Category: Book Reviews

Academy of Villains by Ever King

Thanks to Net Galley and Ever King for this ARC! All thoughts and views expressed are my own!

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I had high hopes going into this book I love Greek myths and assassin mcs which can sometimes make it harder for a book to impress me but

I loved this one!

We have a dark academia world full of little Greek myth details interwoven into a background of power and secret societies and I was captivated.

A dual POV of Kiera and Lucian sweeps us into a world that is similarly split between mundanes and mages, rich and poor, oblivious and oppressed. Kiera’s detailed focus on the mission at the beginning soon expands into wonder as we see through her eyes the magic but also corruption of the world! I really really enjoyed Lucian’s interactions with the Raven Society – often the mcs are alone fighting a war they are unsupported in but Lucian has the support from his peers allowing him and Kiera to split of taking one part of the quest.

The celestial magic of Kiera was honestly my favourite part of the book. I love love love the backstory of how the witches were persecuted and how that magic that some mages wielded in a slightly altered form was also persecuted and in the end it was almost completely wiped out and with it Heartstrings. The idea of fated lovers/fated mates can be a really hard thing to integrate with a relationship because it takes away the choice but Ever King neatly avoided this by showing the Heartstring was potential not binding and it grew as they trusted each other more! I could keep gushing forever but I need to move onto the star ratings!

World – 4/5 – when it was marketed as throne of glass x harry potter with Greek myths I was expecting it to be a darker gritty retelling of the love story but instead the world completely surprised me with the freshness. There are little Greek myth elements but the world has also drawn inspiration from dark academia, witch/mage grimoires and the idea of a society where the upper class have no idea that the lower class is suffering. Any YA book which is set at a school seems to be compared to Harry Potter and I can see why but I would definitely say that in my opinion it leans more into the romantasy academia than that series or Throne of Glass.

Romance – Smokey Romance/Fade to Black – 4/5 stars – I often have to be convinced of enemies-to-lovers. It is a much loved trope and I get it and love it when done well (I think all of my greatest loved books which have this trope are closer to the rivals-> lovers, ignorance of different experiences-> love or forbidden love which is actually very close to this books romance!) At first I found Lucian enigmatic and it was difficult to get a feel for how he interacted with Kiera and what I thought of that!  Obviously she tried to kill him so that does put strain on the relationship at the beginning but I was convinced by the end that he was without a doubt a book boyfriend to add to the long list!  

Characters – 4/5 – I liked the characters a lot, we had the assassin mc (a favourite of mine), a royal love interest (another favourite of mine) but where this really stood out was that Lucian was supported by other peers that didn’t just exist to reflect his power back at him. Lucian was never presented as the most intelligent of the group or the clear overlord or the most powerful despite being the leader and I really enjoyed all of their interactions!

Plot – 3/5 – The plot seemed to become the romance by the end (I know it’s a romantasy) and we do get the final fight scene and the quest but I feel like there are a lot of loose threads that I cant wait to see be picked up in the next book like the orbs and Edmund shifting in his seat at the mention of heartstrings???

Content Warnings: Self Harm (on page, brief, no detail), Panic Attack, (on page, brief), death of parent.

I feel like I have barely stepped into this rich world and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Character Quotes!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

Todays prompt: Things Characters Have Said

As I was doing this I realised that I was going to end up with a stream of quotes all from the same books and authors (I have so many quotes I could keep going forever) so I tried to mix them up a bit but how could I not include my favourites?

1 – “This is the arena and here we live to die.” – Galdoni, Cheree Alsop

2 –  “Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.” – Powerless, Lauren Roberts.

3 – “When people say a knight’s job is all glory, I laugh and laugh and laugh. Often I can stop laughing before they edge away and talk about soothing drinks.” ― Tamora Pierce, Squire

This whole list could be full of Tamora’s quotes but I will settle for just one more!

4 –  “Threats are the last resort of a man with no vocabulary.”― Tamora Pierce, Lady Knight

5 – “No one is born a monster. But I wish some people were. It would make it easier to hate them, to kill them, to forget their dead faces.”― Victoria Aveyard, Glass Sword  

6- “The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain” – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

7 – “Flame and shadow. One cannot exist without the other.” – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

8 – “A lie will raise me up, and one day another lie will bring me down.”― Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

9 – “When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?”― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

10 – ““How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most vulnerable of people – girls, women – went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill.”― Kristin Cashore, Graceling.

Extra – I am currently reading Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard and finding myself highlighting every other quote so heres one of my favourites so far!

“And what kind of empire could rise from such a clash. With myself at its head, alone without equal. Without need for any other.” – Erika, Victoria Aveyard, Realm Breaker

I am adoring her character so far – I love when characters openly think about the injustices and prejudices that limit their actions and Erika’s understanding that everyone around her would move to support her male cousin or another heir if given the chance makes her a 5 star character for me!

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Galdoni by Cheree Alsop

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I just love this world – honestly this trilogy is one I never tire of. I reread it and reread it (sometimes back to back) and it always holds up. We have a dystopian America, perhaps a few hundred years ahead where scientists have genetically adapted test tube babies into winged humans.

Originally designed as military scouts, the Galdoni have too much of the animal need to survive to be successful to the governments plan. The Galdoni are taken by the Arena a gambling corporation focused on entertainment. Told they are fighting for their place in the afterlife and raised in a harsh training environment manned by guards with whips the Galdoni have no idea that their lives are bringing the American government and corporations millions.

However activists have pushed hard enough that the Galdoni have been released into society – including our main character KL426. Beaten up in an alley during the first chapter and left to die by angry gamblers who lost money on fights KL426 (later called Kale) is rescued by the children of a doctor.

In a family environment for the first time KL426 begins to reveal the true nature of the gambling facility and what they do to the Galdoni inside there. Society has been told they are no more than animals but as Kale interacts with the family and especially the eldest girl Brie it becomes clear that he and the rest of his race are just as human despite their horrific upbringing as the rest of the world.

And then the Arena starts hunting them down to begin the fights again.

Plot – 10000/5 – we have everything I want in dystopian in a deceptively simple plot and as the rest of the trilogy continues we get more and more depth on this world that ignores basic humanity in favour of profits (it’s a little close to the bone when I put it like that) but I would 100% recommend it.

World – 10000/5 – I love it! Winged Gladiators in a dystopian world that is still recognisable is something I didn’t know I needed but I absolutely do.

Characters – 5/5 – From Kale our mmc who we follow as he learns about the world outside the Arena to Brie and her little sister to the found family in the doctors children I love it so much.

Romance – Soft Romance – Brie and Kale are so sweet and they may be my favourite dystopian couple just for the humanity in their relationship. Brie has her own past but neither hers nor Kales interfere with their budding relationship.

Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Domestic Violence, Gladiatorial Battles, attempted Rape and assault, Suicide

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in Another Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

Todays prompt: Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it takes place you just know it’s not right now.)

1 – Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce (historical fantasy)

2 – Temanarie by Naomi Novik (historical)

3 – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (dystopian)

4 – Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory (dystopian)

5 – Changeling by Molly Harper (victorian/dystopian)

6 – Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okrafor-Mbachu (sci-fi alternate world)

7 – Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (alternate world)

8 – Galdoni by Cheree Alsop (dystopian)

9 – Roaring by Lindsey Duga (roaring twenties with magic)

10 – The Time Hunters by Carl Ashmore (set in literally everytime from ancient Greece to modern day to dinosaurs)

Special! The Wycherley’s by Annaliese Avery (regency/futuristic) which is coming on the 22nd of May!

All links will take you to the full review with an age rating, expansive content warnings and the Damsel rating system so you can be delighted with your read and not stumble into any unwanted violence or spice!

If the book is not linked then the reviews will be coming soon but all of these recommendations are YA and no spice however some of them are more violent than others so do check when the reviews are put up!

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Fierce Heart, Tara Grayce

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Usually when I go back for a reread (especially when I reread it within a year) then the plot doesn’t captivate me as much, but this one completely did. It feels so soft the plot and everything happens and then nothing but so many details and little emotions are worked into the whole world that you are never bored for a moment.

Elsie and Farrendel are in an arranged heavily political marriage between two countries that have been at war and in a country that is on the precipice of a much larger one. They don’t have the insta-love/attraction that I always struggle with in political marriage books, they understand each other and move slow. The exploration of cultural differences as well as the aftermath of war on people is really well explored but it is rarely heavy because we always have the hope of the new alliance and romance.

These series isn’t a rapid paced whirlwind so you get to know the characters which is especially important as later on in the series the POV changes. In this first book we get a real sense of the hope on both sides – no one wants war and so these two very different people from different cultures and life experiences are going to do everything they can to make this work.

World – 5/5 – classic fantasy, elves and humans and trolls yet fresh. It almost feels like a historical Victorian novel in places and then we revert into the very fantasy world of the elves. The juxtaposition between the traditionalist long lived elves and the Victorian feel humans shows just how the two kingdoms are so different but yet need to come closer to survive.

Plot – 4/5 – it is very much the wider plot, we have a lot of time we are playing with here over the series and a lot of war that happens before. But I was never lost and I was 100% there throughout all of the plot moments.

Romance – 5/5 – it is somehow the focus and not of the book, it is very sweet and slowburn while still giving us those deliciously sweet moments in places.

Characters – 5/5 – they are so realistic that sometimes I cant figure out how I feel about them. All of the characters are distinct and yet this hope binds them all. And they are reassuringly mature – well the mc’s are, the court is another thing entirely. It feels like it steps away from a YA fantasy romance into something that floats between and could be enjoyed by any young adult or adult adult looking for a fantasy read that steps out of tropes and delivers on all counts.

Content Warnings: violence, PTSD (pretty low in the first one but does increase as the series continues), ableism (as a country, Tarenheil is obsessed with surface perfectionism).

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The Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory

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The Twelfth Keeper is another example of dystopian fantasy, but the opposite of Red Queen. A world that is perhaps only 500 to 1,000 years in the future. This means we still have recognisable government structures but Earth is at a tipping point in its history. Because of interactions with other planets, Earth has been told that they have ‘keepers’ twelve destined children who are all born within four years of each other who will protect earth. Seen as essentially military celebrities housed up in a military space station the people of Earth have no idea of the powers that both the keepers have and that are threatening earth.

 We get introduced to Kennedy who is trying on her sisters clothes and makeup, something which marks her personal progress as later on in the novel and then the series, we see her become her own person. She is personable from the start as we go with her for the mandatory vaccinations, and her fear of needles. She doesn’t believe that she is the Twelfth Keeper, a protector of the earth, and is stubborn to the point of near death in holding her own opinions. She does not want to be a hero but everyone around her expects her to be the most powerful of them all, the other keepers have been waiting for years for her to arrive. She holds her family close (and they have a really sweet relationship which is always rare in fiction) and only goes to train because her family are paid for it.   

Characters – 5/5 stars – Kennedy is so personable, I think I already used this word, but she just brings such a realism to an otherwise other world. Phoenix I took a bit longer to grasp but I do love him.

World – 5/5 stars  – I just love it we have a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian that combines into a world I will always remember. With new technology and yet still similar world structures as to now it really highlights just how much dystopian is the way of commenting on corruption.

Romance – 4/5 stars – Sweet Romance – Phoenix and Kennedy have a rocky beginning, but it is explained and makes you understand more about how growing up in a government department in space has formed his character. The romance is slightly more prominent in this than some other reviews i have given but nothing out there, just a few kisses and cuddling. My one peeve with the romance is the age gap, Kennedy is sixteen and Phoenix is twenty and this is just pushing it a bit far for me but I can overlook it because everything else is so good.

Plot  – 5/5 stars – because we are launched into this world alongside Kennedy who doesn’t know what is going on but knows what she believes we get a really lovely viewpoint on the plot. Clues are constantly going on around her, but they are often for books far later along and also Kennedy isn’t sure what is important. This is a new world to her and people expect her to do things that she doesn’t think is possible. The plot is fast paced with lulls letting us absorb more of this gorgeous world.

Things to be aware of: There is violence, and threat throughout 3.5/5. there is a lot surrounding drowning and how Kennedy is triggered heavily by that and how she suffers after. Genocide. A little bit of subtle racism in places.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Books I have Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

This weeks prompt was –

Books I Never Reviewed (Share the titles of books you never reviewed on your blog/tiktok/insta/etc. and if you liked them or not!)

Okay so this was actually a really easy prompt to start (and a really hard one to finish I could keep going forever) because I have just started and there are sooooo many books that I haven’t reviewed yet. I am going to tweak the prompt a little to SERIES that I haven’t yet reviewed or finished reviewing.

  • Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce – I love Tamora Pierce’s world so much and I am much due a reread of her series!
  • The Twelfth Keeper series by Belle Malory – the final book is out! It came out late January and my fyp didn’t think to tell me this until I randomly looked it up (i have been waiting for this book for at least three years) and its out! So reviews are coming for the whole series and the new book Until the Sun Rises!
  • All of KM Shea’s Magiford series and the individual trilogies – this is sweet clean paranormal fantasy with a new couple every trilogy (I have my favourites but honestly they are all five star couples).
  • Three Dark Thrones Series by Kendare Blake –  (and the prequal! Which is on my TBR as well as a complete reread of this epically dark fantasy).
  • Kirenmala and the Kingdom Beyond by Sayantani DasGupta – Indian mythology, vibrant worlds and a really cute demon prince this should have been reviewed by me before but I am 100% digging it out later for a reread.
  • Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger – I have only reviewed the first! I have read the rest before but now I am going to go back and revisit them (I can barely remember all the complexities of the plot!) and this time review them too!
  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – only reviewed the first one which is a travesty because this series is honestly in my top reads of all time and I am always thinking about it so I should have!
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini – I haven’t reviewed any of these books but I really am going to because he was the author that got me into fantasy and dragons and without this series I would not have so many cluttered shelves of epic fantasy! I also got the illustrated edition that I need to show of so a review for this is definitely coming.
  • Elven Alliance by Tara Grayce – currently on my third read of the entire series and there is a new book coming out so I need to catch up on all my reviews for then!
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – again only reviewed the first book but I am going to buy the series in paperback for my third reread (I originally read them on Borrowbox) and then reviews upon reviews and book lists are coming.
  • Galdoni by Cheree Alsop – this whole trilogy is just gorgeous (and she has written another sci-fi book that I also loved!). We have winged gladiators, a sweet romance and a beautiful exploration of the best and worst of humanity, even if the protagonists are regularly told they are less than human. Reviews are coming!

This is more than 10 now so I am going to stop now but this post really reminded me of all the reviews and books I want to share with all of you so its now a 2025 goal to review all of the books on this list!

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The Sleepless by Jen Williams

Pub Date: 22 May 2025
Publisher: Macmillian Children’s Books
Genre: YA Fantasy, Romance
Age Category:  YA

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Such a good read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of its little fantasy elements mixed in with an original but yet familiar mythology and god based magic system.

We start with a prologue five years earlier that introduces us to Elver. Elver was sacrificed to a sea serpent (yes we have sea serpents and a Queen Serpent) when she was twelve but the Queen of the serpents filled her blood with poison. Flash forward five years and Elver has been living feral in the woods surrounded by fellow jih because her touch is poison to anyone.

We then get introduced to the Sleepless – people who have two souls inside them and when one goes to sleep the other wakes up. It is a very Jekyll and Hyde style situation but neither of the souls have any control over it. The Sleepless are kept inside a monastery guarded by archers because their secondary souls are a danger to society. Artair/Lucian was just perfect and honestly I need more double soul love interests in my fantasy reads because why not?

Artair gives us the good dutiful love interest and Lucian the dark wild one and they share a body so Elver isn’t quite sure when she is dealing with whom. All of the characters were so well developed (I loved the twisty god Tisk) and even the villain has fully developed reasons which by the end we can not only understand but kind of support (at least I did).

Characters – 4/5 – 1000/5 for Artair and Lucian, they just reflect each other so well and I love that we get both love interests.

World – 5/5 – The world never stumbled! We had so many different locations (a physical quest allows us to see lots of the land) and I love the wild woods and then the busy town and how we see it through Artair’s naivety and Elver’s cynicism.

Plot – 4/5 – It was rapid paced in the beginning and then slower as we understood the complex world and how the Twelve gods ruled over it. And the twist at the end!

Romance – 5/5 –  Soft Romance – love it! It was less of a focus than I was expecting but I am 100% hooked for the sequel.

Content Warnings: violence, mentions of child death.

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Update to the Romance Rating System!

I have been thinking about how tricky it is to truly give ‘content warnings’ for a lack of a better word about the romance. Some people are looking for a barely there romance or a sweet one with all the feels but ends with the fairytale kiss (think an old school Disney movie) but then sometimes we also want the stronger relationships so here is a quick guide!

Damsel is all about making sure people know what they are reading and are always delighted with no random potentially triggering or unwanted surprises so I wanted to add this to my reviews just to make it a little clearer.

I read several different articles and tried to find out what people usually define for different romance levels but honestly everyone disagrees so I settled on this. If you want to read more about different classifiers/more detailed explanation and what other people define as different heat levels then I have a post here.  

NA:– nothing is really present, it isn’t the focus or a subplot.

Soft: perhaps a closed mouth kiss or two, no detail.

Sweet: Kissing, cuddling, clothes on, mild innuendo.

Suggestive: The flirtation becomes more physical — making out, caresses, breathlessness, mostly clothed but doesn’t take it any further on the page, discussions of sex/sleeping with each other, can have some strong innuendo.

Smokey: Closed Door/Fade to Black: This can float between or slightly above Sweet and Suggestive but we don’t get any details beyond making out.

Swoony – less than a Paragraph: This will have some sex on the page but it is going to be less than a paragraph – not some graphic sex scene. More and more YA seems to be having open door scenes now and sometimes the books are still ones I will recommend but I will definitely mention that they contain this content as always. By ‘low’ spice I mean its not going to be some detailed graphic scene and it will focus more on the emotional impact it has on the characters.

I am going to have Swoony A and B, A is less than a paragraph and euphemistic, B is less than a page with no graphic description at all.

I am going to go back to my old reviews and add these in as much as I can but from now in the Romance star section I will include these so you can find exactly what you are looking for!

I am going to go back to my old reviews and add these in as much as I can but from now in the Romance star section I will include these so you can find exactly what you are looking for!

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Deep Dive into Heat Levels

I recently added a new area to my reviews that if they include romance I define more what that content is and my current system is:

NA:– nothing is really present, it isn’t the focus or a subplot.

Soft: perhaps a closed mouth kiss or two, no detail.

Sweet: Kissing, cuddling, clothes on, mild innuendo.

Suggestive: The flirtation becomes more physical — making out, caresses, breathlessness, mostly clothed but doesn’t take it any further on the page, discussions of sex/sleeping with each other, can have some strong innuendo.

Smokey: Closed Door/Fade to Black: This can float between or slightly above Sweet and Suggestive but we don’t get any details beyond making out.

Swoony: This will have some sex on the page but it is going to be less than a paragraph – not some graphic sex scene. More and more YA seems to be having open door scenes now and sometimes the books are still ones I will recommend but I will definitely mention that they contain this content as always. By ‘low’ spice I mean its not going to be some detailed graphic scene and it will focus more on the emotional impact it has on the characters.

Swoony A – less than a paragraph, euphemistic

Swoony B – less than a page, euphemistic

However I went down a research rabbit hole to work these out and so I thought I’d share a few links and interesting articles I read about this industry gap. Everyone disagrees and one of the things that makes taking book recs so difficult is that what one reader might think is low violence and moderate spice, another might think is high violence and no spice. It all depends on what you read and personally I am fine with all these different categories of heat – only no spice/very very low sexual content nothing graphic. Personally I like books that float around a few kisses and lots of swoon but nothing sexual and most of my recs reflect that!

Anyway to the links!

Rachel Rowland has an interesting article on her website about heat levels (I would say that these are probably the usual levels excepted across most readers and genres) here.

Romance Book Coach offers heat levels based on tv age ratings here. She also adds language and themes that are explored in those relationships.

I started my deep dive from Bookshelf Fantasy’s post here which contains several links to the articles she found.

Michelle over on the Writing Gals made a diagram of content that she considers is still clean and wholesome in romance. This is really interesting because it shows how much before overlaps with the next heat level – if you are reading a Smokey rec of mine (I rarely promote only romance, but fantasy romance, dystopian whatever) if it is a Smokey then it will still contain content from Suggestive just a step up.

Happy Reading! It was fun taking you down this rabbithole of mine with me!

Lottie

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