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The Hollow #1
Survival
What’s my secret? That’s something I intend to take to the grave.
When my best friend and the only person who knows who--and what--I really am gets selected for the Mating Games, I know the only way to save her is to try and win her for myself.
All I need to do is navigate three trials while not letting anyone know I’m a woman, or, and this might be even more important, that I have magic.
Easy, right? Easier than slaving away for all hours of the day swinging an ax in the mines. Or so I thought.
I certainly didn’t count on the one man I’ve longed for, the one man who stirs feelings of femininity and desire within me, to enter the games as well. Every minute that I’m there I’m risking everything. If I’m discovered I’ll become nothing more than a broodmare, but I can’t abandon the woman who is like family to the fate that the Divine would deem she have.
I’ll do whatever it takes to save her from the desolate future of becoming nothing more than a prize for the victor of the games. The only question is, will my secret still be intact by the time the trials are over? Or will I have condemned us both to a fate worse than death?
This is a 18+ slow burn #whychoose novel.
When my best friend and the only person who knows who--and what--I really am gets selected for the Mating Games, I know the only way to save her is to try and win her for myself.
All I need to do is navigate three trials while not letting anyone know I’m a woman, or, and this might be even more important, that I have magic.
Easy, right? Easier than slaving away for all hours of the day swinging an ax in the mines. Or so I thought.
I certainly didn’t count on the one man I’ve longed for, the one man who stirs feelings of femininity and desire within me, to enter the games as well. Every minute that I’m there I’m risking everything. If I’m discovered I’ll become nothing more than a broodmare, but I can’t abandon the woman who is like family to the fate that the Divine would deem she have.
I’ll do whatever it takes to save her from the desolate future of becoming nothing more than a prize for the victor of the games. The only question is, will my secret still be intact by the time the trials are over? Or will I have condemned us both to a fate worse than death?
This is a 18+ slow burn #whychoose novel.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 3, 2020
220 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Helen Scott
109 books1,275 followersUSA Today bestselling author Helen Scott spends her time alternating between fantasy and reality. She likes to think she’d be sorted into Hufflepuff and would have been a Physical Kid from Brakebills. Her days are fueled by tea and cuddles from her four-legged kids and amazing husband in their home in the Chicago suburbs.
When not reading or writing, Helen can be found baking, enjoying a walk in the woods, crafting, or playing video games. She’s a lover of sushi and K-Dramas and is convinced there is magic in the world if you know where to look.
Whether paranormal or contemporary, Helen loves writing sassy, kick-butt heroines and drool-worthy love interests. She's the author of the House of Wolves and Magic series, the Cerberus series, and the Of Demons and Dragons series.
Subscribe to Helen’s newsletter for a free book to get started on the adventure today! https://geni.us/HelenScottNewsletter
When not reading or writing, Helen can be found baking, enjoying a walk in the woods, crafting, or playing video games. She’s a lover of sushi and K-Dramas and is convinced there is magic in the world if you know where to look.
Whether paranormal or contemporary, Helen loves writing sassy, kick-butt heroines and drool-worthy love interests. She's the author of the House of Wolves and Magic series, the Cerberus series, and the Of Demons and Dragons series.
Subscribe to Helen’s newsletter for a free book to get started on the adventure today! https://geni.us/HelenScottNewsletter
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
January 5, 2020
4.15.
What a good book! Quality writing, decent world building, engaging plot and a good slow burn.
I liked Cal, although I felt like she needed a bit more of a personality, though. In fact that could be said for all of the characters, really, and is my only niggle in what was a very enjoyable book. Definitely one of the best new RH I've read recently!
What a good book! Quality writing, decent world building, engaging plot and a good slow burn.
I liked Cal, although I felt like she needed a bit more of a personality, though. In fact that could be said for all of the characters, really, and is my only niggle in what was a very enjoyable book. Definitely one of the best new RH I've read recently!
January 4, 2020
Yes!! I'm on a roll for books. Was so engrossed I didn't even realize I was at the end.
February 10, 2020
Pages: 186
My rating: 5
Read other books by this author in the future: yes
I started this book, because I wanted a fast read and the blurb reminded me of Hunger Games. But now, after I read Survival, I see that I have to compare it to Culling Trials and Hunger Game. Like Culling Trials it is a Mulan story for the MC called Cal, short for Calypso. The world she lives in is a distrophian world. The upper class so called Divines - who destroyed the society because of gread for power - are keeping the people who have little magical power so called Hollows, so they can use them as batteries from whom they can siphon the magic they need, for working in mines to harvest gems with magical power and polish them and the women as for breeding new generations of Hollows.
Cal was raised to hide that she is different. She has to hide her gender and poses as Cal the hunchback. And she has to hide that she can use magic.
Her only ally is Lizzy whom she considers her sister.
This book is a slow burn reverse harem. It's well written and pulled me in. I could not put the book down and when I finished reading it I felt like I need to read the second part now. Last time I flet like this was when I was reading the Culling Trials. Luckily it will be publishe this week.
So yes, so far this is the best book I read in Feburary 2020.
But Cal is different, she is
January 11, 2020
Great story.
Super intriguing and I can’t wait to see what happens from here! A hopeless life and oppression is all most hollows know and Cal is a woman pretending to be a man to follow her mother’s wishes and protect her best friend. Until Ash and Fox. And what if Marcus? The next book can’t come fast enough!
Super intriguing and I can’t wait to see what happens from here! A hopeless life and oppression is all most hollows know and Cal is a woman pretending to be a man to follow her mother’s wishes and protect her best friend. Until Ash and Fox. And what if Marcus? The next book can’t come fast enough!
May 23, 2020
Not a bad start to a new series.
A dystopian which is interesting too. Kinda gave me handmaid’s tale vibes to some degree since Hallow women are fought over in the mating games to make more babies who hopefully have magic.
The story of Cal is fascinating because she’s strong, but what was further interesting was how Fox and Ash both were attracted to Cal, but thought of her as a man, and thus constantly questioned themselves, well Fox more so than Ash. It was fun to watch them see the breadcrumbs and not piece it together.
I have ideas who may be in the harem, but I have no idea who the traitor might be.
Also, cliffhanger endings suck.
A dystopian which is interesting too. Kinda gave me handmaid’s tale vibes to some degree since Hallow women are fought over in the mating games to make more babies who hopefully have magic.
The story of Cal is fascinating because she’s strong, but what was further interesting was how Fox and Ash both were attracted to Cal, but thought of her as a man, and thus constantly questioned themselves, well Fox more so than Ash. It was fun to watch them see the breadcrumbs and not piece it together.
I have ideas who may be in the harem, but I have no idea who the traitor might be.
Also, cliffhanger endings suck.
September 19, 2023
Review for the entire series, apologies if this is incoherent i read this book and then proceeded to be dead Ill for three days but i just COULDN’T stop thinking about how mad i was about this book. (Aka details are a lil fuzzy)
first book was fun and had promise, i enjoyed the secret male shtick and i think it was well done. I also really enjoyed ash.
