dark-haired leading men who are vicious monsters with a soft spot for only one person who happens to be the heroine? Yes.
Is my story an original work? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally yes.
Did I use AI? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally no.
Is it plagiarized? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally no.
That’s all I have to say on this. No comments no notes. I won’t be addressing this again. I won’t be reading or responding to comments.
I’ve never plagiarized a damn thing in my life. I don’t use AI. I don’t paraphrase other books. I don’t do a lot of things I’m currently being attacked for on the Goodreads reviews of my new series. Do I go to Goodreads? Not if I can help it. But a few readers have come to me and told there’s a group of reviewers 1-star bombing me and claiming I plagiarized House of Night. That’s complete and utter bullshit. I’m not going argue with anyone about it. I know my work, and I stand behind my work. I’ve been writing professionally for over a decade, and many of you have been along with me on this journey. I wasn’t going to address these accusations, but after receiving a few messages from readers asking me why I haven’t defended myself, I figured I’d go ahead and post it here.
When I first pitched House of Night, I pitched it as a cross between Castlevania, the fanfic Manacled, and The Last of Us (all contemporary big ticket items that the NY Publishers like to see in a pitch). A more accurate rundown of inspirations/comps would include I Am Legend by Matheson (which I read in the 90s), Anne Rice (also 90s reads), Vampire Diaries (never saw the show, only read the books, also in the 90s), True Blood, Empire of the Vampire, Salem’s Lot, The Andromeda Strain (a painfully old black and white movie), Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Bunnicula, Outbreak, The Walking Dead, The Strain, Dark Shadows (the super old show), and likely hundreds more books, films, and experiences I’ve had over the course of my reading and writing life. I’ve read a lot. A whole fucking lot. Still do. All of it inspires me/gets mushed inside my brain and eventually reformed into an original work by me.
Is my story like other stories? Yes. Is every story like other stories? Also yes. Is my story like Manacled? Yes. Is my story like Castlevania? Yes. Is my story like I Am Legend? Yes. Is one of my characters inspired by a character I enjoyed from Zootopia? Also yes. Is my story like several other stories with amnesia and enemies-to-lovers and captive heroines and spooky castles and vampires and plagues and dark-haired leading men who are vicious monsters with a soft spot for only one person who happens to be the heroine? Yes.
Is my story an original work? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally yes.
Did I use AI? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally no.
Is it plagiarized? Absofuckinglutely, unequivocally no.
That’s all I have to say on this. No comments no notes. I won’t be addressing this again. I won’t be reading or responding to comments.
February 17, 2025
Ahhhh!!!!! I just finished the book!!! This needs to be put on everyone’s TBR!!! I NEED the next one NOW!! This is the best arc I have read in a while! I couldn’t get enough of it. This book is fast paced with a few breathers to take in Valen. This is totally relatable to today’s society in what’s going on. Please check triggers warnings because this novel doesn’t stray away from gut punching traumatic experiences. Genocide of humanity with vampires as the preferable species. Get ready for this novel that has guts, gore, blood, and torture. So be ready for the horror. I am soo excited for the next book!!
I want to thank Celia Aaron and The Nerd Family for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review. "Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. #houseofnight #thenerdfam
@thenerdfam.
April 4, 2025
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
***this is allegedly REALLY similar to Manacled (which I’ve never read), other reviewers have posted the similarities list and it feels really jarring, not saying it’s plagiarism but it feels like it could be which reflects in my changed rating***
This is super short (just under 300 pages) so I was able to breeze through it. Definitely darker than I was anticipating but I liked the horror aspects of it. It’s gory, brutal, and heavy so I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings (I can also send you the list if you’re curious).
Because it was very fast paced and the FMC, Dr. Georgia Clark, suffers from memory loss, the world building did feel a bit lacking at times. We did start to get more as the book went on and she did more research which helped. There was kind of a lot going on as well, this is an apocalyptic future (close to our time) with a deadly plague AND vampires.
***this is allegedly REALLY similar to Manacled (which I’ve never read), other reviewers have posted the similarities list and it feels really jarring, not saying it’s plagiarism but it feels like it could be which reflects in my changed rating***
This is super short (just under 300 pages) so I was able to breeze through it. Definitely darker than I was anticipating but I liked the horror aspects of it. It’s gory, brutal, and heavy so I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings (I can also send you the list if you’re curious).
