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Scarab
Not yet published
Expected 4 Aug 26486 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 30, 2026
Welp this was quite the ride! A world of war, dystopian and Egyptian influenced, subtle magic, and who on earth can you trust?
We have a woman who is sure of only one thing-she is a mother and she would do anything to keep her son safe.
Being a mother myself-I get it. I understand what looks like irrationality. Confusion. Grief. Anger. Fear. So many emotions our FMC has to shoulder.
The push and pull between our MMC and FMC- I also completely get. I want to trust our MMC and yet I found myself holding back the whole time as well.
This story is seriously building up. We were introduced to magic in this one- hopefully we see more of it and are introduced to the world of it in the next one.
And then we come to the ending…oh my word. How long do I have to wait till the next book?
I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me and held on until the last chapter- and it still hasn’t let me go.
Thank you NetGalley for the earc. This review is my own and given of my own volition.
We have a woman who is sure of only one thing-she is a mother and she would do anything to keep her son safe.
Being a mother myself-I get it. I understand what looks like irrationality. Confusion. Grief. Anger. Fear. So many emotions our FMC has to shoulder.
The push and pull between our MMC and FMC- I also completely get. I want to trust our MMC and yet I found myself holding back the whole time as well.
This story is seriously building up. We were introduced to magic in this one- hopefully we see more of it and are introduced to the world of it in the next one.
And then we come to the ending…oh my word. How long do I have to wait till the next book?
I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me and held on until the last chapter- and it still hasn’t let me go.
Thank you NetGalley for the earc. This review is my own and given of my own volition.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2026
Scarab was such a unique romantasy and unlike anything else I’ve read in the genre. I loved the subtle magic inspired by Egyptian mythology and the desert setting, which gave me major The Mummy vibes. The story follows a mother determined to get her son back, and I especially connected with that because her son is seven years old, just like my oldest son.
The MMC was a wonderful, steady presence, and I really appreciated the small romantic moments that somehow felt huge and meaningful. Those quiet, impactful moments are some of my favorite things to read.
The only reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me is that I personally prefer more magic woven into the plot, but that’s purely a preference and not a criticism of the story itself. Overall, this was such a strong and impressive debut, and I’m excited to see what this author writes next!
The MMC was a wonderful, steady presence, and I really appreciated the small romantic moments that somehow felt huge and meaningful. Those quiet, impactful moments are some of my favorite things to read.
The only reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me is that I personally prefer more magic woven into the plot, but that’s purely a preference and not a criticism of the story itself. Overall, this was such a strong and impressive debut, and I’m excited to see what this author writes next!
June 26, 2026
Review of Advanced Copy received from Author
Evers does a fantastic job of making you feel like you’re right beside the FMC on her harrowing journey through the dessert. This book has something for everyone, from magic and mystery, to a slow burn budding romance, to military turmoils. The author’s debut novel twists and turns in ways that make it a definite page turner and leaves you asking for the next one!
Evers does a fantastic job of making you feel like you’re right beside the FMC on her harrowing journey through the dessert. This book has something for everyone, from magic and mystery, to a slow burn budding romance, to military turmoils. The author’s debut novel twists and turns in ways that make it a definite page turner and leaves you asking for the next one!
June 21, 2026
"but a mother hunting for her child could scorch the world"
Absolutely loved this book. A mother's epic hunt for the most important thing she has lost....her son. This book centers around Celeste and her brutal journey to find the son that has been taken from her in a war. Magic, themes of Egyptian symbols, and a slow burn romance that centered on healing and safety....I loved this book from start to finish. The true love story is Celeste and her little boy Eagan. I can't wait to see how this book plays out. The cliffhanger made me scream! 100% 5 stars!!!
Absolutely loved this book. A mother's epic hunt for the most important thing she has lost....her son. This book centers around Celeste and her brutal journey to find the son that has been taken from her in a war. Magic, themes of Egyptian symbols, and a slow burn romance that centered on healing and safety....I loved this book from start to finish. The true love story is Celeste and her little boy Eagan. I can't wait to see how this book plays out. The cliffhanger made me scream! 100% 5 stars!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to connect with Scarab more than I ultimately did, because there are some genuinely strong ideas at its core.