Book two was okay, fox and ash are great, they’re both pretty thought out and it’s fun seeing our main lead embrace her femininity (tho after a life of conditioning shouldn’t it be a bit harder)
ANYWAY let’s get the meat and potatoes, the things that kept me up in the middle of the night even when i was sick as a dog.
1) why did they have our lead woman dress in a corseted ball gown to meet hawk? It made no sense. Literally nobody else was that dressed except him. There was no reason. I simple nice dress would of done fine
2) in book three we find out that our main lead is from quartz and (special crystal that Amps other powers). I RENTED THE FIRST BOOK AGAIN to look at the list of crystals and their powers and QUARTZ ISNT THERE???? It literally says “there are 8 crystals” and then proceeds to explain only 7. I kept thinking “oh don’t worry author will explain” and no she never did mention what quartz did ever again.
3) during the climax the big bad calls Marcus out on sleeping with the main lead but they had sex IN A DREAM. Like ??? How???? How did you see that? You may say “but duck that’s a crystals power to look into dreams” and i say yes you’re right but the only people even mentioned with that power are Marcus and his Grandma who was on their side.
The rest is more personal preferences but i digress
4) hawk and Marcus’s sex scenes were just stick it in and bam done
5) it was mentioned several times that hawk and ash were also into guys and dammit don’t threaten me with a good time and then not deliver
6) and the worst of the worst!!! The end of the book is the group finally coming together as one. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for! We’ll get to see the group dynamic in bed and all the kinks and guys come toget- oh it’s a fade to black. I guess we’ll just never know :’)
ANYWAY i could just be really stupid and missed some stuff so if you remember what quartz does or how TF big bad saw dream sex, please feel free to comment. Maybe you will save me some sleep.
(If you are the author of this book i truly apologize and i hope you know that i really do appreciate the time and effort you put into this series. It was a fun and magical world there were just things that i didn’t understand. I hope you keep writing and thanks for making so many reverse harems)
first book was fun and had promise, i enjoyed the secret male shtick and i think it was well done. I also really enjoyed ash.
Book two was okay, fox and ash are great, they’re both pretty thought out and it’s fun seeing our main lead embrace her femininity (tho after a life of conditioning shouldn’t it be a bit harder)
ANYWAY let’s get the meat and potatoes, the things that kept me up in the middle of the night even when i was sick as a dog.
1) why did they have our lead woman dress in a corseted ball gown to meet hawk? It made no sense. Literally nobody else was that dressed except him. There was no reason. I simple nice dress would of done fine
2) in book three we find out that our main lead is from quartz and (special crystal that Amps other powers). I RENTED THE FIRST BOOK AGAIN to look at the list of crystals and their powers and QUARTZ ISNT THERE???? It literally says “there are 8 crystals” and then proceeds to explain only 7. I kept thinking “oh don’t worry author will explain” and no she never did mention what quartz did ever again.
3) during the climax the big bad calls Marcus out on sleeping with the main lead but they had sex IN A DREAM. Like ??? How???? How did you see that? You may say “but duck that’s a crystals power to look into dreams” and i say yes you’re right but the only people even mentioned with that power are Marcus and his Grandma who was on their side.
The rest is more personal preferences but i digress
4) hawk and Marcus’s sex scenes were just stick it in and bam done
5) it was mentioned several times that hawk and ash were also into guys and dammit don’t threaten me with a good time and then not deliver
6) and the worst of the worst!!! The end of the book is the group finally coming together as one. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for! We’ll get to see the group dynamic in bed and all the kinks and guys come toget- oh it’s a fade to black. I guess we’ll just never know :’)
ANYWAY i could just be really stupid and missed some stuff so if you remember what quartz does or how TF big bad saw dream sex, please feel free to comment. Maybe you will save me some sleep.
(If you are the author of this book i truly apologize and i hope you know that i really do appreciate the time and effort you put into this series. It was a fun and magical world there were just things that i didn’t understand. I hope you keep writing and thanks for making so many reverse harems)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2020
Call me crazy, but I love the 'girl hidden as a boy' trope - especially when it is well done. That blatant plot device opens a slew of possibilities, and this novel seems to hit on every one of them.
Cal, Calypso, is struggling to just survive day to day in a world that would revere her.... while subjugating her freedom, her body and her soul as they turned her into a broodmare meant only to produce the next generation of powerful, magic wielding Divine. No thank you. Following the path her Mother set for her, Cal conceals her gender and strives to survive the mines, harvesting coveted stones that just might pay for another meal for her hungry body and that of her best friend, Izzy.
It's sad and painful, but it's a life... until Izzy is thrust into the Mating Games, an archaic practice meant to reward the strongest men among them with a fertile woman, again in the hopes of spawning a child. What is a desperate girl/boy to do? Why, enter the Mating Games herself.... and win.
This was so well done, with just the right amount of ebbs and flows. I found myself cheering, cringing and hoping beyond hope that Cal could make it. I loved it, from beginning to end, and I highly recommend this slow burn, slow burn Reverse Harem Fantasy.
Cal, Calypso, is struggling to just survive day to day in a world that would revere her.... while subjugating her freedom, her body and her soul as they turned her into a broodmare meant only to produce the next generation of powerful, magic wielding Divine. No thank you. Following the path her Mother set for her, Cal conceals her gender and strives to survive the mines, harvesting coveted stones that just might pay for another meal for her hungry body and that of her best friend, Izzy.
It's sad and painful, but it's a life... until Izzy is thrust into the Mating Games, an archaic practice meant to reward the strongest men among them with a fertile woman, again in the hopes of spawning a child. What is a desperate girl/boy to do? Why, enter the Mating Games herself.... and win.
This was so well done, with just the right amount of ebbs and flows. I found myself cheering, cringing and hoping beyond hope that Cal could make it. I loved it, from beginning to end, and I highly recommend this slow burn, slow burn Reverse Harem Fantasy.
February 10, 2020
Whose "Survival" Will She END Up Fight'n For!
It's All about "Survival" IN the Mating Games...
For if you're a ONE of the Hollowed "Survival" becomes your Middle Name;
Especially, if you're Female & Fertile...
Then, the fight for "Survival" is ALL too REAL!
And NOW, She's Tak'n the FIGHT for "Survival" STRAIGHT to the Mating Games,
As Her Friend was Selected,
Sooo, She'll GO into the Mating Games UnderCover disguised as a Male,
And She'll WIN Her Friend for Her OWN,
But She BEST be careful...
Lest it's HER own "Survival" She's Fight'n for,
As She's a Fertile Female with Magic of Her OWN!
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT, an ARC of Ellabee Andrews & Helen Scott's "Survival: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Hollow Book 1)." I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time... Happy Reading!
My Rating Sytem:
4🌟: I like IT a lot. Great, Solid Story w/ few if any inconsistencies or errors. This is a HIGH Rating, & I rarely give OUT a Higher Rating.
If My Review is helpful to you, please check the box below~ Thank You.
It's All about "Survival" IN the Mating Games...
For if you're a ONE of the Hollowed "Survival" becomes your Middle Name;
Especially, if you're Female & Fertile...
Then, the fight for "Survival" is ALL too REAL!
And NOW, She's Tak'n the FIGHT for "Survival" STRAIGHT to the Mating Games,
As Her Friend was Selected,
Sooo, She'll GO into the Mating Games UnderCover disguised as a Male,
And She'll WIN Her Friend for Her OWN,
But She BEST be careful...
Lest it's HER own "Survival" She's Fight'n for,
As She's a Fertile Female with Magic of Her OWN!
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT, an ARC of Ellabee Andrews & Helen Scott's "Survival: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Hollow Book 1)." I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time... Happy Reading!
My Rating Sytem:
4🌟: I like IT a lot. Great, Solid Story w/ few if any inconsistencies or errors. This is a HIGH Rating, & I rarely give OUT a Higher Rating.
If My Review is helpful to you, please check the box below~ Thank You.
January 6, 2020
A great start!
I enjoyed this first Hollow book. It had a good take on the whole "woman pretending to be a man" story. And while there was too much of boob-binding and feminine moans, it was still written well.
So the plot, in short: Cal aka Calypso works in a dystopian(?) mine type of an underground setting, trying to find magical stones. She hides some big secrets, not the least of which is the fact that she's a woman, and revealing her female status would make her into a sex slave, in a way. So she hides, with her friend/sister, Izzy. There are also at least three men who show interest in her during the book, while she goes through these mating games to win back a stolen Izzy, but no harem has developed yet.
The dystopian/post-apocalyptic world and the whole Hollow/Divine thing is a tad unclear to me at points, so I'll not try and explain it. Also, Cal's actual talents and powers with the magic are somewhat strange at times, seeing as they seemed to be awesome at first, but then slowly deplete near the end of the book. But all in all it was a great start to the series!
I enjoyed this first Hollow book. It had a good take on the whole "woman pretending to be a man" story. And while there was too much of boob-binding and feminine moans, it was still written well.
So the plot, in short: Cal aka Calypso works in a dystopian(?) mine type of an underground setting, trying to find magical stones. She hides some big secrets, not the least of which is the fact that she's a woman, and revealing her female status would make her into a sex slave, in a way. So she hides, with her friend/sister, Izzy. There are also at least three men who show interest in her during the book, while she goes through these mating games to win back a stolen Izzy, but no harem has developed yet.
The dystopian/post-apocalyptic world and the whole Hollow/Divine thing is a tad unclear to me at points, so I'll not try and explain it. Also, Cal's actual talents and powers with the magic are somewhat strange at times, seeing as they seemed to be awesome at first, but then slowly deplete near the end of the book. But all in all it was a great start to the series!
December 29, 2019
A post-apocalyptic world where magic users dominate the world, the normals a treated like sheep and the hero is a heroine...pretty much my book crack :p Sure it's a trope that's almost everywhere - not to forget the big competition that only wants the biggest and baddest - but it's done so well in this read. There's a semi cliffhanger ending - I say semi because you know it'll work out - and some big information is known by all the relevant folks, I was worried it'd be drawn out. I enjoyed the heck out of this read, and am not so patiently waiting for book 2.
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
*I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
January 18, 2020
Engaging & intriguing plot, good world building and interesting character development really make this read. I really enjoyed the action and magic in this book. I am very excited for book 2.
I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased, honest review.
I am voluntarily leaving an unbiased, honest review.
January 6, 2020
Omg 😱
This book was great. Hunger games vs walker series.... I loved the storyline and can’t wait for the next book in series to be out. I want to know what happens! Ugh!!!!! Loved it. Not going to spoil it. You have to read it to understand. ;)
This book was great. Hunger games vs walker series.... I loved the storyline and can’t wait for the next book in series to be out. I want to know what happens! Ugh!!!!! Loved it. Not going to spoil it. You have to read it to understand. ;)
January 27, 2020
Really enjoyed this one! Plot was obvious, but I had a ton of fun reading it anyway.
March 18, 2020
3.5 stars
March 13, 2020
Holy crap on a cracker.
I needed this book.
Such an engaging read!
I am definitely reading the next one asap!
I needed this book.
Such an engaging read!
I am definitely reading the next one asap!
February 19, 2020
3,5
And you lost me with the RH!
And you lost me with the RH!
March 12, 2020
Book review of Survival by Helen Scott and Ellabee Andrews
This was well written and had great world building, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I did very much like Cal; she is smart and savvy; I mean she hid the fact that she was female her whole life!
Then her best friend Lizzy gets called to the Mating Games, what does Cal do? Join as a Male contender! She has enough trouble controlling the mafic she shouldn't have, how on earth will she keep her gender a secret? Will she end up as the next "breeder"? Read it to find out.
This was well written and had great world building, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I did very much like Cal; she is smart and savvy; I mean she hid the fact that she was female her whole life!
Then her best friend Lizzy gets called to the Mating Games, what does Cal do? Join as a Male contender! She has enough trouble controlling the mafic she shouldn't have, how on earth will she keep her gender a secret? Will she end up as the next "breeder"? Read it to find out.
July 9, 2022
Read this on 7/8/22.
I liked the story and the characters, but i guess i expected it to be more of a funny book since she's a girl dressed like a guy and that can lead to some silly hijinks...but it ended up being more of a drama, because her secret is a life-&-death kind of thing, and the world they're living in has a pretty bleak feel to it... It was definitely more akin to The Hunger Games, and not very similar to 'She's The Man' like I was hoping... but I'm still going to keep on reading the next book in the series, and we'll see how it goes.
In this one, we learn that "Cal" has been disguising herself as a boy since she was very young. Her mother insisted on it, as a way of keeping Cal safe. Because Cal is a fertile woman, she would already be in danger of being chosen for the Mating Games, but Cal also has strong access to magic whereas the rest of The Hollow don't (the Hollow are descendants of magical beings but they themselves can't use or access magic much, if at all)... Cal tries not to use magic at all for fear of discovery. If anyone notices that she's a woman or that she has access to magic, she'll be sent off to join the Divines (the only magical beings left in this world), which is basically her worst nightmare.
The Divines are villainized in this book, and rightly so it seems. They will do anything to keep their magic and that includes holding the annual Mating Games (wherein dozens of Hollow men die for the chance to breed with one hopefully fertile Hollow woman); the Divines also make all of the Hollow men work in mines, to dig up the stones that help channel and store magic (amber, malachite, garnet, quartz, etc.); supposedly the Divines need the Hollow, because they also help the Divines channel magic (the Hollow folks act like batteries for them essentially); and the Divines root out any Resistance and squash it mercilessly.
In the beginning of this book, Cal is miserable. Her daily life consists of:
(1) working in the mines;
(2) barely mining enough rocks to trade for food rations for herself and her best friend Izzy (although she has had to go hungry a lot too, when there's not enough) since she's not very strong;
(3) keeping her chest and hips/rear bound in layers of wrappings under her clothes to hide her feminine curves ALL DAY every day; she also walks slightly hunched over, to help hide her breasts; thus everyone thinks she's a short disabled cripple and she gets picked on by bullies for that.
Cal only has one friend, Izzy. Izzy is the only person who knows the truth about Cal. They share a small home together, and everyone thinks they're a couple, which is what they prefer, because it helps keep Cal's secret. But it turns out that the rest of the Hollow and the Divines start to think Izzy has some magic bc of things she does to cover for Cal. Izzy gets picked to be 1 of 3 women who will be the prize to this year's Mating Games winners... Izzy is distraught because the women who get picked basically will end up being r*ped and used as broodmares, then they don't even necessarily get to keep their kids with them, AND if they can't have kids, their men sometimes beat or kill them. Sooo it's pretty much the worst news she could ever get. Cal signs up to compete in the Mating Games so she can "win" back Izzy.
In the Mating Games, there are 3 challenges:
(1) battle royale; all contestants must battle it out in one big arena. They're given like one knife and of course they can use their fists and whatnot. Cal mostly hides for this round, but she does stab a couple of guys to win some points.
(2) logic round; there are 3 tables with puzzles to solve, and each contestant has to drink poison at the beginning of the round to make it more difficult. Cal manages through and a Divine heals the poison from her system at the end of it.
(3) magic round; a Divine (Marcus) is there to sense the magic ability of each remaining contestant. He senses a lot of magic ability in Cal but doesn't say anything, he just awards her high points.
Cal comes in 3rd in the Games so she gets to go with the other 2 winners to the tent where the women are being held. Unfortunately, the guy who came in 1st (Ash) has first pick and he picks Izzy. Cal is pissed because she obviously was going to pick Izzy and now she can't. Also, Cal has a crush on Ash; they worked together in the mines, and Ash helped Cal get through the Games in one piece. Ash knows how important Izzy is to Cal but he picks Izzy anyway because it's his mission for the Resistance.
Ash doesn't try to mate with Izzy or anything. He just steals her away and takes her to the underground Resistance caves/compound. Cal pieces together what happened after she's ditched her hard-won "mate" and goes looking for Izzy. When she realizes Izzy is already gone, she remembers that she overheard Ash talking to Fox during the Games about the Resistance so obviously they're both in it and that's where they took Izzy. (Fox is one of the supervisor type dudes who was like Cal's boss in the mines and during the Games.)
Cal tells Fox she wants to join the Resistance. So Fox takes her down to their compound and she gets started with the new recruit training. At night, she sneaks around to find where they've stashed Izzy. She finds Izzy and tells her she's gonna get them out of there soon.
When Cal is trying to sneak back to her room, she finds Ash looking for her, so she kisses him to throw him off. He is super into it, and he comes back looking for more the next day, when Cal has to tell him that it was a mistake which won't happen again. 😬 Poor Ash is crushed.
When Cal finally goes to bed, she is pulled into a Dreamscape where Marcus the Divine from the 3rd Game challenge is waiting for her. Marcus is a smooth and seductive enigmatic entity. He is surprised to find out Cal's mental image of herself is a woman in the Dreamscape but he says he understands why she felt she needed to hide herself, being a fertile magical young woman in these times or whatever. Marcus' true motivations remain a mystery.
When Cal wakes up, she's still at the Resistance compound trying to figure out how to break out with Izzy. The next day or whenever though, an alarm goes off, signaling that the compound is under attack. Cal grabs Izzy and tries to drag her to safety. Once they leave the caves though, they see Divines killing all of the Resistance members, and Cal is torn between helping Izzy escape and saving Ash & Fox. Her instincts seem to make the decision for her, and she throws herself into the fray. Izzy screams a warning about a fireball headed for Bear (he's basically the leader, but he is a suspicious and domineering asshole, so i was like good riddance)...Cal however apparently couldn't stop herself from jumping in front of Bear to save him.
Cut to... Cal wakes up in the medic recovery tent. Almost all of the Resistance members have been killed, only a dozen or so survived and even the survivors aren't doing so well. Cal was burned on her side (or somewhere hard to get to, idk) so the medic cut her clothes off to treat her, and now everyone knows she's a girl. And they know she has magic. Ash is upset and feels betrayed. Fox is like 'makes sense' bc he was starting to crush on her and he doesn't like dudes so I guess he's basically just relieved.. Bear is pissed that he was lied to. And Izzy is scared bc now everyone knows about Cal.
Time for book 2.
I liked the story and the characters, but i guess i expected it to be more of a funny book since she's a girl dressed like a guy and that can lead to some silly hijinks...but it ended up being more of a drama, because her secret is a life-&-death kind of thing, and the world they're living in has a pretty bleak feel to it... It was definitely more akin to The Hunger Games, and not very similar to 'She's The Man' like I was hoping... but I'm still going to keep on reading the next book in the series, and we'll see how it goes.
In this one, we learn that "Cal" has been disguising herself as a boy since she was very young. Her mother insisted on it, as a way of keeping Cal safe. Because Cal is a fertile woman, she would already be in danger of being chosen for the Mating Games, but Cal also has strong access to magic whereas the rest of The Hollow don't (the Hollow are descendants of magical beings but they themselves can't use or access magic much, if at all)... Cal tries not to use magic at all for fear of discovery. If anyone notices that she's a woman or that she has access to magic, she'll be sent off to join the Divines (the only magical beings left in this world), which is basically her worst nightmare.
The Divines are villainized in this book, and rightly so it seems. They will do anything to keep their magic and that includes holding the annual Mating Games (wherein dozens of Hollow men die for the chance to breed with one hopefully fertile Hollow woman); the Divines also make all of the Hollow men work in mines, to dig up the stones that help channel and store magic (amber, malachite, garnet, quartz, etc.); supposedly the Divines need the Hollow, because they also help the Divines channel magic (the Hollow folks act like batteries for them essentially); and the Divines root out any Resistance and squash it mercilessly.
In the beginning of this book, Cal is miserable. Her daily life consists of:
(1) working in the mines;
(2) barely mining enough rocks to trade for food rations for herself and her best friend Izzy (although she has had to go hungry a lot too, when there's not enough) since she's not very strong;
(3) keeping her chest and hips/rear bound in layers of wrappings under her clothes to hide her feminine curves ALL DAY every day; she also walks slightly hunched over, to help hide her breasts; thus everyone thinks she's a short disabled cripple and she gets picked on by bullies for that.
Cal only has one friend, Izzy. Izzy is the only person who knows the truth about Cal. They share a small home together, and everyone thinks they're a couple, which is what they prefer, because it helps keep Cal's secret. But it turns out that the rest of the Hollow and the Divines start to think Izzy has some magic bc of things she does to cover for Cal. Izzy gets picked to be 1 of 3 women who will be the prize to this year's Mating Games winners... Izzy is distraught because the women who get picked basically will end up being r*ped and used as broodmares, then they don't even necessarily get to keep their kids with them, AND if they can't have kids, their men sometimes beat or kill them. Sooo it's pretty much the worst news she could ever get. Cal signs up to compete in the Mating Games so she can "win" back Izzy.
In the Mating Games, there are 3 challenges:
(1) battle royale; all contestants must battle it out in one big arena. They're given like one knife and of course they can use their fists and whatnot. Cal mostly hides for this round, but she does stab a couple of guys to win some points.
(2) logic round; there are 3 tables with puzzles to solve, and each contestant has to drink poison at the beginning of the round to make it more difficult. Cal manages through and a Divine heals the poison from her system at the end of it.
(3) magic round; a Divine (Marcus) is there to sense the magic ability of each remaining contestant. He senses a lot of magic ability in Cal but doesn't say anything, he just awards her high points.
Cal comes in 3rd in the Games so she gets to go with the other 2 winners to the tent where the women are being held. Unfortunately, the guy who came in 1st (Ash) has first pick and he picks Izzy. Cal is pissed because she obviously was going to pick Izzy and now she can't. Also, Cal has a crush on Ash; they worked together in the mines, and Ash helped Cal get through the Games in one piece. Ash knows how important Izzy is to Cal but he picks Izzy anyway because it's his mission for the Resistance.
Ash doesn't try to mate with Izzy or anything. He just steals her away and takes her to the underground Resistance caves/compound. Cal pieces together what happened after she's ditched her hard-won "mate" and goes looking for Izzy. When she realizes Izzy is already gone, she remembers that she overheard Ash talking to Fox during the Games about the Resistance so obviously they're both in it and that's where they took Izzy. (Fox is one of the supervisor type dudes who was like Cal's boss in the mines and during the Games.)
Cal tells Fox she wants to join the Resistance. So Fox takes her down to their compound and she gets started with the new recruit training. At night, she sneaks around to find where they've stashed Izzy. She finds Izzy and tells her she's gonna get them out of there soon.
When Cal is trying to sneak back to her room, she finds Ash looking for her, so she kisses him to throw him off. He is super into it, and he comes back looking for more the next day, when Cal has to tell him that it was a mistake which won't happen again. 😬 Poor Ash is crushed.
When Cal finally goes to bed, she is pulled into a Dreamscape where Marcus the Divine from the 3rd Game challenge is waiting for her. Marcus is a smooth and seductive enigmatic entity. He is surprised to find out Cal's mental image of herself is a woman in the Dreamscape but he says he understands why she felt she needed to hide herself, being a fertile magical young woman in these times or whatever. Marcus' true motivations remain a mystery.
When Cal wakes up, she's still at the Resistance compound trying to figure out how to break out with Izzy. The next day or whenever though, an alarm goes off, signaling that the compound is under attack. Cal grabs Izzy and tries to drag her to safety. Once they leave the caves though, they see Divines killing all of the Resistance members, and Cal is torn between helping Izzy escape and saving Ash & Fox. Her instincts seem to make the decision for her, and she throws herself into the fray. Izzy screams a warning about a fireball headed for Bear (he's basically the leader, but he is a suspicious and domineering asshole, so i was like good riddance)...Cal however apparently couldn't stop herself from jumping in front of Bear to save him.
Cut to... Cal wakes up in the medic recovery tent. Almost all of the Resistance members have been killed, only a dozen or so survived and even the survivors aren't doing so well. Cal was burned on her side (or somewhere hard to get to, idk) so the medic cut her clothes off to treat her, and now everyone knows she's a girl. And they know she has magic. Ash is upset and feels betrayed. Fox is like 'makes sense' bc he was starting to crush on her and he doesn't like dudes so I guess he's basically just relieved.. Bear is pissed that he was lied to. And Izzy is scared bc now everyone knows about Cal.
Time for book 2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2020
This one was amazing and I immediately jumped into book 2! The thing is, book 2 felt like a completely different beast and I almost DNF'd it. It felt like a filler and like the relationships took more attention over everything, but the characters lost their spark. So... bummer. I didn't even continue onto book 3.
January 16, 2020
This is book one in the Hollow series and follows the main character Cal and his best friend Izzy as he works in the mines to provide food for them both. They live in a world where normal people no longer have access to magic and are labelled Hollows. They are enslaved and used as workers in places like mines, working to find specific minerals that provide those that can use magic, to gain more power! These people are called Divines and there are seven main types, relating to the stones they gain their powers from. They are all powerful and live in lives of luxury, unlike the common man.
They are also most infertile and use an event called the Mating Games, to allow Hollows the chance to take a woman and attempt to have a baby. Not that they would even keep the child, it would be taken by those in power. The Divine also take women for their own perverted needs and use them as they wish. Hollow women are in short supply ad most live in fear of the Mating Games and of Divines. They have no choice in who they will be paired with.
Cal is hiding a secret more dangerous than any you might consider. If their secret is revealed they could be immediately put to death or made a lab rat of the Divines, to be experimented on or worse. They have to enter the Mating Games once their best friend and companion Izzy is selected, to try and win her in her the Games, otherwise die trying, to avoid a fate worse than death on Izzy. Cal has kept their secret whilst working with the rest of the men in the mines, but they are far more formidable in build and strength than Cal. Cal’s chances to win in the games is slim to none.
The games are played over three days, the first day is a physical trial, where only the last man standing from each group will go through to the next day. The second day is a test of intelligence and the third day’s test is unknown. The secret Cal has had to hide all their life is that she is actually a woman, disguised as a man from childhood by her mother. She is a fertile woman, something very rare in their day and age, but also has the ability to use and funnel magic! She has no idea where her magic comes from, but she has always been taught to hide it and her own identity to keep herself safe. Only Izzy knows the real Calypso.
One of her fellow miners, Ash, who she feels attracted to, but can never reveal, has also applied for the games and is now her rival. He gives her a few strange glances and also ensures they both get given strange glances from their mine boss, Fox. Can she keep her identity secret, when even more pressure and close attention is being given to her and her performance in the trials? If she doesn’t, then both she and Izzy may end up in a situation worse than the one Izzy was facing as a broodmare for any winner, but come to the attention of the Divines and an even worse fate.
There is more to this story than just Cal’s secret and the Mating Games, never mind the world scape that they now live in. That is for other readers to find out for themselves, but it adds another dimension to the storyline and a touch of intrigue. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Cal, Izzy, Asha and even Fox and some of the others as the series continues. What Cal’s future role will be in their society is yet to be seen. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
They are also most infertile and use an event called the Mating Games, to allow Hollows the chance to take a woman and attempt to have a baby. Not that they would even keep the child, it would be taken by those in power. The Divine also take women for their own perverted needs and use them as they wish. Hollow women are in short supply ad most live in fear of the Mating Games and of Divines. They have no choice in who they will be paired with.
Cal is hiding a secret more dangerous than any you might consider. If their secret is revealed they could be immediately put to death or made a lab rat of the Divines, to be experimented on or worse. They have to enter the Mating Games once their best friend and companion Izzy is selected, to try and win her in her the Games, otherwise die trying, to avoid a fate worse than death on Izzy. Cal has kept their secret whilst working with the rest of the men in the mines, but they are far more formidable in build and strength than Cal. Cal’s chances to win in the games is slim to none.
The games are played over three days, the first day is a physical trial, where only the last man standing from each group will go through to the next day. The second day is a test of intelligence and the third day’s test is unknown. The secret Cal has had to hide all their life is that she is actually a woman, disguised as a man from childhood by her mother. She is a fertile woman, something very rare in their day and age, but also has the ability to use and funnel magic! She has no idea where her magic comes from, but she has always been taught to hide it and her own identity to keep herself safe. Only Izzy knows the real Calypso.
One of her fellow miners, Ash, who she feels attracted to, but can never reveal, has also applied for the games and is now her rival. He gives her a few strange glances and also ensures they both get given strange glances from their mine boss, Fox. Can she keep her identity secret, when even more pressure and close attention is being given to her and her performance in the trials? If she doesn’t, then both she and Izzy may end up in a situation worse than the one Izzy was facing as a broodmare for any winner, but come to the attention of the Divines and an even worse fate.
There is more to this story than just Cal’s secret and the Mating Games, never mind the world scape that they now live in. That is for other readers to find out for themselves, but it adds another dimension to the storyline and a touch of intrigue. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Cal, Izzy, Asha and even Fox and some of the others as the series continues. What Cal’s future role will be in their society is yet to be seen. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
January 20, 2020
Survival was a book that I just stumbled upon, happening to see it on some recommendations list. It's a fun little snack and quick peek into a world that I'm curious to know more about. We've got this dystopia where the world has beings with Divine power and those who are "Hollow." The Hollow live a life of poverty, barely scraping by, while the Divine know nothing but decadence.
Our FMC, Cal, is disguised as a man to help provide for her and her best friend as well as keep her safe from being used as a broodmare because she has magical ability that would make her a valuable breeding prospect. Cal is a leading lady that I think a lot of readers will like- she's barely making it, living this life of hard labor, but she's doing it out of this sincere and extreme loyalty to her best friend. Although she's weaker and seems like prey to the men (because she makes a real scrawny dude), she manages to use her other assets- her mind, her little bursts of magic, and strategy to keep going.
The world intrigues me, and I like that it seems to be building up to something bigger- we're not just working with Cal's hard life in her home. We're actually digging into a bigger conspiracy that ties into a coup that might be growing against the Divine. There's a lot of potential here for this to be pretty awesome, and I'm excited for it.
My only drawback is that it could be edited more smoothly. The ONLY reason I mention this is because I'm pretty anal about punctuation and such, so it did actually impact how I read sentences and caused a few confused head tilts until I reread that page/sentence/paragraph. Did it hurt my ability to understand the whole story? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Will I still read book two? ABSOLUTELY YES. But, if I'm being honest, it's just something that I had to include.
Our FMC, Cal, is disguised as a man to help provide for her and her best friend as well as keep her safe from being used as a broodmare because she has magical ability that would make her a valuable breeding prospect. Cal is a leading lady that I think a lot of readers will like- she's barely making it, living this life of hard labor, but she's doing it out of this sincere and extreme loyalty to her best friend. Although she's weaker and seems like prey to the men (because she makes a real scrawny dude), she manages to use her other assets- her mind, her little bursts of magic, and strategy to keep going.
The world intrigues me, and I like that it seems to be building up to something bigger- we're not just working with Cal's hard life in her home. We're actually digging into a bigger conspiracy that ties into a coup that might be growing against the Divine. There's a lot of potential here for this to be pretty awesome, and I'm excited for it.
My only drawback is that it could be edited more smoothly. The ONLY reason I mention this is because I'm pretty anal about punctuation and such, so it did actually impact how I read sentences and caused a few confused head tilts until I reread that page/sentence/paragraph. Did it hurt my ability to understand the whole story? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Will I still read book two? ABSOLUTELY YES. But, if I'm being honest, it's just something that I had to include.
June 2, 2021
This book was just what I needed. After a bunch of junk food (low world/character building, high smut, & short book) this was like a home-cooked meal. Helen Scott & Ellabee Andrews spent almost the entire book building her world and characters before they even started any semblance of a relationship, so that I became really invested in them and what they were trying to do. It also served to have time to drop little bits of information like bread crumbs to follow up on later, creating suspense. Overall, one of the best first books I have read since the first All the Pretty Monsters book and first Curse of the Gods book.
In a world where everyone used to have magic and now only a few of the ruling class does due to war, dividing the population into the common Hollows (those that can't access magic) and the ruling Divine (those that can use magic), Hollow women are prized because they are rare (it's even rarer to be fertile) and can enhance the magic of others (this bit wasn't so clear--seems they can sometimes use magic?). Cal is super rare because she is a fertile Hollow woman with a lot of magic she can actually use. However, she hides her gender and lives as a man. When her best friend is selected for the Mating Games (where Hollow men compete to get to have kids with the chosen Hollow women because the Divine can't procreate with Hollow women), Cal is determined to save her from that fate, so she enters the Mating Games as a male competitor.
In a world where everyone used to have magic and now only a few of the ruling class does due to war, dividing the population into the common Hollows (those that can't access magic) and the ruling Divine (those that can use magic), Hollow women are prized because they are rare (it's even rarer to be fertile) and can enhance the magic of others (this bit wasn't so clear--seems they can sometimes use magic?). Cal is super rare because she is a fertile Hollow woman with a lot of magic she can actually use. However, she hides her gender and lives as a man. When her best friend is selected for the Mating Games (where Hollow men compete to get to have kids with the chosen Hollow women because the Divine can't procreate with Hollow women), Cal is determined to save her from that fate, so she enters the Mating Games as a male competitor.
May 8, 2020
2.5 stars rating
Survival was a somewhat fresh story in the RH genre that's filled with trends at the moment. I mean it does have the whole woman-disguised-as-man thing but it's layered with an interesting world building element around magic.
Not going to lie, as much as I tried to understand the whole magic system in this book; there were certain things that left me confused or didn't end up flowing in a coherent manner. I certainly get the gist of things but it does feel lagging in the world building elements around the hollow women or the Divine dudes. Before I could get too annoyed with it though we moved towards the trials and it was enough to not dwell on the magic thing. I think that's the best part about this book, there is a lot of activeness right from the get go. There isn't any moment spend faffing around that you feel it's dragged for no reason.
Cal was a decent mix of strong and vulnerable, I'm curious to see how she develops in the next book with all that happens towards the end chapter. For the harem, so far there are three guys as the potential. Each of them have differently paced relationship with Cal so that's nice to see. As personalities, there isn't anything different but there are still opportunities to showcase more characterisation in the next one.
I flew through this book despite the hiccups, it's relatively short for the things it's trying to convey. I mean the whole second citizen thing around Hollow dwellers or the wave of rebellion that's going to be the underlying theme for the series could have used more space and details to give a full immersive experience but it's still a good choice and I'm definitely picking up the next book.
Survival was a somewhat fresh story in the RH genre that's filled with trends at the moment. I mean it does have the whole woman-disguised-as-man thing but it's layered with an interesting world building element around magic.
