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Threads of the Fifth Realm
Veins of Power
NOTE: It has come to our attention that early, rough drafts of Veins of Power, are being illegally distributed through piracy websites, as well as potentially counterfeit versions being sold online. To ensure you're reading the official version featuring the latest cover, please only purchase through the author's official Amazon page or other authorised retailers.
616 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2026
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February 16, 2026
I do not want to write a proper review for this book as I had to dnf the book in between.
I found the opening scene too much; it felt problematic. Additionally, the prose felt disconnected and lacked the fluid narrative voice I look for in this genre. Thank you for the opportunity, but I don’t feel I am the right audience for this book.
pre-read:
I seriously have no recollection of me putting this book on my NetGalley's wishlist, but here we are. Hope I like this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Becky Jane Fox(the author) for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
I found the opening scene too much; it felt problematic. Additionally, the prose felt disconnected and lacked the fluid narrative voice I look for in this genre. Thank you for the opportunity, but I don’t feel I am the right audience for this book.
pre-read:
I seriously have no recollection of me putting this book on my NetGalley's wishlist, but here we are. Hope I like this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Becky Jane Fox(the author) for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2026
It's so disheartening to see people supporting this author and this book. If you can't see that this is stolen work written by AI, then that's a problem.
The writing and sentence structure is lazy, the story is predictable, the inner monologue of the main character is repetitive nonsense, and the entire book is a rip off of Fourth Wing/Iron Flame. There is no character depth so I felt nothing when supposed main characters died. Half the time there is no description for the scenes where she uses her "threads", just "my magic hits", "magic hits me in the chest"; for a book with elemental magic and string theory magic, I expect way more. This book absolutely did not need to be almost 700 pages.
I am baffled how this got published? Maybe 12% of this book feels original, only the beginning and the end. Entire scenes and interactions between characters were stolen and rewritten. I've started screenshotting and comparing (with The Empyrean Series), there is a difference between "inspired by" and plagiarism.
Quotes from both books and examples of how I believe this is an AI rip off to come!! And trust me, I have an entire page of notes plus screenshots.
Part 1: just off the top of my head!!!!
- [ ] Our FMC is a small snarky 21 year old with a dead dad. Background: The area is separated because of a treaty. Inside one area is protected by magical veils/wards to protect against threats and dragons. The outside is basically desolate and the people who live there have to fend for themselves/protect themselves.
- [ ] FMC can only enter after crossing over something that is super high up in the air and FMC is scared she is going to fall.
- [ ] FMC is enlisted as a cadet in a military college. This college follows strict rules from a codex. The college wants to keep out weaklings so they encourage the students to kill each other. She is targeted because of her background and people pick on her/try to kill her.
- [ ] She meets a drop dead handsome man (MMC), who has a family member that got killed because of her, declares he will kill her. He has dark eyes with gold in them, tan skin, super tall, rippling muscles, and dragon scales tattooed across his entire back. He calls the FMC a nickname based on her flowery name. His power allows him to talk in her ear without anyone else hearing. Later in the book we also find out they have a bond and he can feel her emotions. He can also send her racy feelings through their bond.
- [ ] Our main girl then meets another girl, who is a super smart goody rule follower and is always happy, she becomes the bestie. Our FMC starts keeping secrets from her and feels guilty about it the entire book. Bestie finds out she's lying to her and says it hurts that she doesn't trust her. FMC begs for forgiveness and says she will earn back her trust.
- [ ] FMC makes a friend with a guy who carves stuff out of wood
- [ ] FMC's power is wild and out of control. She has to use a conduit. Sometimes her power is so strong it can burn her from the inside out.
- [ ] FMC and MMC are both out after curfew and make a deal not to snitch on each other
- [ ] FMC asks MMC why he won't just kill her already. MMC says ___ will do it for me.
- [ ] Another boy at school targets FMC and ruthlessly attacks her/tries to kill her multiple times.
- [ ] FMC has a love triangle between hot MMC and childhood brown hair brown eyed love interest.
- [ ] MMC has an ex at the college who his family tried to set up a political match. Ex is tan, long black hair, and gorgeous. FMC is jealous.
- [ ] Ex hates FMC and challenges her to fight on the mat. FMC asks "you love him? You think I took him from you?" EX says she doesn't want him for love she wanted him so she could be the next ruler, his connections etc. that FMC is ruining that and says she's going to kill her
- [ ] MMC is keeping secrets from FMC. He says "just trust me". FMC says "you want me to trust you then give me something real". MMC continues to keep secrets, making FMC unsure if she can trust him or not. She decides eventually that yes she can trust him. He betrays her trust.
- [ ] MMC has dragon scales on his back because yes, he bonded a dragon.
- [ ] People who wield magic and have weird eyes and can control dragons attack FMC. They tell her to come to the dark side. She says no and fights back.
Does this sound like The Empyrean Series to you? This is all from Veins of Power. Crazy how it's an exact copy! The banter is also almost identical. Part 2 coming up soon.
The writing and sentence structure is lazy, the story is predictable, the inner monologue of the main character is repetitive nonsense, and the entire book is a rip off of Fourth Wing/Iron Flame. There is no character depth so I felt nothing when supposed main characters died. Half the time there is no description for the scenes where she uses her "threads", just "my magic hits", "magic hits me in the chest"; for a book with elemental magic and string theory magic, I expect way more. This book absolutely did not need to be almost 700 pages.
I am baffled how this got published? Maybe 12% of this book feels original, only the beginning and the end. Entire scenes and interactions between characters were stolen and rewritten. I've started screenshotting and comparing (with The Empyrean Series), there is a difference between "inspired by" and plagiarism.
Quotes from both books and examples of how I believe this is an AI rip off to come!! And trust me, I have an entire page of notes plus screenshots.
Part 1: just off the top of my head!!!!
- [ ] Our FMC is a small snarky 21 year old with a dead dad. Background: The area is separated because of a treaty. Inside one area is protected by magical veils/wards to protect against threats and dragons. The outside is basically desolate and the people who live there have to fend for themselves/protect themselves.
- [ ] FMC can only enter after crossing over something that is super high up in the air and FMC is scared she is going to fall.
- [ ] FMC is enlisted as a cadet in a military college. This college follows strict rules from a codex. The college wants to keep out weaklings so they encourage the students to kill each other. She is targeted because of her background and people pick on her/try to kill her.
- [ ] She meets a drop dead handsome man (MMC), who has a family member that got killed because of her, declares he will kill her. He has dark eyes with gold in them, tan skin, super tall, rippling muscles, and dragon scales tattooed across his entire back. He calls the FMC a nickname based on her flowery name. His power allows him to talk in her ear without anyone else hearing. Later in the book we also find out they have a bond and he can feel her emotions. He can also send her racy feelings through their bond.
- [ ] Our main girl then meets another girl, who is a super smart goody rule follower and is always happy, she becomes the bestie. Our FMC starts keeping secrets from her and feels guilty about it the entire book. Bestie finds out she's lying to her and says it hurts that she doesn't trust her. FMC begs for forgiveness and says she will earn back her trust.
- [ ] FMC makes a friend with a guy who carves stuff out of wood
- [ ] FMC's power is wild and out of control. She has to use a conduit. Sometimes her power is so strong it can burn her from the inside out.
- [ ] FMC and MMC are both out after curfew and make a deal not to snitch on each other
- [ ] FMC asks MMC why he won't just kill her already. MMC says ___ will do it for me.
- [ ] Another boy at school targets FMC and ruthlessly attacks her/tries to kill her multiple times.
- [ ] FMC has a love triangle between hot MMC and childhood brown hair brown eyed love interest.
- [ ] MMC has an ex at the college who his family tried to set up a political match. Ex is tan, long black hair, and gorgeous. FMC is jealous.
- [ ] Ex hates FMC and challenges her to fight on the mat. FMC asks "you love him? You think I took him from you?" EX says she doesn't want him for love she wanted him so she could be the next ruler, his connections etc. that FMC is ruining that and says she's going to kill her
- [ ] MMC is keeping secrets from FMC. He says "just trust me". FMC says "you want me to trust you then give me something real". MMC continues to keep secrets, making FMC unsure if she can trust him or not. She decides eventually that yes she can trust him. He betrays her trust.
