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Malevolence
"Pretty princess who lives in tall towers built by slaves she calls 'monsters' thinks she knows what it's like to live in fear..."
~
Every young faerie girl fantasizes about her dream wedding.
The beautiful gown with the lace train that trails behind her as she walks barefoot across the soft grass, holding a bouquet of daffodils and baby's breath. Surrounded by family and friends who eagerly wait with bated breath for her arrival. But not as eagerly as the love of her life waiting for her at the end of that long path of roses. A mixture of anxiety and excitement dancing in her eyes to match the fast beating of her heart. All to say those fateful words to make her fairy tale ending come I do .
But not all fairy tales are happy stories.
Nor do all faeries deserve ... a happy ending...
In a mythical world of faeries, elves, and shapeshifters, peace among the races can only last for so long.
While Phaedra, daughter of King Elyan and princess of the Faerie Kingdom of Niendel basks in the privilege of living a sheltered life as royalty, Malachi and Xander, Lords of the Shapeshifter Kingdom of Argon, are set on a violently destructive and blood-stained chaotic path that will turn her entire world upside down.
By the time the demure faerie crosses paths with the hostile, vindictive shapeshifters, it's all but too late to save herself from what's to come.
Her stubborn resistance fuels their desire.
Their love breeds pain. Their anger stokes war.
Try as she might, there's nowhere Phaedra can hide from their... MALEVOLENCE .
***
CONTENT
This is a dark fantasy romance. Content will touch on topics relating to genocide, racial oppression, child endangerment, PTSD, and self-harm. Trigger warnings include non-consensual relationships, and explicitly detailed torture and deaths. Reader discretion is advised.
As a caveat to the because of the historical context of this story, there are several flashbacks. In this story, understanding the present requires a look into the past.
~
Every young faerie girl fantasizes about her dream wedding.
The beautiful gown with the lace train that trails behind her as she walks barefoot across the soft grass, holding a bouquet of daffodils and baby's breath. Surrounded by family and friends who eagerly wait with bated breath for her arrival. But not as eagerly as the love of her life waiting for her at the end of that long path of roses. A mixture of anxiety and excitement dancing in her eyes to match the fast beating of her heart. All to say those fateful words to make her fairy tale ending come I do .
But not all fairy tales are happy stories.
Nor do all faeries deserve ... a happy ending...
In a mythical world of faeries, elves, and shapeshifters, peace among the races can only last for so long.
While Phaedra, daughter of King Elyan and princess of the Faerie Kingdom of Niendel basks in the privilege of living a sheltered life as royalty, Malachi and Xander, Lords of the Shapeshifter Kingdom of Argon, are set on a violently destructive and blood-stained chaotic path that will turn her entire world upside down.
By the time the demure faerie crosses paths with the hostile, vindictive shapeshifters, it's all but too late to save herself from what's to come.
Her stubborn resistance fuels their desire.
Their love breeds pain. Their anger stokes war.
Try as she might, there's nowhere Phaedra can hide from their... MALEVOLENCE .
***
CONTENT
This is a dark fantasy romance. Content will touch on topics relating to genocide, racial oppression, child endangerment, PTSD, and self-harm. Trigger warnings include non-consensual relationships, and explicitly detailed torture and deaths. Reader discretion is advised.
As a caveat to the because of the historical context of this story, there are several flashbacks. In this story, understanding the present requires a look into the past.
727 pages, Paperback
Published July 20, 2021
126 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
October 11, 2022
Alright so I’ve been putting off writing this review because I wanted to really think about how I felt about this story.
First off, I like the whole plot and most of the characters. That being said I had a few issues and this is why I rated the book the way I did. It needs editing! Some of the word choices didn’t work in this world. Also, the world needed to be built up more. What did the landscape look like? How far was each kingdom from the other? How did magic work in every kingdom? Why did the elves need faerie magic? Like why no wouldn’t their magic work and so on.
This made the story a little bland cuz I couldn’t feel the world.
Second, Phaedra she was never going to cuss anyone out. Having her think or say that she would did not help her character. if she was going to do it she would have. she couldve made smart remarks to her family but she never did. She didn’t get balls until she was taken and that makes sense because she had to build a thick skin. I also wanted her to say No! Like I know it was non con/ dub con but the first time she should have said no. This way they knew she didn’t want it and her character could grow from there and so could theirs. Other than that she was good and learned to understand what others went through.
Lastly, and it’s just a little thing but this was not a reverse harem this was an ménage type story. If she had three or more men then yeah.
Overall this is a really good story and teaches a lesson all of us need to learn. This is a 3.5 for me and even with the issues I had with the story I still think people should give it a try.
I will try some of the authors other works.
First off, I like the whole plot and most of the characters. That being said I had a few issues and this is why I rated the book the way I did. It needs editing! Some of the word choices didn’t work in this world. Also, the world needed to be built up more. What did the landscape look like? How far was each kingdom from the other? How did magic work in every kingdom? Why did the elves need faerie magic? Like why no wouldn’t their magic work and so on.
This made the story a little bland cuz I couldn’t feel the world.
Second, Phaedra she was never going to cuss anyone out. Having her think or say that she would did not help her character. if she was going to do it she would have. she couldve made smart remarks to her family but she never did. She didn’t get balls until she was taken and that makes sense because she had to build a thick skin. I also wanted her to say No! Like I know it was non con/ dub con but the first time she should have said no. This way they knew she didn’t want it and her character could grow from there and so could theirs. Other than that she was good and learned to understand what others went through.
Lastly, and it’s just a little thing but this was not a reverse harem this was an ménage type story. If she had three or more men then yeah.
Overall this is a really good story and teaches a lesson all of us need to learn. This is a 3.5 for me and even with the issues I had with the story I still think people should give it a try.
I will try some of the authors other works.
July 19, 2022
Unrealistic
*****Spoilers*****
The refrain "this is dumb" kept repeating in my mind while I read and it didn't stop through the end. Phaedra is this goody two shoes peacemaker, until she suddenly murders her sister. She's so desperate for acceptance and connection from her step sisters and mother that she takes all kinds of mistreatment to have some sort of relationship with them. Malachi and Xander barely had many redeeming qualities, and the whole Fairie/Elven versus shifter war was just dumb. The fact that everyone is getting along and singing togetherness and forgiveness all of a sudden is ridiculous and unrealistic. Jumping scenes without the build up and Phaedra's miraculous sudden abilities, including bringing people back from the death kept my eyes rolling. I could do without the flashbacks, there were way too many of them I thought.
*****Spoilers*****
The refrain "this is dumb" kept repeating in my mind while I read and it didn't stop through the end. Phaedra is this goody two shoes peacemaker, until she suddenly murders her sister. She's so desperate for acceptance and connection from her step sisters and mother that she takes all kinds of mistreatment to have some sort of relationship with them. Malachi and Xander barely had many redeeming qualities, and the whole Fairie/Elven versus shifter war was just dumb. The fact that everyone is getting along and singing togetherness and forgiveness all of a sudden is ridiculous and unrealistic. Jumping scenes without the build up and Phaedra's miraculous sudden abilities, including bringing people back from the death kept my eyes rolling. I could do without the flashbacks, there were way too many of them I thought.
May 9, 2023
Long review and spoilers incoming…
This book was in desperate need of an editor if only to catch all the anachronisms that are constantly appearing. The book begins with a note from the author declaring that the story is set “during a medieval time period” which means that the reader can expect a certain amount of the setting and story to be framed in a way that reflects that specific time period. Obviously Malevolence is a fantasy novel so there is a certain amount of leeway when it comes to the technology existing in their world. The presence of magic can smooth over plenty of things that otherwise couldn’t exist. If the magic was explained with any detail at all. Instead characters are zipping up their pants and taking showers, and mentioning other things that don’t match the setting such as cement, which breaks immersion because realistically a medieval setting would call for laced pants, bathing in tubs, and stone floors. They don’t completely derail the narrative but it definitely gave pause.
Continuing with the lack of immersion is the fact that the world was not built at all, and anything that was said about world building amounted to the fortitude of a house of cards. A fantasy setting calls for a good bit of worldbuilding seeing as it’s a world different from everyday reality. “A world of fairies, elves, shapeshifters and magic” according to the author. These things are very distinctly unlike anything we have in the current day, meaning it needs a bit of explanation for the reader to fully understand the characters as they’re shaped by the world around them.
The main focus of the story comes down to the conflict between shifters and basically every other type of person that exists in their world. How big is the world? Who knows. Despite there being multiple scenes of battle plans and traveling between kingdoms there’s no telling how big or small their world is. It could take days or weeks to travel places in a medieval setting. In world, their main source of transportation is horses or their bodies when it comes to the shifters, and yet they seem to simply appear in places with very little thought given to how far they had to travel, which is a big aspect of war plans given that traveling takes energy. It wouldn’t have been a bother if the author glossed over these things if the scenes of travel were skipped entirely but there are several mentions of characters traveling but they could have been moving for a few hours or a few days.
And even if the kingdoms’ distance from the shifters’ realm isn’t mentioned it seems odd that the size of each kingdom was never brought up. Realistically war costs a lot of life and suspension of disbelief will make it easy to imagine that the shifters never seem to deplete their numbers despite being a small population, but the amount of soldiers in each kingdom is hardly mentioned. There is a mention of a night’s watch being around 40 men which is pitiful considering they’re meant to be guarding an entire kingdom which would mean that the kingdom itself is either very small or it’s standing military is all but nonexistent which makes them seem like less of an imposing threat to the shifters.
Another bit of worldbuilding that felt odd is that the cultures between the different races were never fleshed out. Phaedra did not seem to have any sense of culture shock when she was taken to the shifter kingdom. Ignoring all the trauma she was going through at the time, it was definitely a missed opportunity that she didn’t even have a passing thought about if they dressed differently or if the wedding traditions differed from those of her home. Weddings are significant events in most cultures that practice such unions and it was definitely a shame that it was skipped over in a rush to get to the wedding night. Especially considering the elusive “gods” that are frequently mentioned as an expletive or in vague passing, yet are never touched on in any significant way. Weddings are sometimes religious ceremonies and if there was a cultural difference between fairies and shifters as is expected it would’ve been an interesting plot point for Phaedra to consider herself unwed despite having a wedding because her gods and traditions different from those of the shifters and as such she doesn’t recognize her marriage to Malachi and Xander as binding.
Names are also a very simple piece of worldbuilding. Different cultures have different naming conventions. Spelling and how common certain names are become an easy way to tell different cultures apart even when using the same alphabet. Obviously everyone seems to be speaking the same language in the Malevolence universe whether it’s meant to be English or a common tongue native to their world doesn’t matter. A uniform language can still have different spelling like the UK versus American use of the letter “u” in certain words, or common turns of phrase like the stereotypical Canadian “eh” versus the Australian “oi.” But all of the characters’ names seem to have no cultural rhyme or reason. Phaedra and Xander both have Greek names while Malachi has a Hebrew name. And Phaedra has sisters called Irene and Iliana which are also Greek but then one of her sisters is called Ines which is a distinctly Spanish name.
It’s also strange that siblings between all cultures seem to have names beginning with the same letter. It’s never explained in-story but it’s such a glaring piece of the world that you’d think it would be mentioned. Originally it seemed as though Phaedra’s sisters all had names beginning with “I” to show how interchangeable they were in regards to being married off to strengthen their father’s kingdom. That made sense. But then Malachi’s siblings are called Misha and Malik, and Xander’s family has Xavier and Xyla. It serves no purpose except to add confusion to the flashbacks. Malachi is called Mal and his brother’s name is Malik. It can be easily misread. Same as Xander and Xavier.
In regards to the actual story the plot wasn’t particularly interesting and the book certainly overstayed its welcome. This book is over 700 pages and it was needlessly bloated with constant flashbacks. According to the author “because of the historical context of this story, there are several flashbacks. In this story, understanding the present requires a look into the past.” This isn’t necessarily true. A better writer could artfully add in pieces of the past through worldbuilding and dialogue rather than constant departures from the narrative to flashback decades to the main characters’ childhoods. It makes the pacing of the book choppy and erratic rather than adding context to certain events. Most if not all of the flashbacks could’ve been cut or turned into a few lines in the characters’ inner monologues and the same effect would’ve been conveyed in less words without halting the story.
The overall plot is rather bland considering it is a fantasy story set during a war and written in third person. The story head hops between whatever character the author wants us to follow between paragraphs with no real rhyme or reason. For example, the author will write Phaedra watching Xander leave the room and immediately cut to Xander’s perspective in the next paragraph rather than allowing the chapter to close on Phaedra’s perspective. It’s a strange way of shifting points of view that comes across as messy rather than deliberate. And there are entirely too many perspectives without naming who is the titular character at the time.
The narrative will jump between Phaedra, Malachi, and Xander which is understandable as they’re the three main characters. But as more characters are added to the narrative the author will jump up their perspectives as side characters rather than continuing with the three rotating main characters’ perspectives. It completely ruins the last 25% or so of the book when a character is suddenly introduced and given a large role to play in the plot when the story is supposed to be coming to a close. Cassiel’s perspective is the strangest addition to the story and ruins the pacing of the third act.
The third act of the story is based around the attack of the Illundiel Kingdom, but most of it goes unseen. The author seems to favor dialogue over anything else and as such the huge battle that is meant to be taking place is ignored in favor of the characters talking to each other. Phaedra is literally set on fire and there is less description of that than there is dialogue between her and her captors and her and Cassiel when he arrives.
Most of the book is a dialogue which would explain the lack of worldbuilding. Phaedra never explores her surroundings and describes seeing paintings or tapestries in the halls of the castle, or strange flowers that are different from the garden of her home when she’s outside. The only plant that is described after the fairie that supposedly loves flowers and her garden leaves home is the Eukal plant that acts as a contraceptive in their world. It’s an interesting detail and I wish the author had taken the time to add more things like it to the narrative.
Overall the entire plot seems to be scenes the author was very excited to write strung together with uninteresting filler that could have easily been cut or tightened up to shrink the word count. This story could have easily been around 300 pages if an editor was employed to trim the fat of the story and keep the story moving at a smooth pace. Most of the story was focused on the shock value scenes. Anything involving violence was highlighted with a few cute scenes with children thrown in to lighten the mood of the story. Of course, this was advertised as a dark romance and I was expecting violence and dubious consent from the start. It delivered on that front but the story was empty aside from that.
The empty world and uninteresting plot could be overlooked if the characters that are constantly talking were compelling, but unfortunately they all seem to be one note with the personality depth of a puddle. Phaedra is compassionate and sympathetic. Malachi is pragmatic. Xander is unhinged and traumatized. Until suddenly they aren’t.
Phaedra does a massive 180 with her character development and suddenly attacks and kills one of her many sisters which jumpstarts the third act. The issue is that while the scene was certainly cathartic it was completely out of character for Phaedra. She isn’t one to dwell on the bad and live in the past and she is written as desperately wanting to see the best in even the worst people. And yet more taunting from her sister is the straw that breaks the camel’s back after assumedly decades of learning how to deal with their petty remarks. It would’ve been more in character for Phaedra to smack her around but going as far as to kill her completely broke her character. No amount of Phaedra thinking about how much she wanted to “cuss someone out” (another anachronism) without actually acting on the urge or laying hands on anyone could’ve led to her violently attacking her sister. Yes, she was emotionally exhausted and pushed to the brink but her mental break resulting in her sister’s death instead of just heavy injury made no sense. The outcome could’ve been the same regardless of if Ines was killed or severely injured considering Phaedra still attacked the Queen. That is treason and she could’ve been killed for it without the overly sympathetic and pacifistic character switching on a dime murdering someone.
Xander and Malachi also have a quick switch in their personalities. Malevolence is a dark romance and it’s expected and even forewarned in the author’s not that things will be getting extreme in the narrative. The constant assault that they commit against Phaedra is part and parcel for the dark romance sub genre. But it isn’t romance to start. They aren’t coming from a place of love. Xander even states that he hates Phaedra at some point. The first third or so of the book is the male main characters lusting after a woman that they objectively hate because no one else in the narrative seems to be plus-sized and Phaedra is the only woman that fits their type. She’s the only fat girl for miles and they must have her, the fact that she’s a fairie princess only makes it more enticing for them. It’s taboo and terrible and they’re literally torturing her whenever they’re in bed together. But it’s only after several instances of her not consenting to the sex and violence that they realize what they’re doing is bad and suddenly they ask for her consent and start calling her their mate and saying they love her. All it took was her crying and breaking down for the umpteenth time and they completely switched their personalities.
Everyone else is just as one note as the main characters. Pokuaa is a feminist that won’t accept anything less than she deserves and calls out men for their misogyny. Is this feminist conviction common for shifters or their world? It’s never explained. Ria is nice and loves her children. Tindry is callous and loyal to her kingdom. The same as Yari. The same as Junt. Phaedra’s sisters are all interchangeable, conceited and cruel. The elves that are randomly shoved into the end of the book have no personality aside from Cassiel who assimilates to Phaedra’s kind and sympathetic personality. They added nothing to the story and the twist of Xander and Cassiel being half brothers was a pointless adage that was brought up and resolved far too quickly. The jump from wanting to kill Cassiel to Xander accepting him as family happened within about 20 pages. The entire third act was just a rushed mess of revelations that could’ve been better fleshed out throughout the story if the rest of the narrative wasn’t choked with flashbacks.
Overall Malevolence was a messy story from start to finish with the author ending out the story declaring that anything that seemed like a loose thread or dropped storyline was due to the interconnectivity of her stories and would be resolved in later books despite Malevolence being advertised as a stand-alone novel. The world wasn’t developed, the characters were one note, and the story was bloated beyond belief. This read like a first draft where every idea the author had was thrown in and never fully fitted to make a cohesive story. The writing style is a bit juvenile and relied heavily on dialogue where characters hardly had their own voice. All of the shifter men have the same crass way of speaking that would make it hard to determine who was speaking without dialogue tags, and half of the women all spoke with the same vain disregard for Phaedra. An editor would have cleaned up this story. Tightened the narrative to make the plot smoother, and caught all the modern words and phrases as well as grammar and spelling mistakes. There were the bones of an interesting story here but as it’s presented Malevolence seems like an unedited first draft that wasn’t meant to be shared with audiences just yet.
Perhaps the author is better suited to a different genre of dark romance. She has several other published works that could be better written than this book. A second chance might be in order in the future but for now this has been a sour introduction to Smauggy as a writer.
This book was in desperate need of an editor if only to catch all the anachronisms that are constantly appearing. The book begins with a note from the author declaring that the story is set “during a medieval time period” which means that the reader can expect a certain amount of the setting and story to be framed in a way that reflects that specific time period. Obviously Malevolence is a fantasy novel so there is a certain amount of leeway when it comes to the technology existing in their world. The presence of magic can smooth over plenty of things that otherwise couldn’t exist. If the magic was explained with any detail at all. Instead characters are zipping up their pants and taking showers, and mentioning other things that don’t match the setting such as cement, which breaks immersion because realistically a medieval setting would call for laced pants, bathing in tubs, and stone floors. They don’t completely derail the narrative but it definitely gave pause.
Continuing with the lack of immersion is the fact that the world was not built at all, and anything that was said about world building amounted to the fortitude of a house of cards. A fantasy setting calls for a good bit of worldbuilding seeing as it’s a world different from everyday reality. “A world of fairies, elves, shapeshifters and magic” according to the author. These things are very distinctly unlike anything we have in the current day, meaning it needs a bit of explanation for the reader to fully understand the characters as they’re shaped by the world around them.
The main focus of the story comes down to the conflict between shifters and basically every other type of person that exists in their world. How big is the world? Who knows. Despite there being multiple scenes of battle plans and traveling between kingdoms there’s no telling how big or small their world is. It could take days or weeks to travel places in a medieval setting. In world, their main source of transportation is horses or their bodies when it comes to the shifters, and yet they seem to simply appear in places with very little thought given to how far they had to travel, which is a big aspect of war plans given that traveling takes energy. It wouldn’t have been a bother if the author glossed over these things if the scenes of travel were skipped entirely but there are several mentions of characters traveling but they could have been moving for a few hours or a few days.
And even if the kingdoms’ distance from the shifters’ realm isn’t mentioned it seems odd that the size of each kingdom was never brought up. Realistically war costs a lot of life and suspension of disbelief will make it easy to imagine that the shifters never seem to deplete their numbers despite being a small population, but the amount of soldiers in each kingdom is hardly mentioned. There is a mention of a night’s watch being around 40 men which is pitiful considering they’re meant to be guarding an entire kingdom which would mean that the kingdom itself is either very small or it’s standing military is all but nonexistent which makes them seem like less of an imposing threat to the shifters.
Another bit of worldbuilding that felt odd is that the cultures between the different races were never fleshed out. Phaedra did not seem to have any sense of culture shock when she was taken to the shifter kingdom. Ignoring all the trauma she was going through at the time, it was definitely a missed opportunity that she didn’t even have a passing thought about if they dressed differently or if the wedding traditions differed from those of her home. Weddings are significant events in most cultures that practice such unions and it was definitely a shame that it was skipped over in a rush to get to the wedding night. Especially considering the elusive “gods” that are frequently mentioned as an expletive or in vague passing, yet are never touched on in any significant way. Weddings are sometimes religious ceremonies and if there was a cultural difference between fairies and shifters as is expected it would’ve been an interesting plot point for Phaedra to consider herself unwed despite having a wedding because her gods and traditions different from those of the shifters and as such she doesn’t recognize her marriage to Malachi and Xander as binding.
Names are also a very simple piece of worldbuilding. Different cultures have different naming conventions. Spelling and how common certain names are become an easy way to tell different cultures apart even when using the same alphabet. Obviously everyone seems to be speaking the same language in the Malevolence universe whether it’s meant to be English or a common tongue native to their world doesn’t matter. A uniform language can still have different spelling like the UK versus American use of the letter “u” in certain words, or common turns of phrase like the stereotypical Canadian “eh” versus the Australian “oi.” But all of the characters’ names seem to have no cultural rhyme or reason. Phaedra and Xander both have Greek names while Malachi has a Hebrew name. And Phaedra has sisters called Irene and Iliana which are also Greek but then one of her sisters is called Ines which is a distinctly Spanish name.
It’s also strange that siblings between all cultures seem to have names beginning with the same letter. It’s never explained in-story but it’s such a glaring piece of the world that you’d think it would be mentioned. Originally it seemed as though Phaedra’s sisters all had names beginning with “I” to show how interchangeable they were in regards to being married off to strengthen their father’s kingdom. That made sense. But then Malachi’s siblings are called Misha and Malik, and Xander’s family has Xavier and Xyla. It serves no purpose except to add confusion to the flashbacks. Malachi is called Mal and his brother’s name is Malik. It can be easily misread. Same as Xander and Xavier.
In regards to the actual story the plot wasn’t particularly interesting and the book certainly overstayed its welcome. This book is over 700 pages and it was needlessly bloated with constant flashbacks. According to the author “because of the historical context of this story, there are several flashbacks. In this story, understanding the present requires a look into the past.” This isn’t necessarily true. A better writer could artfully add in pieces of the past through worldbuilding and dialogue rather than constant departures from the narrative to flashback decades to the main characters’ childhoods. It makes the pacing of the book choppy and erratic rather than adding context to certain events. Most if not all of the flashbacks could’ve been cut or turned into a few lines in the characters’ inner monologues and the same effect would’ve been conveyed in less words without halting the story.
The overall plot is rather bland considering it is a fantasy story set during a war and written in third person. The story head hops between whatever character the author wants us to follow between paragraphs with no real rhyme or reason. For example, the author will write Phaedra watching Xander leave the room and immediately cut to Xander’s perspective in the next paragraph rather than allowing the chapter to close on Phaedra’s perspective. It’s a strange way of shifting points of view that comes across as messy rather than deliberate. And there are entirely too many perspectives without naming who is the titular character at the time.
The narrative will jump between Phaedra, Malachi, and Xander which is understandable as they’re the three main characters. But as more characters are added to the narrative the author will jump up their perspectives as side characters rather than continuing with the three rotating main characters’ perspectives. It completely ruins the last 25% or so of the book when a character is suddenly introduced and given a large role to play in the plot when the story is supposed to be coming to a close. Cassiel’s perspective is the strangest addition to the story and ruins the pacing of the third act.
The third act of the story is based around the attack of the Illundiel Kingdom, but most of it goes unseen. The author seems to favor dialogue over anything else and as such the huge battle that is meant to be taking place is ignored in favor of the characters talking to each other. Phaedra is literally set on fire and there is less description of that than there is dialogue between her and her captors and her and Cassiel when he arrives.
Most of the book is a dialogue which would explain the lack of worldbuilding. Phaedra never explores her surroundings and describes seeing paintings or tapestries in the halls of the castle, or strange flowers that are different from the garden of her home when she’s outside. The only plant that is described after the fairie that supposedly loves flowers and her garden leaves home is the Eukal plant that acts as a contraceptive in their world. It’s an interesting detail and I wish the author had taken the time to add more things like it to the narrative.
Overall the entire plot seems to be scenes the author was very excited to write strung together with uninteresting filler that could have easily been cut or tightened up to shrink the word count. This story could have easily been around 300 pages if an editor was employed to trim the fat of the story and keep the story moving at a smooth pace. Most of the story was focused on the shock value scenes. Anything involving violence was highlighted with a few cute scenes with children thrown in to lighten the mood of the story. Of course, this was advertised as a dark romance and I was expecting violence and dubious consent from the start. It delivered on that front but the story was empty aside from that.
The empty world and uninteresting plot could be overlooked if the characters that are constantly talking were compelling, but unfortunately they all seem to be one note with the personality depth of a puddle. Phaedra is compassionate and sympathetic. Malachi is pragmatic. Xander is unhinged and traumatized. Until suddenly they aren’t.
Phaedra does a massive 180 with her character development and suddenly attacks and kills one of her many sisters which jumpstarts the third act. The issue is that while the scene was certainly cathartic it was completely out of character for Phaedra. She isn’t one to dwell on the bad and live in the past and she is written as desperately wanting to see the best in even the worst people. And yet more taunting from her sister is the straw that breaks the camel’s back after assumedly decades of learning how to deal with their petty remarks. It would’ve been more in character for Phaedra to smack her around but going as far as to kill her completely broke her character. No amount of Phaedra thinking about how much she wanted to “cuss someone out” (another anachronism) without actually acting on the urge or laying hands on anyone could’ve led to her violently attacking her sister. Yes, she was emotionally exhausted and pushed to the brink but her mental break resulting in her sister’s death instead of just heavy injury made no sense. The outcome could’ve been the same regardless of if Ines was killed or severely injured considering Phaedra still attacked the Queen. That is treason and she could’ve been killed for it without the overly sympathetic and pacifistic character switching on a dime murdering someone.
Xander and Malachi also have a quick switch in their personalities. Malevolence is a dark romance and it’s expected and even forewarned in the author’s not that things will be getting extreme in the narrative. The constant assault that they commit against Phaedra is part and parcel for the dark romance sub genre. But it isn’t romance to start. They aren’t coming from a place of love. Xander even states that he hates Phaedra at some point. The first third or so of the book is the male main characters lusting after a woman that they objectively hate because no one else in the narrative seems to be plus-sized and Phaedra is the only woman that fits their type. She’s the only fat girl for miles and they must have her, the fact that she’s a fairie princess only makes it more enticing for them. It’s taboo and terrible and they’re literally torturing her whenever they’re in bed together. But it’s only after several instances of her not consenting to the sex and violence that they realize what they’re doing is bad and suddenly they ask for her consent and start calling her their mate and saying they love her. All it took was her crying and breaking down for the umpteenth time and they completely switched their personalities.
Everyone else is just as one note as the main characters. Pokuaa is a feminist that won’t accept anything less than she deserves and calls out men for their misogyny. Is this feminist conviction common for shifters or their world? It’s never explained. Ria is nice and loves her children. Tindry is callous and loyal to her kingdom. The same as Yari. The same as Junt. Phaedra’s sisters are all interchangeable, conceited and cruel. The elves that are randomly shoved into the end of the book have no personality aside from Cassiel who assimilates to Phaedra’s kind and sympathetic personality. They added nothing to the story and the twist of Xander and Cassiel being half brothers was a pointless adage that was brought up and resolved far too quickly. The jump from wanting to kill Cassiel to Xander accepting him as family happened within about 20 pages. The entire third act was just a rushed mess of revelations that could’ve been better fleshed out throughout the story if the rest of the narrative wasn’t choked with flashbacks.
Overall Malevolence was a messy story from start to finish with the author ending out the story declaring that anything that seemed like a loose thread or dropped storyline was due to the interconnectivity of her stories and would be resolved in later books despite Malevolence being advertised as a stand-alone novel. The world wasn’t developed, the characters were one note, and the story was bloated beyond belief. This read like a first draft where every idea the author had was thrown in and never fully fitted to make a cohesive story. The writing style is a bit juvenile and relied heavily on dialogue where characters hardly had their own voice. All of the shifter men have the same crass way of speaking that would make it hard to determine who was speaking without dialogue tags, and half of the women all spoke with the same vain disregard for Phaedra. An editor would have cleaned up this story. Tightened the narrative to make the plot smoother, and caught all the modern words and phrases as well as grammar and spelling mistakes. There were the bones of an interesting story here but as it’s presented Malevolence seems like an unedited first draft that wasn’t meant to be shared with audiences just yet.
Perhaps the author is better suited to a different genre of dark romance. She has several other published works that could be better written than this book. A second chance might be in order in the future but for now this has been a sour introduction to Smauggy as a writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2022
Rarely do I give five stars, but this phenomenal book deserves that and more. Fair warning, it is not for the faint of heart. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride that frankly, I will recover from, but never forget. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I despised that the pages were turning because I know it would soon come to an end. I read this book in one day! The characters from the main to the secondary suck you in! You want to know why they are the way they are, what will happen to them next, etc. Smauggy does a wonderful job of fleshing that out for you when the story progresses. Great time and detail were taken with this book. The world building was unbelievable and will leave you wanting for me. The sexy times about blew up my computer, the blood and gore made me cringe, the hilarious and light scenes made me laugh out loud, and I loved every single minute of it. I'm hoping soon that I can read more about what happens with the secondary characters, especially Poukaa. It also leaves you wanting to more about the dark elves and what exactly did Phaedra's vision mean. I'm also thoroughly ecstatic to see a book about plus sized brown skin woman in fantasy. I don't get too many of those, so I tend to gobble them up. If you like your stories adventurous, the antitheses of conventional, and have strong disposition for what you may view as wrong, I would HIGHLY recommend this story.
July 20, 2021
I might have stayed up all night reading this
First of all, Bravo. I am blown away. I have tried so much to find a book like this and I never have. Spoiler free review if you want passion, dark themes, and dynamic characters it’s here for you. I wish I could forget this book just so I could read it again with fresh eyes. Please don’t stop writing with plus sized women because I’ve never felt so beautiful in my life. ❤️❤️
First of all, Bravo. I am blown away. I have tried so much to find a book like this and I never have. Spoiler free review if you want passion, dark themes, and dynamic characters it’s here for you. I wish I could forget this book just so I could read it again with fresh eyes. Please don’t stop writing with plus sized women because I’ve never felt so beautiful in my life. ❤️❤️
October 24, 2023
After taking a break from her, I'm finally jumping back into Smauggy's stories. I've been reading her works since she was on Wattpad. I had to pause on her because sis like to write...a lot. This book was no different at a whopping 727 pages. Thank God it's a standalone.
What can I say, this book was a ride, a very wild, bloody, dark and chaotic ride. Malachi and Xander were absolutely unhinged. I understand tho. They were seeking revenge for the senseless genocide of their people, the shapeshifters at the hands of the fairies and elves. On their path of revenge they take Phaedra, a fairy princess and make her a spoil of war and force her to be their bride.
Here me when I say this book is dark. Warm and fuzzy it ain't. Mal and Xan aren't the villians in this tale but they damn well aren't heroes either. They take poor Phaedra through it in this book. Including murdering her family in front of her GOT style. They also murder her best friend Archie when he helps her escape the first time. Their road to happiness isn't easy or quick. You'll find yourself conflicted a lot in this book. Especially on if you like the guys or not.
On to Phaedra, what can I say. I thought she was just ok as a MFC. Personally I didn't find Phaedra remarkable in any way shape of form. The reason being is because she had traits I personally don't like in my lead characters especially the women. She was naive as hell, she was a pacifist, wayy too tender hearted and lacked a backbone. I felt for Phaedra a lot in this book because sis was going through it. She was traumatized as hell. However she also frustrated me a lot in this book. I was waiting for her to explode and unleash on everybody. I wanted her to have her Beatrix Kiddo moment and it never happened. We got a brief glimpse of it when she killed Ines but after that nothing. She was really upset when the guys murdered her family. Even went as far as to plead for her stepmother and remaining sister's life. Mind you her family treated her like shit. Her stepmother and half sisters hated her. They were colorist and fatphobic. Yet she was pleading for their lives while knowing if the roles were reversed, they'd watch her die gleefully. She was so unserious the majority of the book. She took too long to start fighting back and gaining control of her life. I also felt as though she was a passenger in her own life with everything that was happening to her.
I didn't hate her or even dislike her. I just felt like she was underwhelming as a lead. I wanted more from her and got nothing. What I did like about her was the fact that she was a dark skinned BBW black woman who was also a fairy princess and had two men absolutely obsessed with her. That's it. That's all.
This book wasn't perfect, the random bold printed words got annoying to see and I felt as though the back half of the book was rushed. However, I really enjoyed this book. Smauggy has a way of weaving tales and engrossing you in the story. I love dark romance, poly romance, fantasy and paranormal. The fact that the author gave us a dark fantasy romance with all of these things was great to see. Black women aren't often in fantasy stories and definitely not as the lead. I love that Smauggy, a black woman decided that if nobody was going to fill that gap. She would. The fact that she writes genre's black women aren't included in is what I enjoy most about her work.
I'm pretty positive that Pokuaa will get a book with the elves sometime in the future. Best believe when it drops I will be reading.
What can I say, this book was a ride, a very wild, bloody, dark and chaotic ride. Malachi and Xander were absolutely unhinged. I understand tho. They were seeking revenge for the senseless genocide of their people, the shapeshifters at the hands of the fairies and elves. On their path of revenge they take Phaedra, a fairy princess and make her a spoil of war and force her to be their bride.
Here me when I say this book is dark. Warm and fuzzy it ain't. Mal and Xan aren't the villians in this tale but they damn well aren't heroes either. They take poor Phaedra through it in this book. Including murdering her family in front of her GOT style. They also murder her best friend Archie when he helps her escape the first time. Their road to happiness isn't easy or quick. You'll find yourself conflicted a lot in this book. Especially on if you like the guys or not.
On to Phaedra, what can I say. I thought she was just ok as a MFC. Personally I didn't find Phaedra remarkable in any way shape of form. The reason being is because she had traits I personally don't like in my lead characters especially the women. She was naive as hell, she was a pacifist, wayy too tender hearted and lacked a backbone. I felt for Phaedra a lot in this book because sis was going through it. She was traumatized as hell. However she also frustrated me a lot in this book. I was waiting for her to explode and unleash on everybody. I wanted her to have her Beatrix Kiddo moment and it never happened. We got a brief glimpse of it when she killed Ines but after that nothing. She was really upset when the guys murdered her family. Even went as far as to plead for her stepmother and remaining sister's life. Mind you her family treated her like shit. Her stepmother and half sisters hated her. They were colorist and fatphobic. Yet she was pleading for their lives while knowing if the roles were reversed, they'd watch her die gleefully. She was so unserious the majority of the book. She took too long to start fighting back and gaining control of her life. I also felt as though she was a passenger in her own life with everything that was happening to her.
I didn't hate her or even dislike her. I just felt like she was underwhelming as a lead. I wanted more from her and got nothing. What I did like about her was the fact that she was a dark skinned BBW black woman who was also a fairy princess and had two men absolutely obsessed with her. That's it. That's all.
This book wasn't perfect, the random bold printed words got annoying to see and I felt as though the back half of the book was rushed. However, I really enjoyed this book. Smauggy has a way of weaving tales and engrossing you in the story. I love dark romance, poly romance, fantasy and paranormal. The fact that the author gave us a dark fantasy romance with all of these things was great to see. Black women aren't often in fantasy stories and definitely not as the lead. I love that Smauggy, a black woman decided that if nobody was going to fill that gap. She would. The fact that she writes genre's black women aren't included in is what I enjoy most about her work.
I'm pretty positive that Pokuaa will get a book with the elves sometime in the future. Best believe when it drops I will be reading.
November 28, 2022
Summary: Phaedra is as close to 'Cinderella' as it gets. With a step mom and step sisters that despise her for absolutely no reason. She stays to herself in the gardens with her companion (spirite) Fiona. Despite her unwelcoming family, her father has always made sure she was happy to his best ability. A huge castle with everything she needs Phaedra makes do. Phaedra is a fairy as is the rest of her family. But when a group of shapeshifters show up to court one of her sisters, in the end their meeting is only occurring with revenge in mind.
WOW. This was my first time reading a dark fantasy romance and I loved it. These characters went through so much together and were VERY well developed. Although a lot of the growth happened 40% and on into the book I was happy to see both Xander and Malachi dig deep into their past trauma's and learn to be better people. This is a reverse harem and the dynamic between the three of them was pretty complex. Given the way they were married to begin with. Phaedra was such a strong MC, at times she frustrated me because her family was so terrible to her and I wanted her to stand up to them a lot more.. But when it came to Xander and Mal She spoke up when least expected to. And fought her way out even though they'd always find her lol. It was refreshing to see her battle with her emotions towards them and recant all of the hate she had towards them. But as time went on and emotions were at an all time high, pasts were revealed and with heavy politics between the fairies, Elves, and shapeshifters. Everything she thought she knew wasn't 100% accurate. But with open ears she was willing to see every version of the truth to pull the wool from over her eyes.
The sex scenes were great, the politics were interesting, the brokenness between the three of them was heart wrenching. I Definitely wish it was a series because I miss them already.
WOW. This was my first time reading a dark fantasy romance and I loved it. These characters went through so much together and were VERY well developed. Although a lot of the growth happened 40% and on into the book I was happy to see both Xander and Malachi dig deep into their past trauma's and learn to be better people. This is a reverse harem and the dynamic between the three of them was pretty complex. Given the way they were married to begin with. Phaedra was such a strong MC, at times she frustrated me because her family was so terrible to her and I wanted her to stand up to them a lot more.. But when it came to Xander and Mal She spoke up when least expected to. And fought her way out even though they'd always find her lol. It was refreshing to see her battle with her emotions towards them and recant all of the hate she had towards them. But as time went on and emotions were at an all time high, pasts were revealed and with heavy politics between the fairies, Elves, and shapeshifters. Everything she thought she knew wasn't 100% accurate. But with open ears she was willing to see every version of the truth to pull the wool from over her eyes.
The sex scenes were great, the politics were interesting, the brokenness between the three of them was heart wrenching. I Definitely wish it was a series because I miss them already.
November 28, 2022
4.5 🔪😍🔥
I really enjoyed this story; I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Check CW
Trope: enemy to lover, MFM, fantasy Romance, violence
Enjoyment: 5⭐
Character development: 4⭐
Romance: 3⭐
Heat\steam: 4⭐
Intrigue: 5⭐
Story\plot: 4⭐
World Building: 4⭐
Enjoy!!!
I really enjoyed this story; I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Check CW
Trope: enemy to lover, MFM, fantasy Romance, violence
Enjoyment: 5⭐
Character development: 4⭐
Romance: 3⭐
Heat\steam: 4⭐
Intrigue: 5⭐
Story\plot: 4⭐
World Building: 4⭐
Enjoy!!!
February 17, 2022
I’m happy I joined Smauggy’s Universe
I’m happy that I came across this author Smauggy. Malevolence was well executed,I laughed, I cried and I shouted victory at the end. This book was captivating from the beginning to the end.
Malevolence might be my first book from Smauggy Universe but it definitely wouldn’t be my last. Kudos !!
I’m happy that I came across this author Smauggy. Malevolence was well executed,I laughed, I cried and I shouted victory at the end. This book was captivating from the beginning to the end.
Malevolence might be my first book from Smauggy Universe but it definitely wouldn’t be my last. Kudos !!
September 19, 2021
Good but not great
This book could of been great there was some inconsistency in it that I couldn't give it 5 stars one it's supposed to be a medieval book but we have slang for the 20th century I know our heroin is a BBW but in describing her it's always pointed out first, big thighs big boobs ECT you see it alot in the love scene my take is we know she's BBW no need to point it out every few verses. Xander was inconsistent to me he read more like a bipolar man he had his moments but I'm more interested in the elves than him all in all a good job but a closer look at details is needed less 20th century jargon and editing needs to take place
This book could of been great there was some inconsistency in it that I couldn't give it 5 stars one it's supposed to be a medieval book but we have slang for the 20th century I know our heroin is a BBW but in describing her it's always pointed out first, big thighs big boobs ECT you see it alot in the love scene my take is we know she's BBW no need to point it out every few verses. Xander was inconsistent to me he read more like a bipolar man he had his moments but I'm more interested in the elves than him all in all a good job but a closer look at details is needed less 20th century jargon and editing needs to take place
July 29, 2024
**Small Spoiler** This book was a marathon not a race. Sometimes it seemed like the author was racing against themselves to push out as much content as possible. Although it was decent, I think there were many areas of improvement. Typically, you expect highs and lows in your readings. In this reading, you climbed up the hill and realized you were a high ass, terrifying plateau with little to no safety measures in place. Think Angel's Landing Hike in Utah. Some of the set ups and scenes were too rushed, let me give you an example: Ria told the FMC that she had the power between her legs. She could control what info, etc. they share just by being submissive and tactical with her questions. FMC didn't even try to ease her way into that. Give it a week or so of being sweet. NO. She went right to it the first time. OBVIOUSLY, he's going to see through your scheme. This of course came on the heels of some other punishment she'd endured. Either way, it would have been nice for her to have a win or two before she got kidnapped... again.
Outside of the constant highs, I had a small annoyance with: the stutters (because I'm sick of it. Get it together.), sentences that started with As he... or As she... (at one point they were on every page at least thrice), and the flashbacks during the final battle (because with the length of the book, we could've gotten this information before now). When you experience the reading, you'll know what I mean.
Although I am not likely to read more works by this author. I think, with a good team, they're likely to continuously improve. Especially where it comes to contemporary slip-ups in period pieces such as this. This reading even taught me something about myself: I like long books. With all of the many emotions I felt, I do think it was worth the read.
Outside of the constant highs, I had a small annoyance with: the stutters (because I'm sick of it. Get it together.), sentences that started with As he... or As she... (at one point they were on every page at least thrice), and the flashbacks during the final battle (because with the length of the book, we could've gotten this information before now). When you experience the reading, you'll know what I mean.
Although I am not likely to read more works by this author. I think, with a good team, they're likely to continuously improve. Especially where it comes to contemporary slip-ups in period pieces such as this. This reading even taught me something about myself: I like long books. With all of the many emotions I felt, I do think it was worth the read.
January 18, 2024
5 bright shining stars!
And two thumbs waaaaay, way up. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and when I started, I will admit that I was tempted to quit. But I stuck it out because the other reviews said it would be worth it. And boy, was it worth it! This was a roller coaster from start to finish. At first, you will be frustrated with the FMC, Phaedra, but the author had a beautiful way of showing how she was able to gain her own agency, and empower herself through her kind and sweet nature. So often authors will change a character to become a “badass” and I love the way the author allowed Phaedra to become the hero by being herself. The only real hero in the story is Phaedra. Pay attention to the trigger warnings because it does get a bit heavy. A lot heavy. So heavy, in fact, that it toes the line of gratuitousness. But the author did a great job of letting it TOE the line, and Allowing the trauma that all of the characters have suffered paint the picture of how prejudice breeds hatred breeds violence breeds war, and how there are no winners in a war.
If you can’t tell, I absolutely adored this book. The characters are well written, the plot was plotting, and I’d give it 5 chili peppers on the chili pepper meter. To sum it all up, this is dark Romance Dunwright. And I’ll recommend it to everyone who loves dark romance, a dark skinned heroine, a larger bodied heroine, enemies to lovers, star crossed lovers, or honestly just a really good story.
And two thumbs waaaaay, way up. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and when I started, I will admit that I was tempted to quit. But I stuck it out because the other reviews said it would be worth it. And boy, was it worth it! This was a roller coaster from start to finish. At first, you will be frustrated with the FMC, Phaedra, but the author had a beautiful way of showing how she was able to gain her own agency, and empower herself through her kind and sweet nature. So often authors will change a character to become a “badass” and I love the way the author allowed Phaedra to become the hero by being herself. The only real hero in the story is Phaedra. Pay attention to the trigger warnings because it does get a bit heavy. A lot heavy. So heavy, in fact, that it toes the line of gratuitousness. But the author did a great job of letting it TOE the line, and Allowing the trauma that all of the characters have suffered paint the picture of how prejudice breeds hatred breeds violence breeds war, and how there are no winners in a war.
If you can’t tell, I absolutely adored this book. The characters are well written, the plot was plotting, and I’d give it 5 chili peppers on the chili pepper meter. To sum it all up, this is dark Romance Dunwright. And I’ll recommend it to everyone who loves dark romance, a dark skinned heroine, a larger bodied heroine, enemies to lovers, star crossed lovers, or honestly just a really good story.
June 3, 2023
This book was GREAT. I was entertained and engaged the whole time. I gasped, I cried, I laughed, I exclaimed… there were moments when I was even snapping my fingers! I’d recommend this book, but obviously read the content warnings first as it’s a dark romance.
Phaedra was a self-righteous MC and while that got on my nerves at times, it made sense for her role in the story. She had to be that pure and good and kind for the story’s development and for her own character arc. Overall, she is super resilient considering all she went through, and ends up being very admirable.
The plot twists and connections throughout were really well-done. They made sense once they became evident while still having the elements of surprise.
——
The reasons I didn’t give this 5 stars:
1. It probably would’ve benefited from a sensitivity read:
- There was a transphobic joke in the epilogue that left a bad taste in my mouth.
- Phaedra is a plus-size MC, but her characterization makes it feel like she was written by someone who’s not. Which is fine ig, but she does fall into certain stereotypes that probably could’ve been handled with more care.
2. This probably could’ve been divided into two books to build out some of the lore. (However, it was still super well done and the world was understandable!)
Phaedra was a self-righteous MC and while that got on my nerves at times, it made sense for her role in the story. She had to be that pure and good and kind for the story’s development and for her own character arc. Overall, she is super resilient considering all she went through, and ends up being very admirable.
The plot twists and connections throughout were really well-done. They made sense once they became evident while still having the elements of surprise.
——
The reasons I didn’t give this 5 stars:
1. It probably would’ve benefited from a sensitivity read:
- There was a transphobic joke in the epilogue that left a bad taste in my mouth.
- Phaedra is a plus-size MC, but her characterization makes it feel like she was written by someone who’s not. Which is fine ig, but she does fall into certain stereotypes that probably could’ve been handled with more care.
2. This probably could’ve been divided into two books to build out some of the lore. (However, it was still super well done and the world was understandable!)
May 25, 2022
Just Wow
I was not expecting so an epic story. I think it’s the cover that throws my off and even the artistic one inside doesn’t quite prepare you for the world that is going to consume you. I can’t believe the roller coaster of emotions on almost every page. Im also a little disappointed this was a triad and not a true harem. This was such a gripping story and Smauggy refused to give me or the characters a break. I had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep. The heartache I endured reading this book. I haven’t cried over a story in a while. I’m also confused why people don’t like third person, but anyways. I enjoyed getting the story from all the different perspectives because it just flowed so much better to me. I didn’t have to wait to know what anyone what thinking or feeling. The reviews for this author are so mixed that I definitely feel like I need to give more of her work a go before I become completely obsessed but I’m on that track.
I was not expecting so an epic story. I think it’s the cover that throws my off and even the artistic one inside doesn’t quite prepare you for the world that is going to consume you. I can’t believe the roller coaster of emotions on almost every page. Im also a little disappointed this was a triad and not a true harem. This was such a gripping story and Smauggy refused to give me or the characters a break. I had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep. The heartache I endured reading this book. I haven’t cried over a story in a while. I’m also confused why people don’t like third person, but anyways. I enjoyed getting the story from all the different perspectives because it just flowed so much better to me. I didn’t have to wait to know what anyone what thinking or feeling. The reviews for this author are so mixed that I definitely feel like I need to give more of her work a go before I become completely obsessed but I’m on that track.
July 4, 2024
I liked the world that the author made with this book, as in the war between species and their individual societies. There were a few things that I didn't like though:
1. There was so much NC sex. I wished that she showcased more scenes that were consensual. I think I remember only one in the book.
2. The ending was too abrupt (even the epilogue was abrupt).
3. Considering the whole "make her our wife" was because they wanted to have half shifter/half fae kids that would be immune to fae magic....this story should have ended with a pregnancy. It's odd to me that it didn't. 🫤
4. Phaedra was incredibly annoying at times. I don't believe every heroine need to be a hardened badass, but please don't act stupid at least. The way she continuously defended and made excuses for her terrible, abusive family was ridiculous to me.
5. There were way too many flashbacks.
1. There was so much NC sex. I wished that she showcased more scenes that were consensual. I think I remember only one in the book.
2. The ending was too abrupt (even the epilogue was abrupt).
3. Considering the whole "make her our wife" was because they wanted to have half shifter/half fae kids that would be immune to fae magic....this story should have ended with a pregnancy. It's odd to me that it didn't. 🫤
4. Phaedra was incredibly annoying at times. I don't believe every heroine need to be a hardened badass, but please don't act stupid at least. The way she continuously defended and made excuses for her terrible, abusive family was ridiculous to me.
5. There were way too many flashbacks.
July 25, 2021
WOW!!!
I love this story, with the characters and storyline there's enough drama, intrigue, suspense and comedy to keep you thoroughly entertained till the end. Although I will admit that I didn't want this story to end. I hope in future books we definitely get more information on the dark elves, Daemon and the visions Phaedra had. It was very fascinating on all the hidden secrets and truths that were revealed. I really hope her remaining sisters and husbands don't listen and try to act up. They definitely need to be taught a valuable painful lesson. I'm excited for the next book from Smauggy. Highly recommend!!!
I love this story, with the characters and storyline there's enough drama, intrigue, suspense and comedy to keep you thoroughly entertained till the end. Although I will admit that I didn't want this story to end. I hope in future books we definitely get more information on the dark elves, Daemon and the visions Phaedra had. It was very fascinating on all the hidden secrets and truths that were revealed. I really hope her remaining sisters and husbands don't listen and try to act up. They definitely need to be taught a valuable painful lesson. I'm excited for the next book from Smauggy. Highly recommend!!!
August 18, 2021
First let me emphasize reading the CW beforehand! There is non-Conan descriptive scenes of fighting, blood, and gore.
What a wild ride! I was hooked from the first page and the first twist was a doozy! Loved the angst, loved the intrigue, and the battle scenes were everything!
Couple of dislikes:
Don’t mind IR but when it has a bully/enemies to lovers with black and white characters it definitely gives me pause.
Also, because MC Phaedra is BBW there are a lot of (I believe unnecessary) descriptions of her body that emphasizes her large size. Could definitely do without that but overall a great, intriguing story and I will read more from this author ❤️
What a wild ride! I was hooked from the first page and the first twist was a doozy! Loved the angst, loved the intrigue, and the battle scenes were everything!
Couple of dislikes:
Don’t mind IR but when it has a bully/enemies to lovers with black and white characters it definitely gives me pause.
Also, because MC Phaedra is BBW there are a lot of (I believe unnecessary) descriptions of her body that emphasizes her large size. Could definitely do without that but overall a great, intriguing story and I will read more from this author ❤️
August 22, 2021
Untruths
Phaedra was a faire princess living in her fathers kingdom. She had eight steps sisters and step mother and all of them hated her except one. Lord Malachi (lion shifter) & Lord Xander (bear shifter) were invited to the kingdom to choose a bride from the sisters. Things didn't go down as Phaedra's father had hoped. All were killed except a few, Phaedra found herself kidnapped. The history of the land had shifters, elves and fairies at war. The truth of the war was never told or known until Phaedra investigated it. Through heart ship and humiliation, the truth was found.
Phaedra was a faire princess living in her fathers kingdom. She had eight steps sisters and step mother and all of them hated her except one. Lord Malachi (lion shifter) & Lord Xander (bear shifter) were invited to the kingdom to choose a bride from the sisters. Things didn't go down as Phaedra's father had hoped. All were killed except a few, Phaedra found herself kidnapped. The history of the land had shifters, elves and fairies at war. The truth of the war was never told or known until Phaedra investigated it. Through heart ship and humiliation, the truth was found.
June 6, 2022
Massive Triggers
I wondered why there were warnings in the beginning of this book. After reading i fully understand and appreciate the warning.
I don't want to give anything away so I'll try to keep things generic. The plot begins like most stories with a severely disliked daughter but kicks it up a notch and goes way left. The males of the story are villians/heroes ( take your pick) with flawed characters.
If you are into sex scenes you will enjoy these immensely with few triggers. Things took unexpected turns and ended in a surprising way. If you like fantasy, dark romance, harem stories then give this book and author a chance.
I wondered why there were warnings in the beginning of this book. After reading i fully understand and appreciate the warning.
I don't want to give anything away so I'll try to keep things generic. The plot begins like most stories with a severely disliked daughter but kicks it up a notch and goes way left. The males of the story are villians/heroes ( take your pick) with flawed characters.
If you are into sex scenes you will enjoy these immensely with few triggers. Things took unexpected turns and ended in a surprising way. If you like fantasy, dark romance, harem stories then give this book and author a chance.
May 17, 2025
This book was so much more than it as described. This was full of depth and story that had me really connected to the characters. I was not expecting to like the characters as much as I did outside of the spicy scenes, but they were all developed and multi-layered.
The spicy was immaculate though, but the story and characters is what kept me devouring this book in one day. They were all flawed but they learned from each other and we also understood why they were that way.
Check your trigger warnings! But If you are in the mood for a Black plus size women to be loved out out with a side of obsessive but traumatized male leads this is the story for you!
The spicy was immaculate though, but the story and characters is what kept me devouring this book in one day. They were all flawed but they learned from each other and we also understood why they were that way.
Check your trigger warnings! But If you are in the mood for a Black plus size women to be loved out out with a side of obsessive but traumatized male leads this is the story for you!
August 9, 2021
Love it 🥰
This book is all about just being different can get you killed and how the past Will just keep repeating itself because people refuse to change with every generation yeah but there’s always a certain few that will fight the good fight to live their truth in spite of what they look like spite of where they come from and fight to live free there is so much going on in this book that I can’t get through it all so I will just say get the book enjoy it and pass it on to someone else
This book is all about just being different can get you killed and how the past Will just keep repeating itself because people refuse to change with every generation yeah but there’s always a certain few that will fight the good fight to live their truth in spite of what they look like spite of where they come from and fight to live free there is so much going on in this book that I can’t get through it all so I will just say get the book enjoy it and pass it on to someone else
December 13, 2022
From the beginning to the end
I couldn't put this book down. This book had my emotions all over the place. I cried, laughed, got mad, frustrated, and annoyed. Phaedra was so iratingly nice and sweet. She was too damn forgiving towards those trifling as heathen sisters of hers. I cried everytime someone treated her so badly and she did nothing to deserve and of it. Xander and Malachi was hot and cold and treated her bad but better than her so called sisters. I happy the she finally found love, and acceptance that she deserved. Hopefully there's more to this story.
I couldn't put this book down. This book had my emotions all over the place. I cried, laughed, got mad, frustrated, and annoyed. Phaedra was so iratingly nice and sweet. She was too damn forgiving towards those trifling as heathen sisters of hers. I cried everytime someone treated her so badly and she did nothing to deserve and of it. Xander and Malachi was hot and cold and treated her bad but better than her so called sisters. I happy the she finally found love, and acceptance that she deserved. Hopefully there's more to this story.
December 31, 2022
Basically the plot was really good however it is a dead dove situation majority of the story’s smut is dubcon/noncon which there was a trigger warning for. I personally didn’t see a consensual encounter until the last few pages of the book. While this does not take away from the amazing storyline it was kind of hard to envision the fmc falling for the mmcs after multiple SA occurring with hardly any time to process the experiences. Like I said previously the book was great however if like to see more development in their relationship in between the assaults and the proclaim of love.
January 24, 2023
Good book but...
I genuinely enjoyed the book after quite a few chapters. I mean I couldn't put it down once I got roughly 60- 75% of the way through and then from there my adhd brain took over... the issue for me is the style of describing phae. To say it was a cringy eyeroll moment every single time after the first several times you hear about Phaes voluptuous thighs, is an understatement. The writing style took some getting used to with all of the POVs, but it's not hard to follow. I think overall this book could've used one more set of eyes, definitely for that ending.
I genuinely enjoyed the book after quite a few chapters. I mean I couldn't put it down once I got roughly 60- 75% of the way through and then from there my adhd brain took over... the issue for me is the style of describing phae. To say it was a cringy eyeroll moment every single time after the first several times you hear about Phaes voluptuous thighs, is an understatement. The writing style took some getting used to with all of the POVs, but it's not hard to follow. I think overall this book could've used one more set of eyes, definitely for that ending.
June 23, 2023
pheeeewwww
It was a really good I loved it so much it was such a good book at times it did make my stomach want to churn and I wanted to throw up. I’ve read lots of dark romances, but this is the first book that truly was like almost had a breaking point for me but nonetheless it was good. I loved it. I love her books. I’ll continue to keep reading her books it’s just a joy and wonder to read her
books you literally go through seven stages of grief you’re reading her books. I love it
It was a really good I loved it so much it was such a good book at times it did make my stomach want to churn and I wanted to throw up. I’ve read lots of dark romances, but this is the first book that truly was like almost had a breaking point for me but nonetheless it was good. I loved it. I love her books. I’ll continue to keep reading her books it’s just a joy and wonder to read her
books you literally go through seven stages of grief you’re reading her books. I love it
June 8, 2024
why did I read this book?
I really did not like this book and I know for sure that I will not be reading anymore books by this author. It wasn’t a romance book it was all sex until the last 20% when the author tries to put a bow tie on it. Yes we realized we abused you, treated you like crap but it was our trauma now we love you the end…also the FMC was plus sized and this author just kept emphasizing how big she was, words like large, wide, big and pump were frequently used several times in each chapter.
If you didn’t like her why should we?
I really did not like this book and I know for sure that I will not be reading anymore books by this author. It wasn’t a romance book it was all sex until the last 20% when the author tries to put a bow tie on it. Yes we realized we abused you, treated you like crap but it was our trauma now we love you the end…also the FMC was plus sized and this author just kept emphasizing how big she was, words like large, wide, big and pump were frequently used several times in each chapter.
If you didn’t like her why should we?
July 24, 2021
Sex, Lies, and a lifetime of pain and memories
Amazing read. Fairies, Shifters, Elves and a whole lifetime of secrets, prejudices, twists, turns, and surprises.
Read the synopsis, then let the snippet go and read for yourself, there’s so much more in between these pages.
Who will survive to live in redemption and who will sacrifice themselves for their people? I can’t tell you, find out for yourself.
Amazing read. Fairies, Shifters, Elves and a whole lifetime of secrets, prejudices, twists, turns, and surprises.
Read the synopsis, then let the snippet go and read for yourself, there’s so much more in between these pages.
Who will survive to live in redemption and who will sacrifice themselves for their people? I can’t tell you, find out for yourself.
August 17, 2021
Wow
I’m am speechless I don’t know where to start all I can say this must be read . I read books go be brought into different worlds to be question my perspective to be challenged to understand to see a different view this book did everything it literally took me away and at the same time as a women of color could relate . The mind to creat this is just phenomenal some people are truly gifted and you miss smauggy is just that a must read .
I’m am speechless I don’t know where to start all I can say this must be read . I read books go be brought into different worlds to be question my perspective to be challenged to understand to see a different view this book did everything it literally took me away and at the same time as a women of color could relate . The mind to creat this is just phenomenal some people are truly gifted and you miss smauggy is just that a must read .
December 24, 2021
Good read!
Although the story had some modern references, the story line kept me interested. I was cheering for all of the main characters, while hoping all the shifters lived. This was very good.
I am hoping you write the story on who Poukaa will choose, even though we know that she likes Deamon, that love story would be great! Knowing that he does not talk much. The twist and turns that story would be!
Just think on it! 😄😉
Although the story had some modern references, the story line kept me interested. I was cheering for all of the main characters, while hoping all the shifters lived. This was very good.
I am hoping you write the story on who Poukaa will choose, even though we know that she likes Deamon, that love story would be great! Knowing that he does not talk much. The twist and turns that story would be!
Just think on it! 😄😉
June 12, 2022
One of my favourite authors for a reason!
Smauggy is easily one of my favourite reverse harem authors for a reason! I just love her writing style, her sense of humour and her ability to create conflict within the reader. I read this back when it was on Wattpad but I had to buy the book so I could read it again and re-reading books is something that I actually don’t even like to do. I love me a dark romance 😍
Smauggy is easily one of my favourite reverse harem authors for a reason! I just love her writing style, her sense of humour and her ability to create conflict within the reader. I read this back when it was on Wattpad but I had to buy the book so I could read it again and re-reading books is something that I actually don’t even like to do. I love me a dark romance 😍
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