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"For Endre, Viktor, and myself, that meant risking our necks to put Izidora on the throne; for Izidora, that meant playing a deadly game without knowing the rules."Princess Izidora of the Night Realm was kidnapped at birth, chained in darkness, abused by her captors, and wholly unaware an entire world was looking for her. That is until the eve of her 21st birthday, when the Nighthounds, led by the striking High Lord Kazimir, rescue her from a cave in the highest peak in the land. Now, the Lost Princess must reclaim her power before they reach the vicious capital of the Night Realm, where the story everyone was told about her disappearance might have been just that – a story. Will Izidora overcome her trauma or succumb to the whims of the madman who sits on the Night Throne?Chained is the first book in a dark new romantasy series filled with questionable heroes, an unbreakable heroine, and a prophecy that will change the course of history. Perfect for fans of Gild (The Plated Prisoner Series), To Bleed a Crystal Bloom, and Throne of Glass. While Chained is suitable for 18+, it is not a beginner-friendly dark fantasy romance. It contains scenes and themes that some readers might find disturbing. A full list of TWs can be found on the author's website.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 493 reviews
September 29, 2023
“His emerald orbs gazed at her lithe body and chestnut locks” is not a direct quote but it could be. This book has twice as many adjectives as it needs and managed to cram in an entire thesaurus.
I have so many questions.
-She just gets over 20+ years of abuse overnight?
-And masters magic her first try?
-And healing?
-Why does he carry her everywhere?
-You expect me to believe these 30 year old soldiers played hide and seek? And had a “hands-in/team” moment?
-Why can’t you just call it hair? Why does it have to be locks? And why do you have to tell me it’s chestnut colored every time?
-Why the obsession with baked goods? To the point that she has to make a speech about it in court?
-She’s not even a little bit suspicious of the men trying to convince her to coup her father before meeting him? Or interested in getting a second opinion?
-They spent half the book having unprotected sex but neither of them want kids? Seriously?
And ethically should he even have a relationship with the girl so soon after everything she’s experienced? You’re literally the first people she meets after being chained to a wall in a cave for 21 years and you only wait like 3 weeks to make a move? I get it, you’re mates, blah blah blah, but you didn’t know it yet and you totally could’ve let her adjust to the outside world.
I have so many questions.
-She just gets over 20+ years of abuse overnight?
-And masters magic her first try?
-And healing?
-Why does he carry her everywhere?
-You expect me to believe these 30 year old soldiers played hide and seek? And had a “hands-in/team” moment?
-Why can’t you just call it hair? Why does it have to be locks? And why do you have to tell me it’s chestnut colored every time?
-Why the obsession with baked goods? To the point that she has to make a speech about it in court?
-She’s not even a little bit suspicious of the men trying to convince her to coup her father before meeting him? Or interested in getting a second opinion?
-They spent half the book having unprotected sex but neither of them want kids? Seriously?
And ethically should he even have a relationship with the girl so soon after everything she’s experienced? You’re literally the first people she meets after being chained to a wall in a cave for 21 years and you only wait like 3 weeks to make a move? I get it, you’re mates, blah blah blah, but you didn’t know it yet and you totally could’ve let her adjust to the outside world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2023
Dnf 19%
I understand some stories need you to suspend your disbelief....but this one requires you to also suspend your common sense and critical thinking.
The premise is interesting, but it's so poorly executed. She's been chained for 21 years in a dark cave, and we're told she's taught just enough language and such .... so when I read her inner monolog about cinnamon and a flaky crust on apple pie .... I just can't reconcile it. How does she know the word cinnamon? How can she identify it by taste? Was this important to learn in captivity? Exactly how sheltered and abused was she? Her dialog and knowledge of her world doesn't track with the level of neglect we're led to believe she endured for her entire life. How did she know that what her abusers were doing to her wasn't normal if it's all she's ever known? Were they pointing out to her how wrong it was when they were doing it? How does she even know to wish for someone to save her!!!!!???? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! Or maybe, just like how fast she learns everything else, she was just born with knowledge of it all? Yeah, I just can't ignore the complete lack of any attempt to flush this out. I would have loved for more time to be spent explaining plot holes and digging us out of them rather than getting 3 pages of how she learned to build a fire and endless adjectives to describe Kazmirs eyes....
Like I said, it was an interesting premise, but it was done very poorly. I'm honestly angry at this read and feel like I just really can't trust independent author recommendations from TikTok any longer. Guess the one star I'm giving is for the marketing that got me to read this in the first place.
I understand some stories need you to suspend your disbelief....but this one requires you to also suspend your common sense and critical thinking.
The premise is interesting, but it's so poorly executed. She's been chained for 21 years in a dark cave, and we're told she's taught just enough language and such .... so when I read her inner monolog about cinnamon and a flaky crust on apple pie .... I just can't reconcile it. How does she know the word cinnamon? How can she identify it by taste? Was this important to learn in captivity? Exactly how sheltered and abused was she? Her dialog and knowledge of her world doesn't track with the level of neglect we're led to believe she endured for her entire life. How did she know that what her abusers were doing to her wasn't normal if it's all she's ever known? Were they pointing out to her how wrong it was when they were doing it? How does she even know to wish for someone to save her!!!!!???? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! Or maybe, just like how fast she learns everything else, she was just born with knowledge of it all? Yeah, I just can't ignore the complete lack of any attempt to flush this out. I would have loved for more time to be spent explaining plot holes and digging us out of them rather than getting 3 pages of how she learned to build a fire and endless adjectives to describe Kazmirs eyes....
Like I said, it was an interesting premise, but it was done very poorly. I'm honestly angry at this read and feel like I just really can't trust independent author recommendations from TikTok any longer. Guess the one star I'm giving is for the marketing that got me to read this in the first place.
October 8, 2024
I really wanted to like this book and did for about the first 30% but some of the writing style was strange. The author writes in two different time periods while using modern slang and also dropping words used from the 1700s in the same sentence to where reading became jarring at points. Another issue was how quickly Izidora overcame her trauma, a day after having her first kiss with Kazimir she is going to have sex with him and not even touch on the subject of her abuse for 21 years? It all just seemed a little rushed.
My main issue was with Kazimir pov chapters, after the 30th time of saying the same line of how Izidora will be his and no one will have her and he’d die before that happened, like I get it. It became so repetitive that i would just skim his chapters since it was just reused inner thoughts every time and did nothing to build his character.
I’ll still give the second book a try though when it comes out
My main issue was with Kazimir pov chapters, after the 30th time of saying the same line of how Izidora will be his and no one will have her and he’d die before that happened, like I get it. It became so repetitive that i would just skim his chapters since it was just reused inner thoughts every time and did nothing to build his character.
I’ll still give the second book a try though when it comes out
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2023
DNF 😩
I wanted to DNF from around 20% in and kept pushing through hoping it’s get better… I struggled to even pick up my kindle as I was so uninterested 😩
I ended up at 37% before I just couldn’t take it anymore.
It weirds me out how absolutely obsessed he is. There’s like no slow burn or anything on his end. Just he instantly fell in love as soon as he saw her. (Probably before he even saw her 🙄) and it’s gross how he openly and proudly talks about how obsessed he is and how possessive he is even though he barely even knew her at all. Just creepy vibes a bit to me. Even though aside from that he seems decent.
And the fact that she knew nothing about her powers or had no training at all and yet can just do everything straight away 🙄 there just feels like there is no building of anything. Powers ✅ love ✅ and they’re like the two main reasons I read fantasy.
I don’t know exactly what’s stopping me from being interested but I’m just not. Being a third of the way in I’d expect to be way more invested and I’m just not. 😩
I wanted to DNF from around 20% in and kept pushing through hoping it’s get better… I struggled to even pick up my kindle as I was so uninterested 😩
I ended up at 37% before I just couldn’t take it anymore.
It weirds me out how absolutely obsessed he is. There’s like no slow burn or anything on his end. Just he instantly fell in love as soon as he saw her. (Probably before he even saw her 🙄) and it’s gross how he openly and proudly talks about how obsessed he is and how possessive he is even though he barely even knew her at all. Just creepy vibes a bit to me. Even though aside from that he seems decent.
And the fact that she knew nothing about her powers or had no training at all and yet can just do everything straight away 🙄 there just feels like there is no building of anything. Powers ✅ love ✅ and they’re like the two main reasons I read fantasy.
I don’t know exactly what’s stopping me from being interested but I’m just not. Being a third of the way in I’d expect to be way more invested and I’m just not. 😩
September 28, 2023
It was not for all fans of ACOTAR, ToG, PP or TBaCB. I love dark fantasy, and this book’s description and marketing really had me convinced it would be my next favorite book! I was so disappointed. ☹️
The main characters were very one dimensional, fell flat, and unfortunately suffered from Mary Sue complex. I kept waiting for the “dark” to hit, and it never really did. So many things just didn’t really add up, and made little sense.
I sat on this book for weeks thinking of how to word my thoughts and I’m still unsure. It all just fell flat.
Obviously everyone has different opinions for books, so if you’re wanting to check it out I always think you should support indie authors, but this book wasn’t for me.
The main characters were very one dimensional, fell flat, and unfortunately suffered from Mary Sue complex. I kept waiting for the “dark” to hit, and it never really did. So many things just didn’t really add up, and made little sense.
I sat on this book for weeks thinking of how to word my thoughts and I’m still unsure. It all just fell flat.
Obviously everyone has different opinions for books, so if you’re wanting to check it out I always think you should support indie authors, but this book wasn’t for me.
February 4, 2024
I wish I could remove this from my brain.
You gotta suspend all common sense for this one.
You gotta suspend all common sense for this one.
July 10, 2023
4.5 because I want more! Starts right off the bat with Izidora being rescued after being kidnapped for 18 years?! The characters are developed on her adventure back to Este Castle in Night Realm (love a good night realm) to claim what is HERS. Strong FMC VIBES.
I received this ARC to leave a voluntary review and all thoughts/opinions above are my own!
