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Crystal
The team is sacred. The team is everything. And I have killed mine.
I was supposed to love them, and I didn't. I tried to love them, but I couldn't. The courts condemned me to the Pit for my failings, but the Military has other plans. Aether Mages are too valuable to lose, even the ones that are too dangerous to be allowed in proper society.
So now the Military has rounded up a team of innocent Fell Mages—the Mages who are Blight itself—and thrown them into the Pit with me. How do we get out? Somehow make me, an Aether Heart Mage, bond with a Fell team as a Fell Shard. It has to be a sick joke, but nobody's laughing. Except maybe the Warden, who wants to throw me into the lower levels to be used as a lab rat.
The Fells came from nothing, and they don't plan on dying in the Pit. There’s the ambitious Blood, who is both cruel and infinitely kind, Rot is a giant with a terrible gift, the enigmatic Smoke, and ScatheFire, who is the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever had. There's something about each of them that brushes me like bird wings, but even if I could become a Fell Shard, my own heart is so broken I'll never love anything again, and I know nobody should ever love me.
They should be more afraid of me than they are.
My love devours souls.
Epic dark fantasy medium-burn "it's complicated" love-hate reverse harem romance featuring a broken heroine who doesn't want to be put back together.
I was supposed to love them, and I didn't. I tried to love them, but I couldn't. The courts condemned me to the Pit for my failings, but the Military has other plans. Aether Mages are too valuable to lose, even the ones that are too dangerous to be allowed in proper society.
So now the Military has rounded up a team of innocent Fell Mages—the Mages who are Blight itself—and thrown them into the Pit with me. How do we get out? Somehow make me, an Aether Heart Mage, bond with a Fell team as a Fell Shard. It has to be a sick joke, but nobody's laughing. Except maybe the Warden, who wants to throw me into the lower levels to be used as a lab rat.
The Fells came from nothing, and they don't plan on dying in the Pit. There’s the ambitious Blood, who is both cruel and infinitely kind, Rot is a giant with a terrible gift, the enigmatic Smoke, and ScatheFire, who is the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever had. There's something about each of them that brushes me like bird wings, but even if I could become a Fell Shard, my own heart is so broken I'll never love anything again, and I know nobody should ever love me.
They should be more afraid of me than they are.
My love devours souls.
Epic dark fantasy medium-burn "it's complicated" love-hate reverse harem romance featuring a broken heroine who doesn't want to be put back together.
- GenresFantasy
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 14, 2020
97 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 6, 2021
What an odd book .
This was such a confusing book. The premise sounded pretty terrific but the execution bombed spectacularly.
I am surprised to say this but this book needed an editor, this is me that never notices spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Words were missing leaving incomplete confusing sentences.
The info dump is astronomical. I legit had to see if there was a prequel or even an index at the beginning of the book because I could not figure out what the hell was going on. We are bombarded with names and we are suppose to figure out what they do. Then later in the middle of something else we are given a definition of the name (i.e everyone bears the same name based on their power? some examples are ; Metal, Scathfire, Verdance, Frost, Crystal, Heart.) It was annoying.
This was such a confusing book. The premise sounded pretty terrific but the execution bombed spectacularly.
I am surprised to say this but this book needed an editor, this is me that never notices spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Words were missing leaving incomplete confusing sentences.
The info dump is astronomical. I legit had to see if there was a prequel or even an index at the beginning of the book because I could not figure out what the hell was going on. We are bombarded with names and we are suppose to figure out what they do. Then later in the middle of something else we are given a definition of the name (i.e everyone bears the same name based on their power? some examples are ; Metal, Scathfire, Verdance, Frost, Crystal, Heart.) It was annoying.
January 31, 2021
2021 The Year of Same Old Thing and......Sometimes you just need to lay on the couch and read for a couple of years
Well what can I say but..
If you are a fan of "The Messenger Chronicles" by Pippa DaCosta and "Their Champion Series" by KA Knight then this book might be for you.
But it comes with a warning..the author really throws you in the ..
But despite having to read between the lines and sometimes words, I absolutely loved this emotional world build that just keeps you riveted to every page, that more than makes up for any difficulties .. at least for me.
And the biggest bonus is that the next two books are out in quick succession..
Well what can I say but..