- [ ] MMC has dragon scales on his back because yes, he bonded a dragon.
- [ ] People who wield magic and have weird eyes and can control dragons attack FMC. They tell her to come to the dark side. She says no and fights back.
Does this sound like The Empyrean Series to you? This is all from Veins of Power. Crazy how it's an exact copy! The banter is also almost identical. Part 2 coming up soon.
February 23, 2026
━━━ઇଓㅤ⤸
꒰ 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ꒱ Ⓘ dnf @32%
𝟏.𝟕𝟓-𝟐 ✩
꒰ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ꒱
Ugh, I just couldn’t continue reading this. Just from reading the reviews, I had no hope that this would be good. I read the prologue and first chapter and it was…very interesting. Not something many–or any, really–fantasy books start with. There were also allegations that this book had AI and was plagiarised by Fourth Wing. Although I haven’t read that series, there was a potential use of AI I caught (i had such a fun time pretending to be a detective searching for anything).
Suspicious (and annoying) things I found that may or may not be AI:
➼ The map said there was an Earth realm but in the book it was spelt Aarth. Not necessarily a simple spelling mistake considering the fact that everyone should know how to spell that.
➼ When a character was stuttering, it was ‘S, s, s, sorry’ instead of ‘S-s-s-sorry’. Then later on, there was another similar scene where the stuttering then switched from commas to hyphens.
➼ I caught multiple sentences where there was no punctuation at the end. This could be normal, but I was suspicious after seeing this book could potentially be AI.
➼ The writing was super weird, and I didn’t know if it was just the author or not. For example: ‘Fingers scrape for balance’ and ‘eyes snap open’ - no ‘My’ at the start. WHOSE FINGERS?? WHOSE EYES?? I got so frustrated because it felt unfinished and improper. Another sentence was ‘Heart hammering, pounding in my ears.’ That’s it. Could just be me that hated this, but it pissed me off.
I’ve read many books where the mmc is a bad man who has done some not-so-nice things. But the supposed ‘love interest’ was a creep, a weirdo, a disgusting freak I had no interest in swooning over, and I don’t know how he can redeem himself to be the man the fmc has an enemies-to-lovers dynamic with. The first time they met, he was blaming her for something she didn’t do and threatened to kill her. There was also another threat he made that sounded, in my opinion, kind of rapey. There’s a lot of ownership, the whole ‘she’s mine to touch, no one else’, like she was a pet or toy. Uhh, no thank you sir, back the fuck up.
If I have to read the word ‘Threads’ one more time, I am going to explode. The sheer amount of times this word was used is crazy. Now I understand that’s what their power is called, but do you have to use it so often? And paired with those improper sentences? A big no from me.
Dark fantasy is always delicious to read, but this one just wasn’t it. Everyone was a creep or a rapist or someone who wanted to kill the fmc. The only likable character was Ezzy and her bubbly personality in the shithole that was the Citadel. I also can't believe that nearly two days have passed since I started this book and I only got up to thirty-two percent. I've been battling the urge to dnf it, and after another scene with the love interest being a dickhead, I finally did. There's mysteries that still need to be unfolded, but I have absolutely no care for what happens next.
Please don’t read this; save your sanity.
━━━
ᰔᩚ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: ꒱
i’m actually so scared to read this from some of the reviews i’ve seen. plagiarism? ai? really slow? oof, it’s not looking too good. the prologue and first chapter were interesting...and so far it’s not too bad. in my opinion, i thought it felt fast, sooo… i requested this arc because there’s a badass redhead fmc, dragons, and dangerous magic. i’m so grateful i got accepted, and despite the mixed reviews, there's always a chance that i'll enjoy it.
Ⓘ thank you @netgalley and publisher for giving me the chance to read this free arc, i'm very eager to share my thoughts.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝: 23/2/2026
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: dnf’ed
-𝓖
꒰ 𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ꒱ Ⓘ dnf @32%
𝟏.𝟕𝟓-𝟐 ✩
꒰ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ꒱
Ugh, I just couldn’t continue reading this. Just from reading the reviews, I had no hope that this would be good. I read the prologue and first chapter and it was…very interesting. Not something many–or any, really–fantasy books start with. There were also allegations that this book had AI and was plagiarised by Fourth Wing. Although I haven’t read that series, there was a potential use of AI I caught (i had such a fun time pretending to be a detective searching for anything).
Suspicious (and annoying) things I found that may or may not be AI:
➼ The map said there was an Earth realm but in the book it was spelt Aarth. Not necessarily a simple spelling mistake considering the fact that everyone should know how to spell that.
➼ When a character was stuttering, it was ‘S, s, s, sorry’ instead of ‘S-s-s-sorry’. Then later on, there was another similar scene where the stuttering then switched from commas to hyphens.
➼ I caught multiple sentences where there was no punctuation at the end. This could be normal, but I was suspicious after seeing this book could potentially be AI.
➼ The writing was super weird, and I didn’t know if it was just the author or not. For example: ‘Fingers scrape for balance’ and ‘eyes snap open’ - no ‘My’ at the start. WHOSE FINGERS?? WHOSE EYES?? I got so frustrated because it felt unfinished and improper. Another sentence was ‘Heart hammering, pounding in my ears.’ That’s it. Could just be me that hated this, but it pissed me off.
I’ve read many books where the mmc is a bad man who has done some not-so-nice things. But the supposed ‘love interest’ was a creep, a weirdo, a disgusting freak I had no interest in swooning over, and I don’t know how he can redeem himself to be the man the fmc has an enemies-to-lovers dynamic with. The first time they met, he was blaming her for something she didn’t do and threatened to kill her. There was also another threat he made that sounded, in my opinion, kind of rapey. There’s a lot of ownership, the whole ‘she’s mine to touch, no one else’, like she was a pet or toy. Uhh, no thank you sir, back the fuck up.
If I have to read the word ‘Threads’ one more time, I am going to explode. The sheer amount of times this word was used is crazy. Now I understand that’s what their power is called, but do you have to use it so often? And paired with those improper sentences? A big no from me.
Dark fantasy is always delicious to read, but this one just wasn’t it. Everyone was a creep or a rapist or someone who wanted to kill the fmc. The only likable character was Ezzy and her bubbly personality in the shithole that was the Citadel. I also can't believe that nearly two days have passed since I started this book and I only got up to thirty-two percent. I've been battling the urge to dnf it, and after another scene with the love interest being a dickhead, I finally did. There's mysteries that still need to be unfolded, but I have absolutely no care for what happens next.
Please don’t read this; save your sanity.
━━━
ᰔᩚ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: ꒱
i’m actually so scared to read this from some of the reviews i’ve seen. plagiarism? ai? really slow? oof, it’s not looking too good. the prologue and first chapter were interesting...and so far it’s not too bad. in my opinion, i thought it felt fast, sooo… i requested this arc because there’s a badass redhead fmc, dragons, and dangerous magic. i’m so grateful i got accepted, and despite the mixed reviews, there's always a chance that i'll enjoy it.
Ⓘ thank you @netgalley and publisher for giving me the chance to read this free arc, i'm very eager to share my thoughts.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝: 23/2/2026
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: dnf’ed
-𝓖
August 22, 2026
4.5⭐️ !!!! I genuinely had a blast with this book and CANNOT WAITTTTT for book (coming soon!). WOW that was insanely high stakes & epic, and I loved the magic and plot components WAY more than I thought I would. I am genuinely so pleasantly surprised and loved it.
From what I understand, the author edited and updated this book quite a bit before republishing it on KU, so I read the new version and wow was it great. I loved the characters & ESPECIALLY the MMC !!!! Talen can get it!
I am absolutely beyond SHOOOOOKKKK by that ending and am at a loss for words rn 🤯🤯 how tf do you go on from here???? Like wow that was a wild ride.
_______
& one more thing!
I’ll be honest - some of these reviews saying this is a “Fourth Wing rip off” and “AI slop” …. I’m genuinely curious if we read the same book. They’re not dragon riders, it’s not a forbidden romance, the magic is elemental & Thread based (with no dragon component or bond whatsoever), there’s a fake dating romance….in fact, it actually felt VERY different from Fourth Wing in MANY ways. Really the only similarity is that they’re at a school & there are dragons involved. There’s no parapet, there’s only one small trial at the end of the book …like seriously some of the negativity not only is surprising but also is straight up incorrect. Makes me question if people read the book???