Because it was very fast paced and the FMC, Dr. Georgia Clark, suffers from memory loss, the world building did feel a bit lacking at times. We did start to get more as the book went on and she did more research which helped. There was kind of a lot going on as well, this is an apocalyptic future (close to our time) with a deadly plague AND vampires.
May 4, 2025
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC. This was blatant plagiarism of Manacled/Alchemised. I can’t (in good faith) recommend this to anyone. Sad.
April 23, 2025
Edit: had to change my review based on the fact that it’s straight up plagiarism and paraphrasing exact scenes and plot from Manacled, Castlevania and The Last of Us. There are several reviews here on Goodreads that point all of these out with proof and the author is not taking any responsibility for it. She is doubling down on that it’s “inspiration” and her original story. Quite disappointing and the gaslighting is insane.
September 12, 2025
Alchemised comes out September 23rd. The trad. Pub of the original story this author plagiarised (Manacled). Go support SenLinYu since this author loves to have reviews taken down to hide the fact she stole another person’s story and added her own *flare*.
And in case you were wondering - yes - yes, the second book in this series copies part 2 of Manacled as well.
And in case you were wondering - yes - yes, the second book in this series copies part 2 of Manacled as well.
May 30, 2025
Note to the author, hypothetical as such a scenario might be:
If you have a large number of people saying the exact same thing about your work, it might be time to reevaluate your perspective. Because your opinion matters very little. We lie to ourselves all the time.
Here is the unique plot from Manacled:
* Not so shockingly, this includes spoilers for HoN *
The story opens with our FMC in a prison and she has no memories of recent events concerning a war she’s been in. She finds herself in the custody of one of her most hated enemies, who she has history with. He is tasked by the mega-villain to uncover her memories at all costs, because she was one of the leaders who would’ve had important information regarding the enemy, who is all but defeated. A secondary villain is tasked with checking up on their progress at regular intervals. Our MMC is so evil that he has a super secret identity with a nifty name to distance his public persona from major war crimes. She goes to his castle and other than tormenting her occasionally, he mostly leaves her alone. There is a jealous crazy person living there as well. The general gist of the plot twist: our FMC and MMC fell in love in the past, enemies to lovers style. They’re both high up on opposite sides of the war. They were working together to defeat our bad guy, with him being a double agent. When she is caught, she manages to block her own memory in an effort to protect him. Our MMC has loved our FMC all along, and hasn’t been able to help or be even be kind to her because our villains can see all her memories. She suffers and he has to watch her suffer. We experience her new memories as she discovers them. We learn ugly and sad truths about the people she loved and trusted. The mindfuck of reality vs memories vs mind reading vs the past vs the present is what makes the story fun. How do you plan or problem solve when someone can see your thoughts? Great stuff.
So, the entire general plot has been copied. That’s not to mention the tiny specifics that could’ve easily been changed, from the mega-villain being shocked to find out that our FMC has been in prison all along, to our MMC taking her on walks outside, to her running around having panic attacks in the house, etc etc.
Changing wizards to vampires does not make it original. Adding a couple of side characters has no effect on the plot. I guess I’m glad we changed the names?
Oh and we added body betrayal, which I swear to god is a trope everybody hates. The original FMC struggles with Stockholm syndrome, like a perfectly normal person. The original FMC also doesn’t waste time being hysterical all over the MMC, since she is essentially a brilliant and practical scientist who knows better than to waste her breath. I spent a fair amount of time being embarrassed on behalf of our ‘new’ FMC.
So here’s the thing. All these 4 and 5 star reviews? They’re right. It’s a fantastic story. But they haven’t read the fanfic Manacled. Lots of people haven’t, because it won’t be officially published until 9/30. It was written by an anonymous layperson as a web-novel. But they did such a good job that they finally caught the attention of a publisher. So on 9/30, all these readers who gave you 4 and 5 stars might pick up this new book, but they’re gonna think it’s just a rip off of yours. They’ll look at the publication dates and that’ll seem like proof. The new book isn’t titled ‘Manacled’ after all. How would they know any different?
So these great reviews don’t belong to you. Say what you want to convince yourself I’m wrong, but I’d encourage you to reread my Manacled synopsis any time you feel enraged about the indignity of it all. It doesn’t matter if the replication was subconscious. It’s still stealing.
I don’t mind when people publish similar works that have unique twists added. But it’s important to have the decency to let the original author publish first. As far as I’m concerned, you’re famous. I’ve loved lots of your books. I’ve given them excellent reviews. So it seems super shitty for you to take the work of someone who is just trying to get out their first publication. Manacled really broke the mold for fanfics and web-novels. It’s so good that it made it mainstream. And you stole it. You didn’t even change the stuff that would’ve been easier to leave out.
