Psycho Fae

Cruel Shifterverse #2

by Jasmine Mas, Anne Masur (Translator)

Kämpfe in den tödlichen Gladiatorenspielen der Fae um dein Überleben.
Ich verwandelte mich in einen Säbelzahntiger … aber das war erst der Anfang.
Jax, Cobra und Ascher sind jetzt meine Verbündeten. Wiedeieder einmal kämpfen wir um unser Leben. Und um unsere Zukunft.
Aber nichts ist so, wie es scheint, und mit jedem Geheimnis, das wir aufdecken, kommt ein neues zum Vorschein.
Unter der boshaften Herrschaft von Xerxes und der bösen Faekönigin ist es nicht sicher, ob wir überleben werden.
Können wir zusammenarbeiten? Oder werden wir scheitern?
Eines ist Ich bin dabei, mein Schicksal zu enthüllen.

Genres: Fantasy, Omegaverse, Romance, Why Choose, Fae, Paranormal, Shapeshifters

494 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2022

About the author

JASMINE MAS is a New York Times bestselling author of fantasy romance. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages. She has a degree in ancient Greco-Roman classical studies from Georgetown University, and is a former lawyer who spends all her free time writing about strong women in magical worlds. She lives in Florida with her husband Evan and cat named Boo. She loves connecting with readers on TikTok and Instagram at @jasminemasbooks.

Join her newsletter at blog.jasminemasbooks.com for early access and perks. Her website is jasminemasbooks.com

Reviews

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is somehow worse than the first, and yet I kept reading and plan on finishing the series????

Why am I like this?

[Mareeva · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

I kept wanting to dnf this book and rate it 2 stars, but then I thought.....no, just keep reading, maybe the rating will go up. Maybe rating it prematurely would be unfair. And you know what. I was right, it would have been unfair. It would've been unfair to all involved if I mislead y'all into thinking this deserves anything more than 1 star.

Truly a wild experience.

I've encountered several writing styles which I thought weren't a great choice for the genre, or just plain bad over all. But I think it's the first time I had the pleasure of reading a book, written ENTIRELY in twitter humour. The gen z bible has nothing on this author.

Who has ever asked for a fantasy book which contains sentences that start with "the feminine urge to....." or end with the words "vibe" or "energy"

I don't know what happened with the writing process between book 1 and 2. Psycho Shifters was nowhere near as cringe. Sadie developed a habit to "humorously" ramble. I say humorously, very loosely because none of it was actually funny. The author was clearly trying to appeal to.....something

Heroine after waking up from a 3 day coma and losing 70% of her blood:

“Not dead yet, bitch.” I made a duck face and held up two peace signs.

No reaction meme in this universe will ever be able to describe the face I made when I read this.

Ahm THE DEFINITION OF HUMOUR -via Jasmine Mas;

Talk about the explosive diarrhea you just had, mention your vagina lips flapping in the wind at least 500 times, make a comment about passing gass.....or puking in your mouth every day. Once you run out of those, repeat the same stale twitter jokes until someone starts laughing. From hysteria.

No but genuinely if I had to hear about Sadie's bodily fluids or her god forsaken vagina lips flaps hole WHATEVER. Girl needs to heed the wise words of Tati Westbrooke


THE DEFINITION OF A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN -via Sadie;

step 1- constantly complain about:
⦿ being weak
⦿ being unable to run
⦿ being ugly
⦿ being mentally unwell
⦿ how weak and pathetic she is
⦿ how short she is

step 2- use a variation of the phrase "like the strong independent woman I am" every 5 chapters so we never forget.

Besides the writing and the heroine, everything else was just as unbearable.

Firstly, the romance fell off. Obviously doesn't help that I wasn't that into it to begin with, but everything felt like a hot mess to me. Two of the dudes are fucking eachother, the other dude can't seem to pick a personality, the new dude is an omega who likes to whine (like the actual sound).
I was initially ready to get over it because the plot intrigued me. But of course THAT FELL OFF TOO. The fae games made no sense, the world building was.....whatever is above surface level? The world building was floating in space with zero direction to be seen. And I literally don't understand wtf the fae queen wants. So is she just sadistic for the sake of being sadistic? boring.

And finally, something that has been truly haunting me: Cobra.

please get him away from me with his "my kitten" bullshit🤣🤣🤣

Sadie would be on the verge of death, with her nose broken for the 87856936592's time and he'd in all seriousness, with full confidence say "leave my kitten alone😡"

My last thought before I passed out — when I woke up, I would kill every guard that had touched my kitten.

[Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof. Can we all just agree to keep slang out of books? Every time I see words in books like, lowkey, highkey, TikTok, "as you should," and yas queen, something in me dies a little more. Don't get me wrong I love using those words myself in real life, but I feel like they don't belong in books. Like books are timeless, and these are words that will peak for a few years and then fade once more. These words only end up tainting that timeless feel.

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ Pace and action
✅ Hilarious and badass MC
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ “Touch her and you die”
✅ “Who did this to you?”
✅ Omegaverse and shifters
✅ Some smut and sexual tension
✅ Snark and sass
✅ Plot
✅🆗 Worldbuilding
❗️❗️ Kind of cliffhanger
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: mentions of past physical abuse

_______________________

Third read:Is this series perfect? Nope.
Do I care? Nope.
This series is a guilty pleasure for me.

_______________________

4.5 stars

I summed up the situation, “So our entire lives have been a lie, and we’re completely fucked.”

Psycho Fae picks up right where Psycho Shifters ends, as Sadie, Jax, and Cobra are now at the mercy of the Fae Queen, after having been betrayed by Ascher. Because being captive of the cruel Fae Queen is not enough, Sadie and her men are now forced to participate in the Fae Games: a deadly competition where Faes fight and maim each other for the entertainment of the spectators.