ANYWAYS I’ll mind my business & enjoy this fun, epic, shocking, emotionally damaging & swoony story 💅
From what I understand, the author edited and updated this book quite a bit before republishing it on KU, so I read the new version and wow was it great. I loved the characters & ESPECIALLY the MMC !!!! Talen can get it!
I am absolutely beyond SHOOOOOKKKK by that ending and am at a loss for words rn 🤯🤯 how tf do you go on from here???? Like wow that was a wild ride.
_______
& one more thing!
I’ll be honest - some of these reviews saying this is a “Fourth Wing rip off” and “AI slop” …. I’m genuinely curious if we read the same book. They’re not dragon riders, it’s not a forbidden romance, the magic is elemental & Thread based (with no dragon component or bond whatsoever), there’s a fake dating romance….in fact, it actually felt VERY different from Fourth Wing in MANY ways. Really the only similarity is that they’re at a school & there are dragons involved. There’s no parapet, there’s only one small trial at the end of the book …like seriously some of the negativity not only is surprising but also is straight up incorrect. Makes me question if people read the book???
ANYWAYS I’ll mind my business & enjoy this fun, epic, shocking, emotionally damaging & swoony story 💅
October 14, 2026
So I tried.
Like really genuinely tried.
I got like 10 different videos on IG recommending this book and saying that it was “like fourth wing, but better”. So… no.
That’s not even a high bar to begin with, but unfortunately this book fell short for me and I’m really sad because I was looking forward to it for the past week, and when I finally got to it I realized that yes, it’s like FW at the beginning and there are a lot of similarities and I was invested the first few chapters. But after that it just became so hard for me to be invested and care all about the characters and their purposes.
My last straw was reading “The Nightrose” or “The fucking Nightrose” like I GET IT OMG.
The amount of times this was said genuinely gave me a headache.
Like really genuinely tried.
I got like 10 different videos on IG recommending this book and saying that it was “like fourth wing, but better”. So… no.
That’s not even a high bar to begin with, but unfortunately this book fell short for me and I’m really sad because I was looking forward to it for the past week, and when I finally got to it I realized that yes, it’s like FW at the beginning and there are a lot of similarities and I was invested the first few chapters. But after that it just became so hard for me to be invested and care all about the characters and their purposes.
My last straw was reading “The Nightrose” or “The fucking Nightrose” like I GET IT OMG.
The amount of times this was said genuinely gave me a headache.
December 18, 2025
DNF at page 58. Not my cup of tea.
The start reads as adult fantasy, it starts to become quite repetitive in that the inner monologue of the main character then gets repeated in actual dialogue or follow up monologues . I felt it was unnecessary, you’ve already mentioned things once, it doesn’t need repeating. Another repetitive point is of the Reassignment…another thing that doesn’t need mentioning multiple times per paragraph.
We then get to Lyra being bamboozled into a training academy (university level) and it reads as very YA interactions and very young kind of superficial things. It threw me enough to make me no longer interested in reading. Especially after a post sex opening scene and the very real threat of death in beyond realms stuff mentioned at the beginning.
The start reads as adult fantasy, it starts to become quite repetitive in that the inner monologue of the main character then gets repeated in actual dialogue or follow up monologues . I felt it was unnecessary, you’ve already mentioned things once, it doesn’t need repeating. Another repetitive point is of the Reassignment…another thing that doesn’t need mentioning multiple times per paragraph.
We then get to Lyra being bamboozled into a training academy (university level) and it reads as very YA interactions and very young kind of superficial things. It threw me enough to make me no longer interested in reading. Especially after a post sex opening scene and the very real threat of death in beyond realms stuff mentioned at the beginning.
September 21, 2026
okay this was SOOOO FUN!
if you are looking for brain candy that will have you turning pages faster than you can blink, this one is for you.
fourth wing girlies, if you’re looking for your fix?? this is it.
now was this the best written book ever? no. was it SUPER original? also no. but i was LIVING while reading this. the mmc is hot, the banter is amazing, you want to root for the fmc so much, and the side characters are great.
i am very much looking forward to book 2 after this freaking ending. 4.25 ⭐️ so fun!!
if you are looking for brain candy that will have you turning pages faster than you can blink, this one is for you.
fourth wing girlies, if you’re looking for your fix?? this is it.
now was this the best written book ever? no. was it SUPER original? also no. but i was LIVING while reading this. the mmc is hot, the banter is amazing, you want to root for the fmc so much, and the side characters are great.
i am very much looking forward to book 2 after this freaking ending. 4.25 ⭐️ so fun!!
Currently Reading
November 28, 2025pre-read:
I was ITCHING for a romantasy ARC right after my romcoms and NetGalley servedd🤭🫶
I was ITCHING for a romantasy ARC right after my romcoms and NetGalley servedd🤭🫶
September 5, 2026
I had so much fun reading this, I did not want to put it down! There’s just something about a magical academy that hooks me every time. If you enjoyed fourth wing and bloodwing academy, you should definitely give this one a try! It had similar components of those two but still had its own qualities too! Theres dragons who have been exiled, political intrigue, a slowwwww burn, and a cool magic system. Im eager to see how the story will progress in the next book. I feel like so much was uncovered at the end, I need answers!
October 3, 2026
More so than not this was a fun read, and it has some of my favorite tropes!
❤️ Fantasy romance
❤️ 1st person POV
❤️ Academy setting
❤️ Fake dating
❤️ Illegal magic
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
So many of my friends have been raving about Veins of Power, so I decided it was finally time to give it a shot!
As with any debut and first book in a series, I go in expecting things to be a bit slower and not 10000% perfectly polished.
Regardless of expecting a slower start, the pacing was wonky, and it took me 60% to truly get into it. It felt like the characters were going into circles quite a bit, which made it repetitive. This book is CHONKY too, and I found myself not immediately grabbing for it. It typically takes me about 2-3 days to read a book, and this took me over a week.
THAT ALL SAID, once I hit the 60% mark I was having a fun time. I love the fake dating trope and think it makes for entertaining banter from the forced proximity. Becky Jane Fox did a great job with the banter, and I found myself giggling quite a bit.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the use of the string theory as a base for its magic system. I think the author still has plenty to explain and build upon for this magic system, but my interests were definitely peaked.
Becky Jane Fox introduced a lot within this first book, which definitely set the groundwork for the rest of this series to build on. I like that we’re introduced to many side characters, and we get some of their backstories. That said, I’m not sure how attached I am to any of them. My lack of attachment may be attributed back to the pacing.
Now, I feel like I need to note this because it negatively impacted my reading experience: this has a lot of similarities to Fourth Wing / Empyrean series. There were a lot of moments where I paused and thought “wait wasn’t this in…”, which would immediately pull me out of the story. This book is heavily marketed towards fans of that series, and it doesn’t completely sit right with me. Some of the similarities I noticed:
- emphasis on unique hair color of FMC
- broody, powerful MMC that trains her
- FMC has no father & mom was part of academy
- other woman drama with an ex
- she has drama with an ex of hers from her childhood
I don’t know how much she intentionally drew inspiration from this series, if at all, but it made this book feel less unique.
It’s unlikely I will continue this series, but I am interested in seeing what else this author will write. I think her writing has a lot of potential.
❤️ Fantasy romance
❤️ 1st person POV
❤️ Academy setting
❤️ Fake dating
❤️ Illegal magic
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
So many of my friends have been raving about Veins of Power, so I decided it was finally time to give it a shot!
As with any debut and first book in a series, I go in expecting things to be a bit slower and not 10000% perfectly polished.
Regardless of expecting a slower start, the pacing was wonky, and it took me 60% to truly get into it. It felt like the characters were going into circles quite a bit, which made it repetitive. This book is CHONKY too, and I found myself not immediately grabbing for it. It typically takes me about 2-3 days to read a book, and this took me over a week.