Not going to lie, as much as I tried to understand the whole magic system in this book; there were certain things that left me confused or didn't end up flowing in a coherent manner. I certainly get the gist of things but it does feel lagging in the world building elements around the hollow women or the Divine dudes. Before I could get too annoyed with it though we moved towards the trials and it was enough to not dwell on the magic thing. I think that's the best part about this book, there is a lot of activeness right from the get go. There isn't any moment spend faffing around that you feel it's dragged for no reason.
Cal was a decent mix of strong and vulnerable, I'm curious to see how she develops in the next book with all that happens towards the end chapter. For the harem, so far there are three guys as the potential. Each of them have differently paced relationship with Cal so that's nice to see. As personalities, there isn't anything different but there are still opportunities to showcase more characterisation in the next one.
I flew through this book despite the hiccups, it's relatively short for the things it's trying to convey. I mean the whole second citizen thing around Hollow dwellers or the wave of rebellion that's going to be the underlying theme for the series could have used more space and details to give a full immersive experience but it's still a good choice and I'm definitely picking up the next book.
January 20, 2020
4 & 1/2 stars rounded up.
Well, this held my attention from the moment I started, even if I was a bit lost at first, all the way until I finished at 2 am (with work the next day). The world building could have been a little better. I felt the dystopian vibe just fine. There's a paranormal vibe, with the magic usage, but I couldn't put it all together to get the total emersion into the world since I didn't really understand the magic in relation to the world building well enough. The very beginning was a bit confusing for me, until I got a little ways in. I enjoyed this take on a woman pretending to be a man & accomplishing a difficult task. It was interesting to see Cal/Calypso get thru the trials & not be found out. I liked that Cal/Calypso is such a strong/loyal female character. Her devotion to Izzy (as a sister) is remarkable. I liked the men (for the most part) that I believe will be in her RH. I do feel that the guys weren't fleshed out enough, though I'm hoping that will come in the books to follow in the series. I'm betting each guy will get a book, so to speak. So far- the 3 I'm guessing at so far are- Ash, Fox & maybe Marcus (the Divine guy in her dreams & met at the end of the trials) showed promise for being good characters. I thought it was funny that they (Ash & Fox) were thrown off by being attracted to a "man", though I think Ash swings both ways. I can't wait for book 2, to see how Ash & Fox deal with finding out she wasn't a man after all. We still haven't met Hawk, who may play into the harem too, if he isn't already a character with a hidden identity that we've met already. I will definitely read book 2 when it releases.
Well, this held my attention from the moment I started, even if I was a bit lost at first, all the way until I finished at 2 am (with work the next day). The world building could have been a little better. I felt the dystopian vibe just fine. There's a paranormal vibe, with the magic usage, but I couldn't put it all together to get the total emersion into the world since I didn't really understand the magic in relation to the world building well enough. The very beginning was a bit confusing for me, until I got a little ways in. I enjoyed this take on a woman pretending to be a man & accomplishing a difficult task. It was interesting to see Cal/Calypso get thru the trials & not be found out. I liked that Cal/Calypso is such a strong/loyal female character. Her devotion to Izzy (as a sister) is remarkable. I liked the men (for the most part) that I believe will be in her RH. I do feel that the guys weren't fleshed out enough, though I'm hoping that will come in the books to follow in the series. I'm betting each guy will get a book, so to speak. So far- the 3 I'm guessing at so far are- Ash, Fox & maybe Marcus (the Divine guy in her dreams & met at the end of the trials) showed promise for being good characters. I thought it was funny that they (Ash & Fox) were thrown off by being attracted to a "man", though I think Ash swings both ways. I can't wait for book 2, to see how Ash & Fox deal with finding out she wasn't a man after all. We still haven't met Hawk, who may play into the harem too, if he isn't already a character with a hidden identity that we've met already. I will definitely read book 2 when it releases.
November 2, 2021
I'm so pissed off right now because this is me who has read all 3 books from the future writing this review, instead of me who has just read this perfect beautiful amazing book by itself, from the past.
This first book in the series is literally perfect to me, literally every single thing there is to love (the plot, the MC, the love interests, the slowburn, the tension, the worldbuilding) about this book I adore.
I adore that the sexual tension was built so wonderfully&slowly that we only really get a kiss scene in this book (I have never really met a sex scene I didn't hate in a reverse harem book cuz they're almost always way too rushed&out of nowhere so to have this book thread the line of tension so well was such a relief)
I adore that the MC is so ride or die for her bestie that she would go through all of this&more for her (their friendship is also perfect to me).
It made me love her character more than anything else ever would, that level of dedication to her BFF.
I adore how powerful the MC (super powerful MCs are my absolute favorite thing) is.
I adore the magic&the world&I even adore that we barely got to see her interact with all of her harem simply because the romance buildup between her&like 2-ish of them was so insanely wonderful that I didn't even mind that she didn't meet everyone in this first one.
The series, IMO, went very downhill from here after this book, which is why I'm so pissed off but I'll save my ire for those reviews instead of this 1&just say that this one is amazing&deserves all the awards.
This first book in the series is literally perfect to me, literally every single thing there is to love (the plot, the MC, the love interests, the slowburn, the tension, the worldbuilding) about this book I adore.
I adore that the sexual tension was built so wonderfully&slowly that we only really get a kiss scene in this book (I have never really met a sex scene I didn't hate in a reverse harem book cuz they're almost always way too rushed&out of nowhere so to have this book thread the line of tension so well was such a relief)
I adore that the MC is so ride or die for her bestie that she would go through all of this&more for her (their friendship is also perfect to me).
It made me love her character more than anything else ever would, that level of dedication to her BFF.
I adore how powerful the MC (super powerful MCs are my absolute favorite thing) is.
I adore the magic&the world&I even adore that we barely got to see her interact with all of her harem simply because the romance buildup between her&like 2-ish of them was so insanely wonderful that I didn't even mind that she didn't meet everyone in this first one.
The series, IMO, went very downhill from here after this book, which is why I'm so pissed off but I'll save my ire for those reviews instead of this 1&just say that this one is amazing&deserves all the awards.
January 17, 2020
This was a clever story that is starting out well, intriguing enough that the reader will want to keep up with the series and see how it all plays out.
To keep it simple, the Hollows are those without magic. The Divines are those who have magic whose type depends on the gemstone line they were born into. Being in their clutches is not a good place to be.
Cal (Calypso) is actually a woman who has always pretended to be a man as her mother instructed for her protection. She is a fertile woman, which is rare in their society. She also has the ability to use magic, which she also must keep hidden! She has no idea where she received her magic abilities. Cal works in the mines where they look for magical stones. If they discover that she is a female, she would be forced into being a sex slave or experimented on by the Divines. But when her friend, Izzy, is forced to participate in the Mating Games, where the winner gets to try to make babies with her whether she likes it or not, Cal has to enter the competition to “win” her and save her from what promises to be a very uncomfortable life.
There is so much more in this book, but reading it will fill you in on the details rather than my trying to fit it all in here. The story line is fascinating, the characters are good and will be developed more as the books continue, and the pacing works well. Grab your copy and be drawn into this strange world as Cal fights to save Izzy from an unpleasant fate.
