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Tenebris #1
Of Visions & Secrets
When Emma Mather's twin brother, Elliot, goes missing from Arnsmouth University, she is determined to stop at nothing to find him. Yet as she follows the clues left behind, she learns that there are far more sinister monstrosities lurking in the shadows of her city than she could have ever imagined.
Elliot's former teacher, Professor Raphael Saltonstall, may be Emma's only hope in finding her brother. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for Emma to realize Rafe is hiding secrets of his own. Despite the sizzling attraction between them, Emma isn’t entirely sure if Rafe is a friend or foe.
As two opposing cults hunt her down for their own twisted agendas, Emma finds tendrils of darkness closing in from all around. Pulsating Things live in the darkness...wriggling in eager anticipation to take her.
If they have their way, they’ll consume her mind, soul...and body.
__________
An Occult Romance is the newest villain romance / occult horror series by USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maze of Shadows and Harrow Faire series, Kathryn Ann Kingsley. With wild twists, cult intrigue, and eldritch horrors that are ready to go bump in the night, this series is sure to send shivers down your spine.
Please This series is an occult horror love story, with strong themes of madness and murder. I do promise it will ultimately have a happy ending. Also...there will be tentacles.
Elliot's former teacher, Professor Raphael Saltonstall, may be Emma's only hope in finding her brother. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for Emma to realize Rafe is hiding secrets of his own. Despite the sizzling attraction between them, Emma isn’t entirely sure if Rafe is a friend or foe.
As two opposing cults hunt her down for their own twisted agendas, Emma finds tendrils of darkness closing in from all around. Pulsating Things live in the darkness...wriggling in eager anticipation to take her.
If they have their way, they’ll consume her mind, soul...and body.
__________
An Occult Romance is the newest villain romance / occult horror series by USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maze of Shadows and Harrow Faire series, Kathryn Ann Kingsley. With wild twists, cult intrigue, and eldritch horrors that are ready to go bump in the night, this series is sure to send shivers down your spine.
Please This series is an occult horror love story, with strong themes of madness and murder. I do promise it will ultimately have a happy ending. Also...there will be tentacles.
260 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2022
238 people are currently reading
2431 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Ann Kingsley
67 books2,474 followersKathryn has always been a storyteller. Years of scriptwriting for performances on stage and for tourism in Boston led her to writing romantically dark, fantastical tales, which was an obsession of hers that began once seeing The Phantom of the Opera at a young age.
When she isn’t penning new villainous leads, she works in video game development. There, she has been everything from Creative Director to Chief of Staff, Design Manager, Executive Producer, and Principal Writer for various companies in the industry.
She shares her antique home with three very fluffy animals and one very patient and loving husband.
When she isn’t penning new villainous leads, she works in video game development. There, she has been everything from Creative Director to Chief of Staff, Design Manager, Executive Producer, and Principal Writer for various companies in the industry.
She shares her antique home with three very fluffy animals and one very patient and loving husband.
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May 24, 2022I need the second book stat!
This hits all the fear /lust buttons and I want more.
💀 The threat of death or worse
💀 An adventurous leading lady
💀 Classy tentacles that I need in my life (this one has a hint but there have been promises made)
💀 Grumpy / sunshine
This hits all the fear /lust buttons and I want more.
💀 The threat of death or worse
💀 An adventurous leading lady
💀 Classy tentacles that I need in my life (this one has a hint but there have been promises made)
💀 Grumpy / sunshine
March 24, 2024
Look, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I didn't click with the writing style + the story felt way to small in a world that actually sounds very interesting???
I wished we had been following more people, different storylines apart from Emma (maybe chapters from Gigi's pov, letting us know more about the societies without our protagonist having the same knowledge?)
Still, it was a quick read and the love interest is insanely hot; trust me, there's official art inside the book.
I will be picking up the sequel and hoping that one is a bit longer and uses the extra pages to expand on the shadowy-gothic-horny world we were presented with.
I wished we had been following more people, different storylines apart from Emma (maybe chapters from Gigi's pov, letting us know more about the societies without our protagonist having the same knowledge?)
Still, it was a quick read and the love interest is insanely hot; trust me, there's official art inside the book.
I will be picking up the sequel and hoping that one is a bit longer and uses the extra pages to expand on the shadowy-gothic-horny world we were presented with.
May 21, 2022
I have read all of Kathryn's previous series and she is one of my auto-read authors. However, as much as I love her books, they can sometimes feel quite similar. I really felt this one broke the mold, a bit, and that was a good thing.
Rafe, for one, is quite a different sort of villain than the normal male characters. Don't get me wrong, he's far from a hero, but it is more that he does just want to protect Emma, it's the circumstances that they both find themselves in that makes him have to be villainous. I don't know, it just felt like a stark difference in the fact that the vast majority of Kathryn's normal villains are either psychotic, or amoral, or both.
Emma was a bit more of a typical Kathryn heroine, but I felt the twist at the end is going to add a hole new dimension to her character.
My only real issue was the historical aspect. I felt like that was all a bit random and thrown together. I mean, I got it must be early 20th Century, but it just felt a bit disjointed in that it was set in the past, but felt very modern at the same time. I also found Emma's internal dialogue a bit cringy at times, like when she was talking about being accepted as one of the boys in her adventures. Like she was being a feminist, but then sort of not, because it was only her who was special. I don't know, that grated on me a bit. But this didn't really detract much from my enjoyment, just a niggle.