The premise is compelling, particularly the emotional drive of a mother willing to do anything to get back to her son. That perspective is relatively rare in fantasy, and it quickly gave the story a sense of urgency and emotional weight that I really appreciated.
However, I struggled quite a bit with the execution.
The writing often felt slightly stilted, almost as if it had been over-edited or filtered in a way that flattened some of the natural rhythm. There were strong plot ideas and moments that clearly wanted to land with impact, but they didn’t always feel fully developed on the page. At times, important information felt like it was being delivered after the fact rather than woven organically into the character’s lived experience, which made it harder to build intuition around the world and its rules as a reader.
Because of that, I found the pacing and flow quite difficult to settle into. I don’t usually take this long to get through a book, but I found myself putting this one down repeatedly over the course of the week rather than being pulled through it in a couple of sittings. There’s a strong concept here, but I never quite reached that point of being fully immersed.
I also found myself wanting more clarity and depth in the worldbuilding. Concepts are introduced that feel like they should be significant (such as “nexuses” and their connection to magic or divine selection), but they aren’t always clearly explained or fully integrated into the story in a way that helped me understand their importance. As a result, parts of the plot felt like they were moving ahead of the reader rather than alongside them.
There were also a few moments that felt underdeveloped in terms of character and emotional logic, particularly where potentially traumatic or high-stakes situations were resolved or moved past quite quickly without much exploration of their emotional weight. This, at times, made it harder for me to fully invest in the characters’ journeys. I also found that some reveals towards the end didn’t land with the impact they seemed to be aiming for. One in particular felt more like confirmation of something I had already assumed early on, and overall the final stretch didn’t fully shift my understanding of the story in the way I think it intended to.
That said, I did appreciate the decision to centre a mother as the FMC, with her entire motivation grounded in her relationship with her child. That dynamic added something meaningful and different to the story, even when other elements didn’t fully land for me.
Overall, I think Scarab has a strong foundation and an interesting concept at its heart. There is real potential here for a gripping, emotionally rich fantasy story, but I personally struggled to connect with the way the narrative was structured and paced, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world. I didn’t dislike it, but I also never fully found my way into it.
I really wanted to connect with Scarab more than I ultimately did, because there are some genuinely strong ideas at its core.
The premise is compelling, particularly the emotional drive of a mother willing to do anything to get back to her son. That perspective is relatively rare in fantasy, and it quickly gave the story a sense of urgency and emotional weight that I really appreciated.
However, I struggled quite a bit with the execution.
The writing often felt slightly stilted, almost as if it had been over-edited or filtered in a way that flattened some of the natural rhythm. There were strong plot ideas and moments that clearly wanted to land with impact, but they didn’t always feel fully developed on the page. At times, important information felt like it was being delivered after the fact rather than woven organically into the character’s lived experience, which made it harder to build intuition around the world and its rules as a reader.
Because of that, I found the pacing and flow quite difficult to settle into. I don’t usually take this long to get through a book, but I found myself putting this one down repeatedly over the course of the week rather than being pulled through it in a couple of sittings. There’s a strong concept here, but I never quite reached that point of being fully immersed.
I also found myself wanting more clarity and depth in the worldbuilding. Concepts are introduced that feel like they should be significant (such as “nexuses” and their connection to magic or divine selection), but they aren’t always clearly explained or fully integrated into the story in a way that helped me understand their importance. As a result, parts of the plot felt like they were moving ahead of the reader rather than alongside them.
There were also a few moments that felt underdeveloped in terms of character and emotional logic, particularly where potentially traumatic or high-stakes situations were resolved or moved past quite quickly without much exploration of their emotional weight. This, at times, made it harder for me to fully invest in the characters’ journeys. I also found that some reveals towards the end didn’t land with the impact they seemed to be aiming for. One in particular felt more like confirmation of something I had already assumed early on, and overall the final stretch didn’t fully shift my understanding of the story in the way I think it intended to.
That said, I did appreciate the decision to centre a mother as the FMC, with her entire motivation grounded in her relationship with her child. That dynamic added something meaningful and different to the story, even when other elements didn’t fully land for me.
Overall, I think Scarab has a strong foundation and an interesting concept at its heart. There is real potential here for a gripping, emotionally rich fantasy story, but I personally struggled to connect with the way the narrative was structured and paced, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world. I didn’t dislike it, but I also never fully found my way into it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Let me just say, I was absolutely crushed that this story didn’t go on for another 40 chapters and there is going to be a wait for the next book.
Scarab, for me, conjures up bits of The Mummy, Indiana Jones and epic movies like Lawrence of Arabia while also having a modern twist and dystopian flares of Max Max and packaging it all up in a militaristic, romantasy adventure.
I don’t normally reach for military leaning stories, but I’m so glad I did because I’m still thinking about this days after finishing my read.
What also took me by surprise about this story was the themes of motherhood running through this book. Obviously Celeste is a mother and it’s a fictional story, but you could feel her tension. You could feel her protectiveness. You could feel her overstimulation as a mother, and the drive that she has to protect her son. I have two boys, and it just sat with me her need to do everything and her power to protect him. You could feel the weight of Celeste choices with how she was balancing her protectiveness of Eagan and the need for survival reading it felt like a physical thing.
I enjoyed following the dance between Celeste and Aemory personalities, I think they’re were well written and with the ending, I can’t wait to see how Aemory’s plans and motives move forward with the story and what is in store for them both.
I think Merrick is a fantastic villain. He doesn’t take up a lot of pages in this part of the story, but he’s so well written that you know when he is around it’s going to be bad and I can’t wait to see what his insidious plans are in the next book.
Scarab, for me, conjures up bits of The Mummy, Indiana Jones and epic movies like Lawrence of Arabia while also having a modern twist and dystopian flares of Max Max and packaging it all up in a militaristic, romantasy adventure.
I don’t normally reach for military leaning stories, but I’m so glad I did because I’m still thinking about this days after finishing my read.
What also took me by surprise about this story was the themes of motherhood running through this book. Obviously Celeste is a mother and it’s a fictional story, but you could feel her tension. You could feel her protectiveness. You could feel her overstimulation as a mother, and the drive that she has to protect her son. I have two boys, and it just sat with me her need to do everything and her power to protect him. You could feel the weight of Celeste choices with how she was balancing her protectiveness of Eagan and the need for survival reading it felt like a physical thing.
I enjoyed following the dance between Celeste and Aemory personalities, I think they’re were well written and with the ending, I can’t wait to see how Aemory’s plans and motives move forward with the story and what is in store for them both.
I think Merrick is a fantastic villain. He doesn’t take up a lot of pages in this part of the story, but he’s so well written that you know when he is around it’s going to be bad and I can’t wait to see what his insidious plans are in the next book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I found Scarab to be an absolutely gripping read and a fantastic introduction to Christina Evers’ writing. From the very first chapter, I was pulled into a brutal, dangerous world filled with tension, secrets, and characters I couldn’t stop thinking about even after I’d ended the book.
Celeste was a brilliant protagonist shes fierce, determined, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her son. Her journey across a harsh and unforgiving landscape kept me fully invested, and I loved watching her strength shine through even in the darkest moments.
The dynamic between Celeste and the Captain was easily one of my favourite parts of the book. The reluctant alliance, simmering tension, and growing trust between two people who should have been enemies created the perfect slow burn romance. Every interaction had me desperate for more.
The world building was immersive, the pacing kept me turning pages, and the blend of action, danger, mystery, and romance worked beautifully. I especially enjoyed uncovering the ancient secrets hidden beneath the wider conflict and seeing how they shaped the story.
This was one of those books that completely captured my attention and left me eager for more. Christina Evers is a new to me author, but after this, I’ll definitely be looking out for her future releases. This book has imprinted on me and I will be shouting about it to everyone📚✨
Celeste was a brilliant protagonist shes fierce, determined, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect her son. Her journey across a harsh and unforgiving landscape kept me fully invested, and I loved watching her strength shine through even in the darkest moments.
The dynamic between Celeste and the Captain was easily one of my favourite parts of the book. The reluctant alliance, simmering tension, and growing trust between two people who should have been enemies created the perfect slow burn romance. Every interaction had me desperate for more.
The world building was immersive, the pacing kept me turning pages, and the blend of action, danger, mystery, and romance worked beautifully. I especially enjoyed uncovering the ancient secrets hidden beneath the wider conflict and seeing how they shaped the story.
This was one of those books that completely captured my attention and left me eager for more. Christina Evers is a new to me author, but after this, I’ll definitely be looking out for her future releases. This book has imprinted on me and I will be shouting about it to everyone📚✨
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had the chance to read an advance copy of this book, and it completely hit the spot for me.
I am a sucker for thoughtful world building, and as someone who wanted to be an Egyptologist growing up, I was immediately drawn into the rich setting and the Egypt inspired mythology. The world feels carefully crafted and immersive without ever overwhelming the story.
I also appreciated having a protagonist who is more nuanced than the typical "chosen one" archetype. Her strengths, flaws, and choices made her feel human and relatable and kept me invested from beginning to end.
And can we talk about that cover? It is absolutely stunning and perfectly captures the atmosphere of the story. I would love to have a finished copy on my shelf just to admire it. A captivating read that I would happily recommend to fans of Romantasy, true enemy to lover with deep world building and layered characters.
I am a sucker for thoughtful world building, and as someone who wanted to be an Egyptologist growing up, I was immediately drawn into the rich setting and the Egypt inspired mythology. The world feels carefully crafted and immersive without ever overwhelming the story.
I also appreciated having a protagonist who is more nuanced than the typical "chosen one" archetype. Her strengths, flaws, and choices made her feel human and relatable and kept me invested from beginning to end.
And can we talk about that cover? It is absolutely stunning and perfectly captures the atmosphere of the story. I would love to have a finished copy on my shelf just to admire it. A captivating read that I would happily recommend to fans of Romantasy, true enemy to lover with deep world building and layered characters.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow. This book was not at all what i expected. It was even better! The complexity of the characters, the action, the detailed world building and fight scenes - absolutely spectacular.
It's really hard for me to review this without spoilers but what I can say is that I was hooked from the start, I'm completely invested in this story and the characters, and will be reading the next book the moment it's published.
Christina has poured her heart and soul into this book and it shows. I can tell she has spent so much time and energy into giving this story the attention and honour it deserves.
5/5 ⭐️
No notes
An incredible debut novel, and I'm sure the first of many
It's really hard for me to review this without spoilers but what I can say is that I was hooked from the start, I'm completely invested in this story and the characters, and will be reading the next book the moment it's published.
Christina has poured her heart and soul into this book and it shows. I can tell she has spent so much time and energy into giving this story the attention and honour it deserves.
5/5 ⭐️
No notes
An incredible debut novel, and I'm sure the first of many
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC REVIEW: This book is SOOO GOOD! Christina Evers knocked this one out of the park. And now I am DYING for book 2!
I can feel how hot the desert is and the sand on my skin. I felt everything our FMC was going through as a mother. I felt her fear, her trepidation, and her locking away her humanity to save her son. I felt the Captain’s battle between duty and keeping her safe.
This is not a book where the magic is obvious and everyone is wielding it at each other. This is a book about discovery, where the stories of old may not be as we know them, and the people we most fear are the ones we need to trust the most.
Release Date: August 4th, 2026!
Character Development: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Clifffhanger 10/💀 are you absolutely F**king kidding me?! But I love you anyway ❤️🩹
I can feel how hot the desert is and the sand on my skin. I felt everything our FMC was going through as a mother. I felt her fear, her trepidation, and her locking away her humanity to save her son. I felt the Captain’s battle between duty and keeping her safe.
This is not a book where the magic is obvious and everyone is wielding it at each other. This is a book about discovery, where the stories of old may not be as we know them, and the people we most fear are the ones we need to trust the most.
Release Date: August 4th, 2026!
Character Development: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Clifffhanger 10/💀 are you absolutely F**king kidding me?! But I love you anyway ❤️🩹
Review of advance copy received from Author
First of all, Celeste is a badass. You don’t need to be a mom to read this at all but being a mom myself and reading the love she has for Egan and how she would do ANYTHING to keep him safe is amazing. Christina did amazing writing this book with the story line and side characters. And the MMC, LOVE him. Definitely a true enemies to lovers story but I enjoyed everything about their relationship and watching it build. The plot twist at the end, you’ll never see it coming, I didn’t for sure. My jaw dropped! I’ll be impatiently waiting for book 2!
June 29, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.
When I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. And I am so glad I did. As a mother like Celeste, I do anything for my child and that’s what I saw in this book. A mother’s love is something out of this world.
This book was so intriguing and tense, that it kept me guessing until the end. Which was disappointing as I’d didn’t want the book to end and now have to wait until book 2!
Highly recommended! 4.5 stars
When I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. And I am so glad I did. As a mother like Celeste, I do anything for my child and that’s what I saw in this book. A mother’s love is something out of this world.
This book was so intriguing and tense, that it kept me guessing until the end. Which was disappointing as I’d didn’t want the book to end and now have to wait until book 2!
Highly recommended! 4.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I absolutely loved this story!!! ♥️ As a debut novel and introduction into Christina’s writing, I found this book to be well written and gripping from the very first page. You can feel the danger from the very first page. This books has it all- enemies to lovers, slow burn, danger, ancient secrets, amazing world building, and a plot twist I never saw coming at the end. The romance… The Captain and Celeste … swoon! This book is living rent free in my head now.
I absolutely loved this story!!! ♥️ As a debut novel and introduction into Christina’s writing, I found this book to be well written and gripping from the very first page. You can feel the danger from the very first page. This books has it all- enemies to lovers, slow burn, danger, ancient secrets, amazing world building, and a plot twist I never saw coming at the end. The romance… The Captain and Celeste … swoon! This book is living rent free in my head now.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC READER REVIEW FROM NETGALLEY
This book truly blew me AWAY! I read it in one sitting at the beach, Celeste is one of the strongest FMCs Ive read in a long time. A devout mother, a MMC who stole my heart. I cannot WAIT to get a hard copy and put this on my shelf. Definitely have intentions to reread this one.
Aemory really stole my heart over the course of time, and then the final FINAL PAGE MADE MY HEART DROP OH MY GOD!
This book truly blew me AWAY! I read it in one sitting at the beach, Celeste is one of the strongest FMCs Ive read in a long time. A devout mother, a MMC who stole my heart. I cannot WAIT to get a hard copy and put this on my shelf. Definitely have intentions to reread this one.
Aemory really stole my heart over the course of time, and then the final FINAL PAGE MADE MY HEART DROP OH MY GOD!
June 27, 2026
I was hooked on the premise of this book: magic, dunes, mother’s love and adventure. While the setting was great, and our FMC was fearless, the execution lacked a little bit. It felt like the story did not flow seamlessly between action and inaction. Fight scenes were executed well, and a couple of spicy scenes appeared in the last quarter of this book. Two main characters did not trust each other and kept a lot of secrets. It ended on a twist, wanting me to read more coming in a book two.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’ve been waiting for a book like this… morally grey female lead, dominant captain determined to find her, that slow burn that makes your toes curl in anticipation…a book where you don’t have it all figured out. At all. Twists and turns that make your eyes fly across the pages. This is a reread for me. And I’m joyously waiting for book 2!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
No Spoilers here**
AHHHH! I absolutely loved this book. Devoured it once I got to sit down and read it. As an avid fantasy reader it was nice to have something different. The romance is perfection but doesn't take away from the plot. My only complaint is I didnt have more.
AHHHH! I absolutely loved this book. Devoured it once I got to sit down and read it. As an avid fantasy reader it was nice to have something different. The romance is perfection but doesn't take away from the plot. My only complaint is I didnt have more.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Great read. Pace flows very well. Very intriguing world building. Can't wait for the sequel.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Fun, exciting and a very intense story. With a lot of characters this tale blooms into a wonderful romance and family grit!
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