I struggled reading this book because of the writing. There was a lot of "I did, she did, he did" leaving not much to the imagination. Especially in the first half of the book. Writing this way made the dialogue feel choppy and created awkward breaks in the reading. However, I can admit that it got better towards the end.

It'd be a great YA novel or for a younger audience if it didn't have mature themes. The reading level is very easy and the world/concept was interesting. It's a forbidden love story with a HEA. There is magic, TONS of adventure, and some action.

I received this title as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Daniela A. Mera and Elayna R. Gallea for the opportunity to read your treasure!

I was given a free arc in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the idea behind this book and was able to finish it. However I struggled when the grammar or sentence structure didn’t make sense. Some of the harder points of the story were too easily solved as well but I did enjoy parts of it and overall I like the premise.

*2.5/5*

I wanted to love this SO much and I'm ashamed I didn't because I received it as an ARC that I wanted. The vibe sounded amazing, romeo and juliet retelling, but I don't believe it was executed as well as it could have done and it's all fault to the pacing.

Here's some stuff based on the instagram tour:

Fae? Check.
Only one igloo? Check but short scene and 0 spice.
Hidden heir? Check but not very exciting.
Forbidden love? I guess? Not emphasised much.
Milo and Kira vibes? He could have been more Milo.
Romeo and Juliet retelling? Check.
Dual POV? Check.
Bird shifters? Check.
Grumpy-Sunshine? Check but the pacing ruined it.

I DNF'd this technically but I was bought a kindle and decided to give it another go. I skimmed quite a bit and just didn't read the last three chapters. My favourite part was what I thought to be the climax...and then got like five-six more chapters of un-energetic, un-climatic conflict and LOTS of fluff. Even Elayna R. Gallea's Tethered book didn't have so much unnecessary romantic fluff (yes, it's a romantasy but keep it relevant and interesting? I didn't connect or enjoy the characters enough to care).

Also, wanted WAY MORE SPICE. Pretty sure it was marketed as a spicy romantasy at one point but it did not deliver

✨ARC REVIEW✨

⭐⭐⭐.5

This book is an interesting mix of fantasy and paranormal romance. It blends a contemporary setting with a fantasy worldbuilding. We get Fae, werepeople, mer people, vampires, warlocks... We also get a combination of tech and magic.
It has a few time jumps and I feel they weren't totally necessary, but I get that it was done as to make us feel how different time perception is for immortals.

It is Romeo and Juliet retelling with these tropes: reverse grumpy-sunshine, star crossed lovers / fated mates, she's the badass, she trains him, burn the world for each other, Fae binding magic.

I did like both MC, Nathan was soft and feeling and overall a funny guy. Elva was a kickass heroine with huge trust issues.

What I didn't especially like was that it seemed like there was a succession of events happening instead of a solid plot.

There are mentions of parental abuse, so if it's triggering for you, beware.

A just-okay story rife with pacing issues

The book gets off to a sluggish start, with the MCs basically seeing anyone but one another. The author seems almost afraid to put them together at first, and all of their brief little conversations happen off-screen. We’re told that there’s a connection, but not really shown to be such.

They have more chemistry and humanity than any of the side characters, but it’s not saying much, because every other character is so one-note.

Months and years pass by with “one month later” badges that could’ve been condensed, they don’t see each other, and then when the time comes for them to reunite, their connection seems lackluster and segues into an offscreen training montage.

By comparison, the action in the latter half of the book picks up the pace, but each emotional gut-punch seems to lack weight as we jump from location to location, and trauma to trauma. It doesn’t feel like the author was able to quite dig out the real feelings behind traumatic experiences.

Betrayals, character deaths, and big reveals fly by at breakneck speed. Still, by the time we got to the HEA, I found myself skimming through it, wondering why it didn’t satisfy.

This is an urban high fantasy romance Romeo and Juliet retelling with a happy ending - by the time I’d read that I was sold! This book gets straight into the action and we quickly gain an understanding of the differences between our badass FMC (grumpy) and our MMC (sunshine). It has a little spice, but there’s so much tension, you don’t miss it. The story is fast-paced and is easy to get lost in. I also enjoyed the way the world building was sprinkled throughout the book rather than info dumping which was great. Daniela and Elayna are clearly competent authors and it shows in the way in which they deliver this fun retelling. I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, since I enjoyed the Gilded survivor series. While it was an easy read - I wished that there was more to it. The world building was both too light (give me more about the various courts, the magic system, etc) and seemed to drag in the first half. Things fell into place tidily at the end, but didn’t have me gasping and waiting for what comes next. I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest review of this title.

5 ⭐️ | 2