The pace is addictive, and there is just enough action and tension to keep us hooked until the very end. I had a serious case of "just one more chapter" with this one both times I read it!

The world-building is expanding, as this book happens in the Fae realm. I like that each book takes place in a different realm (the next one will be in the Beast realm), but at the same time, I feel that we didn't see nearly enough of the Fae realm. Sadie and her guys spent most of their time training or fighting, which brought up a ton of action scenes, but I would have loved to see more of this magical realm because I feel that there is so much potential with the little we've seen of it! This book could have happened in any realm really, there was nothing to set it apart besides the fact that it is populated by faes and it’s warm and sunny compared to the Shifter realm.

Yes, I had just called the evil fae queen with insane fire abilities “trashy.” It was called living without regrets, and it was my new motto.


There was one universal truth to life: no one looked elegant after a chop to the trachea.

Sadie is still a badass, and I love how she pretends that she is as dominant and impressive as the alphas with her. Despite her badass attitude, though, she still has a more vulnerable side at times, which makes her more relatable and likable. She is an anomaly; nobody really understands what she is, but she is also a very human young adult with needs and insecurities. I really love her as the main character and her sass and inner monologues make me laugh every time.

“I physically can’t deal with your toxic energy right now. You hate me; I get it. Take a number and get in line.”

Sadie keeps her snark and sass, but sadly, things are only worsening for her and her alphas. In the first book, she had to fight against a few monsters and hold her own in a facility full of people who didn't like her or trust her. It was more about her having to face bully-alphas and proving that she was not completely useless and worthless. In this sequel, she has to fight for her life and her alphas’ lives at every turn, and it only gets bloodier as the story progresses.

Of course, at that very moment, they stopped screaming for Cobra and started chanting, “Kill the girl!”
I took it as a good sign—my public relations plan was working.

Sadie's inner monologues are hilarious. She can be so awkward, but at the same time, she's so funny and unashamed of who she is. She doesn't give a shit about other people's opinions and even tries to talk herself up and pretend that she is much stronger and more intimidating than she is. She reminded me a little bit of Willa in Trickery, she is not nearly as clumsy as Willa is, but she has the same “whatever, let’s just roll with this shit” and “I’m clearly superior to all of you but you just don’t want to admit it” attitude.

I’d always been obsessed with the stories of the fire fae. They were the strongest, the masters of pain, makers of kings, and slayers of gods. Notably, they seemed less cool now that one was literally lighting me on fire.

The Queen is the villain of this book, and she is a psycho fae. I have to say though that we didn't see her that much. I was expecting her to interact more with Sadie and her alphas, to try to get something from them besides forcing them to take part in the Fae game for her entertainment and profit. Overall, this book is awesome, but the bigger picture (or bigger plotline) remains pretty shallow and simplistic. The relationships between Sadie and the men changed, and more details about their origins were revealed, but I am still not sure where this is all going and what the endgame is. It’s not a bad thing though, because it makes me even more excited for the next book, it’s just that I don’t feel an arc-plot linking this whole series together, besides Sadie’s relationship with the other alphas.

>]"Remember, Kitten, you belong to me and only me. Anyone touches you, they die. Anyone looks at you, they die. Understood?”
“Um, hard no. I belong to myself, and I’m an alpha, even though you keep forgetting. Just because I let you put a finger in my ass, that does not somehow make you my owner—”

My poor damaged Cobra is even more unhinged and chaotic than in the first book, as he realizes that he somehow became obsessed with Sadie, but doesn't have a clue about how to deal with his feelings. I loved his somewhat softer side that we could glimpse every once in a while, but on the other hand, his way of talking about Sadie as if she were his possession got the feminist in me pretty pissed off, and I am glad that Sadie did not hesitate to tell him to go fuck himself when he acted like a jerk and tried to control her. Sadie has a perfect way of explaining it in the book:

It was almost like he cared about me, but had zero clue how to show his affections like a normal person.

Jax is still the sweetest (most of the time), and while I love his protective side and reassuring presence, I love even more the fact that he does not try to control Sadie. He respects her, and having 5 younger sisters, he understands what you can and cannot do if you want to remain in a woman's good grace. It was funny to see him try to control Cobra and smack him every time he would become too possessive and would try to tell Sadie what she could and couldn't do. Poor Jax was trying to save Cobra’s ass because Cobra had no idea that he was putting his foot in his mouth most of the time.

As long as Ascher remembered he was a piece of shit and followed every single thing I told him to do, we would get along fine.

A part of me is still pissed at Ascher for his betrayal, but I have to admit that he is trying very hard to redeem himself. He is full of guilt because he thought he was betraying the alphas to bring them back to the realm they came from. He even thought that they might be lucky, find their real families, and live happily ever after. Once he realized that the Queen had much crueler plans for Sadie and the alphas, he stepped up and tried his best to help them and earn their forgiveness. He is not quite there yet, but he is on the right track.

“Hey, ultimate betrayer number one and annoying fucker number two, why don’t we cool it for a second, or I’m going to suffer a panic attack and cry like a baby and maybe pee myself from sheer terror.”


Now we just needed Jax to speak more and Cobra to speak less. The group dynamic would be a lot more functional.

I love the crazy group dynamic Sadie and the men have. They are a little bit crazy, too violent, overly protective, and not very rational, but I love it! They are very dysfunctional at times, but the author wrote the characters and their interactions wonderfully, and I love them all even though they are so intense and cringy at times. You need to be on board with the craziness and sometimes ridiculousness of this series if you want to fully enjoy it.

