A Curse of Crows

A Curse of Crows and Serpents #1

by Lauren Dedroog

This edition of A Curse of Crows was released in 2022 by Belgian publisher Hamley Books before the worldwide English rights were sold to Gollancz (Hachette imprint). The new edition will be revised and re-edited, has a new cover, and will release in September 2024.

This old version is sold out and no longer canon.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, LGBT, Lesbian, Adult, High Fantasy

556 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Growing up in the countryside of Belgium, Lauren always dreamed of writing books, and devoured fantasy and romantasy stories, as well as mythology. If you had a weird mummy or Greek-mythology-obsessed kid in your class, chances are you sat next to her. If so, you may be eligible for compensation. Reach out to your attorney.

Figuring that a degree in languages, history or writing wouldn't fare well in this capitalistic world, she got a bachelor's in nursing and became an ICU nurse instead. Funnily enough, the COVID pandemic was the final push she needed to actually start writing - as a form of escapism and coping.

Since then, she's crafted complex fantasies about the after waves of revenge, villains and how everything we know is only a mosaic of perspectives glued together to create a grand story. With a dash of spice and sapphic yearning.

In October 2022, she debuted with her English fantasy 'A Curse of Crows' in her home country with native publisher Hamley Books, and a mere month later, signed with Gollancz for a worldwide release of a re-edited and revised edition, set to release in September 2024.

Reviews

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a romantasy I was intrigued to read after seeing the rumblings of hype early on, but unfortunately proved to miss the mark for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I can see why this is being met with excitement. It's vaguely reminiscent of Throne of Glass in all the tropes much loved, with the likes of found family and fated mates drawing most romantasy folks in like a magnet.

But sadly, for me, this one fell short in the execution. It proved to be confusing and convoluted, a story trying to do far too much without enough explanation. I found myself reading dialogue multiple times, and got frustrated with the no-context perspective shifts that refused to allow this as an easy read. New characters are introduced and a few pages later are swearing loyalty to people they just met, and I found myself taking notes to try and wrap my head around how everyone knows each other. I don't even know why the title is what it is. I fear I missed something entirely. As a reader long familiar with complex worlds and the likes of dodgy relations in Game of Thrones (if you know, you know), it was jarring to struggle with this one. I wondered if it was me - and hey, maybe it is.

I do wish this was the hit it's set up to be, especially as a romantasy with LGBTQ+ rep and a promising premise that would be easily sold. But I have to admit this just didn't work for me sadly.


*I received this book via NetGalley for review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.

[Yasmine Van Den Meersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

curse of crows 🔥⚔️🦇🔮✨🏛⚡️

WHAT A RIDEEEEE! 🎢
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Solid 5+ stars for this baby
Release date: mid october

This is such an amazing fantasy book, rich in characters and worldbuilding. It had twists and turns at every chapter and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was so different, tropes were woven so uniquely that it’s never cliché reading them. How Lauren managed to created such a mind-blowing deep fantasy book is beyond me. I literally fell in love with these characters (well not all of them, for some I want to start a hate-club,for obvious reasons). But Lauren made me cry, laugh, giggle, sweat, … all within the pages of her book. It’s hardly fair for someone to write a debut book this well, but she did it. This is beyond everything I ever read. EASIEST REC EVER.

The ending had me in a serious chokehold. I will not rest until I have the second book in my hands. CRUEL. GENIUS. NERVE WRACKING

[Alkistis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god this was... an emotional roller coaster, I'm writing this review just as I've finished the book so bare with me while I try not to cry.

Lauren Dedroog, debut author, really did an amazing job with writing this book. She incorporated all the fan favourites of Sara J Maas and mythologies and lores while building an incredible high fantasy world. This book had it all from romance (also LGBTQ+ representation!) and building up relationships with exciting and interesting characters to high fantasy stories, myths and stories that are just out of this world. This wasn't just a romance story with faes nor was it a complex fantasy story with no character development.
And when I say character development, I mean CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I won't say much because I don't want to spoil anything but when they say events happened that changed the characters, EVENTS happened. It feels like I've read at least 2 books or more, while the edge of my seat has been bent way too much, as I was on the edge of my seat 658 pages long.

This new, sexy, thrilling, high fantasy, emotional, sweet while it tears your heart out (I can just go on with the adjectives) novel should be on everybody's TBR list by the time they have finished reading this review. Can't wait to see what will happen in the second book of the series.

