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Fall of Dawn
Land of Shadow
Dr. Georgia Clark works to find a cure for the plague that has ravaged humanity and ended civilizations. Georgia’s sister matches her efforts, but instead of seeking a cure through science, Juno seeks salvation through power. When superhumans emerge from the shadows, their emissary Valen Dragonis offers what humanity has failed to discover on its an opportunity to survive.
Valen becomes Georgia’s only source for the lifesaving blood dubbed “Juno’s Miracle.” Focused on her work, she doesn’t realize his claws are sinking deeper and deeper as he traps her in his twisted grasp.
The cure and power. Pleasure and pain. Valen offers all this and more. But the vampires never intended to give their help for free…
Land of Shadow is a full-length dark romance and is the second of the Fall of Dawn 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.
(Trigger please check preface for all triggers. This is a horrormance, so have a care if you’re squeamish.)
Valen becomes Georgia’s only source for the lifesaving blood dubbed “Juno’s Miracle.” Focused on her work, she doesn’t realize his claws are sinking deeper and deeper as he traps her in his twisted grasp.
The cure and power. Pleasure and pain. Valen offers all this and more. But the vampires never intended to give their help for free…
Land of Shadow is a full-length dark romance and is the second of the Fall of Dawn 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.
(Trigger please check preface for all triggers. This is a horrormance, so have a care if you’re squeamish.)
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2025
77 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Celia Aaron
62 books4,333 followersCelia Aaron is a recovering attorney and USA Today bestselling author. Upstart crow. Cat person. Thanks for reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
July 29, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Celia Aaron for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.
In the first of the series, House Of Night, it feels like the book starts off in the middle of the story. Not that it took anything from it. Land Of Shadow starts right at the beginning and we get to see what exactly happened to Georgia that made her believe her sister was dead and why she has no memory of what happened to the vampire heir. I was dying to continue the series as soon as I finished book one. It had me in a chokehold! This one was just as good!!
In the first of the series, House Of Night, it feels like the book starts off in the middle of the story. Not that it took anything from it. Land Of Shadow starts right at the beginning and we get to see what exactly happened to Georgia that made her believe her sister was dead and why she has no memory of what happened to the vampire heir. I was dying to continue the series as soon as I finished book one. It had me in a chokehold! This one was just as good!!
May 16, 2025
0/5 ⭐️
Exactly what I thought would happen, happened. Very predictable if you’ve read Manacled.
Exactly what I thought would happen, happened. Very predictable if you’ve read Manacled.
May 26, 2025
can’t fathom why readers acknowledge the similarities between this and the original and still give it anything other than one star??
May 13, 2025
This book is sooo good! It's an immersive blend of fantasy, romance, and suspense, continuing the dark and captivating narrative of the first book
And Valen is everything! I'm obsessed with Celia Aaron's writing, known for its cinematic intensity, and Land of Shadow is no exception. Her narrative unfolds like a VHS rewind: complex, unpredictable, and emotionally charged. The book offers a rollercoaster of tension, with moments that keep readers on the edge of their seats, especially in the final chapters.
I can’t wait for the next one
And Valen is everything! I'm obsessed with Celia Aaron's writing, known for its cinematic intensity, and Land of Shadow is no exception. Her narrative unfolds like a VHS rewind: complex, unpredictable, and emotionally charged. The book offers a rollercoaster of tension, with moments that keep readers on the edge of their seats, especially in the final chapters.
I can’t wait for the next one
July 19, 2025
Bookish friends, I cannot express what this dark fantasy has done to me. 📖✨ I've just emerged, breathless and utterly captivated, from the haunting embrace of Land of Shadow by Celia Aaron 💖
In a world veiled by a relentless plague, we meet the luminous Dr. Georgia Clark, whose spirit yearns for a scientific dawn. Yet, her own sister, Juno, seeks salvation not in vials and microscopes, but in the intoxicating currents of power. 👑🔬 Then, from the deepest, most alluring shadows, emerge beings of impossible grace and might, their emissary, Valen Dragonis, offering a chance at survival humanity could never grasp alone. 🖤
Valen becomes Georgia's solitary beacon, the chilling source of the life-giving essence, Juno's Miracle. But as she pours her essence into her work, she scarcely perceives the insidious truth: his elegant claws are sinking, ever so slowly, drawing her into a twisted, mesmerizing grasp. A dance of desperation and dark allure unfolds, where the very air shimmers with unspoken promises.
He offers all: the elusive cure and the intoxicating draught of power. A dangerous symphony of pleasure and pain. But remember, sweet ones, the ancient truth that echoes in the night: the vampires, with their shadowed gifts, never intended to give their help for free. 🧛♀️🩸
This is a full-length dark romance, woven with threads of deep atmosphere and a plot so utterly engrossing, it will seize your very being and refuse to release its hold. For those whose hearts beat for the thrilling chill of horrormance, prepare to be utterly consumed. ✨
In a world veiled by a relentless plague, we meet the luminous Dr. Georgia Clark, whose spirit yearns for a scientific dawn. Yet, her own sister, Juno, seeks salvation not in vials and microscopes, but in the intoxicating currents of power. 👑🔬 Then, from the deepest, most alluring shadows, emerge beings of impossible grace and might, their emissary, Valen Dragonis, offering a chance at survival humanity could never grasp alone. 🖤
Valen becomes Georgia's solitary beacon, the chilling source of the life-giving essence, Juno's Miracle. But as she pours her essence into her work, she scarcely perceives the insidious truth: his elegant claws are sinking, ever so slowly, drawing her into a twisted, mesmerizing grasp. A dance of desperation and dark allure unfolds, where the very air shimmers with unspoken promises.
He offers all: the elusive cure and the intoxicating draught of power. A dangerous symphony of pleasure and pain. But remember, sweet ones, the ancient truth that echoes in the night: the vampires, with their shadowed gifts, never intended to give their help for free. 🧛♀️🩸
This is a full-length dark romance, woven with threads of deep atmosphere and a plot so utterly engrossing, it will seize your very being and refuse to release its hold. For those whose hearts beat for the thrilling chill of horrormance, prepare to be utterly consumed. ✨
May 13, 2025
⭐️⭐️
I absolutely devoured House of Night and was ravenous for the sequel. Read this in one sitting on release day, but it just didn’t hit the same.