Xerxes is introduced at the very end of the first book, and he is a great addition to the group. He is still a secondary character, but he's becoming more important, and he's slowly making his way into Sadie's harem. I love him, and I think he will help soothe the violent and sadistic vibes of some of the alphas as he brings a more levelheaded and rational input to the group. He also has a sweeter and more rational side that Sadie desperately needs when she’s stuck dealing with the tree alphas and their macho behavior.

Rationally, it didn’t matter, and I was a bad bitch who didn’t need a man.
Irrationally, I was a woman who just wanted to get railed and told I was pretty.

There is more sexual tension in this book than in the first one, which is easily explained by the fact that the alphas no longer believe that Sadie is a spy and a worthless shifter. While I enjoyed seeing Sadie interact more with Cobra and Jax, and I love that she is slowly forming a bond with Xerxes, I was expecting more smutty moments. I am not complaining about the slow burn, because I adore reverse-harem with a slow burn and a lot of sexual tension, but I find that there was a lot of action and not enough time spent on relationship-building and meaningful interactions. I am still very happy with the way this RH is progressing, and I am very curious to see how things will move forward in the next book, but I am hoping that Sadie will finally get what she desperately wants from the men.

“I told you to stop attacking people!” I alpha-barked at my men with annoyance.
Instead of respecting my prowess, female fortitude, and ability to make decisions for myself, Cobra and Jax grinned at each other and fist-bumped with their chained hands. Yes, they were bonding over stomping on a man’s face. I couldn’t find some normal fucking dudes to spend my time with?
I got psycho alphas.


In terms of the group dynamic, we didn’t have problems. We were the problem.
Strong alpha personalities that wanted to control, a lot of homicidal energy, and an omega with a knife fixation who hated alphas.

Sadie's group was already weird, with Jax being the only "mostly normal" member of their pack (if it can be called a pack). Between Sadie's violent inner voice, Aran being the hidden Fae princess, Ascher the betrayer, Cobra the chaotic psycho, and Xerxes the hateful omega (that might not be so hateful when it comes to Sadie), they are a ragtag bunch. Their little group gets even more eclectic at the end of this book as new characters are thrown into the mix, and I cannot wait to see how they will all fit together in the next book. There are also some revelations and twists at the end of this one, so I cannot wait for the third book to be released!

There was a pregnant pause as everyone in the room stared at me like my tits were out and I was crazy. Both were true.

1. Psycho Shifters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[molly lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

⟡ 2.75 stars ⟡

The writing was somehow even more diabolical in this than in psycho shifters. Sadie’s inner monologue was pure cringe - the ‘TikTok gen z humour’ was extreme for any novel, let alone a fantasy one 😀! I think it was an attempt at being funny and I suppose relatable? But it just fell flat nine times out of ten.

‘Not dead yet bitch.’ I made a duck face and held up two peace signs.

‘My vagina lips were no longer flapping in the breeze.’

The plot was still kinda fun but too predictable to the point Sadie looked like the biggest nincompoop for not figuring things out sooner. I’ve just looked back at my notes I wrote whilst reading this and I was having such an epic rant 😭.

All in all, the plot was predictable as shit. Sadie dumb as shit. Writing cringe as shit. But I still kind of ate up this shit? If you want something unserious and just for ✨vibes✨ I’d say give this a go. The cringe kinda worked… sometimes.

━━━━ ⊱⋆⊰ ━━━━
⟡ 𝑝𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 ⟡

I love a binge I do 🙂‍↕️ even when the series isn’t all that great 😭

꒰ cruel shifterverse 🐍
⌗﹒ 01 psycho shifters ~ 3★
⌗﹒ 02 psycho fae ~ 2.75★
⌗﹒ 03 psycho beats ~

[bayly jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

i’m confused on the ratings tbh, but everyone has their own opinion.

my opinion?? HOW WAS THIS BOOK SOMEHOW EVEN WORSE THEN THE FIRST????? sadie, jax, and cobra were betrayed by ascher who was actually working for the fae queen to capture beasts from the shifter realm so that they could be reunited with their biological families in the beast realm but she was also playing both sides and kidnapping beasts from the beast realm so that she could send them to the shifter realm just to bring them home? did that make sense? no? SAME. THE PLOT WAS JUST A BUNCH OF MUSH OF THINGS THROWN TOGETHER.

anyways sadie wakes up naked + sees that cobra is also naked and then the queen attempts to force them to have sex in front of the entire kingdom?? to which cobra hits her so she passes out lol. sadie then ends up in the dungeon with jax, and then cobra shows up and then they’re all “released” so that they can compete in the fae games? i feel like the author was trying to bring in the hunger games element but it fell flat. and it was basically the entire backend of the book. basically they competed in games that fae paid to watch, but no one actually dies?? sadie again is the weak pathetic little girl that needs to be protected (wahhhh boo hoo!!)

i literally cannot stand sadie. xerxes was a good addition, an omega thats working for the queen tasked with “keeping an eye” on the alphas who guess what!! IS ALSO OBSESSED WITH SADIE. BORE. AND THEY GUYS YES GROWL BUT JUST ALLOW IT?

the generation z lingo, i cannot.
“‘i’m not dead yet bitch,’ i made a duck face and help up two peace signs.” WHAT IN GODS NAME, NO !!!!!!! i cannot read about this. it’s cringey and NOT in a good way. also girl keeps wanting to have a “ho” (yes hoe but no “e”) phase and CONSTANTLY is chatting about it - calm down oh my god.

of course, sadie ends up being this very rare and thought to be extinct BLOOD FAE who FORCES HER BLOOD OUT OF BODY TO CONTROL OTHER PEOPLE - WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!!!!!!!!!

