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Black Veil University #1
Knight Ascending
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B093PKBGSH
My name is Danica Knight and I have a secret… a life changing, whisper worthy secret that will more than likely get me killed.
Trust no one. Is the singular phrase my mother had whispered to me when she abandoned me in a small hospital at the young age of eight. It was the only memory I could remember before I came to live with my Aunt and Uncles here in the largest wolf pack in North America. After graduating High School and having been accepted into one of the most prestigious Paranormal Universities in North America. Black Veil University.
Everything is finally going as planned. Or so I thought before four insanely hot men crash their way into my life. Each with a unique connection to me, whether they want it or not. We are tied together. Lives are turned upside down, hearts are torn and shattered and those deep dark secrets that I have held hostage start to slip. But when the dark shadows of my past come knocking, I may need every little bit of help I can get.
Knight Ascending is book 1 of 5 in the Black Veil University Series which DOES end on a cliffhanger. This is a university-aged, slow burn, slow build Paranormal RH romance which means there will be no choosing between love interest at the end of the story.
This series has darker elements that readers should be aware of such as, strong language, PTSD from kidnapping, assault, and violence.
My name is Danica Knight and I have a secret… a life changing, whisper worthy secret that will more than likely get me killed.
Trust no one. Is the singular phrase my mother had whispered to me when she abandoned me in a small hospital at the young age of eight. It was the only memory I could remember before I came to live with my Aunt and Uncles here in the largest wolf pack in North America. After graduating High School and having been accepted into one of the most prestigious Paranormal Universities in North America. Black Veil University.
Everything is finally going as planned. Or so I thought before four insanely hot men crash their way into my life. Each with a unique connection to me, whether they want it or not. We are tied together. Lives are turned upside down, hearts are torn and shattered and those deep dark secrets that I have held hostage start to slip. But when the dark shadows of my past come knocking, I may need every little bit of help I can get.
Knight Ascending is book 1 of 5 in the Black Veil University Series which DOES end on a cliffhanger. This is a university-aged, slow burn, slow build Paranormal RH romance which means there will be no choosing between love interest at the end of the story.
This series has darker elements that readers should be aware of such as, strong language, PTSD from kidnapping, assault, and violence.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews
November 22, 2021
The main character, Danica, has a lot of internalized misogyny, which I'm guessing comes from the author, so expect a lot of girl-hating, slut-shaming and the occasional mean girls. She also has a case of "I'm not like other girls". She didn't use to have girl friends because "they're too much drama".... because boys are not? Yeah lol, ok, sure. I thought we were past that but I guess not everyone is.
The writing is overly descriptive. Every little inane thing, every step-by-step of every action, every gesture is explained in excruciating detail. The author uses a whole paragraph to tell us why Danica prefers sport bras over regular ones. An actual expresso machine is described in multiple sentences, I kid you not. I can't fathom how anyone would think this is interesting or necessary. The book could have been 1/3 of its actual length. It was mind-numbing and made me want to throw my kindle. Anyway, editors exist for a reason.
Misspelled words. Inconsistencies. At first Danica is 5ft5 then she's 5ft, for instance.
Why take a whole page to describe her features when a few chapters later Daxton's POV does the same. Repetitions like this are a waste of time and annoying to the reader.
Oh yeah and Danica is the personification of modern beauty standards but she wants you to know that, 'ok maybe she's pretty but she's NOT beautiful'. Is this a 2008 YA novel? Kill me now.
The first (second?) love interest who's introduced, Daxton, tries to basically mind-rape her and doesn't seem to feel any sort of guilt for this.
You can tell as soon as she shows up at the university she's going to be a Super Special Girl, and while I don't mind it if it's done well, nothing else here is done well so...
There's also a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, as far as I've read.
There's no mystery and I'm not even sure if there was supposed to be any because it's very obvious where every plot point is going. Are we supposed to not know what she is when the answer is so obvious to anyone who as the bare minimum knowledge. And she has the knowledge. But not the braincells to put things together I guess.
In fact how is she so uninformed about everything supernatural when she was accepted in a supernatural university and grew up with a supernatural family? Whatever.
Anyway it was bad. Stopped at around 20%.
The writing is overly descriptive. Every little inane thing, every step-by-step of every action, every gesture is explained in excruciating detail. The author uses a whole paragraph to tell us why Danica prefers sport bras over regular ones. An actual expresso machine is described in multiple sentences, I kid you not. I can't fathom how anyone would think this is interesting or necessary. The book could have been 1/3 of its actual length. It was mind-numbing and made me want to throw my kindle. Anyway, editors exist for a reason.
Misspelled words. Inconsistencies. At first Danica is 5ft5 then she's 5ft, for instance.
Why take a whole page to describe her features when a few chapters later Daxton's POV does the same. Repetitions like this are a waste of time and annoying to the reader.
Oh yeah and Danica is the personification of modern beauty standards but she wants you to know that, 'ok maybe she's pretty but she's NOT beautiful'. Is this a 2008 YA novel? Kill me now.
The first (second?) love interest who's introduced, Daxton, tries to basically mind-rape her and doesn't seem to feel any sort of guilt for this.
You can tell as soon as she shows up at the university she's going to be a Super Special Girl, and while I don't mind it if it's done well, nothing else here is done well so...
There's also a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, as far as I've read.
There's no mystery and I'm not even sure if there was supposed to be any because it's very obvious where every plot point is going. Are we supposed to not know what she is when the answer is so obvious to anyone who as the bare minimum knowledge. And she has the knowledge. But not the braincells to put things together I guess.
In fact how is she so uninformed about everything supernatural when she was accepted in a supernatural university and grew up with a supernatural family? Whatever.
Anyway it was bad. Stopped at around 20%.
August 6, 2022
I try to read several debut novels a year. Sometimes they work really well and other times they turn out not to be for me, this is the latter. There is a lot of info dumping and telling not showing which really makes the pacing difficult. I even went and doubled checked to see if this was not a spin-off from another series because of all the mentions of things that happened previous to this story's beginning but no this was in fact a debut novel like I had originally thought... Our FMC also suffers from "I'm not like other girls" with a heavy dose of slut shaming. Served with a side of TSTL, I'm just going to walk away from this one.
March 1, 2023
16/08/22 Initial thoughts : Cliche AF 2 stars
re-read 26/02/23 : I was a little bit too harsh, I've added on star, I'm re-reading this entire series because I was in the beginning of a slump when I read it last summer, it's entertaining but extremely predictable and still cliche AF = 3 stars
re-read 26/02/23 : I was a little bit too harsh, I've added on star, I'm re-reading this entire series because I was in the beginning of a slump when I read it last summer, it's entertaining but extremely predictable and still cliche AF = 3 stars
October 9, 2021
4 stars.
Loved it. Academy books are always a favourite of mine. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Loved it. Academy books are always a favourite of mine. Looking forward to reading the next book.
July 24, 2024
Update a few days later: After I let this book marinate in my brain I decided that I was a tad bit too generous in giving it 3 stars. I'll be downgrading it to 2 stars.
_________
So I have a love/hate relationship with this book. On one hand, my mood reader brain seems to have fixated on it for some reason. It apparently is exactly what my brain wants to read currently, which in and of itself is a shock. On the other hand, what seems to be the author's internalized misogyny is VERY VERY present in this book. That made it REALLY hard to focus on the story because of the number of times I caught myself rolling my eyes and becoming genuinely annoyed because of it.
The heroine is actually pretty obnoxious. She loves to repeat how incredibly tiny/petite/small she is (with a huge ass too. Tell me how those proportions are possible naturally. *sigh*) when compared to every other woman ever. She's also nOt lIkE oThEr gIrLs. She doesn't like fashion, makeup, or anything else that's stereotypically seen as something girls do. All her friends are guys because they're less dRaMa. Every time a girl (nice or mean) appears before her her first thought is to monologue about something wrong with them/she didn't like about them. It was exhausting reading about it. If I could delete 3 words from this novel it would be tiny/petite/small.
The guys were meh. My favorite is Remi but even he's not that great. I understand the circumstances he was under but still sheesh. Dax tried to mind r*pe her and yet he's the original boyfriend? It was icky from the start. Zane and Roar were great and I'd like to see more of them. Gabe has a hot and cold thing happening that I dislike. One moment he mistreats her and the next you see a glimmer of what could be if he just put whatever he's dealing with aside. Don't even get me started on the longing looks he sends her way when he thinks no one is watching.
Overall, this is not me recommending this book in any way, shape, or form. This book isn't really all that great but my brain seems to have fixated on it so I'm on this ride whether I want to be here or not. We'll see how far I get into this series before my brain gets the ick ♡
_________
So I have a love/hate relationship with this book. On one hand, my mood reader brain seems to have fixated on it for some reason. It apparently is exactly what my brain wants to read currently, which in and of itself is a shock. On the other hand, what seems to be the author's internalized misogyny is VERY VERY present in this book. That made it REALLY hard to focus on the story because of the number of times I caught myself rolling my eyes and becoming genuinely annoyed because of it.
The heroine is actually pretty obnoxious. She loves to repeat how incredibly tiny/petite/small she is (with a huge ass too. Tell me how those proportions are possible naturally. *sigh*) when compared to every other woman ever. She's also nOt lIkE oThEr gIrLs. She doesn't like fashion, makeup, or anything else that's stereotypically seen as something girls do. All her friends are guys because they're less dRaMa. Every time a girl (nice or mean) appears before her her first thought is to monologue about something wrong with them/she didn't like about them. It was exhausting reading about it. If I could delete 3 words from this novel it would be tiny/petite/small.
The guys were meh. My favorite is Remi but even he's not that great. I understand the circumstances he was under but still sheesh. Dax tried to mind r*pe her and yet he's the original boyfriend? It was icky from the start. Zane and Roar were great and I'd like to see more of them. Gabe has a hot and cold thing happening that I dislike. One moment he mistreats her and the next you see a glimmer of what could be if he just put whatever he's dealing with aside. Don't even get me started on the longing looks he sends her way when he thinks no one is watching.
Overall, this is not me recommending this book in any way, shape, or form. This book isn't really all that great but my brain seems to have fixated on it so I'm on this ride whether I want to be here or not. We'll see how far I get into this series before my brain gets the ick ♡
March 6, 2022
Not for me
Too much, and pacing is way off. There is a lot going on here, 4 separate back stories of things that have happened to our H. All the guys? There are a lot and I'm not sure where they all fit. To much information and past events with new events making this a complete cluster f@@% of epic proportions. Our H seemed strong but somehow becomes annoying, crying, running away, and catty teenager. All around pacing in storyline is bad. After skimming to the end I found nothing honestly enjoyable about the entire read.
Too much, and pacing is way off. There is a lot going on here, 4 separate back stories of things that have happened to our H. All the guys? There are a lot and I'm not sure where they all fit. To much information and past events with new events making this a complete cluster f@@% of epic proportions. Our H seemed strong but somehow becomes annoying, crying, running away, and catty teenager. All around pacing in storyline is bad. After skimming to the end I found nothing honestly enjoyable about the entire read.
January 27, 2022
You know it's hard to get five stars from me, but this one just hit all the spots. I loved that there's a progression of relationship between Dani and Daxton. Mystery about her powers -- this seems very common in some shifter books (e.g. the Nora Jacobs series by Jackie May and Corviticus University series by JE Cluney) -- perhaps a bit too common a trope, but nevertheless interesting since she also has a heart condition so it's even more odd. She doesn't seem particularly powerful; even though there's a mystery to her, it doesn't feel like a huge mystery.
I also liked her relationship with Remi. Best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, for I don't like the angst of enemies to lovers. Remi's protectiveness and caring is awesome. I like that he's still in the story although he's not around for a few weeks, which gives Dani the opportunity to meet and get to know Daxton. I wish she'd have told Daxton more about herself, but I get that you wouldn't want to tell a guy you're dating all the traumatic stuff all at once, and definitely not in the early stages.
So can I just say how much I hate Gabriel's father, councilman Covington, and I would have liked to know how Gabriel got himself and the guys free from under his father's thumb. And how are those atrocities still happening! He's a sick man who only cares about his own agenda and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way... they're just collateral damage to him. I really want to see him brought low and crushed like a bug.
It looks like not just the four Covington guys (Daxton, Roran, Gabriel, and Zane) are going to be in the harem, but Remi too. I'm speculating, but I can't see Remi being sidelined, he has too much history with Dani and he feels as strongly about her as she does about him. I'm waiting for Gabriel to come around. Originally he suspected that she was involved in a plot of his dad's but I hope that by now he realises she's just as much of a victim as he has been.