This is an excellent start to the series and I can't wait to read what happens next!
Rafe, for one, is quite a different sort of villain than the normal male characters. Don't get me wrong, he's far from a hero, but it is more that he does just want to protect Emma, it's the circumstances that they both find themselves in that makes him have to be villainous. I don't know, it just felt like a stark difference in the fact that the vast majority of Kathryn's normal villains are either psychotic, or amoral, or both.
Emma was a bit more of a typical Kathryn heroine, but I felt the twist at the end is going to add a hole new dimension to her character.
My only real issue was the historical aspect. I felt like that was all a bit random and thrown together. I mean, I got it must be early 20th Century, but it just felt a bit disjointed in that it was set in the past, but felt very modern at the same time. I also found Emma's internal dialogue a bit cringy at times, like when she was talking about being accepted as one of the boys in her adventures. Like she was being a feminist, but then sort of not, because it was only her who was special. I don't know, that grated on me a bit. But this didn't really detract much from my enjoyment, just a niggle.
This is an excellent start to the series and I can't wait to read what happens next!
May 16, 2022
“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦; 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯.”
Kat Kingsley is BACK babyyy and she has delivered another evil man for me to obsess over: Rafe 🥵
This is such a solid start to a new series, and I’m very, very excited to see where it goes - those last few chapters were BONKERS. I loved Emma from the start and after her first few interactions with Rafe I knew I was going to devour this in a single sitting. It was everything I could’ve asked for: sinister and sexy with a nice touch of the knife-against-throat trope. What an absolute blast.
Thank you to Kat for sending an ARC of this book!
Kat Kingsley is BACK babyyy and she has delivered another evil man for me to obsess over: Rafe 🥵
This is such a solid start to a new series, and I’m very, very excited to see where it goes - those last few chapters were BONKERS. I loved Emma from the start and after her first few interactions with Rafe I knew I was going to devour this in a single sitting. It was everything I could’ve asked for: sinister and sexy with a nice touch of the knife-against-throat trope. What an absolute blast.
Thank you to Kat for sending an ARC of this book!
May 22, 2022
Interesting start to a new series
This first book was an interesting start to a new series by Kat Kingsley. However, it was also a slow start. I would not recommend reading this as a first book by Kat, if you have not read anything else by her. Not that you need to know anything from other books going into this one, but you probably won’t like the writing style and characters as much.
Some things that confused me in this book were the setting / world building. We don’t know if this is set in the US in the 20s/30s for sure or not because it’s not specifically mentioned. I mean we do know we are on Earth because Africa and South America as well as other continents are mentioned. We also vaguely know that we are in some old timely college town and prohibition is going on. So I don’t get why we aren’t told that we are in the US in a specific year. I don’t know, this was very confusing to me.
The characters were ok. Emma gave me kind of Mary Sue vibes. I mean I’m ok with the pants wearing, globe trotting, gun slinging action heroine, but she definitely started to annoy me after a awhile with the “run into danger, I don’t need help” vibe. Rafe also was interesting, but I hope we learn more about him in the next book and get more back story on him. His character so far felt kind of tropey too. The whole “I’m a stern professor” vibe felt a tad bit overplayed.
My favorite part of this book was the cat, Hector. I feel like that cat is totally judging both Rafe and Emma thinking “Why are they so dumb getting involved with these eldritch demon monsters”.
I will definitely read the next book, because this one left off interestingly. I definitely want to know what happens next. I also hope Kat does more world building and character development in the next book.
This first book was an interesting start to a new series by Kat Kingsley. However, it was also a slow start. I would not recommend reading this as a first book by Kat, if you have not read anything else by her. Not that you need to know anything from other books going into this one, but you probably won’t like the writing style and characters as much.
Some things that confused me in this book were the setting / world building. We don’t know if this is set in the US in the 20s/30s for sure or not because it’s not specifically mentioned. I mean we do know we are on Earth because Africa and South America as well as other continents are mentioned. We also vaguely know that we are in some old timely college town and prohibition is going on. So I don’t get why we aren’t told that we are in the US in a specific year. I don’t know, this was very confusing to me.
The characters were ok. Emma gave me kind of Mary Sue vibes. I mean I’m ok with the pants wearing, globe trotting, gun slinging action heroine, but she definitely started to annoy me after a awhile with the “run into danger, I don’t need help” vibe. Rafe also was interesting, but I hope we learn more about him in the next book and get more back story on him. His character so far felt kind of tropey too. The whole “I’m a stern professor” vibe felt a tad bit overplayed.
My favorite part of this book was the cat, Hector. I feel like that cat is totally judging both Rafe and Emma thinking “Why are they so dumb getting involved with these eldritch demon monsters”.
I will definitely read the next book, because this one left off interestingly. I definitely want to know what happens next. I also hope Kat does more world building and character development in the next book.
July 3, 2022
The acknowledgements in the start of the book. Love to see an author dealing with criticism how it should be; not taking it to heart, rather learn and improve and she did that! This was such an upgrade from The Unseelie Prince, which I read earlier this year. It's like she took all my criticisms from that review and emitted them from this book. Except for one. In the former, Valroy used to laugh like maniac, in this Emma did. If you search the keyword 'laugh', there are 81 entries and I'm sure 98% of them are by Emma.
