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Pine Hollow #1
A God of Wrath & Lies
Important Notice - Some of the content in this book may be triggering for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Trauma is haunting. Twisted.
It can take everything we have... can't it? All that we are.
Well, at least mine did.
Since my dog died, I've been cursed with dreams of blood and cries. Things that were once so clear are now foggy. Why have the gods plagued my life? With loss and rot.
I've grown to despise the deities I was raised to worship. So why do I find myself crossing into the realm of the gods and entertaining the same ethereal beings?
These three males will be the end of me.
Trauma is haunting. Twisted.
It can take everything we have... can't it? All that we are.
Well, at least mine did.
Since my dog died, I've been cursed with dreams of blood and cries. Things that were once so clear are now foggy. Why have the gods plagued my life? With loss and rot.
I've grown to despise the deities I was raised to worship. So why do I find myself crossing into the realm of the gods and entertaining the same ethereal beings?
These three males will be the end of me.
342 pages, ebook
First published November 3, 2022
1321 people are currently reading
16537 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Moronova
16 books6,944 followersNew York Times, USA Today, and #1 International bestselling author K. M. Moronova has enjoyed telling dreary stories as far as she can remember. She adores reading and writing dark-themed, romantic books with plot twists and emotional turns. Often, she is found drying flowers in her study or drinking tea while relaxing in her garden. She loves spending time with her partner, exploring the forest, and envisioning more devastating stories to tell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 530 reviews
March 27, 2023
I made a mistake.
I let reading the reviews on here sway me to continue reading this fodder after already marking it a “it’s a no for me, this sample wasn’t enough to convince me to continue”.
Whatever merciful readers wrote the reviews, “just make it past the 20% or 30% mark and then it stops being so awkward and gets so good” are clearly better people than I bc this absolutely did not get any better from those points on at all.
The FL is immediately dull and un-compelling. Then, as she meets every handsome man along her path, she loses all hope of ever becoming interesting by herself bc from there on out she quickly loses all remaining brain cells and just flat out salivates and simpers at the men for the remainder of the book.
She absolutely bodys a “pick-me” character personified. Aka your typically overhyped, Mary Sue, “I’m not like other girls”, Golden Halo, Chosen One bullsht. And that is such lazy world building and character development to me. I made it to about 50% after she “transforms” (if you know you know) and even that plot twist wasn’t enough to smooth over how terrible I thought this was.
(Btw, the ML’s were no better, they fell like DOMINOS for the FL bc of this “connection” they felt. No explanation, no build, no fighting it really (I don’t think at least. I DNF’ed so I could be lying) they all just friggin conveniently Knight in Shining Armored her whenever the silly damsel was in distress.)
Not for me. I like my FL’s with Spine and my ML’s as more than empty Male gendered vessels for the FL to lust and fall over.
I let reading the reviews on here sway me to continue reading this fodder after already marking it a “it’s a no for me, this sample wasn’t enough to convince me to continue”.
Whatever merciful readers wrote the reviews, “just make it past the 20% or 30% mark and then it stops being so awkward and gets so good” are clearly better people than I bc this absolutely did not get any better from those points on at all.
The FL is immediately dull and un-compelling. Then, as she meets every handsome man along her path, she loses all hope of ever becoming interesting by herself bc from there on out she quickly loses all remaining brain cells and just flat out salivates and simpers at the men for the remainder of the book.
She absolutely bodys a “pick-me” character personified. Aka your typically overhyped, Mary Sue, “I’m not like other girls”, Golden Halo, Chosen One bullsht. And that is such lazy world building and character development to me. I made it to about 50% after she “transforms” (if you know you know) and even that plot twist wasn’t enough to smooth over how terrible I thought this was.
(Btw, the ML’s were no better, they fell like DOMINOS for the FL bc of this “connection” they felt. No explanation, no build, no fighting it really (I don’t think at least. I DNF’ed so I could be lying) they all just friggin conveniently Knight in Shining Armored her whenever the silly damsel was in distress.)
Not for me. I like my FL’s with Spine and my ML’s as more than empty Male gendered vessels for the FL to lust and fall over.
January 21, 2024
‘Wren approaches and nuzzles his nose against Murph's (his dog/wolf)’.
This instantly gave me the ick and now this book is being put on pause … indefinitely.
This wasn’t the only issue I had, but this was very much the ‘straw that broke the camel's back’ moment. It just weirded me out that he nose kissed his dog. This happened at 7% and I stopped reading at 7%. So this review most definitely doesn’t reflect my opinion on the whole book.
From the offset, the FMC is pretty depressed. I don’t always need a ‘sunshine’ heroine, but this girl was quite intense. At first, I was slightly confused as to why she talked so much about her dead dog, but it was revealed that this grief was linked to a previous loss. So I did understand it a little more. I still didn’t warm to her though.
I’ve only met one of the guys so far and he has probably spoken a total of 40 words to the FMC. I judged all of them. Their conversations just sound awkward and he comes across as quite proper.
Example: Wren covers his mouth in thought. "Yes, I suppose that would have been wise. But you're here now, and I have the feeling that you were itching for an adventure anyway”
Something sounds off.
—————
I feel like this might be a case of pushing through the first 20%, but I don’t fancy wasting time on it. Not in the mood for it today 😂
It's hard because I've seen other friends rave about this book, but I'm just not clicking with it.
Did I give this book a chance? No, probably not.
Do I feel like it’s worth pushing through ? Not currently.
This instantly gave me the ick and now this book is being put on pause … indefinitely.
This wasn’t the only issue I had, but this was very much the ‘straw that broke the camel's back’ moment. It just weirded me out that he nose kissed his dog. This happened at 7% and I stopped reading at 7%. So this review most definitely doesn’t reflect my opinion on the whole book.
From the offset, the FMC is pretty depressed. I don’t always need a ‘sunshine’ heroine, but this girl was quite intense. At first, I was slightly confused as to why she talked so much about her dead dog, but it was revealed that this grief was linked to a previous loss. So I did understand it a little more. I still didn’t warm to her though.
I’ve only met one of the guys so far and he has probably spoken a total of 40 words to the FMC. I judged all of them. Their conversations just sound awkward and he comes across as quite proper.
Example: Wren covers his mouth in thought. "Yes, I suppose that would have been wise. But you're here now, and I have the feeling that you were itching for an adventure anyway”
Something sounds off.
—————
I feel like this might be a case of pushing through the first 20%, but I don’t fancy wasting time on it. Not in the mood for it today 😂
It's hard because I've seen other friends rave about this book, but I'm just not clicking with it.
Did I give this book a chance? No, probably not.
Do I feel like it’s worth pushing through ? Not currently.
January 4, 2025
What in the 😳😳😳
This just wasn’t for me sadly. I love K.M. Moronova’s writing so it wasn’t even that. I just did not vibe with the story and the ending made me sick 😭
I think I’ll skip this series.
This just wasn’t for me sadly. I love K.M. Moronova’s writing so it wasn’t even that. I just did not vibe with the story and the ending made me sick 😭
I think I’ll skip this series.
November 3, 2022
Oh my gods
God of Wrath and Lies is so good. It starts out slow, and the writing is a little stiff for about the first 20%. However. Once you hit about 25%, it picks up and all the world building makes sense. There are so many dang plot twists! And the cliffy?! Maaaaaaaan!!
If you struggle with depression, be careful with this one. It could be kind of triggering in some spots. Aside from that, I HIGHLY recommend this slow burn fantasy. I’m going to be waiting super impatiently for the next book!
God of Wrath and Lies is so good. It starts out slow, and the writing is a little stiff for about the first 20%. However. Once you hit about 25%, it picks up and all the world building makes sense. There are so many dang plot twists! And the cliffy?! Maaaaaaaan!!
If you struggle with depression, be careful with this one. It could be kind of triggering in some spots. Aside from that, I HIGHLY recommend this slow burn fantasy. I’m going to be waiting super impatiently for the next book!
October 15, 2024
Uhm. Im speechless and my heart is shaking.
First off all the description of this book on goodreads is horrible so let me give a better one.
A young girl who is drowning in grief stumbles upon a man in the forest, he is actually a forest spirit and takes her into another realm called “tomorrow” there she is on a mission to discover who she truly she is, she meets 3 hot forest spirits and one of them is tasked with being her body guard… this is action packed, fast paced, heart wrenching and immersive.
Tropes:
• reincarnation
• forest spirits
• gods
• love square (theres 4 of them)
• spice/ tension 2.5/5 🌶️
• body guard
• discovering powers
• betrayal
THE BETRAYAL DESTROYED ME! CAUSE HUHHHH This was so good, the world is so fun and immersive, not one page was i bored during this. I was actually crying at one point (lets be for real several times i cried)
First off all the description of this book on goodreads is horrible so let me give a better one.
A young girl who is drowning in grief stumbles upon a man in the forest, he is actually a forest spirit and takes her into another realm called “tomorrow” there she is on a mission to discover who she truly she is, she meets 3 hot forest spirits and one of them is tasked with being her body guard… this is action packed, fast paced, heart wrenching and immersive.
Tropes:
• reincarnation
• forest spirits
• gods
• love square (theres 4 of them)
• spice/ tension 2.5/5 🌶️
• body guard
• discovering powers
• betrayal
THE BETRAYAL DESTROYED ME! CAUSE HUHHHH This was so good, the world is so fun and immersive, not one page was i bored during this. I was actually crying at one point (lets be for real several times i cried)
June 6, 2023
I struggled to finish this. I’m shocked at the number of 4 & 5 star reviews. The plot is very vague, and the FL who has zero personality, falls in love with whichever ML she is currently in close proximity to. The writing style is very juvenile, it reads like a bad fan fiction.
July 7, 2025
*sigh* here we go again.
| DNF 41%
| DNF 41%
February 10, 2023
Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! 🤩😍 This was a dark fantasy romance that centers around the FMC, Elodie, working through the trauma of her losses while also being thrust into an alternate realm of magical creatures. When I tell you Elodie gets put through it, I'm not lying! This poor girl gets put THROUGH it! At every turn! And it gets dark y'all, so just mind any triggers (CWs in the beginning seemed sufficient based on content). She's a fighter though and she doesn't let that shit stop her. She keeps going, because ultimately her goal is to find her best friend. But fate has other plans for her. I truly did not see things going the way they did and this story had me hooked from the moment I started it! Could not put it down! The feelings and emotions are raw and gritty, the action is intense and gory, and the spice is pretty hot (although I would have loved to have had more 😏). The stage has been set for this to likely become a why-choose story for Elodie (which I freakin loooove), and I am so excited for book 2. The relationships that have been cultivated in this first book have seen so many ups and downs. I've truly experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. I know we will probably have to cry a little more and experience a little more heartbreak, but I'm hoping Elodie gets her happy ending in the end. But I loved the fact that her character came such a long way, just in the first book alone.
The pacing and timeline felt good, didn't feel rushed or lagging and wasn't confusing. The world building was pretty good overall, however I felt it lacked a little bit of the background that I would have liked to establish a little more about the realm itself, its overall existence parallel to the human world, and a little more about the magic system. I don't think it's a huge info gap and I don't think you really need it to understand the basic concepts of what's happening in the story, but it's just something I noticed when looking back. The different creatures and their descriptions in this book were really good. I'm an absolute sucker for winged men, so it was easy to fall for Kastian and Arulius. 🤩 I really liked the new names for everything, it truly felt like a new story and not just a new tale with the same character types (i.e. fae fantasy). Mind you, I read fae fantasy all the damn time, so I have nothing against it, but it is refreshing to read something different, yet similar. And that's why I love indie authors 🥰.
As usual, I always adore the authors that give us playlists for their books, so for that I especially want to give Ms. Moronova her flowers for putting that together. 💖 They really do create a vibe that sticks with us long after we've finished reading the story. I truly believe that book playlists are changing the game in how we read and how stories are remembered.
I read this book in preparation for ARC reading book 2, A God of Death & Rest, and I am obsessed with this series now. I can't wait to see what happens with Elodie, because that ending was CRAZY. So I would absolutely recommend this book if you're looking for a solid dark romantasy from a new author that is sure to give us more great stories in the future. 🤙🏼💕
The pacing and timeline felt good, didn't feel rushed or lagging and wasn't confusing. The world building was pretty good overall, however I felt it lacked a little bit of the background that I would have liked to establish a little more about the realm itself, its overall existence parallel to the human world, and a little more about the magic system. I don't think it's a huge info gap and I don't think you really need it to understand the basic concepts of what's happening in the story, but it's just something I noticed when looking back. The different creatures and their descriptions in this book were really good. I'm an absolute sucker for winged men, so it was easy to fall for Kastian and Arulius. 🤩 I really liked the new names for everything, it truly felt like a new story and not just a new tale with the same character types (i.e. fae fantasy). Mind you, I read fae fantasy all the damn time, so I have nothing against it, but it is refreshing to read something different, yet similar. And that's why I love indie authors 🥰.
As usual, I always adore the authors that give us playlists for their books, so for that I especially want to give Ms. Moronova her flowers for putting that together. 💖 They really do create a vibe that sticks with us long after we've finished reading the story. I truly believe that book playlists are changing the game in how we read and how stories are remembered.
I read this book in preparation for ARC reading book 2, A God of Death & Rest, and I am obsessed with this series now. I can't wait to see what happens with Elodie, because that ending was CRAZY. So I would absolutely recommend this book if you're looking for a solid dark romantasy from a new author that is sure to give us more great stories in the future. 🤙🏼💕
Read
April 25, 2023These were not the vibes I was looking for. I read TWs about depression so I was mentally prepared for that, but I was not prepared for a simpy FMC who doesn’t have 2 brain cells to rub together.
Maybe I’ll try again later.
Maybe I’ll try again later.
June 2, 2025
3,75 ⭐
Having read this after two others from the same author, I can clearly see why I love her style and stories so much.
The writing style is definitely what I love the most: it's always able to combine mysterious and powerful words, while giving the perfect atmosphere.
I loved this book from the start, I feel like this has the potential to become one of my favorite series.
The only thing I wish it was done differently is the length, I feel like this kind of characters need more time to really impact the reader and I hope it will happen in the next books.
Having read this after two others from the same author, I can clearly see why I love her style and stories so much.
The writing style is definitely what I love the most: it's always able to combine mysterious and powerful words, while giving the perfect atmosphere.
I loved this book from the start, I feel like this has the potential to become one of my favorite series.
The only thing I wish it was done differently is the length, I feel like this kind of characters need more time to really impact the reader and I hope it will happen in the next books.
May 9, 2025
I have no idea what’s going on, on a good day, but I really had no clue what the hell was happening in this book. I felt a huge lack of world building and character development. This girl was so depressed and fell in love with everyone that crossed paths with her?? And I’m sorry, I know animals are so important in our lives, but her obsession with her dead dog drove me insane. I almost DNF this book but I stuck it out. It’s only getting 2 stars because the ending was okay.
November 7, 2022
I received an arc for this! At first I thought it started really fast to start which threw me off and it took me a while to really get into BUT LIKE maybe at the 30% mark I was HOOKED. It’s a very unique story and so different and I’m super into it! There was tension and plot twists and I was shooketh. Def recommend!
I always had a soft spot for Kastian. And it remains so 😤❤️ love him
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (tho I have a feeling it could be more in the next book or at least hope so)
I always had a soft spot for Kastian. And it remains so 😤❤️ love him
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (tho I have a feeling it could be more in the next book or at least hope so)
January 16, 2025
So very close to being put on my extremely short DNF list. Only reason it isn’t a one star. I’m almost always a vibe reader. Even if a few things throw me off and give me the ick, I can usually overlook them and still take some enjoyment from a book. This one, though…. Only my amusement at complaining about this book to a friend has kept me going. That and the background premise is interesting. The characters are so shallow and moody and childish, though. I’ve rarely been this irritated by book characters.
From the very start the MFC irritated me. The descriptions of each MMC is stereotypical gushing about their weird-colored eyes and “so hot they must’ve been sculpted by the gods” and “I don’t know why I’m pulled to him”. Also… how many times does she have to get impaled by a red flag before she gets that it’s a bad thing? Apparently a lot. She also gets super invested into each of the MMCs after only like half a day…
(MMC1 to MFC) “I have been betrayed by my queen. I can’t believe I have to let her kill you!”
MFC escapes. MMC2 helps.
MMC1 asks MMC3 to assist in recapturing MFC but MMC3 “accidentally” almost kills MMC2 and does kill the MFC… kinda…?
(MMC1 to MFC after she wakes up and the story quickly leads to him interrupting her random sexy time with MMC2 only to end up with her being back in MMC1’s bed where she woke up) “I’m going to take you back to my queen. She promised me this time (without her fingers crossed behind her back, I swear!) that she won’t kill you! I believe her and I swear I’ll protect you (even though I just “accidentally” caused your death and lots of pain to you and your side dish #2).
(MFC) “I don’t know what it is about him, but I trust he is telling the truth”.
- Yeah…. I understand completely how confusing this sounds.
Also tho….. MMC1 & 2 are fighting… they ALMOST KILL THE GIANT PUPPY. And neither of them notice they pretty much killed her again (MMC3 has to save her) by dropping a huge tree on her. I believe I can say with only a bit of sarcasm that the red flag was a redwood?
More depth for the characters.
More character development (especially growth in their relationships).
Less “I’m pissed at him so I’m going to give him glares and the silent treatment so he realizes I’m angry”.
Less MFC “accidentally” getting super hurt/almost dying/dying because of the MMCs who then get forgiven stupidly fast and only give her an apology in private because they’re too male to show “weakness” in public or in front of the other MMCs. Toxic. BS.
I’m not even done with this book yet as I’m writing this. I’m sorry for being harsh to the author, but I hope she (or someone else?) rewrites it someday into a better version using a good chunk of the premise. I really do. I’d read it.
From the very start the MFC irritated me. The descriptions of each MMC is stereotypical gushing about their weird-colored eyes and “so hot they must’ve been sculpted by the gods” and “I don’t know why I’m pulled to him”. Also… how many times does she have to get impaled by a red flag before she gets that it’s a bad thing? Apparently a lot. She also gets super invested into each of the MMCs after only like half a day…
(MMC1 to MFC) “I have been betrayed by my queen. I can’t believe I have to let her kill you!”
MFC escapes. MMC2 helps.
MMC1 asks MMC3 to assist in recapturing MFC but MMC3 “accidentally” almost kills MMC2 and does kill the MFC… kinda…?
(MMC1 to MFC after she wakes up and the story quickly leads to him interrupting her random sexy time with MMC2 only to end up with her being back in MMC1’s bed where she woke up) “I’m going to take you back to my queen. She promised me this time (without her fingers crossed behind her back, I swear!) that she won’t kill you! I believe her and I swear I’ll protect you (even though I just “accidentally” caused your death and lots of pain to you and your side dish #2).
(MFC) “I don’t know what it is about him, but I trust he is telling the truth”.
- Yeah…. I understand completely how confusing this sounds.
Also tho….. MMC1 & 2 are fighting… they ALMOST KILL THE GIANT PUPPY. And neither of them notice they pretty much killed her again (MMC3 has to save her) by dropping a huge tree on her. I believe I can say with only a bit of sarcasm that the red flag was a redwood?
More depth for the characters.
More character development (especially growth in their relationships).
Less “I’m pissed at him so I’m going to give him glares and the silent treatment so he realizes I’m angry”.
