Meg Xuemei X is a USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of paranormal and fantasy romance. She loves writing badass heroines and hot psycho alphaholes.
Just terrible all around. The characters are gross and immature and I never once had sympathy for the heroine, especially after she has sex with her "mate" who has chosen the OW over her time and time again. I feel like I just read a bad wattpad book.
I read the prologue and then the first couple of pages of the first chapter. Holy Hell in a hand basket. The grammar was atrocious, “She’d once fought me with every ounce of her fiery strength. Now, she finally surrendered to me.”
present and past tense were all screwed up; “Bullets bit into the tree trunks around me, but none hit my person. I’d ducked my head earlier, and now I ran in a zigzag fashion, as if my senses could tell where the next bullets would land.”
and the words themselves- like the slang and language were so instantly problematic for me it was all I could see; ““I twisted my ankle,” a younger man’s mean voice whined. “That bitch will pay!”” Who says that? Like really?
And I don’t normally care about things like that TOO much as long as the story manages to lure me in first.
… But this was an eyebrow raised and poised sending “really?” vibes. In the very brief amount of time I was able to even stomach it, I pondered quite seriously, how in the heck it GOT so many high reviews (-which was literally the only reason I even picked this up in the first place).
The flow of reading was just so disjointed and jerky. It never melded well from one sentence to the next. Sometimes paragraphs would start entirely new thoughts altogether that had very little correlation to do with the last paragraph- asking you to leap in a different direction at every turn.
Terrible. Really. The world made no sense to me, even after being brokenly explained at random points in the story. The MC was immature and her fated mate was a massive jerk. She calls people by stupid nicknames so often that she literally forgets their names (she calls the cousin by two different names in the story). The protagonist was so stereotypical, the academy setting was par for the course with this author, and the story seemed to go nowhere.
I don’t understand the high rating. Like. Really. Don’t. Understand. The writing style and characters are immature. I made it to chapter 11 by slogging through but I just can’t take it anymore. The author has no clear world building. At first they talk about mages and wolf shifters and then we learn that there are bear shifters and other animal shifters. We learn about vampires and I guess the horseman of the apocalypse exist in this world too. Oh and gods and princesses. The author does a lot of telling and not showing. There were no emotions involved except for the forced sexual feelings felt by the main character and her fated mate who she calls sideburns. The heroine at one point supernaturally makes 2 other characters fart to take them down a notch. 2nd graders tell fart jokes. I feel like the premise of this story could have been good but the writing is rushed,choppy, and repetitive. It really needs a rewrite or a very thorough editor.
This is my first written review on this site, and unfortunately, not for a good reason. Booktok did me dirty AGAIN… this book was total drivel. The worldbuilding makes no sense. The characters are flat, impulsive, and unenjoyable (minus maybe Danielle, who seems alright).
We have shifters, vampires, mages, gods, princesses, heirs, kings… and all for what? None of them are properly developed or well explained. Pip is an atrocious cliché— the spunky and strong heroine who is that way for literally no reason. All we know is that she has a mysterious past and this makes special (barf). She arrives with magical super strength and never falters— nothing bothers her, nothing overwhelms her, nothing really challenges her, and so the stakes are low. She’s rude and arrogant— I love a confident heroine, but that confidence should be earned. I want to see growth, which Pip does not do.
Specific irritants: - grown adults attending uniformed high school/military school (20 year olds are way beyond that) - dialogue that is hilariously bad (e.g.: “this bitch will pay!” - who says this???) - Rainbow wolf - weird magical “pranks” that serve zero purpose (magical growing face pubes, itchy nipples, constipation, farting?) - irrelevant rapey subplot involving the fated mate - stupid nicknames (Sideburns, Canary, Going-gray, Blow Job?)
This author is now on my black list.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A summary of the book is what brings interest to the book in the first place. The summary for this book sounded interesting to me, however I was soon to be disappointed. According to the books summary the MC was rejected by her mate and then held hostage by said mate, only for her to be rescued by what could be a second potential mate of hers. Instead, what we got was the MC going to school and getting bullied by the popular group. Only in the last ten pages did we actually get anything related to the initial summary of the book. Perhaps I could have enjoyed this book if it was described accurately. As it was, I couldn’t enjoy it seeing as it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be based off of the summary.
Hate to trash a book but this is one of those reads that you wonder how the idea was even conceived to begin with. Badly written and formulated dialogue ("Get that Death Bitch!" I'm sorry, what?), tense shifting in mid sentence, unlikable characters, cringy premise, over all just strange plot, and very badly written erotica. Nothing really compelled me here beyond wondering how much worse it could get.
Have you ever seen Story Cubes? This feels like someone shook the dice, saw the results and tried their best to make a book out of the images. She should have shook them onnnnne more timmmme 😋
Fantastical, Magical, Suspenseful ride with a unapologetically sarcastic funny girl😈
Page 1 and we are full on in action mode as something or many someones are chasing pip. She's running with no idea where's she's come from and who she is and why this people are attacking her.
The only memory she has is that of a strong and powerful man with a mesmerizing presence who is called the Vampire God. Nobody has seen him and he's almost conspired a myth.
She's taken by three strange men and realises later that there are Shifters. Also none other than the Alpha Heir and the princes have her as they felt her wolf.
She finds out that she's the fated mate of the Alpha Heir himself. But he doesn't want to do anything with her as he's about to be engaged.
Pip is brought to the Shifters Academy to learn proper etiquettes and also to learn to fight. Where before she's settled, she's already made enemies with the Princess Vivienne, about to be engaged to Alpha Heir.
But I loved loved Princess Danielle who takes her under her wing and her other friends, Summer and paris who make pip a part of their own clan.
Honestly, Pip was a bit unusual character for me but I loved that she didn't take things as it is, she wasn't scared to speak her mind, even in the face of punishment and used sarcastic humor to make might of things.
But when you are hunted and have been tortured, without any knowledge of your past, I really felt for pip and how lost she felt yet did the best she could.
I didn't really like Alpha Heir aka Jared at all. He was mean, rude, selfish and didn't care about his fated mate at all. Whereas his brother, was such a good friend to pip, I loved Canary.
There are things going on, secret magic spells and magical attacks to capture pip. Nobody knows why the mages as well as the vampires want her and word is that one of the most powerful vampire, also is out for her now.
Friendships, magic, shifters, vampires, mages and a girl who makes mistakes but is not fearless to go against anyone who dare crosses her or her clan.
I loved how even after a mistake that she feels she did, how fiercely pip stands up for herself and does things even knowing consequences can be life threatening.
I'm so intrigued by the Vampire God, Marlowe and after that ending.. YESSSS... I can't wait for the next book in this series. Loved this one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This was just bad. I usually love bad romance novels. This one had poor characters, writing, and story line. To the point where you could barely finish it. The only good thing I can say, is that it’s an easy mindless read once you stop rolling your eyes at every character you meet.
The beginning was interesting, the middle was annoying, and the ending was the best part.
I felt confused about the world-building. This story may be set in the same universe as the author's other series, because while there was some background info., it didn't fully explain everything I needed to know. More details about the world would've helped.
The second horseman, War, arrived, triggering global conflicts among humans that led to mass slaughter and the collapse of their civilization. Without technology, humans are no longer a threat to the shifters. Now, the biggest danger comes from vampires, with whom the shifters are engaged in a supernatural war. While mages also exist, they are considered neutral. Each group—shifters, vampires, and mages—controls its own territory or city.
🤔 What happened to the first horseman?
According to a prophecy, Death is the next horseman to arrive. If the supernaturals manage to delay him (though I'm not sure how they could), his daughter will still come to fulfill his role. It's said that Death's daughter is already here. Who that is should be obvious. Her identity is revealed on page 11, and mentioned often throughout the story.