I talked in my update how I wanted a serious, mature character in her place but it wouldn't have worked in her place. A sane person doesn't see hallucinations and name the monsters following them. She made a joke out of everything in a way to cope (as she said so herself). Yeah, she was kinda annoying but anyone else really would not have fit.
Rafe- well, Rafe was surprisingly not villainous at all and I'm GLAD. He was okay just the way he is. Such an improvement from Valroy whew. I really he doesn't get 'corrupted' later on.
It's an occult romance but let's be honest, it was a case of insta lust and I knew it beforehand so I was okay with it. Were the crude comments over the top? Yeah, but after The Unseelie Prince, this almost felt classier. I don't know if it's bc owing to the time era, which is 20th century I suppose?? I didn't care for the world building (which is non- existent, to those who do care)
All in all, the writing is more refined and classy. The cliffhanger wasn't as suspenseful but I'm looking forward to the joint slay of Rafe and Gigi 😁 Also, I do not oppose to Patrick.
I talked in my update how I wanted a serious, mature character in her place but it wouldn't have worked in her place. A sane person doesn't see hallucinations and name the monsters following them. She made a joke out of everything in a way to cope (as she said so herself). Yeah, she was kinda annoying but anyone else really would not have fit.
Rafe- well, Rafe was surprisingly not villainous at all and I'm GLAD. He was okay just the way he is. Such an improvement from Valroy whew. I really he doesn't get 'corrupted' later on.
It's an occult romance but let's be honest, it was a case of insta lust and I knew it beforehand so I was okay with it. Were the crude comments over the top? Yeah, but after The Unseelie Prince, this almost felt classier. I don't know if it's bc owing to the time era, which is 20th century I suppose?? I didn't care for the world building (which is non- existent, to those who do care)
All in all, the writing is more refined and classy. The cliffhanger wasn't as suspenseful but I'm looking forward to the joint slay of Rafe and Gigi 😁 Also, I do not oppose to Patrick.
September 1, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
Woop woop, villain romance. Irredeemable lover interest. The most angst possible. That was a CLIFFHANGER and I will be immediately reading the next book even tho I need to sleep.
“there was mischief to be had, and as Poppa liked to say, “Where there’s trouble, there’s Emma mather.”
So our FMC is a cool nomad chick who travels the world and *gasp* wears pants. But then her twin goes missing so she goes on the hunt for him…and runs into the MMC. (Who is a previous mentioned evil dude)and they have mad chemistry even tho he ADMITS HES GONNA MURDER HER. Yeah, he’s like “I’m gonna murder you” and she’s like “yeah guess I’ll die anyway” so he spends the whole book trying to find the balls to kill her while she tries to find her twin.
“What am I to do with you, Miss Mather?”
“Everybody asks me that.” She smiled up at him. “Let me know if you figure it out. I’ll telegram my father.”
-evil MC
-fear makes her horny (same)
-knife play
-shadow tentacles? (Unclear)
-this isn’t very spicy yet
-her other series we didn’t get sex till book 100 so this is not surprising to me
-we just gotta stick it out
🌶🌶🌶
Woop woop, villain romance. Irredeemable lover interest. The most angst possible. That was a CLIFFHANGER and I will be immediately reading the next book even tho I need to sleep.
“there was mischief to be had, and as Poppa liked to say, “Where there’s trouble, there’s Emma mather.”
So our FMC is a cool nomad chick who travels the world and *gasp* wears pants. But then her twin goes missing so she goes on the hunt for him…and runs into the MMC. (Who is a previous mentioned evil dude)and they have mad chemistry even tho he ADMITS HES GONNA MURDER HER. Yeah, he’s like “I’m gonna murder you” and she’s like “yeah guess I’ll die anyway” so he spends the whole book trying to find the balls to kill her while she tries to find her twin.
“What am I to do with you, Miss Mather?”
“Everybody asks me that.” She smiled up at him. “Let me know if you figure it out. I’ll telegram my father.”
-evil MC
-fear makes her horny (same)
-knife play
-shadow tentacles? (Unclear)
-this isn’t very spicy yet
-her other series we didn’t get sex till book 100 so this is not surprising to me
-we just gotta stick it out
May 19, 2022
DNF at 40%
Ok this was painful to read , i don't even understand how people are rating this "book" 5 stars like really what the hell is happening , the story is cheesy , the forced feminism is everything i hate in historical settings , the author didn't even bother her self and precise the era but judged by the clothing the use of the electricity at the time (yeah i did my homework 🤣).. it must be set in the early 20th century , as i said the feminist thoughts of the MC were just so useless omg 🙄 speaking of which , the girl seems like she is living in 2022 it was too modern for the era mentionned in the book i found it ridiculous her audacity was out of context, even the style and the writing of the author was too damn modern for the setting , the romance is weird and the intercations of the couple were so freaking cringy🙄 the travelling thing was so caricatural "i mean the girl is portrayed as a tomb raider " it was unlikely and absurd , it was too much for me i no longer could continue the torture anymore.
Ok this was painful to read , i don't even understand how people are rating this "book" 5 stars like really what the hell is happening , the story is cheesy , the forced feminism is everything i hate in historical settings , the author didn't even bother her self and precise the era but judged by the clothing the use of the electricity at the time (yeah i did my homework 🤣).. it must be set in the early 20th century , as i said the feminist thoughts of the MC were just so useless omg 🙄 speaking of which , the girl seems like she is living in 2022 it was too modern for the era mentionned in the book i found it ridiculous her audacity was out of context, even the style and the writing of the author was too damn modern for the setting , the romance is weird and the intercations of the couple were so freaking cringy🙄 the travelling thing was so caricatural "i mean the girl is portrayed as a tomb raider " it was unlikely and absurd , it was too much for me i no longer could continue the torture anymore.