I loved that the first member of the harem (other than Remi) was Daxton, the shy and awkward one. I'm in love with Zane's dragon and I want him to kick Lauren to the curb. Hopefully there won't be too much OW drama cos there's another student Irene whom Gabe used to date who still feels possessive about him. Can't figure out why, since she cheated on him, which would seem to indicate that she didn't want him that badly in the first place. But between Lauren, who has been Zane's gf for 2 years, and Irene, Gabriel's ex, both hating on Dani, there's potential for a lot more evil plotting and mayhem.
Dani is always the target, ugh. Isn't it bad enough she was targeted by a deranged pack member who claimed to love her but then kidnapped her and beat her up and nearly raped her, and now she's targeted by all these people who want her out of the Covington boys' lives as well as Remi's life? Gabriel had better get on board FAST cos she's going to need all the help and protection she can get, and the boys are going to need to learn to work together with Remi.
I'm intrigued by Kayla, Dani's roommate at the dorm, and whatever is going on between her and the other vampire. I hope he's not a bad guy, although I doubt it. I hope Kayla's mother being on the Council will mean that she can get help to stand against Gabe's father, who's also on the Council. I love that the author gave Dani a best friend at the university rather than just having all the girls be catty and mean to her. Always love it when there's a best friend outside the harem to help support the FMC as well and even out things with all the testosterone floating around.
Looking forward to book 2.
I also liked her relationship with Remi. Best friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes, for I don't like the angst of enemies to lovers. Remi's protectiveness and caring is awesome. I like that he's still in the story although he's not around for a few weeks, which gives Dani the opportunity to meet and get to know Daxton. I wish she'd have told Daxton more about herself, but I get that you wouldn't want to tell a guy you're dating all the traumatic stuff all at once, and definitely not in the early stages.
So can I just say how much I hate Gabriel's father, councilman Covington, and I would have liked to know how Gabriel got himself and the guys free from under his father's thumb. And how are those atrocities still happening! He's a sick man who only cares about his own agenda and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way... they're just collateral damage to him. I really want to see him brought low and crushed like a bug.
It looks like not just the four Covington guys (Daxton, Roran, Gabriel, and Zane) are going to be in the harem, but Remi too. I'm speculating, but I can't see Remi being sidelined, he has too much history with Dani and he feels as strongly about her as she does about him. I'm waiting for Gabriel to come around. Originally he suspected that she was involved in a plot of his dad's but I hope that by now he realises she's just as much of a victim as he has been.
I loved that the first member of the harem (other than Remi) was Daxton, the shy and awkward one. I'm in love with Zane's dragon and I want him to kick Lauren to the curb. Hopefully there won't be too much OW drama cos there's another student Irene whom Gabe used to date who still feels possessive about him. Can't figure out why, since she cheated on him, which would seem to indicate that she didn't want him that badly in the first place. But between Lauren, who has been Zane's gf for 2 years, and Irene, Gabriel's ex, both hating on Dani, there's potential for a lot more evil plotting and mayhem.
Dani is always the target, ugh. Isn't it bad enough she was targeted by a deranged pack member who claimed to love her but then kidnapped her and beat her up and nearly raped her, and now she's targeted by all these people who want her out of the Covington boys' lives as well as Remi's life? Gabriel had better get on board FAST cos she's going to need all the help and protection she can get, and the boys are going to need to learn to work together with Remi.
I'm intrigued by Kayla, Dani's roommate at the dorm, and whatever is going on between her and the other vampire. I hope he's not a bad guy, although I doubt it. I hope Kayla's mother being on the Council will mean that she can get help to stand against Gabe's father, who's also on the Council. I love that the author gave Dani a best friend at the university rather than just having all the girls be catty and mean to her. Always love it when there's a best friend outside the harem to help support the FMC as well and even out things with all the testosterone floating around.
Looking forward to book 2.
October 24, 2021
DNF at 31%
Started off okay, but thought the authors choice to “gloss” over her recent kidnapping was weird and confusing. Too many guys. Wonky storyline. Just didn’t want to keep going.
Started off okay, but thought the authors choice to “gloss” over her recent kidnapping was weird and confusing. Too many guys. Wonky storyline. Just didn’t want to keep going.
January 26, 2022
3,5 stars ish
I had mixed feelings about this book, it was interesting and made me want to know more. But it was something missing for me , i can´t really say what it is now.
We got the heroine Danica, who was sweet kind and jealous af ( i don´t know if it was her supernatural side who made her more jealous) lol i don´t mind her defending her future men. But i felt that most girls was soo slut shaming and being nasty as fuck to other girls and trying to steal other boyfriends or wanting boys who is not wanting them or is not available. They don´t know that no is no. Ugh they where soo annoying i wanted to kick their asses myself.
The guys(potentials in the harem) where Daxton, Gabriel, Roran, Zane, and Remington. I was the most annoyed with Gabriel, when i knew his reason for his asshole behavior towards Danica i was like naah boyy not again. The last book i read before this one it was also one of the boys being an ass to the heroine for a dumb ass reason not thinking with his head. Being suspicious and thinking the heroine is a spy... even when the best brothers is saying he is wrong.
Remi came into the school later so see saw him in the last few chapters again, i was thankful that we got to read from his PoV (and also the other boys View) which made me understand his past actions and choices he made. Roran and Zane was the guys we got to know the least so i can´t really say that much bout them yet. Daxton such a sweet innocent boy, even if he was clueless sometimes how he should act xD Nothing bad to say about him , not yet
I had mixed feelings about this book, it was interesting and made me want to know more. But it was something missing for me , i can´t really say what it is now.
We got the heroine Danica, who was sweet kind and jealous af ( i don´t know if it was her supernatural side who made her more jealous) lol i don´t mind her defending her future men. But i felt that most girls was soo slut shaming and being nasty as fuck to other girls and trying to steal other boyfriends or wanting boys who is not wanting them or is not available. They don´t know that no is no. Ugh they where soo annoying i wanted to kick their asses myself.
The guys(potentials in the harem) where Daxton, Gabriel, Roran, Zane, and Remington. I was the most annoyed with Gabriel, when i knew his reason for his asshole behavior towards Danica i was like naah boyy not again. The last book i read before this one it was also one of the boys being an ass to the heroine for a dumb ass reason not thinking with his head. Being suspicious and thinking the heroine is a spy... even when the best brothers is saying he is wrong.
Remi came into the school later so see saw him in the last few chapters again, i was thankful that we got to read from his PoV (and also the other boys View) which made me understand his past actions and choices he made. Roran and Zane was the guys we got to know the least so i can´t really say that much bout them yet. Daxton such a sweet innocent boy, even if he was clueless sometimes how he should act xD Nothing bad to say about him , not yet
October 30, 2022
DNF at 44%.
Nope. The fmc is a stereotypical "not like other girls" type. "Wah, I only get along with boys because girls are drama". "I know girls like that pretty blonde mean-girl so I hate her w/o meeting her". I mean, it even features a pretty blonde mean girl. Calls someone African princess because black. Fucking yikes. "I'm cute, but not beautiful" then every guy pov talks about how beautiful she is. The more I read the more irritated I get. They're adults, but she acts like she's 15.
Nope. The fmc is a stereotypical "not like other girls" type. "Wah, I only get along with boys because girls are drama". "I know girls like that pretty blonde mean-girl so I hate her w/o meeting her". I mean, it even features a pretty blonde mean girl. Calls someone African princess because black. Fucking yikes. "I'm cute, but not beautiful" then every guy pov talks about how beautiful she is. The more I read the more irritated I get. They're adults, but she acts like she's 15.
August 6, 2023
Why do so many female writers think fantasy + female lead = damsel in distress?
Good
1) The roommate was engaging and fun
2) The series plot arc was laid out in a wonderfully creepy fashion.
3) The lead female's past informs her present
4)
Mixed
1) This is not a stand alone story; it is more of an introductory installment of a serial
2) The lead female/warlock lead male romantic relationship was developed on-page; unfortunately the romantic drive was being manufactured by an involuntary magical bond
Bad
1) The world-building was non-existent.
2) The settings were drawn in generic strokes.
3) There was no plot, only threads of several chaotically-presented series plot arcs.
4) The plot arc was far-fetched and came off as a contrivance to put the lead female and the male leads together
5) The lead female was a damsel looking for a railroad track
6) The lead female was soooo tiny and useless she laments more than once about needing a big strong male to navigate crowds for her
7) Four out of five of the lead males were controlling, overbearing, manhandling idiots. One of them actually physically and magically attacks and abuses her. (And like the long-suffering victim that she is, she keeps silent and hides the damage.)
8) The warlock male lead, the supposed 'nice' guy, physically restrained and tried to mind-rape her the first time they met (And like the long-suffering victim that she is, she let's it go when she finds out exactly what he tried.)
9)
10) On top of that, at the end, we found out
11) The Alice situation
12) The continuous switching of names, sometimes in the same paragraph, from full form to short form was annoying and confusing
I would strongly recommend by-passing this one.
Good
1) The roommate was engaging and fun
2) The series plot arc was laid out in a wonderfully creepy fashion.
3) The lead female's past informs her present
4)
Mixed
1) This is not a stand alone story; it is more of an introductory installment of a serial
2) The lead female/warlock lead male romantic relationship was developed on-page; unfortunately the romantic drive was being manufactured by an involuntary magical bond
Bad
1) The world-building was non-existent.
2) The settings were drawn in generic strokes.
3) There was no plot, only threads of several chaotically-presented series plot arcs.
4) The plot arc was far-fetched and came off as a contrivance to put the lead female and the male leads together
5) The lead female was a damsel looking for a railroad track
6) The lead female was soooo tiny and useless she laments more than once about needing a big strong male to navigate crowds for her
7) Four out of five of the lead males were controlling, overbearing, manhandling idiots. One of them actually physically and magically attacks and abuses her. (And like the long-suffering victim that she is, she keeps silent and hides the damage.)
8) The warlock male lead, the supposed 'nice' guy, physically restrained and tried to mind-rape her the first time they met (And like the long-suffering victim that she is, she let's it go when she finds out exactly what he tried.)
9)
10) On top of that, at the end, we found out
11) The Alice situation
12) The continuous switching of names, sometimes in the same paragraph, from full form to short form was annoying and confusing
I would strongly recommend by-passing this one.
February 22, 2024
Series Review: deliciously spicy paranormal RH
Rating: 4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (overall average, slow burn but heats up)
Tropes: RH, paranormal, academy, abuse, witches, fae, shifters, demons, angels, mates, slight bully, friends to lovers, mine
Okay this was good. I have been itching for a paranormal RH that’s actually decent and this was better than that. It has: ✅ fiery and powerful FMC, ✅ RH, ✅ sexy MMCs, ✅ academy, ✅ possessive men, ✅ shifter mates, ✅ friends to lovers, ✅ fated mates, ✅ trauma/abusive background, ✅ bully (not that bad), ✅ FMC undergoes training, ✅ funny dialogue to break up the seriousness, and ✅🌶️ multiple, detailed spicy scenes. What’s not to love? And it all worked seamlessly with good writing !
FMC is abandoned in a hospital as a child and moves in with her aunt to live in a shifter pack. She has no memories before 8. Her family is loving and her best friend, the alpha heir, is overprotective. She starts at a university after taking a year off after getting kidnapped. Once at Black Veil, she meets a bunch of sexy men that she sparks with, a delicious dragon, a witch, and a gargoyle. But she doesn’t get along with the head of the boys’ family, Gabriel. Gabriel is an ass.
FMC wanted a fresh start at college, but don’t think she expected this much of a ride, quite literally ;).
What I didn’t love: bullying by Gabriel went on for way too long and didn't make much sense. There could be much more spice in book 1. I like a slow burn as much as the next person, but come on now. Also thought FMC was too naive sometimes. I hate books where the FMC unnecessarily puts herself into drama and wants to help fight before she’s actually able. Go sit back please, you’re being an idiot.
Rating: 4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (overall average, slow burn but heats up)
Tropes: RH, paranormal, academy, abuse, witches, fae, shifters, demons, angels, mates, slight bully, friends to lovers, mine
Okay this was good. I have been itching for a paranormal RH that’s actually decent and this was better than that. It has: ✅ fiery and powerful FMC, ✅ RH, ✅ sexy MMCs, ✅ academy, ✅ possessive men, ✅ shifter mates, ✅ friends to lovers, ✅ fated mates, ✅ trauma/abusive background, ✅ bully (not that bad), ✅ FMC undergoes training, ✅ funny dialogue to break up the seriousness, and ✅🌶️ multiple, detailed spicy scenes. What’s not to love? And it all worked seamlessly with good writing !