[Books with Lotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come out of your shadows to play, little one, and you will find an inferno at your disposal. - Lauren Dedroog

Where to begin with this review...
I absolutely loved this book from page one. Lauren starts off her debut novel with pages dedicated to the trigger warnings, a list of who-is-who and a little language and pronunciation guide. I highly believe that all high fantasy novels should have one of those, so this was already an awesome start.

But then I started reading the story and boy, this was one of the most amazing and unique story I read in a long time! The world building was incredible and I loved (almost) all the characters. Diana, Aedlynn and Keres have taking root in my heart and I can't wait to see where Fate will take them next. There are also a lot of other characters I can't wait to learn more about!

Lauren Dedroog's writing style is beautiful. She is a master with words and she strings the most beautiful passages together. She has a way to suck you into her world and I absolutely love her for it!
Even though Dedroog broke my heart multiple times during this book, I loved every second of it.

I can't wait to read the next book, but I already know that I will love it just as much as I did this one! This is one of my favorite books of all time and I highly recommend it!

[Amber]

I don't even know where to start with this review (yes it was THAT good)

First of all: I am beyond honored I received/won an ARC for A Curse of Crows so thank you soooo much Lauren!! (to give some back story I was in Disneyland Paris when I received the news that I won one of the last ARC's and I cried woops)

Starting with one of my fave quotes: "She carried a deep-rooted light inside of her that isn't easily dimmed and a kindness that has withstood many trials already."

Let me tell you, the plot/story of this book is like no other plot/story I have ever read. It's a really unique world with elements I couldn't come up with myself. When I tell you that there happens NOTHING without a reason, I'm not exaggerating. Lauren has thought everything through from words that are said, to little smiles, to even the prologue that tells you so much if you only pay close attention to it. Everything has a deeper meaning to it and I love that so much. Oh yes even the prologue tells you more than you think. I cried, I laughed, I almost smacked my book into the wall and I most importantly really enjoyed this book!! It has everything (and even more) you would want from a high Fantasy. It has smut, it has humor, it has LGBTQIA+ representation and such a good and rich storyline and this is story is only getting started. I'm so glad this was the very first book I annotated because there is so much to annotate!!

Another one of my faves: "Maybe it's time to leave surviving behind you, and start living."

Almost all the characters have my whole heart (yes I also hated some of them very passionately). There is one thing about these characters that make them very unique in my opinion and that is that they're the most relatable characters I have ever read about. There are 2 characters very close to my heart because I saw a lot of myself in them and I'm so happy I finally found that in a book character! The men in this book... you will fall in love several times so don't say I didn't warn ya ;)

Another one of my faves: "Go rattle the stars and dance with them."

Now the writing... Words can't describe how beautifully written this book was. I annotated such beautifully written parts. Lauren has a way to play with words I have never ever read before. I want to know what's going on in that little head of hers because DAMN I wish I could be even half as good as her with it. I just know there will (one day) be a quote of hers tattooed on my body! And to be honest she can write it all. Funny stuff, emotional stuff, fighting scenes, romantic scenes, beautiful world building oh and most important really good SMUT!

Yes another one: "He was the space woven between the stars, the darkness that encompassed the moon and the soil that nourished life."
You see what I mean when I say it is so beautifully written.

I want to close my review by saying a few things.
- I normally suck at writing reviews and I never know what to say so the fact that I had so much to say about ACOC says a lot.
- A Curse of Crows will be the first book in the A Curse of Crows and Serpents series
- ACOC comes out at the end of October so make sure you buy a copy because it is really worth it.
- Throne of Glass was and will always be one of my all time favorites BUT ACOC and probably the whole series will be my new favorite and I will never NOT stop recommending it!! I actually think that A Curse of Crows on itself is my fave fantasy book of all time.
- One of the easiest 5 stars I have ever given.
- When you read it: expect the unexpected.

And to end this review, another one of my faves (and there are many more) : "Happiness suits you, Viatra" ;)

[Missha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The sad thing is not that this book is an absolute disappointment, but that the author is a sweetheart and she didn't have a better editor available at the time of publishing this. Because I think it's amazing that she got two bookdeals on this idea and none of them offered some proper feedback.

This book starts with two maps, a four-and-a-half-page glossary, and two pages on the translation of a fake language. It's a lot. Which would have been fine, if the translation didn't include the following: 'v' aelerian for 'my love', 'x' aelerian for 'my soul', 'y' aelerian for 'my sun', 'z' for my moon. So many translations yet it doesn't include 'matska' / 'mattas', which is often referenced in the book. Here are also some excerpts of the glossary, which might explain my frustration with it:

"Minor gods: (..) Those who suffer from mortality often cling to certain Major Gods to win favour or try to find unorthodox methods to prolong their life."
"Circedarae: (...) Wings are a circedera's pride and joy, and they are often very protective of their own wings as well as those of their loved ones. (...)"

None of these are necessary if it's just well shown in the book, or mayhaps, not even necessary to mention if it doesn't even come up in the book. The choice of a glossary at the start also annoys me, but it's not wrong. However, a glossary is supposed to be reference material, and here it feels more like the author copy pasted some character designs and plot ideas, and called it 'the glossary'.

Our main characters are disappointing. Aedlynn is an edge lord who gets five chapters with her POV at the beginning of the book and then fades into nothingness until she meets Diana, and the only thing I could think of was that those five chapters could have been summarized in a short flashback or a more extensive conversation.

Diana is a sick girl of who I expected to see her struggle with it until she won over it, as the summary might make you think, but instead she's barely sick until she keeps level'ing up like some pokemon who gets a new power with every level. And to prepare you, she levels up a lot. Every time you think that there is not anything left for her to have, the author throws another piece of magic or a special skill at you.

I also really struggled to realize what age the characters are because they think and at times behave like they are sixteen, but considering certain past relationships, current actions with new relationships and references they should be older. You just can't read it from their pov's.

Talking about POV's. They're pure suggestions to the author. Reading one's POV in this book also means that you can read thoughts from other people as if you are all knowing. Without knowing anything more or having talked to the author, this looked like clumsy mistakes to me rather than deliberate choices.

Another thing that shows how little the author cared about POV's; the characters could notice things they weren't supposed to notice. So like, they knew when their eyes changed colours, when their eyes crinkled. And even when they could notice things like changes in their voice, a description that goes 'this voice sounded sweetly vicious and dark. Sugar to help the poison go down' after 'my voice didn't quite sound like mine', doesn't really win bonus points in my book.

The sapphic relationship was such a big disappointment. I expected tension, longing, required unrequited love. Instead I got some kind of insta-love that was supposed to be slow build but because all the good things were skipped, you couldn't see any of the important parts. It also doesn't help that when Lena has to deal with some - keeping most stuff vague as to not spoil everything - unwanted things, Aedlynn seems to have some fucked up priorities. Like damn it there is only one sapphic relationship in this book and it's giving NOTHING.

The magic system itself leaves much to be desired because just as with the world building, the author wants too much which leaves us with nothing. Like, I know that in one place it is incredibly hot, and in another it's so cold it snows, but that's also where the physical world ends with me.

During the book it's also obvious that the author took some serious inspiration from at least ACOTAR and the serpent and the wings of the night, and mayhaps some loose inspiration from the shadow and bone series and throne of glass. Her own original ideas couldn't shine just because the ones that weren't were so so obvious.

The one thing I want to compliment is certain side characters like Sorin and Zale - their appearances were a great relief every time - and the voice of the narrator of the audiobook. Switching from physical to audiobook really made me able to finish this.

[Anneleen VdA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking amazing!
More please!

[Marie-Hélène · Rating 5 out of 5]

To whom this may concern: yes. Buy this book. It will make your life better. 👀

[Sofie's Bookish Adventures · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.43/10 on CAWPILE -> 4 stars

I read the previous version of ACOC in 2022 and just want to note how massively this story has grown! Of course, the base storyline and the characters are still the same but the added scenes and the decision to tell it over two books really made the story shine.

If you are looking for morally grey female characters, gods and daemons, political intrigue, cool worldbuilding with a dash of romance and spice, then this is a book for you!

[Kyra Lissens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suck at reviews so bear with me...

First of all, a huge thanks to Lauren for giving me this ARC and a massive apology for the late review

"You call me beautiful like it's my name"

A Curse of Crows was my first adult Fantasy, so I won't be able to compare it to other fantasy's.
This doesn't mean that I didn't absolutely adore this book.

This book made me feel a huge range of emotions. I cried, I laughed, I threw the book (that weighs 1 kilogram, for your information) across the room, ... All these emotions thanks to the awesome writing and the lovely (and less lovely) characters. I was invested in from beginning to end.

I don't really know what to say in these kinds of reviews because as a matter of fact, I am a disaster with worth (in contrast to Lauren who knows exactly which words she should use to write and awesome book) so I'm going to end it very short review with:

GO READ A CURSE OF CROWS, THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FEEL THINGS

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really loved the characters, but I was a bit lost on the plot sometimes. I was very confused throughout the book which made me less invested than I would have liked. Nevertheless this book was well-written and like I said it had great characters. And a great ending. Really curious for the next book!

[NotTheAuthorWendyHeiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, thank you to Lauren for offering me to ARC read her stunning debut!

Second, I'm not the most skilled at reviews so I will not go into detail why this was one of my most liked romantic fantasies that I've read this year.
I'm someone who really enjoys lore in my fantasy besides the romantic aspect, and ACOC truly itched a scratch in my brain, absolutely loved the richness of the world and the mythos.
Dwelling into the romance would be like going into a black hole as I've made too many notes and highlights to count, so all I can say is that you absolutely need to read this book.

“These last few days, I’ve been having the strangest urge to mark you,” he said slowly. “To show every single deity that you’re mine. I have this primal need to be claimed by you, to wear your paintings on my body.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I mentioned it to Zielle the other day. Any idea what she said?”

Patiently (not so patiently) waiting for the second book in the series!

Lauren, hurry up.

[Neo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The villain origin story starts on the last 50 pages of the book. Those were also the most interesting pages. Everything before those are basically high fantasy slice of life with main characters that are overpowered until one silly event where they suddenly whimper because of how weak they feel??

The dual POV at the beginning was kind of confusing and honestly unnecessary. You can just read Diana’s POV and understand the book.

Plot-wise, there is barely one. The majority of the book is just all little happenings after one another where the two main characters get caught/chained/stabbed, find a new power and win the battle. BORING. Diana and Keres did not have chemistry and having Keres fall in love with Diana so readily almost felt like spitting on the soulmate trope that was considered to be ✨ special ✨. There is no buildup to anything in this book, which made me wonder every 5 pages what the point was of the scene.

Yeah, no. Big no for me. The book summary sold me an entire different story then I got and I feel cheated.

[daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK HAD IT ALL!!

This book had every trope that I enjoy: 'enemies' to lovers, found family trope, strong female leads & so much more!

Words can't describe how much I loved this book. Lauren did an amazing job, her worldbuilding is insanely detailed and the story had me sitting on the edge of my chair. This is fantasy done right.

This book made me feel all sort of things, starting from happiness, to sadness, to anger, but most of all Diana is a character I can relate to. At the end of the book I felt like I had formed all sorts of different friendships with almost every character (let's be honest there are some real assholes in there).

I can't wait for the second book, I NEED ANSWERS.

[Elsa Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bij de aankondiging van dit boek stond vermeld dat het echt iets zou zijn voor de liefhebbers van de Sarah J. Maas boeken en laat ik daar nou net heel veel van in mijn bezit hebben. Oftewel mijn nieuwsgierigheid voor het debuut van Lauren Dedroog was meteen gewekt. Wel hield ik mijn verwachtingen laag en probeerde ik zo open mogelijk en zonder te vergelijken het Young Adult Fantasy verhaal te gaan lezen.

Meteen valt me op hoe goed de Engelse schrijfstijl is van Lauren Dedroog. Als ik wat informatie over haar opzoek lees ik dat ze al vanaf jonge leeftijd Engelstalig leest wat enigszins een verklaring is, alhoewel het dan zeker niet vanzelfsprekend hoeft te zijn dat je goed bent in het schrijven in die taal. De bewoording is in ieder geval veelzijdig, afwisselend, uitgebreid en draagt bij aan de visuele verbeelding. Als lezer zijnde is het denk ik wel van belang dat je zelf ook al gewend bent aan Engelstalige verhalen om dit boek comfortabel te kunnen lezen.

“The sinful way she spoke to her… the wicked confidence behind the words that she could deliver on those promises.”

Het grootste gedeelte van het verhaal voelt voor mij als opbouw. Opbouw van karakters, een behoorlijk aantal ook wat soms verwarrend voor mij werkt, opbouw van de wereld waarin het verhaal zich afspeelt en diens geschiedenis waar hedendaagse gebeurtenissen in het boek gevolg van zijn. Hierdoor is het regelmatig een uitdaging voor mij om mijn gedachte bij het inhoudelijke verhaal te houden en mijn interesse dwaalt zeker de eerste drie kwart van het boek weleens af. In principe is dit het eerste deel van een boekenserie dus geheel onlogisch is de opbouw van alles niet, het past bij het type verhaal en de desbetreffende world building.

