jurnee_reads's reviews
311 reviews

A forever favorite. Side note, this would make a really great anime lol

The writing style is lovely, the folklore interesting, and the male lead attractive. I admit I have a thing for snake men. That’s kind of where my praise dies out though.

My biggest complaint is that the fmc was really bland. She didn’t have much of a character to speak of… the only things we learn about her is where she works, who she knows, and that she makes good coffee. I just didn’t feel attached to her nor did I really care what happened to her. She’s boring, she has no personality, and really the only thing interesting about her is that the mmc loves her for some reason. We don’t even find out why he’s obsessed with her… just that he is. He finds her attractive? I guess? I don’t know.

The relationship moves too fast for no reason. The only thing they really bond over is sex. And don’t get me wrong, I loved the sex, probably the best part about this book was how well the sex scene was written, but that’s not enough for me to believe in this bond they supposedly have. At first she’s terrified of him and then suddenly… want to have sex with him? Why? Because they shared a kiss in a dream? It’s really unclear how Emma really feels because she doesn’t have much character at all… her only motivation is “want sexy snake man”

All the side characters were far more interesting, my favorites were Linnea and Duncan.

Definitely a great story! Very lengthy but I was never bored. I liked learning about the world and all the different gods and goddesses the most, very interesting. The romance was nice, I feel like it took its time ans wasn’t rushed but I didn’t feel like I was waiting forever like I usually feel with slow burns. There was a lot going on so it was easy to put the romance part on the back burner. I’m not entirely a fan on the dynamic between the leads, just not my preferred cup of tea, but it wasn’t bad and they definitely had their funny moments which I enjoyed.

DNF at 25%

I don’t usually write reviews for books I haven’t finished, but I felt especially motivated to do so for this book. While reading I just kept having less and less of a good time and decided to see if this was even worth finishing… so I purposefully spoiled myself and read some reviews. The way the ending has been described by many made me realize that this isn’t the series for me.

Here are my thoughts on the parts of the book I did read…

While the first sex scene was hot, it also… didn’t do it for me. I appreciate the language, I like all the begging and different descriptions, but because almost nothing has happened and I know so little about these characters… I just don’t have enough of an emotional connection to get into it the way I usually would for a scene like this. It didn’t feel like two consenting adults engaging in passionate kinky sex, it felt like a victim and her captor… and not in a fun way.

The writing is really good, clearly this author knows how to weave words, but the type of story it is just isn’t my thing I guess. It’s darker but… not in a romantic kind of way. He doesn’t seem to have respect for her which is annoying. I can handle a morally grey lead, but the ml not respecting the fl just irritates me. They spend much more time fucking than talking… which I’m not into. They don’t really understand each other’s cultures and a little talking would clear this up. Why doesn’t the orc just ask Jule what she wants? I’m wondering if he’s ever truly vulnerable with her at all. A dark lead is best when he’s able to break down those walls for his woman… and I just can’t see this happening.

The only reason this is two stars instead of one is because the way this author actually writes, like just talking about the words she chooses and how she puts them together, is really quite beautiful. It’s the type of story and the kind of male lead that makes me really dislike it, not her words.

The romance of this was truly the best part of it. The leads work perfectly together and watching them learn to trust and love one another was very enjoyable. There is very little action and only a hint of drama, but it’s all wrapped up very quickly so if you’d rather focus on the happy stuff then it’s really easy to do. Not much world building, it’s all pretty self explanatory.

What a wonderful start to the series! I love the lore, I love the concept, I love just about everything in this book! The characters are interesting and the way the relationship builds between our main characters was nice. I admit the romance isn’t my favorite part of the book, for something I thought was going to be slow burn it felt rushed. But everything else makes up for that.

Briar’s backstory is told so well, as someone who has a very close understanding of domestic abuse I was able to appreciate how that was handled. I like that she needs time to deal with everything, but I honestly would have given her more time before she started being physical with Sol.

The sex is great though! I love the “predator/prey” sort of roleplay they do, it’s hot and it feels right, never forced. Sol is an incredibly considerate lover, I just adore all the aftercare too. I like seeing Briar get more comfortable with herself during their lovemaking.

Great story and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series that’s been set up in this one.

What I enjoyed about this book seems to be a lot of the things others didn’t enjoy. Weird, huh?

Thane was an ass in the beginning. He’s inconsiderate and tactless, uncaring. His inability to even consider the needs of Catalina is on another level, really. But for some reason I enjoyed this? I think his early actions really tells us a lot about his character and how he processes his emotions. Plainly, he doesn’t.

He’s still grieving over his deceased husband(bi king for the win) and this even further proves how much he’s unable to deal with his own emotions. Without someone there to kick his ass, he just ignores things he can’t process. Catalina is a damn good kick in the ass. Having someone to care for gives him reason to check himself. He needed to screw up to be able to see how his inability to deal with anything can really hurt others. Without Catalina he never would have learned this.

After he learns of his neglect, he’s a much better person, er, I mean kraken. Unfortunately we don’t get much time with that part of Thane… probably because the author didn’t want to write a book all about him being a sweetheart as that would be boring. What I would have enjoyed was Thane helping Catalina deal with her trauma. We get hints of it occasionally where she’s learned to advocate for herself and be honest instead of expecting to be harmed, but only a couple… and we don’t see the process of her healing. I’d like to see that process just so I could feel closer to her character.

Sex scenes were good and explored kinks that aren’t common in regular romance novels, so I liked that a lot. Consent was clear and heavily confirmed which I always enjoy.

So really… it’s the real life issues that were dealt with that I liked. Thane moving forward in the grieving process for his husband and growing as a person, Catalina learning to advocate for herself, how they handled the last main event, and the way these two sort of tripped over themselves to fall in love.

4 stars instead of 5 because it wasn’t long enough and Catalina’s trauma and healing wasn’t explored enough.

This lit such a fire in me! Lately I’ve been having issues with keeping focus with even short books, but this story captured me so quickly that I just couldn’t put it down for long.

Firstly, the characters are all so very interesting. Each ML was distinct and their own person, no carbon copies. They all vibe really well also, making their interactions just as entertaining as the interactions with them and Clove. I really enjoyed reading them the men’s pov most. Now our FL isn’t as interesting as the guys, but she has her moments. What I liked most about her was her humor and her fighting spirit. She was easy to relate to, everyone knowing the pains of betrayal and loss in some way. She suits the role as less of a character to the story… and more like a placeholder for as many readers as possible. Which isn’t bad, my opinion, and certainly serves its own purpose for some stories.

Second, the spice was great! Nothing seemed to go too far or too fast, everything going just the right way. We get see three different kinds of dom, which I enjoyed the most. Because they’re very different characters, they all have a specific way they are in the bedroom. Before even getting to the sec scenes I had guessed what kind of parter’s each of them would be, and I was pretty close on all of them. This to me shows that the author was really able to display their personalities enough in the beginning that I already knew who they were by the time we got to the sex, making all of that more intimate as well. There are quite a lot of sex scenes, but you won’t see me complaining! They all felt balanced with the intensity of the story and the pacing of the plot, everything mattered and wasn’t just thrown in for extra sexy time.

Lastly, the dynamics of the reverse harem were perfect! I can’t imagine it any other way. Each man seemed to suit a particular part of Clove perfectly. Having one as the more alpha than the others was done really well, simply because of the alpha’s personality. He was kind and sensitive and intelligent and just the right amount of domineering to lead everyone without seeming like a jerk or selfish. The relationship grows in a very natural way, each getting time with Clove to really talk and learn about each other alone. It was lovely to watch.

I will keep reading from this author and have already purchased a book she recommended at the end of this one. I’m looking forward to what else she delivers!

Such an interesting and detailed world this book throws you into! The lore of the pixies was my favorite part, as everything seems so specific and fitting for them. It’d be easy to just throw in a ton of magic in a story like this to solve problems, but the author doesn’t do that as magic doesn’t solve all of their problems, it’s more of a life thread woven into their society.

While I enjoyed the romance, it could have been better. There were communication issues that I wish were solved better, but it seems that those were kind of glossed over. I’m glad that Orenda was shown having individual time with each ML as that fleshed them out a bit, but still… it was lacking in proper communication and sort of just covered with flowery words of devotion.

Spice was on point! Sexy as all hell!

The epilogue was sweet as hell but a little predictable to be honest.

Tried to get through this but DNF at 45%

The characters were annoying and the world wasn’t interesting… and the writing just wasn’t my style.