If you are a fan of "The Messenger Chronicles" by Pippa DaCosta and "Their Champion Series" by KA Knight then this book might be for you.
But it comes with a warning..the author really throws you in the ..
But despite having to read between the lines and sometimes words, I absolutely loved this emotional world build that just keeps you riveted to every page, that more than makes up for any difficulties .. at least for me.
And the biggest bonus is that the next two books are out in quick succession..
April 6, 2021
4 stars
Pretty good, I don’t really have a reason for not continuing this series other than I don’t feel like it.
Pretty good, I don’t really have a reason for not continuing this series other than I don’t feel like it.
August 14, 2023
Horrid execution
This book had an interesting enough plot, but the overall execution was crap. The world building was incomplete and poorly delivered through info dumps rather than story telling. There was almost no character development and the relationships between the characters were one dimensional. The book assumed prior knowledge without there having been a prior book or series. There were grammar issues and missing words. Written by another person, this could have been an awesome book so it's sad that the potential wasn't realised.
This book had an interesting enough plot, but the overall execution was crap. The world building was incomplete and poorly delivered through info dumps rather than story telling. There was almost no character development and the relationships between the characters were one dimensional. The book assumed prior knowledge without there having been a prior book or series. There were grammar issues and missing words. Written by another person, this could have been an awesome book so it's sad that the potential wasn't realised.
August 2, 2025
4.25 ⭐️/3.5 🌶️—The first time I read this, I thought it needed more worldbuilding. I don’t actually think that’s the case, but the author does set you into the story without info dumping (which I appreciate). This is one of the weirdest books I have read, but I think that’s a good thing. This is such a unique world and storyline that I never could have imagined it in a thousand years. Hade (or Ravenell) does a great job with this. The three books in this series were written in 2021 and there were supposed to be at least two more books but they haven’t been written, which is really unfortunate because the characters are complex and the story compelling. I would warn readers that there are some serious trigger warnings.
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December 30, 2020Confusing
There is very little world building and I was thrown in the middle of a battle scene when I had no clue what was going on. And it just got worse from there. The story did not make sense and is not something I would recommend.
There is very little world building and I was thrown in the middle of a battle scene when I had no clue what was going on. And it just got worse from there. The story did not make sense and is not something I would recommend.
February 11, 2021
Omg
This book is so freaking good!!! I love the whole premise and the world building!! I haven't read anything like it and I couldn't put it down!! Next book, please!!!!!
This book is so freaking good!!! I love the whole premise and the world building!! I haven't read anything like it and I couldn't put it down!! Next book, please!!!!!
February 22, 2021
This is a new author so I had no idea what to expect from her.
I was drawn in by the cover, like I usually am.
Whoever came up with the saying "Never judge a book by it's cover" seriously had not seen all these fantastic cover artists work because OMG!
Then I read the blurb and I knew I had to dive right in.
And let me tell you, this book will take you on one heck of a roller coaster.
Crystal is our female lead.
She is a powerful aether mage who doesn't know how to control her magic.
Though no one in the Academy helps her understand why she has so much or how to form the bonds she is supposed to with her teammates.
Because of the uncontrollable nature of her aether and her inability to form her bonds, during her graduation ceremony things go down hill fast.
The consequences of her failure...prison.
Crystal accepts her fate knowing that she deserves it, but it isn't exactly like what she thought.
And there is someone in the prison who thinks she is worth saving.
Even when she doesn't believe so.
This story starts off with a whopper right from the beginning.
Character deaths are never an easy thing to handle, but this one was brutal and it was with four characters.
Though we don't know the four characters very well, it effects Crystal deeply and you see that trauma play out throughout the book.
It does get a little confusing when it comes to the mages.
Everyone is born with a name given to them by their parents, HOWEVER, this is not the name the characters go by. We don't even get to see those names.
Each mage is given the name of whatever their affinity is.
Crystal is named as such because she has crystal magic. Though she is also called Heart because she was supposed to be the heart of her team.
Therefore, each team has members of the same types almost and their names are the same.
Frost, Verdance, Metal, Aegis, Heart, Crystal.
So while we saw characters with these names die, we also see them as guards at the prison though they are different characters altogether.
World building is a huge part of this story.
And that can always get confusing, but by the end of the book you get a grasp of everything that is going on.