“And though she’d been stabbed in the back over and over again, she always found some part of that fractured heart of hers to love someone new.”

Toch veroveren de hoofdkarakters een plekje in mijn lezershart door hun vlammende persoonlijkheden, hun vechtlust en overlevingskracht. Ik geniet van de goed uitgeschreven erotische scenes (waardoor het genre wellicht iets meer naar New Adult neigt? Maar goed dat ik niet over de genre typering ga) en de stevige, lugubere politieke strijd die constant gestreden wordt. Dat overigens bijna alle karakters niet alleen slecht of goed zijn, met name de hoofdkarakters zijn duaal, vind ik extra leuk en intrigerend. Uiteindelijk krijgt het verhaal vaart en begin ik absoluut met meer plezier verder te lezen. Het zorgt er dan op het einde tevens voor dat ik benieuwd ben naar het vervolg en daar naar uit kijk.

“My body is a temple, no scratch pole for unmannered little gremlins.”

Als ik over het algemeen terug denk aan het inhoudelijke verhaal gebeurd er genoeg avontuurlijks om de lezer betrokken te houden en ik hoop dat het voldoende is om iedere lezer naar deel 2 te trekken zodra die uitkomt. Kleine tip voor de uitgeverij en de schrijfster zelf, laat de lezers niet te lang wachten om verder te genieten zodat dit eerste verhaal niet te ver weg zakt in gedachten.

Het boek is een aanrader voor Fantasy liefhebbers die wel houden van een never ending strijd tussen goed & kwaad waarbij nooit helemaal duidelijk is wie of wat nu eigenlijk echt goed is en wie of wat echt kwaadaardig…

Lieve leesgroet, Elsa.

[Kyria · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I was not cruel by nature. But I was fucking vengeful and my wrath knew no limit."

Okay. Okay. Okay. I NEED MORE. I read the original 2022 version of this story, and I love to read the 2024 version and try and discover what changed. The pacing is better, and I am beyond excited and hyped to discover how certain events in book two will go down.

Also I feel like Aiden got even more lines in this version and he is my absolutely favourite character ever.

Now for what makes this story tick. Its been a whole while since I read romantasy, mostly going for small town romance lately. But the fact that I finished this book in just a few days (thank you vacation job for letting me read at my desk) says so much about the quality of this story. It reads so easy, but in the meantime you do get a complete and complex image of the world ACOC takes place in. I love Diana and feel for her journey and self discovery. I am so excited to see what else will happen with her.


(Thanks to Netgalley and Golancz for providing me with an ARC!)

[Kyra (library_of_fairy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m too busy crying right now. I’ll come back to write a review when I’m mentally stable again

[Anne (anne_loves_reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it twice now, second time was even better 😍

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still so damn proud of this author of what she has accomplished. Can't wait for what is to come!

[Boreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I have a bit of mixed feelings about this novel. This is a very loved book and it's many people's favorite. I can definitely see why so many people love it. It is definitely a strong debut.

Personally I had a hard time getting into it. I found it hard to connect with the story and the characters. I'm going to be honest here, I had to push myself to get through this book. I only felt truly invested when I got to the end.

Of course connecting to stories and characters is something very personal.
I also have to point out that I wasn't in a good headspace while I was reading this, so that might've also contributed to my enjoyment.

I did find the ending very impressive, the last chapter was my favorite part of the novel. I also liked the aspects of the gods and immortality.
It is also astounding that this was written in English by a non-native speaker.
The list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book is also something that a lot of authors could learn from.

If you love fantasy with romance, then I'd recommend this.

[Noor Verachtert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish this and that was a choice🤞

- Mega cringe
- Geen slowburn (zo belangrijk)
- Rolt een traan om de 5 zinnen zodat een man (of vrouw afhankelijk van welke hoofdpersonage) haar komt troosten
- Maak keuzes qua verhaallijn girl! zooooooveel onnodige scènes en gebeurtenissen, had oprecht allemaal gekunnen in een serie van zes boeken
- een sneltrein van een plot🚄🚃🚃🚃💥💥💨💨

+ mooie wereld
+ mooie schrijfstijl
+ interessante karakters
+ very inclusive!

1,5⭐️

(ik ben een uncertified boekcriticus met alleen een middelbare schooldiploma😌)

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy 5 stars, I'd give more if I could. I already know that A Curse of Crows will be in my tip 5 reads of 2023!

Lauren managed to do for me what other writers can't, I was able to vividly imagine certain scenes in my head. The round characters, the smut, the plot... It's all so well written! I absolutely adored this book while I hated it at the same time and I mean that as a compliment! Can't wait to read the future work of Lauren!

[Jolanda Ten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geweldig boek met spanning, humor, emotie en een vleugje sex. Een boek is in mijn ogen goed wanneer je het niet aan de kant kunt leggen en er niets anders meer om je heen bestaat. Ik moet op het puntje van mijn stoel kunnen zitten, lachen, huilen en me helemaal kunnen inleven in de karakters. Dit boek heeft het allemaal !!! Ik wacht nu al vol ongeduld op boek 2 :-D

[Rianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars that I’m rounding up for the massive world building in this book and the sheer potential that this story has! Not sure if this book is for you? I give you a synopsis of the first 150 pages in ACOTAR-fashion so go see if it’s for you!

Holy shit, what a wild ride. It honestly feels like I read a whole ACOTAR / TOG series in one book. So much happened but it was sooooooo good! I honestly would have loved if this was a 5-book series, obviously there is a sequel coming but it did sometimes feel like a lot of info was given that could have been part of the story.

Like imagine if in book 1 we were all convinced Diana was going to end up with Aiden. Then in book 2 their relationship becomes more that of a princess/bodyguard and we can see the romance shift towards Diana and Keres. That develops throughout book 2 and 3 and the we have the same cliffhanger as now. Book 4 and 5 could develop her relationship with a certain someone, or bounce back to Keres. Who knows? Not me! But wouldn’t that be exciting??

I honestly needed some encouragement getting into this. The list of gods and daemons combined with the literal dictionary in the front of the book was scary and up until the last pages I was continuously going back and forth to see if certain words or names were described at the front. But with names like Aeneas, Anaïs and Aloïs which (at least in my head) have roughly the same pronunciation it’s doomed to be confusing now and again. Also you have Erebus, Evelynn, Ellowyn, Elyon and Eiran. All start with an E and all are important. By the end of the book it will all make sense and you will finally be able to tell everyone apart, I promise!

What kinda bothered me is that we supposedly switch pov’s between Aedlynn and Diana. But then in their respective chapters we continuously switch pov’s with everyone in the chapter. We receive information in the chapter that Aedlynn/Diana don’t have access to. This was pretty confusing in the beginning but then I just gave up and was like okay Aedlynn/Diana in front of the chapter indicates which part of the storyline I’m reading about and then it’s just a free fall of who’s narrating, up to a certain point in the story, after that it’s mainly Diana’s pov.

Overall I want to say that the storyline is absolutely fucking epic! It just needs a little shaping. And the story is so good that I think it would work wonderfully as a bigger series. I know this book is being reworked in a two-parter so it’s going to be a while before we get the sequel to this book but honestly I’m anticipating it so much. And the reworked story is also going straight on my TBR, can’t wait for September!

So if you’re on the fence about if this book is for you here’s my ACOTAR-style synopsis:

Imagine if Feyre was forced to marry Tamlin but then found Rhysand on the battlefield and ran away with him. She gets taken by Tamlin again and Feyre fucking destroys the spring court from the inside out but meanwhile she’s pregnant with Rhysand’s child so Tamlin forces her to stay with him and deliver the baby. When Feyre gives birth she gets hurt by the baby’s wings but she could totally pull through, then Tamlin rips the baby’s wings in front of Feyre and she’s so heartbroken that she doesn’t see Tamlin coming up to slit her throat. He then proceeds to torture and manipulate Feyre’s daughter until she’s like 20-something. The daughter desperately tries to make a deal with a god but then the daughter gets rescued by Rhysand. This is the story of that daughter.
Sounds good?? Go read this book! This is the synopsis of like the first 150 pages so there will be plenty of things to come ;)

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is just such a lovely person and I'm sad to say that this book just wasn't it. Too much of everything and too little of everything. Don't know how to describe it differently.

The concept of the story is great. And after hearing from the author about what she wanted with the book and which direction it was supposed to go. It just feels sad that we don't see that on the pages.

Too many names, too many powers, too many different angles, too many inspirations from other books and literal quotes.

Too little world building. And because there were months between chapters it felt like insta love. It just didn't feel good. The supposed Gods were children in their behaviour. Diana went from a traumatic little girl to I'm so happy and surrounded by people I just met and love in 5 seconds. It just wasn't realistic.

The POVs were annoying as fuck. I was reading the thoughts and expressions of people who were not the original POV of that chapter. I felt betrayed.

There are so many things I can say about this book but I would be writing for ages. Again the concept is great, execution on the other hand not so much.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf, this was my bookclub’s pick of the month and I truly could not make myself finish it. The plot went from 0 to 100 without any explanation. A lot of insta love. Some pov’s were in first person and then others in third person, while there were supposed to be two main characters. Many MANY names of deity’s and gods which were so oddly placed and unexplained that they only confused the reader (me) even more. I wanted to love this book I truly did but I what a mess.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I started reading this book as multiple Booktokkers were hyped by it and loved it. Save to say, I didn’t really like it.

The plot is weird and hard to follow. From the get-go, it’s insanely difficult to understand anything because we just don’t have the information. Tons of characters are introduced one after the other and the reader just has to tag along. You can clearly feel how intricate the details and history are BUT since it’s our introduction to the book, we have no clue what’s going on.

The author knows what she wants and has planned for the book, but we only know 2-3% about what she’s writing. It’s extemely difficult to decipher everything and even more so to understand what’s going on. I’d have liked it a lot more if we started at the beginning, not in the middle of everything.

As for the main character, I love a good young adult fantasy book where the main character is a badass and has powers. In this book it was just TOO much. She keeps getting powers one after the other (or discovering her powers) and it’s no longer new or refreshing. All hail Diana because she is one of the most powerful beings ever! Not.

Soulmates is also a well used concept in YA and there’s a reason for that: it’s romantic and makes us feel as if we can also find one. In this book? It’s ridiculed. Keres had a soulmate that died and oh wait- now he can have another one. Just like that.

The romance between Diana and Keres was so rushed and strange, I didn’t like it. There was no build-up, which is like… 80% of the fun.

I did however give this book 2 stars because the writing style of the author is beautiful (if you ignore the plotholes and not telling the whole story to its readers). The fact that she is not a native speaker but writes so well WITH lots of synonyms for overused words, makes it worth it.

All-in-all: this is not really a romance (the soulmate concept is just… discarded) and the plot is tough to follow and understand. If everything was explained (how the gods came to be, how the land is divided, the background history of ALL important things that weren’t explained), I would have absolutely loved this book.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren was so kind to gift me this book in exchange for a review.

This book… I loved every page of it, but due to several elements (slump, start of the school year as a teacher...) it took me 2 months to read it. I KNOW I will like it even more the second time I read it, I have the feeling there's a lot I'm not seeing yet but honestly, I love a book that I can reread and discover new feelings and thoughts on!

Lauren managed to create a magnificent world with characters tear on my heartstrings. I can’t believe that we have to wait so long for the sequel, but good things take time and I can muster up the patience. It also gives me time to plan a thorough reread of this beauty. It’s deep, intriguing, emotional, badass, scorching hot and full of twists.

What I mean to say is: don’t sleep on this book, read it already!

[lien Dc · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW CAN I START??

I was afraid to start this book because I heard a couple of times that the book was very difficult with the many different characters and lands.
It was indeed a bit hard in the beginning to know exactly who was who, but I was hooked very fast.

The way the book was written.. it was so easy to get into it and I loved the humour that was added. You wouldn't guess that Lauren is a dutchie, her english is magnificent!

If you haven't read the book I suggest you buy it this instant because you're in for a ride!
This book will make you happy, angry, sad, ... The characters are so real that you can really relate to them.

It was a beautiful rollercoaster and I can't wait for the release of the second book.

[Natascha Limpt · Rating 2 out of 5]

De wereldbouw vond ik op zich wel intrigerend en hoewel het verhaal me niet meteen pakte, was ik nog wel nieuwsgierig naar wat er komen ging. Na 250 pagina's begon het me echter steeds meer tegen te staan. Er zit zeker potentie in het verhaal, maar er had echt heel veel geschrapt kunnen worden om het verhaal wat meer vaart te geven en het wat minder chaotisch te maken. Nu leek het nogal stuurloos. Ik zag dat er een gereviseerde versie aankomt, dus wellicht dat dit dan wel onder handen wordt genomen, maar voor mij was het helaas een misser.