Vicious Miscreations

by Jenn Neal

One treacherous conspiracy.

Five reckless outcasts.

Survival will make monsters of them all.

On the surface, Topensi is a bustling hub of interworld trade, but a cesspool of crime and desperation boils underneath. Trapped by an indenture to the brutal Ripper Gang, Lux does whatever he must to claw his way free. When he discovers a monster controlled by the city guard, he plans to capture the creature and exchange it for his freedom.

Lux assembles a volatile team: a naïve Earthborn mage whose violent magic festers under his skin, a fugitive with a score to settle, a revolutionary who has lost his way, a criminal princess who leaves a trail of ruin in her wake, and a troublemaking tabby cat.

Lux and his crew may be the only ones who can defeat the terrifying power that threatens to devour their world, if they don’t betray each other first.


In a world overtaken by sentient carnivorous plants and ruled by the worst of humankind, Lux and his crew of rival anti-heroes will drag you into their monster hunt and never let you go. This messy found family will weave themselves into your heartstrings, whisper their secrets in the dark, and make you question what makes a monster. With its glowing plants, volatile characters, and even more dangerous world, this high stakes, action packed fantasy has teeth.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Found Family, Action, Fiction

435 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2026

About the author

Jenn is an author and artist who lives in the Pacific Northwest and has done a little bit of everything, from cutting fish in Alaska, to being a zipline guide in Oregon, to teaching outdoor survival skills to kids. When she isn't writing, she is jumping in puddles, reading copious amounts of books, and hiking with her partner and their dog. She loves finding magic in the uninhabited corners of the existing world and creating it in the worlds she writes. Vicious Miscreations is her first novel.

Reviews

[AndaReadsTooMuch]

Carnivorous forest. Need I say more?

I do? Yes? Ok fine. This isn’t just a story about a forest and plant life that eats people. It’s about the way people eat…. Nope, nope not finishing that thought. The title is a misnomer in the best possible way. Vicious Miscreations isn’t just about action, fighting and vengeance. It’s about finding the family that heals you. That finds the little broken pieces of you and puts them back together. Not with one grand gesture, or a hug or a kind word. It’s about the way they fold you in, make you feel wanted and loved, and make you whole again. And that, my friends, is why you need to read this book immediately when it comes out. It’s beautiful, it’s heart-pounding action, it’s broken people trying to heal, it’s about how we are all looking for our people with the same shaped scars and holes to help us belong.

Also, there’s an adorable cat sidekick. His name is Wattie, we love and we protec him forever.

Vicious Miscreations hits shelves on August 18. I’d advise you to run, not walk, and grab yourself a copy with your favorite way to consume books. This is one you definitely don’t want to miss. And who knows, maybe at the end of it, you might feel a little more whole than you did when you started it.

Five very innocuous and definitely not carnivorous plants for me on this one

Huge thank you to author Jenn Neal and Rattle the Stars PR for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Laura]

What a debut! Jenn Neal has done an excellent job with this new world she’s created. It’s full of magic and power, friendships and betrayal, gods and carnivorous plants, all culminating in a city full of Hunters hiding their true purpose. Hint: it’s not a good purpose.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, even Fletcher, who I didn’t really care for at the start, but he came into his own and that progression was great. There are darker themes in this that made it all the better and the feel of the entire city was dangerous, dark and a bit grotesque/gothic.

The story wove together really well and concluded with a nice snap but left it open for a follow-up and, by the gods, I want that follow up to hurt Kasen and those other bastards so very much.

Oh, and there’s also a cat companion so obviously this is something you must read. Wattie demands it as her due.

[Joanne]

Received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Just want to give a shout out to Jenn for letting me read this and I want to congratulate for creating such a wonderful and albeit visceral debut novel! You should be so proud Jenn because that is not an easy feat to do!

Vicious Miscreations is a fantasy debut I haven’t seen before that is very ambitious as a debut novel. There are so many things going on that I do believe that there needed to be a way to streamline the world a bit. The worldbuilding, is absolutely fantastic, I think there is amazing concepts going on (albeit I will admit I didn’t expect it to be a portal fantasy) but I think I want a little more information about the Rippers and the Hunters and why they were mostly at war with each other. The other magical beings were interesting as well I just want to see a little bit more. But that is very hard to do put it all in one novel, so hopefully more will be explored later on.

I think the strongest point of this book is the characters and their backstory. Fletcher has my whole heart he is one of the most complex characters in the cast. I was very compelled reading about all of the MCs backstories and at the same time I was craving more for Tayz and Najila’s backstories. I know again if it was all told this way the book would be way too long.

Because there were so many things going on, I will admit it was a bit hard for me to know what the main focal aspect of the story other than the Divasi and the Makai and Lux’s ties to Amara, but because there were so many ideas, I think there’s left to be explored. I had a great time hanging out with the main cast and I love the moments where we had bonding and chemistry between them all (Fletcher and Tayz were too cute omg)

[Meggan]

Found family is a trope I simply adore and this group of misfits finding each other and discovering friendship, love, and understanding just made me so happy.

I loved how each character’s history impacted the story in some way. The monstrous plants and creatures were a fun bonus as well as a badass cat. The overall story was a great time and I can’t wait to see what crazy probably violent and dangerous adventures our group finds next!

I had two things I wish had more depth: the blood magic system and the gods. Hoping we see or learn more of that in the next book

[Lindsey (endless_tbr_list)]

3.5 stars

There's nothing quite like a fantasy heist book, so I was incredibly excited to dive into Jenn Neal's world of Topensi! Filled with carnivorous plants, dangerous gangs, one brave cat, and plenty of magic, the world building in this one was a lot of fun. I particularly liked Neal's use of "shivering" between worlds for some of the characters, it felt unique (to me at least) which can be hard to do in the fantasy genre.

The found family vibes are strong and the story kept me interested through most of the 400 pages, though I'd argue this is a bit more on the YA realm than adult - which is something to keep in mind when reading about some of the choices these characters make.

Overall, a entertaining read for those who enjoy unique world building and series like Bardugo's Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows.

Thank you to the author for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jenn Neal]

ARCs have gone out and readers are beginning to write their reviews, it is time for me to write mine and then run away from the reader space!

This is my debut novel, and while it isn't the first book I ever wrote, it's the book I needed most. It's the first book I ever wrote where I was unabashedly myself and let my characters be messy instead of heroes. These characters took on a life of their own, and I hope you love them as much as I do. I hope this book throws you right into another world and burrows into your bones.

A few notes:
This book is New Adult Fantasy, and while there are feral, creeptastic plants that give this book a tinge of botanical horror, it is, as a whole, Fantasy. Use your best judgement when it comes to the content warnings. You will find them on the copyright page of my book!

This book is heavy with character growth and plot, all of the main characters are queer and the world is queer-normative, because we deserve safe spaces and books that aren't about suffering because of who we are. VM is queer, but it is not a romance. There will be romantic subplots throughout the series but I can honestly say this one features mostly blushing and absolute shameless flirting.

[J]

Vicious Miscreations more like "Capitalism is the Real Evil and Everyone Should Get a Magic Cat, As A Treat"

Pros:
- THE WORLDBUILDING. I truly think that the scene setting and the aesthetics of Astragath are where Neal shines. Astragath is ecopunk to the extreme in the best way, and I really really really loved the descriptive sections of the glowing plants, the mishmash of cultures in this hub of world transit, and the grittiness of it all. One of my pet peeves with these sort of darker settings is that authors often go *too* dark and it just becomes monotonous brutality, but Neal does a great job of showing the weed patches of stubborn optimism too
- I wanna shoutout the gods of Astragath because they were done in a way that I don't think I've ever seen before. They were real forces of nature, uncontrollable and ANGRY. They also weren't wholly explained, they just WERE and that's something I personally find really important in a book; we, as the reader, shouldn't necessarily know everything, and especially not in a first book! Give me some opening to gnaw on pls, I'm teething
- MORE. CHARACTER. DRIVEN. STORIES. PLEASE. For some this will be a con, but I do like just kind of being along for the ride. Let me just watch your lives through a window pls
- the themes in this book were immaculate. I do love metaphors, I do love traumatized children (they're younger than me so I can call them children, thank u very much), I do love the real evil being capitalism. We also got classism, nepotism, bigotry, scape goating, and More™
- there are several lines in here that I really like, but one that particularly stuck out to me is: "'I thought that belonging meant finding people that are the same as me. I don't think that anymore.'" This is such an important thing to discuss, especially with queer folks because no one is ever going to be 100% like you and that is *okay*. There's this misguided notion that in order to get along you have to agree on everything and that's just not true. Real friends will force you to push back sometimes, to argue, to challenge each other. Hopefully not to the "murdering is okay sometimes" point because we do not in fact do that here (not u Luigi, you're good babes)
- this isn't political intrigue, but it has the same vibe in that Neal is examining the roots that discrimination come from, the ways in which people with no choice are forced to survive, and the different ways that kind of trauma is directly tied to the worlds that they all live in
- I would be remiss to not mention the carnivorous plants

Cons:
- this did take me a while to get into, in part because if you want to have a character arc, some of the characters gotta be a lil annoying in the beginning. I am such a goblin for "hey character is being unlikable right now and is annoying me with their prejudice" as if it is not clearly telegraphed that overcoming that will be a big part of their character arc lol
- this is a debut, and there are a few of the classic debut issues present, like shorter, choppier sentences, a bit of telling not showing, and at times odd phrasing. It does smooth out significantly in the latter half of the book, but for those who that would be really frustrating for I did want to flag it
- some of the fight scenes I did struggle to follow; I don't think they're written poorly I just think Neal has a specific way of writing them that takes a moment to get used to. Again, by the latter half of the book this is largely dropped

Overall:
While it took a moment for me to get into it, I'm so happy I kept going because there is so so so much heart here. The explorations of trauma in particular are really well done and nuanced, and the characters really grow not just on you but they grow together as well. So excited for where the story goes in book 2... which is an issue since book one isn't even out yet.

Thank you to the author for the free ARC! Pls let me have the next one once it's ready too

3.5/5 rounded up!

[Brianna Roberson]

Rating: 3.6/5.0 ⭐️
Writing: third person past

I got this book as an ARC and really enjoyed the premise and overall plot line. It was very cool worldbuilding and lore. Though it came on slowly, bit by bit, and I wouldn’t call it botanical /horror/, it felt very alive and diverse. The depictions of the gods were incredible and one of my favorite takes on nature gods I’ve seen to date!

My one gripe is with how the character motivations were given. They all had very clear motivations and desires because well… we got told exactly what they wanted in no uncertain terms. It felt kind of YA, like it was laid out too clearly and didn’t leave any room for nuance. My hand was held throughout each characters’ arcs which is fine but again, feels like something I would find in a YA novel, which I don’t believe this book claims to be considering the level of gore in it.

I did really love the characters, though. Lux, Fletcher, Kiana and Tayz felt alive and I really appreciated their banter and growing connection. I wish we saw more of it and that it was more natural sometimes but it was great to read. Our fifth “main character” Najila was… not a main character. This book has four main characters, five if you count Wattie (the cat), and they are all wonderful.

Thank you again to the author for letting me read your ARC!

[Sara-Jane Keenan]

This was a brilliant debut by the author. From carnivorous plants, anti-heroes, monsters and gods, she has created a dark magical portal fantasy.

The story is told in multiple point of view from Lux, Fletcher and Kiana, which I enjoyed but would have loved to have gotten Tayz perspective too. Each character is complex, layered and they all have such traumatic pasts. Definitely check your trigger warnings to stay safe. I really enjoyed the group though and the found family that they form. Also it has an adorable cat, what more could you need.

This book gets extra points for being a queer normative world, which I would love to keep seeing more of in the literary world.

The pacing is a little mixed throughout, it’s a rollercoaster of fast paced action and slow burn emotions, which kept me entertained throughout. I would have preferred a little more information on the different types of magic and more history on the hunters x rippers. This is a series though so maybe we will find out more in the next book. Maybe a glossary would be helpful to refer back to.

Overall, I rate this 4⭐️

[Julie]

ARC Read
Our three protagonists; Lux, a ripper “working for the Queen Amara of the ripper district, is sent on a deadly job, Fletcher, living on earth and grieving the loss of his father, wants to flee home whilst grappling with out of control magic, and Kiana, Fletcher’s coworker on Earth, running from her past. Through crazy circumstances these three are thrown together in a world of mystery, power plays and a whole host of trauma.
This book has a great magic system, witty banter, stand out lines, found family and slow burn romance that’s actually slow burn! There’s such raw moments and amazing character growth.
There were only a few moments that felt a bit slow paced and I was a little tired of constantly reading about Tayz’s dimpled cheeks (I do desperately need a Tayz POV), but with great twists and that set up for the next book, I’m hooked.

[Nelli Lakatos]

"ɪ'ᴅ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴅɪᴇ ᴀs ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ᴛʜᴀɴ sᴛᴀʏ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ᴀs ᴀ sʜᴇʟʟ"

First of all I love this cover more than I could ever express! ᴠɪᴄɪᴏᴜs ᴍɪsᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴs was such a beautifully written magical read. It was exciting and adventurous with the most lovable characters. The author did a spectacular job with the world building and each character had such deep and complex backstories. My favorites were Wattie the cat, Fletcher, and Lux. The grief in this novel resonated me too deeply...

To know that this is a debut novel makes it even more impressive! I highly recommend checking out this gorgeous novel.

[Cheyenne Townsley]

Thanks to Jenn Neal’s team for the ARC of this book. For a debut novel, overall I was impressed. The world (or I guess worlds) Neal created were really intriguing. The characters were beautifully flawed & all felt very natural based on their pasts & histories. Though they did feel a little younger than I think they weren’t meant to be. I do wish we could’ve got some chapters from Tayz or Najila’s perspective. I think there was room for a bit more explanation of the politics surrounding the world, I feel like we’re kind of just thrown in & aren’t given a lot of background on things. I also thought the structure with the gods, rippers, hunters, etc. got a little confusing at times. While the pacing was a bit off, I think overall the narrative paid off & left me feeling excited to see what happens next with these characters.

[Te Ana]

“ His magic was that of give and take. Mend a bone, break a bone.”

From the dedication to the last line this book had me hooked and invested.
The world building and magic system was fascinating and described beautifully. The give and take of Fletchers magic being an absolute highlight.

The characters and their banter had me turning each page desperate for more.
The high stakes and political intrigue had me holding my breath and wanting to know more about the difference groups and magic types.

This is absolutely a new all time favourite.

Releasing 18th August

[Joleen Turns Pages]

This was such a dark, twisted, addictive read. Jenn Neal really knows how to create an atmosphere that feels unsettling in the best way, while still giving you characters you can’t stop wanting to understand.

What really worked for me was how messy everything felt. The characters aren’t packaged into neat little boxes of good and bad—they make questionable choices, they have complicated motivations, and there were definitely moments where I was sitting there thinking, “I should probably NOT be rooting for this…” and yet here we are.

I also loved the darker themes and the tension throughout the story. There’s this constant feeling that something is lurking just beneath the surface, and the further I got, the more I needed to know how everything was going to unravel.

There were a few moments where I wanted a little more development or time to sit with what was happening, which is ultimately what kept this at a 4 star for me, but overall I had such a good time with it.

Dark, morally messy, a little unhinged, and incredibly easy to get sucked into. Jenn Neal absolutely has my attention, and I’m excited to see where she takes us next.

[Kashmir M]

This was a good book with an interesting world and magic system. I like how inclusive it was and that there was a romantic dynamic but focused more on the friend relationship building as that is what these characters needed. Wattie is my favorite because of course she is, you'll understand when you read it!

One of my favorite quotes - "“I’d be honored to tear it all down with you.”

Simple, but effective and I can't wait to see them try!

[Harvey]

Wow, what an incredible debut.

"but we are the glass beneath their feet. They can't crush us without bleeding"

Vicious Miscreations is a high-stakes, crossworld fantasy with just a touch of botanical horror. We follow a reluctant band of outcasts as they hunt a monster through a dystopian world and plot to betray each other in the process. While this novel is action-packed and filled with chaos and misadventures, it's also profoundly moving and explores themes of grief, identity, and friendship. In a world where the price of survival is steep, is it worth giving up your humanity for?

I was initially drawn to Vicious Miscreations by the promise of sentient carnivorous plants, queer-normative worlds, and chaotic anti-heroes, though this book consistently proves it's so much more than that. The world building is rich and immersive, and I truly felt transported into the pages. Jenn Neal has brought to life characters that are messy, complex, deeply flawed, and indelibly human that you can't help but fall in love with.

"I think you see me, and I think I see you."

I adored this book from start to finish and I can't wait for the next installment in the Fractured Worlds series.

Thank you so much to Jenn Neal for this wonderful ARC, it's been a pleasure to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Tonje Lien]

This was a quirky, dark,gothic and magical story!

The carnivourous plants, power and magic was new features for me wich is rare in fantasy to see something new. It also had gods and magic and betrayals and most important of all - a heist.

I very much liked the characters and that they all had their own backstory and personalities that stood on their own.

The cat sidekick, or companian, named Wattie I just really fell inlove with!! Any animal sidekick is adorbs and Wattie was no exception!

I very much look forward to the next one!

Thank you to RTSPR and the author for arc of this, I leave my review voluntary and my opinion is very much my own!

[Zed]

4.5 stars rounded up

Vicious Miscreations was such a fun and thrilling read. i loved delving into these worlds of magic and trauma, divided up into districts of what remains of Astragath. The world has been ravaged by gods over the years, leaving only a small portion of liveable land, so it’s fun to see all the “cliché's” of society confined to a few single islands together.

I loved finding out that there’s more than just the one world, and flitting between Astragath and Earth was fun to see the characters handle this. I loved the magic system and the different types of magic people can possess in these new worlds. It was fun to see these 5 completely opposite people come together to work for what they want.

Every character has a dark past, making each of their drives for completing this mission all the more personal to them. Every character has a secret (or more) that they keep that helps to continue to build pressure until the right moment where everything starts to explode. These emotional explosions don’t ruin everything, which makes it feel more realistic to me, they continue to focus on the mission at hand.

The characters were so well written and all so unique, it was fun getting to learn about them at the same time as the characters themselves. i loved the friendships they built that they refused to believe in. Fletcher was probably my favourite as he’s the only one thrown into this world of magic with no prior knowledge, and yet he hits the ground running and always pulls through for the rest. (+ he brought the cat 🥰)

I’m excited to learn more about the other worlds in this book, and I’m so looking forward to any future novels in this series. Definitely a book I will be picking up.

[Renee collins]

Thank you Jenn for this amazing arc read! The characters in this story were so well written, I could picture every location in this book vividly it was so well written I’m so glad I have been giving the fantasy genre a try Lux was my favorite character. I can’t wait to read more books by the talented author!

[Gracie]

Thanks to the author for an e-arc!

Pre read:
- Estimated rating: 3.5-4.5 stars
- I genuinely believe that I’m going to love the pants out of this story

ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGGG!!
I was worried that I wouldn’t finish reading in the time limit that I’d set for myself. But I did!!

I loved that book, I thought it was beautifully unique and the writing was fantastic. I was able to finish reading the book in under 4 hours which points to how good it was. The characters were unique and very interesting. I was team Fletcher/Lux but I was forced to begrudgingly accept Fletcher/Tayz (not half bad).

The world was very interesting and I liked the concept. There isn’t really any strong explanation behind the world/concrete world building, it just exists because it exists. Which would usually annoy me to no end, but the story was exciting enough that I kinda forgot about the world-building (or lack thereof).

In my opinion, this story isn’t New Adult. It’s more of a YA/NA crossover but HEAVY of the YA. However, i think adults would enjoy it anyways but I think it’s more of YA book.

Overall, smashing story!! Happy I got the opportunity to read it. Thanks to the Author for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Keturah Sergeant]

An insane action-packed story packed with mistrust, betrayals, rebellions and magic. The characters are a diverse cast of chaotic mildly overpowered, emotionally stunted idiots, in the best way. I adored them. The plot was crazy, with hunters on their tails, a queen on a rampage and monsters on every corner. The world building was brilliant, the descriptions visceral, the lore detailed and well thought out. From the beginning this book is gripping, full of action, character establishment and development. It is intense, with characters pulled between worlds, people on the run, people in hiding, the threat of death hanging over everyone's head. I appreciated that while there was romantic tension, as the action builds and the stakes raise, nothing is acted upon. The tension remains, connections are clear, feelings are present but it's not the right time and they are all on their own journey to safety, self-discovery and security.

The magic system was well written and engaging, the heavy politics well interwoven with it, the gods and the discrimination, the experiments and the hidden truths, all building throughout. The dramatic displays set against the subtle manipulations, the grotesque experimentation set against the slow realisation of humanity, the insane controlling gods set against the violent clashes of human powers. The characters have varying levels of experience with each, they have to work together, they have to learn trust, communication and patience. They are flawed but in the end they are together.

A brilliant read, I absolutely loved this world and these characters!

[Natalia]

Review of advance copy received from Author
5/5⭐

I’m sorry but I was still reading that. Why did this book end there? I want more!!😭😭😭🫶
And on a more serious note…

If you’re looking for a book with unique characters, crazy plot, and the whole new world to obsess over, you’re in the right place. This is the story of how far you can come with the help of others, even if they look different, even if they are strangers and even if you see them as your enemies. Here, there is no black and white. Here, we have all the colors of the rainbow, literally and metaphorically.

This is the type of book that consumes you whole and throws you into a story full of magic, monsters and rawness that is shown in real and complex problems that are haunting the main characters.

Five diverse main characters that drive and push the story forward. Lex, Kiana, Fletcher, Tayz and Najila. Oh, and there is a cat that is a vital part of this group too, his name is Wattie. Each of them with their own set of history and background that shaped them. And these are not good or bad protagonists. They are very loveable but at the same time you can become furious with their decisions and actions. They squeeze your heart when you learn what they went through but they also make you laugh and comfort you by getting closer to each other and showing their true feelings. None of them saw this coming but I think that in the end they do become some type of a family.

The author writes in a very accessible style but you have to remember that this is a fantasy so we are learning a lot of new things while the plot is constantly moving forward. There are moments where the reader gets to take a breath but it often doesn’t last long since our characters encounter a lot of obstacles.

At first this group fights a bit among each other, since we start with a lot of distrust and suspiciousness. There are hidden truths and deceptive behavior that in the end transforms into openness, understanding and hope that ties them together. If I had to describe this crew in short: Lex is an angry firecracker, Kiana is a strength and the brain, Fletcher is an underestimated hidden gem, Tayz is the anchor and the heart and Wattie is the irreplaceable magical presence. Najila is mostly a side character that becomes a surprise.

I loved Lex, Kiana, Fletcher, Tayz and Wattie. They are young but because of the circumstances they are in, they learned how to operate in their realities. And yet, they also make mistakes that have made me angry and shake my head at them. I wanted to scream: what are you doingggg???!!!

There are a lot of motifs and themes here, for example fight for freedom from the oppressive system, alienation of those who are different, power and corruption, individual struggle in the society and breaking of the established framework that was built on false ideas and information. Additionally, nature is an important element. It’s shown as something that needs to be respected, protected and nurtured. It contains a lot of power on its own and is a source of many things.

I was amazed at the world the author had built. It has a lot of potential since we truly covered a scrap of what, I presume, is to come. The mood wasn’t too sad, too tragic or too happy. It changed throughout the story and it was executed very well.

Favorite things? Plants of different colors and sizes, each had its own purpose. But I also loved Fletcher and Wattie. There aren’t a lot of books where a cat is an important character that is truly present. I really liked this. And Fletcher because I think he ended up with the shortest of sticks. I think he has a lot of potential to show us in the future.

And while I’m mentioning Fletcher, I need to give my two cents about him and Tayz. I was kind of surprised how the author ended things with them but I don’t think it’s a definitive end. I suspect it can go one, two or even three ways with them but I obviously want only one conclusion. Dear author, if you’re reading this, please don’t hurt Fletcher because it will hurt me too.😖

Overall, the story is fantastic! When you look at the number of pages it might seem that it’s a bit long but when I started reading, I blinked and I was already finishing it! Very engrossing and worth reading. In my honest opinion, I wouldn’t be surprised if it became a bestseller. I wish that for you dear author!

If you like fantasy, queer characters that are unique and show emotions and growth, but also you don’t like to be bored, don’t hesitate and read Vicious Miscreations!!!😌🙂‍↕️

Thank you, dear author, for choosing me and giving me the opportunity of reading this as an ARC. Before even getting this book, it was already very high on my list of anticipated books this year.❤️🥹

[Emma]

Thank you so much to the author for the arc! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book had a lot of the ingredients for something I would have loved. Found family, queer-normative world, botanical horror, portal fantasy (something I’ve come to love). However, my expectations were not met. They didn’t get close to being met. This book is a debut and it read like one (not saying all debuts are bad! This just very clearly was someone’s first attempt at writing. I’ll explain that more later).

The things I liked were so incredibly minimal that it can fit into three things: the cat, the queerness, the small-town dreariness that made me nostalgic. That’s it. That’s all I cared about. So why give it 2 stars instead of 1? I don’t know. That’s subject to change.

In no particular order these are the things that I did not like.

THE WORLD BUILDING
It just wasn’t there. Calling it weak would be an overstatement. Portal fantasy is a super challenging genre to write and it’s hardly ever done right. I was left with more questions than answers at the end. What was the point of the Rippers and Hunters? What were all the different types of magic users and how did the magic system even work? What’s with the plants? It sounded like they would be much more important but didn’t get any explanation. The gods? The portals? How does anything work? Where did Fletcher come from and how did he get his magic, and how did his magic work? None of it made any sense. It seemed like the author tried to make a complex world with a complex magic system but missed the mark. A lot more work on that would have made this story stronger.

THE PLOT (rather, its execution)
I found myself skimming a LOT. I was bored. Nothing about this story was engaging. I didn’t care about the plot twists. The character motivations were shallow. I hate repeating myself but this story was very weak. I don’t even understand what happened in the last 20%. I get that there will be another book, but it’s not a good start if the first one is not engaging. Again, I was left with more questions than answers. Even if it’s the first book in a series we should get some answers. I think this book could have benefitted with more rounds of editing and maybe some alpha and beta reading. Also, the author says this book is new adult as all the characters are 19+. I would categorize this as upper YA at MOST. I genuinely thought the MCs were teenagers at best (yeah 19 is a teenager but you get my point). The story read like any other portal fantasy YA book I’ve ever read before.

THE ADVERTISING
Okay maybe I’m just petty. This review should be about the book not how it’s advertised. Just know that I took no stars off my rating for this portion. I just want to share my opinion.
Taken directly from the author, this book is a NA fantasy with botanical horror elements, perfect for fans of Arcane and Six of Crows. I’m going to explain my issues with each. Feel free to skip this section since it doesn’t affect my star rating at all and I’m just a petty bitch ✨
Genre: fantasy? Yes. As this takes place in the modern world (Alaska) and fantasy realms accessed by teleportation and portals, this is portal fantasy. I’m shocked this isn’t classified as such. Botanical horror? I’m going to say no. The weird carnivorous plants weren’t horror-y or even relevant enough to give that subgenre. They were relevant for maybe a few chapters in the beginning and that’s it. I feel like that would be the same as classifying Fourth Wing as a heist novel because there’s a single tiny theft in it. It’s not relevant to the plot.
Comparisons: look, I’m a certified Arcane hater but this book was not similar to that garbage at all. Why? Because it doesn’t deal with the arcane. It doesn’t share any of the elements except for the fact that I didn’t like either and one of the MCs has blue hair. Six of Crows? Hell. No. There were no similarities at all and comparing them is a massive disservice. They were not similar at all.

(Back to the Star-influenced review part)
I was so bored while reading this book. The characters were shallower than a puddle. I didn’t care about them. I didn’t care about their motivations. The plot wasn’t engaging and I was left confused because of all the glaring plot holes. I would recommend this to a younger audience newer to portal fantasy, but I unfortunately did not like this book.

[Elijah Beau]

I won't lie, my feelings are mixed with this one. But first of all, I'd like to thank the author for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Now, let's start with the good. I immediately fell in love with Lux, Tayz, Fletcher and Kiana, and later Najila, and the magic system was refreshing; I found the Divasi's shivering, the equal give and take of the Diphindrum and the Makai in general to be cool and unique at the surface level, but in my opinion, they were also underutilised and confusing. Kiana's shivering felt so important at the start of the book, only to feel long-forgotten by the time I'd reached the halfway point, and while it did make a comeback towards the end, I felt there were so many moments where it could've been cleverly used and/or vital. The Diphindrum magic also gradually started to confuse me, mostly with Fletcher being drawn in by the gods, and Wattie gaining some of his ability and that somehow making her get bigger? And the Hunter blood magic almost seemed to come out of nowhere. I had also expected the flesh-eating plants to be far more central to the plot for a book that advertises itself as a botanical horror, and honestly, the exact nature and history of the gods felt a little all over the place. In these respects, I think there is an overall lack of depth to the worldbuilding.

But it wasn't just the worldbuilding that made this story feel rather surface level. I believe the writing style is also to blame. It was clunky at parts and largely fell into telling rather than showing. There were also moments where the dialogue felt more like the author was trying too hard to make memorable quotes.

Additionally, in rather stark contrast to that of the worldbuilding, as much as I did enjoy the characters, I felt Kiana, Fletcher and Lux's every thought and feeling were heavily over-explained. In fact, I think the reason why Tayz and Najila ended up being my favourites was precisely because that wasn't the case for them. Every detail was handed to me on a silver platter, or explained to me like I was five, over and over again. It was repetitive and boring, and therefore severely affected the flow of action and the tension throughout.

But, evidently, I didn't hate this book. Not even close. It falls into the trap I feel most debuts fall into: it tries to juggle too many things at once and, therefore, struggles to keep its focus. More than anything, I look back on this story with a feeling of fondness, especially with how it ended, and I'm quite excited to see what the sequel has to offer.

[Cossette Bautista]

10 year old me: OOO! This book is so cool! It has powers and a cat! A magical world? Sign me up!

26 year old me: *screeching* I WILL BURN IT ALL TO KEEP Y’ALL SAFE AND TO HUG YOU!

So, this book’s vibe brought me back to when I was obsessed with PJO as a kid. This group of unlikely friends who have found a family in each other has made me feel so warm inside. The realization of they are more than enough and not what people have labeled as them warms my heart. I love how in-depth Jenn writes this story and how her writing helps you imagine this story as you read it. With each scene, I felt the set up and the emotions for each character within. I love the multi-POV aspect, because, in this case, you NEED to know how the MCs are feeling throughout each scene: their fear, trauma, realization, and ✨gay panic✨(which I counted to be ~5 times?). My favorite characters in this book have got to be Wattie and Tayz, but, I do adore Fletcher, Kiana, and Lux. I want to give them all a hug especially after what they’ve been through.

The ending was a beautiful way to end the first book and to set it up for the upcoming journey. This book was playing like a movie in my head, and the way I imagined it all was chef’s kiss! This book is definitely a step away from my romance novels, but, I am going to continue reading this series because it lights the same flame that PJO did when I was 10 years old.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love gay panic, magical worlds, carnivorous plants, underdogs beating the big bad, and a found family vibes.

*Do not read the next if you don’t want to be serious*

Now, if we go on a deeper level, I can somewhat see how this fits in today’s society, especially within the LGBQT+ community. Although this book is a queernormative society, it definitely gives off how it is for the LGBQT+ community to be hated on by society. I won’t spoil anything, but, the self-loathing for who these characters are because of what people have told/ labeled them as it mirrors the hate that we see given by family members who can’t accept the LGBQT+ community. The concept of a group of people who have placed themselves as “protectors” of this world mirror religious groups within the US that try and “pray the gay away.” Now, I am just touching the surface of it all, but, in a sense this fantasy story does replicate what we are seeing today, and it does it beautifully. I love the acceptance of themselves and how their trauma helps them throughout, and that they are able to find a family within each other. Chef’s Kiss 💋

[Queenhack]

A Masterpiece!!
I was hooked from the start. I knew I was going to love this book. This book made me laugh, cry, scream at the characters and at the same time worried and tense about their safety. I loved it. From the world building to the plot to the characters and their bad decisions? I loved it all. Especially the characters, these Five are definitely going to have a special place in my heart.

The depiction of friendship in this book was amazing, it made me want to cry and throw up. And the journey to that friendship. God! You have no idea.

With the Characters, their insecurities, their pain and the walls they put up to protect themselves, made them so humane.They were just children. I don't have enough words to describe these characters, you will just have to read this to know!! I liked the character development.Tayz, Kiana, Fletcher and Lux were perfect. They were so similar yet so different from one another and I think that's what strengthened their friendship. They were broken in similar ways. And to think they thought they were monsters, not knowing they were the least monstrous thing in that universe. They were just trying to survive a world that tried so hard to tear them down. My poor babies💔!!

I loved diversity in the characters as well as all the different cultures mentioned in this. I also liked seeing Topensi from Fletcher's point of view.

The adventures!! Every chapter had a new discovery. I was going through multiple emotions at a time because Lux couldn't be serious even in life threatening situations. Cause tell me why he was making jokes whilst in captivity 😂.

Anyway, I liked that the plot had a lot of action going on, never letting me get bored even for a minute.

The villains in this made me sick to my stomach, they were so atrocious and cruel. Literal Monsters!! I also liked the political undertones in the plot, I think it was well executed. The propaganda, greed and cruelty showed by people in power and all the other stuff was an amazing part of the plot. Hit a little close to home.

All in all I loved Vicious Miscreations. They are a lot of other things I loved but can't add them to my review. It will get too long.This is one of my the best reads for 2026. If you like reading stories filled with adventure, characters who use their trauma as armour and their way to beautiful friendships, with carnivorous plants and hunters on their heels? Then this book is for you. Watch out for the carnivorous plants though 😉
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And before I forget, this was an ARC Read.

[Zero]

✨ARC Book Review✨

3.25/5⭐

This book is written in third person, past tense. It has 3 different povs.

If you really like the book or are the author/the authors friend, please move to a different review. While I enjoyed the book by the end, I have a lot of gripes that I'm adding into my review. <3



I really wish we either had Tayz as a POV as well or had more limited povs. Every so often we'd randomly switch, at least to me, just to check in on this person. Then in the next two pages we'd switch again.
With characterization, I think it was good in the end but the beginning was genuinely so rough. Show don't tell was not well done at times. How many times do I have to be told about the exact reason a character is there before it makes me want to rip my hair out?
Along with that, there was only 4 main characters in this specific book. Naji barely shows up, so unless Wattie (the cat) is the 5th you can't convince me that there is 5 main characters.

I can definitely tell that this book was a majority of set up, but for the life of me I can't tell what it's setting up for. Which can be seen as a pro or a con. To me it's a con, because now I'm just confused on where the story is going? Will it genuinely just surround dismantling the hunters?

To me, this book was a very slow. By the time it was over I wasn't intrigued that it was done, just happy to put it down. It had it's really good moments, but that didn't overshadow the fact of the matter that I kept feeling this was "great concept, needed another pass through" in my opinion.

Along with that, where was all the cannablistic glowing plant horror! We spent like 5 chapters in the forest and the rest was in street corners. Where was all the worldbuilding? There was a mix of it thrown at times, but it was hit or miss on if it felt natural or not.

And while yes the set up for any romances was adorable, some things felt rushed for the sake of character dynamics or brushed over too quick. (Fletcher & Tayz are perfect ngl with their pacing) This is mainly targeted at Lux and Kiana in my opinion, especially post Lux forcing her to tell everyone what/who she is. And with Naji appearing and disappearing. While everyone hated her for what she did to Lux, it's very sparringly brought up.
On the topic of Naji in general, I. My opinion you can't have a group of misfits unless someone is going though something past & present + actively stays with the group.

Tldr: Give me more Tayz, worldbuilding, and less "I'm here for ____ and that's why I'm staying here."

Did I mention I love Tayz? Because I do.

[The Nerdy Bookshop]

Thank you to author Jenn Neal and Rattle the Stars PR for providing an advanced reader copy of Vicious Miscreations in exchange for an honest review.

This book has such a cool premise! It throws you into a completely different world where breaking their laws comes with deadly punishments. Most of the world is surrounded by carnivorous monster plants, and the flora and fauna are just as dangerous as the people living there, including the ever watchful gods.

Fletcher lives on Earth, but when he accidentally unleashes a hidden magic he can’t control, he pulls Lux from another world into his own. They soon cross paths with Kiana, another magic wielder who is considered an abomination in their world and has been hiding on Earth from the Hunters.

Together, they return to Astragath where their goals quickly collide. Kiana’s determined to find the creatures created through a twisted, mutated form of her magic, and save them by destroying them. Meanwhile, Lux desperately wants to escape the horrifying world he’s trapped in with the Queen and the Rippers by capturing the very monster Kiana is searching for, in exchange for his release from the Queen. And Fletcher just wants his magic gone.

Along the way, they assemble a volatile team, including a revolutionary who has lost his way, the Queen’s criminal princess, and Fletcher’s tag along cat. Somehow, this unlikely group becomes a messy sort of found family as they try to survive a world that seems determined to kill them at every turn.

As they navigate this dangerous world, they’re hunted by flesh eating plants, monsters, the Hunters, the Queen and her henchmen, the Rippers, and everything else in between.

With its messy found family dynamic, volatile characters, dangerous world, high stakes, and nonstop action, this is a fast paced fantasy that constantly makes you question what really makes a monster. The world is imaginative and wonderfully unsettling, and there’s plenty of mystery surrounding the characters, their powers, and the creatures they encounter. And there are SO many twists and turns! This unique magic system and story feel like nothing else out there. An apocalyptic world surrounded by carnivorous plants and ruled by the worst of humankind keeps you guessing the entire time, wondering how it could possibly all end.

[Brenda Stokvis]

3,75 ⭐
Lux is trapped by an indenture with the Ripper Queen. When he discovers a monster controlled by the city guard, he sees a way to his freedom. Fletcher grew up on earth, but has a strange, dangerous and volatile magic running through his veins. When he accidentally summons Lux to his world, he finally starts getting answers for his condition. They are joint by Tayz, Kiana and Wattie the cat to accomplish Lux's crazy plans.
I really enjoyed Vicious Miscreations! There is darkness in every characters' past (trigger warnings for abuse and self harm!) and it was really interesting to slowly get their backstory and for things to start to make sense. The queer normative world was a dream, there is A LOT wrong with the world this book is set in but that was definitely not one of them. I hope a lot more writers start writing queer normative books. We need them in our world!
There is some great found family/friendship in this book. The distrust in many of the characters is understandable, and at first they are set up to betray eachother, but I am glad tentative friendship won in the end.
There are some slight issues with the world building. Many times as readers we just have to assume things. It is not explained what the differences are between Rippers and Hunters for example. Are they different or is it just privilege? How did the Hunters manage to capture Gods? Why do the Gods fear the Diphindrum, the magic Fletcher has? And maybe some of these things will be answered in the next book, but I would have loved a little more lore.
Favourite character is a toss up between Tayz (I love a flirty man) and Wattie the cat (fierce, protective and slightly magical). But as a crazy cat lady, my vote would probably go to Wattie. There is a little romantic tension between some of the characters, but I am glad their budding friendship took the forefront in this book.
In the end I really enjoyed this book. The writing was fun, I would say it is YA in writing style. The characters are flawed, but growing and learning. There were some good surprises and twists and the ending was quite a rollercoaster. Is it Six of Crows-brilliant? No, but I would definitely recommend it to everyone who loves Six of Crows.

[Brianna Farnam]

Vicious Miscreations was a heartfelt book filled to the brim with self-discovery, self-acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, empathy, and love. When I first started reading it, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it because all the characters are around 19. My thinking was it might feel like a coming of age. However, Jenn does an excellent job of establishing their maturity through their individual trauma in a world that has forced them to mature and rely on themselves too quickly while balancing that with gentle, childlike insecurity and wonder. I ended up enjoying everything about this book!

The setting was incredible where we have our real world juxtaposed against this dystopian, magic-filled society. Astragath is such a cool place filled with magic wielding humans and people eating plants. I particularly enjoyed that, even though Astragath is a much more accepting place in terms of being queer normative, it still has its issues around prejudice and discrimination.

The characters were all really interesting to me, I wish we learned more about Tayz because I found him to be such an interesting person. I’m hopeful that we’ll see more of him in the next book!! Lux, Fletcher, and Kiana are the main focus and the perspectives we read from. For me, the way they interact with each other and how their individual strengths counterbalance the shortcomings of their little rag tag group was really cool to see. I felt like Jenn did a great job of building friendships that felt genuine.

Of course, no review would be complete (in my humble opinion) without mention of our fearless animal companion, Wattie the cat. I love her so much, she is constantly with the group and never hesitates to throw herself into harms way to protect them. Were there times where I was gripping my kindle so tight it might break because I was worried about her? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes!

There is so much that can be said about the complexity, wonder, and emotional depths of this book. I highly recommend you check it out if you’re interested in found family, human eating plants, realm hopping, and fierce animal companions.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by Rattle the Stars PR. My opinions are my own and freely given.