Farren and her men suddenly find themselves thrust into the next challenge in the Warrior Games, but it appears that the fae world has taken things into her own hands, throwing things their way that they hadn’t even thought to prepare for. It doesn’t help that she hasn’t deemed it necessary to fill them in on the finer details.
Yet.
Shocking truths and revealed secrets keep them all on their toes, add in some bloody deaths, pasts coming back to haunt them and a healthy dose of corruption. They’re about to find themselves on a twisted ride that none of them can get off of, and if the feelings between them all continue to grow, they won’t want to.
This is a slow/ medium burn paranormal Reverse Harem. Please be advised that this book contains dark themes, including abuse, violence and cursing. Additionally, sexual themes suitable for mature audiences 18+. All sex is consensual.
Writing has never been optional for Nikita Parmenter. Like eating and breathing, it’s something integral to their existence. Everyday they are thankful to be able to make a career from something that brings them so much pleasure.
It wasn’t easy getting their first break in the publishing world. Fortunately, a close friend and literary agent saw their potential in 2000 and that was the beginning of the first chapter of their professional literary life. Since then, Nikita Parmenter Author has published a number of short stories and bestselling books.
By the time the last books come out, I won't care to read it. A good mystery keeps you entertained, but this doesn't. There are too many missing pieces that don't fit together to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'm not excited to read the next book.
I really loved book 1 it was exciting and pulled heartstrings. This one I started skipping pages. The heroine won't talk about her past, the MMCs won't talk about their pasts and Grey has a geas. I got frustrated cause their pasts are obviously an important part of the plot. Instead we get recaps over and over about their research into the game, it lost stars cause I got bored.
Book 1 had character development, in this one they are stagnant. As much as they are playing their game, let's face it it's not that interesting. It would be nice to see chemistry between the characters. When they start dropping the L word and mate bonds it reads empty.
Re-read 28-08-24 : Well, when I think about it, it wasn't that bad. Since then I've read worst things in the RH genre so I'll add one more star to my original rating.
Previous rating : 2 stars 05-05-23 : My disappointment is endless.
Oh my gosh, I am loving this series. The whole book I was wondering what Grey was only for him to be Hades!?!?! What the heck, who glamoured him and put the silencing spell on him? Why are the princes controlling the shadowlands? Was it more than just trying to find the key pieces to the underworld. I like that she trusts the guys more and that all of their relationships are getting stronger. I like Zev, he is a good addition and I like Grey as well. Meri the deadly little dragon makes me laugh, just like Poca and now Oryn too. She has a lot of dangerous animal protectors. I have to say that Xerxes kills me, I know he is a book but he is so funny. Is the voice she hears a goddess? Maybe her mother? That was such a crazy ending and the worst cliffhanger. This book has so much going on but I want more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Got bored. Plot seemed to drag and the grammar issues and typos kept pulling me out of the story.
I’m also confused why the FMC was noted to be so teary eyed over getting her own room at the academy in book 1 as if she’d ONLY EVER lived in her father’s dungeon only for book 2 to reveal she not only owns a whole ass huge house in the Shadowlands but also lived with Grey for a couple years in her own room? Big oversight.
I wasnt into this book, i wanted to DNF so bad but decided to persevere (and skip a lot of the nonsense) and it didn’t pay off. Did anything really happen in this book? Because it doesn’t feel like it. Just a whole lot of talking and planning and then the action scenes would last for not even a full chapter before they’re back home talking again. And the dialogue was just weird…I don’t really know how else to describe it
I don’t think I’ve ever had such whiplash from a first to second book. There was not a single ✨major world ending problem✨ that wasn’t solved with a literal blink from farren… also every single man she has ever met becomes a part of her harem… miss ma’am what are you going to do with EIGHT men?
So I re-read the first book, because it had been a while. Okay, school setting 6 potential mates in her reverse harem, an extra guy as a friend. Got it. This book? 8 guys in her harem and two extra pets, a sentient book and house. I already figured out Grey's secret identity so that wasn't a surprise. But 8 guys? That's a little excessive. Not to mention this hasn't been anywhere close to spicy... Still liked it though.
Just like with book 1, this book could use some editing and a bit of work on the "show don't tell" aspect of writing. Again, I really liked the plot and where it seems to be going. The writing is just very rigid and "list-like". It could also do with some more emotion shown between the characters. It feels a bit rigid. And now that we're juggling like 7 men? I think? It would help a lot with character development to actually see the relationships grow, not just be told that they exist.
3 because there's really very little romance besides kisses and not much plot development. This is called Black Onyx academy but they are barely in the school. I'm surprised we get a slow burn for a Nikita Parmenter book. I often roll my eyes with her fast burn characters. However, through 2 books all we get heated glances & kisses. That's it. Half way through this book I was getting bored. I started skimming.
I didn't feel Farren deepened her existing relationships before adding 2 more men and a flying book. (I do love the additions to harems though)
Honestly, I'm starting to think she has a formula for her novels, both good and bad. The FMC usually is badass and in my opinion, a bit of an annoying show-off. It's also annoying that Farren doesn't seem to really understand that these men are in love with her at first. (Similar theme with her other series)
Some of the MMC s are forgettable, that is they don't have a personality that differentiates them from the other. Mayhem and Rival? I don't even remember what supernaturals they are. And that seems to be theme with many of her series. There's always underdeveloped MMCs, so why have such a big harem?
I read the first 3 books of Finding Home and read half of book 1 of Imprinted Tattoos when I realized it's basically like Finding Home. The only reason I picked up this series was I thought it was a 2 book series. Nope. There's more. Not sure if I want to continue as her series leaves me very unsatisfied.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
All around fantastic series, but some things are a bit frustrating...
So, first off my biggest complaint is that we have to wait for the very last book before there's actual s*x, 🤬!!! I understand that it's a slow-burn but to only have one out of three books having full-on steam is ridiculous, 😒. I predicted that the book would end with one or both of the princes showing up, but that doesn't bother me as it would others. There were a couple of times I had trouble understanding what was going on or being explained and had to reread certain passages. It really irritates me when Authors don't give a good description of the FMC and she did not in book 1 or 2. You can't always trust the picture of the FMC on the cover, for example, Farren said she had tattoos and scars but the cover doesn't show any of that. How tall is she? What kind of tattoos does she have, and where are they? Is her hair and body the same as it is on the book cover? I need a basic physical description of her. I have a feeling that Farren might be a demi-goddess or a full-on goddess, idk. There are certain nicknames that Farren was called in both books such as "little goddess", "little queen" and the name that the Shadow Creature called her and she doesn't even seem to find that odd or question it. I loved the world and the Creatures in it. It was very fascinating. Overall, the series has been fantastic. I love the storyline.
Holy Smokes! What an incredible story! I had a hunch the secret he was keeping from everyone… I can Not wait to read what’s next! Farren won’t be letting the Prince get away with that, she is probably going to save them all before they even get to where she is. She’s very self sufficient that way, and all the guys treat her like she’s made of porcelain. This is a Very slow burn, slower than most stories. In this book, they don’t go farther than kissing and she finally acknowledges that the guys are all hers. It seems every time she finds a piece of the key she collects another guardian! I Love this! She finds all these unique creatures that are drawn to her. I can’t wait to read more about her connection to the void. This series held me raptured to the very end, and as I saw I was getting closer to the end of the book, I was getting more anxious. As a reader, u know ur getting close to the climax but I just couldn’t stop reading! Ugh! Now I need to wait for the next book! Nikita, you have done an incredible job describing the world in multiple povs. It was perfectly balanced from the good vs the bad. There was a few spelling errors, a few missing pieces from sentences that didn’t make sense no matter how far back you re read.. otherwise I really really enjoyed the book!
WARNING: 5/5 on the trauma scale CLIFFHANGER! This was a pretty massive cliffhanger, and since the next book isn’t yet out, consider yourself warned (it’s two months away at the time of writing).
The team of Farren, Storm, Killian, Mayhem, Rival, Zev, Reaper and Loki, find themselves trying to right some wrongs in the Shadowlands. Teaming up with the secretive Grey, they find themselves dealing with all kinds of malicious magic, as well as discovering a few new friends.
We begin to see the team bonds become closer and stronger in this book, as well as learning a few of the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other. Farren also begins to learn a little more about herself, and fans of the Lost Ones series will recognise a few scenes and characters that are mentioned. There’s a lot of magic, and plenty of action (enough to keep the team busy), as the maybe-not-quite-an-authentic-round-in-the-warrior-games takes place.
It’s an engrossing story, though, with plenty of mystique regarding the characters to keep you guessing. I’m looking forward to the next book, and hope that this brutal cliffhanger gets resolved fairly quickly (I know I’m impatient!). Recommended for urban and contemporary fantasy fans, who like their characters a little darker and demonic.
Oh man, the twist at the end! I knew something was coming but not that.
Finally a book with a female charter who can fight, doesn't need to be saved and doesn't spend most of her time having sex! The characters are distinct but I will say that because there are so many they do get forgotten but the author did a good job of rotating them within the story so no one just randomly disappears. The bad guys are hinted at but we do get an explanation of who they are and what they want, although it's a clunky scene. I don't connect as much with this character, I think it's because her isolation doesn't make sense to me with her comfort with the group and the development of her romantic relationships, but as part of the wider story it's not extraordinarily out of place. I am REALLY looking forward to the next book!
Case senzienti, libri parlanti, carrozze volanti, cacce al tesoro, francamente mi è sembrato di leggere un libro d'avventura per ragazzi. La parte romance è inesistente, a meno che non si voglio considerare quelle volte in cui gli MMC, dal nulla e senza nessun contesto, fanno delle allusioni sessuali a Farren, tra l'altro molto infantili. La cosa più grave è forse il fatto che arrivata alla metà del secondo libro di una trilogia, non riesco ancora a distinguere i ragazzi dell'harem, e non solo, non riesco neanche ad attribuire loro un volto e non so di preciso quali siano i loro poteri, per non parlare di quale sia il loro passato. Questo libro mi ha annoiata come pochi altri hanno fatto, e mi dispiace un pò, perché c'erano buoni presupposti su cui costruire una storia più che discreta.
Good series, but it needs a VERY thorough copy edit!
I'm enjoying this series overall. However, it really does need a deep copy edit. If you made it past the first book to read my review, then you're most likely well aware of some of the glaringly AI writing issues, but the farther you make it in this book, the worse it seems to get. Regardless of enjoying the plot and premise, I just could not ignore the poor grammar and mistakes in the book, as they became downright distracting. Repeating the same words within a single sentence far too often, run-on sentences lacking punctuation, missing or misplaced quotation marks within dialog, and even blatantly incorrect words within the context (i.e., 'courtesy' rather than 'curtsy'), all combined to make the second half of the book almost unreadable for me.
This book had a lot of tropes set up that I would like in theory. But overall was just too chaotic for me. I think it had too many side plots making the storyline have too much going on. Even with so much going on it had little actual development and just dragged. Personally it was too many men for me and they got lost in each other. I don’t know if it was the writing style or the set up of the story but I really struggled to finish this book and almost DNF multiple times. With so much going on of course I would like to finish and have the HEA and answers. The ending/cliffhanger caught my interest but like majority of series felt just thrown in. Right now I am over this series and don’t see myself coming back to finish.
I don’t even know why I keep trying with this author. It almost seems like a form of self torture. But I can’t tell you this will be the absolute last book I ever read by her. I have definitely learned my fucking lesson. This book has zero romance just like the previous one she has eight possible mates, I think and she only gets like forehead kisses and cheek kisses like some kind of fucking Mormon or 10-year-old. This book is not a slow burn. It is an absolute no burn just like all her other books. She gives all her heroines a whole lot of mates that she does a whole lot of nothing with and it’s just super frustrating. If you want a why choose or a romance book then this is not the book for you. You will be left unsatisfied and frustrated and annoyed.
I just couldn't ho any further. It dragged. And I'm disappointed. It held promise but nothing held my attention. I kept wandering off in my head...Putting my kindle down.... There was nothing to pull me in and at this point there definitely should be. There was no chemistry between the characters - not even friendship despite the main makes knowing each other years and 2 doubles being related. There was no Sexual chemistry at all. Even the one lined attempt was brushed off too easily that made it feel like it wasn't welcome.
Sorry author. I couldn't go on!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I absolutely love this series! I'm going to go crazy waiting for book 3. I love Farren and the guys, they're amazing. It's a cliffhanger which honestly makes me crazy because I'm already insanely excited for book 3 and this book was only released a few weeks ago. My hearts pumping and my adrenaline is up which probably isn't a good thing since i stayed up all night reading this and haven't gotten a lick of sleep but i couldn't care less, this book sucked me in and has a hold on me.
Twisted Shadows, the second book of the Black Onyx Academy series, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). While this author is not one of my favorite writers (everyone winking at each other, similar speech patterns which take away from individuality of characters), Parmenter can certainly keep readers entertained with her crafty plotting and twists in the story line. Surprised by the character unveiling at the end of the story, and while I know there were hints, I didn't make the connection. This was a 3.5 read for me, rounded up for the story line.
Twisted Shadows book 2 is so remarkable and I'm going to literally lose my sanity waiting on the 3rd, that cliff, I knew Grey was gonna be someone shocking and I kinda guessed by then said no way!!! But I was right all I'm going to say is he is my favorite dark God and Nikitia has done a amazing job writing supernatural romance. I love the action and fight scenes, I love all the magic and mystery in everything. I CANT WAIT TO GET ANSWERS!! These books have everything u want!!! A MUST READ!!
Just drop that bomb on us poor readers and leave us hanging….lol I’m loving it give me more cliffys like that hot diggity dog. So we still have tons of questions and some of them were answered. I’m in awe and poor Farren she has really got the short end of the stick in this story though hopefully all will work out. Loki and Farren sitting in a tree oh that scene was fire whew. Rival and Mayhem could definitely get my socks off with there banter. Okay I need the next book and no sleep now thank you
It never ceases to amaze me that the main characters are so head strong with past trauma coming into themselves! The author provides great detail and strength while being mysterious in the story and in each character! I love the supernatural twist and uncertainty each character feels. It makes the story relatable in feelings! Patiently waiting for the next book!
…I’m sort of at a loss as to why this is called academy as there was barely even a mention of the academy in this book but honestly it was better than book 1 and I loved that book too. Garden and her men get closer and Farren also collects more men and beasts. Her powers continue to grow and the reveal at then end was also pretty special. Looking forward to book 3 release day.
I really need book 3 to come out!! I love a strong fmc and supportive mmcs!!! They are all bad ass in their own rights but don’t try to control her or tamper down her powers or independence when she has to do things in her own. If they insist she doesn’t do it alone it’s more so she doesn’t “go alone”. They are the supporting characters and know she is the main and I love that and Gray being who he is?? I’m so excited for book 3. The princes of hell are going to regret so much
I would say that this second one is more intriguing than the first one.
Grey was an interesting new character that was introduced into this book. Before this, I didn't think that Farren would get any more man in her harem but apparently I was wrong! LOL. I was totally skeptical about this guy being the person who I think he is, I WAS RIGHT!
I was caught off guard at the end of this book but was totally expected it. Good one and can't wait to read the third one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.