THAT ALL SAID, once I hit the 60% mark I was having a fun time. I love the fake dating trope and think it makes for entertaining banter from the forced proximity. Becky Jane Fox did a great job with the banter, and I found myself giggling quite a bit.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the use of the string theory as a base for its magic system. I think the author still has plenty to explain and build upon for this magic system, but my interests were definitely peaked.
Becky Jane Fox introduced a lot within this first book, which definitely set the groundwork for the rest of this series to build on. I like that we’re introduced to many side characters, and we get some of their backstories. That said, I’m not sure how attached I am to any of them. My lack of attachment may be attributed back to the pacing.
Now, I feel like I need to note this because it negatively impacted my reading experience: this has a lot of similarities to Fourth Wing / Empyrean series. There were a lot of moments where I paused and thought “wait wasn’t this in…”, which would immediately pull me out of the story. This book is heavily marketed towards fans of that series, and it doesn’t completely sit right with me. Some of the similarities I noticed:
- emphasis on unique hair color of FMC
- broody, powerful MMC that trains her
- FMC has no father & mom was part of academy
- other woman drama with an ex
- she has drama with an ex of hers from her childhood
I don’t know how much she intentionally drew inspiration from this series, if at all, but it made this book feel less unique.
It’s unlikely I will continue this series, but I am interested in seeing what else this author will write. I think her writing has a lot of potential.
November 26, 2025
4.5/5 ✨
I am SO glad I was selected to be an ARC reader for this upcoming book! It completely exceeded my expectations, the magic system, world building, story, and of course all the messy story lines surprised me by how invested I became in this book!! It initially had a slower start for me (typical FMC with a rough upbringing being thrown into a world different from what she thought she knew) but once I got through the first few chapters the story took off and never slowed down.
I was really impressed how well the magic system and story lines were both well thought out without any holes and I loved how Becky used foreshadowing throughout this book!! It remained fast paced without turning into any confusing or distracting sub plots. This book got better for me as I read and now I am completely invested and impatiently waiting to see what will happen next!! I definitely recommend for all my fantasy girls to read when it comes out in January 2026!!
Thank you Becky and netgalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book! 🖤🖤
I am SO glad I was selected to be an ARC reader for this upcoming book! It completely exceeded my expectations, the magic system, world building, story, and of course all the messy story lines surprised me by how invested I became in this book!! It initially had a slower start for me (typical FMC with a rough upbringing being thrown into a world different from what she thought she knew) but once I got through the first few chapters the story took off and never slowed down.
I was really impressed how well the magic system and story lines were both well thought out without any holes and I loved how Becky used foreshadowing throughout this book!! It remained fast paced without turning into any confusing or distracting sub plots. This book got better for me as I read and now I am completely invested and impatiently waiting to see what will happen next!! I definitely recommend for all my fantasy girls to read when it comes out in January 2026!!
Thank you Becky and netgalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book! 🖤🖤
January 21, 2026
This just didn’t do it for me. It felt like a strange mix of Fourth Wing, Wednesday, and a bit of Red Queen or Powerless, but missing the parts that made me want to stick around for 670 pages.
By no means did this book need to be this long. Basic details were repeated incessantly. Did “Weasel Senior” need to follow every time Professor Strannt was mentioned? I think professor told us which he was. Did we need to know what Talen’s ever changing scent was every time he was within smelling distance? A few times I caught myself flipping back a few pages because I swore I read the exact same lines 10 minutes ago.
The FMC, Lyra, is unbearable. She’s definitely “not like other girls” and has the comprehension skills of a coconut. She’s so caught up in “not being a traitor” that she cant see everyone around her is already doing what she keeps vowing to do for herself. The MMC, Talen, gives you whiplash with how often his feelings flip, but of course it’s in the name of “I’m protecting you by not telling you and pushing you away.” We’re also calling this a slow burn but Lyra’s getting fucked by some other guy in the beginning of this book & imagining fucking Talen every time she lays eyes on him, but we spent 400ish pages going back and forth over a kiss?
Fantasy has become such a copy and paste recipe and while some authors can take what’s already been done and immerse you in their world like it’s all new, this just felt like a trope checklist. Clearly I’m in a minority here with all the other high rated reviews, but I did not enjoy the story.
By no means did this book need to be this long. Basic details were repeated incessantly. Did “Weasel Senior” need to follow every time Professor Strannt was mentioned? I think professor told us which he was. Did we need to know what Talen’s ever changing scent was every time he was within smelling distance? A few times I caught myself flipping back a few pages because I swore I read the exact same lines 10 minutes ago.
The FMC, Lyra, is unbearable. She’s definitely “not like other girls” and has the comprehension skills of a coconut. She’s so caught up in “not being a traitor” that she cant see everyone around her is already doing what she keeps vowing to do for herself. The MMC, Talen, gives you whiplash with how often his feelings flip, but of course it’s in the name of “I’m protecting you by not telling you and pushing you away.” We’re also calling this a slow burn but Lyra’s getting fucked by some other guy in the beginning of this book & imagining fucking Talen every time she lays eyes on him, but we spent 400ish pages going back and forth over a kiss?
Fantasy has become such a copy and paste recipe and while some authors can take what’s already been done and immerse you in their world like it’s all new, this just felt like a trope checklist. Clearly I’m in a minority here with all the other high rated reviews, but I did not enjoy the story.
January 25, 2026
Wow!! Outstanding. I can't wait for book 2!!
December 1, 2025
ARC supplied by NetGalley, thank you so much for this opportunity!
A really well written romantasy book that I think is going to be one of the big reads of early 2026.
It’s steamy without being spicy, it’s murderous without being dark, its magic system is fully fleshed out and I’m really curious how this will translate in the later books. And the cliffhanger? Expected but also unexpected. (Makes sense?)
•
Lyra goes about her life as an outerlander, a community exiled for refusing to fight with the innerlanders, stripped from accessing their powers. Faced with poverty, she steals from the city to help feed and cure the outerlanders. But an act of carelessness causes her to get caught and sent to the citadel for training with the very people she’s learnt to hate. Along with the mysterious officer who is set out to kill her, she learns to survive in this new world of danger, love, and friendship, all while the looming threat of dragons persists.
•
This is fantastic for fans of Fourth Wing for the academic setting with dragons.
A really well written romantasy book that I think is going to be one of the big reads of early 2026.
It’s steamy without being spicy, it’s murderous without being dark, its magic system is fully fleshed out and I’m really curious how this will translate in the later books. And the cliffhanger? Expected but also unexpected. (Makes sense?)
•
Lyra goes about her life as an outerlander, a community exiled for refusing to fight with the innerlanders, stripped from accessing their powers. Faced with poverty, she steals from the city to help feed and cure the outerlanders. But an act of carelessness causes her to get caught and sent to the citadel for training with the very people she’s learnt to hate. Along with the mysterious officer who is set out to kill her, she learns to survive in this new world of danger, love, and friendship, all while the looming threat of dragons persists.
•
This is fantastic for fans of Fourth Wing for the academic setting with dragons.
February 12, 2026
*ੈ✩‧₊˚Rating*ੈ✩‧₊˚
3/5 Stars
⋆༺𓆩Tropes𓆪༻⋆
𓅭 Academy
࿈ Enemies to Lovers
𓅭 Found Family
࿈ Fake Relationship
𓂃🖊Notes and Highlights-
・┆✦ʚI'm his. In this moment, I’m his, and I don’t care what it means. ɞ✦ ┆・
⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡ ‘Lyra,’ he says, ‘I want the parts you never let anyone touch. The part that’s still shaking from when you were seven in that fire. The part that gets angry when your threads lock up. The part that hesitates on the ledge every time. I want the part that still carries around that f*cking duck even though you haven’t needed it in months’…. I’m not looking for something I can f*ck and forget. I want it. I want all of it.’♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆‘
💭 Thoughts-
-ˋˏ✄┈┈I mean, it was an ok book. I didn’t love it or hate it, but it did feel a bit long in my opinion and might have been better if it was a bit more concise and shorter. It could have been better and not kind of dragged on in a sense.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈I will say the side characters in this book were amazing, like they had such depth and were so interesting, which is something we don’t see all the time in books. But I really felt like I got to know all those side characters while reading this book.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈Those last like 100 pages were actually insane. I did not know what was going to happen fully and was just shocked. Shocked. How it all played out.
3/5 Stars
⋆༺𓆩Tropes𓆪༻⋆
𓅭 Academy
࿈ Enemies to Lovers
𓅭 Found Family
࿈ Fake Relationship
𓂃🖊Notes and Highlights-
・┆✦ʚI'm his. In this moment, I’m his, and I don’t care what it means. ɞ✦ ┆・
⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡ ‘Lyra,’ he says, ‘I want the parts you never let anyone touch. The part that’s still shaking from when you were seven in that fire. The part that gets angry when your threads lock up. The part that hesitates on the ledge every time. I want the part that still carries around that f*cking duck even though you haven’t needed it in months’…. I’m not looking for something I can f*ck and forget. I want it. I want all of it.’♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆‘
💭 Thoughts-
-ˋˏ✄┈┈I mean, it was an ok book. I didn’t love it or hate it, but it did feel a bit long in my opinion and might have been better if it was a bit more concise and shorter. It could have been better and not kind of dragged on in a sense.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈I will say the side characters in this book were amazing, like they had such depth and were so interesting, which is something we don’t see all the time in books. But I really felt like I got to know all those side characters while reading this book.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈Those last like 100 pages were actually insane. I did not know what was going to happen fully and was just shocked. Shocked. How it all played out.
April 10, 2026
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⭐️⭐️✨ 2.5 Star Review — Veins of Power by Becky Jane Fox
This one had so much potential for me. I stayed invested because the bones of the story are genuinely compelling—the power system, the dragons, and the layered structure of the city all hint at something intricate and expansive. There’s a clear Fourth Wing meets Dune vibe that kept me curious, even when the execution didn’t fully land.
Lyra and Talen’s chemistry was one of the stronger points for me. While their dynamic doesn’t necessarily reinvent anything new in the romantasy space, there’s still enough tension and intrigue between them to keep things engaging. Their interactions had moments that worked—I just wish they were backed by deeper character development to really make the relationship hit.
Where this struggled most was in clarity and consistency. The worldbuilding feels like it should be rich, but it never quite comes together in a cohesive way. The thread magic especially had so much promise, yet it lacked the depth and explanation needed to feel fully realized. I kept waiting for the rules, the stakes, the why—and never quite got there.
There’s also a fair amount of repetition that drags the pacing down. Certain ideas are revisited without adding anything new, which makes the story feel less polished than it could have been. With tighter editing and more focus, this could have been a much stronger read.
In the end, I walked away intrigued but unsatisfied. There’s a solid foundation here—unique elements, interesting dynamics—but it needed more refinement and follow-through to truly stand out.
TL;DR: Strong concepts and decent character chemistry, but uneven execution, repetitive pacing, and underdeveloped magic left me wanting more than the story delivered.
⭐️⭐️✨ 2.5 Star Review — Veins of Power by Becky Jane Fox
This one had so much potential for me. I stayed invested because the bones of the story are genuinely compelling—the power system, the dragons, and the layered structure of the city all hint at something intricate and expansive. There’s a clear Fourth Wing meets Dune vibe that kept me curious, even when the execution didn’t fully land.
Lyra and Talen’s chemistry was one of the stronger points for me. While their dynamic doesn’t necessarily reinvent anything new in the romantasy space, there’s still enough tension and intrigue between them to keep things engaging. Their interactions had moments that worked—I just wish they were backed by deeper character development to really make the relationship hit.
Where this struggled most was in clarity and consistency. The worldbuilding feels like it should be rich, but it never quite comes together in a cohesive way. The thread magic especially had so much promise, yet it lacked the depth and explanation needed to feel fully realized. I kept waiting for the rules, the stakes, the why—and never quite got there.
There’s also a fair amount of repetition that drags the pacing down. Certain ideas are revisited without adding anything new, which makes the story feel less polished than it could have been. With tighter editing and more focus, this could have been a much stronger read.
In the end, I walked away intrigued but unsatisfied. There’s a solid foundation here—unique elements, interesting dynamics—but it needed more refinement and follow-through to truly stand out.
TL;DR: Strong concepts and decent character chemistry, but uneven execution, repetitive pacing, and underdeveloped magic left me wanting more than the story delivered.
December 2, 2025
DNF at 36%, I just couldn’t anymore.
I got this as an eARC for reviewing, and seeing all the amazing reviews I was excited to read this. This just shows how subjective reading is.
I couldn’t get into it. It’s very similar to Fourth Wing (the love interest and the academy setting with a blond guy that wants to kill her - hello Jack Barlowe) - and I thought I would love it - i was wrong.
1. Do we really need to read how the MMC smelled like leather, smoke and something bittersweet/clean sweat every time he shows up? Every time. Please, to all the authors. Enough is enough.
2. The FMC was almost as bad as Diem - get a grip girl, every decision she made was wrong. And then she got three friends that showed her several times they can be trusted (btw I am talking about the 36% that I read), yet every time they wanted to help her she had the same inner monologue how ‘i cannot put my walls down or i’ll lose it’. At some point I LOST IT.
3. This is now the second book where when writing the inner monologue of a character the author writes it like ‘what was this person thinking? What if they plan to do something to me? What if i am wrong?’ - all formulated as questions. No disrespect, but this is how I wrote my middle school essays and in a published book I expect better writing. It is, to me personally, very grating.
4. Please mind the setting and vocabulary. This is very obviously not an urban fantasy, modern setting. The healing is done with some kind of spice. Yet there was a joke reference to ‘i hope the girls have good life insurance’. This was almost as bad as ‘cliff notes’ comment in Quicksilver for me.
Anyhow, this was just not for me and I will sadly not be recommending this. I had to DNF when I realized I am forcing myself to read it.
I got this as an eARC for reviewing, and seeing all the amazing reviews I was excited to read this. This just shows how subjective reading is.
I couldn’t get into it. It’s very similar to Fourth Wing (the love interest and the academy setting with a blond guy that wants to kill her - hello Jack Barlowe) - and I thought I would love it - i was wrong.
1. Do we really need to read how the MMC smelled like leather, smoke and something bittersweet/clean sweat every time he shows up? Every time. Please, to all the authors. Enough is enough.
2. The FMC was almost as bad as Diem - get a grip girl, every decision she made was wrong. And then she got three friends that showed her several times they can be trusted (btw I am talking about the 36% that I read), yet every time they wanted to help her she had the same inner monologue how ‘i cannot put my walls down or i’ll lose it’. At some point I LOST IT.
3. This is now the second book where when writing the inner monologue of a character the author writes it like ‘what was this person thinking? What if they plan to do something to me? What if i am wrong?’ - all formulated as questions. No disrespect, but this is how I wrote my middle school essays and in a published book I expect better writing. It is, to me personally, very grating.
4. Please mind the setting and vocabulary. This is very obviously not an urban fantasy, modern setting. The healing is done with some kind of spice. Yet there was a joke reference to ‘i hope the girls have good life insurance’. This was almost as bad as ‘cliff notes’ comment in Quicksilver for me.
Anyhow, this was just not for me and I will sadly not be recommending this. I had to DNF when I realized I am forcing myself to read it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This would be a solid 3⭐️ from me. I think it's a really good debut book and has a potential to become very popular, but after reading over 100 books in the genre this year, some things did not vibe with me.
First and foremost, I think fresh Fourth Wing fans will like this one. It checks all the boxes:
- School/Academy setting
- Divided world
- Dragons (but they are 'bad')
- Forced proximity
- Found Family
- "Enemies to lovers" but not really
- Fake relationship
- "Jack Barlowe"
- Secrets and changed history
- Hidden identities and Power
👍Yays:
- World building is great. I love how the author managed to insert pieces of the world and history through different scenes and situations, it really pulls you in and you can experience it all. I am sure we only scratched the surface, but it's still extensive and promises a very unique world to remember.
- Even though magic system is not really clear in the first 35% of the book, you get the answers as you continue reading, and it's quite unique, such as sound manipulation.
- Found family - many know I am sucker for those. Side characters in that little circle really adds to the world-building, but also to the plot. Their secrets and history just build upon what we know from FMCs perspective.
👎Nays:
- Insta lust - even though as you read and get to the 85% of the book, you understand why it looked insta lusty, but it still didn't sit well with me at all. It was too much, along with exaggerated hate to strengthen the enemies-to-lovers trope. From that moment on, I lost interest in the love story. Even the reasons he gave for the 'hate' were really weak and it just painted the MMC as someone who is not only juvenile, but shallow. The worst thing is that it started with insta lust and became slow burn with tortured behaviour.😳
- Only 1 POV - We only get her POV, which would be fine if things were told differently, but from her POV it was just exhausting and I was not able to 'feel' that connection with the MMC that is being dragged through 600 pages. She is not as annoying as I expected, but my next point just explains why just 1 POV annoyed me.
- FMC inner monologues - one of the biggest issues I had with this book. I would be able to tolerate almost everything listed as nays here, but her inner monologues drained me to the point that I almost DNFed the book 2 times. First, repetitiveness - stating her motives like a mantra so many times with little space in between was just boring . Then the constant questions - OVER AND OVER again. It stopped me as a reader from asking those questions, and it just gave me pointers where to look and what to think which for me is the equivalent of being told now shown. I didn't like it, it didn't vibe well, and it ruined the experience a bit.
- Ambiguous setting - I was 100% sure this was a dystopia for about 20% of the story, minus the dragons. The entire system (no matter how well built it was) had more dystopian than fantasy elements, along with the military, guards, Codex etc. Which is a huge plus for the uniqueness, but then dragons! It's just confusing. Now, when you get to the end, you get that dragons have a huge role in the story, but I think that the actual vibe and setting is something left for book 2.
- Relationship timeline - Apart from insta lust, I've read it all before, in Fourth Wing, in exactly the same order, minus a scene or two and a fake relationship part. Which is also fine, that's why I said that fresh FW fans would enjoy this, but that's why this also didn't sit well with me. Spice is 2🌶️.
- Miscommunication- This is my personal pet peeve. I hate this trope as much as memory loss trope, and with her monologues, their relationship timeline, and insta lust, miscommunication being added in the mix I just couldn't stand a lot of dialogues. He explicitly told her that he cannot tell her almost anything, she ACKNOWLEDGED she cannot trust him, but is still shocked when he does something she 'didn't expect'. Seriously?
- I can go on, but these were just the most prominent issues I had with the book.
❓ Questions left unanswered
- Now, there is a possibility I missed it while reading all those annoying monologues, but I have no idea how old both of them are. That's what I realised when I finished the book. This is something I cannot hold it against anyone but me, as I really don't know if and how I have missed it.
- What's the deal with her mom's diaries? We only got glimpses of the story, but there should have been more. Those couple of pages just showed us where she was and that she loved her father, but HOW is all that answering some questions about powers and world?
Cliffhanger was of course strong, but I kind of saw that ending coming, and mainly due to miscommunication trope and a couple of 'plot twists' in between.
I think I will continue this series, but I will first skim read through a couple of chapters to see if her monologues are still exhausting. If the answer is YES, then it's a NO for me. No matter how good the story is, I just want to enjoy my reading time, not treat it like a chore.
Thank you NetGalley and author for providing me with an eARC.
First and foremost, I think fresh Fourth Wing fans will like this one. It checks all the boxes:
- School/Academy setting
- Divided world
- Dragons (but they are 'bad')
- Forced proximity
- Found Family
- "Enemies to lovers" but not really
- Fake relationship
- "Jack Barlowe"
- Secrets and changed history
- Hidden identities and Power
👍Yays:
- World building is great. I love how the author managed to insert pieces of the world and history through different scenes and situations, it really pulls you in and you can experience it all. I am sure we only scratched the surface, but it's still extensive and promises a very unique world to remember.
- Even though magic system is not really clear in the first 35% of the book, you get the answers as you continue reading, and it's quite unique, such as sound manipulation.
- Found family - many know I am sucker for those. Side characters in that little circle really adds to the world-building, but also to the plot. Their secrets and history just build upon what we know from FMCs perspective.
👎Nays:
- Insta lust - even though as you read and get to the 85% of the book, you understand why it looked insta lusty, but it still didn't sit well with me at all. It was too much, along with exaggerated hate to strengthen the enemies-to-lovers trope. From that moment on, I lost interest in the love story. Even the reasons he gave for the 'hate' were really weak and it just painted the MMC as someone who is not only juvenile, but shallow. The worst thing is that it started with insta lust and became slow burn with tortured behaviour.😳
- Only 1 POV - We only get her POV, which would be fine if things were told differently, but from her POV it was just exhausting and I was not able to 'feel' that connection with the MMC that is being dragged through 600 pages. She is not as annoying as I expected, but my next point just explains why just 1 POV annoyed me.
- FMC inner monologues - one of the biggest issues I had with this book. I would be able to tolerate almost everything listed as nays here, but her inner monologues drained me to the point that I almost DNFed the book 2 times. First, repetitiveness - stating her motives like a mantra so many times with little space in between was just boring . Then the constant questions - OVER AND OVER again. It stopped me as a reader from asking those questions, and it just gave me pointers where to look and what to think which for me is the equivalent of being told now shown. I didn't like it, it didn't vibe well, and it ruined the experience a bit.
- Ambiguous setting - I was 100% sure this was a dystopia for about 20% of the story, minus the dragons. The entire system (no matter how well built it was) had more dystopian than fantasy elements, along with the military, guards, Codex etc. Which is a huge plus for the uniqueness, but then dragons! It's just confusing. Now, when you get to the end, you get that dragons have a huge role in the story, but I think that the actual vibe and setting is something left for book 2.
- Relationship timeline - Apart from insta lust, I've read it all before, in Fourth Wing, in exactly the same order, minus a scene or two and a fake relationship part. Which is also fine, that's why I said that fresh FW fans would enjoy this, but that's why this also didn't sit well with me. Spice is 2🌶️.
- Miscommunication- This is my personal pet peeve. I hate this trope as much as memory loss trope, and with her monologues, their relationship timeline, and insta lust, miscommunication being added in the mix I just couldn't stand a lot of dialogues. He explicitly told her that he cannot tell her almost anything, she ACKNOWLEDGED she cannot trust him, but is still shocked when he does something she 'didn't expect'. Seriously?
- I can go on, but these were just the most prominent issues I had with the book.
❓ Questions left unanswered
- Now, there is a possibility I missed it while reading all those annoying monologues, but I have no idea how old both of them are. That's what I realised when I finished the book. This is something I cannot hold it against anyone but me, as I really don't know if and how I have missed it.
- What's the deal with her mom's diaries? We only got glimpses of the story, but there should have been more. Those couple of pages just showed us where she was and that she loved her father, but HOW is all that answering some questions about powers and world?
Cliffhanger was of course strong, but I kind of saw that ending coming, and mainly due to miscommunication trope and a couple of 'plot twists' in between.
I think I will continue this series, but I will first skim read through a couple of chapters to see if her monologues are still exhausting. If the answer is YES, then it's a NO for me. No matter how good the story is, I just want to enjoy my reading time, not treat it like a chore.
Thank you NetGalley and author for providing me with an eARC.
February 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Becky Jane Fox for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
-
I had to think about this for a while. After pondering about what to do with this book for over two weeks I have come to the conclusion of dnfing it at 58%. And I'm so glad I did.
It started off super promising, gave me the perfect adult romantasy vibes I expected from this book. But as soon as the main character got to this academy setting, the entire book felt so... juvenile. Everything changed drastically, the writing style got so sloppy, the main character was just straight up naive and the side characters bland and unseasoned.
The love interest was atrocious. I feel like the author wanted him to be this dark broody killer guy, but she couldn't flesh him out like that. He was just super icky. Always lurking, trying to be mysterious, randomly taking her finger into his mouth? Ew. No no no. He was annoying and the entire thing felt too insta-loving with the author trying to make it enemies-to-lovers. It didn't work out like that at all, I fear.
The utter unrealistic behavior of literally EVERYONE made the entire book so boring and made the FMC feel like a pick-me, without the author even intending it that way.
I would have eaten this book up at 14 but not now; I'm too grown up for this. I'm glad I'm dnfing this, although the author is a total sweetheart and I like her a lot. I wish her the best for her writing journey.
-
I had to think about this for a while. After pondering about what to do with this book for over two weeks I have come to the conclusion of dnfing it at 58%. And I'm so glad I did.
It started off super promising, gave me the perfect adult romantasy vibes I expected from this book. But as soon as the main character got to this academy setting, the entire book felt so... juvenile. Everything changed drastically, the writing style got so sloppy, the main character was just straight up naive and the side characters bland and unseasoned.
The love interest was atrocious. I feel like the author wanted him to be this dark broody killer guy, but she couldn't flesh him out like that. He was just super icky. Always lurking, trying to be mysterious, randomly taking her finger into his mouth? Ew. No no no. He was annoying and the entire thing felt too insta-loving with the author trying to make it enemies-to-lovers. It didn't work out like that at all, I fear.
The utter unrealistic behavior of literally EVERYONE made the entire book so boring and made the FMC feel like a pick-me, without the author even intending it that way.
I would have eaten this book up at 14 but not now; I'm too grown up for this. I'm glad I'm dnfing this, although the author is a total sweetheart and I like her a lot. I wish her the best for her writing journey.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
WOW
⚡ Veins of Power ⚡ by @beckyjanefox @fifthrealmsaga
Quick Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75
Cutthroat magic academy where any class can kill you, your magic is feral, you have an emotional support duck 🦆. The MMC is charming and drop dead fckable 😉 IYKYK. oh and he is also absolutely here to ruin your nervous system.
The Vibes:
Unruly elemental magic, lethal lessons, unhinged dragons & rebellion. Lyra's just trying to survive while the empire is low key crumbling and everyone keeps attempting to murder her. ...Just a regular day that ends in Y.
Lyra & Talen:
Lyra is smart, stubborn, exhausted, and running on vibes and spite. Talen is walking emotional sabotage with MAJOR Four from Divergent energy🫠🫠. The slow burn is criminal. The tension🥵🥵 The lusting, the day dreaming, the pencil snapping, that takedown, the eye locking, and then she knew he felt all that want ..that crippling need and her INSANE desire for him OMG I was sweating. IT WAS FN HAWT🫠🌶️
Also the wooden duck 🦆. The way he fixed it because she needed it like she needed air? 🥹🥹
The side characters who stole the show:
Rowan, a stoic king who turned into a ride or die fam member, and is absolutely not telling us everything 👁️
Ezzy, sweet proof that Lyra is lovable and deserving of real friendship.
Finn, our golden retriever flirt, here to charm, tease, and emotionally support when things explode.
The Ending:
The last 100 pages were unhinged. The last 9 percent was emotional damage. Deadly trials. Epic battles. Brutal executions.
Rule 4 ruined LIVEEESSSSSS!!!!!
The envelope!!!!!! The note!!!!! ✉️💔
“I told you not to trust me.” I just can't.🥺🥺🥺
Then between that last chapter and Talen’s POV I just fkn stared at the wall whispering WHAT THE BISCUITS…
I needed several minutes.
Some repetition kept this from 5 stars, but as a debut with rich worldbuilding? I ate it up. Will I read book two? ABSOLUTELY. IMMEDIATELY. OBSESSIVELY. 💯📚
⚡ Veins of Power ⚡ by @beckyjanefox @fifthrealmsaga
Quick Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75
Cutthroat magic academy where any class can kill you, your magic is feral, you have an emotional support duck 🦆. The MMC is charming and drop dead fckable 😉 IYKYK. oh and he is also absolutely here to ruin your nervous system.
The Vibes:
Unruly elemental magic, lethal lessons, unhinged dragons & rebellion. Lyra's just trying to survive while the empire is low key crumbling and everyone keeps attempting to murder her. ...Just a regular day that ends in Y.
Lyra & Talen:
Lyra is smart, stubborn, exhausted, and running on vibes and spite. Talen is walking emotional sabotage with MAJOR Four from Divergent energy🫠🫠. The slow burn is criminal. The tension🥵🥵 The lusting, the day dreaming, the pencil snapping, that takedown, the eye locking, and then she knew he felt all that want ..that crippling need and her INSANE desire for him OMG I was sweating. IT WAS FN HAWT🫠🌶️
Also the wooden duck 🦆. The way he fixed it because she needed it like she needed air? 🥹🥹
The side characters who stole the show:
Rowan, a stoic king who turned into a ride or die fam member, and is absolutely not telling us everything 👁️
Ezzy, sweet proof that Lyra is lovable and deserving of real friendship.
Finn, our golden retriever flirt, here to charm, tease, and emotionally support when things explode.
The Ending:
The last 100 pages were unhinged. The last 9 percent was emotional damage. Deadly trials. Epic battles. Brutal executions.
Rule 4 ruined LIVEEESSSSSS!!!!!
The envelope!!!!!! The note!!!!! ✉️💔
“I told you not to trust me.” I just can't.🥺🥺🥺
Then between that last chapter and Talen’s POV I just fkn stared at the wall whispering WHAT THE BISCUITS…
I needed several minutes.
Some repetition kept this from 5 stars, but as a debut with rich worldbuilding? I ate it up. Will I read book two? ABSOLUTELY. IMMEDIATELY. OBSESSIVELY. 💯📚
December 26, 2025
Having read not a single romantasy book this year, I found this one on netgalley and I'm so glad I got picked as a reader because this was power packed.
The premise not just captures the regular tropes but the magic system and plot was very well done. After a long break in this genre I found myself having a hard time getting hooked to a book but this one pulled me in right away.
The world is split into two - outerlands and Citadel. People in outerlands are stripped of magic but our FMC - Lyra, her magic doesn't know how to stay contained and to let it out she has to enter citadel.
Now, on her way she is captured crossing the border into the Innerlands brought in court only to find that her mother served in citadel years ago. She doesn't want to serve them and neither does she want to believe her mother serving to be true. Unclear of the agenda of why she is even brought here, she decides to stay.
Extremely gripping. Perfect for the fans of fourth wing, throne of glass.
✨ Slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension
😈 Morally grey MMC
💣 Forced proximity & dangerous bargains
🐉 Dragons in exile & forbidden magic
❤️🔥 A fierce, flawed heroine who would rather set the world on fire than bow to it
The premise not just captures the regular tropes but the magic system and plot was very well done. After a long break in this genre I found myself having a hard time getting hooked to a book but this one pulled me in right away.
The world is split into two - outerlands and Citadel. People in outerlands are stripped of magic but our FMC - Lyra, her magic doesn't know how to stay contained and to let it out she has to enter citadel.
Now, on her way she is captured crossing the border into the Innerlands brought in court only to find that her mother served in citadel years ago. She doesn't want to serve them and neither does she want to believe her mother serving to be true. Unclear of the agenda of why she is even brought here, she decides to stay.
Extremely gripping. Perfect for the fans of fourth wing, throne of glass.
✨ Slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension
😈 Morally grey MMC
💣 Forced proximity & dangerous bargains
🐉 Dragons in exile & forbidden magic
❤️🔥 A fierce, flawed heroine who would rather set the world on fire than bow to it
November 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had the pleasure of receiving an early ARC of Veins of Power, and wow—what a ride. At first glance, it starts like many romantasy tales: a young female protagonist setting off on a journey, the world slowly unfolding around her. The pacing in the beginning is gentle, almost deceptively so. But don’t let that lull you—because once this story finds its stride, it does not let go.
The transformation throughout the book is remarkable. What begins as a familiar fantasy setup evolves into something far more layered and unpredictable. The last third of the novel is packed with twists and revelations that had me flipping pages like my life depended on it. I genuinely gasped more than once.
The emotional stakes rise sharply, the magic system deepens, and the characters—especially the protagonist—grow in ways that feel earned and compelling.
By the end, I was fully invested and devastated that I’ll have to wait for book two. If you love romantasy with a slow burn that erupts into high-stakes drama, Veins of Power is a must-read.
I had the pleasure of receiving an early ARC of Veins of Power, and wow—what a ride. At first glance, it starts like many romantasy tales: a young female protagonist setting off on a journey, the world slowly unfolding around her. The pacing in the beginning is gentle, almost deceptively so. But don’t let that lull you—because once this story finds its stride, it does not let go.
The transformation throughout the book is remarkable. What begins as a familiar fantasy setup evolves into something far more layered and unpredictable. The last third of the novel is packed with twists and revelations that had me flipping pages like my life depended on it. I genuinely gasped more than once.
The emotional stakes rise sharply, the magic system deepens, and the characters—especially the protagonist—grow in ways that feel earned and compelling.
By the end, I was fully invested and devastated that I’ll have to wait for book two. If you love romantasy with a slow burn that erupts into high-stakes drama, Veins of Power is a must-read.
December 6, 2025
Wow! What an astounding debut novel 😍
Let me start by saying, the book had me hook, line and sinker from the first chapter! Such a sizzling start to this adventure. So many lovable characters. Lyra, Ezzy, Rowan, Finn and of course the one we love to hate and hate to love.. the Nightrose Talen our MMC 🤤
This book has the perfect amount of plot with an equal amount of yearning. Betrayal, plot twists, concise world building that doesn't leave your brain fried, dragons, villains and our delectable MMC Talen who is swoon worthy!!! Throughout this book you will fall in love with side characters, wonder who can be trusted and pick up on many hidden dragon eggs within the chapters.
Speaking of chapters, each one has you rushing to get to the next. Zero filler which I love. Thank you Becky for writing this book and entrusting us ARC readers with your work. I am honestly blown away with how good this is for a debut and grateful l've had the chance to enter the Fifth Realm ♥️
Let me start by saying, the book had me hook, line and sinker from the first chapter! Such a sizzling start to this adventure. So many lovable characters. Lyra, Ezzy, Rowan, Finn and of course the one we love to hate and hate to love.. the Nightrose Talen our MMC 🤤
This book has the perfect amount of plot with an equal amount of yearning. Betrayal, plot twists, concise world building that doesn't leave your brain fried, dragons, villains and our delectable MMC Talen who is swoon worthy!!! Throughout this book you will fall in love with side characters, wonder who can be trusted and pick up on many hidden dragon eggs within the chapters.
Speaking of chapters, each one has you rushing to get to the next. Zero filler which I love. Thank you Becky for writing this book and entrusting us ARC readers with your work. I am honestly blown away with how good this is for a debut and grateful l've had the chance to enter the Fifth Realm ♥️
March 24, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
this book was really good! Honestly, I couldn’t put it down once I started. This book has very similar vibes to fourth wing, however, it still was able to develop its own originality, which I really appreciated. The magic system was very unique and I love the academy setting. We even had fake dating in here, and I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time!!!
this book was really good! Honestly, I couldn’t put it down once I started. This book has very similar vibes to fourth wing, however, it still was able to develop its own originality, which I really appreciated. The magic system was very unique and I love the academy setting. We even had fake dating in here, and I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time!!!
October 24, 2026
If you have read others reviews (like I did before I began this book) you will probably have noticed a LOT of them complain about the insta-lust and repetition. My suggestion to you is BELIEVE THEM!! Good freaking grief!! I have never read a book (and remember how many thousands I have read) where the FMC falls into panty-burning lust EVERY SINGLE TIME the MMC walks onto the page like this one! I promise I’m not exaggerating even an ounce. She is supposed to hate him and in-spite of every horrible thing she believes about him, the MINUTE she sees him - in any situation, from having watched him brutally kill someone to seeing him walk around a corner, she just crumbles with lust. She can’t help herself, her brain just won’t let her think of anything but how he tastes what he would… (you fill in the blank because I can guarantee it’s in here). And have I mentioned lately how much I LOATHE an FMC that loses every ounce of brain function and falls into a quivering mass of hormones whenever a hot guy is seen? It’s insulting to the point of book fodder for the fireplace. GAH!!! Hate, HATE, HATE it. Any talented author should do better than “He’s just so HAWT, I can’t help myself, my body betrays me” stupidness.
BUT (and it’s a big one) IF you can get through the brainless twitching need of the FMC, the rest of the story is riveting! So good, it really is hard to put down. I know, doesn’t make sense, but there it is. Book throwing infuriation wrapped in nail-biting page turning.
BUT (and it’s a big one) IF you can get through the brainless twitching need of the FMC, the rest of the story is riveting! So good, it really is hard to put down. I know, doesn’t make sense, but there it is. Book throwing infuriation wrapped in nail-biting page turning.
October 12, 2026
Guys! It was so bad. And I'm 85% sure it's AI 😫 (the em dashes were BAD, among other things). I am actually disappointed in all the peeps saying, "this was so fun!" It was not fun! I should have DNF'd, but it was like a train wreck -- I couldn't look away, and I had to see how this ended. But 600 pages later I realized I wasn't reading a fantasy novel. I was being held hostage by one.
I liked the way it started...so there's that.
This book did not need to be this long. The main story could have easily been told in like 250 pages. The repetition was INSANE. Something would happen, we'd experience the entire thing in excruciating detail, and then the FMC would spend the next several pages replaying the same events in her head. Girl. We were there. We just did this. Why are we doing it again?!
Ugh! The FMC.. she's just not smart. And the MMC? WEAKSAUCE. An MMC who repeatedly denies the FMC only to turn around and deliver a love confession like that? Pick a struggle, sir.
Should I have DNF'd? Absolutely. But apparently I enjoy suffering when there's a plot to be investigated.
I liked the way it started...so there's that.
This book did not need to be this long. The main story could have easily been told in like 250 pages. The repetition was INSANE. Something would happen, we'd experience the entire thing in excruciating detail, and then the FMC would spend the next several pages replaying the same events in her head. Girl. We were there. We just did this. Why are we doing it again?!
Ugh! The FMC.. she's just not smart. And the MMC? WEAKSAUCE. An MMC who repeatedly denies the FMC only to turn around and deliver a love confession like that? Pick a struggle, sir.
Should I have DNF'd? Absolutely. But apparently I enjoy suffering when there's a plot to be investigated.
September 24, 2026
I buddy read this with some of the girls from our book club, and I loved it! I found myself needing to know what was going to happen next, and honestly couldn't put it down.
What to expect
-Fake dating
-Slowburn
-Forced proximity
-Banter
-Magical academy
-Plot twists
-Magical threads
Wow, I absolutely loved this book. I was immediately pulled in by the storyline. The banter and slow burn between Lyra and Talen had me kicking my feet. And can we talk about that ending?! Because I'm still unwell.
Thank you so much Becky Jane Fox for the gifted copy of Veins of Power. I can't wait to see what happens next for these characters.
What to expect
-Fake dating
-Slowburn
-Forced proximity
-Banter
-Magical academy
-Plot twists
-Magical threads
Wow, I absolutely loved this book. I was immediately pulled in by the storyline. The banter and slow burn between Lyra and Talen had me kicking my feet. And can we talk about that ending?! Because I'm still unwell.
Thank you so much Becky Jane Fox for the gifted copy of Veins of Power. I can't wait to see what happens next for these characters.
June 2, 2026
3.5⭐️ Dragon Rider Academia
Was it the most original book I’ve ever read? No. But I didn’t mind it. The writing has an easy flow to it that throws you into the story immediately. Sometimes in the summer months I need a book that I can turn my brain off to and this did just that. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, the dialogue felt natural in a way that makes you forget your reading.
Things did become a bit repetitive at times a the pacing got a little wonky as the story progressed but all in all I found it to be a decent read and I’m intrigued just enough to carry on with the series.
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Was it the most original book I’ve ever read? No. But I didn’t mind it. The writing has an easy flow to it that throws you into the story immediately. Sometimes in the summer months I need a book that I can turn my brain off to and this did just that. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, the dialogue felt natural in a way that makes you forget your reading.
Things did become a bit repetitive at times a the pacing got a little wonky as the story progressed but all in all I found it to be a decent read and I’m intrigued just enough to carry on with the series.
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2026
This would be a 4 star review from me were it not for:
* the repetition- this book took about 9 hours in total to read and a good 5 of them are just the FMC talking or thinking about how chaotic her magic is
* how naive and oftentimes utterly dense the FMC is
For the love of all that is holy, Lyra please get your shit together in book two you boring, stupid twat.
(World building is good, lore is good, dragons are cool, magic is exciting etc hence the 3 stars it’s been given).
March 24, 2026
How does this have so many 5 star reviews 😭
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