So everyone please go check out Alchemised by SenLinYu when it comes out. It’s Manacled reworked with characters that can be published. It’s good enough to lead to a serious hangover, and the author was decent enough to finish her work and not drag out a bunch of cliffhangers.
Edit: After reading some of the other reviews… yeah I was way too nice here. Celia Aaron took down a bunch of the 1 star reviews because she didn’t like them? The third part of this bullshit series gets published 1 week before Alchemised? Yeah, fuck you. I hope they successfully sue your ass off.
If you have a large number of people saying the exact same thing about your work, it might be time to reevaluate your perspective. Because your opinion matters very little. We lie to ourselves all the time.
Here is the unique plot from Manacled:
* Not so shockingly, this includes spoilers for HoN *
The story opens with our FMC in a prison and she has no memories of recent events concerning a war she’s been in. She finds herself in the custody of one of her most hated enemies, who she has history with. He is tasked by the mega-villain to uncover her memories at all costs, because she was one of the leaders who would’ve had important information regarding the enemy, who is all but defeated. A secondary villain is tasked with checking up on their progress at regular intervals. Our MMC is so evil that he has a super secret identity with a nifty name to distance his public persona from major war crimes. She goes to his castle and other than tormenting her occasionally, he mostly leaves her alone. There is a jealous crazy person living there as well. The general gist of the plot twist: our FMC and MMC fell in love in the past, enemies to lovers style. They’re both high up on opposite sides of the war. They were working together to defeat our bad guy, with him being a double agent. When she is caught, she manages to block her own memory in an effort to protect him. Our MMC has loved our FMC all along, and hasn’t been able to help or be even be kind to her because our villains can see all her memories. She suffers and he has to watch her suffer. We experience her new memories as she discovers them. We learn ugly and sad truths about the people she loved and trusted. The mindfuck of reality vs memories vs mind reading vs the past vs the present is what makes the story fun. How do you plan or problem solve when someone can see your thoughts? Great stuff.
So, the entire general plot has been copied. That’s not to mention the tiny specifics that could’ve easily been changed, from the mega-villain being shocked to find out that our FMC has been in prison all along, to our MMC taking her on walks outside, to her running around having panic attacks in the house, etc etc.
Changing wizards to vampires does not make it original. Adding a couple of side characters has no effect on the plot. I guess I’m glad we changed the names?
Oh and we added body betrayal, which I swear to god is a trope everybody hates. The original FMC struggles with Stockholm syndrome, like a perfectly normal person. The original FMC also doesn’t waste time being hysterical all over the MMC, since she is essentially a brilliant and practical scientist who knows better than to waste her breath. I spent a fair amount of time being embarrassed on behalf of our ‘new’ FMC.
So here’s the thing. All these 4 and 5 star reviews? They’re right. It’s a fantastic story. But they haven’t read the fanfic Manacled. Lots of people haven’t, because it won’t be officially published until 9/30. It was written by an anonymous layperson as a web-novel. But they did such a good job that they finally caught the attention of a publisher. So on 9/30, all these readers who gave you 4 and 5 stars might pick up this new book, but they’re gonna think it’s just a rip off of yours. They’ll look at the publication dates and that’ll seem like proof. The new book isn’t titled ‘Manacled’ after all. How would they know any different?
So these great reviews don’t belong to you. Say what you want to convince yourself I’m wrong, but I’d encourage you to reread my Manacled synopsis any time you feel enraged about the indignity of it all. It doesn’t matter if the replication was subconscious. It’s still stealing.
I don’t mind when people publish similar works that have unique twists added. But it’s important to have the decency to let the original author publish first. As far as I’m concerned, you’re famous. I’ve loved lots of your books. I’ve given them excellent reviews. So it seems super shitty for you to take the work of someone who is just trying to get out their first publication. Manacled really broke the mold for fanfics and web-novels. It’s so good that it made it mainstream. And you stole it. You didn’t even change the stuff that would’ve been easier to leave out.
So everyone please go check out Alchemised by SenLinYu when it comes out. It’s Manacled reworked with characters that can be published. It’s good enough to lead to a serious hangover, and the author was decent enough to finish her work and not drag out a bunch of cliffhangers.
Edit: After reading some of the other reviews… yeah I was way too nice here. Celia Aaron took down a bunch of the 1 star reviews because she didn’t like them? The third part of this bullshit series gets published 1 week before Alchemised? Yeah, fuck you. I hope they successfully sue your ass off.