In book two, we get to find out how Georgia and Valen got together, the plague and her research, the politics, etc. but we already knew enough to piece together what happened from the first book. Also, I’m just going to say it. I don’t care about Juno, like at all. Is it just me?
Definitely getting novella prequel vibes. It was nice to fill in the gaps but the tension wasn’t there because we know how it ends with the beginning of book one.
I’m still invested in the series and will read Fall of Dawn later this year, but I could have skipped this one unfortunately.
I absolutely devoured House of Night and was ravenous for the sequel. Read this in one sitting on release day, but it just didn’t hit the same.
In book two, we get to find out how Georgia and Valen got together, the plague and her research, the politics, etc. but we already knew enough to piece together what happened from the first book. Also, I’m just going to say it. I don’t care about Juno, like at all. Is it just me?
Definitely getting novella prequel vibes. It was nice to fill in the gaps but the tension wasn’t there because we know how it ends with the beginning of book one.
I’m still invested in the series and will read Fall of Dawn later this year, but I could have skipped this one unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2025
as expected, this book focused solely on what happened before the event of the first book. most of my predictions came true but it’s no fault of the author of course—if it works, it works. unfortunately, the book was kind of boring to me so i’m not sure if i’ll ever pick up the last book. we’ll see.
May 3, 2025
I am unwell and Celia Aaron is to blame
Land of Shadow took everything I loved about House of Night and cranked it up to eleven. Celia Aaron delivers another addictive, shadow-drenched masterpiece—but this time, we’re diving deeper into the characters’ pasts, and WOW. The backstory reveals had me clutching my pearls.
Celia looked me in the eye and whispered, “You want answers?” and then delivered backstory so rich I needed a flowchart and a support group.
We got the juicy past. The trauma. The twisted loyalties. The lore goes deep, the stakes are high, and I’m living for the building tension. This book had me pacing the room like I was personally involved in these people’s mess.
If House of Night lured me in, Land of Shadow wrapped me in its cloak and refused to let go. I need the next book like yesterday.
Thank you to the author for the e-ARC.
Land of Shadow took everything I loved about House of Night and cranked it up to eleven. Celia Aaron delivers another addictive, shadow-drenched masterpiece—but this time, we’re diving deeper into the characters’ pasts, and WOW. The backstory reveals had me clutching my pearls.
Celia looked me in the eye and whispered, “You want answers?” and then delivered backstory so rich I needed a flowchart and a support group.
We got the juicy past. The trauma. The twisted loyalties. The lore goes deep, the stakes are high, and I’m living for the building tension. This book had me pacing the room like I was personally involved in these people’s mess.
If House of Night lured me in, Land of Shadow wrapped me in its cloak and refused to let go. I need the next book like yesterday.
Thank you to the author for the e-ARC.
August 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Overall this book was not what I had expected, the spice wasn’t there and felt awkward to me, the plot was very up and down. The emotional scenes did not have as much weight as I had hoped either.
The intro to this book was done very well at pulling you in but shortly lost me afterwards. This book just did not stand out to me for some reason. The attention to detail was lacking in the plot but not in the characters and their surroundings. I do wish the characters had a bit more individualism because I did get confused between who was who in certain situations.
Usually I like a spice centered book and this book could have done without the spicy scenes completely. They felt very thrown in there and I would have liked that focus towards world building.
This was a very okay book, would I read more into the series? Most likely not, it felt very rushed and I felt a bit disappointed as a girl who loves vampires.
Overall this book was not what I had expected, the spice wasn’t there and felt awkward to me, the plot was very up and down. The emotional scenes did not have as much weight as I had hoped either.
The intro to this book was done very well at pulling you in but shortly lost me afterwards. This book just did not stand out to me for some reason. The attention to detail was lacking in the plot but not in the characters and their surroundings. I do wish the characters had a bit more individualism because I did get confused between who was who in certain situations.
Usually I like a spice centered book and this book could have done without the spicy scenes completely. They felt very thrown in there and I would have liked that focus towards world building.
This was a very okay book, would I read more into the series? Most likely not, it felt very rushed and I felt a bit disappointed as a girl who loves vampires.
May 13, 2025
Have you ever read a series where you think the first book is incredible and you wonder if the author can top it, and they do?
This series is one of those. This book is the second book in the series, but it mostly takes place before the first book.
The story starts out in an apocalyptic scenario with a pandemic raging on. The disease is more bubonic plague than Covid-19. Georgia, a doctor, is trying to find a cure for the disease while her sister becomes president under dubious circumstances, and everything unfolds from there.
Like I said for book one, this won’t be for everyone. There is a heavy horror aspect to this book. But there’s also love and hope. I personally loved this so much (maybe more than book one?). Getting to know Georgia before things go really badly and before her memory loss was excellent. And seeing Juno’s rise to power (which is pretty on the nose for our current political climate) was fascinating.
A massive thank you to Celia Aaron for the gifted copy.
This series is one of those. This book is the second book in the series, but it mostly takes place before the first book.
The story starts out in an apocalyptic scenario with a pandemic raging on. The disease is more bubonic plague than Covid-19. Georgia, a doctor, is trying to find a cure for the disease while her sister becomes president under dubious circumstances, and everything unfolds from there.
Like I said for book one, this won’t be for everyone. There is a heavy horror aspect to this book. But there’s also love and hope. I personally loved this so much (maybe more than book one?). Getting to know Georgia before things go really badly and before her memory loss was excellent. And seeing Juno’s rise to power (which is pretty on the nose for our current political climate) was fascinating.
A massive thank you to Celia Aaron for the gifted copy.
June 4, 2025
5/5 ⭐️ I’m absolutely loving this story, this book had me completely hooked!! Cannot wait to read the third one 🥹🥀🖤✨
May 30, 2025
I was bored most of the time and the fmc was so annoying in this. The romance buildup wasn't good either. I don't believe they love each other for a second. Maybe Valen does but only because of the bond not because they have any kind of relationship besides sexual . I was here for the gothic vampire vibes but this was about science, politics, plague and her boring ass life before she got captured. You can show the past without every boring detail, I don't think a whole book about it was necessary.
July 26, 2025
I received this ALC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to the first in this trilogy and was a little put off by the main characters and the “romance” between them. The first 90% of the book, I was disgusted with it, but the last 10% saved it and intrigued me enough that I wanted to continue. The premise of that book is that the main character, Georgia, has lost all of her memories and finds herself in a vampire lair. Valen appears to be a predator (in MANY senses of the word) and tries to put the moves on Georgia, and it’s all a bit SA-esque until you find out at the end Georgia’s memories were wiped.
This book is really a prequel. We still don’t find out what has happened after Georgia remembers, but this book is centered entirely on what happened before. We see Valen and Georgia interact (it’s still a bit icky for me, but I’m less of a dark romance girly than some) and now we understand why Valen was how he was in book one. This book showcases Georgia and her teams’ collaboration on trying to find a cure for the virus… and a way to kill the vampires. Georgia doesn’t realize how high the stakes are until about midway through, and then she realizes lives are on the line, especially of those she cares about. We get to meet the people she reminisces about in book one and understand how things came to be how they are.
The minor characters are pretty well thought out and are diverse, and by the end we know them pretty well. They are not the main focus of the story, and that is obvious because we don’t see anything from their POV’s and they don’t really have a huge role to play in this story. The main characters we are already familiar with, and we do learn a lot more about their histories. This is a horrormance, so there are really gory scenes, and a few spicy scenes.
The writing is easy to listen to and follow, I had no troubles understanding what was happening in each scenes. I have some questions, but this book was obviously meant to raise those questions.
I enjoyed this one more than the first, and I do want to see how this trilogy plays out. It was an easy read for me, not nearly as gory as book one. Please be mindful we only learn about the past in this one, and nothing about the future, so the cliffhanger of book one still stands 🙃
I listened to the first in this trilogy and was a little put off by the main characters and the “romance” between them. The first 90% of the book, I was disgusted with it, but the last 10% saved it and intrigued me enough that I wanted to continue. The premise of that book is that the main character, Georgia, has lost all of her memories and finds herself in a vampire lair. Valen appears to be a predator (in MANY senses of the word) and tries to put the moves on Georgia, and it’s all a bit SA-esque until you find out at the end Georgia’s memories were wiped.
This book is really a prequel. We still don’t find out what has happened after Georgia remembers, but this book is centered entirely on what happened before. We see Valen and Georgia interact (it’s still a bit icky for me, but I’m less of a dark romance girly than some) and now we understand why Valen was how he was in book one. This book showcases Georgia and her teams’ collaboration on trying to find a cure for the virus… and a way to kill the vampires. Georgia doesn’t realize how high the stakes are until about midway through, and then she realizes lives are on the line, especially of those she cares about. We get to meet the people she reminisces about in book one and understand how things came to be how they are.
The minor characters are pretty well thought out and are diverse, and by the end we know them pretty well. They are not the main focus of the story, and that is obvious because we don’t see anything from their POV’s and they don’t really have a huge role to play in this story. The main characters we are already familiar with, and we do learn a lot more about their histories. This is a horrormance, so there are really gory scenes, and a few spicy scenes.
The writing is easy to listen to and follow, I had no troubles understanding what was happening in each scenes. I have some questions, but this book was obviously meant to raise those questions.
I enjoyed this one more than the first, and I do want to see how this trilogy plays out. It was an easy read for me, not nearly as gory as book one. Please be mindful we only learn about the past in this one, and nothing about the future, so the cliffhanger of book one still stands 🙃
August 17, 2025
Rating 4⭐
Spice 🩸🩸.5
ALC Review
From what we know from Book 1, I liked we get more backstory what went on before the events of House of Night.
Some downfalls was I wished we got more connections between the MMC and FMC. I felt it was just rushed to the romance. Though in the this book we get subtle hints before the big reveal there is more than wek now about the two characters.
There was also alot of characters, so it was hard to figure out who was who at first. (especially a certain vampire I thought was in Book 1, but turns out it was wholeee other character.
I still don't know if this is similar to the fanfic Manacaled as I didn't reach far into the story.
The narrator did a pretty good job, I personally think it this trilogy would be great as an duet.
I received the ALC through Netgalley by Dreamscape Media. This review is my true and honest thoughts.
Spice 🩸🩸.5
ALC Review
From what we know from Book 1, I liked we get more backstory what went on before the events of House of Night.
Some downfalls was I wished we got more connections between the MMC and FMC. I felt it was just rushed to the romance. Though in the this book we get subtle hints before the big reveal there is more than wek now about the two characters.
There was also alot of characters, so it was hard to figure out who was who at first. (especially a certain vampire I thought was in Book 1, but turns out it was wholeee other character.
I still don't know if this is similar to the fanfic Manacaled as I didn't reach far into the story.
The narrator did a pretty good job, I personally think it this trilogy would be great as an duet.
I received the ALC through Netgalley by Dreamscape Media. This review is my true and honest thoughts.
July 19, 2025
ALC 🎧 Book Review 🤍
⭐️⭐️
This was…
I mean, if you want to know what happens prior to book 1, but like?
I really don’t feel like a whole book was necessary. It just felt like a really long flashback…
Nothing really crazy happens either that we don’t really know / we didn’t pick up from book 1.
I mean, there were some fun scenes like—
“What are you?”
“Yours.”
“I’ll never leave you. Never. Not in this life or any other.”
Overall, this book was so boring. I’m sorry, but I wanted to pick up from where we left off 😩
And we didn’t really get anything too exciting until like, the last few pages… So 😬
Read it, I guess, but don’t expect anything crazy.
I just want the next book ‘cause I feel like that’ll really pick off from where we last were.
Emilia Bauer did an amazing job narrating though!!
I really liked her in both audiobooks 🎧🤍
⭐️⭐️
This was…
I mean, if you want to know what happens prior to book 1, but like?
I really don’t feel like a whole book was necessary. It just felt like a really long flashback…
Nothing really crazy happens either that we don’t really know / we didn’t pick up from book 1.
I mean, there were some fun scenes like—
“What are you?”
“Yours.”
“I’ll never leave you. Never. Not in this life or any other.”
Overall, this book was so boring. I’m sorry, but I wanted to pick up from where we left off 😩
And we didn’t really get anything too exciting until like, the last few pages… So 😬
Read it, I guess, but don’t expect anything crazy.
I just want the next book ‘cause I feel like that’ll really pick off from where we last were.
Emilia Bauer did an amazing job narrating though!!
I really liked her in both audiobooks 🎧🤍
August 8, 2025
Holy shit. I am so glad I stuck with this series and read this one. Most of this was a very slow ride to get to where we were going, but in the end, holy God. I’m literally sitting here in shock jaw on the ground. I feel like this one was so much better than the first one. I literally cannot wait to see how this all ends. This narrator did a phenomenal job. I will definitely be looking for more if she has worked on she really brought this book to life.
August 17, 2025
4.5
Second opus of this trilogy, Land of Shadow takes us back to the beginning, giving us a better understanding of what was happening in the first book, and why. The author playing with the timeline was very interesting.
As the story progresses, we learn of more stakes. Not everything, nor everyone is black or white in this story, giving a very enjoyable depth to the storytelling.
I can't wait to read the last book!
Second opus of this trilogy, Land of Shadow takes us back to the beginning, giving us a better understanding of what was happening in the first book, and why. The author playing with the timeline was very interesting.
As the story progresses, we learn of more stakes. Not everything, nor everyone is black or white in this story, giving a very enjoyable depth to the storytelling.
I can't wait to read the last book!
May 15, 2025
3.5⭐️ | So if you thought this was similar to Manacled in book 1, you are going to continue to experience those similarities here in book 2.
This WHOLE book is a retelling of Georgia’s memories that were unlocked and while it was nice to explore some of the side characters that were introduced to us in book 1 and have some of the big questions answered, this installment lacked suspense of any kind because we already knew the ending — just not how we got there.
I also thought that the science was a little much and could have been paired down because that shit went right over my head.
The only saving grace was the relationship between Georgia + Velan. The way this man did any and everything just to keep her safe, the way he cherished her, and was down bad from the moment he say her — yah girl I would have folded long ago.
Excited to jump back into present day in book 3 to see how we are gonna wrap this trilogy up.
This WHOLE book is a retelling of Georgia’s memories that were unlocked and while it was nice to explore some of the side characters that were introduced to us in book 1 and have some of the big questions answered, this installment lacked suspense of any kind because we already knew the ending — just not how we got there.
I also thought that the science was a little much and could have been paired down because that shit went right over my head.
The only saving grace was the relationship between Georgia + Velan. The way this man did any and everything just to keep her safe, the way he cherished her, and was down bad from the moment he say her — yah girl I would have folded long ago.
Excited to jump back into present day in book 3 to see how we are gonna wrap this trilogy up.
September 25, 2025
First of all—what the actual hell???
I did not see that coming. Georgia finding the cure and using it on Theo completely shocked me 😮. But honestly? He deserved that ending. Now I’m just waiting for his father to meet the same fate, because his time is definitely coming! And I knew Juno was aware of the vampires all along, long before she struck that deal—she played everyone dirty even her sister!
Now let’s talk about Valen and Georgia. Their chemistry? Absolute perfection. A slow burn that turned into something so hot, I couldn’t look away. The way he protects her, how he’d bleed for her without hesitation—it’s everything. And Georgia can pretend all she wants that he’s the one controlling her, but let’s be real… she wants him just as badly. The tension between them is unreal 😩🖤.
I love the way Valen compelled Georgia by having her drink his blood, making her forget everything that happened between them! Of course, she forgot it all, but he did it to protect her from his monstrous father—especially after she found the cure and killed Theo. But… why did he even let her forget about them? 🥹 It was mentioned in the first book that she felt like she knew him from somewhere and remembered him, yet she still couldn’t fully restore her memories because of his compulsion.
And what Valen said to Georgia—“𝘔𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦”—and the way he worships her like she’s his goddess… I can’t even. Georgia was adopted by Juno’s parents, and she mentioned that as a kid she went through traumas that her mind blocked. So, is she 100% human, or is she maybe half-human, half-something else—like a witch?
And Georgia’s pain? Heartbreaking. Everyone she thought was her friend betrayed her—throwing her to the monsters like she was nothing. My heart broke for her over and over. The only one who truly cares, though she refuses to admit it, is Valen. Well… there were also Melody and C., but losing them was devastating 🥹.
I can’t wait for the 3rd that coming on October 23 ☕️
I did not see that coming. Georgia finding the cure and using it on Theo completely shocked me 😮. But honestly? He deserved that ending. Now I’m just waiting for his father to meet the same fate, because his time is definitely coming! And I knew Juno was aware of the vampires all along, long before she struck that deal—she played everyone dirty even her sister!
Now let’s talk about Valen and Georgia. Their chemistry? Absolute perfection. A slow burn that turned into something so hot, I couldn’t look away. The way he protects her, how he’d bleed for her without hesitation—it’s everything. And Georgia can pretend all she wants that he’s the one controlling her, but let’s be real… she wants him just as badly. The tension between them is unreal 😩🖤.
I love the way Valen compelled Georgia by having her drink his blood, making her forget everything that happened between them! Of course, she forgot it all, but he did it to protect her from his monstrous father—especially after she found the cure and killed Theo. But… why did he even let her forget about them? 🥹 It was mentioned in the first book that she felt like she knew him from somewhere and remembered him, yet she still couldn’t fully restore her memories because of his compulsion.
And what Valen said to Georgia—“𝘔𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦”—and the way he worships her like she’s his goddess… I can’t even. Georgia was adopted by Juno’s parents, and she mentioned that as a kid she went through traumas that her mind blocked. So, is she 100% human, or is she maybe half-human, half-something else—like a witch?
And Georgia’s pain? Heartbreaking. Everyone she thought was her friend betrayed her—throwing her to the monsters like she was nothing. My heart broke for her over and over. The only one who truly cares, though she refuses to admit it, is Valen. Well… there were also Melody and C., but losing them was devastating 🥹.
I can’t wait for the 3rd that coming on October 23 ☕️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2025
🧬 Scientist heroine
🧛 Dark vampire love interest
🧪 Plague/apocalyptic survival
🩸 Blood as currency/power
🖤 Obsession / forced proximity
🎭 Morally gray characters
🔥 Enemies-to-something-way-more
⚠️ Trigger-heavy horror romance (check warnings!)
