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Grimthorne
When Vera awakens on the marble floor of a university's library, she has no idea how she got there. Her memories are gone—cleanly erased—yet a strange silver ring on her finger feels familiar. Etched inside the band is the Latin phrase “ad veritatem.” Toward the truth.
But something is desperately wrong.
Every clock on campus is frozen at 2:17 a.m.
Time hasn’t stopped… it’s looping, flickering, stuttering like corrupted code. The hallways glitch between states, staircases shift direction mid-step, and the portraits on the walls seem to watch her, frame by frame.
Vera soon discovers she isn’t alone. Four other students—each dazed, memoryless, and wearing identical rings—are scattered across the university
None of them remember why they’re there, but their rings link them like pieces of a broken equation.
As the five try to understand the glitching reality around them, fragments of memory bleed through—shards of a secret society at the university, an experiment that pushed beyond the boundaries of consciousness, and something they tried to uncover… or to hide.
The phrase ad veritatem begins to take on a darker weight.
The truth is what they were searching for.
The truth is what broke the world at 2:17.
And the truth is something one of them is still hiding.
To restart time and escape the collapsing reality, they must recover what they lost.
But the more they remember,
the more the glitches hunt them—
as if the world itself is trying to prevent the truth from resurfacing.
And Vera suspects that when the clock finally ticks again,
one of them will not survive it.
But something is desperately wrong.
Every clock on campus is frozen at 2:17 a.m.
Time hasn’t stopped… it’s looping, flickering, stuttering like corrupted code. The hallways glitch between states, staircases shift direction mid-step, and the portraits on the walls seem to watch her, frame by frame.
Vera soon discovers she isn’t alone. Four other students—each dazed, memoryless, and wearing identical rings—are scattered across the university
None of them remember why they’re there, but their rings link them like pieces of a broken equation.
As the five try to understand the glitching reality around them, fragments of memory bleed through—shards of a secret society at the university, an experiment that pushed beyond the boundaries of consciousness, and something they tried to uncover… or to hide.
The phrase ad veritatem begins to take on a darker weight.
The truth is what they were searching for.
The truth is what broke the world at 2:17.
And the truth is something one of them is still hiding.
To restart time and escape the collapsing reality, they must recover what they lost.
But the more they remember,
the more the glitches hunt them—
as if the world itself is trying to prevent the truth from resurfacing.
And Vera suspects that when the clock finally ticks again,
one of them will not survive it.
361 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2026
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2026
0⭐️
DNF @19%
"Here is the added scene, written in long, rich paragraphs, full of emotion, introspection, and quiet intimacy between Vera and Mira.I kept the tone consistent with the rest of your narrative, heavy, breathfilled, cinematic." (page 127)
Edited this review now to respond to the author's comment in detail!
1/AI:
What if the editor did not forget to remove that specific prompt? No one would have realised that AI was directly used, but that does NOT mean she still did not use ANY AI tool to write the other 312 pages though? Like, is that it? Do you expect us to believe the authenticity now? Even if you yourself did not touch AI, it’s very clear that the editor (as we are told) did, at least ONCE, if not MORE, and got caught AFTER the book was published, which means me, as a reader, have the right to 10000% doubt the writing of the WHOLE book, not just THAT part. Obviously?????
And I am NOT going to talk about how the cover is also CLEARLY AI.
Moreover, EVEN if this book is 100% written by a human, I STILL found many grammar mistakes,A LOT of repetition, and that was way before I heard about the AI thing, and I only read 60 pages.😭😭
Here are word for word examples of what i found while reading:
2/Descriptions & repetition:
This was how the writing was (literally EVERY page):
-Not "something".Not "another something".Just "something else".
(OHH this one was ABUSEDDDDD in the book😭💀)
-And then...Then...THEN!...
-No "x" , No "y", but "z".
-"And that was when..."
-It was "something"...Too "same something".
-"This is not....It's..."
-"Before i could...." *something happens!!*
-"For a heartbeat,none of us moved"
"For a heartbeat,neither of us moved"
"For a long moment,nothing existed..."