This powerful woman, known as Pip, often acted immaturely. Her childish nicknames for others (like Canary, Sideburns, Going-Gray, and Blowjob), and her penchant for pranks (such as making people fart or sprout facial hair), made her seem like a teenager. When Pip was taken to the Shifters Academy, the story felt reminiscent of a PNR Mean Girls movie. It was full of pranks, name-calling, catfights, and general cattiness, giving it a YA novel vibe.
This is the middle part and
The sex scene(s) were NA, while all the swearing made it adult. Once Pip left the academy and things got serious, the book greatly improved.
What I Liked: + Pip's friendship with Danielle and others. + Jared aka Sideburns, the alpha heir and Pip's fated mate. The fact that he rejects Pip and is with another woman, made this very interesting. I enjoy the "rejected mates" trope when it's done well. This was done so well, I wanted to punch Jared in the head. + Shade aka Canary, who's Jared's younger brother. He's my favorite character, because he's there to help Pip whenever she needs him.
The writing was pretty good, but the physical descriptions were seriously lacking. Thanks to the cliffhanger ending, I'll be giving the next book a try.
Edited to Add: Book 2 was a DNF. It had twice as much swearing and the h was twice as annoying. She said things were cool, and used the nicknames, 'Sweet Cheeks' and 'Jerkface' repeatedly. It got old fast.
I really enjoyed Pip’s story. She has no filter and an inner strength that kept me cheering for her from beginning to end.
However I have to say that the blurb didn’t really reflect the story we got and that has me a little disappointed. Despite that, I’m also excited for all the possibilities in the next book especially after that ending. I definitely need more of Marlowe now.
I’m also unsure of my feelings towards Sideburns : I don’t know if I want him to redeem himself or not (though I’m leaning towards not right now - he’s definitely unworthy of Pip at this point). I like Shade and his relationship with Pip as well as her other friends.
There’s a world of possibilities for this series and the next book won’t be coming out soon enough.
Oh my! This is one amazing story. It has so much drama throughout it. The story had me on the edge of my seat as I throughly devoured this story. I was in just awe how well this story was written and developed. I loved Pip and her strength and personality. She is one that endured so much and yet we only really just scratched the surface with her in this book. Jared is one of those characters that you absolutely hate but yet you can see the redeeming qualities inside them so you kind of love them at the same time. I absolutely love Shade and his flirting personality. I do so hope we see more of him in the next book. This story is extremely well written and developed as it pulls you into one crazy world. I honestly think that this is becoming my favorite. If your looking for an amazing journey with a lot of drama, betrayal, and action with some really creative funny moments this this is a stunningly magnificent story you won’t want to miss. It is an absolute must read!!!!!!!!!
Meh, a mediocre story with a writing that doesn't give it any flavour. The story itself is pretty childish. It follows the popular trope of a special snowflake of a girl with oh, so special powers. There is also the fated mates trope with a twist that her mate wants to keep her as a breed able sidepiece witch results in mating bond getting severed. So, just to be clear, this fated mate is a pretty horrible person. Some high school bullying, some bitchy queen bee, some stupid determination to save everyone . I also made a mistake of not looking up if next book is published. I am absolutely convinced that in a week I will not even remember this book, so I won't bother to look up the sequel once it will be available. Maybe it's for the best. This definitely wasn't a quality read.
I love the plot! What I didn't like was the lame pranks and nicknames. I am sorry, but I was over them pretty early on in the book. I LOVE how fierce and sassy Pip is, but the pranks were not doing it for me. The nicknames and real names got confusing and annoying. I feel so mean leaving this review, but it could have been SO much more amazing.
So this either a) has a very immature MC or b) is written for teens but has adult situations. Or both! And even though it’s so immature here I am. Also what did we expect from her shifter mate? He’s blonde and the vampire is has dark hair. Also not to be judgmental BUT he kept choosing the other woman over and over again. His own brother told you time and time again how awful and selfish he was. But what bothered me the most was the writing. Who edited this? Was there Ana editor or even beta readers? Not “yes” people that love everything you write. But people with ideas and helpful comments that critique your work to make it better. Where were those people, they failed this author.
I got off track. So basically don’t start this. It’s bad. But if you do, like me, I don’t know what to tell you. The good thing is that it’s written at a fifth grade level tops so you will speed read this in one day. And I’m so curious about the vampire so I continue to be a sucker. Because I’m very mad I read this. But somehow want to continue torturing myself.
I found this book through another author and I am blown away at the intensity of this story. Please note it might trigger sensitive readers as abuse is mentioned. The story gripped me in it claws wouldn't let ago. I seriously need the next book. Wow. The characters are diverse, strong and sass driven. The storyline is strong enough to carry on and the twist and turns are worth the sleepless night I endured reading Pip's adventures. Highly recommended read, a thrilling start to a series.
I have to admit, I was torn between rating this 3.5 stars and 4. While the plot was good, the writing style was satisfactory. In other stories, I read every line because I'm invested in the style and flow of the story. With this, I sometimes skimmed over parts because I just wasn't interested in reading every word. I was more interested in the overall plot and where the story would lead. Pip, the female protagonist could be crass at times and it was a bit off putting. I did admire her strength and refusal to bend to Jared, the alpha male. She didn't back down and was loyal to her friends. Jared seemed to be a bit selfish. He only saw what could Pip could offer him. It all about him and what he would get from Pip. Jared had no feelings for her whatsoever. Shade, his brother, cares so much more for Pip. I understand that Jared needs to play politics but why can't he change things? I had hoped to see more of this mysterious entity that appeared in brief moments and how they are connected to Pip. Her past is only glimpsed briefly and so there are many questions. I am interested to see where the story will lead and what fate awaits our protagonists. I'm just not sure if I can get past the writing style. That being said, it was still a interesting tale.
I JUST finished Shifter God, Monsters After Dark Book 1, by Meg Xuemei X … AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC 🤯🤯🤯!!!! (FYI, I’m not affiliated with the author, not in the book biz, reading is just a HOBBY, and I’m just a regular reader that is super passionate 💗 about spreading the word on GREAT books!) There are NO MAJOR spoilers 🙌🏻!
Guyyyyyyssssss… I HAD NO IDEA 💡 what I was getting into when I started this book 😲!! Here I was, on a Saturday afternoon ☀️, looking for just a FUN 🤩 read. I didn’t read ANYTHING about this book before starting! I literally just picked it up because it’s on Amazon Bestsellers 🏆 list (currently #65 with over 2K ratings at NEARLY 5 STARS ⭐️😲!) and it has a WICKED COOL 😎 cover! So here I am, not knowing anything about it doo doo doot doo 😆… I see two dudes on the cover and think… ehh, a RH 💋. Okie. I can read a RH today 😁. But mannnnn, I HAD NO IDEA THE AMAZINGNESS 🤩 I WAS ABOUT TO UNCOVER (no pun intended 😆, even though that cover is completely BADA$S 🤺!) … FYI, psssst 🤫… I don’t think it’s an RH!
OK… PICTURE 🌅 THIS 👆🏻! So your on the run 🏃🏻♀️ in the forest 🌳 with no memory 🧠 of yourself. You hide in the bushes, looking like a wild woman. Three hot 🥵 dudes & their calvary ⚔️ stumble upon you. You don’t want to go with them (duh, cause you don’t know them.. let alone who you are!) So what do you do??? You start pulling your hair, screaming things like “Duddub! Boo! Poopooo! Fuckooo!” so the dudes think your a complete fruitcake 😂😂😂 …. LMAO 😅! Like I was DYING LAUGHING 😆 over this! I had NO idea what was going to happen with this book… but I didn’t expect that 🤣🤣🤣
So needless to say, I completely fell in LOVE ❤️ with this FMC! She is FUNNY 😆, HONEST 😇, BOLD 💪🏻 and takes NO CRAP 👊🏻! And the BEST thing… the very, VERY BEST 🥇 thing about her… is SHE DOES NOT WAVER 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Seriously… I LOVE ❤️ when an author stays TRUE to their FMC the ENTIRE BOOK 🙌🏻! This chick has GUMPTION and GRIT for days… and I FREAKING ADORE HER 😍😍😍!!!
So I actually didn’t give you a great idea what the book is about with the above 😆. I really don’t want to ruin it 🚫! And I HIGHLY suggest you AVOID ⚠️ the blurb on Amazon and just DIVE 🏊♀️ in! But I CAN TELL YOU 😁😁😁…. you are going to SEETHE 🤬🤬! I don’t think I’ve HATED 😡 a MC so much in my life 😱!! This has SERIOUS Zodiac Academy vibes at times 👏🏻! It’s not quite bullying, but you just want to SMACK 👋🏻 THE HECK out of one of the characters!
So some may read this and wonder 💭 … errrr … why would I read something that would get me so angry 😆?! And some will read this and run 🏃🏻♀️ on over to Amazon STAT 🚨! But I have said it before & I’ll say it again 😆! I’ll ALWAYS say it 🙌🏻! When an author gets you so RILED 😤 up and ALSO when the author KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING (mannnn this LADY TOTALLY KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING 🙌🏻 !)… you can bet your bottom dollar a VENGEANCE 🤺 scene is on it’s way that is SATISFYING 👏🏻 and so INCREDIBLE 🙌🏻! You know what I mean… the kind that gets you hooting 🤩 & hollering 🤗! Fist pumping 👊🏻! Hell, you may even cry 😅 while your jumping up & down trying not to drop your tablet/eReader in overwhelming excitement 🤩🤩🤩! THAT IS WHAT THIS BOOK DOES 😆 👏🏻🙌🏻👊🏻! It is so INCREDIBLE! Like it’s 4:13am folks. I’ve binged this all today! And instead of going to bed 🛌 … I just HAVE to write ✍️ this! HAVE TO! I’ve been messaging 📱 my girlfriend all day and she started reading it tonight… and she is like… BRO I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW 😂! And I am like… I KNOW 😅!!!! I KNOW 😅!!!! But KEEP READING 😁😁😂! She is also up still reading right now as I’m writing this 😅. This is one of THOSE books 👏🏻! It is a hidden gem 💎 that I’m going to be telling EVERYONE about! Seriously, this book is PERFECTION 💋👌🏻! It’s just so dang DRAMATIC 🎭 and the FMC just MAKES IT SO AMAZING 🤩. Her personality is THE BEST 🏆!
And geeeez this is one of those that I’m salivating 🥵 over the MMC and I’ve hardly met the dude! Super similar to how the first book of the Charlie Davidson series is with her MMC 👏🏻. Like you are OBSESSED 😍 with this guy & you don’t even know him 😂. True MAGIC ✨ of an author to REAL YOU IN 🎣 with hardly any stage time!!! So that may make you wonder 🤔 if it’s steamy?! YES THERE IS STEAM 🔥! But it’s not loaded with it… but it is EXCELLENT 🤩 steam writing! Honestly, I picked this up today because I’ve read a few books from this author in the past and I’ll be completely honest ✌🏻, I was looking for a fun, light smutty 💋 read today to pull me out of a reading slump! I just read so much… that even though I have a few amazing series I’m reading right now, I just needed a bit of a break & something to mix things up! So already knew for a fact this gal can write smut 🔥! She’s super talented with the heat 🔥🔥🔥! So I KNOW there’s going to be some GRADE-A heat in future books too 🙌🏻!
I just LOVE ❤️ when I find a read like this! So unexpected 😲! So GENIUS 💡! And I’m literally on pins & needles 🪡 for the next book! And yes, there is a cliffhanger but it’s TOTALLY worth it. TOTALLY 💯 TOTALLY 💯 TOTALLY 💯 worth it 👏🏻! And no, August is not SOON ENOUGH for Book 2 😩😩😩! Annnnnd … I just have to say the super ironic thing for me about this book, is I’ve been looking for a THIS 👆🏻 trope lately, but I wanted a really unique version of it! And little did I know that I inadvertently stumbled upon EXACTLY 🙌🏻 what I was looking for! This is PERFECTLY 🤩 done in my opinion for this trope!! It’s EVERYTHING I have been wanting & MORE 👏🏻👏🏻!
So if you are looking for a FMC that is literally FREAKING INCREDIBLE 🤩 THE ENTIRE BOOK, a MMC that you CANNOT WAIT to SHOW UP 🙌🏻, some freaking FUNNY humor that will make you CACKLE 😂, a REALLY GREAT FANTASY 🐺 🧛 plotline that is so freaking INTERESTING 🧐, some HOT STEAM 🔥, annnnnd last but in no way least…. FREAKING CRAZY 😡 EMOTIONS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO THROW YOUR BOOK AT A MC… like I HATE THIS GUY WITH A PASSION 🤬🤬🤬. Probably the MOST I’ve ever HATED 😡 A MC! So yeah… if you want that crazy 🤪 ride… give this book a shot! It’s free on KU and you never know, it may be EXACTLY the book to CAPTURE ⛓ you!
Let's be honest. TikTok brought me here and I'll be damned to trust booktok again. It is not an awful book. It is just very plain and boring: the characters are meh, the story is meh and I only read through it because it wasn't too long and I kinda skipped some chapters here and there (it didn't actually make any difference to me: nothing got confusing and I didn't have to go back and re-read stuff). I just didn't connect to the characters, I didn't get sucked into the story and honestly: the four sentences that were used on TikTok to describe the book were actually from the only remotely interesting part. So... This whole book could have been written as a 100 page novella or something. I am NOT letting booktok seduce me again. But unfortunately this book IS a part of a trilogy so I guess I'll leaf through the other two, because my brain won't let me leave the story unfinished (even if the story is awful, which this story isn't really). I think I won't enjoy the others either.
I really enjoyed this. The blurb and cover are a bit misleading. And the different aspects of supernatural creatures, magic and the mythology is a bit jumbled together. I am waiting for it to full pan out and become cohesive. But I really liked the world. I am eager to know more about Mages and Vampires. The whole Christian mythology (if it can even be considered mythology) was interesting. I have always been fascinated with the four horsemen. I love the whole rejected mate angle. I am intrigued. I will definitely be waiting and then reading for book 2.
Book started out great. Funny and 2 povs but………after that first male pov there were never anymore. 😒 I love multiple povs.
The last chapter or I got kindof pissed at FMC all of a sudden she it was like poof I can break wards because I can but this was never done, spoken about etc before it was like the author needed to solve the issue of her escaping and 💥 this will solve it. Idk. I would say 2.5 ⭐️ overall. I’m seesawing on if it’s worth going onto book 2. 🫤
i have a lot of thoughts on this. i was really depressed a few months ago and i spend hundreds of dollars on TIK TOK SHOP on those blind date with a book things and this was in one of them?????? anyways i found it in the bottom of my closet today and i cracked it open just to see what was going on and after reading the prologue i was like “there’s no way the whole book can be this bad” so i read it. LMAOOOOO HOW DOES THIS HAVE 4 STARS. the timing is so weird and the main man JARED is like,,,,,,,,,so bad???????? AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON PIP I HATE HER FOREVER. i’m so serious how is this a SERIES. who is asking for other books??????????? does the author know this book is actually published and not just on wattpad for free because there is no way this was edited. literally the vampire guy’s name is spelled wrong on the first page???? and the other grammar problems in the entire book is like,,,,way too many to miss lmao. genuinely this book is now in my trash can because even my local mormon owned thrift store doesn’t deserve to be cursed with this book.
I really wanted to enjoy this and for some parts I did.
Firstly the pet names and actual names confused the shit out of me. Once she knew her real name she was still called 2 others. But I got past it until the fart jokes started…. Look it had me in tears because it was just so odd.
Then it’s starts to get even more juvenile and a lot of the story was just telling you stuff. But was I hanging in for the hot Vampire God?….you bet your ass.
Spoiler…
He was the cliffhanger, so will I push through book 2? Sure let’s give it a go