To keep it simple, the Hollows are those without magic. The Divines are those who have magic whose type depends on the gemstone line they were born into. Being in their clutches is not a good place to be.
Cal (Calypso) is actually a woman who has always pretended to be a man as her mother instructed for her protection. She is a fertile woman, which is rare in their society. She also has the ability to use magic, which she also must keep hidden! She has no idea where she received her magic abilities. Cal works in the mines where they look for magical stones. If they discover that she is a female, she would be forced into being a sex slave or experimented on by the Divines. But when her friend, Izzy, is forced to participate in the Mating Games, where the winner gets to try to make babies with her whether she likes it or not, Cal has to enter the competition to “win” her and save her from what promises to be a very uncomfortable life.
There is so much more in this book, but reading it will fill you in on the details rather than my trying to fit it all in here. The story line is fascinating, the characters are good and will be developed more as the books continue, and the pacing works well. Grab your copy and be drawn into this strange world as Cal fights to save Izzy from an unpleasant fate.
January 18, 2020
It's definitely a storyline I haven't read before (and I've read a lot of books). To sum it up, everyone used to have magic that was strengthen by different types of gemstones, but not all magic types were considered equal. When jealousy amongst the groups became too much, a battle occurred. The fallout left people who no longer has magic (the Hollowed) and those whose magic was weaker (the Divines). However many years later the few Divines left use the Hollowed as slaves to mine the gemstones and breed, possibly, more Divines.
Okay so that the backstory. Cal is a female trying to pretend to be a man to hide her magic so she doesn't have to be used as a broodmare in the Mating games. While Cal is safe, her best friend Izzy gets selected and now it's up to Cal to enter to games (as a man!?) and try to win them to save Izzy.
The author's tend to remind you quite often about how she has to bond her breasts (just in case you ever forget). I found Cal very lacking in personality and there really wasn't anything that made me fight for her other than the situation she was in. It was more the story that kept me reading. I hope there is more growth for her in the next book. I think overall it's really the storyline that drives this book from 3 stars to 4 stars. The dystopian, Hunger games-like setting but for adults, has you continuing to read and wondering what will happen next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Okay so that the backstory. Cal is a female trying to pretend to be a man to hide her magic so she doesn't have to be used as a broodmare in the Mating games. While Cal is safe, her best friend Izzy gets selected and now it's up to Cal to enter to games (as a man!?) and try to win them to save Izzy.
The author's tend to remind you quite often about how she has to bond her breasts (just in case you ever forget). I found Cal very lacking in personality and there really wasn't anything that made me fight for her other than the situation she was in. It was more the story that kept me reading. I hope there is more growth for her in the next book. I think overall it's really the storyline that drives this book from 3 stars to 4 stars. The dystopian, Hunger games-like setting but for adults, has you continuing to read and wondering what will happen next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 23, 2024
DNF at 9% when the FMC banged two guys heads together in the dark. Ugh, what is this, George of the Jungle Mines? The prologue felt really unnecessary, too—like find a way to explain that through the story and not just info dump. There's run-on sentences, informal writing slips in awkwardly, and the guys are instantly acting like the FMC is special even though she is accepted as a runty man.
And she has somehow already lost control of her temper twice in a way that shows off her magic, the second time being the head-bonking incident where she loses it because somebody says something mean about women. Girl, you are going to need much thicker skin and be less emotional to convince me you are capable of fooling everyone into thinking you're a dude.
Story feels like it should start off further back in time and lead up to the meeting between these Ash and Fox characters that I hear are important. How did she manage to hide her gender? Where is her family? Where did she grow up? Why did she leave and end up where she is?
This might come up later, but I want to know it before she's doing all these life-changing things to save her friend (how did they meet? Why is her friend not disguised?) so that I can understand her motivations better.
And she has somehow already lost control of her temper twice in a way that shows off her magic, the second time being the head-bonking incident where she loses it because somebody says something mean about women. Girl, you are going to need much thicker skin and be less emotional to convince me you are capable of fooling everyone into thinking you're a dude.
Story feels like it should start off further back in time and lead up to the meeting between these Ash and Fox characters that I hear are important. How did she manage to hide her gender? Where is her family? Where did she grow up? Why did she leave and end up where she is?
This might come up later, but I want to know it before she's doing all these life-changing things to save her friend (how did they meet? Why is her friend not disguised?) so that I can understand her motivations better.
January 17, 2020
ONE MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURE!!!
Slamdunk! If you're looking for a non-stop, action packed, hard hitting, pulse racing, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, nailbiting, spine tingling, block busting bombshell. Congratulations my friends, you've hit the motherload. This talented dynamic duo drops the bomb, lowering the boom, throwing this baby into a tizzy, blasting it to life spectacularly. A swirling throng of surprising events and unexpected contingencies catapults those spinning emotions bursting into play. Bracing the drama, intrigue, secrets and soaring suspense while tension spirals, wielding this baby together seamlessly. Add distress and turmoil along with a boatload of trouble and you have the recipe for one prize winning, chart topping, mind-blowing experience. The characters are authentic and genuine with depth and qualities that blend into outstanding personalities. The characters and scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Remarkable job guys, thanks for sharing this little treasure with us.
Slamdunk! If you're looking for a non-stop, action packed, hard hitting, pulse racing, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, nailbiting, spine tingling, block busting bombshell. Congratulations my friends, you've hit the motherload. This talented dynamic duo drops the bomb, lowering the boom, throwing this baby into a tizzy, blasting it to life spectacularly. A swirling throng of surprising events and unexpected contingencies catapults those spinning emotions bursting into play. Bracing the drama, intrigue, secrets and soaring suspense while tension spirals, wielding this baby together seamlessly. Add distress and turmoil along with a boatload of trouble and you have the recipe for one prize winning, chart topping, mind-blowing experience. The characters are authentic and genuine with depth and qualities that blend into outstanding personalities. The characters and scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Remarkable job guys, thanks for sharing this little treasure with us.
February 9, 2025
This book was honestly not good. The writing is mediocre at best and it's absolutely riddled with grammatical errors (nearly one on every page, yay!). There is very little showing and endless amounts of telling. The fmc continually talks about how cautious and circumspect she is about pretending to be a man, but the book itself does not back that up. If everyone around her wasn't as perceptive as a rock she'd never have been able to pull it off for years. The plot meanders, none of it is original, and the characters really aren't that interesting. It's often difficult to tell whose speaking in a scene because no one has a really unique voice. The fact that this has a rating over 4 stars on goodreads tells me that people's standards are below the surface of the earth when it comes to "why choose" books.
However, it was a very short read and kind of fun in a trainwreck sort of way. It's a KU book so I'll probably give the next book in the series a read just to see if it continues being terrible in an entertaining way. I'm giving it an extra star solely because it's a freaking mess.
However, it was a very short read and kind of fun in a trainwreck sort of way. It's a KU book so I'll probably give the next book in the series a read just to see if it continues being terrible in an entertaining way. I'm giving it an extra star solely because it's a freaking mess.
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