———
This second installment in the Fall of Dawn trilogy delivers a dark, immersive dive into a post-apocalyptic world teetering on the edge of salvation and destruction. Dr. Georgia Clark is fighting to cure a deadly plague, while her sister turns to power instead of science. When Valen, a man with an agenda, offers help in the form of miracle blood, Georgia becomes entangled in a deadly, seductive game of control, obsession, and survival.
The tension between Georgia and Valen is intoxicating.. dangerous, manipulative, and layered with complexity. The story grips you with its brutal worldbuilding and refuses to let go. Definitely not a light read, but if you enjoy morally gray characters and high-stakes romance in a bleak, bloody world, this one’s for you.
———
4.5 🌟 I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of House of Knight, and after that cliffhanger, I had to dive into the next book to figure out what was really going on. Land of Shadow pulls you deeper into the world by taking us back in time to Georgia’s story—and wow, does it add layers. Seeing Georgia working on a cure, navigating power struggles, and unraveling the mystery of Valen brought so much clarity to the first book.
This second installment gives you a better understanding of everything that’s at stake, with darker twists and more emotional weight. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, the ending totally blindsided me. Maybe I’m naïve, but I did not see that coming from Georgia. It was bold, gutting, and left me needing the next book ASAP.
If you like dark romance with rich worldbuilding, complex characters, and a touch of horror—this series is absolutely worth reading. Just be warned: it doesn’t pull any punches.
The narrator did a phenomenal job conveying the emotional nuance of each character, especially Valen’s eerie charm and Georgia’s slow unraveling. The performance deepened the impact of the twisted dynamic between them and made the entire experience even more addictive.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC of this book!
🧛 Dark vampire love interest
🧪 Plague/apocalyptic survival
🩸 Blood as currency/power
🖤 Obsession / forced proximity
🎭 Morally gray characters
🔥 Enemies-to-something-way-more
⚠️ Trigger-heavy horror romance (check warnings!)
———
This second installment in the Fall of Dawn trilogy delivers a dark, immersive dive into a post-apocalyptic world teetering on the edge of salvation and destruction. Dr. Georgia Clark is fighting to cure a deadly plague, while her sister turns to power instead of science. When Valen, a man with an agenda, offers help in the form of miracle blood, Georgia becomes entangled in a deadly, seductive game of control, obsession, and survival.
The tension between Georgia and Valen is intoxicating.. dangerous, manipulative, and layered with complexity. The story grips you with its brutal worldbuilding and refuses to let go. Definitely not a light read, but if you enjoy morally gray characters and high-stakes romance in a bleak, bloody world, this one’s for you.
———
4.5 🌟 I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of House of Knight, and after that cliffhanger, I had to dive into the next book to figure out what was really going on. Land of Shadow pulls you deeper into the world by taking us back in time to Georgia’s story—and wow, does it add layers. Seeing Georgia working on a cure, navigating power struggles, and unraveling the mystery of Valen brought so much clarity to the first book.
This second installment gives you a better understanding of everything that’s at stake, with darker twists and more emotional weight. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, the ending totally blindsided me. Maybe I’m naïve, but I did not see that coming from Georgia. It was bold, gutting, and left me needing the next book ASAP.
If you like dark romance with rich worldbuilding, complex characters, and a touch of horror—this series is absolutely worth reading. Just be warned: it doesn’t pull any punches.
The narrator did a phenomenal job conveying the emotional nuance of each character, especially Valen’s eerie charm and Georgia’s slow unraveling. The performance deepened the impact of the twisted dynamic between them and made the entire experience even more addictive.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC of this book!
May 22, 2025
4.25★
In the middle of a pandemic, Dr. Georgia Clark is tasked with finding a cure for a plague but she also realizes there are multiple powers at play. Though Georgia believes in a greater good, she is torn between her sister’s vision and the bond Valen Dragonis claims to share only with her.
In terms of the timeline, this book occurs begins prior to the first book and it provides a foundation for how Georgia and Valen are in their current predicament. This rewind is deftly executed. Additionally, the tension between Georgia and Valen is combustible. With vying interests, knowing who to trust is always comes with a question.
With so much at stake in this plot, I cannot wait to see just how it all unfolds in the final book.
*An ARC was provided for a review. *
*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey*
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
In the middle of a pandemic, Dr. Georgia Clark is tasked with finding a cure for a plague but she also realizes there are multiple powers at play. Though Georgia believes in a greater good, she is torn between her sister’s vision and the bond Valen Dragonis claims to share only with her.
“Listen to your blood dance at the nearness of mine.”
In terms of the timeline, this book occurs begins prior to the first book and it provides a foundation for how Georgia and Valen are in their current predicament. This rewind is deftly executed. Additionally, the tension between Georgia and Valen is combustible. With vying interests, knowing who to trust is always comes with a question.
With so much at stake in this plot, I cannot wait to see just how it all unfolds in the final book.
*An ARC was provided for a review. *
*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey*
For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:
May 25, 2025
Contemplated DNFing. Valen is the only redeeming quality
Two stars was generous. First and foremost, obviously this isn’t the second book. This book is entirely what happens BEFORE the first book. Valen was the only thing worth reading in this book.
There might be some slight spoilers but we generally already know what happens from the first book.
I really liked Georgias character in the first book, that being said, any respect or appreciation I had for her in the first book was completely erased in this one.
Turns out Georgia is a spineless, useless, naive, delusional, moron. Without knowing anything in the first book about Juno, it doesn’t take long to figure out she’s a dismissive POS and Georgia’s science contributions were her only bargaining chip to power.
She continuously defends the worst people doing all the damage (Juno who she worships while being told and witnessing what’s she doing and spends the entire book being in denial) (Also, Aang? He was never a good character to her, even though he has a bunch of valid points about her and her sister) while treating the people that are actually redeemable as if THEY’RE the ones that are the problem.
She is somehow a 13 year old high school graduate, has a doctorate at 26 and can’t understand the concept of being a mole for insider information? And doing bad things to accomplish it? While defending her sister who’s actually doing all the terrible things she ‘s mad at other people for?
Thinks she has to save everyone when she has zero capability and makes things worse?
Makes constant idle threats that she can’t/does’t back up?
Finally gets offered some information she’s been demanding and threatening for but refused because of her feeeweeelings?
Thinks law are still upheld when there’s barely a government? Or police? Or an army?
If this book was released as the first one, it would never be as popular as it is.
Two stars was generous. First and foremost, obviously this isn’t the second book. This book is entirely what happens BEFORE the first book. Valen was the only thing worth reading in this book.
There might be some slight spoilers but we generally already know what happens from the first book.
I really liked Georgias character in the first book, that being said, any respect or appreciation I had for her in the first book was completely erased in this one.
Turns out Georgia is a spineless, useless, naive, delusional, moron. Without knowing anything in the first book about Juno, it doesn’t take long to figure out she’s a dismissive POS and Georgia’s science contributions were her only bargaining chip to power.
She continuously defends the worst people doing all the damage (Juno who she worships while being told and witnessing what’s she doing and spends the entire book being in denial) (Also, Aang? He was never a good character to her, even though he has a bunch of valid points about her and her sister) while treating the people that are actually redeemable as if THEY’RE the ones that are the problem.
She is somehow a 13 year old high school graduate, has a doctorate at 26 and can’t understand the concept of being a mole for insider information? And doing bad things to accomplish it? While defending her sister who’s actually doing all the terrible things she ‘s mad at other people for?
Thinks she has to save everyone when she has zero capability and makes things worse?
Makes constant idle threats that she can’t/does’t back up?
Finally gets offered some information she’s been demanding and threatening for but refused because of her feeeweeelings?
Thinks law are still upheld when there’s barely a government? Or police? Or an army?
If this book was released as the first one, it would never be as popular as it is.
Want to read
February 19, 2025AM I SEEING THINGS RIGHT??
ARE WE GOING TO GET A NEW BOOK FROM CELIA!!?
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS ONE!!
Pardon my shouty caption!
ARE WE GOING TO GET A NEW BOOK FROM CELIA!!?
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS ONE!!
Pardon my shouty caption!
September 12, 2025
It’s the lack of shame by this “author” for me. Alchemised by SenLinYu comes out September 23rd. Feel free to support the original author of the story this one plagiarizes.
August 15, 2025
I thought the series was a duology, so imagine my surprise when I’m at 75% with no end in sight. Initially I thought this would have been a shorter part of the story, the flashback or prequel, unfortunately it was all of book 2 and I don’t know if the author could have made it more boring and disjointed if she tried. Every other chapter was very boring, dull, and annoying medical speak with caricature lab partners to make Georgia look dumb, naive, and dumb OR we saw that Georgia has never in her life felt any sort of sense of self preservation.
She’s nice. She’s nice, dumb, naive, and that is all she is because while she tries to be independent or explore or anything on her own which breaks rules and disregards common sense Georgia will put everyone’s lives in danger because she’s stupid. She’s Juno on a smaller scale. Why kill the country when you can get your friends killed?
Honestly if I think too much about this, it reads so much like a Star Wars fanfic; Valen is Kylo hiding Rey and her powers from Snoke (Palpatine); Gage is finn because he’s underdeveloped and underutilized; Juno and gage are an moronic resistance leaders- it isnn’t beat for beat but I’ve read this story before and it could have made more sense.
I don’t know if this author knows how to write anything that just moves the story along, like actually, without turning to gore or some sort of shocking events. Further, her needs for Georgia to repeatedly put herself in some kind of avoidable danger made these lab scenes even more avoidable. I did not care for a single lab partner. Not one.
The premise was unique, but if Georgia was supposed to be book smart and sheltered- you’re telling me she couldn’t have pieced this stuff together on her own? Keep it in her mind until Valen finally confirmed her suspicion?
I don’t want to read the third book. I don’t care, the author will just it more disturbing scenes for gore-sake and I just don’t want to read it.
Before you come for me- I love a vampire romance, I know vampires are fun to explore morality and more but this series just uses these scenes for shock. There is no consistency with this story in the characters or behaviors and I just don’t love the execution.
And now I’ve said it aloud- this author totally read or wrote fan fiction at some point and she needs to do some side practice because you cannot write a story by flipping from 0 to 100mph and back to 0 because you don’t know how to write medium intensity scenes.
She’s nice. She’s nice, dumb, naive, and that is all she is because while she tries to be independent or explore or anything on her own which breaks rules and disregards common sense Georgia will put everyone’s lives in danger because she’s stupid. She’s Juno on a smaller scale. Why kill the country when you can get your friends killed?
Honestly if I think too much about this, it reads so much like a Star Wars fanfic; Valen is Kylo hiding Rey and her powers from Snoke (Palpatine); Gage is finn because he’s underdeveloped and underutilized; Juno and gage are an moronic resistance leaders- it isnn’t beat for beat but I’ve read this story before and it could have made more sense.
I don’t know if this author knows how to write anything that just moves the story along, like actually, without turning to gore or some sort of shocking events. Further, her needs for Georgia to repeatedly put herself in some kind of avoidable danger made these lab scenes even more avoidable. I did not care for a single lab partner. Not one.
The premise was unique, but if Georgia was supposed to be book smart and sheltered- you’re telling me she couldn’t have pieced this stuff together on her own? Keep it in her mind until Valen finally confirmed her suspicion?
I don’t want to read the third book. I don’t care, the author will just it more disturbing scenes for gore-sake and I just don’t want to read it.
Before you come for me- I love a vampire romance, I know vampires are fun to explore morality and more but this series just uses these scenes for shock. There is no consistency with this story in the characters or behaviors and I just don’t love the execution.
And now I’ve said it aloud- this author totally read or wrote fan fiction at some point and she needs to do some side practice because you cannot write a story by flipping from 0 to 100mph and back to 0 because you don’t know how to write medium intensity scenes.
May 27, 2025
˚ ࣪ *·˚ ˖ ᯓᝰ ⋆｡˚⋆ “𝕷𝖎𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋, 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝕴 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖙. 𝕴 𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖙 𝖎𝖙 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚, 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖍 𝖕𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙. 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖊.” . ᯓ *·˚ᝰ ࣪˖⋆｡˚⋆
5★
☠︎⋆· ̊ ༘ *. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤, 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 ̊ ༘ *. ☠︎
☽｡⋆𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 ☽｡⋆
☠︎ 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 (𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧/𝙑𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙮𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙)
☠︎ 𝘼𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚
☠︎ 𝙊𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 & 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
☠︎ 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚
☠︎ 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜
☠︎ 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚
☠︎ 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚
☠︎ 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ 𓌜⋆ ࣪˖𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𓌜⋆ ࣪˖
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥—𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢, 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵: 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥—𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳—𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ ☠︎︎ ⋆ ࣪˖ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 ☠︎︎ ⋆ ࣪˖
𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝘿𝙧. 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙖 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙠 : 𝘈 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.
𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨 : 𝘈 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴—𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳: 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ 🗝️⋆ ࣪˖ 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🗝️⋆ ࣪˖
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦—𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬
5★
☠︎⋆· ̊ ༘ *. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤, 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 ̊ ༘ *. ☠︎
☽｡⋆𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 ☽｡⋆
☠︎ 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 (𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧/𝙑𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙮𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙)
☠︎ 𝘼𝙢𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚
☠︎ 𝙊𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 & 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
☠︎ 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚
☠︎ 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜
☠︎ 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚
☠︎ 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚
☠︎ 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ 𓌜⋆ ࣪˖𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𓌜⋆ ࣪˖
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥—𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢, 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵: 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥—𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳—𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ ☠︎︎ ⋆ ࣪˖ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 ☠︎︎ ⋆ ࣪˖
𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝘿𝙧. 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙖 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙠 : 𝘈 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.
𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨 : 𝘈 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴—𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳: 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵
જ⁀ 🗝️⋆ ࣪˖ 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🗝️⋆ ࣪˖
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦—𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵. 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬
September 2, 2025
Book review: 3/5 ⭐️
Genre: dark romance (book 2)
Themes: vampire, pandemic, apocalyptic
📖 Read if you like: The Wren in the Holly Library, The Hemlock Queen
Although there were a lot of mixed reviews for House of Night, I really enjoyed it. The gruesome future intertwined with journal entries from the past created an interesting plot line with a mystery to be unfolded. There was clearly some sort of history between Georgia and Valen, but it remained elusive with her memory loss. It had an element of horror with an anticipatory feeling that kept me reading. I found both the format and storyline engaging, and was left wanting answers.
So, it is no surprise that book 2 gives us those answers. It takes place in the past as Dr. Georgia Clark works to find a cure for the plague as her sister takes one step toward power, only to make a deadly deal with the devil in the process. Juno believes super humans from the Dragonis line will offer salvation for humanity in their time of need with their remarkable healing abilities. Instead, she paves the way for their rise to power by facilitating a world in which vampires have a steady supply of food and compliance.
The plot was as expected given the breadcrumbs laid out in the journal entries from book 1. It was straight forward and really acted as a filler to what was already implied. In that way I actually found the book rather boring. It lacked any mystery and I found myself searching for more of a connection between Georgia and Valen. In fact, Valen is as difficult to pin down as ever. His is the story I am really interested in.
So I do want to know how this series will end, but after a rocket start this lack lustre instalment really did suffer from middle book syndrome. Nothing really happened that was a surprise and I found the small glimpses into the past to be more effective than this full layout retelling. I hope book 3 will finally reveal more of Valen’s secrets and his interest in working with Georgia.
🎧 In terms of narration, Emilia Bauer continues in her role and does an excellent job. She seamlessly integrates each character and their voices into a first person narrative. Her pace changes to create emotional tension and she is able to emote within the plot so well as to make this almost cinematic. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC.
Genre: dark romance (book 2)
Themes: vampire, pandemic, apocalyptic
📖 Read if you like: The Wren in the Holly Library, The Hemlock Queen
Although there were a lot of mixed reviews for House of Night, I really enjoyed it. The gruesome future intertwined with journal entries from the past created an interesting plot line with a mystery to be unfolded. There was clearly some sort of history between Georgia and Valen, but it remained elusive with her memory loss. It had an element of horror with an anticipatory feeling that kept me reading. I found both the format and storyline engaging, and was left wanting answers.
So, it is no surprise that book 2 gives us those answers. It takes place in the past as Dr. Georgia Clark works to find a cure for the plague as her sister takes one step toward power, only to make a deadly deal with the devil in the process. Juno believes super humans from the Dragonis line will offer salvation for humanity in their time of need with their remarkable healing abilities. Instead, she paves the way for their rise to power by facilitating a world in which vampires have a steady supply of food and compliance.
The plot was as expected given the breadcrumbs laid out in the journal entries from book 1. It was straight forward and really acted as a filler to what was already implied. In that way I actually found the book rather boring. It lacked any mystery and I found myself searching for more of a connection between Georgia and Valen. In fact, Valen is as difficult to pin down as ever. His is the story I am really interested in.
So I do want to know how this series will end, but after a rocket start this lack lustre instalment really did suffer from middle book syndrome. Nothing really happened that was a surprise and I found the small glimpses into the past to be more effective than this full layout retelling. I hope book 3 will finally reveal more of Valen’s secrets and his interest in working with Georgia.
🎧 In terms of narration, Emilia Bauer continues in her role and does an excellent job. She seamlessly integrates each character and their voices into a first person narrative. Her pace changes to create emotional tension and she is able to emote within the plot so well as to make this almost cinematic. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC.
July 27, 2025
Land of Shadow by Celia Aaron takes us back to the beginning, introducing how Georgia and Valen first met and their initial interactions within a world grappling with vampire corruption. This book delves into how vampires managed to infiltrate and completely take over the US government, painting a more dystopian picture than its predecessor. It fills in gaps, revealing details about the pandemic, how the vampires gained control, and how their original deal went terribly wrong.
Going into this, I was expecting the story to pick up right where House of Night left off, with Georgia finally remembering her past and the secret to human/vampire survival. So, I was pretty confused for the first 25% of the book, not realizing that the events in Land of Shadow actually take place before Book 1. I really think the audiobook version, in particular, would have benefited from some sort of date/time indicator or a simple "before" note in the description or at the beginning. This entire book is a prequel and goes right up until the final moments before Book 1 begins, which means we're still left with the same cliffhanger from House of Night where Georgia just starts to remember and deal with the fallout.
Despite the initial confusion, I truly enjoyed this story and the way it filled in so many gaps from the first book. Learning more about the world, and seeing the deeper development of Georgia and Valen's relationship, as well as the struggles in Georgia and Juno's dynamic as Georgia tried to understand what was going on, was very satisfying. I feel well-versed in this world now, and it makes me want to reread House of Night with all this new context! I'm definitely tuning in for the third book to see how everything wraps up; I'm curious to see how this series concludes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 7/29/25.
Going into this, I was expecting the story to pick up right where House of Night left off, with Georgia finally remembering her past and the secret to human/vampire survival. So, I was pretty confused for the first 25% of the book, not realizing that the events in Land of Shadow actually take place before Book 1. I really think the audiobook version, in particular, would have benefited from some sort of date/time indicator or a simple "before" note in the description or at the beginning. This entire book is a prequel and goes right up until the final moments before Book 1 begins, which means we're still left with the same cliffhanger from House of Night where Georgia just starts to remember and deal with the fallout.
Despite the initial confusion, I truly enjoyed this story and the way it filled in so many gaps from the first book. Learning more about the world, and seeing the deeper development of Georgia and Valen's relationship, as well as the struggles in Georgia and Juno's dynamic as Georgia tried to understand what was going on, was very satisfying. I feel well-versed in this world now, and it makes me want to reread House of Night with all this new context! I'm definitely tuning in for the third book to see how everything wraps up; I'm curious to see how this series concludes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 7/29/25.
August 18, 2025
Land of Shadow is an intense and captivating addition to the Fall of Dawn series, but it’s important to note that this story is set in a time before the events of House of Night. At first, that shift may feel a little unexpected, but I thought it was the perfect way to continue Georgia’s story. In House of Night, Georgia’s memories had been tampered with, and by the end she finally gets them all back. Then, just as everything clicks into place, Land of Shadow sweeps us straight into those recovered memories—and the danger and heartbreak within them.
Celia Aaron has a gift for layering tension, both romantic and suspenseful, so every chapter feels urgent. I loved the way the plot kept twisting; just when I thought I had it figured out, Aaron dropped another surprise that left me reeling. The emotional depth in this book really stood out to me. Georgia and the other characters wrestle with impossible choices, loyalty, and survival in ways that felt raw and human, even against the fantastical backdrop. Their relationships—whether tender, volatile, or morally gray—pulled me in just as much as the action.
I listened to the audiobook, and Emilia Bauer’s narration brought the story to life beautifully. She captured the intensity of the darker moments but also gave the quieter, more emotional beats the nuance they deserved. Her ability to differentiate voices kept me immersed, and I found myself listening to “just one more chapter” long after I should have stopped.
Overall, Land of Shadow is a gripping continuation of the Fall of Dawn series equal parts brutal and breathtaking. If you enjoyed House of Night, this book will take you even deeper into Georgia’s world. And if you are an audiobook listener, Bauer’s narration is an excellent way to experience it.
Thank you to Celia Aaron, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ARC!
Celia Aaron has a gift for layering tension, both romantic and suspenseful, so every chapter feels urgent. I loved the way the plot kept twisting; just when I thought I had it figured out, Aaron dropped another surprise that left me reeling. The emotional depth in this book really stood out to me. Georgia and the other characters wrestle with impossible choices, loyalty, and survival in ways that felt raw and human, even against the fantastical backdrop. Their relationships—whether tender, volatile, or morally gray—pulled me in just as much as the action.
I listened to the audiobook, and Emilia Bauer’s narration brought the story to life beautifully. She captured the intensity of the darker moments but also gave the quieter, more emotional beats the nuance they deserved. Her ability to differentiate voices kept me immersed, and I found myself listening to “just one more chapter” long after I should have stopped.
Overall, Land of Shadow is a gripping continuation of the Fall of Dawn series equal parts brutal and breathtaking. If you enjoyed House of Night, this book will take you even deeper into Georgia’s world. And if you are an audiobook listener, Bauer’s narration is an excellent way to experience it.
Thank you to Celia Aaron, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2025
I have mixed feelings about this "book 2". I liked the book/story on its own, but I don't feel like it's a book 2.
The story in this book is good. The tension between the FMC and MMC is amazing and the plot is plotting. It's captivating and it kept me on my toes reading it.
But I think it's actually a prequel that gets to be called book 2 because how book 1 ends. But in actuality this book takes time before the events in book one. So in my head that's a prequel. But I agree that it has to be read after book 1. So that's the mixed feelings part. But in book 2 you get a lot of answers you had about the past in book 1. But you don't get any answers about what happens after. So that's why I think it should be called a prequel and not a sequel. But that is 1 aspect of the book.
5⭐️ For the audiobook
I immersion read this book with an ALC from Netgalley.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio and Celia Aaron for allowing me to listen to and honestly review this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The narrator Emilia Bauer did an amazing job. I was actually just looking for the male narrator, but there isn't one apparantly?! I really thought there was a male voice. And the feeling she puts in the narration is amazing. Big fan! The only thing I noticed were slight differences in the sound where I think corrections were made. In the beginning there were a few I noticed but I either I didn't notice them anymore or they happened a lot less frequent.
As I've seen in a few reviews this book is being accused of being plagerism/too much like manacled, I want to mention that I haven't read manacled yet and am not able to either confirm or deny those statements. I'm solely reviewing this on my own enjoyment while reading this book.
The story in this book is good. The tension between the FMC and MMC is amazing and the plot is plotting. It's captivating and it kept me on my toes reading it.
But I think it's actually a prequel that gets to be called book 2 because how book 1 ends. But in actuality this book takes time before the events in book one. So in my head that's a prequel. But I agree that it has to be read after book 1. So that's the mixed feelings part. But in book 2 you get a lot of answers you had about the past in book 1. But you don't get any answers about what happens after. So that's why I think it should be called a prequel and not a sequel. But that is 1 aspect of the book.
5⭐️ For the audiobook
I immersion read this book with an ALC from Netgalley.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio and Celia Aaron for allowing me to listen to and honestly review this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The narrator Emilia Bauer did an amazing job. I was actually just looking for the male narrator, but there isn't one apparantly?! I really thought there was a male voice. And the feeling she puts in the narration is amazing. Big fan! The only thing I noticed were slight differences in the sound where I think corrections were made. In the beginning there were a few I noticed but I either I didn't notice them anymore or they happened a lot less frequent.
As I've seen in a few reviews this book is being accused of being plagerism/too much like manacled, I want to mention that I haven't read manacled yet and am not able to either confirm or deny those statements. I'm solely reviewing this on my own enjoyment while reading this book.
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