Crystal has four guys who are in her little harem.
Though this isn't your typical romance.
It is a love-hate relationship and they are doing it in order to free themselves.
They try to deny their attraction and connection, but you can see it there.
It will take awhile before any of them admit exactly what it is they are feeling.
Told from multiple points of view.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and immediately dived into the second book.
I was pleasantly surprised with this author's writing style and story line.
I'm glad I found it.
Definitely would recommend.
I was drawn in by the cover, like I usually am.
Whoever came up with the saying "Never judge a book by it's cover" seriously had not seen all these fantastic cover artists work because OMG!
Then I read the blurb and I knew I had to dive right in.
And let me tell you, this book will take you on one heck of a roller coaster.
Crystal is our female lead.
She is a powerful aether mage who doesn't know how to control her magic.
Though no one in the Academy helps her understand why she has so much or how to form the bonds she is supposed to with her teammates.
Because of the uncontrollable nature of her aether and her inability to form her bonds, during her graduation ceremony things go down hill fast.
The consequences of her failure...prison.
Crystal accepts her fate knowing that she deserves it, but it isn't exactly like what she thought.
And there is someone in the prison who thinks she is worth saving.
Even when she doesn't believe so.
This story starts off with a whopper right from the beginning.
Character deaths are never an easy thing to handle, but this one was brutal and it was with four characters.
Though we don't know the four characters very well, it effects Crystal deeply and you see that trauma play out throughout the book.
It does get a little confusing when it comes to the mages.
Everyone is born with a name given to them by their parents, HOWEVER, this is not the name the characters go by. We don't even get to see those names.
Each mage is given the name of whatever their affinity is.
Crystal is named as such because she has crystal magic. Though she is also called Heart because she was supposed to be the heart of her team.
Therefore, each team has members of the same types almost and their names are the same.
Frost, Verdance, Metal, Aegis, Heart, Crystal.
So while we saw characters with these names die, we also see them as guards at the prison though they are different characters altogether.
World building is a huge part of this story.
And that can always get confusing, but by the end of the book you get a grasp of everything that is going on.
Crystal has four guys who are in her little harem.
Though this isn't your typical romance.
It is a love-hate relationship and they are doing it in order to free themselves.
They try to deny their attraction and connection, but you can see it there.
It will take awhile before any of them admit exactly what it is they are feeling.
Told from multiple points of view.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and immediately dived into the second book.
I was pleasantly surprised with this author's writing style and story line.
I'm glad I found it.
Definitely would recommend.
May 28, 2021
Surprising
This book has some flaws. I'm not gonna lie. There are a number of things that are far from perfect. Editing errors, repetitive words and statements, small issues with clarity here and there BUT with that said its still an easy 5 star book for me.
The setting, magic system, plot, and characters were all incredible. The setting was unique and immersive. The magic system was so intricate and interesting. The plot was fast paced and engaging. And the characters were deep and dynamic.
There were so many times that I could identify with the main character I could almost feel her pain.
I was surprised how good this book ended up being.
Flawed? Yes.
Do I care about the nit picky stuff when held up next the the genius contained on these pages? No, not really.
Could this be a perfect book with some editing? Definitely.
Honestly, I'm really glad I found this book even with some slight issues here and there. Its a true hidden gem that I think deserves a lot of praise. Would definitely recommend.
This book has some flaws. I'm not gonna lie. There are a number of things that are far from perfect. Editing errors, repetitive words and statements, small issues with clarity here and there BUT with that said its still an easy 5 star book for me.
The setting, magic system, plot, and characters were all incredible. The setting was unique and immersive. The magic system was so intricate and interesting. The plot was fast paced and engaging. And the characters were deep and dynamic.
There were so many times that I could identify with the main character I could almost feel her pain.
I was surprised how good this book ended up being.
Flawed? Yes.
Do I care about the nit picky stuff when held up next the the genius contained on these pages? No, not really.
Could this be a perfect book with some editing? Definitely.
Honestly, I'm really glad I found this book even with some slight issues here and there. Its a true hidden gem that I think deserves a lot of praise. Would definitely recommend.
February 15, 2021
Rough ride
I thought I missed a book or a prequel or something. There is very little explanation for the world you are dropped into, and it is kinda painful to grasp what the hades is happening. The writing is good, the characters are good, but would it have hurt to give a reader an explanation of what the heck was going on?