ends on a cliffhanger where they flee to the beast realm, and of course cobra is named as the air of some mafia leader. this book went in every single direction but none of those directions were actually developed.

things to note:
- these books are not smutty, sooo if that’s what you came for keep looking
- cobra is POSSESSIVE and like not in a hot way? in a demeaning way??
- again cobra keeps saying that sadie is “his” when he’s literally with jax??? BOUNDARIES
- i kinda wished that sadie was in a coma longer so i didn’t have to listen to her

[Gry ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

me 🤝 the fmc
hating men

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC of Psycho Fae by Jasmine Mas



If series were given Zodiac signs this one would be in the Aries library.. It's just.. a lot lol.. but in a lot, in a TON, of really REALLY great ways!.. I'm a firm sliger of the saying "if something is "too much" go find less".. you're never going to find me complaining I'm getting "too much" for my time or money.. that's more of an obscene mortal habit thankfully..Everything about this series is just very high octane. The spice, the violence, the humor, the creativity & beauty used in the setting/ characters AND the storyline.

One of the things I appreciated most with this series that carries through to the second book is the authors ability to deliver such a well rounded piece. Honestly I sorta equate this series to the PowerPuff Girls intro and Ms Mass being Professor Utonium.

However, unlike the PowerPuff Girls this series is most definitely not for everyone. If you aren't open to certain topics or don't like spice, you're going to want to probably skip this series.. while this book isn't AS spicy the spice is still most definitely there.


Those who do believe this to be their beverage of choice are in for quite the treat! I absolutely LOVE this series. While there are several reasons, one of the biggest is the humor!.. Jax & Cobra have banter that at times feels very Dale & Brennan from the movie stepbrothers.. but they're physically the polar opposite of Dale & Brennan, making it all the more hilarious.. While no drum sets are caught in the crossfire, they do NOT share their kitty well 😅..our FMC Sadie?? Absolutely hilarious..think.. Jennifer Lawrence inner monologue. Several times while reading this I found myself convinced that Jennifer Lawrence had something to do with this. It's just that "random" but yet so on point ADHD humor that makes life suck a little less. Usually at the worst possible times (obviously)

Jax+Cobra+Sadie=BEST. THROUPLE. EVER.. it's a scientific fact.. while I understand there are others in the mix, they are without a doubt the nucleus.. and the best throuple ever!

And last but most certainly not least. The storyline is great! I really love how it wasn't sacrificed on for the sake of spice! Instead Spice & Plot work in tandem to deliver.

I don't care that it's only halfway through January, this will without a doubt be on my top 10 list for 2026. Just wait and see.




Until next time,
Hades
🩵

[Lynnzie (lynnziebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dude, Sadie cracks me up. I cackled multiple times because of her inner monologue. She can be such a cringe human but it works for her and I’m obsessed with it. I found the fae world interesting as well as the games. We learned a lot and happy with where we’re at in the series. I do wish we had more harem time, I need more of the men but other than that I’m really enjoyed this series. Can’t wait for the next book!

[❌ Book Hunter ❌ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too Much on the Gen Z vibes.

Over kill on that, and vagina flaps….. ( yes that was used veryyyyy often) many cringe factors that took away from the amazing world building and storyline.

Not enough that I won’t continue with the series but enough to irritate me lol.

[buket · Rating 4 out of 5]

DAMN.

honestly i think i’m enjoying this a bit too much??😭 i was already loving it but then the author pulled iconic blood bend ability which i adoreeeeeee(katara you will always be famous) and then she added mafia🤣🤣🤣she’s my new favorite crazy author because wtf was this book so much happened and i was like whaaaaat

sadie you crazy bitch🤭 she’s so unhinged that i love her for this i never know what kind of bs she’s gonna say next😭 cobra did anyone said match my freak??? i love how cobra and sadie are going feral over each other this is the duo we deserve to read🙂‍↕️jax sweet caring alpha😋ascher keep groveling and maybe we will forgive you(i already did) 🙄xerxes my sweet potato omega 🥰 love love love him

and not to sound obsessed with smut but when will reverse harem start hareming😾 what is it slow born closed door reverse harem???😒 GIMME SOMETHING ALREADY PLSSSSSSA ITS BEEN TWO BOOKS🙄

also i can’t wait to read arabelle’s book i was deadddddd when this crazy bitch eat her mother’s heart(literally)😈

IT’S OFFICIAL TIKTOK HOOKED ME UP IN ANOTHER SERIES AND I AM OBSESSED 😔😔😔😔😔

[cha · Rating 4 out of 5]

god this one was even funnier than the first lol.

If you're expecting an immersive, historically accurate, consistent arc building, perfectly crafted lore fantasy universe, then honestly don't even bother, this is not the book for you 😭 but if you're looking for fun, ridiculous, over the top comedy romcom set in a fantasy world... then hop in!!

I see that a lot of people are put off by the very modern gen z dialogues and references in this but that is actually why I enjoyed the book so much.

I knew this wasn't going to be a deep epic fantasy ride for me, so I really welcomed the hilarious banter and one-liners especially from Sadie, Cobra and Aran 😭

“You don’t belong here, and I am going to make sure the realm knows it. You heretic women and your campaign to replace men in battle—it’s disgusting. I won’t allow you to poison the female minds of this realm.”

I gave him a thumbs-up and a big smile. “Good luck with that. It seems like you’re in a real healthy place mentally.”

GAHAHAHAH and this is just like one of many many hilarious Sadie moments in this book. truly an iconic fmc.

I get why it took people out of the fantasy feel tho, because they had a really gen z vocab and definitely didn't fit in the middle of a gladiator style hunger games with fae warriors and shifters but this book had been strange and hilarious from the start, so for me all of that just fit perfectly.