September 3, 2022
1.5 stars
Someday I'll learn to stay away from the whole dark societies plot...
Someday I'll learn to stay away from the whole dark societies plot...
August 26, 2023
An intriguing start to a new series. This is set in some weird alternative 1920’s New York style universe where shadow beasts/ eldritch terrors are part of the culture’s mythos and history. Gangs are occultist in nature worshipping these eldritch terrors for various powers.
Our main character suffers from psychosis and is trying to find her missing twin who also suffers with the same ailment and appears to have fallen in with one or more of these cults in an attempt to alleviate his mental illness symptoms.
I thought this had a really interesting premise and vibe although the execution was a bit lacking in some areas. I quite liked Kingsley’s irreverent and plucky writing style to begin with but i am starting to feel like its getting old now. Her heroine’s are starting to feel like variations of the same person. In addition, Kingsley has a tendency to phrase things in a way that make me cringe and then repeat them over and over again. Her writing in general can be quite repetitive but i particularly notice it with some phrases. For instance, she writes ‘hum?’ instead of ‘hmm?’ and it really bothers me for some weird reason 😅
Having said that i do tend to find that the first book in her series are slow or average almost like she has to warm into her story and then they pick up later so i look forward to seeing how this progresses and the occult professor certainly is a draw for me.
Our main character suffers from psychosis and is trying to find her missing twin who also suffers with the same ailment and appears to have fallen in with one or more of these cults in an attempt to alleviate his mental illness symptoms.
I thought this had a really interesting premise and vibe although the execution was a bit lacking in some areas. I quite liked Kingsley’s irreverent and plucky writing style to begin with but i am starting to feel like its getting old now. Her heroine’s are starting to feel like variations of the same person. In addition, Kingsley has a tendency to phrase things in a way that make me cringe and then repeat them over and over again. Her writing in general can be quite repetitive but i particularly notice it with some phrases. For instance, she writes ‘hum?’ instead of ‘hmm?’ and it really bothers me for some weird reason 😅
Having said that i do tend to find that the first book in her series are slow or average almost like she has to warm into her story and then they pick up later so i look forward to seeing how this progresses and the occult professor certainly is a draw for me.
May 20, 2022
the real love story is between Emma and Hector and whether or not she will ever accept Emma as Cat Mum😔✋🏻
February 12, 2023
Hmmmmm
May 12, 2022
*Thanks to the author for sending me an ARC of this book.*
Of Visions and Secrets begins with Emma, an irreverent and forward-thinking young woman on the hunt for her missing brother, Elliot. What follows is a descent into the shadowy underbelly of a city plagued by a darkness Emma thought to be fictitious - and both the darkness and those lurking on its fringes want a piece of her.
This story is quiet, eerie, and sets up an engaging occult mystery with things that go shlorp in the night. Kingsley nailed a similar vibe in her Immortal Soul series, so if you liked that one, this will be a winner too.
The creeping intensity is magnified wonderfully by the enigmatic Rafe, our brand new MMC and possibly one of my favourites. He’s seemingly straight-laced and in control, but Emma senses something darker lurking beneath the surface…
The last few chapters were also absolutely wild and I can't wait to see how it plays out in the next book.
Of Visions and Secrets begins with Emma, an irreverent and forward-thinking young woman on the hunt for her missing brother, Elliot. What follows is a descent into the shadowy underbelly of a city plagued by a darkness Emma thought to be fictitious - and both the darkness and those lurking on its fringes want a piece of her.
This story is quiet, eerie, and sets up an engaging occult mystery with things that go shlorp in the night. Kingsley nailed a similar vibe in her Immortal Soul series, so if you liked that one, this will be a winner too.
The creeping intensity is magnified wonderfully by the enigmatic Rafe, our brand new MMC and possibly one of my favourites. He’s seemingly straight-laced and in control, but Emma senses something darker lurking beneath the surface…
The last few chapters were also absolutely wild and I can't wait to see how it plays out in the next book.
May 22, 2022
I didn’t know I needed this book until I read it. I have loved everything I’ve read by Kathryn Ann Kingsley and have loved each one.
The premise of this book is intriguing and hooked me from page 1. I think the characters are well written and it makes me want to know them in real life. Also I’ve never read about shadow tentacles before and I am LOVING it.
This book is definitely more plot driven and I would say the spice is about .5 peppers. KAK’s books tend to be more slow burn so I was excited that there was even a spicy scene present. I can’t wait until book too!
100% recommend
The premise of this book is intriguing and hooked me from page 1. I think the characters are well written and it makes me want to know them in real life. Also I’ve never read about shadow tentacles before and I am LOVING it.
This book is definitely more plot driven and I would say the spice is about .5 peppers. KAK’s books tend to be more slow burn so I was excited that there was even a spicy scene present. I can’t wait until book too!
100% recommend
May 19, 2022
KAK just gets me. I swear she writes her books specifically to my tastes.
I loved the characters. Everyone was eccentric and somewhat villainous, which I find to be the author's bread and butter.
The plot was enthralling, holding my attention from the opening lines..
"Emma would like to have told anyone who had stopped her, as she dangled from the bottom of the rusty iron fire escape, that this was the first time she’d ever broken into someone’s home.
She’d like to have said that.
It’d have been a lie."
...until the very last line....
"He had to murder Emma Mather."
And let us not forget, this is a freaking historical occult story....with tentacles.
I am dying for the rest of the series already.
I loved the characters. Everyone was eccentric and somewhat villainous, which I find to be the author's bread and butter.
The plot was enthralling, holding my attention from the opening lines..
"Emma would like to have told anyone who had stopped her, as she dangled from the bottom of the rusty iron fire escape, that this was the first time she’d ever broken into someone’s home.
She’d like to have said that.
It’d have been a lie."
...until the very last line....
"He had to murder Emma Mather."
And let us not forget, this is a freaking historical occult story....with tentacles.
I am dying for the rest of the series already.
August 24, 2022
This was a surprise winner for me. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I loved how up front and ready Emma was. She put her authentic self right out there for the world to see and I appreciated it. I thought the world Interesting and characters engaging. They're all so marvelously morally grey. The writing is clean and easy to read and I'm invested in what happens next.
I did wish for a little more certainty on the fate of the brother...and admittedly more tentacle action than we were given. The story really is a little slow to get going and I thought Emma lost a little of her assertive spark as soon as the romance started to build. But I will certainly be continuing the series.
I did wish for a little more certainty on the fate of the brother...and admittedly more tentacle action than we were given. The story really is a little slow to get going and I thought Emma lost a little of her assertive spark as soon as the romance started to build. But I will certainly be continuing the series.
August 10, 2022
I am obsessed. This story was intriguing, a little dark, a little funny, with delicious tension between Emma and Rafe. I did find Emma a little annoying with her lack of self preservation, but have to admire her determination and loyalty to her missing twin Elliot. Rafe was everything I love in the dark, brooding potential love interest. Plus his infestation was an interesting touch.
I definitely will read more, and want to learn more about these dark secret societies.
I definitely will read more, and want to learn more about these dark secret societies.
February 3, 2025
It took some time to understand what was happening in the book but once I got the plot, I couldn’t put it down!!
Rafe and Emma’s relationship was about weird combo. He kept trying to protect her but from what?? She was already affected by shadows.
She was never going to stop unless she was dead.
When he pushed her into the mirror and she fell into a church, I kept waiting for her to go back to Rafe.
The cliffhanger!!!! Ahhhhh!
Rafe and Emma’s relationship was about weird combo. He kept trying to protect her but from what?? She was already affected by shadows.
She was never going to stop unless she was dead.
When he pushed her into the mirror and she fell into a church, I kept waiting for her to go back to Rafe.
The cliffhanger!!!! Ahhhhh!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2023
2.75 ⭐️
this has the potential to be sooo good. if it had a map, a deeper understanding to the world, even the language/pacing, it would have been 4 stars. i thought it was going to be!
then after 46% of the way through, we're getting repetitive, i didn't like the plot twist, and the ending was something that was said the entire book!!! like ugh.
i'm frustrated truly
this has the potential to be sooo good. if it had a map, a deeper understanding to the world, even the language/pacing, it would have been 4 stars. i thought it was going to be!
then after 46% of the way through, we're getting repetitive, i didn't like the plot twist, and the ending was something that was said the entire book!!! like ugh.
i'm frustrated truly
May 21, 2022
I have honestly never read a book by Kathryn that I haven’t loved! I also know that Tenebris is going to be another amazing series! I love how sassy and quick witted Emma is, and that she keeps Rafe on his toes. I think Rafe is going to be a very interesting character and I am super excited to learn more about him through the series. With the way Of Visions & Secrets ended it has me chomping at the bit for the next book! If you like occult romance, sassy strong willed females and intriguing men then this is definitely a book for you! Oh did I mention tentacles? 🤔🙃
July 29, 2022
I really loved the concept of this book! I originally read it because I was told it was similar to (1999) The Mummy and I’m always on a hunt for anything related to that! Which I was disappointed about. The downside was I didn’t enjoy the writing style as much as some people. Overall still a cool book and concept.
January 3, 2025
God I hate the memory loss trope but I love KAKs writing.
Also, Emma is my fave KAK heroine to date.
Also also, I think the dark beast is another one of the ancients from Harrow Faire and Masks of Under!
Also, Emma is my fave KAK heroine to date.
Also also, I think the dark beast is another one of the ancients from Harrow Faire and Masks of Under!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2022
Where do I even start? Kat has done it again and delivered us a book that haunts my thoughts (in a good way) 😂
This book was so good! An occult mystery with an engaging plot, fun characters, and great pacing. It was eerie, it was funny, it was sexy, it was so much fun! And there’s a cat!
Emma is snarky and total chaos. Rafe is cool, calm(ish), and collected but I think he’s got a one way ticket to becoming slightly (or more than slightly) unhinged. And the Things that live in his shadows…. Let’s just say my love for them is on the level of my love for Simon’s shadow (if you know, you know).
I cannot wait until book 2!😉
*Note: I received an arc of this book
This book was so good! An occult mystery with an engaging plot, fun characters, and great pacing. It was eerie, it was funny, it was sexy, it was so much fun! And there’s a cat!