"For a moment no one spoke"...etc.
These 4 phrases are not an example.They were written EXACTLY like that and not far apart or i wouldn't have noticed.😭
-Too "adjective". Too "another adjective". (A LOT)
All this repetition made the reading experience unbearable for me personally :(
-"The space around me was WRONG...not the WRONG i have been....,a different type of WRONG.Not WRONG in any way i could....WRONG in the way a smell...or a...."
This line shows how the FMC constantly describes things by what they aren’t instead of what they are (which in itself is okay but definitely gets annoying when done in every SINGLE page).Plus, she uses over-the-top words that sound dramatic but don’t ACTUALLY describe anything.
-the amount of times i read the words "deliberate" and "static" every 2 sentences was INSANE.
-"smooth as breath" twice and right after eachother.
-"Something like burnt paper wrapped in lavender" also TWICE and right after eachother (pages 27 & 28!!)
-The amount of times the walls "pulsed" "breathed" "were alive" "were in sync"...made me want to scream.
-Overuse of "dangerous" "composed" "quiet" "still" and any synonym to them.
-The amount of times Vera mentions how much she "hates" Lucian..."I hate how he....how he....and most of all i hated...."
I hate i hate i hate ok we got it!! Mind you, they JUST met eachother.She doesn't even know or remember the guy.
-This one pissed me off: any metaphor involving how "the shadows" or the "air" or whatever "bended" to Lucian's will or "belonged to him" or how his "presence" did idk what....no.
Summary: Everything is dramatic and forced.100000% TELLING rather than SHOWING.
3/The dialogue:
Some lines that pissed me off:
-"and the handsome, handsome face."??
The phrase itself (not even just the word "handsome") was repeated twice and right after eachother AGAIN😭) what even is that? "handsome,handsome"?
-The scene where they choose their names was SO bad and forced i'm sorry. "Mira...like a mirror but not","Elias..like an echo","Cas..feels solid".
In what world does the name "Elias" make someone think instantly of "OHH yes yess like an echo!!". And if she had just said “Mira,” I wouldn’t have minded, but adding “like a mirror” really wasn’t it.And the "Cas...feels solid" felt so random.
l am no author or english expert but i'm pretty sure that ,linguistically, those 3 names have NOTHING to do with their associated words😭(unless maybe there is a hidden personal deep meaning or a memory perhaps that should have explained the names or something but that was not the case here.)
Also,This scene TOOK me outtt completely because i think in a realistic situation, people who just woke up with no memory of who they are or where they are, would not immediately evaluate their randomly chosen names like that...so robotically
Another one, JUST before the names thing, i find this:
"This is constructed,"he said softly."Too symmetrical. Too curated.The dust, the light, even the silence. This isn't chaos. It's orchestration."
"A puzzle," said the blond man. "With five pieces."
"But no image to guide us," added the black-hair girl.
AGAIN...SO.ROBITIC.
This genuinely made me doubt if it's written by AI because people don't talk like that!!
Completing eachother's sentences with deep words like that as if they figured it all out and this is only p.14!!
What i am trying to say here is that, basically, the dialogue felt super PERFORMATIVE rather than natural.Forced & not flowing!
Anyways Next...
-"Do you ever stop to think about how completely fucked we are?"All the time." p.20
bro u just woke up 5 secs ago not knowing who yall r or where or why ,"all the time" WHEN????😭
-A scene where Lucian literally just says that Vera "does not need saving".."she needs remembering" and then that's her reaction:
"That was when I snapped.I shoved him.Hard."
What was really that offensive because i missed it? He did not say anything provoking?
4/Grammar & errors:
"why do you hate me?" "Because I don't."
How about a simple "i don't" why the "because"??
I swear i lagged there because that does not make any sense in any language, right?
"Who's next?" "I will," this is 2nd grade grammar CMON😭
Who's next?-->I AM🙏
"Wesaw...memories," Space here!!!!
This is not even covering everything i caught but i will stop here.
The book clearly still needs a LOT of reviewing and editing.These are very simple beginner mistakes and that makes them even more unforgivable.Like don't expect me to focus now.
If the book is written with AI and it's still full of errors then i don't know what to say i'm sorry.
So sorry if this review is a bit harsh but i was extremely disappointed with this book.
But hope this helps!
DNF @19%
"Here is the added scene, written in long, rich paragraphs, full of emotion, introspection, and quiet intimacy between Vera and Mira.I kept the tone consistent with the rest of your narrative, heavy, breathfilled, cinematic." (page 127)
Edited this review now to respond to the author's comment in detail!
1/AI:
What if the editor did not forget to remove that specific prompt? No one would have realised that AI was directly used, but that does NOT mean she still did not use ANY AI tool to write the other 312 pages though? Like, is that it? Do you expect us to believe the authenticity now? Even if you yourself did not touch AI, it’s very clear that the editor (as we are told) did, at least ONCE, if not MORE, and got caught AFTER the book was published, which means me, as a reader, have the right to 10000% doubt the writing of the WHOLE book, not just THAT part. Obviously?????
And I am NOT going to talk about how the cover is also CLEARLY AI.
Moreover, EVEN if this book is 100% written by a human, I STILL found many grammar mistakes,A LOT of repetition, and that was way before I heard about the AI thing, and I only read 60 pages.😭😭
Here are word for word examples of what i found while reading:
2/Descriptions & repetition:
This was how the writing was (literally EVERY page):
-Not "something".Not "another something".Just "something else".
(OHH this one was ABUSEDDDDD in the book😭💀)
-And then...Then...THEN!...
-No "x" , No "y", but "z".
-"And that was when..."
-It was "something"...Too "same something".
-"This is not....It's..."
-"Before i could...." *something happens!!*
-"For a heartbeat,none of us moved"
"For a heartbeat,neither of us moved"
"For a long moment,nothing existed..."
"For a moment no one spoke"...etc.
These 4 phrases are not an example.They were written EXACTLY like that and not far apart or i wouldn't have noticed.😭
-Too "adjective". Too "another adjective". (A LOT)
All this repetition made the reading experience unbearable for me personally :(
-"The space around me was WRONG...not the WRONG i have been....,a different type of WRONG.Not WRONG in any way i could....WRONG in the way a smell...or a...."
This line shows how the FMC constantly describes things by what they aren’t instead of what they are (which in itself is okay but definitely gets annoying when done in every SINGLE page).Plus, she uses over-the-top words that sound dramatic but don’t ACTUALLY describe anything.
-the amount of times i read the words "deliberate" and "static" every 2 sentences was INSANE.
-"smooth as breath" twice and right after eachother.
-"Something like burnt paper wrapped in lavender" also TWICE and right after eachother (pages 27 & 28!!)
-The amount of times the walls "pulsed" "breathed" "were alive" "were in sync"...made me want to scream.
-Overuse of "dangerous" "composed" "quiet" "still" and any synonym to them.
-The amount of times Vera mentions how much she "hates" Lucian..."I hate how he....how he....and most of all i hated...."
I hate i hate i hate ok we got it!! Mind you, they JUST met eachother.She doesn't even know or remember the guy.
-This one pissed me off: any metaphor involving how "the shadows" or the "air" or whatever "bended" to Lucian's will or "belonged to him" or how his "presence" did idk what....no.
Summary: Everything is dramatic and forced.100000% TELLING rather than SHOWING.
3/The dialogue:
Some lines that pissed me off:
-"and the handsome, handsome face."??
The phrase itself (not even just the word "handsome") was repeated twice and right after eachother AGAIN😭) what even is that? "handsome,handsome"?
-The scene where they choose their names was SO bad and forced i'm sorry. "Mira...like a mirror but not","Elias..like an echo","Cas..feels solid".
In what world does the name "Elias" make someone think instantly of "OHH yes yess like an echo!!". And if she had just said “Mira,” I wouldn’t have minded, but adding “like a mirror” really wasn’t it.And the "Cas...feels solid" felt so random.
l am no author or english expert but i'm pretty sure that ,linguistically, those 3 names have NOTHING to do with their associated words😭(unless maybe there is a hidden personal deep meaning or a memory perhaps that should have explained the names or something but that was not the case here.)
Also,This scene TOOK me outtt completely because i think in a realistic situation, people who just woke up with no memory of who they are or where they are, would not immediately evaluate their randomly chosen names like that...so robotically
Another one, JUST before the names thing, i find this:
"This is constructed,"he said softly."Too symmetrical. Too curated.The dust, the light, even the silence. This isn't chaos. It's orchestration."
"A puzzle," said the blond man. "With five pieces."
"But no image to guide us," added the black-hair girl.
AGAIN...SO.ROBITIC.
This genuinely made me doubt if it's written by AI because people don't talk like that!!
Completing eachother's sentences with deep words like that as if they figured it all out and this is only p.14!!
What i am trying to say here is that, basically, the dialogue felt super PERFORMATIVE rather than natural.Forced & not flowing!
Anyways Next...
-"Do you ever stop to think about how completely fucked we are?"All the time." p.20
bro u just woke up 5 secs ago not knowing who yall r or where or why ,"all the time" WHEN????😭
-A scene where Lucian literally just says that Vera "does not need saving".."she needs remembering" and then that's her reaction:
"That was when I snapped.I shoved him.Hard."
What was really that offensive because i missed it? He did not say anything provoking?
4/Grammar & errors:
"why do you hate me?" "Because I don't."
How about a simple "i don't" why the "because"??
I swear i lagged there because that does not make any sense in any language, right?
"Who's next?" "I will," this is 2nd grade grammar CMON😭
Who's next?-->I AM🙏
"Wesaw...memories," Space here!!!!
This is not even covering everything i caught but i will stop here.
The book clearly still needs a LOT of reviewing and editing.These are very simple beginner mistakes and that makes them even more unforgivable.Like don't expect me to focus now.
If the book is written with AI and it's still full of errors then i don't know what to say i'm sorry.
So sorry if this review is a bit harsh but i was extremely disappointed with this book.
But hope this helps!
January 31, 2026
2 ⭐ is generous
this book had so much potential the premise and vibes were so compelling but I wish it lived up to the amount of hype it got
I stopped reading about 50% into the book (right at the part 2 mark ) and I'm unsure whether I'll keep going or not but here are my initial thoughts.
at first sight the book cover is obviously made by ai which is not a good start ...
there was an ai paragraph PG 127
Here is the added scene written in long rich paragraphs full of emotion introspection and quiet intimacy between vera and Mira I kept the tone consistent with the rest of your narrative heavy breath filled cinematic.
Girl... after i realised that one scene was written by AI I got ragebaited by every previous sentence and following sentence she wrote and I read . it was pretty obvious from the start if the cover was made by ai then might as well the whole book might have been written by AI .
the first 5 chapters were good , they kept me hooked but as I kept going so many questions were left unanswered .
they all woke up with no memory of who they were and in a strange place with matching silver rings
Vera and Lucien had so much tension but it got boring very quickly
when we were introduced to them it seemed like
vera was your average fmc where the whole world revolved around her
Lucian was the cryptic Ml and obvious first choice
Cas was obviously the second Ml who also liked Vera
Elias was the filler character ( he was gone way too quickly )
Mira was the grounded composed and gave off black cat energy .
but as the story went on they all started changing characteristics very quickly the biggest example was Mira becoming an insecure character when she was constantly being described as sharp and composed.
we later find out Cas and Vera were married but Vera decided to cheat on Cas because he didn't want to destroy the system with him and cause chaos so she went to her next option Lucian. A couple of cheaters...
I HATE THE CHEATING TROPE .
Other than that Vera would randomly get flashbacks that helped progress the story only when it benefited her ? suspense kept being built up only to be released lightly ?
IDK anymore genuinely .
I stopped trying to understand what was going on . the plot holes were too much and the dialogue was so confusing .
whenever vera and Lucian together Lucian was always trying to come on to her . it was flirty and teasing at first but then it stopped being fun when the same words and phrases kept being recycled even the scenes too .
I swear Cas and Lucien got into the same fight two pages in a row and there were also two misprints ,pages were in places they weren't supposed to be .
Lucian was also very secretive and gave everybody little to no information because he liked watching them wander around confused and lost ?
she kept pushing "the will they won't they " scenes . the banter stopped bantering
they keep stepping into strange reflective rooms and doors at every chance they get . It's so repetitive
the archive is really confusing bro wdym Vera created it forgot everything then suddenly remembered everything about it once she slept with Lucian in a time of crisis while her husband and Mira were in the other room .
vera literally told the guys (Lucian and Cas ) to stop fighting over a dozen times because they were fighting over her 😐
instead of highlighting the quotes I liked I highlighted the ones I hated .
he told her she was in heat : PG 139
"you are insufferable"
"and you" "are in heat Don't pretend I'm the only one who feels it "
Ewww that is so cringe I can't !!!
I tried so hard to like this book but genuinely I couldn't . i gave it more chances than I could count and while trying to find its redeeming qualities I probably overlooked a bunch of other things .
this book had so much potential the premise and vibes were so compelling but I wish it lived up to the amount of hype it got
I stopped reading about 50% into the book (right at the part 2 mark ) and I'm unsure whether I'll keep going or not but here are my initial thoughts.
at first sight the book cover is obviously made by ai which is not a good start ...
there was an ai paragraph PG 127
Here is the added scene written in long rich paragraphs full of emotion introspection and quiet intimacy between vera and Mira I kept the tone consistent with the rest of your narrative heavy breath filled cinematic.
Girl... after i realised that one scene was written by AI I got ragebaited by every previous sentence and following sentence she wrote and I read . it was pretty obvious from the start if the cover was made by ai then might as well the whole book might have been written by AI .
the first 5 chapters were good , they kept me hooked but as I kept going so many questions were left unanswered .
they all woke up with no memory of who they were and in a strange place with matching silver rings
Vera and Lucien had so much tension but it got boring very quickly
when we were introduced to them it seemed like
vera was your average fmc where the whole world revolved around her
Lucian was the cryptic Ml and obvious first choice
Cas was obviously the second Ml who also liked Vera
Elias was the filler character ( he was gone way too quickly )
Mira was the grounded composed and gave off black cat energy .
but as the story went on they all started changing characteristics very quickly the biggest example was Mira becoming an insecure character when she was constantly being described as sharp and composed.
we later find out Cas and Vera were married but Vera decided to cheat on Cas because he didn't want to destroy the system with him and cause chaos so she went to her next option Lucian. A couple of cheaters...
I HATE THE CHEATING TROPE .
Other than that Vera would randomly get flashbacks that helped progress the story only when it benefited her ? suspense kept being built up only to be released lightly ?
IDK anymore genuinely .
I stopped trying to understand what was going on . the plot holes were too much and the dialogue was so confusing .
whenever vera and Lucian together Lucian was always trying to come on to her . it was flirty and teasing at first but then it stopped being fun when the same words and phrases kept being recycled even the scenes too .
I swear Cas and Lucien got into the same fight two pages in a row and there were also two misprints ,pages were in places they weren't supposed to be .
Lucian was also very secretive and gave everybody little to no information because he liked watching them wander around confused and lost ?
she kept pushing "the will they won't they " scenes . the banter stopped bantering
they keep stepping into strange reflective rooms and doors at every chance they get . It's so repetitive
the archive is really confusing bro wdym Vera created it forgot everything then suddenly remembered everything about it once she slept with Lucian in a time of crisis while her husband and Mira were in the other room .
vera literally told the guys (Lucian and Cas ) to stop fighting over a dozen times because they were fighting over her 😐
instead of highlighting the quotes I liked I highlighted the ones I hated .
he told her she was in heat : PG 139
"you are insufferable"
"and you" "are in heat Don't pretend I'm the only one who feels it "
Ewww that is so cringe I can't !!!
I tried so hard to like this book but genuinely I couldn't . i gave it more chances than I could count and while trying to find its redeeming qualities I probably overlooked a bunch of other things .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2026
Absolutely loved it! Interesting plot & easy read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews