What do you think?
Avalon University #2
Sorrow & Strangers
Fear. Fury. And Fire.
To Know is Never Enough.
Summer Tuatha De Daanan reluctantly returns to Avalon University for her second year after spending the summer with her vampire best friend in Draculea. She’s a shell of her former self, and the peace promised to her has never felt further from her reach. All Summer wants is to keep her head down and get through the year cloaked in her depression, but looming threats linger, and she quickly finds herself thrust into a dangerous position once again; entangled with a friend turned enemy, the protector of her beloved family, and the target of two very powerful kings.
Unwilling to suffer any further loss, Summer must push through her emotions to prepare herself for the enemies who threaten everything she holds dear. Through runic training with the revered and brooding Headmaster Emrys, combat with the aloof and strong-willed Max, and improving her mental walls with the dark and mysterious stranger, each step pulls her further from the edge of despair. Yet, nothing will be simple for Summer, and the more she trains, the more she discovers who she truly is, forcing her to confront her inner darkness. The beast within that purrs for her enigmatic stalker.
A darkness that is waiting to be explored. A darkness that will not be denied.
To Know is Never Enough.
Summer Tuatha De Daanan reluctantly returns to Avalon University for her second year after spending the summer with her vampire best friend in Draculea. She’s a shell of her former self, and the peace promised to her has never felt further from her reach. All Summer wants is to keep her head down and get through the year cloaked in her depression, but looming threats linger, and she quickly finds herself thrust into a dangerous position once again; entangled with a friend turned enemy, the protector of her beloved family, and the target of two very powerful kings.
Unwilling to suffer any further loss, Summer must push through her emotions to prepare herself for the enemies who threaten everything she holds dear. Through runic training with the revered and brooding Headmaster Emrys, combat with the aloof and strong-willed Max, and improving her mental walls with the dark and mysterious stranger, each step pulls her further from the edge of despair. Yet, nothing will be simple for Summer, and the more she trains, the more she discovers who she truly is, forcing her to confront her inner darkness. The beast within that purrs for her enigmatic stalker.
A darkness that is waiting to be explored. A darkness that will not be denied.
Audible Audio
Published September 8, 2026
About the author
Jeanette Rose
23 books695 followersLong time lover of Paranormal Romance, decided when I couldn't find a book that I was interested online to write my own! It spiraled from there. Degree in Classical Civilizations from Tulane University, missing New Orleans with a vengeance
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,015 reviews
June 7, 2026
WHAT A RIDE!!! This series is without a doubt an addiction!! Guys this entire book I was moving like Sherlock Holmes annotating and theorising, I don’t think I’ve ever been this invested in figuring out a mystery! Another diabolical ending that has left me desperate for the next instalment 😭😭😭
September 23, 2026
4.25⭐️
Emotional journey and soul crushing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot and pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This was a perfect depiction of grief, healing, toxic relationships and real human feelings. I cried for 300 pages.
The only thing missing here is the overall background plot carrying the fantasy storyline. A little more class time, lore, lead up to the big finale would have made this god tier.
Emotional journey and soul crushing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot and pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This was a perfect depiction of grief, healing, toxic relationships and real human feelings. I cried for 300 pages.
The only thing missing here is the overall background plot carrying the fantasy storyline. A little more class time, lore, lead up to the big finale would have made this god tier.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴏ ᴄʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɴᴏ ᴛᴇᴀʀꜱ.
ᴡʜᴏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ, ᴄʜᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴇʀ ʟɪꜰᴇ.”
There are some stories where the battle is the hardest part. And then there are stories that ask you to survive the aftermath.
After the way Blood & Betrayals ended, I knew returning to this world was going to hurttttt.
I just didn’t realize how deeply.
This book is heavyyyy.
Not because it’s filled with endless action or shocking twists from the first page, but because it chooses to sit with what comes after. After the fall. After the loss.
The grief. The silence. The impossible task of waking up and choosing to keep going after your world has been shattered.
And honestly?
I loved that.
Because grief is not linear.
It lingers. It changes you. It finds you in the quiet moments when you least expect it.
And Summer....
She is a soul character for me.
The kind of character who doesn’t just exist on the page. She settles somewhere inside of you.
Her battles became my battles. Her grief became something I carried alongside her. There were moments where I wanted to cry with her, scream into the void with her, and yes, throw my Kindle across the room because watching her struggle through everything she does felt almost too real.
Jeanette and Alexis deserve all the flowers for creating such a beautifully honest portrayal of grief, healing, and mental health. They don’t rush Summer’s healing or ask her to become “okay” for the sake of the story. They allow her to be angry, broken, hopeful, afraid, and everything in between.
What struck me most is that despite this being a fantasy filled with magic, supernatural beings, and ancient mysteries, the emotions never felt larger than life.
They felt real.
Raw.
Beautifully human.
The magic builds the world.
The emotions make you believe in it.
And because of that, I couldn’t rush this book.
I found myself putting my Kindle down just to breathe, replaying conversations in my head, and simply sitting with everything these characters were carrying before I was ready to continue.
Some books entertain you.
This one asks you to feel everything.
And somehow, even surrounded by heartbreak, the found family remains the heartbeat of this series.
Alice and the Morningstars continue to be everything.
Chaotic. Protective. A little unhinged.
But beneath all of that is soooo much love.
They become Summer’s family in every way that matters. They see her pain, stand beside her through it, and remind her she never has to carry it alone.
And then there’s The Stranger.
This… man? Being? Apparition? Whatever you want to call him, he completely stole my attention in this book.
His patience.
His perseverance.
His unwavering devotion to Summer.
Everything.
He doesn’t try to fix her.
He doesn’t expect her to heal on his timeline.
He simply stays.
And somehow, that quiet devotion says more than grand declarations ever could.
If you thought Blood & Betrayals had you questioning everything…
Just wait.
Because when the twists finally hit?
You’re right back to connecting threads, questioning every conversation, and wondering how you missed what was right in front of you.
Book two didn’t just leave me on a cliffhanger.
It threw me off the cliff and asked me to hang on. And yes, I am STILL spiraling 24 hours later and cannot wait for what the chaos duo does next.
Thank you to Simon Maverick for providing me with an early review copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review 🖤
ᴡʜᴏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ, ᴄʜᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴇʀ ʟɪꜰᴇ.”
There are some stories where the battle is the hardest part. And then there are stories that ask you to survive the aftermath.
After the way Blood & Betrayals ended, I knew returning to this world was going to hurttttt.
I just didn’t realize how deeply.
This book is heavyyyy.
Not because it’s filled with endless action or shocking twists from the first page, but because it chooses to sit with what comes after. After the fall. After the loss.
The grief. The silence. The impossible task of waking up and choosing to keep going after your world has been shattered.
And honestly?
I loved that.
Because grief is not linear.
It lingers. It changes you. It finds you in the quiet moments when you least expect it.
And Summer....
She is a soul character for me.
The kind of character who doesn’t just exist on the page. She settles somewhere inside of you.
Her battles became my battles. Her grief became something I carried alongside her. There were moments where I wanted to cry with her, scream into the void with her, and yes, throw my Kindle across the room because watching her struggle through everything she does felt almost too real.
Jeanette and Alexis deserve all the flowers for creating such a beautifully honest portrayal of grief, healing, and mental health. They don’t rush Summer’s healing or ask her to become “okay” for the sake of the story. They allow her to be angry, broken, hopeful, afraid, and everything in between.
What struck me most is that despite this being a fantasy filled with magic, supernatural beings, and ancient mysteries, the emotions never felt larger than life.
They felt real.
Raw.
Beautifully human.
The magic builds the world.
The emotions make you believe in it.
And because of that, I couldn’t rush this book.
I found myself putting my Kindle down just to breathe, replaying conversations in my head, and simply sitting with everything these characters were carrying before I was ready to continue.
Some books entertain you.
This one asks you to feel everything.
And somehow, even surrounded by heartbreak, the found family remains the heartbeat of this series.
Alice and the Morningstars continue to be everything.
Chaotic. Protective. A little unhinged.
But beneath all of that is soooo much love.
They become Summer’s family in every way that matters. They see her pain, stand beside her through it, and remind her she never has to carry it alone.
And then there’s The Stranger.
This… man? Being? Apparition? Whatever you want to call him, he completely stole my attention in this book.
His patience.
His perseverance.
His unwavering devotion to Summer.
Everything.
He doesn’t try to fix her.
He doesn’t expect her to heal on his timeline.
He simply stays.
And somehow, that quiet devotion says more than grand declarations ever could.
If you thought Blood & Betrayals had you questioning everything…
Just wait.
Because when the twists finally hit?
You’re right back to connecting threads, questioning every conversation, and wondering how you missed what was right in front of you.
Book two didn’t just leave me on a cliffhanger.
It threw me off the cliff and asked me to hang on. And yes, I am STILL spiraling 24 hours later and cannot wait for what the chaos duo does next.
Thank you to Simon Maverick for providing me with an early review copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review 🖤
Want to Read
May 21, 2025Having to wait till 2026 should be illegal with that cliffhanger 😭😭😭
August 10, 2026
Honestly, this series just feels like a hostage situation that I can’t escape. And yet, I genuinely cannot explain why I keep coming back.
I will say that the writing itself is absolutely not my cup of tea. It's repetitive, overly explanatory and constantly pointing out the obvious to us every other paragraph. You could easily shave 200 pages off this thing and tighten everything up without losing anything important.
That being said, I did think the grief was written fairly well, although I felt it was dragged out for far too long.
One thing I really enjoyed was getting so much more of The Stranger in this book. Honestly, he’s probably the only character I actually like, apart from Rafe. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of what they did with Rafe towards the end. Why did my man suddenly become such a soppy wet wipe? Please.
But for those of you who are desperate to know...
You may possibly discover who The Stranger is in this book.
Or maybe you don’t.
Who knows...
And yes, somehow, despite all of my complaints, I will probably be back for the next one. Because apparently I enjoy suffering.
I received an advanced reading copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I will say that the writing itself is absolutely not my cup of tea. It's repetitive, overly explanatory and constantly pointing out the obvious to us every other paragraph. You could easily shave 200 pages off this thing and tighten everything up without losing anything important.
That being said, I did think the grief was written fairly well, although I felt it was dragged out for far too long.
One thing I really enjoyed was getting so much more of The Stranger in this book. Honestly, he’s probably the only character I actually like, apart from Rafe. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of what they did with Rafe towards the end. Why did my man suddenly become such a soppy wet wipe? Please.
But for those of you who are desperate to know...
You may possibly discover who The Stranger is in this book.
Or maybe you don’t.
Who knows...
And yes, somehow, despite all of my complaints, I will probably be back for the next one. Because apparently I enjoy suffering.
I received an advanced reading copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
˗ˏˋ 1 star ⟡ ݁₊ .
brooo you don't even know how much i wanted to love this book so badly but like i physically cannot?? i'm lwk pissed that i didnt dnf bc of what happened with alice & summer... (like there was no trigger warning for it too?? don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read this book but if you're nosy, just scroll to the end for the spoiler, i guess)
also i felt like this book was soo repetitive?? like i'm not even kidding, it's literally just:
1) sex
2) summer regretting her life decisions, feels bad about sex...
3) training
4) have said sex again
5) mhmm, you guessed it!! she regrets and feels bad about said sex again..
6) rinse and fucking repeat 💀
anyways that's all to say without spoiling anything major sooo onto the spoilers now!
side note: this may include spoilers from blood & betrayals so if you haven't read it and you're planning to read it, pls STOP READING HERE!!1!
this is your final warning,, look away if you don't want any spoilers... (book 1 or 2)
you're almost there....
oh also!! tw: off page assault & drugging
keeep scrollingg...
soo anyways here's the situation with alice and summer: what happened was these two bffs were at a party and they both got drugged and woke up naked next to some strangers.. and both of them were just so nonchalant about it too?? like i know people cope with situations differently but it just seems like they never coped? and like both of them kinda laughed and brushed it off.. and besides that, summer like always went off from time to time again on how she feels about sex after connor's death so like at the very least i feel like she should be reacting to this whole situation differently?
with that said there were also no tw about this in the book too? like it just says "drug and alcohol abuse" but i feel like this is borderline assault (like off page but still?) or at the very least something along the lines of non-consensual drugging..
my other thing is summer calling connor's mum and dad "mum and dad" is sooo fucking weird??? like girl you essentially EMOTIONALLY CHEATED on their son with the stranger for almost the entirety of the second half of the first book.. so like what-?
and speaking of the stranger, the fact that it's principal emerys (however u spell it) is kinda gross?? like status wise, he had more power over her cuz she's his student and all that and like in book 1 he was like describing to her about how other ppl think his dick is unmanageable and also like the number of piercings on it too.. like why on earth would you be telling your student about this?? also anonymously too (for context: the principal knew he was texting summer (his student) but summer had no idea who was texting her and referred to the principal as the stranger)?? idk this whole thing is just sooo iffy to me
anyways all of this is to say, i dont think i'll be reading book 3 after this..
⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
︶︶︶⊹︶︶︶˗ˋ୨♡୧ˊ˗︶︶︶⊹︶︶︶
₊˚⊹♡ pre-read ♡⊹˚₊ ↴
05/09/2026 — completely forgot what happened in blood & betrayals so i had to reread that one.. BUT i just finished re-reading it sooo im picking this one up rn before i lose my memory again.. hoping we get to find out who "1015" is cuz its eating at me
14/07/2026 — THE WAY I HAVE THE WIDGET!!1! literally no one talk to me pls and thank you. i'm genuinely SO TEMPTED to chuck my current read out and read this rn asdfghjj-
anyways my life is completed now :)
brooo you don't even know how much i wanted to love this book so badly but like i physically cannot?? i'm lwk pissed that i didnt dnf bc of what happened with alice & summer... (like there was no trigger warning for it too?? don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read this book but if you're nosy, just scroll to the end for the spoiler, i guess)
also i felt like this book was soo repetitive?? like i'm not even kidding, it's literally just:
1) sex
2) summer regretting her life decisions, feels bad about sex...
3) training
4) have said sex again
5) mhmm, you guessed it!! she regrets and feels bad about said sex again..
6) rinse and fucking repeat 💀
anyways that's all to say without spoiling anything major sooo onto the spoilers now!
side note: this may include spoilers from blood & betrayals so if you haven't read it and you're planning to read it, pls STOP READING HERE!!1!
this is your final warning,, look away if you don't want any spoilers... (book 1 or 2)
you're almost there....
oh also!! tw: off page assault & drugging
keeep scrollingg...
soo anyways here's the situation with alice and summer: what happened was these two bffs were at a party and they both got drugged and woke up naked next to some strangers.. and both of them were just so nonchalant about it too?? like i know people cope with situations differently but it just seems like they never coped? and like both of them kinda laughed and brushed it off.. and besides that, summer like always went off from time to time again on how she feels about sex after connor's death so like at the very least i feel like she should be reacting to this whole situation differently?
with that said there were also no tw about this in the book too? like it just says "drug and alcohol abuse" but i feel like this is borderline assault (like off page but still?) or at the very least something along the lines of non-consensual drugging..
my other thing is summer calling connor's mum and dad "mum and dad" is sooo fucking weird??? like girl you essentially EMOTIONALLY CHEATED on their son with the stranger for almost the entirety of the second half of the first book.. so like what-?
and speaking of the stranger, the fact that it's principal emerys (however u spell it) is kinda gross?? like status wise, he had more power over her cuz she's his student and all that and like in book 1 he was like describing to her about how other ppl think his dick is unmanageable and also like the number of piercings on it too.. like why on earth would you be telling your student about this?? also anonymously too (for context: the principal knew he was texting summer (his student) but summer had no idea who was texting her and referred to the principal as the stranger)?? idk this whole thing is just sooo iffy to me
anyways all of this is to say, i dont think i'll be reading book 3 after this..
⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
︶︶︶⊹︶︶︶˗ˋ୨♡୧ˊ˗︶︶︶⊹︶︶︶
₊˚⊹♡ pre-read ♡⊹˚₊ ↴
05/09/2026 — completely forgot what happened in blood & betrayals so i had to reread that one.. BUT i just finished re-reading it sooo im picking this one up rn before i lose my memory again.. hoping we get to find out who "1015" is cuz its eating at me
14/07/2026 — THE WAY I HAVE THE WIDGET!!1! literally no one talk to me pls and thank you. i'm genuinely SO TEMPTED to chuck my current read out and read this rn asdfghjj-
anyways my life is completed now :)
tbr-kindle
May 18, 2025Update: I could not be happier that this is being traditionally published AND still releasing this fall😭🙌🏼
2026, are you kidding me!? I needed this book yesterday😭😭😭
2026, are you kidding me!? I needed this book yesterday😭😭😭
Want to Read
December 17, 2025Wake me up when September ends! UGHHHHHHHHHHH
I will wait very patiently.. Anything to learn more about our Stranger and Headmaster! That ending of Blood and Betrayals should be illegal! ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I will wait very patiently.. Anything to learn more about our Stranger and Headmaster! That ending of Blood and Betrayals should be illegal! ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Want to Read
July 11, 2025people leaving ratings already and the book isn't even close to being out is sooo weird.....
December 12, 2025
“You poison me. My thoughts. My dreams. My soul. Poisoned with you.”
This will be kinda blunt because I honestly don’t know what to say.
"How long have we slept? Why does exhaustion still claw at my bones?"
The grief in this book was okay. I mean it was dealt with okay. Depression and isolation come with grief, so I believed the way Summer handled it was authentic.
Traumatized kids become angry adults, poisoned by the children we never got to be. Enraged that the world kept moving on, that it kept going while we were slowly drowning.
However.
What a complete shift from book 1. I was expecting so much more from this, world-building, mystery, emotion, yet it was all…Summer having sex. Followed by more sex. Followed by introducing a new character I don’t really care about and ending on a weird cliffhanger that I don’t believe.
Then, oh, look, more sex. Thinking about sex. Talking about sex. Denying people sex. Denying yourself sex. Hating yourself for having sex. If I have to read the word “moan” one more time. There was no plot. And while I can’t really say much about the sex since it would spoil book 1, 100% I hated how that storyline happened. The second it started in the beginning I hated it, and it continued until the end, basically. Also made me hate the character involved, but I was never his biggest fan in book 1 anyway.
“There is no reason to rehash trauma when it’s still actively traumatizing you.”
So, yeah, no active plot. Honestly, no character development either. Character regression for me. Any positive thing Summer learned in book 1 was destroyed. I get it. Grief. But this was excessive, trying too hard or something. Alice desperately needs a personality that isn’t just “dumb party girl” I am begging you, she contributed to ruining this book. Connor's parents and the whole "mom and dad" thing also didn't help.
The Stranger can fuck right off. What a shift for him too lmao I was invested in him in book 1 but now, thank you, next. That’s not a negative for the book though. I found that whole development (not the ending, just in general) super interesting, and that is what makes me still quite excited about the next one. But please, cut out 200-300 pages of repetitiveness and unnecessarily awkward sex.
I am still invested in what happens next, and I think it still has potential because of the lore and world-building, but you could skip 90% of this book and read book 3 when it’s out, and you wouldn’t miss anything. Being able to skip a book with just the key highlights means something is just...not vibing with me. So, unfortunately, what a disappointment since I was so looking forward to this after the end of book 1 😭
Thank you so much to Jeanette, Alexis, and Debra for an eARC and the Summer ARC! She goes so well with my Connor ARC 😭
“Since I first saw you, first inhaled the whisper of you, there has been no one else. There never will be.”
This will be kinda blunt because I honestly don’t know what to say.
"How long have we slept? Why does exhaustion still claw at my bones?"
The grief in this book was okay. I mean it was dealt with okay. Depression and isolation come with grief, so I believed the way Summer handled it was authentic.
Traumatized kids become angry adults, poisoned by the children we never got to be. Enraged that the world kept moving on, that it kept going while we were slowly drowning.
However.
What a complete shift from book 1. I was expecting so much more from this, world-building, mystery, emotion, yet it was all…Summer having sex. Followed by more sex. Followed by introducing a new character I don’t really care about and ending on a weird cliffhanger that I don’t believe.
Then, oh, look, more sex. Thinking about sex. Talking about sex. Denying people sex. Denying yourself sex. Hating yourself for having sex. If I have to read the word “moan” one more time. There was no plot. And while I can’t really say much about the sex since it would spoil book 1, 100% I hated how that storyline happened. The second it started in the beginning I hated it, and it continued until the end, basically. Also made me hate the character involved, but I was never his biggest fan in book 1 anyway.
“There is no reason to rehash trauma when it’s still actively traumatizing you.”
So, yeah, no active plot. Honestly, no character development either. Character regression for me. Any positive thing Summer learned in book 1 was destroyed. I get it. Grief. But this was excessive, trying too hard or something. Alice desperately needs a personality that isn’t just “dumb party girl” I am begging you, she contributed to ruining this book. Connor's parents and the whole "mom and dad" thing also didn't help.
The Stranger can fuck right off. What a shift for him too lmao I was invested in him in book 1 but now, thank you, next. That’s not a negative for the book though. I found that whole development (not the ending, just in general) super interesting, and that is what makes me still quite excited about the next one. But please, cut out 200-300 pages of repetitiveness and unnecessarily awkward sex.
I am still invested in what happens next, and I think it still has potential because of the lore and world-building, but you could skip 90% of this book and read book 3 when it’s out, and you wouldn’t miss anything. Being able to skip a book with just the key highlights means something is just...not vibing with me. So, unfortunately, what a disappointment since I was so looking forward to this after the end of book 1 😭
Thank you so much to Jeanette, Alexis, and Debra for an eARC and the Summer ARC! She goes so well with my Connor ARC 😭
“Since I first saw you, first inhaled the whisper of you, there has been no one else. There never will be.”
June 10, 2026
the stranger being headmaster emerys is disgusting, rafe turning into a demon was essentially meaningless, and connor hanging around post death through a glowing bracelet is giving psychosis. summer calling connor’s mum and dad mum and dad is WEIRD considering she emotionally cheated on their son for a year.
BAD.
thanks to the authors for the gifted copy, though i wish this book didn’t exist !
BAD.
thanks to the authors for the gifted copy, though i wish this book didn’t exist !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2026
Oh my God. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. 😭
If I ever hear “You will never be Summer Morningstar” one more time, I swear I’m going to start murdering people. 😀😀😀
Summer is an AWFUL character. Awful. Awful. Awful. The things she did and said? The sex? The guilt? Her stupid speeches? I just… NO.
I didn’t even like the first book, but I wanted to give this series another chance. Yeah… that didn’t work out.
If I ever hear “You will never be Summer Morningstar” one more time, I swear I’m going to start murdering people. 😀😀😀
Summer is an AWFUL character. Awful. Awful. Awful. The things she did and said? The sex? The guilt? Her stupid speeches? I just… NO.
I didn’t even like the first book, but I wanted to give this series another chance. Yeah… that didn’t work out.
September 8, 2026
Diabolical.
You mean to tell me that we waited over a year for a book about our FMC healing and coming into her own and standing on her own two feet in the face of immense adversity in loosing her fiancée and being stalked and tortured for a whole school year, and instead we got THIS???
I have so many problems with this sequel, the main being that this book had almost zero plot. Most of it was Summer being angsty and needing to hook up with someone, even if that means she hurts the person she clearly wants to be with and her friend in the process. The stranger is right, this girl is a brat.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU RUN TO ANOTHER MAN TO MAKE YOUR MAN MAD OVER AND OVER AGAIN? Girl, we gotta grow up.
This was not a book about healing or self discovery!
TW:
1. Summer gets drugged and raped at a party and blows it off saying she drank too much. Her bestie Alice and the stranger were the ones to be like “Girl no you were assaulted???”
2. She plays with her friends feelings and hooks up with him, half of the time out of spite of the stranger who she is actually in love with but you would not know with the way she acts.
Brat behavior in the worst way.
3. Multiple times has been non consensually touched or had things done to her and she just is cool with everyone doing that EXCEPT THE MAN WHO ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HER.
If you looked up Self Destructive in the dictionary in their realm, Summers picture would be next to it.
The end of the book was an obvious reveal & yet another immature move for our FMC. Instead of communicating with the not-so-stranger stranger SHE RUNS AWAY AND SAYS SHES GONNA HIDE AND THEN MURDER HIM? Girl where is the growth? Where is the confidence to stand up?
You 👏🏻are👏🏻too👏🏻grown👏🏻to act like this.
You mean to tell me that we waited over a year for a book about our FMC healing and coming into her own and standing on her own two feet in the face of immense adversity in loosing her fiancée and being stalked and tortured for a whole school year, and instead we got THIS???
I have so many problems with this sequel, the main being that this book had almost zero plot. Most of it was Summer being angsty and needing to hook up with someone, even if that means she hurts the person she clearly wants to be with and her friend in the process. The stranger is right, this girl is a brat.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU RUN TO ANOTHER MAN TO MAKE YOUR MAN MAD OVER AND OVER AGAIN? Girl, we gotta grow up.
This was not a book about healing or self discovery!
TW:
1. Summer gets drugged and raped at a party and blows it off saying she drank too much. Her bestie Alice and the stranger were the ones to be like “Girl no you were assaulted???”
2. She plays with her friends feelings and hooks up with him, half of the time out of spite of the stranger who she is actually in love with but you would not know with the way she acts.
Brat behavior in the worst way.
3. Multiple times has been non consensually touched or had things done to her and she just is cool with everyone doing that EXCEPT THE MAN WHO ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT HER.
If you looked up Self Destructive in the dictionary in their realm, Summers picture would be next to it.
The end of the book was an obvious reveal & yet another immature move for our FMC. Instead of communicating with the not-so-stranger stranger SHE RUNS AWAY AND SAYS SHES GONNA HIDE AND THEN MURDER HIM? Girl where is the growth? Where is the confidence to stand up?
You 👏🏻are👏🏻too👏🏻grown👏🏻to act like this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2026
happy release day to S&S!! what am i supposed to do now while we wait for book 3?? i’m so addicted to this series and avalon university. the sequel to that gut wrenching ending from blood & betrayals was SO FREAKIN GOOD. i cried like a baby in the first 20-30% but after that, i was deeply invested into the plot and seeing summer, alice and rafe’s characters pivot into this new normal. i had my suspicions over the identity of the stranger and that ending had me SHOOK. i highly recommend picking this series up and doing the audiobooks because they’re so addicting!!
thank you netgalley and simon maverick books for the arc/alc!! i will be at the edge of my seat while we wait for book 3 😂
thank you netgalley and simon maverick books for the arc/alc!! i will be at the edge of my seat while we wait for book 3 😂
September 14, 2026
𑣲 2 stars
where do i start?? this series has SO many issues, but it's also... addictive and i can't stop coming back for more. please don't ask why because lawd, i have no clue 🙏😭
this review WILL have spoilers for NOT ONLY blood and betrayals, but ALSO sorrow and strangers!
while the end of book one was sad, i can't say it didn't set up for book two pretty perfectly. however, this girl mourned her dead fiance, started calling her dead fiance's parents "mom and dad" and fucked a new man all within the span of a few chapters. and i know everyone handles grief differently, and it's important to move on with life, but this felt a little... unhinged? or perhaps just dealt with badly? i don't know man. but we ride on.
NEXT we start to meet the mysterious stranger again. now, listen. you have to admit when the stranger was first introduced in book one he was all... strangey and hot. well, plot twist, now he's just manipulative. fun, right? there are multiple instances where he treats her badly but then somehow, she's the one who ends up feeling bad for it. like, when she dares to consensually touch another man WITH NO FEELINGS INVOLVED, this stranger, who can't even reveal something like his identity, feels he has the right to break his arm. not only that, but he then says she should be grateful he's not dead. and even better, at the end of this book we do find out his identity, and if that's not just a little... weird. not only was he knowingly hitting on a student, but he's also threatened his students?? something's fishy here, i'm telling you. also did he not host that big coveted party that STUDENTS wanted to go to?? like what? lance orion would NEVER. heh. but somehow, all of this manipulation as always will be justified with what i'd assume to be a mating bond of sorts because duhhh. he just can't help himself, right? *insert heavy romantasy reader sigh*
and despite all of this, i still somehow managed to find joy in it. that's right, my man rafe finally found joy in the world. obviously, i'm really not happy about that ending, but the two stars are for him, and him only. 😩
where do i start?? this series has SO many issues, but it's also... addictive and i can't stop coming back for more. please don't ask why because lawd, i have no clue 🙏😭
this review WILL have spoilers for NOT ONLY blood and betrayals, but ALSO sorrow and strangers!
while the end of book one was sad, i can't say it didn't set up for book two pretty perfectly. however, this girl mourned her dead fiance, started calling her dead fiance's parents "mom and dad" and fucked a new man all within the span of a few chapters. and i know everyone handles grief differently, and it's important to move on with life, but this felt a little... unhinged? or perhaps just dealt with badly? i don't know man. but we ride on.
NEXT we start to meet the mysterious stranger again. now, listen. you have to admit when the stranger was first introduced in book one he was all... strangey and hot. well, plot twist, now he's just manipulative. fun, right? there are multiple instances where he treats her badly but then somehow, she's the one who ends up feeling bad for it. like, when she dares to consensually touch another man WITH NO FEELINGS INVOLVED, this stranger, who can't even reveal something like his identity, feels he has the right to break his arm. not only that, but he then says she should be grateful he's not dead. and even better, at the end of this book we do find out his identity, and if that's not just a little... weird. not only was he knowingly hitting on a student, but he's also threatened his students?? something's fishy here, i'm telling you. also did he not host that big coveted party that STUDENTS wanted to go to?? like what? lance orion would NEVER. heh. but somehow, all of this manipulation as always will be justified with what i'd assume to be a mating bond of sorts because duhhh. he just can't help himself, right? *insert heavy romantasy reader sigh*
and despite all of this, i still somehow managed to find joy in it. that's right, my man rafe finally found joy in the world. obviously, i'm really not happy about that ending, but the two stars are for him, and him only. 😩
September 17, 2026
The first 30% of this book destroyed me emotionally.
That being said there are three more planned books in this series and I will absolutely be reading all of them.
If you have a Zodiac Academy sized hole in your heart you should definitely check out this series!
UPDATED Review:
“𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚?” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙮.
“𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.” 𝙄 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨. “𝙄𝙛 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙄’𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”
Did I finish this book or did it finish me? It most definitely finished me,
I think I sobbed about 10 times during the first 30% of this book. The way grief is portrayed in this book is absolutely perfect. In fact, as I'm thinking about a certain chapter I'm starting to tear up again now as I"m writing this!
The story is going in interesting directions, and I will definitely be eagerly awaiting book three, There is a big reveal at the end of this book that I am dying to discuss!
You'll love this story if you enjoy:
-Urban Romantasy
-Academy Setting
-Lots of Magical Beings
-Crying & Being Devastated
-Very Spicy
-Found Family
-Strong Female Friendships
-A Sexy Mysterious Stalker
Thank you so much to the authors and SImon Maverick for the eARC!
That being said there are three more planned books in this series and I will absolutely be reading all of them.
If you have a Zodiac Academy sized hole in your heart you should definitely check out this series!
UPDATED Review:
“𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚?” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙮.
“𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.” 𝙄 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨. “𝙄𝙛 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙄’𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”
Did I finish this book or did it finish me? It most definitely finished me,
I think I sobbed about 10 times during the first 30% of this book. The way grief is portrayed in this book is absolutely perfect. In fact, as I'm thinking about a certain chapter I'm starting to tear up again now as I"m writing this!
The story is going in interesting directions, and I will definitely be eagerly awaiting book three, There is a big reveal at the end of this book that I am dying to discuss!
You'll love this story if you enjoy:
-Urban Romantasy
-Academy Setting
-Lots of Magical Beings
-Crying & Being Devastated
-Very Spicy
-Found Family
-Strong Female Friendships
-A Sexy Mysterious Stalker
Thank you so much to the authors and SImon Maverick for the eARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
After that ending in blood & betrayals, I just knew this was going to hit hard & it did. My favorite duo has done it again. 😫🖤
It took me a few weeks to write this review. This is the kind of book you sit and reflect on.
Because somehow it felt more raw, more unfiltered. The struggle of trying to get by day by day. The mental health decline, where your darkest thoughts start to take over slowly.
This is about morally complex characters and their navigation through life.
The authors explored trauma, grief, stress, and the portrayal of BPD. As someone who has experienced the impact of BPD through a family member, I would say the authors portrayed it very well. How much it affects your decisions, your mood, and those around you. Acting on impulsive and risky behavior.
At one point, I did have to take a breather because it all felt too personal. But that shows you how well the authors were able to grip my attention.
And if I’m being honest, healing is different for everyone. There’s no limit or deadline.
I felt like I was alongside these characters, wanting to fix everything. I also laughed and rooted for their undying loyalty to each other.
But all seriousness aside, this book remains chaotic, messy, and extremely fun. I’m invested.
Summer is truly a force to be reckoned with, and she deserves all the happiness and love. I also deeply admire her courage and confidence.
Then there’s the Stranger, dangerous and enigmatic but deeply patient. He doesn’t push her; he lets her feel and be herself. His utter devotion to Summer had me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. If that isn’t yearning, then idk what is.
The found family is everything and still an important piece of the story.
Alice is a ride or die, and seeing her flourish, doing things she didn’t think she was capable of, just shows we can let our walls down with the people who love us the most.
& Rafe. I’m still a Rafe girly through and through. My broody tortured soul. What wouldn’t he do for his family? He’s selfless and kind, and yeah, I love him so much.
The world remains brutal, with threats still lingering in the air and secrets slowly revealing themselves. I’m scared to see what happens next.
The spice? I was sweating. It’s scorching hot. Be ready for lots of cold showers 🥲
I thought I was prepared with my theories, which I was for a few, but then I got sideswiped. I’m still unwell. That cliffhanger obliterated me.
I would say this is character-driven more than anything, and I think it’s crucial for the plot. I’ll be screaming into the void until book 3 because I’m extremely emotionally attached to everyone in here.
Thank you to Simon Maverick, Jeanette Rose, and Alexis Rune for the egalley🖤✨
It took me a few weeks to write this review. This is the kind of book you sit and reflect on.
Because somehow it felt more raw, more unfiltered. The struggle of trying to get by day by day. The mental health decline, where your darkest thoughts start to take over slowly.
This is about morally complex characters and their navigation through life.
The authors explored trauma, grief, stress, and the portrayal of BPD. As someone who has experienced the impact of BPD through a family member, I would say the authors portrayed it very well. How much it affects your decisions, your mood, and those around you. Acting on impulsive and risky behavior.
At one point, I did have to take a breather because it all felt too personal. But that shows you how well the authors were able to grip my attention.
And if I’m being honest, healing is different for everyone. There’s no limit or deadline.
I felt like I was alongside these characters, wanting to fix everything. I also laughed and rooted for their undying loyalty to each other.
But all seriousness aside, this book remains chaotic, messy, and extremely fun. I’m invested.
Summer is truly a force to be reckoned with, and she deserves all the happiness and love. I also deeply admire her courage and confidence.
Then there’s the Stranger, dangerous and enigmatic but deeply patient. He doesn’t push her; he lets her feel and be herself. His utter devotion to Summer had me gnawing at the bars of my enclosure. If that isn’t yearning, then idk what is.
The found family is everything and still an important piece of the story.
Alice is a ride or die, and seeing her flourish, doing things she didn’t think she was capable of, just shows we can let our walls down with the people who love us the most.
& Rafe. I’m still a Rafe girly through and through. My broody tortured soul. What wouldn’t he do for his family? He’s selfless and kind, and yeah, I love him so much.
The world remains brutal, with threats still lingering in the air and secrets slowly revealing themselves. I’m scared to see what happens next.
The spice? I was sweating. It’s scorching hot. Be ready for lots of cold showers 🥲
I thought I was prepared with my theories, which I was for a few, but then I got sideswiped. I’m still unwell. That cliffhanger obliterated me.
I would say this is character-driven more than anything, and I think it’s crucial for the plot. I’ll be screaming into the void until book 3 because I’m extremely emotionally attached to everyone in here.
Thank you to Simon Maverick, Jeanette Rose, and Alexis Rune for the egalley🖤✨
July 4, 2026
4.5⭐️
“𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
i was not prepared for this book to emotionally destroy me right from the start 😭. the first quarter absolutely shattered my heart, and i felt like i was carrying summer’s heartbreak, grief, and sadness right alongside her. i just wanted to give her the biggest hug, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
alice somehow became even more of a QUEEN in this book. she’s THAT friend—the ride or die who shows up no matter what, through all the mess and heartbreak. the way she stood by summer—even at her lowest, made me love her even more, and i already know i’m going to be rooting so hard for her in book three, especially with how her story ends in this book!!
my other favourite character? rafe. my sweet sweet rafe. this man and his character growth in this sequel was everything to me. i loved learning more about his backstory, but damn did it break my heart a little at the same time. his bond with summer in book 2 was one of my favourite parts of this sequel and the way alice treats him like her and summers little adoptive child had me cackling lol! super excited for the direction his story in going in this series for sure—especially with the introduction of a certain new character that catches his attention 🤭.
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬.”
“𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”
and then there’s the stranger…
this man and this man’s MOUTH 😮💨. i was living for every interaction between him and summer, and i loved that we got so much more of him in this book. the back and forth between them had me sweating and frustrated at the same time. was i still eating up every scene?! absolutely!! but i will say, seeing more of their dynamic in this book made me appreciate connor that much more 🙈.
"𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞... 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝."
that ending though… 👀 ?! i’m equal parts excited and terrified for what’s coming in book three because this series just keeps raising the stakes.
if you loved blood and betrayals, you’ll definitely want to have sorrow & strangers on your radar!
“𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
i was not prepared for this book to emotionally destroy me right from the start 😭. the first quarter absolutely shattered my heart, and i felt like i was carrying summer’s heartbreak, grief, and sadness right alongside her. i just wanted to give her the biggest hug, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
alice somehow became even more of a QUEEN in this book. she’s THAT friend—the ride or die who shows up no matter what, through all the mess and heartbreak. the way she stood by summer—even at her lowest, made me love her even more, and i already know i’m going to be rooting so hard for her in book three, especially with how her story ends in this book!!
my other favourite character? rafe. my sweet sweet rafe. this man and his character growth in this sequel was everything to me. i loved learning more about his backstory, but damn did it break my heart a little at the same time. his bond with summer in book 2 was one of my favourite parts of this sequel and the way alice treats him like her and summers little adoptive child had me cackling lol! super excited for the direction his story in going in this series for sure—especially with the introduction of a certain new character that catches his attention 🤭.
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬.”
“𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”
and then there’s the stranger…
this man and this man’s MOUTH 😮💨. i was living for every interaction between him and summer, and i loved that we got so much more of him in this book. the back and forth between them had me sweating and frustrated at the same time. was i still eating up every scene?! absolutely!! but i will say, seeing more of their dynamic in this book made me appreciate connor that much more 🙈.
"𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞... 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢'𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝."
that ending though… 👀 ?! i’m equal parts excited and terrified for what’s coming in book three because this series just keeps raising the stakes.
if you loved blood and betrayals, you’ll definitely want to have sorrow & strangers on your radar!
September 19, 2026
Well that was something… i feel like I read almost 800 pages to be exactly where we were at the end of book 1. This was such a bummer because I did enjoy the first book and was excited to see where the story would take off. However there was just no plot. It was heavy on the romance and spice, and while that usually isn’t an issue for me, in this book it became too much and felt like filler. Summer was getting on my nerves in this book and I was getting tired of her wishy washy behavior. I will say I did enjoy getting more of Rafe, and I’m honestly more invested in his storyline. And Alice’s too. The ending was very anticlimactic and I think it was because there really was no lead up to it. With the lack of plot, there wasn’t much to give us. Where was the development of Summer and her powers? They talk about her being so powerful and destined for so much but we see none of it. I’m really sad about how this all played out, and I’m not even sure if I’ll continue to book 3 now. Ugh. I rated this 3 ⭐️ but that feels generous hahah
August 4, 2026
The first 10% I was sobbing, and then I was once again swooning over the Stranger.
Is this book repetitive? Yes, we see the day to day struggle of life through grief and hardship, and Summer trying to find herself again. At last we find out who the Stranger is-and my predictions were correct 🤭
Rafe stole the show imo-and I cannot wait to get more of his story! & another cliffhanger 🫠
Thank you to Simon Maverick an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review 🖤
Is this book repetitive? Yes, we see the day to day struggle of life through grief and hardship, and Summer trying to find herself again. At last we find out who the Stranger is-and my predictions were correct 🤭
Rafe stole the show imo-and I cannot wait to get more of his story! & another cliffhanger 🫠
Thank you to Simon Maverick an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review 🖤
September 9, 2026
I'm grateful to receive an ARC but this was not what I was anticipating.
The grief journey with Summer started out really strong and authentic. I really appreciated the supportive friendship with Alice and their dynamic with Rafe, that's truly what held it together for me.
After the ending with book 1, I was really looking forward to deep character growth and reflection from Summer.
However, rather than genuinely explore that grief journey, the authors chose to use flimsy plot devices to quickly move into dark romance territory.
This felt more like a dark romance with a fantasy backdrop. I would've loved to see the plot advance, instead, it completely stalled out and was background noise just for spice. It felt like the authors were trying to tell two different stories. One, where Summer has this mystery and lore surrounding her, which had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. And another, where Summer just wanted to have some dark romance exploration. Neither story is bad, but combining them in this way did NOT work.
It was quite the jarring tone from book 1.
Rafe was suddenly really close with Summer, which felt inconsistent with his characterization from book 1.. Somehow, he goes from a recluse who's damaged to Summer and him sleeping in the same bed. I also get Connor's family being close with Summer, but the quickness with which they just start calling her their daughter and she's calling them "mom and dad" needed more development. It bordered into uncomfortable territory.
The encounters with Max were an excellent display of consent and moving on with someone trustworthy after suffering such a loss; however, the ones with the Stranger were anything but and this was borderline distasteful.
The party incident was also deeply concerning. The girls didn't just get drunk and have some harmless encounters while intoxicated. They were knowingly drugged and instead just laughed it off and moved on.
I know the authors keep saying that Summer's behavior is explainable by her diagnosis; however, I don't agree with that. This doesn't feel like an authentic journey for someone with Summer's diagnosis and in fact, is a disservice to those who have BPD. This diagnosis seems to be what the authors cling to in order to explain away and make excuses for Summer's abusive, selfish, and unkind behavior. She is unlikeable completely.
The ending was not a shock but their choice in revealing the stranger's identity only confirmed that these encounters were not about consent and healthy exploration, but rather, just creepy, nonconsensual, dark romance encounters.
I would've DNF'd this way early on if not for Rafe and Alice. The lore had such great potential. The authors need to decide if they want to tell a fantasy or a dark romance, or change the marketing of this book entirely. The trope listings are not a clear representation of the material and do not provide enough warning for the material, and I'm not usually a reader who requires warnings.
This whole book is walking warning sign to women on what to avoid in men.
No advancement in the plot or character development and the spice was comical, cringey, and gross. I wish I had kinder things to say about this, but I don't. I was excited about this and greatly thank you for the chance to review it. It took me a month to get through because I had to keep forcing myself to go back. I will not be continuing the series but I wish the authors the best. Thank you.
The grief journey with Summer started out really strong and authentic. I really appreciated the supportive friendship with Alice and their dynamic with Rafe, that's truly what held it together for me.
After the ending with book 1, I was really looking forward to deep character growth and reflection from Summer.
However, rather than genuinely explore that grief journey, the authors chose to use flimsy plot devices to quickly move into dark romance territory.
This felt more like a dark romance with a fantasy backdrop. I would've loved to see the plot advance, instead, it completely stalled out and was background noise just for spice. It felt like the authors were trying to tell two different stories. One, where Summer has this mystery and lore surrounding her, which had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. And another, where Summer just wanted to have some dark romance exploration. Neither story is bad, but combining them in this way did NOT work.
It was quite the jarring tone from book 1.
Rafe was suddenly really close with Summer, which felt inconsistent with his characterization from book 1.. Somehow, he goes from a recluse who's damaged to Summer and him sleeping in the same bed. I also get Connor's family being close with Summer, but the quickness with which they just start calling her their daughter and she's calling them "mom and dad" needed more development. It bordered into uncomfortable territory.
The encounters with Max were an excellent display of consent and moving on with someone trustworthy after suffering such a loss; however, the ones with the Stranger were anything but and this was borderline distasteful.
The party incident was also deeply concerning. The girls didn't just get drunk and have some harmless encounters while intoxicated. They were knowingly drugged and instead just laughed it off and moved on.
I know the authors keep saying that Summer's behavior is explainable by her diagnosis; however, I don't agree with that. This doesn't feel like an authentic journey for someone with Summer's diagnosis and in fact, is a disservice to those who have BPD. This diagnosis seems to be what the authors cling to in order to explain away and make excuses for Summer's abusive, selfish, and unkind behavior. She is unlikeable completely.
The ending was not a shock but their choice in revealing the stranger's identity only confirmed that these encounters were not about consent and healthy exploration, but rather, just creepy, nonconsensual, dark romance encounters.
I would've DNF'd this way early on if not for Rafe and Alice. The lore had such great potential. The authors need to decide if they want to tell a fantasy or a dark romance, or change the marketing of this book entirely. The trope listings are not a clear representation of the material and do not provide enough warning for the material, and I'm not usually a reader who requires warnings.
This whole book is walking warning sign to women on what to avoid in men.
No advancement in the plot or character development and the spice was comical, cringey, and gross. I wish I had kinder things to say about this, but I don't. I was excited about this and greatly thank you for the chance to review it. It took me a month to get through because I had to keep forcing myself to go back. I will not be continuing the series but I wish the authors the best. Thank you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2026
☆ 4 stars
“What’s wrong with being a mess? Normal is an illusion we all pretend is attainable.”
Sorrows & Strangers is the second instalment in the Avalon University series by authors Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune. I genuinely don’t know what the author’s infuse into this series because it is an addiction that cannot be sated in my need to know what happens next. This is the rawest and most vulnerable representation of grief that I have ever experienced, and I cannot express how grateful I am to Jeanette and Alexis for handling such a difficult theme both honestly and respectfully. The exploration on how grief not only affects the person suffering but also the people that love and worry about them? Exquisitely expressed in the most painful and intentional way. The found family elements continue to be top tier within Avalon and I adored getting to see this unlikely family continue to grow as more people are brought into the mix. The humour that their dynamic offers during stressful times felt like the lifeline I needed to stabilise my emotions and I truly had the best time getting to follow this wonderful group of characters on yet another emotional journey. The plot progression in itself felt very minimal which I admittedly was slightly disappointed by as I had expected to be further ahead than what we are now. However I can also recognise the importance in building up Summer’s character during such a pivotal moment in her life, and I can definitely recognise the building blocks being placed to grow from in future books. I have high hopes that things will start fitting into place in regard to the plot throughout book three… and I’m especially excited to learn more necessary lore that I suspect will be vital in the looming fight that our main cast of characters will be forced to face.
I would like to reiterate that I truly do love Summer as a character when I also say that at this moment in her journey, I do believe that she can be seen to sometimes be inherently selfish in exploring her needs despite having selfless intentions. I knew her story would feel even more complex and vulnerable in the aftermath of such a great loss and I truly do back her wholly as she struggles to figure out what she believes is supposed to come next in her life. Summer’s actions continuously prove that she desperately wishes to place her own needs last as she tries to prioritise the lives of her loved ones first. There’s no denying how thrilled I was in getting to watch her learn how to better listen to what she needs as she allows herself to be that little bit selfish in her journey of self-reflection and discovery… however that also doesn’t negate from the fact that she can be seen to make decisions that results in the hurt of others. The person Summer lies to the most first and foremost is herself. The way she continuously tries to delude and dissuade herself away from her own truth as a form of self-punishment felt compelling to witness whilst feeling equally freeing as the inevitable emotional explosion comes to light. I can adore Summer whilst finding myself disagreeing with some of the choices that she makes. She frustrates me and has me thinking about all of the different ways in which I wished she would approach a situation instead, but ultimately for me this just further proves how strong and compelling the writing of the her character is. Perfect is boring and I am a huge advocate of learning to embrace not only the good, but also the messy and imperfect. Summer’s loyalty is resolute and I had the best time getting to delve deeper into who she is with the embodiment of her grief driving her actions alongside the way she desperately claws her way back up from that darkness. The way she has become so attuned with her own emotions and has grown to embrace everything that comes with having people in her life that love her loudly is emotional to experience. The pride I feel in her development by the end is unexplainable and I cannot wait to see what else is left to learn throughout the duration of the series. I will forever feel deeply protective of Summer and the journey that we are yet to follow her on no matter how flawed and messy it becomes, and I cannot wait to see how much more she continues to grow and evolve as her self-assuredness and power continues to grow in strength.
Alice has officially solidified herself as my all-time favourite character across this entire universe with her unwavering love and friendship being the very lifeline that her best friend needed to stay alive. Her commitment to Summer throughout her path towards healing in her refusal to give up left me wishing to find my very own real life variant of Alice. Her ferocity and loyalty is unlike anything else I’ve seen and it felt so rewarding to witness Alice learn how to embrace her own passions and hobbies amidst everything happening around her. Her dialogue left me smiling on countless occasions and I’ll forever adore the comedic relief that her presence often provides. Alice’s progression feels softly explored on the side yet still significant in the way her story continues to evolve over time. I truly didn’t anticipate the direction that her story takes throughout Sorrows & Strangers and I’m feeling apprehensive in my excitement to see what will come next for Alice and the new role she bares the responsibility of.
Max completely won me over throughout this instalment and there’s no denying that his friendship with Summer was one of my favourite developments throughout the entire book. I loved everything about the mutual bond that they shared and the security that they found within their dynamic. “Friends first” is such a lovely sentiment and it was everything to see that remain their priority above all else. Max really commits to all that comes along with being “Team Summer” and it was really heartwarming to see him embrace her chaos just as much as she embraces his darkness. Their friendship is so special and I loved getting to see how they continued to encourage the best from one another whilst providing a safe space to fall apart should they require it. Max really took me by surprise in this instalment and I greatly hope that he continues to remain a present role in Summer, Rafe and Alice’s life throughout the duration of the series.
My darling Rafe, oh how I love him so. This sweet, tortured soul has been consumed with so much pain and torment for far too long and I cannot express how relieved I felt getting to see him discover his peace with the help of the people around him. His backstory hurts to acknowledge whilst equally feeling like a pivotal turning point in the evolution of his character. There’s so much uncertainty regarding Rafe’s future considering where his story will be centring around next in the third book of the series… however I’m going to hold out hope that everything will work out positively for him and Mira. I adored Mira’s introduction and feel a lot of intrigue surrounding her history. She’s holding a lot of secrets close to her chest and I’m excited (and apprehensive) to learn more about her story hopefully soon.
The Stranger remains reliably consistent in a way that feels comforting amongst all of the other changes happening throughout the story. He continues to be unapologetically obsessed and possessive with his ‘little fae’ and I honestly find his honesty regarding his feelings to feel refreshing. Stranger makes his intentions and wants very clear the entire time and despite being a morally dark character whose secrets we have barely scratched the surface upon learning… there’s something almost comforting in his capacity for communication no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances are. This is a man who is so unused to wanting anything for himself and will now stop at nothing to claim what he believes to be rightfully his. Stranger makes a lot of bad choices in a reactive response to his darker emotions, but we also surprisingly get to witness his capacity for emotional growth as his bond with Summer continues to deepen. I really enjoyed the way his private interactions with her opened up a more softened side to his character as he slowly finds himself being integrated into Summer’s life. There is so much intrigue and unknowns left around his character… and there’s no denying how nervous I am to see what happens next after that wild ending.
Something that I did unfortunately struggle with throughout Sorrows & Strangers is the (sometimes) repetitiveness of arguments without any signs of progression. It felt like the exact argument was happening time and again with the same explosive reaction and no movement towards understanding. This resulted in some pacing issues for me personally and I was beginning to feel frustrated at the lack of resolution for the same issue over and over in such a long book. Additionally, I completely respect the author’s being vocal in how important intimacy is to Summer and her character. I wholly recognise the importance in the intimacy scenes in regards to her character progression towards healing and moving forward with her life… however, despite holding great significance I found these scenes (with the same partner) often didn’t feel like they was offering up anything new in terms of additional information or plot progression whilst also starting to feel repetitive by the midway point of the story.
Lastly, what I think I struggled with the most (minor spoilers ahead) was the scene that saw Alice and Summer attending a party in the forest and waking up without any clothes on with the realisation that they had been drugged. The context suggests that everybody around them had also been in the same position and therefore victims of somebody’s careless actions… however this doesn’t negate the reality that both Summer and Alice partook in events that they were not in the right mindset to provide informed consent. Summer in particular has no memory of participating in sexual acts when under the influence but strongly believes she participated in a one night stand… and what made me uncomfortable was the way that she shrugged the whole encounter off despite saying “my body feels tainted” when trying to fill the gaps in her memory. This blasé response didn’t align with the struggles we see Summer face regarding sex and intimacy up until this point either… so this entire situation left me feeling confused and unsettled.
The ending of Sorrows & Strangers was significantly less painful than the end of book one but no less shocking and impactful. I’m somehow filled with even more questions than I have answers and I just know I’m going to be clawing at my cage for crumbs on book three news. I cannot wait to see this universe continue to grow as the plot continues to introduce us to new hidden corners of the world. It feels like the true story is only just beginning… and I cannot wait to be a part of the wild ride that is sure to unfold.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞.
“What’s wrong with being a mess? Normal is an illusion we all pretend is attainable.”
Sorrows & Strangers is the second instalment in the Avalon University series by authors Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune. I genuinely don’t know what the author’s infuse into this series because it is an addiction that cannot be sated in my need to know what happens next. This is the rawest and most vulnerable representation of grief that I have ever experienced, and I cannot express how grateful I am to Jeanette and Alexis for handling such a difficult theme both honestly and respectfully. The exploration on how grief not only affects the person suffering but also the people that love and worry about them? Exquisitely expressed in the most painful and intentional way. The found family elements continue to be top tier within Avalon and I adored getting to see this unlikely family continue to grow as more people are brought into the mix. The humour that their dynamic offers during stressful times felt like the lifeline I needed to stabilise my emotions and I truly had the best time getting to follow this wonderful group of characters on yet another emotional journey. The plot progression in itself felt very minimal which I admittedly was slightly disappointed by as I had expected to be further ahead than what we are now. However I can also recognise the importance in building up Summer’s character during such a pivotal moment in her life, and I can definitely recognise the building blocks being placed to grow from in future books. I have high hopes that things will start fitting into place in regard to the plot throughout book three… and I’m especially excited to learn more necessary lore that I suspect will be vital in the looming fight that our main cast of characters will be forced to face.
I would like to reiterate that I truly do love Summer as a character when I also say that at this moment in her journey, I do believe that she can be seen to sometimes be inherently selfish in exploring her needs despite having selfless intentions. I knew her story would feel even more complex and vulnerable in the aftermath of such a great loss and I truly do back her wholly as she struggles to figure out what she believes is supposed to come next in her life. Summer’s actions continuously prove that she desperately wishes to place her own needs last as she tries to prioritise the lives of her loved ones first. There’s no denying how thrilled I was in getting to watch her learn how to better listen to what she needs as she allows herself to be that little bit selfish in her journey of self-reflection and discovery… however that also doesn’t negate from the fact that she can be seen to make decisions that results in the hurt of others. The person Summer lies to the most first and foremost is herself. The way she continuously tries to delude and dissuade herself away from her own truth as a form of self-punishment felt compelling to witness whilst feeling equally freeing as the inevitable emotional explosion comes to light. I can adore Summer whilst finding myself disagreeing with some of the choices that she makes. She frustrates me and has me thinking about all of the different ways in which I wished she would approach a situation instead, but ultimately for me this just further proves how strong and compelling the writing of the her character is. Perfect is boring and I am a huge advocate of learning to embrace not only the good, but also the messy and imperfect. Summer’s loyalty is resolute and I had the best time getting to delve deeper into who she is with the embodiment of her grief driving her actions alongside the way she desperately claws her way back up from that darkness. The way she has become so attuned with her own emotions and has grown to embrace everything that comes with having people in her life that love her loudly is emotional to experience. The pride I feel in her development by the end is unexplainable and I cannot wait to see what else is left to learn throughout the duration of the series. I will forever feel deeply protective of Summer and the journey that we are yet to follow her on no matter how flawed and messy it becomes, and I cannot wait to see how much more she continues to grow and evolve as her self-assuredness and power continues to grow in strength.
Alice has officially solidified herself as my all-time favourite character across this entire universe with her unwavering love and friendship being the very lifeline that her best friend needed to stay alive. Her commitment to Summer throughout her path towards healing in her refusal to give up left me wishing to find my very own real life variant of Alice. Her ferocity and loyalty is unlike anything else I’ve seen and it felt so rewarding to witness Alice learn how to embrace her own passions and hobbies amidst everything happening around her. Her dialogue left me smiling on countless occasions and I’ll forever adore the comedic relief that her presence often provides. Alice’s progression feels softly explored on the side yet still significant in the way her story continues to evolve over time. I truly didn’t anticipate the direction that her story takes throughout Sorrows & Strangers and I’m feeling apprehensive in my excitement to see what will come next for Alice and the new role she bares the responsibility of.
Max completely won me over throughout this instalment and there’s no denying that his friendship with Summer was one of my favourite developments throughout the entire book. I loved everything about the mutual bond that they shared and the security that they found within their dynamic. “Friends first” is such a lovely sentiment and it was everything to see that remain their priority above all else. Max really commits to all that comes along with being “Team Summer” and it was really heartwarming to see him embrace her chaos just as much as she embraces his darkness. Their friendship is so special and I loved getting to see how they continued to encourage the best from one another whilst providing a safe space to fall apart should they require it. Max really took me by surprise in this instalment and I greatly hope that he continues to remain a present role in Summer, Rafe and Alice’s life throughout the duration of the series.
My darling Rafe, oh how I love him so. This sweet, tortured soul has been consumed with so much pain and torment for far too long and I cannot express how relieved I felt getting to see him discover his peace with the help of the people around him. His backstory hurts to acknowledge whilst equally feeling like a pivotal turning point in the evolution of his character. There’s so much uncertainty regarding Rafe’s future considering where his story will be centring around next in the third book of the series… however I’m going to hold out hope that everything will work out positively for him and Mira. I adored Mira’s introduction and feel a lot of intrigue surrounding her history. She’s holding a lot of secrets close to her chest and I’m excited (and apprehensive) to learn more about her story hopefully soon.
The Stranger remains reliably consistent in a way that feels comforting amongst all of the other changes happening throughout the story. He continues to be unapologetically obsessed and possessive with his ‘little fae’ and I honestly find his honesty regarding his feelings to feel refreshing. Stranger makes his intentions and wants very clear the entire time and despite being a morally dark character whose secrets we have barely scratched the surface upon learning… there’s something almost comforting in his capacity for communication no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances are. This is a man who is so unused to wanting anything for himself and will now stop at nothing to claim what he believes to be rightfully his. Stranger makes a lot of bad choices in a reactive response to his darker emotions, but we also surprisingly get to witness his capacity for emotional growth as his bond with Summer continues to deepen. I really enjoyed the way his private interactions with her opened up a more softened side to his character as he slowly finds himself being integrated into Summer’s life. There is so much intrigue and unknowns left around his character… and there’s no denying how nervous I am to see what happens next after that wild ending.
Something that I did unfortunately struggle with throughout Sorrows & Strangers is the (sometimes) repetitiveness of arguments without any signs of progression. It felt like the exact argument was happening time and again with the same explosive reaction and no movement towards understanding. This resulted in some pacing issues for me personally and I was beginning to feel frustrated at the lack of resolution for the same issue over and over in such a long book. Additionally, I completely respect the author’s being vocal in how important intimacy is to Summer and her character. I wholly recognise the importance in the intimacy scenes in regards to her character progression towards healing and moving forward with her life… however, despite holding great significance I found these scenes (with the same partner) often didn’t feel like they was offering up anything new in terms of additional information or plot progression whilst also starting to feel repetitive by the midway point of the story.
Lastly, what I think I struggled with the most (minor spoilers ahead) was the scene that saw Alice and Summer attending a party in the forest and waking up without any clothes on with the realisation that they had been drugged. The context suggests that everybody around them had also been in the same position and therefore victims of somebody’s careless actions… however this doesn’t negate the reality that both Summer and Alice partook in events that they were not in the right mindset to provide informed consent. Summer in particular has no memory of participating in sexual acts when under the influence but strongly believes she participated in a one night stand… and what made me uncomfortable was the way that she shrugged the whole encounter off despite saying “my body feels tainted” when trying to fill the gaps in her memory. This blasé response didn’t align with the struggles we see Summer face regarding sex and intimacy up until this point either… so this entire situation left me feeling confused and unsettled.
The ending of Sorrows & Strangers was significantly less painful than the end of book one but no less shocking and impactful. I’m somehow filled with even more questions than I have answers and I just know I’m going to be clawing at my cage for crumbs on book three news. I cannot wait to see this universe continue to grow as the plot continues to introduce us to new hidden corners of the world. It feels like the true story is only just beginning… and I cannot wait to be a part of the wild ride that is sure to unfold.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞.
July 10, 2026
I. FUCKING. KNEW. IT. 😮💨❤️🔥😮💨❤️🔥
and i'm so glad i was right about who the stalker wasssss, he is the main reason why i love this series so much and i'm not in the least disappointed 😝
summer annoyed the fuck out of me in this book, i know she was healing and everything, but sometimes i just wanted to get in the book and slap her in the face 💀
alice is the best and the greatest of the friends that ever existed, i would give anything for her ❤️🩹
rafe and mira????? i want fucking moreeeeeeee
overall: can't wait for the next one ✊🏻❤️🔥
and i'm so glad i was right about who the stalker wasssss, he is the main reason why i love this series so much and i'm not in the least disappointed 😝
summer annoyed the fuck out of me in this book, i know she was healing and everything, but sometimes i just wanted to get in the book and slap her in the face 💀
alice is the best and the greatest of the friends that ever existed, i would give anything for her ❤️🩹
rafe and mira????? i want fucking moreeeeeeee
overall: can't wait for the next one ✊🏻❤️🔥
September 11, 2026
I was willing to look past the unecessary, repetitive, eye rolling, unrealistic, boring, immature sex scenes of the first book (which by the way did not move the plot forward in any way nor the character development in any way) because there was a semblance of a plot and I was curious to learn what would happen. I was willing to look past the vomit inducing nickname for connor and all the other overused annoying bits, and honestly i enjoyed the ride it was like trash tv.
But THIS BOOK? Are you kidding me. I feel like I was trapped in a bad version of love island with a main character (summer) who was one brain cell (i am being generous). Zero plot. Characters have gone downhill, plot holes, horrible repetitive writing, suuch a long book for what?
QUESTIONS
Why can’t the stranger show his face? This danger that is being hinted at constantly? what is it? Why not reveal any of this in this encyclopedia of a book?
What happened to the threat summer faced last book? It was just a small fraction of crazy people? She is training for what in this book? What are the threats?
You are telling me this all powerful, ancient, mysterious, complex “stranger” has nothing to do beyond watching summer? Why didn’t we get more of his life, past, motivations in his POV chapters instead of just having him talk about how obsessed he is with summer.. like dude.. we get it. Fun for 3 chapters - annoying for 100 chapters and boring as fuck.
So all the Morningstars are just out of the university and essentially disappear? They were big players in the first book and now they are gone. COOL COOL
You introduce rafe and he essentially becomes a golden retriever with zero complexity? Why not introduce hell with his new character? And explore his dynamic with his uncle?
Alice becomes as exciting as a rug, which is sad, loved her. Highlights include her new pet I guess and a few glimpses of personality . Could have used her to slap some sense in summer, are best friends really besties if they enable the worst in you and never ever hold you accountable?
Honestly could not care less about Mira when the main characters have no development and no goal
Riling the stranger for a few chapters? Fun, the endless back and forth between max, summer and the stranger for 100? Not fun.
When summer tries to be badass or has these streaks of darkness it felt so cheesy and unrealistic it just made me laugh. You can write a brat like character but please let them have depth and growth.
Essentially this entire book is about summer having sex or not with max and withholding different degrees of intimacy with the stranger to hold on to some sort of “plot”. That is it. The big reveal in the next book is probably that they GASP sleep together.
And then you end this HUGE book after all this wasted potential on summer wanting to destroy the stranger? For what? The reasons literally make zero sense? Why is she angry that it’s the headmaster? Because he didn’t do enough to save connor? How about she didn’t do enough herself? Why did she loose the dagger? THAT IS THE WHOLE REASON HE IS DEAD LOL.
Also summer calling Connor’s parents mom and dad is so fucking weird and it was sooooooo unnecessary. Just a lot of things introduced that go absolutely nowhere.
This was so bad, i can’t believe they published this lol
But THIS BOOK? Are you kidding me. I feel like I was trapped in a bad version of love island with a main character (summer) who was one brain cell (i am being generous). Zero plot. Characters have gone downhill, plot holes, horrible repetitive writing, suuch a long book for what?
QUESTIONS
Why can’t the stranger show his face? This danger that is being hinted at constantly? what is it? Why not reveal any of this in this encyclopedia of a book?
What happened to the threat summer faced last book? It was just a small fraction of crazy people? She is training for what in this book? What are the threats?
You are telling me this all powerful, ancient, mysterious, complex “stranger” has nothing to do beyond watching summer? Why didn’t we get more of his life, past, motivations in his POV chapters instead of just having him talk about how obsessed he is with summer.. like dude.. we get it. Fun for 3 chapters - annoying for 100 chapters and boring as fuck.
So all the Morningstars are just out of the university and essentially disappear? They were big players in the first book and now they are gone. COOL COOL
You introduce rafe and he essentially becomes a golden retriever with zero complexity? Why not introduce hell with his new character? And explore his dynamic with his uncle?
Alice becomes as exciting as a rug, which is sad, loved her. Highlights include her new pet I guess and a few glimpses of personality . Could have used her to slap some sense in summer, are best friends really besties if they enable the worst in you and never ever hold you accountable?
Honestly could not care less about Mira when the main characters have no development and no goal
Riling the stranger for a few chapters? Fun, the endless back and forth between max, summer and the stranger for 100? Not fun.
When summer tries to be badass or has these streaks of darkness it felt so cheesy and unrealistic it just made me laugh. You can write a brat like character but please let them have depth and growth.
Essentially this entire book is about summer having sex or not with max and withholding different degrees of intimacy with the stranger to hold on to some sort of “plot”. That is it. The big reveal in the next book is probably that they GASP sleep together.
And then you end this HUGE book after all this wasted potential on summer wanting to destroy the stranger? For what? The reasons literally make zero sense? Why is she angry that it’s the headmaster? Because he didn’t do enough to save connor? How about she didn’t do enough herself? Why did she loose the dagger? THAT IS THE WHOLE REASON HE IS DEAD LOL.
Also summer calling Connor’s parents mom and dad is so fucking weird and it was sooooooo unnecessary. Just a lot of things introduced that go absolutely nowhere.
This was so bad, i can’t believe they published this lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2026
After the way Blood & Betrayals ended this has been my most highly anticipated read! To say I was obsessed with that book would be an understatement…
Biased review - if you’ve ever read a book and gotten so invested with characters that they feel like friends, that would be these characters for me. Summer, Alice, the Morningstars, and shoot even the stranger are my comfort characters. So the first 20% of Summer grieving and Alice being the amazing friend she is broke my heart and there was tears, especially at 19% not only due to a goodbye, but a great sacrifice that was made. Summer’s healing journey, found family (seriously the Morningstars are the absolute best), Alice being the queen we know she is, and a new main character that we loved from book 1 healing and finding love. The stranger..well being the stranger, I will say I did call who he was during book 1…that’s if the information from the end of this book is factual anyway…this book felt like you were living life with these characters and I just love them!
Non-biased review and why reading is so subjective, I’ll start by saying this book is over 700 pages, 0-20% was just Summer grieving, and Alice forcing her will to even live and get out of bed, not much else was happening. We got a visit to our favorite family in Eden, and a very sad goodbye. The found family in this series is simply everything however.
20-50% Rafe became the most interesting character in the book during this time and that’s saying a lot considering he was in bed for a good portion of it. Summer & Alice went to a party that ended badly. Majority of this portion of the book was just Summer w/ a certain booty call to piss off the Stanger and her making sure he knew that she hated him…or so she kept saying…while simultaneously fighting wanting him around. We did get to see a fun new location in this portion however, and I’m hoping we get more of it in book 3. We lost the academy aspect in this portion of the book however..like how are they not failing, it felt like they never went to class…
50-70% the trio was invited to the party of all parties on a very exclusive island. New love interests were formed, who knows what Alice was up to, and Summer & her stranger were in island bliss sort of…until she decides to friend zone him, again…sporadic training, more booty calls, more insight on Max, and Rafe, who again was the most interesting POV in this portion of the book.
70% to the end - we’re picking up a little here with Alice’s story, Rafe makes a really bad deal, and yes we think we finally discover who the Stranger may possibly be. Summer is still being Summer however and her personality was flat as a potato chip in this book. She’s supposed to be extremely powerful but we don’t see any of that from her this entire book. I wish the plot had progressed just a tad faster in this book for being over 700 pages honestly not much was going on, and the situation with her and the stranger with their back & forth really took over the whole book. It started to become extremely repetitive. Every time they made 1 step forward they took 3 steps back the entire book. The amount of times he told her she was his and her life begins and ends with him was a little overkill. We had about 4 main events in 700 pages but this book felt like we made zero plot progression.
That being said I adore these characters, so yes while I felt like not much happened I still enjoyed every second of my time with these characters while reading this book. I feel like readers who are invested in these characters, and like a book that reads like a CW show you will love this book, but if you’re a reader that likes world building, magic, and an in depth plot this is not going to be for you.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Simon Maverick, Alexis Rune & Jeanette Rose for the opportunity to read this pre-release in exchange for my honest review.
Biased review - if you’ve ever read a book and gotten so invested with characters that they feel like friends, that would be these characters for me. Summer, Alice, the Morningstars, and shoot even the stranger are my comfort characters. So the first 20% of Summer grieving and Alice being the amazing friend she is broke my heart and there was tears, especially at 19% not only due to a goodbye, but a great sacrifice that was made. Summer’s healing journey, found family (seriously the Morningstars are the absolute best), Alice being the queen we know she is, and a new main character that we loved from book 1 healing and finding love. The stranger..well being the stranger, I will say I did call who he was during book 1…that’s if the information from the end of this book is factual anyway…this book felt like you were living life with these characters and I just love them!
Non-biased review and why reading is so subjective, I’ll start by saying this book is over 700 pages, 0-20% was just Summer grieving, and Alice forcing her will to even live and get out of bed, not much else was happening. We got a visit to our favorite family in Eden, and a very sad goodbye. The found family in this series is simply everything however.
20-50% Rafe became the most interesting character in the book during this time and that’s saying a lot considering he was in bed for a good portion of it. Summer & Alice went to a party that ended badly. Majority of this portion of the book was just Summer w/ a certain booty call to piss off the Stanger and her making sure he knew that she hated him…or so she kept saying…while simultaneously fighting wanting him around. We did get to see a fun new location in this portion however, and I’m hoping we get more of it in book 3. We lost the academy aspect in this portion of the book however..like how are they not failing, it felt like they never went to class…
50-70% the trio was invited to the party of all parties on a very exclusive island. New love interests were formed, who knows what Alice was up to, and Summer & her stranger were in island bliss sort of…until she decides to friend zone him, again…sporadic training, more booty calls, more insight on Max, and Rafe, who again was the most interesting POV in this portion of the book.
70% to the end - we’re picking up a little here with Alice’s story, Rafe makes a really bad deal, and yes we think we finally discover who the Stranger may possibly be. Summer is still being Summer however and her personality was flat as a potato chip in this book. She’s supposed to be extremely powerful but we don’t see any of that from her this entire book. I wish the plot had progressed just a tad faster in this book for being over 700 pages honestly not much was going on, and the situation with her and the stranger with their back & forth really took over the whole book. It started to become extremely repetitive. Every time they made 1 step forward they took 3 steps back the entire book. The amount of times he told her she was his and her life begins and ends with him was a little overkill. We had about 4 main events in 700 pages but this book felt like we made zero plot progression.
That being said I adore these characters, so yes while I felt like not much happened I still enjoyed every second of my time with these characters while reading this book. I feel like readers who are invested in these characters, and like a book that reads like a CW show you will love this book, but if you’re a reader that likes world building, magic, and an in depth plot this is not going to be for you.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Simon Maverick, Alexis Rune & Jeanette Rose for the opportunity to read this pre-release in exchange for my honest review.
September 7, 2026
Thank you to Rose & Star Publishing for sending me this book! I am so grateful to be on the arc team and wish I had more positive things to say about this series. I went in with an open mind as someone who loves complex female characters and romantasies.
•The Stranger Mystery:
This kept me engaged and reading through the end. I had my guesses and needed to know how this would unfold and this mystery was the only redeeming part of the book for me.
•Emotional Immaturity:
One thing I cannot understand is the level of emotional immaturity from every character in this series. They act like they are all 16 and yet they are all 28-30+ years old. It makes no sense. All Summer and Alice do is drink and fuck. They blindly support each other through every toxic thing they do and this does not feel like characters with fully developed frontal lobes.
•Lack of Character Growth:
Grief humbles us all but I just didn’t see that with Summer. She couldn’t eat for a couple months and then moved on like nothing happened.
She acts first and apologizes never. My hope with her grieving was for it would push her to self-reflect, grow, and become a better person, but instead all she does is uses it as a tool to weaponize her grief.
I don’t find her to be a particularly kind person. She doesn’t empathize with other people and I find her generally to be a narcissistic person. Watching her grieve made me realize she is incapable of any self-reflection.
She blames the Stranger because she was emotionally cheating on Conner while he was alive. At no point does she ever take accountability for her own actions. I am disappointed in her for blaming him constantly without directing any of that blame on herself. She feels guilt because she was cheating on her fiancé and deep down, knew things probably wouldn’t have worked out with Conner long term. Instead she blamed The Stranger and says the most mean, cutting things to a guy who has done nothing but try to protect and help her. Being mean to undeserving people is just abusive and I will not excuse it. The end of the book honestly made me give up. She is truly hopeless.
•Plot:
Where is it? After two long books, I still don’t understand what is the point and where this is going. Where is the world building? Who are the key players who are working against Summer?
Instead of a plot, this was mostly just Summer yelling at people, causing drama, and everyone enabling her toxic and abusive behavior.
•Sensitive Subjects Handled Poorly:
I’m deeply concerned about a scene where Summer and Alice were drugged. This was laughed off and quickly forgotten. What was the point of that, if not to needlessly trigger your readers? This was NOT a situation where they were both being slutty or silly or anything—they were taken advantage of and that is nothing to laugh at. I’m deeply concerned by how this scene was handled.
For me to have enjoyed this, I would have needed more plot and more character growth. I wish I had more positive things to say. I truly wanted to love it and to everyone else who had a better experience with reading it, I’m so happy for them.
•The Stranger Mystery:
This kept me engaged and reading through the end. I had my guesses and needed to know how this would unfold and this mystery was the only redeeming part of the book for me.
•Emotional Immaturity:
One thing I cannot understand is the level of emotional immaturity from every character in this series. They act like they are all 16 and yet they are all 28-30+ years old. It makes no sense. All Summer and Alice do is drink and fuck. They blindly support each other through every toxic thing they do and this does not feel like characters with fully developed frontal lobes.
•Lack of Character Growth:
Grief humbles us all but I just didn’t see that with Summer. She couldn’t eat for a couple months and then moved on like nothing happened.
She acts first and apologizes never. My hope with her grieving was for it would push her to self-reflect, grow, and become a better person, but instead all she does is uses it as a tool to weaponize her grief.
I don’t find her to be a particularly kind person. She doesn’t empathize with other people and I find her generally to be a narcissistic person. Watching her grieve made me realize she is incapable of any self-reflection.
She blames the Stranger because she was emotionally cheating on Conner while he was alive. At no point does she ever take accountability for her own actions. I am disappointed in her for blaming him constantly without directing any of that blame on herself. She feels guilt because she was cheating on her fiancé and deep down, knew things probably wouldn’t have worked out with Conner long term. Instead she blamed The Stranger and says the most mean, cutting things to a guy who has done nothing but try to protect and help her. Being mean to undeserving people is just abusive and I will not excuse it. The end of the book honestly made me give up. She is truly hopeless.
•Plot:
Where is it? After two long books, I still don’t understand what is the point and where this is going. Where is the world building? Who are the key players who are working against Summer?
Instead of a plot, this was mostly just Summer yelling at people, causing drama, and everyone enabling her toxic and abusive behavior.
•Sensitive Subjects Handled Poorly:
I’m deeply concerned about a scene where Summer and Alice were drugged. This was laughed off and quickly forgotten. What was the point of that, if not to needlessly trigger your readers? This was NOT a situation where they were both being slutty or silly or anything—they were taken advantage of and that is nothing to laugh at. I’m deeply concerned by how this scene was handled.
For me to have enjoyed this, I would have needed more plot and more character growth. I wish I had more positive things to say. I truly wanted to love it and to everyone else who had a better experience with reading it, I’m so happy for them.
September 12, 2026
4.75☆ utterly addicted. how can a book be THIS freaking long and still have my attention from the very first page??
this book did NOT suffer from second book syndrome. it was packed with grief, the messy process of overcoming that grief and choosing to live again, a growing found family that you can’t help but absolutely adore, AND a romance that is toxic, stalker-ish, unhinged, and somehow ridiculously hot. it felt like i was ovulating again bc OMFG. i am OBSESSED with these two. the chemistry, the tension, the obsession??? I need that pls and thank you.
and that ENDING??? gagged. screaming. 10/10. completely obsessed. emotionally compromised. give me the next book ASAP.
huge ty to netgalley for the e-arc!!
this book did NOT suffer from second book syndrome. it was packed with grief, the messy process of overcoming that grief and choosing to live again, a growing found family that you can’t help but absolutely adore, AND a romance that is toxic, stalker-ish, unhinged, and somehow ridiculously hot. it felt like i was ovulating again bc OMFG. i am OBSESSED with these two. the chemistry, the tension, the obsession??? I need that pls and thank you.
and that ENDING??? gagged. screaming. 10/10. completely obsessed. emotionally compromised. give me the next book ASAP.
huge ty to netgalley for the e-arc!!
May 18, 2026
“you poison me. my thoughts. my dreams. my soul. poisoned with you.”
—
this book was an amazing second installment that kept me hooked the entire time. after the ending of blood & betrayals, it was clear these characters were going to have a lot to work through, and we definitely get to see the darker side of their struggles.
it touches a lot on major depression, guilt, trauma, suicidal ideation, and much more. it felt so raw and real, and while it was hard to read at times because i genuinely wanted to cry, i also felt like it was important to see how these characters navigated everything. the found family is absolutely one of my favorite parts of this series, and i loved seeing them all lean on each other.
let’s talk characters. alice is such an amazing friend. truly, my heart breaks for her and the way she took care of summer after everything. while summer doesn’t always make the best choices, she’s trying her best to figure things out and come into who she’s meant to be after repressing so much. she might not handle things in the best way, but she’s trying, and that’s super important for her character.
my sweet baby angel rafe. i think he might be my favorite character, i’m ngl. i’m so insanely obsessed with him. he’s been through so much, and seeing even part of his past trauma made me sob. i’m so glad he’s finally being appreciated, and his insecurities genuinely make me want to punch everyone who has ever hurt him because i cannot stand seeing the way he thinks of himself :( i can’t say too much, but a certain character he meets… is everything to me.
stranger. this man. his povs in this book??! his mouth??? they match each other’s freak so well, especially when it comes to their darker sides. SOO good. and the forehead kisses had me on the floor. he’s definitely a complex and morally gray character, and he still has a lot of room to grow. the ending of this book took me out and i need the next book immediately.
sorrow & strangers will have you laughing, crying, throwing your book, and needing to touch grass (cuz it’s SUPER spicy) all at the same time.
my only complaint, similar to the first book, is that it could’ve been significantly shorter. at times it felt a bit repetitive, and we probably could’ve cut down on some of the spice (even though it was hot). but regardless, it’s such a fast and fun read that i absolutely ate it up.
thank you soooo much simon maverick & netgalley for this e-arc!!! ♥︎
“𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝒊 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅. 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚.”
—
this book was an amazing second installment that kept me hooked the entire time. after the ending of blood & betrayals, it was clear these characters were going to have a lot to work through, and we definitely get to see the darker side of their struggles.
it touches a lot on major depression, guilt, trauma, suicidal ideation, and much more. it felt so raw and real, and while it was hard to read at times because i genuinely wanted to cry, i also felt like it was important to see how these characters navigated everything. the found family is absolutely one of my favorite parts of this series, and i loved seeing them all lean on each other.
let’s talk characters. alice is such an amazing friend. truly, my heart breaks for her and the way she took care of summer after everything. while summer doesn’t always make the best choices, she’s trying her best to figure things out and come into who she’s meant to be after repressing so much. she might not handle things in the best way, but she’s trying, and that’s super important for her character.
my sweet baby angel rafe. i think he might be my favorite character, i’m ngl. i’m so insanely obsessed with him. he’s been through so much, and seeing even part of his past trauma made me sob. i’m so glad he’s finally being appreciated, and his insecurities genuinely make me want to punch everyone who has ever hurt him because i cannot stand seeing the way he thinks of himself :( i can’t say too much, but a certain character he meets… is everything to me.
stranger. this man. his povs in this book??! his mouth??? they match each other’s freak so well, especially when it comes to their darker sides. SOO good. and the forehead kisses had me on the floor. he’s definitely a complex and morally gray character, and he still has a lot of room to grow. the ending of this book took me out and i need the next book immediately.
sorrow & strangers will have you laughing, crying, throwing your book, and needing to touch grass (cuz it’s SUPER spicy) all at the same time.
my only complaint, similar to the first book, is that it could’ve been significantly shorter. at times it felt a bit repetitive, and we probably could’ve cut down on some of the spice (even though it was hot). but regardless, it’s such a fast and fun read that i absolutely ate it up.
thank you soooo much simon maverick & netgalley for this e-arc!!! ♥︎
“𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝒊 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅. 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚.”
September 12, 2026
As someone who loved book 1, and was so excited to read this - this was painful in a what the fuck am I reading way and I’m truly disappointed.
After dragging us through heavy sorrows where we are expected to believe Summer was head over heels for Connor, when in book 1 she kept him at arms length and was a reluctant participant.. Summer then goes and fucks someone in an alleyway and continues a sex/guilt/sex/guilt routine for much of the book. Rinse and repeat. Gotta make the page numbers up somehow I guess.
Tell me why Summer and Alice go to a party in the forest, meet 2 dudes, talk very briefly, walk away to get another drink then wake up on top of them, spaced the fuck out and nude. Recalling absolutely zero. The entire party got drugged, everyone is passed out in the forest. They come home, hungover as shit, take some potion and are like *that was crazy, let’s sleep*. Just why? The characters brush it off like it was nothing and it was pointless for the plot.
Speaking of the plot - is there one? If so, please point it out.
Summers character is assassinated further by the perpetual back and forth with The Stranger and using Max. We learn Max is supporting his sister who is an addict, we see him give her all his money. Everything he has, trying to help her. Max also helps Rafe during his transition to his new form and is there for Summer whenever she needs him. Summer goes to his place to fuck him and then is disgusted and judges him for having a basic bachelor pad apartment, no fucking Reed diffuser in the bathroom. Like, you *just witnessed* him giving everything to his sister and now you’re curling your lip at and judging how he is living? When Summer gets everything handed to her from her rich friend and dead fiancé? HATE IT.
Max, Rafe and Alice are standouts. I am still Team Stranger.
Going to Paradis was fun but it was portrayed as this huge party and they just.. spent time on the beach? Then we are back to boring push-pull with Summer and the Stranger for no good reason. By now, I firmly believe this is dragged out just to make up page numbers. COZ WHY
The last 20-30% was finally getting somewhere! Then The Stranger reveal makes no sense to me and is so fucking dumb. I don’t believe that is the real Stranger at all - and why it’s she off to try and kill Jim now? Summer is a fucking idiot.
I wished they had continued building on what was in book 1, the lore, the worlds, the academy (we spent all of 1 min at school in a dark academia novel?!) It had so much potential to be amazing and yet we were stuck in a repetitive cycle of bullshit. I can’t believe they went ahead and pushed publish actually.
Overall this was like junk food. I had so many issues with it but sure I was mostly still entertained. Similar to Zodiac Academy where fuck all happens and the plot is nowhere to be found. They can take all the time they need for the next book to please make it worthwhile to read.
After dragging us through heavy sorrows where we are expected to believe Summer was head over heels for Connor, when in book 1 she kept him at arms length and was a reluctant participant.. Summer then goes and fucks someone in an alleyway and continues a sex/guilt/sex/guilt routine for much of the book. Rinse and repeat. Gotta make the page numbers up somehow I guess.
Tell me why Summer and Alice go to a party in the forest, meet 2 dudes, talk very briefly, walk away to get another drink then wake up on top of them, spaced the fuck out and nude. Recalling absolutely zero. The entire party got drugged, everyone is passed out in the forest. They come home, hungover as shit, take some potion and are like *that was crazy, let’s sleep*. Just why? The characters brush it off like it was nothing and it was pointless for the plot.
Speaking of the plot - is there one? If so, please point it out.
Summers character is assassinated further by the perpetual back and forth with The Stranger and using Max. We learn Max is supporting his sister who is an addict, we see him give her all his money. Everything he has, trying to help her. Max also helps Rafe during his transition to his new form and is there for Summer whenever she needs him. Summer goes to his place to fuck him and then is disgusted and judges him for having a basic bachelor pad apartment, no fucking Reed diffuser in the bathroom. Like, you *just witnessed* him giving everything to his sister and now you’re curling your lip at and judging how he is living? When Summer gets everything handed to her from her rich friend and dead fiancé? HATE IT.
Max, Rafe and Alice are standouts. I am still Team Stranger.
Going to Paradis was fun but it was portrayed as this huge party and they just.. spent time on the beach? Then we are back to boring push-pull with Summer and the Stranger for no good reason. By now, I firmly believe this is dragged out just to make up page numbers. COZ WHY
The last 20-30% was finally getting somewhere! Then The Stranger reveal makes no sense to me and is so fucking dumb. I don’t believe that is the real Stranger at all - and why it’s she off to try and kill Jim now? Summer is a fucking idiot.
I wished they had continued building on what was in book 1, the lore, the worlds, the academy (we spent all of 1 min at school in a dark academia novel?!) It had so much potential to be amazing and yet we were stuck in a repetitive cycle of bullshit. I can’t believe they went ahead and pushed publish actually.
Overall this was like junk food. I had so many issues with it but sure I was mostly still entertained. Similar to Zodiac Academy where fuck all happens and the plot is nowhere to be found. They can take all the time they need for the next book to please make it worthwhile to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2026
I knew partway into book one this series was already going to be special, but I had no idea what was in store for me. Book one destroyed me and book two was even more unexpected. Now I can’t wait to have the rest of the series in my hands.
I cried for the first 20% of this book, going through the stages of grief alongside Summer, and I’m blown away by the representation of BPD through her character. I am still completely in awe of the way the Morningstars and Alice stood by Summer while she grieved. The way Summer has built a family around her is so special, and her friendship with Alice continues to be a huge highlight of this series for me. Adding Rafe into the picture just continued to elevate this for me—the wifeys and the baby! I loved his character in book one, but I adore him even more now.
Everything about the grief and heartbreak through this story was raw and authentic, and these characters just have a way of burrowing deep into your heart. Summer’s strength to come back from the depths of depression and grief was stunning. I loved her ability to challenge her vulnerability and test her boundaries with the Stranger because their tension, electricity, and sexual frustration was everything.
Reading this series, I feel so absorbed into the story that Avalon University has become home and the characters feel like family. I never want these books to end. This series is just so completely unique in the humor, characters, magic, world building…literally every element.
Thank you to Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune, Simon Maverick, and NetGalley for access to this ebook. All opinions are my own.
Tropes:
Dark fantasy academia
Enemies to lovers to enemies
Grief and healing
Mental health rep
Mysterious stalker
Found family
Supernatural powers
Only one bed
I cried for the first 20% of this book, going through the stages of grief alongside Summer, and I’m blown away by the representation of BPD through her character. I am still completely in awe of the way the Morningstars and Alice stood by Summer while she grieved. The way Summer has built a family around her is so special, and her friendship with Alice continues to be a huge highlight of this series for me. Adding Rafe into the picture just continued to elevate this for me—the wifeys and the baby! I loved his character in book one, but I adore him even more now.
Everything about the grief and heartbreak through this story was raw and authentic, and these characters just have a way of burrowing deep into your heart. Summer’s strength to come back from the depths of depression and grief was stunning. I loved her ability to challenge her vulnerability and test her boundaries with the Stranger because their tension, electricity, and sexual frustration was everything.
Reading this series, I feel so absorbed into the story that Avalon University has become home and the characters feel like family. I never want these books to end. This series is just so completely unique in the humor, characters, magic, world building…literally every element.
Thank you to Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune, Simon Maverick, and NetGalley for access to this ebook. All opinions are my own.
Tropes:
Dark fantasy academia
Enemies to lovers to enemies
Grief and healing
Mental health rep
Mysterious stalker
Found family
Supernatural powers
Only one bed
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