Emma is snarky and total chaos. Rafe is cool, calm(ish), and collected but I think he’s got a one way ticket to becoming slightly (or more than slightly) unhinged. And the Things that live in his shadows…. Let’s just say my love for them is on the level of my love for Simon’s shadow (if you know, you know).
I cannot wait until book 2!😉
*Note: I received an arc of this book
July 26, 2022
Dark & ominous with monsters and occult.
October 22, 2022
Review for the entire series
4.5 stars ✨
Another amazing series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. She has become one of my favorite writers, and all her books are immediately added to my tbr. This one did not disappoint.
Just like all other of Kingsley’s books, this one features a villainous love interest. This time a professor with a dark, shadowy, secret. I love the complexities that come with morally grey characters. My favorite character in this book was the main character. She’s a baddy, who does mot bounce back easily.
The story takes place around the 1920s, which I really liked. I also loved the side characters. The paranormal/fantasy plot was amazing as well. The plot featuring a set of cults who all worship the same eldritch monster. I do love a good cult story.
The romance was great as well. Even though I prefer my romance slowwww burn, I still liked this medium-fast-paced romance. I still connected with both of them, and they had great chemistry.
4.5 stars ✨
Another amazing series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. She has become one of my favorite writers, and all her books are immediately added to my tbr. This one did not disappoint.
Just like all other of Kingsley’s books, this one features a villainous love interest. This time a professor with a dark, shadowy, secret. I love the complexities that come with morally grey characters. My favorite character in this book was the main character. She’s a baddy, who does mot bounce back easily.
The story takes place around the 1920s, which I really liked. I also loved the side characters. The paranormal/fantasy plot was amazing as well. The plot featuring a set of cults who all worship the same eldritch monster. I do love a good cult story.
The romance was great as well. Even though I prefer my romance slowwww burn, I still liked this medium-fast-paced romance. I still connected with both of them, and they had great chemistry.
August 30, 2022
This book is very heavy on "telling not showing" and it's really boring for the reader. It would have been better for Emma to interact with another character at some point in the book and let us learn about Emma from how she interacts with her environment. At 9% this entire book is an inner monologue while she climbs into a building and cleans.
One example while walking on a college campus: “old white men were, well, old white men…She shouldn’t be too judgemental. Her old white father was the reason got to live the life she led.” It doesn’t make sense in context (she’s wandering around a college campus). Maybe speaking to an old white man professor would have made the point by showing us instead of telling us? Update: I read ahead. The love interest is not white and not old. I guess her dad is a foil to her love interest? Which seems like Emma is fetishizing her love interest to be everything her father isn’t - it makes me uncomfortable. DNF 16%.
One example while walking on a college campus: “old white men were, well, old white men…She shouldn’t be too judgemental. Her old white father was the reason got to live the life she led.” It doesn’t make sense in context (she’s wandering around a college campus). Maybe speaking to an old white man professor would have made the point by showing us instead of telling us? Update: I read ahead. The love interest is not white and not old. I guess her dad is a foil to her love interest? Which seems like Emma is fetishizing her love interest to be everything her father isn’t - it makes me uncomfortable. DNF 16%.
November 10, 2022
I just did not like this.
Our MC Emma was unbearably annoying. She argued with everyone for no apparent reason and seemed to have zero survival instincts. The love interest keeps telling her he needs to kill her and she just nods her head and continues on with what she's doing..... what the fuck??
The love interest is also an extremely unlikeable character. We learn almost nothing about him over the entire book except for that he wants to kill Emma but also wants her to keep him company. Don't know how that's supposed to endear us to either one of the characters.
Elliots disappearance could've made for a great plot but it never seemed to go anywhere. We learned next to nothing over the course of the whole novel and I'm just as confused as when I began reading.
Don't know how I even made it to the end of this one
Our MC Emma was unbearably annoying. She argued with everyone for no apparent reason and seemed to have zero survival instincts. The love interest keeps telling her he needs to kill her and she just nods her head and continues on with what she's doing..... what the fuck??
The love interest is also an extremely unlikeable character. We learn almost nothing about him over the entire book except for that he wants to kill Emma but also wants her to keep him company. Don't know how that's supposed to endear us to either one of the characters.
Elliots disappearance could've made for a great plot but it never seemed to go anywhere. We learned next to nothing over the course of the whole novel and I'm just as confused as when I began reading.
Don't know how I even made it to the end of this one
February 13, 2023
5 stars
One thing I can count on is KAK providing a great story with a great villain her. Although Rafe is not quite showing his villain tendencies fully, I believe it is just a matter of time. He is just being overshadowed by an adventurous, upbeat, and morally ambiguous heroine.
One thing I can count on is KAK providing a great story with a great villain her. Although Rafe is not quite showing his villain tendencies fully, I believe it is just a matter of time. He is just being overshadowed by an adventurous, upbeat, and morally ambiguous heroine.
November 27, 2022
Kind of a mixed bag
3½ stars. I'm a little bit confused about how to write this review. On one hand I liked the author's writing style, & the core mystery drew me in. But on the other hand, there were some issues, primarily with the pacing & the worldbuilding.
So, I'll just go ahead & begin at the beginning by telling you that this book had a very slow start. While I was interested in Emma's search for her brother, & the mysterious clues that kept popping up, I felt like it took forever for any of that to actually get anywhere. Close to the first half of the book happens before we finally get to see any real action. And honestly, even the action that we do get to see is a little on the lackluster side in my opinion. Luckily, the writing style makes the slow parts easy to read instead of just a slog, while there is enough foreshadowing to pique the reader's interest about what comes next. So, despite the slow pacing, I was able to finish the book rather quickly, & I am intrigued enough by the premise to want to know more, so I will be reading the next book.