I received this ARC to leave a voluntary review and all thoughts/opinions above are my own!
October 16, 2023
Main male character is gross. Fantasizing about people fawning all over him (lead female included) just because he was one of the people who rescued her. His inner monologues are painful to read as his ego builds. Sex scenes are decent. Vocabulary is…odd. Lots of modern slang mixed in to otherwise historical language.
September 21, 2023
Is this on par with ACOTAR, Gild, or TOG? No. Is it a fun and quick read? Yes.
It was okay if you can get past the cliche writing. The plot didn’t stand out as anything new and was *very* predictable. I can’t say there were any major (or even minor) plot twists. However, the romance and character relationships felt well developed albeit cheesy at times, but for the most part I think it was done well. It was an easy read and good for a reading slump.
I could see this series going in a completely different direction in book 2 which would be exciting and innovative, but the current plot is kinda meh. I probably wouldn’t buy a copy, but it was on KU so I gave it a shot. Could definitely turn into a popular series or not depending on how creative book 2 is!
It was okay if you can get past the cliche writing. The plot didn’t stand out as anything new and was *very* predictable. I can’t say there were any major (or even minor) plot twists. However, the romance and character relationships felt well developed albeit cheesy at times, but for the most part I think it was done well. It was an easy read and good for a reading slump.
I could see this series going in a completely different direction in book 2 which would be exciting and innovative, but the current plot is kinda meh. I probably wouldn’t buy a copy, but it was on KU so I gave it a shot. Could definitely turn into a popular series or not depending on how creative book 2 is!
February 4, 2024
DNF at 79%
I tried..... really hard to finish this, but I just couldn't. I was bored and sick of rolling my eyes.
Beautiful cover. Started off with the promise of darkness, then confused the holy hell out of me with the sappy, immature, yet oddly explicit, lame plot.
The pacing is awful. The character development is at odds with itself at all times.
The romance is actually gross... I mean, Kazimir give an abused girl time to settle. And really don't act like her abusers would during sex.... but really, there wasn't any chemistry there.
The story had major problems. I'm not sure why so much time was spent on the things it was spent on. Nothing that was focused on had any true bearing on the plot. The important stuff was kind of just thrown in as after thoughts, but at least there was a string to tie to future events, I guess?
The idea that a girl would plot the death of her father without even meeting him was incredibly farfetched to begin with, but tying that to a character like izidora was too hard to suspend disbelief.
Everything happens easily for her, no worries, she's natural at everything.
I just can't even.
I tried..... really hard to finish this, but I just couldn't. I was bored and sick of rolling my eyes.
Beautiful cover. Started off with the promise of darkness, then confused the holy hell out of me with the sappy, immature, yet oddly explicit, lame plot.
The pacing is awful. The character development is at odds with itself at all times.
The romance is actually gross... I mean, Kazimir give an abused girl time to settle. And really don't act like her abusers would during sex.... but really, there wasn't any chemistry there.
The story had major problems. I'm not sure why so much time was spent on the things it was spent on. Nothing that was focused on had any true bearing on the plot. The important stuff was kind of just thrown in as after thoughts, but at least there was a string to tie to future events, I guess?
The idea that a girl would plot the death of her father without even meeting him was incredibly farfetched to begin with, but tying that to a character like izidora was too hard to suspend disbelief.
Everything happens easily for her, no worries, she's natural at everything.
I just can't even.
October 13, 2023
Minor spoilers ahead. DNF at 56%… honestly surprised I made it that far. The writing was not terrible, though the author did slip some modern day expressions into what was otherwise “historical” dialogue from the characters - that was a little out of place. The biggest issue for me was how the FMC’s trauma was handled (or not handled, actually). This girl was held captive, beaten and raped for 21 years (her entire life) and she just self-rationalizes away her trauma in a matter of weeks and is fine? Trusts this group of males and enters into a romantic relationship with one of them after a few WEEKS? Not to mention how she just instantly masters her magic, fighting, healing people, riding a horse, anything they throw her way… also in that same few weeks. It just doesn’t work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2023
✨I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review✨
4.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶️
“Once we start this, there’s no going back,” -Kazimir …. “Then keep your eyes forward.” -Izidora
Lacey Lehotzky has created such beautiful characters with an amazing magic system in Chained. The story starts as The Nighthounds rescue Izidora from a cave where she had been kidnapped and kept for 18 years. The story follows their journey returning Izidora back to her rightful home in the Night Realm at Este Castle, while Izidora finds herself among a world she had never experienced before.
Tropes:
✨Fae
✨Fated Mates
✨FMC with trauma
✨MMC with savior complex
✨Found Family/Band of Brothers
✨Immersive fantasy world
✨Dual POV
✨Prophecy
✨Life or death stakes
A few things I loved about Chained:
✨The characters that were written all have their own personality and bring something different to the table. The banter between them is enjoyable to read, while creating a sense of family within their dynamic.
✨The magic system is incredibly unique, although they all have magic based on where they were born each person has their own specific magic. This again helps build up the characters differences to ultimately bring them together to create a whole team that works well together.
✨I adored the relationship development between Izidora and Kazimir. They start with different perspectives where Kazimir has fallen first, but Izidora falls just as hard. The spice is written incredibly well and doesn’t take up the entirety of the book, but adds to the relationship that we see between our two MC’s.
✨Reading Izidora’s growth was AMAZING. We see her inner struggles, and we see her start to recognize her strengths. This plot point was one of my favorites since it was written so well into the story and felt realistic when we read those struggles that Izidora was having as she navigates this new world.
I genuinely loved this book, the story is written very well and it keeps you engaged throughout the entire book. I would absolutely recommend this to readers who enjoy fantasy with fae, fated mates, found family, and intricate magic system tropes.
✨ Now I’ll be patiently awaiting the release for book 2.
4.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶️
“Once we start this, there’s no going back,” -Kazimir …. “Then keep your eyes forward.” -Izidora
Lacey Lehotzky has created such beautiful characters with an amazing magic system in Chained. The story starts as The Nighthounds rescue Izidora from a cave where she had been kidnapped and kept for 18 years. The story follows their journey returning Izidora back to her rightful home in the Night Realm at Este Castle, while Izidora finds herself among a world she had never experienced before.
Tropes:
✨Fae
✨Fated Mates
✨FMC with trauma
✨MMC with savior complex
✨Found Family/Band of Brothers
✨Immersive fantasy world
✨Dual POV
✨Prophecy
✨Life or death stakes
A few things I loved about Chained:
✨The characters that were written all have their own personality and bring something different to the table. The banter between them is enjoyable to read, while creating a sense of family within their dynamic.
✨The magic system is incredibly unique, although they all have magic based on where they were born each person has their own specific magic. This again helps build up the characters differences to ultimately bring them together to create a whole team that works well together.
✨I adored the relationship development between Izidora and Kazimir. They start with different perspectives where Kazimir has fallen first, but Izidora falls just as hard. The spice is written incredibly well and doesn’t take up the entirety of the book, but adds to the relationship that we see between our two MC’s.
✨Reading Izidora’s growth was AMAZING. We see her inner struggles, and we see her start to recognize her strengths. This plot point was one of my favorites since it was written so well into the story and felt realistic when we read those struggles that Izidora was having as she navigates this new world.
I genuinely loved this book, the story is written very well and it keeps you engaged throughout the entire book. I would absolutely recommend this to readers who enjoy fantasy with fae, fated mates, found family, and intricate magic system tropes.
✨ Now I’ll be patiently awaiting the release for book 2.
January 9, 2024
DNF
Too dark for me, non consensual Situations are a big thing from the Start.
I did not like the writing at All, it seemed too simple and direct, everything is rather told than shown or described through the Characters thoughts and Feelings. The author really needs to work on that.
Another aspect is, that I found several Facts in the story highly unrealistic.
She has been kept chained in a dark Cave for 18 years, but she seems educated, can count, she has trauma but under this circumstances you would expect more damage in a Person.
Too dark for me, non consensual Situations are a big thing from the Start.
I did not like the writing at All, it seemed too simple and direct, everything is rather told than shown or described through the Characters thoughts and Feelings. The author really needs to work on that.
Another aspect is, that I found several Facts in the story highly unrealistic.
She has been kept chained in a dark Cave for 18 years, but she seems educated, can count, she has trauma but under this circumstances you would expect more damage in a Person.
February 15, 2024
The MMC was way too manipulative and thinks about his D*ck while our main girl murdering LITERALLY her rap*St
*Trauma*
The female character trauma that existed all her life gets tossed away like nothing and she decides to follow the random men who recusced her, f*ck one of them within weeks, believes them about her father, learns everything super quickly and is super gullible.
The male character is just terrible.😐
*he should have been a villain *🤔
- I was really hoping for him to turn out to be the villian since he's got the literal characteristics of a traitor and uses our female character vulnerability and lack of knowledge, sleeps with her, knowingfully well that shes new to the outside world, has been beaten, r*ped, chained all her life and needs someone to lean on. So he uses this fact to convince her that she must be queen, therefore overtaking her father so she'll end up with him, idk 🤷♀️ that very much sounds like he wants power.
And his father just goes along with it.💃💃
*The relationship.*😘
The relationship between them was absolutely terrible. He just acted like the others acted ( a friend/guardian), but he obsessed with her, so she chose him 😍. Ew. . The relationship was nonexistent. Even his guards had more to offer than him.
*Girl boss*( since it was advertised as such)
Is the girl boss in the room with us?🥰
Do you know what was NOT in the book? A girl boss
Do you know what was actually in the book? Not a girl boss.😎
To sum it up, it was nothing like acotar( like it was advertised to be). The only part I liked about this book..............................
Is the women 🤷♂️since all the men were written so badly.
Moral of the story?: , it doesn't matter if you have trauma or have been abused by men and are travelling with MEN. Everything can be solved with a nice d*ck.
AND IM STILL GOING TO READ BOOK 2 BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GIVING BOOKS SECOND CHANCES 🥰
*Trauma*
The female character trauma that existed all her life gets tossed away like nothing and she decides to follow the random men who recusced her, f*ck one of them within weeks, believes them about her father, learns everything super quickly and is super gullible.
The male character is just terrible.😐
*he should have been a villain *🤔
- I was really hoping for him to turn out to be the villian since he's got the literal characteristics of a traitor and uses our female character vulnerability and lack of knowledge, sleeps with her, knowingfully well that shes new to the outside world, has been beaten, r*ped, chained all her life and needs someone to lean on. So he uses this fact to convince her that she must be queen, therefore overtaking her father so she'll end up with him, idk 🤷♀️ that very much sounds like he wants power.
And his father just goes along with it.💃💃
*The relationship.*😘
The relationship between them was absolutely terrible. He just acted like the others acted ( a friend/guardian), but he obsessed with her, so she chose him 😍. Ew. . The relationship was nonexistent. Even his guards had more to offer than him.
*Girl boss*( since it was advertised as such)
Is the girl boss in the room with us?🥰
Do you know what was NOT in the book? A girl boss
Do you know what was actually in the book? Not a girl boss.😎
To sum it up, it was nothing like acotar( like it was advertised to be). The only part I liked about this book..............................
Is the women 🤷♂️since all the men were written so badly.
Moral of the story?: , it doesn't matter if you have trauma or have been abused by men and are travelling with MEN. Everything can be solved with a nice d*ck.
AND IM STILL GOING TO READ BOOK 2 BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GIVING BOOKS SECOND CHANCES 🥰
October 23, 2023
I was oddly addicted to this book, mainly because the love affair between the two main characters was straight forward. No “other woman”. No fighting their feelings. No trying to make the other jealous. I greatly appreciated that.
I also love any book that creates a group of “family” that takes care of each other and have great banter. This book has that.
However, the buildup of most everything else in this story was a bit lacking. Izadora was held captive and abused for 21 years, but seemed to get over it within a few weeks time and trust the males around her implicitly. She catches on to her magic immediately, but doesn’t use it when it counts at the end of the book when her mate is in trouble. The storyline seems very simplistic. Straightforward. There isn’t any big storyline or hidden plot line. You can guess who the bad guys are in the beginning, and they are still the bad guys at the end.
So, there is definitely pretty good and not so good in this book. I don’t regret reading it, as it was enjoyable. Nothing that brought forth strong feelings on the readers part though.
I also love any book that creates a group of “family” that takes care of each other and have great banter. This book has that.
However, the buildup of most everything else in this story was a bit lacking. Izadora was held captive and abused for 21 years, but seemed to get over it within a few weeks time and trust the males around her implicitly. She catches on to her magic immediately, but doesn’t use it when it counts at the end of the book when her mate is in trouble. The storyline seems very simplistic. Straightforward. There isn’t any big storyline or hidden plot line. You can guess who the bad guys are in the beginning, and they are still the bad guys at the end.
So, there is definitely pretty good and not so good in this book. I don’t regret reading it, as it was enjoyable. Nothing that brought forth strong feelings on the readers part though.
July 7, 2024
dnf’d about 30% of the way through :/ so many books try so hard to be acotar and be written so that fans of that series and others like it will immediately love this one, and it usually ends up falling flat. The story was both slow and fast at the same time, felt weirdly rushed with very little character building, and it was very repetitive. I found myself skimming to even get this far. It sucks because I try to give books that are a “if you loved this, this and that, then you’ll love this!” a shot but this one was a big let down.
October 16, 2023
I dnfed at about 100 pages left. The plot was interesting but the romance was too cringy and uncomfortable.
June 17, 2024
The first 20% of this book read like a blurb in a wiki on PTSD. At 22% (I checked) the male lead is in love with Izadora…while she’s just emerging from a literal cave after 21 years…30% to 60% just becomes a smut dump? Like one scene after another??? At 70% I’m reading because I want to know how this train wreck ends even though we all saw it coming 50 miles away. At 80% I’m confused by all the inconsistencies but too deep to back out now. At 100% I’m ready to write this review filled with righteous indignation.
Now for the deets.
I can appreciate that the author tried to address trauma that goes unacknowledged in a lot of dark fantasy. However, given the seriousness of the attempt, I find myself resenting the lack of depth at any point in this book. Genuinely everything in this book happens instantly. Recovery. Training. Friendship. Loyalty. Trust. Love. You name it and it’s been insta-fied.
- The weird spelling of unoriginal names (exchanging s for z or i for a) is not exotic and it does not count as world building.
- The language in the book is jarring. At some points they use very modern slang. That would be fine if it was consistent but it’s mixed with very old style dialogue.
- The big info dump monologues about thoughts and feelings are bizarre and not at all how people talk or even process their emotions. Where is the editor?
- Why is Izadora constantly being carried everywhere…?
- Can we stop referring to men and women as EXCLUSIVELY “male” and “female” please? We’re not dogs.
- Why include Kazakhstan’s POV (or whatever his name is) if it’s just going to be him adjusting his junk?
- He talks about how strong Izadora is but then makes her thank him for rescuing her while they do it….it’s just uncomfortable.
As you can tell, I could go on. But if you’ve made it this far I think you get the idea.
Now for the deets.
I can appreciate that the author tried to address trauma that goes unacknowledged in a lot of dark fantasy. However, given the seriousness of the attempt, I find myself resenting the lack of depth at any point in this book. Genuinely everything in this book happens instantly. Recovery. Training. Friendship. Loyalty. Trust. Love. You name it and it’s been insta-fied.
- The weird spelling of unoriginal names (exchanging s for z or i for a) is not exotic and it does not count as world building.
- The language in the book is jarring. At some points they use very modern slang. That would be fine if it was consistent but it’s mixed with very old style dialogue.
- The big info dump monologues about thoughts and feelings are bizarre and not at all how people talk or even process their emotions. Where is the editor?
- Why is Izadora constantly being carried everywhere…?
- Can we stop referring to men and women as EXCLUSIVELY “male” and “female” please? We’re not dogs.
- Why include Kazakhstan’s POV (or whatever his name is) if it’s just going to be him adjusting his junk?
- He talks about how strong Izadora is but then makes her thank him for rescuing her while they do it….it’s just uncomfortable.
As you can tell, I could go on. But if you’ve made it this far I think you get the idea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2024
THIS BOOK!!!! Run to KU and read this immediately! I loved this book! The plot and the world building are incredible. The descriptions really made me feel like I was there. The ending had me stressed y'all! I'm so glad the second book is available so I can start it immediately!
Our FMC Izidora is incredible! She is inquisitive, smart, kind and loving, and above all strong. She is a survivor! She does not let what happened to her define her. She goes through so much growth throughout and I admire her strength and tenacity. I love her so much!
We have to talk about Kazimir. This man is pure adoration, dedication, obsession, protection, and sensuality. He definitely knows what he's doing. 🥵 The way he builds Izidora up and supports and admires her had me feeling all the things!
I loved the relationships that developed throughout the story. The Nighthounds are top tier men and I loved every single one of them! They made me laugh so much. Found family is my favorite trope and this book nailed it!
Our FMC Izidora is incredible! She is inquisitive, smart, kind and loving, and above all strong. She is a survivor! She does not let what happened to her define her. She goes through so much growth throughout and I admire her strength and tenacity. I love her so much!
We have to talk about Kazimir. This man is pure adoration, dedication, obsession, protection, and sensuality. He definitely knows what he's doing. 🥵 The way he builds Izidora up and supports and admires her had me feeling all the things!
I loved the relationships that developed throughout the story. The Nighthounds are top tier men and I loved every single one of them! They made me laugh so much. Found family is my favorite trope and this book nailed it!
September 20, 2023
Very much not a huge fan. This was a plot line that I typically love but it just didn’t click for me
January 7, 2024
It gets interesting at 90%
I read this cause it was on KU but it wasn't my cup of tea. This book will probably resonate more with readers who appreciate more traditional damsel-in-distress trope.
what i liked:
- MMC wasn't all powerful (side characters had their own strenghts highlighted)
- found family trope
- 3/5 spice level
what i didn't like:
- FMC is completely reliant on MMC, can't fight her own battles despite getting close to god-mode abilities and learning hella fast how to fight and use magic. A line from the scene where MMC is incapacitated:
"Kazimir, please don't leave me," I begged "I need you, I love you, please please..." --FMC
- Romance between FMC and MMC doesn't feel as fleshed out
- MMC's obsession was borderline disturbing. MMC fantasized about FMC before even meeting her.
"...lulled me into a favorite daydream, one where we returned to king Zalan promptly declared we were to marry. She had fallen in love with me on our return journey and was thrilled with her father's proposition. Wine flowed freely as the whole night realm celebrated our engagement and shortly thereafter, our wedding" -- MMC
- MMC's manipulation of FMC to go against the king
"While we had avoided revealing our explicit dislike of King Zalan, it was time to sow the seeds of discontent in her heart, to reveal the cruelties of the male who had sired her" --MMC
- MMC's hero complex:
"Tell me i'm your hero. Thank me for saving you and delivering you pleasure" --MMC
I read this cause it was on KU but it wasn't my cup of tea. This book will probably resonate more with readers who appreciate more traditional damsel-in-distress trope.
what i liked:
- MMC wasn't all powerful (side characters had their own strenghts highlighted)
- found family trope
- 3/5 spice level
what i didn't like:
- FMC is completely reliant on MMC, can't fight her own battles despite getting close to god-mode abilities and learning hella fast how to fight and use magic. A line from the scene where MMC is incapacitated:
"Kazimir, please don't leave me," I begged "I need you, I love you, please please..." --FMC
- Romance between FMC and MMC doesn't feel as fleshed out
- MMC's obsession was borderline disturbing. MMC fantasized about FMC before even meeting her.
"...lulled me into a favorite daydream, one where we returned to king Zalan promptly declared we were to marry. She had fallen in love with me on our return journey and was thrilled with her father's proposition. Wine flowed freely as the whole night realm celebrated our engagement and shortly thereafter, our wedding" -- MMC
- MMC's manipulation of FMC to go against the king
"While we had avoided revealing our explicit dislike of King Zalan, it was time to sow the seeds of discontent in her heart, to reveal the cruelties of the male who had sired her" --MMC
- MMC's hero complex:
"Tell me i'm your hero. Thank me for saving you and delivering you pleasure" --MMC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
March 1, 2024Think I'm gonna put this on my DNF shelf for now. I just have no desire to pick it back up.
Ten chapters in and no wings in sight beyond that first time. My disappointment is growing. Don't give your characters wings if you're not going to do anything with them!
Ugh, why is Kazimir so damn cringey? Maybe it's because he's the opposite of what I was expecting, or opposite of what the first few chapters made him seem like, but idk. This is supposed to be a man, a fae who has been alive for a good while, I think he's a guard of some kind -- yet he spends his time constantly daydreaming of Izidora and talking about her.
Speaking of Kazimir and his group of guards/soldiers, they have got to be some of the dumbest men ever. Why would you travel in a group consisting of 8-9 people and not expect to draw attention?! These morons don't even try to split up. Of course you're going to draw attention with such a big af group.
I don't want to be that person, but I'm going to do it anyway. Izidora does not act like she's been held captive in a dungeon for over twenty years. Other than being a little wary/uneasy, which quickly vanishes within the first eight chapters, we get nothing. She has been beaten, starved, sexually assaulted, and so forth for her entire life. Now she's traveling in a group of men and...she's perfectly fine for the most part? It doesn't make sense.
Ten chapters in and no wings in sight beyond that first time. My disappointment is growing. Don't give your characters wings if you're not going to do anything with them!
Ugh, why is Kazimir so damn cringey? Maybe it's because he's the opposite of what I was expecting, or opposite of what the first few chapters made him seem like, but idk. This is supposed to be a man, a fae who has been alive for a good while, I think he's a guard of some kind -- yet he spends his time constantly daydreaming of Izidora and talking about her.
Speaking of Kazimir and his group of guards/soldiers, they have got to be some of the dumbest men ever. Why would you travel in a group consisting of 8-9 people and not expect to draw attention?! These morons don't even try to split up. Of course you're going to draw attention with such a big af group.
I don't want to be that person, but I'm going to do it anyway. Izidora does not act like she's been held captive in a dungeon for over twenty years. Other than being a little wary/uneasy, which quickly vanishes within the first eight chapters, we get nothing. She has been beaten, starved, sexually assaulted, and so forth for her entire life. Now she's traveling in a group of men and...she's perfectly fine for the most part? It doesn't make sense.
March 30, 2024
Dnf 30%
I try to not rate when I dnf a book but the MMC just utterly disgusted me and I have to give a rating.
I read a lot of dark romance and can tolerate alot but finally I found something I am not ok with.
Spoiler ahead
So you are telling me we have a FMC locked in a cave, tortured, isolated and raped. And what does the MMC do? Lust after her and imagining her as his wife. She can't handle being touched but he wants to fuck her?
Hell no, not romantic, not cute at all.
Most negative reviews talk about how she acts and knows too much. She should be way more new to everything. Sure the author tried to explain it away with monthly visits from some women and her listening to the guards talk. But just because you heard about horses doesn't mean you know what one is upon seeing them.
And she can hold proper conversations, barely anyone talked to her for 21 years, she should struggle. So soooo many things on their travels that she shouldn't know, she should be constantly asking questions. She never saw a tree for fucks sake.
And who wants a queen on the throne who has no clue about anything?
I didn't like the writing. Felt juvenile, especially the dialogue. Was she rescued by a bunch of frat boys?
And the whole learning to fight and handle her power. Sure she is über awesome and everything but it's just too awesome for me. I had to put down my kindle when it was revealed that she is part of some ancient super important prophecy.
I try to not rate when I dnf a book but the MMC just utterly disgusted me and I have to give a rating.
I read a lot of dark romance and can tolerate alot but finally I found something I am not ok with.
Spoiler ahead
So you are telling me we have a FMC locked in a cave, tortured, isolated and raped. And what does the MMC do? Lust after her and imagining her as his wife. She can't handle being touched but he wants to fuck her?
Hell no, not romantic, not cute at all.
Most negative reviews talk about how she acts and knows too much. She should be way more new to everything. Sure the author tried to explain it away with monthly visits from some women and her listening to the guards talk. But just because you heard about horses doesn't mean you know what one is upon seeing them.
And she can hold proper conversations, barely anyone talked to her for 21 years, she should struggle. So soooo many things on their travels that she shouldn't know, she should be constantly asking questions. She never saw a tree for fucks sake.
And who wants a queen on the throne who has no clue about anything?
I didn't like the writing. Felt juvenile, especially the dialogue. Was she rescued by a bunch of frat boys?
And the whole learning to fight and handle her power. Sure she is über awesome and everything but it's just too awesome for me. I had to put down my kindle when it was revealed that she is part of some ancient super important prophecy.
April 2, 2024
I read this "book" because of TikTok-book-influencers.
Considering the one star, obviously, I disliked it and even DNFed it at 40%. This is why:
The most issues I had were with the quality of ...prose ( I guess thats the English word), the unrealistic and one dimension plot and the unrealistic characters and character developments.
Imagine a girl that is chained in a cave all her live and gets raped and beaten all the time. She has never known anything except that. That girl is queen material, oh yes, that girl is stable and has no mental issues, its just a tiny bit easier to influence than other girls. WTF. And the first thing she wants to do, is to have romantic relations. It makes little sense to overplay trauma in books, because the story would never move on, but this? Nope, this is over the top of believable unrealistic behaviour and then some.
If the writing were at least good otherwise, as a reader I could ignore this, but this is the main part of the story, all the plot is about the girl who sees the word for the first time after living in a cave and behaves like a stable, childish and curious woman without any panic attacks or anxiety. You can't even say, sure that was stupid, but the description of flowers was great. There is just nothing else to focus on.
Considering the one star, obviously, I disliked it and even DNFed it at 40%. This is why:
The most issues I had were with the quality of ...prose ( I guess thats the English word), the unrealistic and one dimension plot and the unrealistic characters and character developments.
Imagine a girl that is chained in a cave all her live and gets raped and beaten all the time. She has never known anything except that. That girl is queen material, oh yes, that girl is stable and has no mental issues, its just a tiny bit easier to influence than other girls. WTF. And the first thing she wants to do, is to have romantic relations. It makes little sense to overplay trauma in books, because the story would never move on, but this? Nope, this is over the top of believable unrealistic behaviour and then some.
If the writing were at least good otherwise, as a reader I could ignore this, but this is the main part of the story, all the plot is about the girl who sees the word for the first time after living in a cave and behaves like a stable, childish and curious woman without any panic attacks or anxiety. You can't even say, sure that was stupid, but the description of flowers was great. There is just nothing else to focus on.
October 7, 2023
2/5.
I'm not going to lie to you; this book was... not good. The writing, told in dual POV, was so direct, it was a tad jarring. I kept reading because Kazimir definitely had smacks of Zade from Haunting Adelaide that I found both disturbing and hot.
What I liked:
- The smut!
- The interludes of trauma scenes were well-executed (honestly, the author excelled at third person narrative, which made reading the majority first person narrative so tough)
- The promise of a larger political battle to come and the impending fulfillment of an unspecified prophecy
- The Nighthounds crew and their banter
What I didn't like:
- Izidora somehow being kept in a cave for 21 years only to emerge somewhat knowledgeable about the world--sure, she doesn't know about showers but she understands court politics and somehow wants to **rule the kingdom**?!
- Izidora immediately trusting the Nighthounds when they tell her how tyrannical her father is
I'm not going to lie to you; this book was... not good. The writing, told in dual POV, was so direct, it was a tad jarring. I kept reading because Kazimir definitely had smacks of Zade from Haunting Adelaide that I found both disturbing and hot.
What I liked:
- The smut!
- The interludes of trauma scenes were well-executed (honestly, the author excelled at third person narrative, which made reading the majority first person narrative so tough)
- The promise of a larger political battle to come and the impending fulfillment of an unspecified prophecy
- The Nighthounds crew and their banter
What I didn't like:
- Izidora somehow being kept in a cave for 21 years only to emerge somewhat knowledgeable about the world--sure, she doesn't know about showers but she understands court politics and somehow wants to **rule the kingdom**?!
- Izidora immediately trusting the Nighthounds when they tell her how tyrannical her father is
May 7, 2024
I liked the plot in theory but it seemed very rushed and randomly too detailed. It went into so much detail and took multiple chapters for a single day but then would skip 4 weeks into the future. The romance was very rushed and the amount of times we looked into “emerald orbs” was ridiculous. Please just use the word eyes.
March 31, 2024
Well, I’ll never get the time back that I spend reading this book. Should have DNFd as soon as she was able to get over her 20+ years of trauma overnight. I didn’t know it was possible for a plot to move so fast but the book read so slow.
July 12, 2023
The magic of the world was intriguing, but I was left with some major issues to how Izidora overcame her trauma.
September 21, 2023
DNF at 58% - I had zero motivation to pick this up and keep reading. Could not get into the MC's.
September 29, 2025
I just love a Lacey Lehotzky book 😮💨 this was really good. And reading this after eyes of devious burgundy, I can actually see how much her writing has improved over time. I always enjoy the female/male dynamic of her storytelling, the complexity of her world building, the magic she describes, the building of feminine power, the way she can make you hate a character, love them, perhaps hate them again. It’s heart wrenching, and I like the pain.
This plot didn’t pull me in as much as her other books, but the yearning kept me. And I just love a badass FMC that doesn’t know how badass she is but when she FINDS OUT 🤌🏼
Onto book with haste✌🏼
This plot didn’t pull me in as much as her other books, but the yearning kept me. And I just love a badass FMC that doesn’t know how badass she is but when she FINDS OUT 🤌🏼
Onto book with haste✌🏼
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