FMC is abandoned in a hospital as a child and moves in with her aunt to live in a shifter pack. She has no memories before 8. Her family is loving and her best friend, the alpha heir, is overprotective. She starts at a university after taking a year off after getting kidnapped. Once at Black Veil, she meets a bunch of sexy men that she sparks with, a delicious dragon, a witch, and a gargoyle. But she doesn’t get along with the head of the boys’ family, Gabriel. Gabriel is an ass.
FMC wanted a fresh start at college, but don’t think she expected this much of a ride, quite literally ;).
What I didn’t love: bullying by Gabriel went on for way too long and didn't make much sense. There could be much more spice in book 1. I like a slow burn as much as the next person, but come on now. Also thought FMC was too naive sometimes. I hate books where the FMC unnecessarily puts herself into drama and wants to help fight before she’s actually able. Go sit back please, you’re being an idiot.
April 17, 2024
As much as I hated this book in the first few chapters, it really grew on me as I progressed through the story. The plot is engaging enough, and the love interests are somewhat intriguing – it won't change your life, but it's a fun, easy time.
Unfortunately, for me, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. We spend the first few chapters with the fmc describing herself in the most mind-numbing way: "my tiny waist", "my curvy ass", "my ample hips", "my heart-shaped face, tiny nose and too big lips". I grew up loving Wattpad, but it is giving Wattpad in the worst way. I can generally overlook writing I don't click with, but having characters describe themselves in detail is one of my biggest book icks.
As the story continues, the author doesn't redeem the fmc, Danica. Her responses to almost every female character she encounters are bitter and show real misogyny. Even after she develops a friendship with her roommate, there's still a judgemental undertone to her thoughts during their interactions.
Luckily, the love interests - Dax, Roran, Zane, Gabe and Remi are very likeable. Dax is awkward and a bit nerdy, Roran is lovable and fun, Zane is the overprotective provider, Gabe is the obligatory bossy asshole, and Remi is her longtime bestie. This story is a slow burn why choose, and that's one of my favourite tropes.
Overall, I've surprised myself by enjoying this book, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Unfortunately, for me, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. We spend the first few chapters with the fmc describing herself in the most mind-numbing way: "my tiny waist", "my curvy ass", "my ample hips", "my heart-shaped face, tiny nose and too big lips". I grew up loving Wattpad, but it is giving Wattpad in the worst way. I can generally overlook writing I don't click with, but having characters describe themselves in detail is one of my biggest book icks.
As the story continues, the author doesn't redeem the fmc, Danica. Her responses to almost every female character she encounters are bitter and show real misogyny. Even after she develops a friendship with her roommate, there's still a judgemental undertone to her thoughts during their interactions.
Luckily, the love interests - Dax, Roran, Zane, Gabe and Remi are very likeable. Dax is awkward and a bit nerdy, Roran is lovable and fun, Zane is the overprotective provider, Gabe is the obligatory bossy asshole, and Remi is her longtime bestie. This story is a slow burn why choose, and that's one of my favourite tropes.
Overall, I've surprised myself by enjoying this book, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
October 28, 2021
Cliffy ending left me feeling pouty.
I'm so glad this book popped up in the suggestion area. I jumped in blind and then ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Ends on a cliffy type situation that made me feel about a 7 on the 1-10 stabby scale.
I was on the fence numerous times as to whether this was leading to a RH but by the end it feels clear that's the end game unless everyone just up and dies. There's 1 hot head refusing to give in and 1 with a girl friend but it looks like this is only book 1 of 4 so...
Okay, the book, all the words, what I liked or whatever. I never know what I should write here.
Book one in a series usually leaves me questioning everything. We got some character introductions and powers revealed, we find out a little backstory regarding both Danica's traumatic past and that of the guys. We are made aware of some baddies and know they plan to make baddy type waves and maybe even be baddy friends. We're left wanting them to immediately be maimed or murdered but again, book 1 of 4 so ya know.
Remi. Ohh lawd, please don't make that man beg. I know he done did a naughty thing but it's so, so clear they're for each other. I hope Danica lets him off with a spanking or 3.
The only one who needs to beg is Gabe. He also needs a punishment like maybe in the form of hugs and snuggles though because that little boy inside of him is broken.
Dax, Dax, Dax. That's how it works, right? Say their name 3x and they show up? He needs to be okay soon. I hope he's not favorite and completely involved to distant, broken and last to get back on board.
Anyway, yes, my review is mostly about the dudes. The author wanted me to like them, job done. I like them. Danica likes them too but things escalated so quickly with all of them that she should be in a neck brace.
A little more awkward honesty and I'll be done...I'd like the author to give up their entire life and do nothing but eat, sleep, shower and write until the series is over and I have my answers and what I hope is a HEA.
That is all.
I'm so glad this book popped up in the suggestion area. I jumped in blind and then ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Ends on a cliffy type situation that made me feel about a 7 on the 1-10 stabby scale.
I was on the fence numerous times as to whether this was leading to a RH but by the end it feels clear that's the end game unless everyone just up and dies. There's 1 hot head refusing to give in and 1 with a girl friend but it looks like this is only book 1 of 4 so...
Okay, the book, all the words, what I liked or whatever. I never know what I should write here.
Book one in a series usually leaves me questioning everything. We got some character introductions and powers revealed, we find out a little backstory regarding both Danica's traumatic past and that of the guys. We are made aware of some baddies and know they plan to make baddy type waves and maybe even be baddy friends. We're left wanting them to immediately be maimed or murdered but again, book 1 of 4 so ya know.
Remi. Ohh lawd, please don't make that man beg. I know he done did a naughty thing but it's so, so clear they're for each other. I hope Danica lets him off with a spanking or 3.
The only one who needs to beg is Gabe. He also needs a punishment like maybe in the form of hugs and snuggles though because that little boy inside of him is broken.
Dax, Dax, Dax. That's how it works, right? Say their name 3x and they show up? He needs to be okay soon. I hope he's not favorite and completely involved to distant, broken and last to get back on board.
Anyway, yes, my review is mostly about the dudes. The author wanted me to like them, job done. I like them. Danica likes them too but things escalated so quickly with all of them that she should be in a neck brace.