March 13, 2025
HOUSE OF NIGHT
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“But fate looks different in the light of day, and night can’t obscure the truth forever. . .”
“Never forget what you are. You are available to me at all times. Your blood is mine. Your body is mine.”
“Must I drag you?” Or shall I wait for this tantrum to end?”
“Blood Dragonis colors suit you.”
“A knife in the heart suits you.”
“My little rabbit has claws.”
This is a dark gothic horrormance in a post apocalyptic world thanks to a plague and vampires. Humans are very well on there way to be extinct.
The human FMC, Georgia, is the doctor who was working on finding a cure for the virus/plague, but something goes wrong and she ends up in the cruel grips of the enemy with important memories missing. Georgia is tortured for information that the vampire High Lord seeks but her mind won’t let her remember. She is then given to the High Lord’s son, Valen, who promises he will get the information from her, even if has to break her. What Georgia endures at the hands of these merciless vampires and while she is prisoner in the underground castle, is heartbreaking. Her trauma runs deep.
The vampire MMC, Valen, although he comes off as cold and cruel, he keeps Georgia alive, protects her, obsesses over her every move. He’s mysterious and confusing. He pissed me off at times but just like Georgia, I still felt drawn to him, wanting to know him more, and to solve the puzzle that he is.
This story is full of mystery and secrets and it keeps you guessing on what is truly going on. This also isnt a book that’s heavy on the romance aspect. It’s more plot driven, focused on establishing the world and characters. But you still get tension and banter that had me smirking or swooning. Georgia and Valen’s every interaction had something simmering beneath the surface and I loved that.
Also, the cliffhanger is criminal😩 BUT book 2 comes out in May so I don’t have to wait too long! I need answers! There’s so much still to uncover!
This felt like a mix of Manacled, V Wars, and A Discovery of Witches.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“But fate looks different in the light of day, and night can’t obscure the truth forever. . .”
“Never forget what you are. You are available to me at all times. Your blood is mine. Your body is mine.”
“Must I drag you?” Or shall I wait for this tantrum to end?”
“Blood Dragonis colors suit you.”
“A knife in the heart suits you.”
“My little rabbit has claws.”
This is a dark gothic horrormance in a post apocalyptic world thanks to a plague and vampires. Humans are very well on there way to be extinct.
The human FMC, Georgia, is the doctor who was working on finding a cure for the virus/plague, but something goes wrong and she ends up in the cruel grips of the enemy with important memories missing. Georgia is tortured for information that the vampire High Lord seeks but her mind won’t let her remember. She is then given to the High Lord’s son, Valen, who promises he will get the information from her, even if has to break her. What Georgia endures at the hands of these merciless vampires and while she is prisoner in the underground castle, is heartbreaking. Her trauma runs deep.
The vampire MMC, Valen, although he comes off as cold and cruel, he keeps Georgia alive, protects her, obsesses over her every move. He’s mysterious and confusing. He pissed me off at times but just like Georgia, I still felt drawn to him, wanting to know him more, and to solve the puzzle that he is.
This story is full of mystery and secrets and it keeps you guessing on what is truly going on. This also isnt a book that’s heavy on the romance aspect. It’s more plot driven, focused on establishing the world and characters. But you still get tension and banter that had me smirking or swooning. Georgia and Valen’s every interaction had something simmering beneath the surface and I loved that.
Also, the cliffhanger is criminal😩 BUT book 2 comes out in May so I don’t have to wait too long! I need answers! There’s so much still to uncover!
This felt like a mix of Manacled, V Wars, and A Discovery of Witches.
May 5, 2025
While I do want to give all the props to the narrator, she was amazing… I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to people when it feels like blatant plagiarism of Manacled/Alchemized.
There are too many similarities for me to comfortably review this book properly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
There are too many similarities for me to comfortably review this book properly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.
April 24, 2025
Manacled/Alchemised plagiarism.
It’s no coincidence that all three parts of this series are scheduled to publish before Alchemised. The last book in this trilogy is set for release exactly ONE WEEK before Alchemised is published.
Not sure how anyone who has read Manacled before is here giving this book 5 stars for “Manacled vibes.” You already know how this story plays out bc you’ve read it before, scene-for-scene, with wizards swapped out for vampires.
It’s no coincidence that all three parts of this series are scheduled to publish before Alchemised. The last book in this trilogy is set for release exactly ONE WEEK before Alchemised is published.
Not sure how anyone who has read Manacled before is here giving this book 5 stars for “Manacled vibes.” You already know how this story plays out bc you’ve read it before, scene-for-scene, with wizards swapped out for vampires.
April 22, 2025
This is too close to Manacled by SenLinYu for me to feel comfortable. In general, I’m all for taking inspiration from literature and media around you - art is never created in a vacuum after all. However, this just reads as plagiarism to me, which I’m not cool or comfortable with. DNF’ed after reading for an hour-ish, then skimmed the rest, which unfortunately confirmed my fear 😔
April 1, 2025
a complete manacled rip-off and the author isn't even trying to be subtle about it
but i read it in one sitting after months of being in a slump, so there's that 😅
but i read it in one sitting after months of being in a slump, so there's that 😅
April 19, 2025
DNF: The plot has too many similarities to Manacled to be just "inspired by"... It's giving plagiarism 🙃
May 1, 2025
…this book is literally a rip off of manacled and I’m pretty mad about it. While it might not be word for word plagiarism. There are scenes that were exactly the same with very minor variations. Even some of the differences between this story and manacled are very unoriginal.
I listened to the entire audio so this is not me basing this of other reviews or the words of others. Plus I read manacled only a couple months ago so it’s very fresh in my mind and the similarities are impossible to ignore. I’m very disappointed.
I listened to the entire audio so this is not me basing this of other reviews or the words of others. Plus I read manacled only a couple months ago so it’s very fresh in my mind and the similarities are impossible to ignore. I’m very disappointed.
May 10, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for a honest review.
THAT ENDING!!!
I loved this book so much. An apocalyptic vampire romance that is so atmospheric it feels like you were right there with Georgia. But seriously when can I get my hands on the next book because I need to know what happens next asap!!
THAT ENDING!!!
I loved this book so much. An apocalyptic vampire romance that is so atmospheric it feels like you were right there with Georgia. But seriously when can I get my hands on the next book because I need to know what happens next asap!!
Read
April 30, 2025I'm not going to accuse an author of straight up plagiarism, but this book is VERY SIMILER TO MANACLED, in plot, theme, and a lot of events. I'm not going to rate it. I have read both books.
April 23, 2025
This was dark, dark, dark, dark, dark.
Although I enjoyed it overall, I don’t consider books like this romance. It’s hard to watch the FMC suffer so much and see the MMC do nothing about it. I get the why behind it, I see the bigger picture in relation to the story, I just don’t like it. Trauma bonding isn’t romance.
Although I enjoyed it overall, I don’t consider books like this romance. It’s hard to watch the FMC suffer so much and see the MMC do nothing about it. I get the why behind it, I see the bigger picture in relation to the story, I just don’t like it. Trauma bonding isn’t romance.
did-not-finish
May 1, 2025DNF 15%
Let’s call a spade a spade, it’s vampire manacled lol
Let’s call a spade a spade, it’s vampire manacled lol
May 25, 2025
zero stars for the blatant plagiarism, even advertising it as ‘dramione coded’. shame on the author.
May 13, 2025
The whole time I was like did manacled and Daybreakers have a baby??
but aside from being a "yeah you can copy my home work just change some things around"
this book was SLOWWWW I was ready to jump off that ledge with her, it did pick up towards the end (78%)and was enjoyable but the parallels between manacled were blaring....and he's from the Dragon bloodline *stares unimpressedly* .....really....
but aside from being a "yeah you can copy my home work just change some things around"
this book was SLOWWWW I was ready to jump off that ledge with her, it did pick up towards the end (78%)and was enjoyable but the parallels between manacled were blaring....and he's from the Dragon bloodline *stares unimpressedly* .....really....
February 18, 2025
Vampire dystopian horror romance? Yes, please.
We follow Georgia, a doctor, as she awakens in a cage during what can only be described as a virus fueled vampire apocalypse... We think. The tricky thing is, Georgia can't remember the events leading up to her capture, who survived, or if she ever found a cure for the virus ravaging the nation.
Georgia gets plucked from the cave and given over to Valen, a very prominent vampire, for questioning. She is taken into his underground castle, with no concept of time or what is going on the outside world. All she knows is that civilizian is failing. As Valen and his fellow vampires, try compulsion to bring out her secrets, all she can answer with is "I don't know." What happened to her? Why is her memory wiped?
Full of political intrigue, gothic mansions, violence, and vampire longing, House of Night is a strong start to this new trilogy. It ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, too. May can't come soon enough.
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. #houseofnight #thenerdfam
We follow Georgia, a doctor, as she awakens in a cage during what can only be described as a virus fueled vampire apocalypse... We think. The tricky thing is, Georgia can't remember the events leading up to her capture, who survived, or if she ever found a cure for the virus ravaging the nation.
Georgia gets plucked from the cave and given over to Valen, a very prominent vampire, for questioning. She is taken into his underground castle, with no concept of time or what is going on the outside world. All she knows is that civilizian is failing. As Valen and his fellow vampires, try compulsion to bring out her secrets, all she can answer with is "I don't know." What happened to her? Why is her memory wiped?
Full of political intrigue, gothic mansions, violence, and vampire longing, House of Night is a strong start to this new trilogy. It ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, too. May can't come soon enough.
Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC. #houseofnight #thenerdfam
May 7, 2025
This is tagged and marketed as a fantasy romance.
First: this isn't fantasy, it's paranormal. Urban fantasy at most.
I don't like how the sinopsis ignores the fact that it is pretty much a post-apocalyptic setting.
Second: the romance. I'm conflicted, because on one hand there was not enough to call this a fantasy romance, but on the other hand, I disliked the dynamic between them so i'm not complaining about the lack of romantic interactions. The ''Dark'' part already comes from the circumstances, the setting, the compulsion, the captivity. You most certainly don't need to add rape threats to make it dark. Those just make me hope the MMC dies soon. I quite honestly don't care if it's all talk to action, if he did good things for others in the past and is actually great with rescued puppies; I dislike him.
No, it has nothing to do with triggers. It has everything to do with me simply not liking it. I don't have a problem reading about horrible things. I do, however, have a problem of ''inability to enjoy romance plots where the romantic interest makes me want to cringe/vomit''. I'm not triggered by it, I side eye it. Like when a friend dates someone who sucks. Why would I root for it?
Again, there was already a lot of dark stuff happening, so don't come and say ''oooh but this is a dark romance! it's supposed to be [redacted]'' cause it's not. If the only way you can make a story dark is with rape threats, then you're not a great story teller. (again, not aimed at this author, she did have a lot of dark elements overall)
Third: aside from all of that, the one thing I can't look past is the fact that it was not entertaining enough. I was bored during a big part of it.
First: this isn't fantasy, it's paranormal. Urban fantasy at most.
I don't like how the sinopsis ignores the fact that it is pretty much a post-apocalyptic setting.
Second: the romance. I'm conflicted, because on one hand there was not enough to call this a fantasy romance, but on the other hand, I disliked the dynamic between them so i'm not complaining about the lack of romantic interactions. The ''Dark'' part already comes from the circumstances, the setting, the compulsion, the captivity. You most certainly don't need to add rape threats to make it dark. Those just make me hope the MMC dies soon. I quite honestly don't care if it's all talk to action, if he did good things for others in the past and is actually great with rescued puppies; I dislike him.
No, it has nothing to do with triggers. It has everything to do with me simply not liking it. I don't have a problem reading about horrible things. I do, however, have a problem of ''inability to enjoy romance plots where the romantic interest makes me want to cringe/vomit''. I'm not triggered by it, I side eye it. Like when a friend dates someone who sucks. Why would I root for it?
Again, there was already a lot of dark stuff happening, so don't come and say ''oooh but this is a dark romance! it's supposed to be [redacted]'' cause it's not. If the only way you can make a story dark is with rape threats, then you're not a great story teller. (again, not aimed at this author, she did have a lot of dark elements overall)
Third: aside from all of that, the one thing I can't look past is the fact that it was not entertaining enough. I was bored during a big part of it.
May 13, 2025
Recieved this audiobook ARC from NetGalley.
Wow. This may as well be a 1 for 1 rip-off of Manacled/Alchemised... I mean, the plot is damn near identical. I can't in good conscience give this anything above a one-star rating based on the blatant plagiarism. The only real difference is the vampire/plague thing. Also an overuse of the phrase "impotent rage" was quite notable.
Aside from that, the performance by the narrators was good!
Wow. This may as well be a 1 for 1 rip-off of Manacled/Alchemised... I mean, the plot is damn near identical. I can't in good conscience give this anything above a one-star rating based on the blatant plagiarism. The only real difference is the vampire/plague thing. Also an overuse of the phrase "impotent rage" was quite notable.
Aside from that, the performance by the narrators was good!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 338 reviews