If you feel like wading through the pain of figuring out the world, it’s not a bad read.... but dang, that’s some effort.
I thought I missed a book or a prequel or something. There is very little explanation for the world you are dropped into, and it is kinda painful to grasp what the hades is happening. The writing is good, the characters are good, but would it have hurt to give a reader an explanation of what the heck was going on?
If you feel like wading through the pain of figuring out the world, it’s not a bad read.... but dang, that’s some effort.
March 28, 2021
I felt I was missing a prolog or an intro novel. Kind of jump right into the story and I was lost with the “code names” and roles and why the FMC was on the outside. Gave up after her arrival in prison, I felt lost and did not care to trying and understand the story. Well written, no grammatical error, I just felt story need a prolog or intro novel to have a backstory or explanation to world.
Book is logged on DNF but re-examine at later date shelf.
Book is logged on DNF but re-examine at later date shelf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2021
See review for second book
December 26, 2021
Crystal is plagued by poor execution. Everything was in place for a great book, but the story just fell flat. The world-building needs to be completely redone. At times there is an excess of information where the reader can put two and two together, and then there are times where it feels like crucial details are missing. It was particularly confusing to have Crystal be the name of the protag, but also a type of Mageis, especially when the two definitions are used in the same paragraph or dialogue. There's a budding relationship between Crystal and ScatheFire, but there is no tension, romance, or chemistry between her and any of the other men. It really seems like there's no need for this to be a Reverse Harem. It doesn't help that all the characters (and I do really mean all) are bland at best and unbearable at worst. Crystal is passive for most of the book, and they tend to be overly aggressive and exaggerative. Looking ahead at reviews for the next two books, this is a consistent problem that unfortunately never gets resolved. ScatheFire, the most interesting character of this book is completely absent in the second book .
Also, the characters don't use proper nouns as names. They're called stuff like "Rot" and "Blood" which I thought was a bit cringy.
Also, the characters don't use proper nouns as names. They're called stuff like "Rot" and "Blood" which I thought was a bit cringy.
February 28, 2021
I would have given this book 3.5 stars if I could. This was an interesting take on the popular "Prison Reverse Harem" sub-genre. Crystal or "Heart" is right about to graduate with her team after completing the trials. Major problem: her team consists of super asshole men who degrade her at every turn. Because of this terrible relationship, her magic fails and her team is consumed by blightlings. She's blamed by the magical community and is sentenced to The Pit where she meets her eventual new team. Overall, this book's world and general plot line are interesting enough, but certain points bring the piece down. Weak or overly vulnerable female characters really grate on my nerves. I'm all for character development, but I felt like Crystal really only grew in regards to embracing her sexuality. Which is great! But I think that some other traits would be the first to change when you've been thrown into the worst prison in the land. Her relationship with the guys was also a little skewed for me. I felt like there was more action going on than internal bonding. There was definitely some thought put into building all the relationships, but not enough hat it matched with what was happening. So. Not a book that has me chomping at the bit for number two.
September 9, 2022
This book had ALL the angst. Of course, the plot justified it, so it didn't feel whiney, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. There are elements of bully/enemies-to-lovers, which I struggle with. Therefore, I can't say the book was not good, just that I personally don't plan to read the sequel. I will say that seeing the relationship development in this book alone, while slow, was one of my favorite parts.
If there was one thing that frustrated me, it was the lack of explanation about the epic-fantasy world. By the end of the book, I basically understood what was going on, but in the beginning, I spent a lot of time confused and that took away from my enjoyment of the book.
In short, make up your own mind based on your triggers and genre likes/dislikes :) I hope this review helped!
If there was one thing that frustrated me, it was the lack of explanation about the epic-fantasy world. By the end of the book, I basically understood what was going on, but in the beginning, I spent a lot of time confused and that took away from my enjoyment of the book.
In short, make up your own mind based on your triggers and genre likes/dislikes :) I hope this review helped!
July 20, 2021
Not bad for a reverse harem. No insta-love which is nice but Crystal is definitely lacking in agency but hopefully her character will grow as the series goes on. I do wish there was more exposition about the world and magic system.
