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The Fall of Divinity
Death Destruction and Demons
These three things surround Aleda like a swarm of flies drawn to decay.
She never wanted to be queen and she never expected to be on the run, hiding her identity after her kingdom was destroyed by demonic forces. She awaits her final judgement in the arms of a wealthy duke’s nephew, who is not quite who he seems.
Under the watch of a Knight of the Crimson Cloth, a harrowing shadow that has taken a vow of silence and anonymity, ordered to keep an eye on her.
Aleda is unraveling the world she was born into and searching for a way to stop the demons from burning down the world she chose.
The Fall of Divinity is an adult dark gothic fantasy romance set in world where the last god has fallen and demons now walk the earth.
The story follows Aleda, a young queen on the run, hiding her identity after her kingdom was destroyed by demonic forces. She now awaits her final judgement in the arms of a wealthy duke's nephew, who is not quite who he seems. Under the watch of a Knight of the Crimson Cloth, a harrowing shadow that has taken a vow of silence and anonymity, ordered to keep an eye on her. Aleda is unraveling the world she was born into and searching for a way to stop the demons from burning down the world she chose.
This book can be found next to those like From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout and The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig.
These three things surround Aleda like a swarm of flies drawn to decay.
She never wanted to be queen and she never expected to be on the run, hiding her identity after her kingdom was destroyed by demonic forces. She awaits her final judgement in the arms of a wealthy duke’s nephew, who is not quite who he seems.
Under the watch of a Knight of the Crimson Cloth, a harrowing shadow that has taken a vow of silence and anonymity, ordered to keep an eye on her.
Aleda is unraveling the world she was born into and searching for a way to stop the demons from burning down the world she chose.
The Fall of Divinity is an adult dark gothic fantasy romance set in world where the last god has fallen and demons now walk the earth.
The story follows Aleda, a young queen on the run, hiding her identity after her kingdom was destroyed by demonic forces. She now awaits her final judgement in the arms of a wealthy duke's nephew, who is not quite who he seems. Under the watch of a Knight of the Crimson Cloth, a harrowing shadow that has taken a vow of silence and anonymity, ordered to keep an eye on her. Aleda is unraveling the world she was born into and searching for a way to stop the demons from burning down the world she chose.
This book can be found next to those like From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout and The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig.
- GenresFantasy
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 8, 2025
I’m usually a thriller girlie, but over the past year I’ve started dipping into dark fantasy, and this one completely wrecked me (in the best way possible). It’s hands down my favorite dark fantasy I’ve read so far. It has everything I love: haunting imagery, beauty mixed with darkness, and the main character, Aleda, whose journey feels so raw and you feel everything with her.
The story itself feels like if a gothic fairytale collided with an action-packed old-world tragedy, but somehow even more emotional and beautifully unhinged. The twisted love story pulls you in and doesn’t let go, and the whole ride is dark, messy, passionate, and strangely uplifting all at once. I was completely locked in from start to finish. It’s one of those books that stays with you and makes you just sit there for a minute because you’re not ready to leave that world yet. 5/5 stars!
The story itself feels like if a gothic fairytale collided with an action-packed old-world tragedy, but somehow even more emotional and beautifully unhinged. The twisted love story pulls you in and doesn’t let go, and the whole ride is dark, messy, passionate, and strangely uplifting all at once. I was completely locked in from start to finish. It’s one of those books that stays with you and makes you just sit there for a minute because you’re not ready to leave that world yet. 5/5 stars!
November 7, 2025
This b*tch had me hooked. From the character dynamics to the mysterious magical elements of the world, to the banter. Aleda…my guuuurllllll… our FMC…I love her like a little sister and wish I could hold her hand. This girl goes through a wide array of trials, with some of them being hilariously mortifying to straight up horrendous. I don’t know how to express my love of the story without completely gushing spoilers.
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and could not put this book down. This is not a standalone, so buckle in bunnies 😏. I cannot wait for the second book! #teamG
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and could not put this book down. This is not a standalone, so buckle in bunnies 😏. I cannot wait for the second book! #teamG
November 16, 2025
I received a digital advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had a lot of hopes for The Fall of Divinity, I mean a knight and a queen on the run with gothic vibes? Sign me up! I was sadly disappointed in the way the story developed. It had the perfect base - a young queen forced into a marriage with an older king, a horrifying twist that leaves her destitute and in the hands of a brooding knight who took a vow of silence - it, however, lacked direction.
See, our FMC Aleda could have been a tragic heroine forced to rise above what everyone else expected of her, but instead we are left with a character that seemingly does not care for her kingdom, her family, her old life, even her husband (who was actually kind to her in their 10 years of marriage & acted as a father figure to her). As soon as her dies, she finds herself in the company of the knight and a new character Ilias. He is incredibly nice to a stranger and it borders on the unbelievable and suspicious side. More on him later, though.
Aleda was a queen yet she does not act like it, nor does anyone else in the book?? It’s bizarre that a kingdom left without its king, who saw their queen was alive, is not out there looking for her or spreading the word of their deaths. It doesn’t make sense. She hides her identity because she does not want to be used as a pawn, but the story makes it seem like Aleda was just another random girl and not THE LITERAL QUEEN. Her friends, her family nor any of her kingdom’s allies care to see if she is alive. We are reminded Aleda was married and to her title as Queen Consort, but it holds no weight when it literally does not matter.
She’s more hung up on Ilias and on the knight seeing her in ‘compromised’ (naked) situations than about the death of her husband, her friend who was alive the last we saw of him, her brother who is in active duty, and her family who lives in the north. She deliberately does not contact her family because she wants to stay with Ilias because she likes likes him. But what can be said about a character who is nice? Not good, not kind, or complex but nice. 50% into the book and Ilias takes her to his kingdom (or territory, he’s a lord) and she is more preoccupied with having sex with Ilias than anything else.
Finally, one of the tropes or selling points that is advertised is traumatized characters, and Aleda is traumatized, but I do not understand it. As a cptsd-haver, I know it affects everyone differently to get that out of the way. It is interesting though that when Aleda is affected by her ptsd symptoms, it’s not used as character development or to understand more of her character and what she’s gone through, but rather as a way for the mmcs to comfort her and see how good they are. Additionally, if Aleda cared so much about that happened and how it happened, it should be shown more. So it is hard to care about a character who does not care about anything other than herself and her desires. And no, it’s not meant to be in a ‘I’ve cared about everyone else and now it’s my time’ way. Or maybe it is meant to be in that way, but it’s not shown or said.
There are certain interesting aspects to the book, but they are barely explored or mentioned. The Fall of Divinity references the time the last God left the world and demons invaded the realm. These demons are lowkey turning people into zombies??? But 60% in and that has only been mentioned once. For a 370 paged book, it lacks structure. We should be hooked on finding out what her stone necklace does, if zombies are actually about to be the new monsters that invade the realm, how demons infiltrated her home and killed yet husband, the knight and his old vow of silence. Something, anything other than ‘the knight is hot & so is Ilias and I think I love them both.’
Additionally, the gothic setting does not work. Gothic novels are more than just about aesthetic and vibes, but even if it was, this book does not have it.
Sadly, this book is not for me and that’s okay.
I had a lot of hopes for The Fall of Divinity, I mean a knight and a queen on the run with gothic vibes? Sign me up! I was sadly disappointed in the way the story developed. It had the perfect base - a young queen forced into a marriage with an older king, a horrifying twist that leaves her destitute and in the hands of a brooding knight who took a vow of silence - it, however, lacked direction.
See, our FMC Aleda could have been a tragic heroine forced to rise above what everyone else expected of her, but instead we are left with a character that seemingly does not care for her kingdom, her family, her old life, even her husband (who was actually kind to her in their 10 years of marriage & acted as a father figure to her). As soon as her dies, she finds herself in the company of the knight and a new character Ilias. He is incredibly nice to a stranger and it borders on the unbelievable and suspicious side. More on him later, though.
Aleda was a queen yet she does not act like it, nor does anyone else in the book?? It’s bizarre that a kingdom left without its king, who saw their queen was alive, is not out there looking for her or spreading the word of their deaths. It doesn’t make sense. She hides her identity because she does not want to be used as a pawn, but the story makes it seem like Aleda was just another random girl and not THE LITERAL QUEEN. Her friends, her family nor any of her kingdom’s allies care to see if she is alive. We are reminded Aleda was married and to her title as Queen Consort, but it holds no weight when it literally does not matter.
She’s more hung up on Ilias and on the knight seeing her in ‘compromised’ (naked) situations than about the death of her husband, her friend who was alive the last we saw of him, her brother who is in active duty, and her family who lives in the north. She deliberately does not contact her family because she wants to stay with Ilias because she likes likes him. But what can be said about a character who is nice? Not good, not kind, or complex but nice. 50% into the book and Ilias takes her to his kingdom (or territory, he’s a lord) and she is more preoccupied with having sex with Ilias than anything else.
Finally, one of the tropes or selling points that is advertised is traumatized characters, and Aleda is traumatized, but I do not understand it. As a cptsd-haver, I know it affects everyone differently to get that out of the way. It is interesting though that when Aleda is affected by her ptsd symptoms, it’s not used as character development or to understand more of her character and what she’s gone through, but rather as a way for the mmcs to comfort her and see how good they are. Additionally, if Aleda cared so much about that happened and how it happened, it should be shown more. So it is hard to care about a character who does not care about anything other than herself and her desires. And no, it’s not meant to be in a ‘I’ve cared about everyone else and now it’s my time’ way. Or maybe it is meant to be in that way, but it’s not shown or said.
There are certain interesting aspects to the book, but they are barely explored or mentioned. The Fall of Divinity references the time the last God left the world and demons invaded the realm. These demons are lowkey turning people into zombies??? But 60% in and that has only been mentioned once. For a 370 paged book, it lacks structure. We should be hooked on finding out what her stone necklace does, if zombies are actually about to be the new monsters that invade the realm, how demons infiltrated her home and killed yet husband, the knight and his old vow of silence. Something, anything other than ‘the knight is hot & so is Ilias and I think I love them both.’
Additionally, the gothic setting does not work. Gothic novels are more than just about aesthetic and vibes, but even if it was, this book does not have it.
Sadly, this book is not for me and that’s okay.
November 16, 2025
First, I’d like to thank Shalyn Elizabeth for letting me be apart of this arc read, I knew it’d be everything and more.
Second, I honestly really enjoyed reading this book, the twists and turns that I honestly didn’t suspect. I made guess and had theories but something new always happened and kept me shocked! The build up between the MMC and MFC was perfect and the spice? Chefs kiss 😌
Ps. The MMC? Perfect book boyfriend 👀😉
Second, I honestly really enjoyed reading this book, the twists and turns that I honestly didn’t suspect. I made guess and had theories but something new always happened and kept me shocked! The build up between the MMC and MFC was perfect and the spice? Chefs kiss 😌
Ps. The MMC? Perfect book boyfriend 👀😉
Read
March 27, 2026I will write a review soon, but I absolutely adored it !
November 18, 2025
5/5 ⭐️ MORE I NEED MORE. Thank you Shalyn Elizabeth for allowing me to be a apart of the ARC team. I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this read. Aleda was truly an enjoyable FMC and the MMC… I must say I am OBSESSED and now have a new book boyfriend 😌🙂↕️ I enjoyed every twist and turn this book put me too. My only regret is completing it 😭 will wait patiently for the next book… please let there be a next book
March 24, 2026
I'm not sure if proud is the right word to use to say I stuck it out and finished The Fall of Divinity because while it held so much promise it did not deliver. Was it dark? Yes. Was it fantasy? Yes. But I'm more so beating myself up over finishing this because there was no pay off and I feel more so inclined to read book 2 only because I need to know I went through all of that for a reason...
We start off super strong. Arranged marriage of a 14 yo to her senior, the King at the age of 40. Time jump to 10 years later we know she grows to love him but they've never really had relations and they both cared deeply for each other. However he dies in a gory demon attack (loved this scene) and the captain of the king's guard (his lover) tells her to run which she does and nearly dies. From there she's saved by a knight who has sworn a vow of silence and is brought to the nephew of the duke of a neighboring region where she basically falls into the same rhythm of her position she was in before... living life day to day with no development. She falls for the first guy to provide her protection, not a slow burn. And then she ends up falling for the knight, also not a slow burn.
She gives herself an alias to prevent being used as a ransom but she doesn't even try to save or bring aid to her kingdom? She doesn't even decide to write to her mother until much much later than intended because she had already become comfortable with her new guy.
The demons were cool. The brief visions were too but I feel like all we got was potential with no action? Oh your necklace... yah don't show it to anyone. Blood magic here and there. I don't know. Everything seemed more focused on the lust and hooking up than any character development. If/when there is a book two I probably would continue just because I still want to hold out on there being something good here. It just didn't happen in book one.
ETA: There was a review I saw that said the knight keeping his vow of silence would have added to the yearning/tension while he and Aleda's relationship developed and I agree with that 100%. Also, this did not give enemies to lovers.
We start off super strong. Arranged marriage of a 14 yo to her senior, the King at the age of 40. Time jump to 10 years later we know she grows to love him but they've never really had relations and they both cared deeply for each other. However he dies in a gory demon attack (loved this scene) and the captain of the king's guard (his lover) tells her to run which she does and nearly dies. From there she's saved by a knight who has sworn a vow of silence and is brought to the nephew of the duke of a neighboring region where she basically falls into the same rhythm of her position she was in before... living life day to day with no development. She falls for the first guy to provide her protection, not a slow burn. And then she ends up falling for the knight, also not a slow burn.
She gives herself an alias to prevent being used as a ransom but she doesn't even try to save or bring aid to her kingdom? She doesn't even decide to write to her mother until much much later than intended because she had already become comfortable with her new guy.
The demons were cool. The brief visions were too but I feel like all we got was potential with no action? Oh your necklace... yah don't show it to anyone. Blood magic here and there. I don't know. Everything seemed more focused on the lust and hooking up than any character development. If/when there is a book two I probably would continue just because I still want to hold out on there being something good here. It just didn't happen in book one.
ETA: There was a review I saw that said the knight keeping his vow of silence would have added to the yearning/tension while he and Aleda's relationship developed and I agree with that 100%. Also, this did not give enemies to lovers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2025
First of all, I would like to thank Shalyn Elizabeth for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Where do I start? I had high expectations: knights, royalty, demons, gothic setting - all the things I absolutely love, plus the cover and title are 🤌
I think that overall, for an indie debut novel, this was not a bad book. It was edited well and the prose was nice enough. However, my main issue lies with the plot, or rather the lack of it. I genuinely enjoyed the first few chapters, it had a strong hook, I was excited to read more. That, unfortunately, did not last long. 40-50% into the book, I had no idea where the story was going. After arriving in the Midlands, the stakes and pacing took a dip. Our MC came across childish and bratty, I utterly did not enjoy her.
Perhaps it was because I do not like the trope of rulers who do wish to be royalty or I simply could not understand her process of thought. Was it that her kind yet overprotective husband infantilised her too much or was it that she simply had no ambition? Her running away after the attack and refusing to contact her family made no sense, even PTSD failed to explain her actions.
The romance seemed to be the centre of the story, and while I enjoyed Ilias for a few chapters, the love bombing and slow progression of the plot quickly warned me down. I suppose for readers who are looking for smutty stories and romance-heavy fantasy, The Fall of Divinity might be their cup of tea. As for me, neither of the love interests really intrigued me. I thought that for a gothic fantasy there would be more yearning and a general sense of unease, creepiness.
Final thoughts: the novel had strong bones, if not for the flawed execution. I would have enjoyed it more if there was a bigger focus on the worldbuilding and some political intrigue, or higher stakes.
Good luck with your future projects!
Where do I start? I had high expectations: knights, royalty, demons, gothic setting - all the things I absolutely love, plus the cover and title are 🤌
I think that overall, for an indie debut novel, this was not a bad book. It was edited well and the prose was nice enough. However, my main issue lies with the plot, or rather the lack of it. I genuinely enjoyed the first few chapters, it had a strong hook, I was excited to read more. That, unfortunately, did not last long. 40-50% into the book, I had no idea where the story was going. After arriving in the Midlands, the stakes and pacing took a dip. Our MC came across childish and bratty, I utterly did not enjoy her.
Perhaps it was because I do not like the trope of rulers who do wish to be royalty or I simply could not understand her process of thought. Was it that her kind yet overprotective husband infantilised her too much or was it that she simply had no ambition? Her running away after the attack and refusing to contact her family made no sense, even PTSD failed to explain her actions.
The romance seemed to be the centre of the story, and while I enjoyed Ilias for a few chapters, the love bombing and slow progression of the plot quickly warned me down. I suppose for readers who are looking for smutty stories and romance-heavy fantasy, The Fall of Divinity might be their cup of tea. As for me, neither of the love interests really intrigued me. I thought that for a gothic fantasy there would be more yearning and a general sense of unease, creepiness.
Final thoughts: the novel had strong bones, if not for the flawed execution. I would have enjoyed it more if there was a bigger focus on the worldbuilding and some political intrigue, or higher stakes.
Good luck with your future projects!
November 18, 2025
I found this book being teased on TikTok and requested to submit a review after doing an early read. I want to be entirely honest about this book and in that honesty I will admit I was up until about 7am reading this book because I couldn't put it down. Even after having finished it, I couldn't sleep. My brain was still swirling with thoughts over everything that occurred in this book.
To start, I absolutely undeniably enjoyed this book. For the first few chapters, I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into it simply because it felt like being dumped into the middle of something important but vague right at the beginning, and being confused until it was further explained. One thing that I really appreciated as I continued to read is that eventually the world started to make a little bit more sense, but not at the same time. There is still so much that by the end of it I still don't know about which means plenty of touch points for future books. I found myself trying to guess where this book was heading towards and was wrong every time. Nothing about this book was predictable. The cogs in my brain were spinning and spinning. Even now, I am still trying to think back to see if I missed a detail that will tell me where this book is heading.
Now...about the romance. Yes. Absolutely irrevocably YES. I cannot describe the image of me sitting on my couch in the middle of the night giggling and swooning and absolutely falling in LOVE with the possible love interest here. If you like them mysterious, muscular, protective, and quietly obsessed and committed then you too will sit and kick your feet throughout much of this book. There is one scene that left me a little confused because the interaction seems to have been cut short and is never spoken of again, though it is briefly on the FMCs mind, she never brings it back up. It is never further discussed.
About the world, I will say that while there are descriptions and tidbits of history given for the world we are in and how we got to where we are in the story, however, I am still a little lost. I do think I will give the book another read to just see if there is anything I must have missed on my first read through and see if it pulls together a little better. I will gladly read this book over and over just for the way it kept my mind turning and my feet kicking. I could almost kick myself for reading this early now that I will have to wait even longer for the second book.
To start, I absolutely undeniably enjoyed this book. For the first few chapters, I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into it simply because it felt like being dumped into the middle of something important but vague right at the beginning, and being confused until it was further explained. One thing that I really appreciated as I continued to read is that eventually the world started to make a little bit more sense, but not at the same time. There is still so much that by the end of it I still don't know about which means plenty of touch points for future books. I found myself trying to guess where this book was heading towards and was wrong every time. Nothing about this book was predictable. The cogs in my brain were spinning and spinning. Even now, I am still trying to think back to see if I missed a detail that will tell me where this book is heading.
Now...about the romance. Yes. Absolutely irrevocably YES. I cannot describe the image of me sitting on my couch in the middle of the night giggling and swooning and absolutely falling in LOVE with the possible love interest here. If you like them mysterious, muscular, protective, and quietly obsessed and committed then you too will sit and kick your feet throughout much of this book. There is one scene that left me a little confused because the interaction seems to have been cut short and is never spoken of again, though it is briefly on the FMCs mind, she never brings it back up. It is never further discussed.
About the world, I will say that while there are descriptions and tidbits of history given for the world we are in and how we got to where we are in the story, however, I am still a little lost. I do think I will give the book another read to just see if there is anything I must have missed on my first read through and see if it pulls together a little better. I will gladly read this book over and over just for the way it kept my mind turning and my feet kicking. I could almost kick myself for reading this early now that I will have to wait even longer for the second book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I read The Fall of the Divinity as an ARC, and honestly? I was in absolute awe of Shalyn’s writing. This dark gothic fantasy romance pulls you in immediately with its haunting atmosphere, dangerous secrets, and emotionally charged characters.
The story follows Aleda, a runaway queen forced into hiding after her king is brutally killed during a demon attack. With the gods nowhere to be found and demons roaming freely, her world completely collapses. To survive, she must erase her identity and trust no one—because everyone is a potential threat.
Enter the too-perfect-to-be-true lord. From the moment he appeared, I had trust issues, and let me tell you… they were well deserved. When Aleda is taken under the protection of Ilias, I was on edge the entire time. This man had my blood boiling because I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop—and when it did? OMG. I was livid (in the best way possible). The tension was unreal.
And then there’s Gideon. The silent knight. Sworn to silence, loyalty, and protection. MMC WHO??? Gideon completely stole the show for me. The way he’s described? Criminally fine. I melted every single time he was on the page. The yearning between him and Aleda is insane—I wanted to physically push them together. It’s that slow-burn, aching, devastating kind of tension that lives rent-free in your head.
I found myself wanting to protect Aleda from everything—demons and humans alike—but also wishing I could just let Gideon protect me every single day.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a truly dark gothic fantasy romance, and this book reminded me exactly why I love the genre. If you haven’t read The Fall of the Divinity yet, I highly recommend it. The yearning is powerful, the stakes are high, and the emotional payoff is so worth it. 🖤🔥
The story follows Aleda, a runaway queen forced into hiding after her king is brutally killed during a demon attack. With the gods nowhere to be found and demons roaming freely, her world completely collapses. To survive, she must erase her identity and trust no one—because everyone is a potential threat.
Enter the too-perfect-to-be-true lord. From the moment he appeared, I had trust issues, and let me tell you… they were well deserved. When Aleda is taken under the protection of Ilias, I was on edge the entire time. This man had my blood boiling because I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop—and when it did? OMG. I was livid (in the best way possible). The tension was unreal.
And then there’s Gideon. The silent knight. Sworn to silence, loyalty, and protection. MMC WHO??? Gideon completely stole the show for me. The way he’s described? Criminally fine. I melted every single time he was on the page. The yearning between him and Aleda is insane—I wanted to physically push them together. It’s that slow-burn, aching, devastating kind of tension that lives rent-free in your head.
I found myself wanting to protect Aleda from everything—demons and humans alike—but also wishing I could just let Gideon protect me every single day.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a truly dark gothic fantasy romance, and this book reminded me exactly why I love the genre. If you haven’t read The Fall of the Divinity yet, I highly recommend it. The yearning is powerful, the stakes are high, and the emotional payoff is so worth it. 🖤🔥
February 18, 2026
I was so excited to get this ARC as the premise and the prologue had me very hopeful, but I was unfortunately disappointed yet again. The gothic, blood magic and demon hunting I was promised was poorly thought out and ultimately missed the mark for me. It felt like the only demons Aleda was fighting were her inner horn-dog and her attraction to sh*tty men… I was hoping for demonic lore and instead got mediocre sex scenes. Besides the lacking plot, I took great issue with the overall grammar in this book. It was littered with run-ons, filler words, and at LEAST 15 instances of changing tenses. If I have one suggestion, it is to invest in an editor or at the VERY least a thesaurus to cut down on the over use of the same words over and over and over, like GURL.
For example:
was - used 2,025 times (5.5x per page on average), and - 4,464 uses (12.1x per page avg)
salt and citrus - 15x total (14 of them in 10 chapters alone)
grab/grabbed - 116 uses (5 times within 2 pages noted)
walk/walked - 156x
went - 104x
came - 157x
And these were only the ones that stood out. There were a myriad of other issues with sentence structure that a middle school grammar class could have prevented.
This is not to say that there was not potential here. There were many beautifully written lines and some great vivid imagery, but being peppered with problems really took me out of it as a reader. 10/10 idea, 2/10 execution.
For example:
was - used 2,025 times (5.5x per page on average), and - 4,464 uses (12.1x per page avg)
salt and citrus - 15x total (14 of them in 10 chapters alone)
grab/grabbed - 116 uses (5 times within 2 pages noted)
walk/walked - 156x
went - 104x
came - 157x
And these were only the ones that stood out. There were a myriad of other issues with sentence structure that a middle school grammar class could have prevented.
This is not to say that there was not potential here. There were many beautifully written lines and some great vivid imagery, but being peppered with problems really took me out of it as a reader. 10/10 idea, 2/10 execution.
December 8, 2025
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Thank you, Shalyn Elizabeth, for the eARC. 📖
Let me start this off by saying, GIRL, THAT ENDING! WTF!!! It's a good WTF,because, holy sh**, my emotions are everywhere.
I found this book/author on TikTok I’m so glad I did! I was up late reading this until this afternoon; I honestly couldn’t put it down. Girl, now I have to wait for book 2! ₊˚⊹♡
Thank you for sharing your debut book with us.
I apologize if I’m not very descriptive in reviews, but as this is my first ARC, I’ll do my best.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
The world-building was detailed and new. I haven’t read a story yet that combines demons and knights. I’m looking forward to how you expand this world and its magic system. It feels like we got a taste, and I want more! My only takeaway is what else can the demons do???
The ROMANCE! First off, I didn't know who I was supposed to pick for the MMC. Please don’t do that again! I was punching the air! #TeamG for life. Get yourself a man that’ll gladly get on his knees and worship you! 😏
Thank you, Shalyn Elizabeth, for the eARC. 📖
Let me start this off by saying, GIRL, THAT ENDING! WTF!!! It's a good WTF,because, holy sh**, my emotions are everywhere.
I found this book/author on TikTok I’m so glad I did! I was up late reading this until this afternoon; I honestly couldn’t put it down. Girl, now I have to wait for book 2! ₊˚⊹♡
Thank you for sharing your debut book with us.
I apologize if I’m not very descriptive in reviews, but as this is my first ARC, I’ll do my best.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
The world-building was detailed and new. I haven’t read a story yet that combines demons and knights. I’m looking forward to how you expand this world and its magic system. It feels like we got a taste, and I want more! My only takeaway is what else can the demons do???
The ROMANCE! First off, I didn't know who I was supposed to pick for the MMC. Please don’t do that again! I was punching the air! #TeamG for life. Get yourself a man that’ll gladly get on his knees and worship you! 😏
May 26, 2026
I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! Between the gothic atmosphere, the constant mysteries, and the tension, I could not put this book down.
As a gothic romance fan, the setting and imagery were absolutely one of my favorite parts, with the knights, demons, cathedrals, curses, secrets… everything about this world felt dark and moody in the best way. I also loved how much mystery there was surrounding certain characters backstories. There were so many secrets surrounding the characters identities that I constantly found myself trying to piece together clues that made the book even harder to put down.
And the romance??? I was blown away by how much tension the author created between the FMC and a knight who can't even speak. A love interest who has taken a vow of silence should not have had me THAT obsessed, but somehow every interaction between them was filled with so much longing, protection, and emotion that I was completely invested by the end.
One of my favorite gothic romance reads in a long time, and I already cannot wait for book 2. 🖤
As a gothic romance fan, the setting and imagery were absolutely one of my favorite parts, with the knights, demons, cathedrals, curses, secrets… everything about this world felt dark and moody in the best way. I also loved how much mystery there was surrounding certain characters backstories. There were so many secrets surrounding the characters identities that I constantly found myself trying to piece together clues that made the book even harder to put down.
And the romance??? I was blown away by how much tension the author created between the FMC and a knight who can't even speak. A love interest who has taken a vow of silence should not have had me THAT obsessed, but somehow every interaction between them was filled with so much longing, protection, and emotion that I was completely invested by the end.
One of my favorite gothic romance reads in a long time, and I already cannot wait for book 2. 🖤
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4 for GR
Thank you for the eARC!
I've actually sat on this review for a bit just to make sure I was feeling what I thought I felt.
As a first time author this book was a beast to write I'm sure, and I'm going to say it was good. There were definitely aspects where I was super into the storyline and some where I felt I was scratching my head because I couldn't tell if I missed something or if we had just jumped to this new place in the plot.
Overall I can definitely see the vision of where this story was going, even if it felt disjointed to me throughout certain parts. I will be looking forward to the next book just because I was interested enough in the ending that I would like to see where Shalyn takes this!
If you're up for reading a first book by an author, then I'd recommend this. If anything it felt different than a lot of other stuff out there right now!
Thank you for the eARC!
I've actually sat on this review for a bit just to make sure I was feeling what I thought I felt.
As a first time author this book was a beast to write I'm sure, and I'm going to say it was good. There were definitely aspects where I was super into the storyline and some where I felt I was scratching my head because I couldn't tell if I missed something or if we had just jumped to this new place in the plot.
Overall I can definitely see the vision of where this story was going, even if it felt disjointed to me throughout certain parts. I will be looking forward to the next book just because I was interested enough in the ending that I would like to see where Shalyn takes this!
If you're up for reading a first book by an author, then I'd recommend this. If anything it felt different than a lot of other stuff out there right now!
June 6, 2026
I really wanted to like this book.
I found the author on Instagram, loved the cover art, and thought the premise sounded fascinating. I was so excited to read it.
Unfortunately, this felt, to me, less like a finished, polished novel and more like an intriguing early draft of one.
There were frequent typos and proofreading errors, and I often found myself stumbling over sentences or rereading passages while trying to figure out what the author was describing. I also struggled with the worldbuilding, which, in my opinion, contained a number of illogical elements that pulled me out of the story.
What makes this especially disappointing is that I think there is a really good story hiding in here. I kept finding myself wishing I were reading a more polished version of the same book.
This was a frustrating read because I genuinely wanted it to succeed. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was ready, and I ultimately decided not to continue.
DNF.
I found the author on Instagram, loved the cover art, and thought the premise sounded fascinating. I was so excited to read it.
Unfortunately, this felt, to me, less like a finished, polished novel and more like an intriguing early draft of one.
There were frequent typos and proofreading errors, and I often found myself stumbling over sentences or rereading passages while trying to figure out what the author was describing. I also struggled with the worldbuilding, which, in my opinion, contained a number of illogical elements that pulled me out of the story.
What makes this especially disappointing is that I think there is a really good story hiding in here. I kept finding myself wishing I were reading a more polished version of the same book.
This was a frustrating read because I genuinely wanted it to succeed. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was ready, and I ultimately decided not to continue.
DNF.
November 25, 2025
Fall of Divinity was the perfect book to kick off a winter of fantasy reading. I went in expecting a fairly straightforward fantasy story, but the twists kept catching me off guard to the point where I was rereading pages just to make sure I caught everything.
The story moves quickly and keeps you second-guessing yourself. There were quite a few tropes I was expecting to come to fruition, but the way Shalyn writes it feels really fresh, like she knows what you expect and purposely sidesteps it.
If you’re into fantasy with mystery, betrayal, and those wild reveals that make you rethink everything you just read, definitely give this one a try. I really enjoyed it (so much that I kept chasing just one more chapter… which basically turned into my Kindle dropping on my face because I was trying to stay up as long as possible to keep going).
The story moves quickly and keeps you second-guessing yourself. There were quite a few tropes I was expecting to come to fruition, but the way Shalyn writes it feels really fresh, like she knows what you expect and purposely sidesteps it.
If you’re into fantasy with mystery, betrayal, and those wild reveals that make you rethink everything you just read, definitely give this one a try. I really enjoyed it (so much that I kept chasing just one more chapter… which basically turned into my Kindle dropping on my face because I was trying to stay up as long as possible to keep going).
December 3, 2025
Im thankful to have received this book as an arc
overall I feel disappointed... the beginning was extremely captivating: the build up, the gore, the character introduction.
then came sex scene, after sex scene....
also I feel like The Knight had a personality change halfway through the book.
The Knight before he took off his helmet was romantic, strong, protective, loving...
After he took off the helmet?? horny.. horny.. horny..
had he kept to his oath in the book longer, god the payoff wouldve been amazing. the story could've used more yearning.
matter of fact, him being mute the entire time wouldve been lovely too (in the best of ways)
so, way too much sex, not enough knight slaying demons
overall I feel disappointed... the beginning was extremely captivating: the build up, the gore, the character introduction.
then came sex scene, after sex scene....
also I feel like The Knight had a personality change halfway through the book.
The Knight before he took off his helmet was romantic, strong, protective, loving...
After he took off the helmet?? horny.. horny.. horny..
had he kept to his oath in the book longer, god the payoff wouldve been amazing. the story could've used more yearning.
matter of fact, him being mute the entire time wouldve been lovely too (in the best of ways)
so, way too much sex, not enough knight slaying demons
January 8, 2026
This book was SO good I read it once, processed, then read it again. It was so beautifully put together- I loved the dark, gothic world the author put together. I could truly feel something sinister in the pages and I was eating that shit up. Would I want to exist in that world? Fuck no! But I sure did love reading about it. And maybe if I could live there if I could have the MMC :)
This is one of the first books I wasn’t able to guess what was going to happen next (which means a lot to me). I’m in actual pain that I have to wait for the story to continue. Do yourself a favor, and read it!!
Bonus- do you see that cover art?? No AI in sight and it’s stunning *chefs kiss*
Thank you so much for an ARC in return for an honest review ✨ this is definitely on my favorite books list :)
This is one of the first books I wasn’t able to guess what was going to happen next (which means a lot to me). I’m in actual pain that I have to wait for the story to continue. Do yourself a favor, and read it!!
Bonus- do you see that cover art?? No AI in sight and it’s stunning *chefs kiss*
Thank you so much for an ARC in return for an honest review ✨ this is definitely on my favorite books list :)
November 26, 2025
Thank you Shalyn Elizabeth for choosing me to receive a digital ARC. I've read a fair few books in my time, and The Fall of Divinity was one of the ones that was very unique and will likely stick with me.
It hit some fan favourite tropes without being too obvious, and I really couldn't tell what was going to happen next.
The pacing felt a bit slow at points but by the end, I couldn't put it down and I really hope there will be a sequel to explore Aleda & Gideons' relationship more.
Overall, for a debut dark fantasy novel, Shalyn Elizabeth did a great job at keeping things interesting.
It hit some fan favourite tropes without being too obvious, and I really couldn't tell what was going to happen next.
The pacing felt a bit slow at points but by the end, I couldn't put it down and I really hope there will be a sequel to explore Aleda & Gideons' relationship more.
Overall, for a debut dark fantasy novel, Shalyn Elizabeth did a great job at keeping things interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2026
This was SO cool and so good. This book takes the prize for the perfect example of true Gothic Fantasy. I was a bit shocked by the level of violence, but in a completely good way! For me, it really helped create these feelings of fear and trauma Aleda goes through. She had always lived this sheltered life in the Kingdom and coming to terms with the horrors of the real world really shaped her character. The level of detail really immerses you in this world, there were so many scenes I just got sucked into and forgot everything around me. I found that the book REALLY got my attention when a certain knight showed up 😏 He had my full attention and I loved his scenes with Aleda; they were so intimate, it was as if the whole world quieted around them. For a debut author this was incredibly badass. I definitely recommend this book for the characters, the world building, and the spice of course. I’m super excited to see what comes next after that ending!
November 29, 2025
Such a beautiful story, I can't wait for the rest of the series to be released!! I was so invested in everyone's character, it made me feel very present in each scene like a movie. Very excited to see where it all leads and where the authors wonderful mind will take us. I've been thinking about it throughout my day 😭
December 2, 2025
Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading The Fall of Divinity. Personally it kept me going from start to finish. It’s a good debut for the start of a series. I’d definitely pick up book 2 to see where it’s going.
I enjoyed reading The Fall of Divinity. Personally it kept me going from start to finish. It’s a good debut for the start of a series. I’d definitely pick up book 2 to see where it’s going.
January 4, 2026
You are going to want to add this to the top of your TBR! I don’t usually read romantasy, but this story was captivating and unforgettable. I absolutely loved the princess-knight vibes with dark twists and turns. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of the book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
First off, thank you Shalyn Elizabeth for letting me be an ARC reader.
This book is incredible.
I can’t wait for the next one 😭❤️🔥
This book is incredible.
I can’t wait for the next one 😭❤️🔥
Review of advance copy received from Author
I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry between the FMC AND MMC was unmatched. I love when a book gives me that tingling feeling in chest and I got that from The Fall of Divinity. That ending had me feeling some type of way 😮💨 I cannot wait to see where the story goes next.
March 24, 2026
This was a really interesting world with some really cool lore. I would love to see a sequel based on how the story progressed and ended. It seems possible to me, but that is up to the author.
June 26, 2026
Unputdownable
Read it in one night! Amazing plot and characters! Very refreshing storyline and I can’t wait for the next book!
Read it in one night! Amazing plot and characters! Very refreshing storyline and I can’t wait for the next book!
Read
March 26, 2026THE ENDING!!!
Gonna try to make this as spoiler free as possible, but this book had a lot of surprises. At the beginning I was a little confused at some of the luck she (Aleda) was having, but the ending answered a lot of my questions (and created more 🫠). The atmosphere the author created was also a huge plus with castles, demons, the blood moon, knights, cathedrals, etc. 🥀 And don’t get me started on the brooding love interest! Nothing gets me going more than a man that doesn’t think he’s deserving of our FMC. 🥲 Overall, I had a good time and can’t wait for the next one! ❤️
Gonna try to make this as spoiler free as possible, but this book had a lot of surprises. At the beginning I was a little confused at some of the luck she (Aleda) was having, but the ending answered a lot of my questions (and created more 🫠). The atmosphere the author created was also a huge plus with castles, demons, the blood moon, knights, cathedrals, etc. 🥀 And don’t get me started on the brooding love interest! Nothing gets me going more than a man that doesn’t think he’s deserving of our FMC. 🥲 Overall, I had a good time and can’t wait for the next one! ❤️
July 9, 2026
The Fall of Divinity is officially one of my favorite books! The tension between the FMC and MMC was absolutely perfect, it had me giggling and kicking my feet so many times. The gothic atmosphere was beautiful, it was so easy to be immersed in the world the author created. There are also amazing twists in this story, I was never able to guess what was coming next. Over all it was a great read.
December 6, 2025
I loved this book so much!! This book was full of twist and turns as well as cute moments! Loved the romance, would definitely recommend!
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