Listening to the audiobook definitely boosted the fun. Tried switching to the book and it didn't have quite the same effect.

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

audio still a 3.5
plot: 3.75
overall 3.75 stars rounded up

This was such a fun time 😂 Is it a literary masterpiece? Hell no. Is it entertaining? YESSS. This was a bit better than book 1, it was longer, we got more povs from the alphas and the plot was plottingggg. Also, if you don't like your fantasy to have "modern lingo", maybe stay away from this one because it is riddled with it😅 That isn't so much a problem for me but I know it can pull some readers out of the fantasy aspect of the book.

Sadie is so sarcastic and funny. There are so many epic quotes from her; literally her whole inner monologue can be quoted😅 The alphas are possessive and hot but also so sweet and protective🥰.

However, I'm still not obsessed or like emotionally invested in them. There are books you read where you get so attached to the characters, (Ironide Academy😭😭 I will never shut up about this series sorry not sorry😭) and I don't feel that here you know? That's not necessarily a bad thing but it does make the reading experience better imo.

onto book 3 and it's 15 hours ahhh

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so I didn't write my review for the first book before just starting this book and I wonder how much that was a mistake because this sequel has absolutely colored my impression of the first book.

The first and most obvious for me is that this series is tagged at LGBTQ+ and yet manages to be homophobic. The first book has an AFAB character presenting male to hide from an abusive and controlling mother who is yanked back into the fae world with the main 4. For me, this presented some really interesting possibilities to talk about non-cis-gay male queerness, possibly transmasc, non-binary, or genderfluid identities through Aran the character. And I was super excited for that! This is totally and completely undercut when Aran is presented as hyperfeminine and uncomfortable with the male identity she took on in the first book, and there's a weird focus with 'how much' her magic fae token changed her, and a suspiciously specific answer. Aran also very aggressively no-homo's Sadie by yelling at her that she "likes dick" and therefore isn't interested in Sadie sexually. Their relationship wasn't sexual in the first book, and it didn't need to be in this story to be satisfying, but as it was, I felt completely blindsided by the weird, aggressively lesbophobic moment. Especially given that the MLM relationships are hypersexualized and fetishized, it just made me super uncomfortable. Plus, as a queer person, I did ship Aran and Sadie and I would have enjoyed the addition to the polycule honestly.

Also, this book reads aggressively modern! In the dialogue especially. It suffered from some weird whiplash in this way... I pictured something closer to a medieval fantasy setting in the first book but now I have to go back and see if that's true or if it's just my bias towards assuming all fantasy things are medieval in nature. I know they have cell phones in the first book, and I didn't really give it any thought as to where they would charge this in a medieval setting. I had to do a retroactive assessment of the previous book to fix the scenes I had imagined.

I liked the interactions between Sadie and Omega-man Xerxes. They were very touching! I don't know if these came to any kind of fruition since I abandoned the book a bit early and I don't really have any desire to jump back in..... The fact that I can't remember his name isn't a good sign. But he seems like the tender softie in the group and I appreciate that next to all this hyper masculinity and controlling behavior which I just do not need in my life, man. But I am invested in his relationship with Sadie as well as the plot proper and I want to know where that goes. In a pickle, I am.

For a book I picked up for the smut, I actually enjoyed the fight scenes way more than the sex scenes, which were very sparse. Especially in the first book, there's only 3 or 4 sex scenes in the whole book? And in this one so far there's only been 3 or so (cut short with Jax in the bedroom, Cobra and Jax after a massage, and this sex clinic one)?? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but that I can't remember that also isn't a good sign. And given that I don't enjoy these passages basically at all that doesn't make it seem very successful, no?

That being said, the fight scenes are interesting and the set up for them was cool and novel as well. I especially liked the fight Sadie has on the floating platforms. The reliance on "the numb" is a bit weird and I wish there were some forward momentum on figuring out what that comes from/means. The hint that Sadie might be part fae as well is super interesting and brings her closer to the half-fae/alphas she idolized. Something interesting is afoot and unfortunately it is not in the erotica.

Some dubious non-con in this, which is right around when I closed the book and gave up. Sadie's personality has changed significantly from the first book to become a hypersexualized nymphomaniac virgin who is obsessed with her virginity and having sex for the first time. I don't see any real chemistry between her and the other 3 alphas... I had approx 35 minutes left in the book and it's just not worth it to me. As soon as I read that Sadie and Aran were checking 'yes' down a huge 35 page list of kinks, I knew this was going to end extremely poorly and the dread in my stomach just put me off. Sure enough, as I was vaguely skimming the chapter after I stopped, at least Cobra and Jax roll in and it doesn't seem like a wholesome consummation and I didn't want to read it. Not that everything needs to be perfectly wholesome, but that's my jam and I don't need to read this other thing that will make me unhappy. I am curious to know how the plot ends so I might skip though some chapters to get there? I'm just not in the right frame of mind at the moment anyways. Normally these scenes don't tend to last for very long so it might not be that hard to bypass it. I need to locate some strictly consensual romance erotica. P.S. Look I know it's called "Cruel Shifters" but I didn't think the first book was as dramatic as this and it's just jumped over my line and I'm not going to read things that don't make me happy. This book got too comfortable with its shortcomings and leaned into them in a way that I did not appreciate, simple as that.

Edit: Ok so I jumped ahead a few chapters after reading someone else's highlights and seeing what the general plot points were of the end and I feel so cheated. The 'seduce a vampire' things was such a weak trick to get the sexual tension going, and the windup was fairly predictable. The we have the weird Cobra-is-actually-the-Don's-son/a-prince reveal, which is bogus, and now Aran is back to 'being a boy' with no real commentary on that except that she's annoyed by it. It's felt like Cobra was the main male love interest for quite a while and this last revelation also aligns with that. I'd love to see the other male leads given any interest etc, but I don't see it happening, especially now that Cobra is a prince lmao. And I don't really want to come back and give it a try. I'll bail for now and be content with that. Maybe I'll come look at someone else's quotes when the third book comes out so I can get the broad strokes of the plot.

[Valkyrie ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so much potential but it ended up being super frustrating and annoying. I’m not bothering with the last book 🥲

[Maria (mariaoverbooked) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t think it was possible but this is worse than the first one. The MC is so annoying it’s unreadable. Will not be continuing this series.

[✧ FLINN ✧ (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing.

Sadie feels and reads like a totally different character than in the first book. I feel like I’m reading another different series, I'm confused.

Not my fave.

[Laura]

I enjoyed the first book…

and this one, not so much. DNF. It took the humor from the first one (which was good) and elevated 60 notches and used slang I’m not a fan of. Sorry not for me and I will not be continuing this series.

I gave up when this was written: “You know what hurts? When the controlling alpha who is high-key problematic, but also sexy as sin, knocks you out instead of railing you with his jeweled dick. Talk about a blow to my feminine ego. For the first time, I was hyper aware of the fact that I was a twenty year old virgin. Most girls had sex by my age, but I hadn’t worried about my impenetrable status. I’d been too busy trying to survive in the shifter realm. Now I felt like a complete loser.”

Idk but that just was the moment I decided I had enough to be honest.

[Helen Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Spoiler Free Review*

The follow up to Psycho Shifters is just as addictive as the first! I couldn’t put it down! Sadie is lovably bada$$, with a hint of vulnerability and a whole lot of psycho. As with the first book in the trilogy, most of the book is told from her point of view, though we do get some chapters from the alpha men.
This book has it all - romance, intrigue, violence, sweet platonic friendships, and an evil fae queen. What more could you ask for? I can’t wait to read the next in the series!
5++++ stars

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book of this series, so I was excited to see where this would pick up after the cliffhanger of book one. But this one kind of felt like it didn't know what it was doing? The characters were just hanging out and doing these tournament fights. The heroine's personality was a little more not-likable in this because she's over the top with everything. I would have loved more world building and more to the overarching plot of the series.

[Lexi Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I rated this low but this is simultaneously the best and worst piece of literature I've ever read.
Like know what it never was? That serious!
If you are going into this series with high hopes of poetic storytelling just cut your losses and skip it. However, if you are down for little plot and all drama, this is it sis! I know it is not good writing, I know that the plot is not in the room with us, but she's funny! This book is surviving off of vibes!

I am going to share some of my favourite quotes so you can get an idea:

If the moon goddess was doing this to me, well, then I was over her. She clearly hated me and wanted me to suffer. Not very girl boss of her.

Subjectively, after the events in the Fae Games, he had the personality of a schizophrenic rock

Either there was something wrong with me, or men were generally unwell and at the root of all problems in society. It was definitely the latter.

“Good luck with that. It seems like you’re in a real healthy place mentally.”

Whose mans was this? Someone needed to get him and check him into a mental institution.

“Your energy is toxic and ruining my pre-fight headspace. Also, you both sound like rabid animals and should probably get that looked at.”

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IN CONTEXT THESE HAD MY CACKLING

[Teresa González · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh, no. I am not doing this, jail.

[Milo (if lost, return to hot fictional character) · Rating 2 out of 5]

If i still had the pneumonia i suffered from 5 weeks ago i would still go out barefoot through the roughest of snowstorms to get some bleach and either straight up shot it or bleach my eyes with it because that would be the only way i could recreate the feeling i had while reading this

how was this even worse than the last one🤡

anyway, this will be filled with spoilers so if ur insane brain still wants to read this book, pls don’t and just read this review and laugh with me

we start this book immediately after the end of book one: where a little kitty appeared to be a stunning omega shifter, and the ram alpha apparently was tasked to kidnap the other characters👍🏼🔛🔝

bla bla bla they get turned into this fae competition? but before that happens Sadie (is that her name? she always gets referred to as either Little Alpha, Kitten, or princess so i wouldn’t know tbh) proclaims herself the rat queen, and the PR person for Jax as she blurts out his name is now Meat Grinder after killing a guard for her.
oh and she was forced to be a sex slave for Cobra who is also a sex slave? and she gets sad because he knocks her out instead of having sex with her in front of the entire realm?! (i’m on a call with noa right now and she literally screamed “it’s complicated okay milo”😭😭😭 i blame her so hard)

so the fae championship bla bla bla not important because nothing really happens except for her playing with an unconscious tiger for 10 minutes?

Sadie’s (?) only personality is being a ratqueen, forcing out the most annoying out of pocket shit, and hating on running. she can’t run for shit. weak peace of ass.. (i highly recommend looking through the quotes i saved on this book if u want a good little hihi haha. don’t suffer through this whole book like i did😭)


bla bla bla nothing happens until she goes to a sex clinic and they edge her for an hour.

anyway, last battle happens, she appears to be a special kind of lost fae after she almost got beheaded by seducing a vampire (don’t ask), she almost kills the evil queen with blood (also don’t ask), Aran (i like her) eats the forbidden snack (literally quoting sadie rn) which is her mother’s heart.

will i be reading book 3 after this absolute piece of ass? yeah, because apparently Cobra is now the long lost son of the maffia king and i’m invested😭😭😭

the only chapters i liked was when Sadie was not the pov, Xerxes i liked the most tbh😭😭

please, if you want ur life to be semi sane, don’t read this series. i blame Noa.

was i entertained? for sure
did i want to rip my eyeballs out of my eye sockets? also for sure
will i have nightmares about the fact that Sadie woke up from a coma saying “i’m back bitches” while making a duck face and holding two peace signs (i wish i were joking)? yeah.

2 stars and only because i laughed out loud


the people who rated this over 4 stars, are y’all okay? blink twice if i gotta help u😭😭

[Mikky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay. I actually stopped partway through it to listen to A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Something about the story is not doing it for me and I can't quite explain what it is. I disliked how abruptly such a big storyline got simply resolved at the very end. If I'm being honest all the love interests rub me in the worst ways. I'm not a fan of any of them anymore it seems. I'll probably give the next book a go considering I'm still in that weird mood and everything I pick up ends up as a DNF. We'll see how it goes!

[meg ☾ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it’s so bad but why is it so addictive 😭😭😭

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

When is my girl gonna get thoroughly f*ed by these man 😩

[Redhead Haze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre:   Dark Paranormal, RH, Omegaverse, Fantasy, NA
Tropes: reverse  harem, shifters, fae, mild bully romance, war, slow-burn, forced proximity, survival games, enemies to lovers
Series:   Cruel Shifterverese #2
Cliffhanger: Yes
Trigger Warnings: death, violence, torture, references to physical and sexual assault, beatings, child abuse
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
Spice: 2.5/5 🌶

"Life was action and reaction, peace and violence, violence, stillness and bloodshed.
It was all it had ever been. All it would ever be."

I love the fact I can see an improvement in the writing style and I can't wait to see how good it's going to be by the end of this series. Normally, I would've given this book only 4 stars, but the feelings were on point so...

》》The Plot《《

"Did I need anything?
I needed to (1) orgasm, (2) kill all the men, and (3) relax in a bubble bath with a book for the next two years of my life."

Trapped in the Fae World, Sadie and thr guys find themselves thrown in a ruthless competition hosted by the Fae Queen: the deadly Fae Games. As a team, Sadie, Ascher, Cobra and Jax need to survive long enough to finish the games and be sent to the Beast Realm, where they actually belong.

"Why were the toxic men the best-looking?
It just wasn’t fair."

The dynamic was waaaay better than in the first book, Xerxes was a great addition to the team and the friendship between Aran and Sadie was golden. Getting to see Sadie meeting her childhood heroes, the three Half Warriors was also very cool.

》》Characters and Relationships《《

"In terms of the group dynamic, we didn’t have problems.
We were the problem.
Strong alpha personalities that wanted to control, a lot of homicidal energy, and an omega with a knife fixation who hated alphas."

With Ascher being The Great Betrayer and looking for redemption, Sadie trying to figure out the guys, Xerxes battling with his hate for Alphas and Aran struggling with life back home, as the Fae Princess, things between the characters were more interesting than in the first book.

🐯 Sadie

Sadie got amazingly better?? I liked her humor, her inner monologs and the general way of narrating the story through her eyes. I even made a list of things that I totally stand by !!

My top 3 "Words to Live By" by Sadie:

3)"Rationally, I knew he was acting like a stalker; irrationally, I liked that he was obsessed with me."

It's okay, baby girl, we all have our guilty pleasures, and you've obviously spent a lot of time of Smut BookTok, so those thoughts are aligned with those of half of the female population now.

2) "Rationally, it didn’t matter, and I was a bad bitch who didn’t need a man.
Irrationally, I was a woman who just wanted to get railed and told I was pretty."

Don't we all? Don't we???

1)"And men called women irrational. Anyone who was around any male for any extended period would realize immediately that was a joke."

Louder for the people in the back please. I repeat: Louder for the people in the back!!!

🐱🐯 Xerxes and Sadie

"His unique purple eyes were large and breathtaking and complemented his silky blond hair.
Everything about his large shoulders, lean muscles, and breathtaking features screamed “handsome.” I’m sure he had loads of female fans. Too bad his personality screamed “unwell.”"

I loved Xerxes, the Omega shifter who hares Alphas and is sworn to the Fae Queen. It was the enemies to lovers I was waiting for, so it definitely was a good addition.

"Sadie was the problem.
My body responded every time she was in my presence.
Worst of all, I had the most disturbing urge to shift into a kitten and sit on her lap. I wanted to purr and comfort her. Cuddle against her and fall asleep.
It was horrifying."

His hatred for Alphas, combined with the softness he felt for Sadie and the constant surprise the female Alpha proved to be was very contrasting and nice to follow.

🐍🐯 Cobra and Sadie

"I wanted to own her, possess her, protect her. I wanted to brand her name across my black heart, carve her name into my flesh so she wouldn’t feel alone in her scars."

What's a red flag in real life that you can't help but swoon over in books? Psychos with a possessive attitude and an unhinged obsession for the female MC. Well, that's Cobra.

"Cobra stood above us and growled, “Kitten, why didn’t you call me over? You are not allowed to be alone with another man.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, genuinely flabbergasted by his words. Who did he think he was? My lady’s chaperone?"

I'm not gonna lie, it's driving me insane that he keeps calling her Kitten, but it's also kind of funny how unashamedly obsessed he is with her. And I love the fact that he's not trying to hide it.

🦬🐯 Ascher and Sadie

"The problem was my calm facade shattered around the princess. My usual exactness disappeared, my muscles spasmed, and my soul burned bright with passion.
I had no way of controlling myself around her, so the solution was simple—I needed to control her."

I liked his 'I will redeem myself' attitude and I think the guys made sure he was put through a lot in order to receive a small part of forgiveness. Ascher's character was completely different from the first book, but it made sense, since he was playing a part in the first one and only now are we getting the real version of him.

"Ascher had tried to stand near me, and Cobra had gone crazy. According to the snake alpha, Ascher couldn’t touch me because, and I quote, “Sadie isn’t your property. She’s mine.”
To which Ascher had replied, “For now.”
Yes, you heard that right."

He's just as obsessed with Sadie as Cobra is, but maybe in a less psycho way, and the fight for Sadie's attention is 🔥 everything 🔥

🐯🐻 Sadie and Jax

“You look beautiful, little alpha.” He smiled down at me.
I grinned up at the big man. “Thanks, I’m entering a ho phase and wanted to get off on the right foot.”
Jax raised his eyebrows as he stared down at me. “As you should, little alpha.”
My heart burst into bubbles, and sparkles erupted in the air around Jax’s golden braids. Why was he literally the perfect male?

He's sooooo calm and steady that it's easy to see why Sadie thinks of him with fondness. He's definitely a feminist which might make their relationship the easiest one.

🐯🔷️ Sadie and Aran

"We should drink the sparkly juice while in bubble baths, reading smut books. In a white marble bathroom. Everything would sparkle around us, and it would be divine.”
“Girl, you’re a genius.”

If I wasn't very impressed with their friendship in the first book, this time it was perfect and precious and it needs to be protected.

》》Favorite Scenes《《

🐻 Jax killing the guard that manhandled Sadie
🛺 The carriage ride
🐯 Sadie fighting Demetre
🦬🐯 Ascher jumping after Sadie
💤 The sleeping arrangements
🐍🐻🐯 Cobra waking up to find Jax and Sadie togheter
🐍🐻 Cobra and Jax swearing to take revenge on Dick

Cobra said with all seriousness, “This Dick you spoke of. I will eat his liver and bathe in his blood.”
Jax nodded beside him and cracked his knuckles. “We will bathe in his blood.”
I pursed my lips at them. “Love the support. Truly. But I think if anyone is going to eat his liver, it will be me.”

🐯 Demeter apologizing to Sadie
🐱🐯 Xerxes guardian the bathroom door while Sadie showers
🐯🐱 Sadie bringing pillows to Xerxes
🐯 Sadie talking out loud by mistake

"A loud growl rumbled behind me, and I realized all the men had stopped running. Four sets of eyes glowed and gave me a weird look.
My stomach pinched. “Did I say something aloud?”
“Just that you want Jax to order you around while he spears you with his massive, pierced dick,” Cobra said with a frown on his face.
It was official: I was giving up on life. Embarrassment flooded through me, and my face burned.
Then I did something I never thought I would ever do…I voluntarily sprinted away from the alphas."

⚔️The second fight
🔷️🐱Aran getting Sadie ready for the party
🐯One of the twins being into Sadie and making the guys jealous
🐯 The sex clinic
🦬🐯 Ascher pampering Sadie
🐯🐱 Sadie offering to pamper Xerxes
⚔️ The third task
🐱Sadie getting an upgrade
🔷️Aran having the forbidden snack

》》Conclusion《《

“I physically can’t deal with your toxic energy right now. You hate me; I get it. Take a number and get in line.” Rubbing my hands into my eyeballs, I prayed he would suffer cardiac arrest and keel over.
Either there was something wrong with me, or men were generally unwell and at the root of all problems in society.

Loved this one. The improvements are visible, the story is catchy, the characters are lovable and I'm definitely loving the series.

[Jordyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely wanted to like this book and this series as a whole because the lore is very interesting but I just can’t torture myself into reading the third book coming out.

The first book was borderline bad and predictable. The second one was somehow even worse.

In the first book, Cobra hates women but the FMC is different. Yawn. In the second book, Xeres hates alpha’s but these alpha’s are different. Yawn.

Cobra is extremely hypocritical, seeing as the FMC is his “belonging” that no other man can even look at while he is in a relationship with Jax? In what world does that make sense?

Not even gonna go into the “numb” the FMC can switch on and become a killing machine despite the fact that she can’t even run without wanting to throw up.

“Vagina flaps”?? Really? English isn’t even my first language and the limited vocabulary in this book made me nauseous.

I don’t write reviews often, certainly not bad reviews but holy shit this book was so awful.

The slang felt like a cheap way to appeal to a younger audience but it just made me feel like I was reading a book by a teenager on some shady website for people to post things they’ve written for free.


In conclusion, the characters are unlikeable, the writing is awkward and I wish I could go back in time so I didn’t have to read this book.

(English is my second language so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors)

[Liz Faust · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: Rape, SA, Physical Abuse

I think what made suffering through this storyline even worse was the fact that there was basically no smut. There was more male on male but next to nothing with the female lead AGAIN. There was chapters upon chapters of each male character talking about how obsessed he was with her and how much he wanted her and all the things he wanted to do. And then there was two scenes where it got close and then it would just end or they would get interrupted.

And the amount of times she talks about being ‘unwell’ or how others are ‘unwell’ made me want to pull my hair out. There are other words that can be used. I swear that would is used over 30 times in the book. Probably more.

The storyline / plot gets MORE confusing and there is even MORE unanswered questions to go along with all the unanswered questions from the first book. It’s infuriating. This isn’t a reverse harem it’s basically male on male and I hate to even call this spicy because that is severely lacking for how cheesy the story line is. I get that romance novels are usually cheesy but the smut offsets the cringe but in this not so much.

We need to stop listening to booktok because the bar is so freaking low. I don’t understand where these 5 star rave reviews are coming from.

[glavreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

the alphas are so hot, i cannot take it.

crazy possessive and i’m here for it.