One of the main reasons I am interested in the next book also ties into one of my major issues with this book, which is the worldbuilding. We are given tantalizing tidbits about an eerie world with several dark secret societies & a dark Lovecraftian horror at the center of it all. But tidbits are all we are given. I constantly felt left in the dark with regards to the worldbuilding. There is so much promise of this creepy, eldritch magical underworld. There is even a church with their own set of creepy mortality police. But we never really find out any details about the church or their enforcers, nor about the secret societies (except for their names & the secret sigil).
I was also constantly confused about the book's actual setting. All that we know for sure is that it's a college town with a creepy underworld. We know it is in an alternate version of our world, due to mentions of places like France, Africa, South America, etc. I kind of assumed that the town in question is in the U.S. because of the talk about alcohol prohibition & speakeasies (one of the things the church police are on the look out for), but that is never explicitly said & otherwise this town could be just as easily in an alternative version of the U.K. Just as unclear as our location is the time period we are in. The book has steampunk\gaslamp Victorian era vibes, but with mentions of prohibition that would place it in a different time period. I don't understand why we're just not told exactly where & when we're supposed to be. Not knowing added an extra layer of confusion. All told, the worldbuilding was lacking detail on all fronts, something I am hoping will be remedied in the next book to some extent, at least.
What I did really like about this book was the characters. They were all colorful & different & I look forward to getting to know some of the secondary characters (like Gigi!) better. Our main character, Emma, is fun to read & easy to root for, even if she does seem to suffer from too dumb to live in a couple of instances. The MMC, Rafe, is a dark professorial type with all kinds of secrets & I found him easily the most appealing character out of the bunch. Near the end of the book, another character, a bishop, is introduced, & I found his character very interesting & appealing from his first appearance.
Oh, one other thing: I hate cliffhangers, & this book had only a very mild one. No one was left hanging off of a ledge or anything vital. Most of the plot for the original book was wrapped up (if not fully explained), except for the few things that were setup for the next book. So on the cliffhanger scale I would say this is a minor one, which is a plus in my book.
Bottom line: this book is kind of a mixed bag. But what I considered bad about it wasn't too bad, more of an annoyance. It wasn't bad enough to turn me off to the promise that was offered. I think the plot has a lot of potential. With likable characters, strong writing, & so many unanswered questions, I am definitely picking up book 2. I'm hoping that the weaknesses of this book are because the author was focusing on setup & that she will remedy those issues. This is my first book by this author, & in several other reviews I read that this is apparently not a good place to start reading her, as some of her other series starters are stronger. So maybe if you haven't read anything of hers before, see if another one of her series sounds interesting & start there. That said, this book was by no means bad, my biggest complaint is just that it was slow.
3½ stars. I'm a little bit confused about how to write this review. On one hand I liked the author's writing style, & the core mystery drew me in. But on the other hand, there were some issues, primarily with the pacing & the worldbuilding.
So, I'll just go ahead & begin at the beginning by telling you that this book had a very slow start. While I was interested in Emma's search for her brother, & the mysterious clues that kept popping up, I felt like it took forever for any of that to actually get anywhere. Close to the first half of the book happens before we finally get to see any real action. And honestly, even the action that we do get to see is a little on the lackluster side in my opinion. Luckily, the writing style makes the slow parts easy to read instead of just a slog, while there is enough foreshadowing to pique the reader's interest about what comes next. So, despite the slow pacing, I was able to finish the book rather quickly, & I am intrigued enough by the premise to want to know more, so I will be reading the next book.
One of the main reasons I am interested in the next book also ties into one of my major issues with this book, which is the worldbuilding. We are given tantalizing tidbits about an eerie world with several dark secret societies & a dark Lovecraftian horror at the center of it all. But tidbits are all we are given. I constantly felt left in the dark with regards to the worldbuilding. There is so much promise of this creepy, eldritch magical underworld. There is even a church with their own set of creepy mortality police. But we never really find out any details about the church or their enforcers, nor about the secret societies (except for their names & the secret sigil).
I was also constantly confused about the book's actual setting. All that we know for sure is that it's a college town with a creepy underworld. We know it is in an alternate version of our world, due to mentions of places like France, Africa, South America, etc. I kind of assumed that the town in question is in the U.S. because of the talk about alcohol prohibition & speakeasies (one of the things the church police are on the look out for), but that is never explicitly said & otherwise this town could be just as easily in an alternative version of the U.K. Just as unclear as our location is the time period we are in. The book has steampunk\gaslamp Victorian era vibes, but with mentions of prohibition that would place it in a different time period. I don't understand why we're just not told exactly where & when we're supposed to be. Not knowing added an extra layer of confusion. All told, the worldbuilding was lacking detail on all fronts, something I am hoping will be remedied in the next book to some extent, at least.
What I did really like about this book was the characters. They were all colorful & different & I look forward to getting to know some of the secondary characters (like Gigi!) better. Our main character, Emma, is fun to read & easy to root for, even if she does seem to suffer from too dumb to live in a couple of instances. The MMC, Rafe, is a dark professorial type with all kinds of secrets & I found him easily the most appealing character out of the bunch. Near the end of the book, another character, a bishop, is introduced, & I found his character very interesting & appealing from his first appearance.