Summary: Crystal is on a mage team and because of her, her team gets killed at their graduation trial and she's sentenced to the Pit. There she meets ScatheFire and then the rest of ScatheFire's old team gets taken to the Pit to make her into their teammate or rot in the Pit forever.
Summary: Crystal is on a mage team and because of her, her team gets killed at their graduation trial and she's sentenced to the Pit. There she meets ScatheFire and then the rest of ScatheFire's old team gets taken to the Pit to make her into their teammate or rot in the Pit forever.
January 21, 2021
🌟💜WOW!!💜🌟
Such an amazing world, concept, story, etc! This world is very different from others in the genre and the storytelling is no less than fantastic!! I'm not sure that I can gush enough about how immersed and lost in the book I was. Well told, sensitively handled. Fleshed out characters and plenty of mystery. Didn't see most of the events coming, so such a wonderful change of pace. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Such an amazing world, concept, story, etc! This world is very different from others in the genre and the storytelling is no less than fantastic!! I'm not sure that I can gush enough about how immersed and lost in the book I was. Well told, sensitively handled. Fleshed out characters and plenty of mystery. Didn't see most of the events coming, so such a wonderful change of pace. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
March 13, 2021
Be prepared to wanna hit the MC
The book is good but dang...I wanted to smack around the MC the WHOLE book. She is Hella brainwashed. The guys are good enough but everyone blames everything on her and she's like "I'm horrible and you should kill me" like all the time. That got old REAL fast. Like the premise although had to Google some terms and can get confusing.
The book is good but dang...I wanted to smack around the MC the WHOLE book. She is Hella brainwashed. The guys are good enough but everyone blames everything on her and she's like "I'm horrible and you should kill me" like all the time. That got old REAL fast. Like the premise although had to Google some terms and can get confusing.
April 11, 2023
Honestly find myself shocked this doesn't have better reviews! I thought this was fantastic, but it looks like the series has been removed from online? Can't find the next one anywhere...
It was so good, and such an interesting plot! Very unique ideas and I loved the dynamic between fmc & the guys. I want more!!
It was so good, and such an interesting plot! Very unique ideas and I loved the dynamic between fmc & the guys. I want more!!
November 18, 2021
23 pages
23 pages. That’s how long I lasted. The MC is so depressed that she does not care if she is raped. She says this. She believes everything is her fault and she is a failure.
If I wanted that much negativity, I would watch the news. This book is not for me.
23 pages. That’s how long I lasted. The MC is so depressed that she does not care if she is raped. She says this. She believes everything is her fault and she is a failure.
If I wanted that much negativity, I would watch the news. This book is not for me.
August 3, 2022
This book had serious potential but fell short. It really needed some more world building and some explanation of how things work in that world. If it had that it would have definitely been a 5 star book. It was just too hard to try to figure out what exactly they were talking about.
February 8, 2021
What an incredible gem this story is! Very cool world and the emotional arcs in the story are gut wrenching. Love it!
July 28, 2022
it’s good in theory
The book has promise what’s lacking is an explanation of what each mage class is in the beginning. Generally, when there’s definitions in the beginning of a book I don’t bother reading as usually there’s too many but in this case I truly think it would benefit. Nothing too lengthy like 10 one liners. Example, Blood-controls blood in and outside of bodies, Fells; Storm-controls weather:rain, thunder, fog, Aether. Just stuff like that because that would be helpful.
It also felt like there was a novella missing that should have explained how this world got to this point, nothing big like 20 pages would have been good.
Will continue to book 2
The book has promise what’s lacking is an explanation of what each mage class is in the beginning. Generally, when there’s definitions in the beginning of a book I don’t bother reading as usually there’s too many but in this case I truly think it would benefit. Nothing too lengthy like 10 one liners. Example, Blood-controls blood in and outside of bodies, Fells; Storm-controls weather:rain, thunder, fog, Aether. Just stuff like that because that would be helpful.
It also felt like there was a novella missing that should have explained how this world got to this point, nothing big like 20 pages would have been good.
Will continue to book 2
December 20, 2020
Great Story - but lots of writing mistakes
Enjoyed the story, but there a lot of typos, spelling mistakes, words missing etc that make it confusing and took you out of the story sometimes.
Enjoyed the story, but there a lot of typos, spelling mistakes, words missing etc that make it confusing and took you out of the story sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews