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Shadows of Secrets and Lies
Eighteen-year-old Mandalyn Johnson’s mother tried to kill her. She knows because her father told her.
The one thing she knows about her father - he’s a master manipulator.
On the cusp of adulthood, Mandalyn is ready to shed all thoughts of her mentally unstable mother and take her rightful place among the greatest minds her society possesses.
But when she learns the character level of her rival for top-in-class crests at 10, she knows she must confront him. Tens are the most dangerous level imaginable. When he confesses that her character level is also a 10, her mind is blown.
With the help of two other students with deadly character levels, they attempt to piece together what they know while they start to exhibit extraordinary abilities. With their newfound abilities, they’re able to see the future. In one potential future, they die and in the other, they kill everyone.
They must untangle the lies to determine which future will belong to them. And find out why the organizations tasked with bringing order to the world don’t want them to exist in the perfect world they’re trying to create.
The one thing she knows about her father - he’s a master manipulator.
On the cusp of adulthood, Mandalyn is ready to shed all thoughts of her mentally unstable mother and take her rightful place among the greatest minds her society possesses.
But when she learns the character level of her rival for top-in-class crests at 10, she knows she must confront him. Tens are the most dangerous level imaginable. When he confesses that her character level is also a 10, her mind is blown.
With the help of two other students with deadly character levels, they attempt to piece together what they know while they start to exhibit extraordinary abilities. With their newfound abilities, they’re able to see the future. In one potential future, they die and in the other, they kill everyone.
They must untangle the lies to determine which future will belong to them. And find out why the organizations tasked with bringing order to the world don’t want them to exist in the perfect world they’re trying to create.
- GenresScience FictionRomance
Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2022
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Brazil
18 books113 followersI read words. I write words. I love words. Words have so much power, I understood this at an early age so story-telling has always been a part of my life. After college, I tried my hand at a few different careers - paralegal, customer service, sales. Yeah, I shouldn't have. Now, I'm following my passion and doing what I love. I write Young Adult urban fantasy, science fiction, and romance novels. I live in Texas with my husband and three kids and my endless imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 9, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book. This was a great book.
March 10, 2022
Shadows of Secrets and Lies
by Dawn Brazil
Book 1 in the Shadow series
Rating: 4/5
Wow. Some authors have such amazing imaginations. I am always so impressed with the world-building that goes into writing YA dystopian thrillers. Having never read anything from the author before, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed her story and characters. She provided an escape to another world that was interesting and unique yet still relatable.
The story hooks you from the beginning and dives straight into this unknown world. The ending sets up the next book so I will be excitedly anticipating the next installment that comes out in a month. The characters are also very fun and relatable. I loved seeing how much Mandalyn grew as a character and in her relationships. And let me just say the chemistry she had with a certain someone was palpable. I also loved how relatable she was with all her insecurities and feelings of isolation. I liked how the author had her confront every relationship in her life and am excited to read more.
My favorite quote from the book (there were many that I highlighted):
"Hugs are a way of wrapping a person up and holding them together when they are falling apart. I’ve hugged and been hugged quite a bit in the past few weeks. It feels right to allow someone else control over your body for a few seconds, to allow yourself to crumble. Sometimes in falling apart, we find that we fit back together even better."
PG-13 content with some swearing and steamy makeout sessions. Highly recommend if you enjoy high stakes (the author goes there) YA dystopian thrillers with action and romance.
My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.
by Dawn Brazil
Book 1 in the Shadow series
Rating: 4/5
Wow. Some authors have such amazing imaginations. I am always so impressed with the world-building that goes into writing YA dystopian thrillers. Having never read anything from the author before, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed her story and characters. She provided an escape to another world that was interesting and unique yet still relatable.
The story hooks you from the beginning and dives straight into this unknown world. The ending sets up the next book so I will be excitedly anticipating the next installment that comes out in a month. The characters are also very fun and relatable. I loved seeing how much Mandalyn grew as a character and in her relationships. And let me just say the chemistry she had with a certain someone was palpable. I also loved how relatable she was with all her insecurities and feelings of isolation. I liked how the author had her confront every relationship in her life and am excited to read more.
My favorite quote from the book (there were many that I highlighted):
"Hugs are a way of wrapping a person up and holding them together when they are falling apart. I’ve hugged and been hugged quite a bit in the past few weeks. It feels right to allow someone else control over your body for a few seconds, to allow yourself to crumble. Sometimes in falling apart, we find that we fit back together even better."
PG-13 content with some swearing and steamy makeout sessions. Highly recommend if you enjoy high stakes (the author goes there) YA dystopian thrillers with action and romance.
My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.
March 10, 2022
This is dystopian thriller. Though interesting, I could not really connect with it, but found the story intriguing enough to read through.
I will definitely read book 2 to see where this story leads to. . I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I will definitely read book 2 to see where this story leads to. . I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 11, 2022
This is a fantastic dystopian thriller that is well written, gripping and will have you on the edge of your seat. The world building is amazing and draws you in, the storyline interesting and entertaining and the characters relatable and intriguing. I look forward to reading the next book!
February 9, 2022
Shadows of secrets and lies is a future dystopia. The society is very technology focused and tracked through a smart watch like contraption.
Although many dystopias tend to follow the same loose storyline - world ran by scientist type, kids figure out government is bad and has a plan usually to kill people and so on. This story adds in creative technology and diverse characters. The main character, Mandalyn is portrayed as a bit of a nerd from the beginning. The other main character gave me that vibe in the beginning to, but his character's persona kind of changes through the book which left me a little confused. I really enjoy the character he is later in the book though.
Overall the story and characters made for a good book. To me it was a pretty quick read also. I would definitely read the next book to see where the author takes this story.
Although many dystopias tend to follow the same loose storyline - world ran by scientist type, kids figure out government is bad and has a plan usually to kill people and so on. This story adds in creative technology and diverse characters. The main character, Mandalyn is portrayed as a bit of a nerd from the beginning. The other main character gave me that vibe in the beginning to, but his character's persona kind of changes through the book which left me a little confused. I really enjoy the character he is later in the book though.
Overall the story and characters made for a good book. To me it was a pretty quick read also. I would definitely read the next book to see where the author takes this story.
April 13, 2022
Oh my goodness! What an amazing read. This book seriously had me hooked from the very beginning.
The story follows 18-year-old Mandalyn who knows nothing of her dead mother except that she tried to kill her when she was a baby. She lives with her father, a strict disciplinarian who controls just about every aspect of Mandalyn's life.
Mandalyn is top of her class, next to Will, that is. Her sole goal is to crush him and win the coveted spot of valedictorian.
But when Mandalyn suddenly begins seeing Will and a few other classmates as dangerous, deranged criminals her world is flipped on its head. How can these people be murders, criminals, or psychopaths when they are now the only family she can truly count on? And is she destined to be a criminal too?
Mandalyn (or Andi for short) soon learns that everything she thought was true, is not. Her father is not who she thought he was, her mother may not really be dead, her classmates that were once just competition to her may actually be her best friends, and her greatness may lie in her powers and her heart, not in her academic excellence.
The story was gripping, exciting and a little steamy (but not too much).
There may have been a few errors with formatting at the beginning of the Kindle version, possibly where a break in the text should have been. Overall it was a smooth read.
I cannot wait to recommend this book to just about everyone I know!.
The story follows 18-year-old Mandalyn who knows nothing of her dead mother except that she tried to kill her when she was a baby. She lives with her father, a strict disciplinarian who controls just about every aspect of Mandalyn's life.
Mandalyn is top of her class, next to Will, that is. Her sole goal is to crush him and win the coveted spot of valedictorian.
But when Mandalyn suddenly begins seeing Will and a few other classmates as dangerous, deranged criminals her world is flipped on its head. How can these people be murders, criminals, or psychopaths when they are now the only family she can truly count on? And is she destined to be a criminal too?
Mandalyn (or Andi for short) soon learns that everything she thought was true, is not. Her father is not who she thought he was, her mother may not really be dead, her classmates that were once just competition to her may actually be her best friends, and her greatness may lie in her powers and her heart, not in her academic excellence.
The story was gripping, exciting and a little steamy (but not too much).
There may have been a few errors with formatting at the beginning of the Kindle version, possibly where a break in the text should have been. Overall it was a smooth read.
I cannot wait to recommend this book to just about everyone I know!.
March 20, 2022
In Shadows of Secrets and Lies (Shadow series book 1) by Dawn Brazil, that I received through BookFunnel and definitely recommend, Mandalyn discovers some of the things she believed may not be true. With the help of some other students with supposedly deadly character levels they must untangle the lies perpetrated by the people they love to determine which future will belong to them and why certain organizations tasked with bring order to the world don't want them to exist in what they consider a perfect world. Loved this book by Dawn Brazil and am looking forward to reading more by this writer. This book is available on Amazon
March 15, 2022
The story was well written and the characters are well developed. The author does a great job writing the story and the plot well and keeping the reader interested. It’s a new world that I would like to continue reading and a great start to a series.. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 31, 2023
I received this ARC for free from NetGalley.
I’m terrible at summaries so this is always the hardest part of a review to write, but in the case of this book I find it even harder than usual. There’s a lot to this story while also being very little of consequence, so it’s hard to summarize the actual plot. What I can say is that this story takes place many years in the future, and technology has advanced in many ways but not in others. This is very much a dystopian story with children who have magic. Beyond that, I couldn’t say much about the world itself.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a little sick, but I found myself slightly confused during parts of the dialogue, unable to easily tell who was speaking. Which might not have been so bad, if the dialogue made more sense overall. But to me it seemed like the conversations jumped around, and what someone said didn’t always follow what they should have been replying to.
This confusion was also present in the story itself, although not as often. But what people chose to do often left me confused. They changed their minds with no real explanation or indication of why. The story just continued on.
That said, this was a quick read. And the story was interesting enough to finish, if for no other reason than that there are lots of questions involved (like the identity of the main character’s mother). Unfortunately, I don’t feel the ending gave me any answers at all. I understand that that’s supposed to make me want to read an inevitable sequel, but instead I just feel annoyed. I don’t want to have to read another book to feel like I had even one of my questions answered.
If you like insta-love, that’s definitely in this book. I think it’s maybe supposed to be more enemies to lovers, but we get almost none of them being enemies before they’re in love, so to me it felt instant. It also felt really shallow. All the relationships (including friendships) in this book happen so quickly, but are talked about like they’re incredibly deep and meaningful from the start.
The writing itself is… Okay. I appreciated that the author definitely knew how to write the cold, unfeeling father quite well (he’s probably the most interesting character in the novel to me), but I didn’t love most of this book. Maybe one day I’ll read another book by this author to see if they improve, but it likely won’t be the sequel to this one. This just wasn’t for me.
I’m terrible at summaries so this is always the hardest part of a review to write, but in the case of this book I find it even harder than usual. There’s a lot to this story while also being very little of consequence, so it’s hard to summarize the actual plot. What I can say is that this story takes place many years in the future, and technology has advanced in many ways but not in others. This is very much a dystopian story with children who have magic. Beyond that, I couldn’t say much about the world itself.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a little sick, but I found myself slightly confused during parts of the dialogue, unable to easily tell who was speaking. Which might not have been so bad, if the dialogue made more sense overall. But to me it seemed like the conversations jumped around, and what someone said didn’t always follow what they should have been replying to.
This confusion was also present in the story itself, although not as often. But what people chose to do often left me confused. They changed their minds with no real explanation or indication of why. The story just continued on.
That said, this was a quick read. And the story was interesting enough to finish, if for no other reason than that there are lots of questions involved (like the identity of the main character’s mother). Unfortunately, I don’t feel the ending gave me any answers at all. I understand that that’s supposed to make me want to read an inevitable sequel, but instead I just feel annoyed. I don’t want to have to read another book to feel like I had even one of my questions answered.
If you like insta-love, that’s definitely in this book. I think it’s maybe supposed to be more enemies to lovers, but we get almost none of them being enemies before they’re in love, so to me it felt instant. It also felt really shallow. All the relationships (including friendships) in this book happen so quickly, but are talked about like they’re incredibly deep and meaningful from the start.
The writing itself is… Okay. I appreciated that the author definitely knew how to write the cold, unfeeling father quite well (he’s probably the most interesting character in the novel to me), but I didn’t love most of this book. Maybe one day I’ll read another book by this author to see if they improve, but it likely won’t be the sequel to this one. This just wasn’t for me.
April 20, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, I read it in a day so that says a lot. The story is a dystopian thriller, set in a world which has been “developed” to the extreme, especially for Mandalyn. Her father works for HAI, the group overseeing the developed world. Through the constant monitoring from her life pod, her every move is monitored to ensure she stays on track to perfection, to follow the plan for her to join her father at HAI. Everything is restricted and monitored, from sleep, water usage and food as well as heart rate, blood pressure and, of course, location!
One day at “Learning station” (the new term for school!) herself thrown into a confusing situation with her chief rival, her crush and a girl from her station that she has actually never noticed. All 4 suddenly become aware of each other and are alerted to the apparent dangerous potential they all have. As they struggle to find out what is going on and why they are being targeted, they find themselves working with another similar group in the same position. Both groups find themselves working together through some pretty traumatic events, gradually finding out that each member of the group have different gifts, could you his be the reason they are being hunted?
This book has some very well developed characters, including Mandalyn’s Arial pod (car) ChaWanda, who is extremely sassy and has some great one liners! This book focuses a lot on trust and friendship as well as focusing on accepting people for who they are at their core rather than being divided by differences.
I absolutely love the fact that even in the dystopian setting of 2175, they still have 80s themed night clubs! I’m glad to see that something never change! This has set up the second book “Shadows of Fire and Death” amazingly, and I cannot wait to read it.
One day at “Learning station” (the new term for school!) herself thrown into a confusing situation with her chief rival, her crush and a girl from her station that she has actually never noticed. All 4 suddenly become aware of each other and are alerted to the apparent dangerous potential they all have. As they struggle to find out what is going on and why they are being targeted, they find themselves working with another similar group in the same position. Both groups find themselves working together through some pretty traumatic events, gradually finding out that each member of the group have different gifts, could you his be the reason they are being hunted?
This book has some very well developed characters, including Mandalyn’s Arial pod (car) ChaWanda, who is extremely sassy and has some great one liners! This book focuses a lot on trust and friendship as well as focusing on accepting people for who they are at their core rather than being divided by differences.
I absolutely love the fact that even in the dystopian setting of 2175, they still have 80s themed night clubs! I’m glad to see that something never change! This has set up the second book “Shadows of Fire and Death” amazingly, and I cannot wait to read it.
July 19, 2022
If you like The Darkest Minds series and The Maze Runner, this dystopian series is in the same vein.
Pros:
-Love the alternate names of things (lifepods for smartphones, lifeshots for photos, learning stations for schools, so smart!)
-Will & Andi! oooh! So spicy! I'm kind of glad they're not full-on getting it on. They're just barely in high school. So I'm glad the author went slow with their relationship. I -cannot- wait to see what's up with them next. I'm going to flip if Will turned out to be the bad guy in the end.
-Great ending, and the preview for the next book.... talk about cliffhanger! I have to read it now!
-I really like how everyone has their own personality, you can clearly describe each person instead of just thinking of them as a character. -ChaWanda (aerial pod) is a refreshing best-friend. I just hope that its not being used to track Andi too... see, there's a lot of "should we trust this character?" mindset a lot when I read this book. I'm guessing the 2nd book will go into who can really be trusted and who can't (shadows of secrets & lies indeed, the title is fitting!)
Cons:
-Certain section's pacing is all over the place (and maybe why it's a bit hard to read in the beginning). It almost feels like this book was made visually for a movie, there's a lot of "visual" things happening, but it's not written down, so as a reader, I'm left wondering what the heck is going on, the transition is very jarring. Why did things happen, how did that person move so quickly to that spot, who's saying what now?The scene changed--how, when?
-Wish Andi (our main character) would say more things out loud than being in her head so much.
Pros:
-Love the alternate names of things (lifepods for smartphones, lifeshots for photos, learning stations for schools, so smart!)
-Will & Andi! oooh! So spicy! I'm kind of glad they're not full-on getting it on. They're just barely in high school. So I'm glad the author went slow with their relationship. I -cannot- wait to see what's up with them next. I'm going to flip if Will turned out to be the bad guy in the end.
-Great ending, and the preview for the next book.... talk about cliffhanger! I have to read it now!
-I really like how everyone has their own personality, you can clearly describe each person instead of just thinking of them as a character. -ChaWanda (aerial pod) is a refreshing best-friend. I just hope that its not being used to track Andi too... see, there's a lot of "should we trust this character?" mindset a lot when I read this book. I'm guessing the 2nd book will go into who can really be trusted and who can't (shadows of secrets & lies indeed, the title is fitting!)
Cons:
-Certain section's pacing is all over the place (and maybe why it's a bit hard to read in the beginning). It almost feels like this book was made visually for a movie, there's a lot of "visual" things happening, but it's not written down, so as a reader, I'm left wondering what the heck is going on, the transition is very jarring. Why did things happen, how did that person move so quickly to that spot, who's saying what now?The scene changed--how, when?
-Wish Andi (our main character) would say more things out loud than being in her head so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2023
Got this book thru NetGalley, thanks to publisher/author!
The first sentence really caught me off-guard, literally. This book is an easy read. You’ll definitely finish it ahead of time. It really caught my attention especially I like fantasy. There were dialogues that are unnecessary though or maybe the author made it for us the readers understand the details more (kudos!). I find the Protagonist little annoying but it really reflects her personality as girl who is strictly guarded by his father. I was shook when Andi and Will is the love team the author created. I really liked TL for Andi though because of his words of affirmation but Will is definitely more caring. I also love the adrenaline rush when Will killed with his parents. I was shook with that scene.
I am not a fan of Enemies to Lovers but this one is exempted. The chemistry of the Andi and Will is good. I was also shook of the little spice they had LOL.
I also notice that some of the powers of the kids are some not effective for someone who can possess such gifts. Maybe we’ll see more action in the next book? I wish.
I gave this book a 3.5ish stars. Great read! Waiting for the next book! Kudos!
The first sentence really caught me off-guard, literally. This book is an easy read. You’ll definitely finish it ahead of time. It really caught my attention especially I like fantasy. There were dialogues that are unnecessary though or maybe the author made it for us the readers understand the details more (kudos!). I find the Protagonist little annoying but it really reflects her personality as girl who is strictly guarded by his father. I was shook when Andi and Will is the love team the author created. I really liked TL for Andi though because of his words of affirmation but Will is definitely more caring. I also love the adrenaline rush when Will killed with his parents. I was shook with that scene.
I am not a fan of Enemies to Lovers but this one is exempted. The chemistry of the Andi and Will is good. I was also shook of the little spice they had LOL.
I also notice that some of the powers of the kids are some not effective for someone who can possess such gifts. Maybe we’ll see more action in the next book? I wish.
I gave this book a 3.5ish stars. Great read! Waiting for the next book! Kudos!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2023
This story was a nice sci-fi /utopian dystopian story with a sweet teenage romance.
For the most part this book held my attention the whole way. I am a huge fan of sci-fi “utopian” societies. This was a nice treat.
Likes:
- Good setting in a futuristic “utopian” society.
- Secret organizations
- Super humans
- Found family
- Mild romance ( no more than some kissing and sweet words)
- Super suspenseful action scenes.
- Diverse set of characters and backgrounds.
Dislikes:
- Sometimes the discussions between characters was repetitive.
- sometimes banter between characters seemed unnatural.
- Hard to tell when one scene was transitioning to another scene. It was a little confusing. ( this issue seems to clear up as the book goes on)
Overall I liked the adventure and I cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book!
For the most part this book held my attention the whole way. I am a huge fan of sci-fi “utopian” societies. This was a nice treat.
Likes:
- Good setting in a futuristic “utopian” society.
- Secret organizations
- Super humans
- Found family
- Mild romance ( no more than some kissing and sweet words)
- Super suspenseful action scenes.
- Diverse set of characters and backgrounds.
Dislikes:
- Sometimes the discussions between characters was repetitive.
- sometimes banter between characters seemed unnatural.
- Hard to tell when one scene was transitioning to another scene. It was a little confusing. ( this issue seems to clear up as the book goes on)
Overall I liked the adventure and I cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book!
March 23, 2023
Finally, a main character named Andi! ❤️
This book was great. I was only about halfway done, and I was already recommending it to my students (one of which bought the book immediately)!
Secrets of Shadows and Lies is a YA Dystopian novel very reminiscent of Matched and Divergent. I loved both of those series, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next as she concludes the duopoly!
I took off one star because I’m not sure exactly where the climax was in this book. It almost felt like the author must have written this full story, and then decided to split it into two books. Either way, I’m impatiently waiting on the next!!
This book was great. I was only about halfway done, and I was already recommending it to my students (one of which bought the book immediately)!
Secrets of Shadows and Lies is a YA Dystopian novel very reminiscent of Matched and Divergent. I loved both of those series, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next as she concludes the duopoly!
I took off one star because I’m not sure exactly where the climax was in this book. It almost felt like the author must have written this full story, and then decided to split it into two books. Either way, I’m impatiently waiting on the next!!
March 23, 2023
Finally, a main character named Andi! ❤️
This book was great. I was only about halfway done, and I was already recommending it to my students (one of which bought the book immediately)!
Secrets of Shadows and Lies is a YA Dystopian novel very reminiscent of Matched and Divergent. I loved both of those series, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next as she concludes the duopoly!
I took off one star because I’m not sure exactly where the climax was in this book. It almost felt like the author must have written this full story, and then decided to split it into two books. Either way, I’m impatiently waiting on the next!!
This book was great. I was only about halfway done, and I was already recommending it to my students (one of which bought the book immediately)!
Secrets of Shadows and Lies is a YA Dystopian novel very reminiscent of Matched and Divergent. I loved both of those series, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us next as she concludes the duopoly!
I took off one star because I’m not sure exactly where the climax was in this book. It almost felt like the author must have written this full story, and then decided to split it into two books. Either way, I’m impatiently waiting on the next!!
April 17, 2023
I really wanted to like this book. The summary makes it sound absolutely fantastic, but I felt that the execution fell flat in the end. It's supposed to be a dystopian thriller, but it didn't feel like all of the elements were tied together well enough. At times when characters were supposed to be in danger, there was a stark lack of urgency to get away from danger. Then the romance subplot took over towards the end. I'll probably read the second book at some point, but the ending of this one made me fall asleep.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrJTHc1rx...
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this novel!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrJTHc1rx...
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this novel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review.
Tropes: NA sci-fi/dystopian romance, hate to love, academic rivals to lovers
Mannn when I tell you I was here for the academic rivals to lovers, like…. Man’s greeted her with a middle finger. We love!!! And he watches her. All the time 😳
Chemistry🤌🏾 mwah. Also, he said that he would want to know what was going on in her head sometimes!!??? Swoooon.
The plot was very riveting and interesting, and I loved the FMC’s growing friendship with the group.
Tropes: NA sci-fi/dystopian romance, hate to love, academic rivals to lovers
Mannn when I tell you I was here for the academic rivals to lovers, like…. Man’s greeted her with a middle finger. We love!!! And he watches her. All the time 😳
Chemistry🤌🏾 mwah. Also, he said that he would want to know what was going on in her head sometimes!!??? Swoooon.
The plot was very riveting and interesting, and I loved the FMC’s growing friendship with the group.
April 21, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book!
I have to be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. I personally am a bit iffy about dystopian books. It’s a genre that used to be really big and kind of lost my attention, so I wanted to try this out to see if it would get me back into the genre.
Unfortunately, I thought the book wasn’t that great. It moved very slow, the writing to me felt bland and I just couldn’t keep my attention to it.
I have to be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. I personally am a bit iffy about dystopian books. It’s a genre that used to be really big and kind of lost my attention, so I wanted to try this out to see if it would get me back into the genre.
Unfortunately, I thought the book wasn’t that great. It moved very slow, the writing to me felt bland and I just couldn’t keep my attention to it.
May 10, 2023
I really liked the premise of this book but it seemed to go from action to boring and back and forth and I just plain lost interest. The main characters were engaging, but the supporting characters seemed to fade into the background, and the story never seemed to really find its feet. Great potential but it could use another editing to flesh out parts of the story and remove some irrelevant bits.
May 23, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
There was a slow start to this book, but about a third of the way into it I got hooked. I could not stop reading and I fell in love with the characters. The way the story ended fell a little flat, I'm still excited to read the next book, but I think this book could've ended a little better.
There was a slow start to this book, but about a third of the way into it I got hooked. I could not stop reading and I fell in love with the characters. The way the story ended fell a little flat, I'm still excited to read the next book, but I think this book could've ended a little better.
July 24, 2023
I just couldn’t get into it felt like I was missing something the blurb made me think this was a book 2 or more and while the writing was ok I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief to get into the world she tried to build.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 9, 2022
I loved everything about this story. Starting at the first sentence, I was hooked. The characters grabbed me right away and I couldn't put this book down.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 5, 2023
I enjoy dystopian fiction and this was a good read. I was a little confused at times and felt like there could've been a little more explanation.
I look forward to the next book in the series to see where this goes.
This was a free copy via NetGalley
I look forward to the next book in the series to see where this goes.
This was a free copy via NetGalley
April 5, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review.
Tropes: NA sci-fi/dystopian romance, hate to love, academic rivals to lovers
Mannn when I tell you I was here for the academic rivals to lovers, like…. Man’s greeted her with a middle finger. We love!!! And he watches her. All the time 😳
Chemistry🤌🏾 mwah. Also, he said that he would want to know what was going on in her head sometimes!!??? Swoooon.
The plot was very riveting and interesting, and I loved the FMC’s growing friendship with the group.
Tropes: NA sci-fi/dystopian romance, hate to love, academic rivals to lovers
Mannn when I tell you I was here for the academic rivals to lovers, like…. Man’s greeted her with a middle finger. We love!!! And he watches her. All the time 😳
Chemistry🤌🏾 mwah. Also, he said that he would want to know what was going on in her head sometimes!!??? Swoooon.
The plot was very riveting and interesting, and I loved the FMC’s growing friendship with the group.
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