Oh, one other thing: I hate cliffhangers, & this book had only a very mild one. No one was left hanging off of a ledge or anything vital. Most of the plot for the original book was wrapped up (if not fully explained), except for the few things that were setup for the next book. So on the cliffhanger scale I would say this is a minor one, which is a plus in my book.
Bottom line: this book is kind of a mixed bag. But what I considered bad about it wasn't too bad, more of an annoyance. It wasn't bad enough to turn me off to the promise that was offered. I think the plot has a lot of potential. With likable characters, strong writing, & so many unanswered questions, I am definitely picking up book 2. I'm hoping that the weaknesses of this book are because the author was focusing on setup & that she will remedy those issues. This is my first book by this author, & in several other reviews I read that this is apparently not a good place to start reading her, as some of her other series starters are stronger. So maybe if you haven't read anything of hers before, see if another one of her series sounds interesting & start there. That said, this book was by no means bad, my biggest complaint is just that it was slow.
January 24, 2023
I did generally like the author's one series The Unseelie Prince and figured a venture into another might be worthwhile, since darker male leads and overall grim, scary vibes seem to be the preferred qualities the author carries throughout their work.
Unfortunately, I'm enjoying this series less so far. The ideas of cults sounded engaging and I am still interested in the story from a plot perspective only because so little is explained that I have many questions, but I found the leads to rub me the wrong way. Emma is a cocky little spitfire type who carlessly does as she pleases and is a self-admitted "brat" while Raphael doesn't really hit the nail on the head in terms of being a tantalizing morally-grey lead.
I think part of it is that we aren't really given a motive for him--like, why is he doing anything? Emma's motivation is to find out what happened to her brother, but outside of his teaching job, I don't know what Raphael's goals and pursuits are, the book fails to tell. It mostly just feels like Emma found him and because of lust and pragmatism he's getting involved, swapping between wanting to protect Emma from the cults and wanting to murder her so other cults don't get her--though why them getting her would be undesirable is never explained, and so his motivation for not letting that happen isn't established.
I'm sure the next books will probably reveal more, but, this installment didn't answer very much. Outside of "the darkness" being like, hungry tentacles, I don't have a good vibe of the "occult" aesthetic in the series. The author spends more time establishing the world as like... very 1920s. But I don't know whether this is more demonology or like, Cthulhu kind of stuff.
Speaking of, I felt like despite the attempt to be very 20's jazz age, the language of the characters is all so modern. It would have been fun if the author had used some trendy slang of the day, especially in terms of trying to set the scene and really lean into Emma being like, a spunky modern girl rejecting convention.
I also generally found the "romance" really, really unappealing. Like, they're flirting and kissing and going on dates way too soon and easily. I wouldn't really say it's a romance thus far because it's just... they kiss and Emma keeps flirting with him and he's pent up and lonely so eventually they have rough sex and it doesn't really change anything besides making Emma confused he would still be like "I don't know if I should murder you or not" because she thinks sex once means they're "lovers" and I'm just... idk, I wouldn't personally suspect a man I know hasn't had sex in a while and has been debating killing me would suddenly change and care about me just because I let him between my legs.
Maybe I'll give book #2 a chance to see if things pick up from here, but I wasn't really feeling this one.
Unfortunately, I'm enjoying this series less so far. The ideas of cults sounded engaging and I am still interested in the story from a plot perspective only because so little is explained that I have many questions, but I found the leads to rub me the wrong way. Emma is a cocky little spitfire type who carlessly does as she pleases and is a self-admitted "brat" while Raphael doesn't really hit the nail on the head in terms of being a tantalizing morally-grey lead.
I think part of it is that we aren't really given a motive for him--like, why is he doing anything? Emma's motivation is to find out what happened to her brother, but outside of his teaching job, I don't know what Raphael's goals and pursuits are, the book fails to tell. It mostly just feels like Emma found him and because of lust and pragmatism he's getting involved, swapping between wanting to protect Emma from the cults and wanting to murder her so other cults don't get her--though why them getting her would be undesirable is never explained, and so his motivation for not letting that happen isn't established.
I'm sure the next books will probably reveal more, but, this installment didn't answer very much. Outside of "the darkness" being like, hungry tentacles, I don't have a good vibe of the "occult" aesthetic in the series. The author spends more time establishing the world as like... very 1920s. But I don't know whether this is more demonology or like, Cthulhu kind of stuff.
Speaking of, I felt like despite the attempt to be very 20's jazz age, the language of the characters is all so modern. It would have been fun if the author had used some trendy slang of the day, especially in terms of trying to set the scene and really lean into Emma being like, a spunky modern girl rejecting convention.
I also generally found the "romance" really, really unappealing. Like, they're flirting and kissing and going on dates way too soon and easily. I wouldn't really say it's a romance thus far because it's just... they kiss and Emma keeps flirting with him and he's pent up and lonely so eventually they have rough sex and it doesn't really change anything besides making Emma confused he would still be like "I don't know if I should murder you or not" because she thinks sex once means they're "lovers" and I'm just... idk, I wouldn't personally suspect a man I know hasn't had sex in a while and has been debating killing me would suddenly change and care about me just because I let him between my legs.
Maybe I'll give book #2 a chance to see if things pick up from here, but I wasn't really feeling this one.
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