Less MFC “accidentally” getting super hurt/almost dying/dying because of the MMCs who then get forgiven stupidly fast and only give her an apology in private because they’re too male to show “weakness” in public or in front of the other MMCs. Toxic. BS.
I’m not even done with this book yet as I’m writing this. I’m sorry for being harsh to the author, but I hope she (or someone else?) rewrites it someday into a better version using a good chunk of the premise. I really do. I’d read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2023
3.5 stars
My rating may seem kind of low, but trust me when I say that I did enjoy this, but there were just some things… I’ll start by mentioning the positives and then work my way onto things that brought the rating down.
The world building was very detailed, and while it may have dragged at times, I could picture everything so well. This realm—Tomorrow, is so beautiful yet haunting. The overall idea is really interesting, and the betrayal and plot twists were super stressful and engaging. Once I hit around 35% I devoured this. Kastian, my love, I have the biggest soft spot for you.
To be completely transparent, I attempted to read this a few months ago. I got about 10% through it and just could not get into it. The beginning is very slow and overall kind of confusing. Elodie is the embodiment of depression, and at the time I was just not in the proper mindset to try to push through. I decided to come back after reading several reviews that said to try to push until the 30% mark and then things will pick up. There are no lies there…once the story actually starts rolling you’re in for a ride.
Elodie wasn’t my favorite lead, unfortunately. I found her slightly annoying multiple times throughout the book, and her decision making skills…well, they suck. However, my heart hurt for her. Her pain and grief was so deep, and I just really wanted the best for her.
This is very fast paced. It’s honestly a little too fast in my opinion. It’s very rare that I think a book should be longer, but this is one of those times. If we would have had more time to really let the tension build and certain relationships form at a more natural pace then this could have easily been a 4.5+. There were times when things felt really rushed, and scenes that could have been really emotionally jarring just unfortunately fell flat.
I’m pretty sure this is this author’s first book, which for a debut it’s still pretty decent. I have a good feeling about this second installment, specifically a certain character that has been teased on her IG.
My rating may seem kind of low, but trust me when I say that I did enjoy this, but there were just some things… I’ll start by mentioning the positives and then work my way onto things that brought the rating down.
The world building was very detailed, and while it may have dragged at times, I could picture everything so well. This realm—Tomorrow, is so beautiful yet haunting. The overall idea is really interesting, and the betrayal and plot twists were super stressful and engaging. Once I hit around 35% I devoured this. Kastian, my love, I have the biggest soft spot for you.
To be completely transparent, I attempted to read this a few months ago. I got about 10% through it and just could not get into it. The beginning is very slow and overall kind of confusing. Elodie is the embodiment of depression, and at the time I was just not in the proper mindset to try to push through. I decided to come back after reading several reviews that said to try to push until the 30% mark and then things will pick up. There are no lies there…once the story actually starts rolling you’re in for a ride.
Elodie wasn’t my favorite lead, unfortunately. I found her slightly annoying multiple times throughout the book, and her decision making skills…well, they suck. However, my heart hurt for her. Her pain and grief was so deep, and I just really wanted the best for her.
This is very fast paced. It’s honestly a little too fast in my opinion. It’s very rare that I think a book should be longer, but this is one of those times. If we would have had more time to really let the tension build and certain relationships form at a more natural pace then this could have easily been a 4.5+. There were times when things felt really rushed, and scenes that could have been really emotionally jarring just unfortunately fell flat.
I’m pretty sure this is this author’s first book, which for a debut it’s still pretty decent. I have a good feeling about this second installment, specifically a certain character that has been teased on her IG.
July 8, 2023
I like the premise of the book but everything else made me dislike it. The writing style was repetitive and the author went into way too much detail about some things and not enough about the important ones. For example, I would have loved to learn more about the gods and their history or stories… but instead I got to hear how hot all the men were. The main character was such a “pick me” girl, wondering why all these hot men liked her because she was just so ordinary and not pretty. Her decisions might have made sense except the author spent so much time talking about vines on houses and collarbones on men that she didn’t bother to explain why Elodie was making them so they seemed rash and poorly thought out.
If I read the word “real” one more time I was going to lose my mind.
It also annoyed me to no end that she was obsessed with her dog and then seemingly forgot about her aunt, an actual person, existing.
The plot was enough to make me read the second book but that didn’t get much better. Overall, I think this story would have been much better told by a different author.
If I read the word “real” one more time I was going to lose my mind.
It also annoyed me to no end that she was obsessed with her dog and then seemingly forgot about her aunt, an actual person, existing.
The plot was enough to make me read the second book but that didn’t get much better. Overall, I think this story would have been much better told by a different author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2024
🤷🏻♀️
I’m indifferent about this book. It was… okay. It had some good parts and it had its bad. The biggest thing I couldn’t get over was the pacing and the FMC. This is a short book, so I understand it would be fast but everything was like BAM BAM BAM happening and all of the characters just went along with it, no problem. No questions asked. Also, Elodie is just so painfully dreadful. Shes just so.. boring and depressing. I couldn’t care less about her honestly. Half the time I wanted her to just get captured and we got the POV of Arulius or Wren.
I wasn’t crazy about it. I won’t be continuing it, but overall: Okay Read.
I’m indifferent about this book. It was… okay. It had some good parts and it had its bad. The biggest thing I couldn’t get over was the pacing and the FMC. This is a short book, so I understand it would be fast but everything was like BAM BAM BAM happening and all of the characters just went along with it, no problem. No questions asked. Also, Elodie is just so painfully dreadful. Shes just so.. boring and depressing. I couldn’t care less about her honestly. Half the time I wanted her to just get captured and we got the POV of Arulius or Wren.
I wasn’t crazy about it. I won’t be continuing it, but overall: Okay Read.
October 11, 2023
DNF’d. I have no idea what is going on in this book… From the start I was questioning everything and why this chick would wander off to some other realm with a random stranger in the woods, how she could just accept this completely new magical realm without missing a beat, etc. I couldn’t continue with the book because I was too busy arguing with myself over what I’d already read and wondering wtf was going on.
March 6, 2023
My heart is broken and I don’t know if I can handle anymore heartbreak. I’ve seen the author share the second book is even sadder and I just can’t. There were so many moments in here I thought to myself “Finally!! Elodie can have some happiness. She’s finally not in pain anymore” and then BAM, a knife to the heart (literally). I NEED Elodie to have her happy ending so badly.
October 6, 2023
I was almost convinced not to continue the series… but then the ending happened.
January 20, 2024
3.75⭐
It took me a while to actually finish this book. Not because it wasn't interesting and a different flavor of fantasy, but because the writing always felt a little clunky every time I picked up the book. However, yesterday I picked it back up and started reading it again. Things got thoroughly more interesting after the introduction of Arulius. He very quickly became my favorite character. I've always found Wren to be a flat character, and it didn't mend by the end of the book, but I digress.
I'll start with praises and work my way to the parts that left a bland taste in my mouth.
The humor in the book had me giggling, especially between Arulius and Elodie in the beginning of their relationship. It was a nice break in the inner monologue and gave me the sort of banter I wanted between them. He's cocky and throws around smirks like he genuinely doesn't give a shit. My kind of character, unfortunately.
The Pine Hallows. As a lover of dogs, I would absolutely love to envision my dearest, departed dog as a Pine Hallow. Rest Easy, Kylia 💔 But it was wonderfully healing to imagine that she could be onto another life, as beautiful creature, or possibly already reincarnated out there somewhere.
And now onto the parts that I didn't enjoy as much, personally.
The plot twists. I, unfortunately, called both big twists way earlier than I would've liked. But maybe I read too much 😅 It also angered me that I knew what was coming, but still felt personally attacked because of my fondness for villains. 😂
A certain death. It literally crushed my soul and I almost put the book back on my bookshelf. But, I took a deep breath, and finished the book. I understood the emotional impact, but COME ON.
Elodie felt a little flat as a character as well, I'm hopeful that her character will be more well-rounded in the next two books.
All in all, the book was a slow start, and I found it a little difficult until the 45% mark to find myself fully invested in the characters.
It took me a while to actually finish this book. Not because it wasn't interesting and a different flavor of fantasy, but because the writing always felt a little clunky every time I picked up the book. However, yesterday I picked it back up and started reading it again. Things got thoroughly more interesting after the introduction of Arulius. He very quickly became my favorite character. I've always found Wren to be a flat character, and it didn't mend by the end of the book, but I digress.
I'll start with praises and work my way to the parts that left a bland taste in my mouth.
The humor in the book had me giggling, especially between Arulius and Elodie in the beginning of their relationship. It was a nice break in the inner monologue and gave me the sort of banter I wanted between them. He's cocky and throws around smirks like he genuinely doesn't give a shit. My kind of character, unfortunately.
The Pine Hallows. As a lover of dogs, I would absolutely love to envision my dearest, departed dog as a Pine Hallow. Rest Easy, Kylia 💔 But it was wonderfully healing to imagine that she could be onto another life, as beautiful creature, or possibly already reincarnated out there somewhere.
And now onto the parts that I didn't enjoy as much, personally.
The plot twists. I, unfortunately, called both big twists way earlier than I would've liked. But maybe I read too much 😅 It also angered me that I knew what was coming, but still felt personally attacked because of my fondness for villains. 😂
A certain death. It literally crushed my soul and I almost put the book back on my bookshelf. But, I took a deep breath, and finished the book. I understood the emotional impact, but COME ON.
Elodie felt a little flat as a character as well, I'm hopeful that her character will be more well-rounded in the next two books.
All in all, the book was a slow start, and I found it a little difficult until the 45% mark to find myself fully invested in the characters.
January 18, 2024
3.5 don’t get me wrong I ate this up. But I wish the book was longer & everything didn’t feel so rushed. I feel like had the book been longer I could have connected with the characters a lot more & some of the emotional scenes would have felt more sincere. over all everything could have been better with more buildup! Still going to rush to the next book though!
April 5, 2023
Star rating⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Once again I'm taken by surprise. I have never read anything by K.M. Moronova and I absolutely came to love AGOWAL. It was angsty, raw, romantic and a great start to a fantasy series.
I couldn't get enough of the unique and sad storyline the author created. Even though, I felt like the FMC was a little childlike at times, I came to love her nonetheless. The author created beautiful and lovely characters I'd love to read more of.
I do believe the writing style could've been a bit more polished. There were too many repetitive additions, like the way she describes their eyes. After several times, the reader gets it. The pacing of the plot wasn't always consistent, but overall it went fairly quickly. Just like her emotions and feelings towards all three male characters. They either developed too fast or turned into mistrust just as easily. I wish the author took her time with it. If she did, it would've been a easy five-star read for me.
Although, I suspected certain plot twists, the author managed to write them in a way, you wouldn't think it was for that particular reason. I believe many things will become clearer in the sequel. It's a great debut novel by K.M. Moronova and I can't wait to read their continuous story.
Spice rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Once again I'm taken by surprise. I have never read anything by K.M. Moronova and I absolutely came to love AGOWAL. It was angsty, raw, romantic and a great start to a fantasy series.
I couldn't get enough of the unique and sad storyline the author created. Even though, I felt like the FMC was a little childlike at times, I came to love her nonetheless. The author created beautiful and lovely characters I'd love to read more of.
I do believe the writing style could've been a bit more polished. There were too many repetitive additions, like the way she describes their eyes. After several times, the reader gets it. The pacing of the plot wasn't always consistent, but overall it went fairly quickly. Just like her emotions and feelings towards all three male characters. They either developed too fast or turned into mistrust just as easily. I wish the author took her time with it. If she did, it would've been a easy five-star read for me.
Although, I suspected certain plot twists, the author managed to write them in a way, you wouldn't think it was for that particular reason. I believe many things will become clearer in the sequel. It's a great debut novel by K.M. Moronova and I can't wait to read their continuous story.
May 2, 2024
4.75⭐️
This book had me like: 😭🤩🧚🦄🧌🧝♀️🧐😳👻🐾🔪💔🥹❤️🫣 😩
This book had me like: 😭🤩🧚🦄🧌🧝♀️🧐😳👻🐾🔪💔🥹❤️🫣 😩
February 1, 2025
“Trauma is a haunting, twisted bitch. It twists and churns the things you think you know. Confuses what is real and what isn’t. Some traumas wear on your soul tirelessly, while others… well, those traumas we simply erase.”
There’s something so hauntingly beautiful and tragic about @k.m.moronova ‘s writing prose. I am blown away that this is her debut novel🤯 A story of a girl drowning in grief and depression who follows a handsome and mysterious man into the forest and discovers a fairy land called Tomorrow. The FMC, Elodie has such a great character arc already with her internal struggle of feeling real and like she matters in an unknown realm…all while trying to survive a villain who wants her dead. This was never dull, kept me reeling from the plot twists, had a decent amount of romance and spice (setting up to be reverse harem) and I loved Kastian, Wren, Murphy & Arulius as characters. And that ending…😳 Excited to see where this takes us!
There’s something so hauntingly beautiful and tragic about @k.m.moronova ‘s writing prose. I am blown away that this is her debut novel🤯 A story of a girl drowning in grief and depression who follows a handsome and mysterious man into the forest and discovers a fairy land called Tomorrow. The FMC, Elodie has such a great character arc already with her internal struggle of feeling real and like she matters in an unknown realm…all while trying to survive a villain who wants her dead. This was never dull, kept me reeling from the plot twists, had a decent amount of romance and spice (setting up to be reverse harem) and I loved Kastian, Wren, Murphy & Arulius as characters. And that ending…😳 Excited to see where this takes us!
November 9, 2022
Truthfully I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I wanted to love it, and I enjoyed that I never knew what was coming. Parts felt really rushed, which made it confusing and every character seemed to have an alter ego. I'm also not sure if the ending was a cliffhanger or if this is the first in the series. So conflicted 😬
April 14, 2024
Hab den falschen Busstop genommen und musste nochmal zurückfahren…
November 6, 2022
Book Details 296 pages. 18+ ages. Dark Fantasy/Romance. Part of Pine Hollow Series. Cliffhanger. One POV. Check the triggers.
Ok. Wow! This book is an amazing wild emotional ride from beginning to end. The twists and turns come out of no where. With ADHD, I am not easily surprised. I can usually see a plot twist a mile away. However, not with this book! My mouth dropped open several times while reading it. I had to take breaks to digest a few things as they happened. Sooo good! I don’t even want to summarize the plot for you for fear of spoiling the surprise. This story gives us one bed, captivity, enemies to lovers (frenemies), betrayal, magic, gods, and so much more all set in a beautifully crafted fantasy world!! What’s not to love! The plot is an easy 10/5 stars for me with just the right amount of spice (2/5 spice). I was honored to receive a free ARC copy to review.
We follow Elodie through her journey to understand the world around her and her place in it. In the beginning, she’s unsure of herself and who she can trust. Though, as time goes on she gains inner strength and confidence. The strength to do what is necessary to keep the ones she loves safe. Wren, Kastian, and Arullius each have their unique roll in her growth. So much going on in this book! So well written that you don’t feel overwhelmed. You are learning everything along with Elodie naturally. My heart has not recovered! I want to say so much more!!! I need the second book asap! I will be reading this one again this weekend and then again when the second book comes out. That cliffhanger!!!
Ok. Wow! This book is an amazing wild emotional ride from beginning to end. The twists and turns come out of no where. With ADHD, I am not easily surprised. I can usually see a plot twist a mile away. However, not with this book! My mouth dropped open several times while reading it. I had to take breaks to digest a few things as they happened. Sooo good! I don’t even want to summarize the plot for you for fear of spoiling the surprise. This story gives us one bed, captivity, enemies to lovers (frenemies), betrayal, magic, gods, and so much more all set in a beautifully crafted fantasy world!! What’s not to love! The plot is an easy 10/5 stars for me with just the right amount of spice (2/5 spice). I was honored to receive a free ARC copy to review.
We follow Elodie through her journey to understand the world around her and her place in it. In the beginning, she’s unsure of herself and who she can trust. Though, as time goes on she gains inner strength and confidence. The strength to do what is necessary to keep the ones she loves safe. Wren, Kastian, and Arullius each have their unique roll in her growth. So much going on in this book! So well written that you don’t feel overwhelmed. You are learning everything along with Elodie naturally. My heart has not recovered! I want to say so much more!!! I need the second book asap! I will be reading this one again this weekend and then again when the second book comes out. That cliffhanger!!!
April 11, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Well I found another book that I’m going to have to go buy the physical copy because oh my goodness this book was amazing! I looked at the different editions for this book and I just know I’m gonna have to have a copy of each because these books are beautiful.
The beginning of this book was a little slow to me and Elodie did get a little on my nerves. Elodie would be the kid to get in the van because they say there’s a puppy there. Like girl you are way too freaking trusting of hot strangers 😂 Moving on from her just trusting random strangers… the world that Moronova created was so beautiful and I loved the magic system. I so want to visit and see the Hallows.
Let’s not forget about the plot twists in this book because there sure are a lot of them and they catch you off guard. I had no idea these plot twists were coming and let me tell you, they freaking hurt my heart. I think the author was playing a game to see how many times she could make the reader cry because damn… spoiler she can make you cry A LOT! This book is freaking emotional and I was fighting back tears during multiple points in this book. Highly highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to start the second one.
Well I found another book that I’m going to have to go buy the physical copy because oh my goodness this book was amazing! I looked at the different editions for this book and I just know I’m gonna have to have a copy of each because these books are beautiful.
The beginning of this book was a little slow to me and Elodie did get a little on my nerves. Elodie would be the kid to get in the van because they say there’s a puppy there. Like girl you are way too freaking trusting of hot strangers 😂 Moving on from her just trusting random strangers… the world that Moronova created was so beautiful and I loved the magic system. I so want to visit and see the Hallows.
Let’s not forget about the plot twists in this book because there sure are a lot of them and they catch you off guard. I had no idea these plot twists were coming and let me tell you, they freaking hurt my heart. I think the author was playing a game to see how many times she could make the reader cry because damn… spoiler she can make you cry A LOT! This book is freaking emotional and I was fighting back tears during multiple points in this book. Highly highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to start the second one.
August 3, 2025
vill först säga att jag skulle kunna ge den här boken en etta, om jag hade det i mig att vara så elak, men jag kan för mitt liv inte göra det så får med nåder bli en tvåa. jag har aldrig varit så förvirrad i hela mitt liv, allt gick så fort. alltså, SÅ, fort? liksom mannen vart var the chill? saker made NO sense och jag vet inte om jag förstår vad fan den här boken handla om? jag har typ whiplash? på ett jättedåligt sätt. huvudkaraktären är den JOBBIGASTE människan ever, så whiny och helt ärligt rätt så jävla värdelös? och dum, så så så så så dum. det gjorde mig också arg. har en inre konflikt med mig själv nu om det är värt att läsa nästa två böckerna, må ändå säga att slutet var lite intriguing…
February 23, 2025
The Fabric of Our Souls is in my top 3 favorite books of all time. I’ve also read Leave Me Behind by Moronova. I didn’t read the description before jumping into this, so imagine my pleasant surprise to find out this book has an afterlife realm with reincarnation, gods and creatures. I loved the intricacies of this, the world building and the discovering of who Elodie really is. The betrayal was unexpected and I loved that. I really didn’t like the whiplash of relationships forming in this though. The main characters relationship with each character is a roller coaster I wanted to get off of. I am really interested in where the story ends up though, so I’m going to try the second book!
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