A little more awkward honesty and I'll be done...I'd like the author to give up their entire life and do nothing but eat, sleep, shower and write until the series is over and I have my answers and what I hope is a HEA.
That is all.
February 20, 2022
The story is good but I wish it had been written better. There is like 75% of this book spent in inner monologues that just repeat information, and since I've read way too many mates books it's boring for me to wait for the characters to figure out that's what they are...
No kidding, I skipped oages of inner monologues to get to the conversation between the characters. And I skipped ALL of the kayla conversations because it was a waste of time for me. The tipical girl bff supporting the FMC, wanting to know everything so we get to repeat the information we already know?? No thanks!! At least paraphrase that and let's quickly move on to the bonding with the guysss!!
I also hate how Danica and everyone keep acting stupid and keeping unnecessary secrets. Like what oart of you were kidnapped and it may happen again dont you understand?? It's annoying.
I will continue the series because I want to know what happens next even though it will be an effort to be patient....
No kidding, I skipped oages of inner monologues to get to the conversation between the characters. And I skipped ALL of the kayla conversations because it was a waste of time for me. The tipical girl bff supporting the FMC, wanting to know everything so we get to repeat the information we already know?? No thanks!! At least paraphrase that and let's quickly move on to the bonding with the guysss!!
I also hate how Danica and everyone keep acting stupid and keeping unnecessary secrets. Like what oart of you were kidnapped and it may happen again dont you understand?? It's annoying.
I will continue the series because I want to know what happens next even though it will be an effort to be patient....
August 17, 2024
Hmm
So… I liked this, cautiously. The overall idea is fantastic and the presentation fairly well done, but there is just a LOT, I mean, a LOT. She’s not a Mary Jane, but it seems that she is at the center of an incredible amount of drama, along with connections, and there is back story that we are just missing. I’m wondering if there is another series that I missed.
I’ll follow this for now, see if any of these edges smooth - as it really is a good overall story with high entertainment potential.
So… I liked this, cautiously. The overall idea is fantastic and the presentation fairly well done, but there is just a LOT, I mean, a LOT. She’s not a Mary Jane, but it seems that she is at the center of an incredible amount of drama, along with connections, and there is back story that we are just missing. I’m wondering if there is another series that I missed.
I’ll follow this for now, see if any of these edges smooth - as it really is a good overall story with high entertainment potential.
May 16, 2022
All the tropes, all the time
Our dear Heroine (™️) is not like the other girls (™️) and has a mysterious magic power (™️) but spends most of her time fainting (™️). All “the guys” (™️) love her but don’t know why (™️).
If you are looking for a hot and sexy plot but don’t want to be surprised, this is your series.
Our dear Heroine (™️) is not like the other girls (™️) and has a mysterious magic power (™️) but spends most of her time fainting (™️). All “the guys” (™️) love her but don’t know why (™️).
If you are looking for a hot and sexy plot but don’t want to be surprised, this is your series.
December 31, 2022
Such an enjoyable read! …if you like the “who hurt you” trope. Everyone in this book has been hurt, both in their poly group and outside of it in their friends group.
Book 1 is mostly just going to college, getting settled, meeting her roommate friend, meeting the four guys, talking to her best friend guy from her aunt’s pack, dealing with drama in the friend group, and learning a lot about each characters history.
Some sh!t blows up right at the end of the book so this is definitely a cliffhanger ending. But I wasn’t mad at that since I knew at about the 60% point in this book that I was going to keep going with the series.
The characters are all interesting, I like the friendship/lovers dynamics all around, and enough was hinted about the bad guy(s) to get me curious about how this will all play out in the long run.
Book 1 is mostly just going to college, getting settled, meeting her roommate friend, meeting the four guys, talking to her best friend guy from her aunt’s pack, dealing with drama in the friend group, and learning a lot about each characters history.
Some sh!t blows up right at the end of the book so this is definitely a cliffhanger ending. But I wasn’t mad at that since I knew at about the 60% point in this book that I was going to keep going with the series.
The characters are all interesting, I like the friendship/lovers dynamics all around, and enough was hinted about the bad guy(s) to get me curious about how this will all play out in the long run.
December 3, 2023
3.5 stars
Did this book have issues, absolutely! Did I want to slap Danica at times, definitely! Did I want to gut punch Gabriel, hell ya! But, I still enjoyed the book, call it a guilty pleasure. The guys were yummy! Yes, even Gabe and the story line when there wasn't holes was intriguing! On to the next.
Did this book have issues, absolutely! Did I want to slap Danica at times, definitely! Did I want to gut punch Gabriel, hell ya! But, I still enjoyed the book, call it a guilty pleasure. The guys were yummy! Yes, even Gabe and the story line when there wasn't holes was intriguing! On to the next.
February 26, 2024
this book made me go on a rant with myself at 3 am. I regret that I've read basically the whole book yesterday and only had a few pages to read today before I was done. I should have stopped as soon as I saw the book's issues, but I continued and now I regret my life
this will contain spoilers
so, knight ascending is about danica, a water witch who has no recollection of her life before she started living with her aunt─ when she was 8 years old. the book starts with her sparring with her uncle, andrew, and further we find out that she is going to black veil university, the harvard of supernaturals. on page six, we, nonchalantly, find out she was kidnapped last year. there's no suspense, there's no subtle details that would lead us to believe that something happened. the author just tells you she was kidnapped and as traumatized as she is, it looks more like an inconvenience in her life
the lack of shock value and the show not tell should've told me that this story wouldn't be good. but I'm the type of person to read books purely based on vibes and I don't care if it's good or bad as long as it is entertaining
and truthfully, judging danica for her pick me ways was fun
• the girls has no friends besides this one guy who is super possessive over her and hooks up with girls left and right
• she even says that the girls hate how close they are and she's oftenly glared at or hears some shit said about her
• she doesn't wear dresses (which, same. I don't either, but for her it's somewhat a red flag)
• she doesn't wear makeup, just mascara and whenever she tries to apply makeup she never can
• she reads books (being a bookworm isn't a red flag. but for some reason in books it kinda is??)
• she's in love with her best friend
that trait of her personality didn't bother me as much. the fact that this book wasn't reviewed and seemed to have inconsistencies everywhere, it was still ok enough to enjoy
until everything went to shit when I hit 85%
I'm not going to explain everything that went down, but basically: danica has a heart condition that acted up after she got stressed and ran away from her boyfriend's house. her best friend, remi, got to the university that day and took her to the nurse. when she wakes up, she's alone with him in the room because he refused to allow anyone he doesn't know with her, so when they get out of the room, one of the love interests punches him in the face for not letting anyone be there and she stupidly goes to the middle of them to stop the fight that is starting. this doesn't work, but before she gets beaten up, one of the other love interests grabs her from the middle and drags her out
they are outside, remi and zane (love interest who threw the punch) are inside fighting and her boyfriend is also inside trying to get them to stop fighting. gabriel, the one who got her, is grilling her at the same time because he doesn't trust her and during the scene he hurts her
he has his hands ON HER enough to hurt and bruise. all because he wants to know why zane is fighting with remi. he's power is literally driving her up the wall and burning her sides while his hands are squeezing on her biceps. when she tells him why, he drops her, walks around quickly and goes back to breathing down her neck
THEN he calls her a CRAZY BITCH because she bonded with a guy who has a girlfriend and RAISES HIS FIST TO PUNCH THE WALL BESIDE HER HEAD. she is even thinking "yeah, I was beaten before by my kidnapper but the blow never comes" but he still raised his fist???? even if he didn't punch you or backhanded you, he still TOUCHED you enough to bruise and PUNCHED the wall behind you
this THIS is the shit that made me hate this. a story being bad?? ok, fine. plot holes? also FINE. the guy being so angry he has to crash his fist through a wall???? NO
most abusive relationships start with the guy throwing a fit over not getting his way. most men praise themselves over the "i was angry and I threw things around but I never laid a hand on you" like it's a good defense and you are telling me that I have to be ok with this???
chapters later, they are on a stadium and the crowd parts so the guy can pass and she's like "he's so hot but I really need to stop checking him out. he hates me" girl?????? YOU ARE MORE HURT THAN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BECAUSE OF HIM AND YOUR CONCERN WITH CHECKING HIM OUT IS THAT HE HATES YOU??? HE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND'S BROTHER AND THE ISSUE IS THAT HE HATES YOU????
anyway I got furious and I wish I could say more but this as far as my comments go
“You're right. He should be more patient, but that’s not Gabe. He’s more the 'demand to know and get what he wants' kind of guy.”
“Yes, and so are toddlers.”
this will contain spoilers
so, knight ascending is about danica, a water witch who has no recollection of her life before she started living with her aunt─ when she was 8 years old. the book starts with her sparring with her uncle, andrew, and further we find out that she is going to black veil university, the harvard of supernaturals. on page six, we, nonchalantly, find out she was kidnapped last year. there's no suspense, there's no subtle details that would lead us to believe that something happened. the author just tells you she was kidnapped and as traumatized as she is, it looks more like an inconvenience in her life
the lack of shock value and the show not tell should've told me that this story wouldn't be good. but I'm the type of person to read books purely based on vibes and I don't care if it's good or bad as long as it is entertaining
and truthfully, judging danica for her pick me ways was fun
• the girls has no friends besides this one guy who is super possessive over her and hooks up with girls left and right
• she even says that the girls hate how close they are and she's oftenly glared at or hears some shit said about her
• she doesn't wear dresses (which, same. I don't either, but for her it's somewhat a red flag)
• she doesn't wear makeup, just mascara and whenever she tries to apply makeup she never can
• she reads books (being a bookworm isn't a red flag. but for some reason in books it kinda is??)
• she's in love with her best friend
that trait of her personality didn't bother me as much. the fact that this book wasn't reviewed and seemed to have inconsistencies everywhere, it was still ok enough to enjoy
until everything went to shit when I hit 85%
I'm not going to explain everything that went down, but basically: danica has a heart condition that acted up after she got stressed and ran away from her boyfriend's house. her best friend, remi, got to the university that day and took her to the nurse. when she wakes up, she's alone with him in the room because he refused to allow anyone he doesn't know with her, so when they get out of the room, one of the love interests punches him in the face for not letting anyone be there and she stupidly goes to the middle of them to stop the fight that is starting. this doesn't work, but before she gets beaten up, one of the other love interests grabs her from the middle and drags her out
they are outside, remi and zane (love interest who threw the punch) are inside fighting and her boyfriend is also inside trying to get them to stop fighting. gabriel, the one who got her, is grilling her at the same time because he doesn't trust her and during the scene he hurts her
he has his hands ON HER enough to hurt and bruise. all because he wants to know why zane is fighting with remi. he's power is literally driving her up the wall and burning her sides while his hands are squeezing on her biceps. when she tells him why, he drops her, walks around quickly and goes back to breathing down her neck
THEN he calls her a CRAZY BITCH because she bonded with a guy who has a girlfriend and RAISES HIS FIST TO PUNCH THE WALL BESIDE HER HEAD. she is even thinking "yeah, I was beaten before by my kidnapper but the blow never comes" but he still raised his fist???? even if he didn't punch you or backhanded you, he still TOUCHED you enough to bruise and PUNCHED the wall behind you
this THIS is the shit that made me hate this. a story being bad?? ok, fine. plot holes? also FINE. the guy being so angry he has to crash his fist through a wall???? NO
most abusive relationships start with the guy throwing a fit over not getting his way. most men praise themselves over the "i was angry and I threw things around but I never laid a hand on you" like it's a good defense and you are telling me that I have to be ok with this???
chapters later, they are on a stadium and the crowd parts so the guy can pass and she's like "he's so hot but I really need to stop checking him out. he hates me" girl?????? YOU ARE MORE HURT THAN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BECAUSE OF HIM AND YOUR CONCERN WITH CHECKING HIM OUT IS THAT HE HATES YOU??? HE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND'S BROTHER AND THE ISSUE IS THAT HE HATES YOU????
anyway I got furious and I wish I could say more but this as far as my comments go
“You're right. He should be more patient, but that’s not Gabe. He’s more the 'demand to know and get what he wants' kind of guy.”
“Yes, and so are toddlers.”
December 31, 2021
Interesting plot and Characters. Writing needs a lot of development.
From the very start of the book you feel like you have picked up in the middle of a series. I checked no less than ten times to make sure this was infact book 1. The FMC was kidnapped a previous summer and abandoned as a child, both resulting in lingering effects. Clemton attempts to sprinkle in these past events as the story develops, but the attempts are not well executed, so instead of getting flashbacks or a new piece of the character's story the reader feels like there is a callback to an earlier element of the story that never actually happened and is left with more questions than answers.
The writing itself is all over the place. The voice is constantly switching back and forth from present to past. IE I didn't wear skirts. I don't like the way they feel. There is also a lot of As I walked, as I ate, as I... In paragraph after paragraph. Instead of describing what the characters are doing the reader is told. For example, see the paragraph as it appears, verses when the reader is shows the scene.
"Opening the doors to my building, I walk down the stone steps outside, looking around to see if Daxton is here yet. The sun is lowering in the sky, causing a slight chill to race across my skin. I wrap my arms around me, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to warm them. Even wearing a sweater, I can feel the cold of the evening settling in."
V.
"With a heave, the heavy exterior door opens, giving way to the pink and purple sky of the waning sun. The click of my heels on the stone steps, smooth from years of use, echos above the hum of the early evening. Despite still being August, a chill wraps around me, pulling the warmth from my body. I shiver, my hands instinctively rubbing away the goosebumps that formed on my arms the moment I stepped outside. Lamenting my sweater's lack of warmth, my eyes sweep the courtyard, searching for Daxton."
The first version tells the reader what is happening, the second lays out the details to let the reader build the scene in their mind. Obviously the second version would vary with writing styles and choices, but the first paragraph is a common example of how the writing in the book is done.
The series is set in college, but falls victim to common pitfalls of underdeveloped writers. The books waffles back and forth from a high school rather than college setting and the characters acting like middle age adults rather than college students. College kids are not going on a date at 5pm or putting their hair up in a formal updo and wearing slacks for a first date. The college student who Google what to do on a date because he has literally no idea and then is shocked/embarrassed when he finds out his family (think packmate) just knocks boots with his dates. Whole school assemblies where the teachers are introduced (think Harry Potter dinner in the dining hall for the student arrival each year).
From the very start of the book you feel like you have picked up in the middle of a series. I checked no less than ten times to make sure this was infact book 1. The FMC was kidnapped a previous summer and abandoned as a child, both resulting in lingering effects. Clemton attempts to sprinkle in these past events as the story develops, but the attempts are not well executed, so instead of getting flashbacks or a new piece of the character's story the reader feels like there is a callback to an earlier element of the story that never actually happened and is left with more questions than answers.
The writing itself is all over the place. The voice is constantly switching back and forth from present to past. IE I didn't wear skirts. I don't like the way they feel. There is also a lot of As I walked, as I ate, as I... In paragraph after paragraph. Instead of describing what the characters are doing the reader is told. For example, see the paragraph as it appears, verses when the reader is shows the scene.
"Opening the doors to my building, I walk down the stone steps outside, looking around to see if Daxton is here yet. The sun is lowering in the sky, causing a slight chill to race across my skin. I wrap my arms around me, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to warm them. Even wearing a sweater, I can feel the cold of the evening settling in."
V.
"With a heave, the heavy exterior door opens, giving way to the pink and purple sky of the waning sun. The click of my heels on the stone steps, smooth from years of use, echos above the hum of the early evening. Despite still being August, a chill wraps around me, pulling the warmth from my body. I shiver, my hands instinctively rubbing away the goosebumps that formed on my arms the moment I stepped outside. Lamenting my sweater's lack of warmth, my eyes sweep the courtyard, searching for Daxton."
The first version tells the reader what is happening, the second lays out the details to let the reader build the scene in their mind. Obviously the second version would vary with writing styles and choices, but the first paragraph is a common example of how the writing in the book is done.
The series is set in college, but falls victim to common pitfalls of underdeveloped writers. The books waffles back and forth from a high school rather than college setting and the characters acting like middle age adults rather than college students. College kids are not going on a date at 5pm or putting their hair up in a formal updo and wearing slacks for a first date. The college student who Google what to do on a date because he has literally no idea and then is shocked/embarrassed when he finds out his family (think packmate) just knocks boots with his dates. Whole school assemblies where the teachers are introduced (think Harry Potter dinner in the dining hall for the student arrival each year).
November 23, 2021
Wow, ok, so I loved it, Knight Ascending is a fantastic!! As with every academy book, I tend to be slightly wary because there are so many, but this is must read! The world building is amazing; the writing kept me sucked in from page one to the last word. I didn’t want to put it down. As the plot develops, the questions began to pile up. What’s going on with everyone’s powers? Why does it feel like she has a connection with not one, but four guys? Why were her moms last words “Trust no one?"
Danica (Dani) is the FMC, she has been through hell and back. There is trauma in her past, she has by no means had it easy. The book starts with her leaving for academy. Her super sexy best friend Remi is also starting at the Academy with her however he will miss the first few weeks for a mysterious pack meeting. As she meets the other guys, she starts to form connections with them that she doesn’t understand- and does not want. She doesn’t trust easily but she’s also drawn to them, regardless of that fact that she wants nothing to do with any of it. Not all the guys want her there.
We follow Dani on this new journey- her new start- at the Academy. We see her navigate new people, new territory, and form new relationships. Kayla, Dani’s roommate/BFF (besides Remi) brings a levity to the story that is absolutely perfect, she hilarious. Her personality is huge, she’s bubbly, and loud, but she’s also a contradiction in many ways- I love her, she’s the type of BFF all RH books need! All the characters are intriguing and mysterious, leaving us wanting to know more about them. The steamy scenes are fantastic! I can’t wait for her relationships to develop and grow with all the guys. You can tell the steam to come is going to be just as wonderful...
I can’t wait to see what happens next. This book happens over the course of a short time, so there is still so much to the story that we don’t even know yet. I loved the ending; it was one of those times where I go “where’s the next page?!” No, it can’t be the end!! It leaves enough intrigue that I will absolutely be back for more! Book two cant come soon enough 🖤
Danica (Dani) is the FMC, she has been through hell and back. There is trauma in her past, she has by no means had it easy. The book starts with her leaving for academy. Her super sexy best friend Remi is also starting at the Academy with her however he will miss the first few weeks for a mysterious pack meeting. As she meets the other guys, she starts to form connections with them that she doesn’t understand- and does not want. She doesn’t trust easily but she’s also drawn to them, regardless of that fact that she wants nothing to do with any of it. Not all the guys want her there.
We follow Dani on this new journey- her new start- at the Academy. We see her navigate new people, new territory, and form new relationships. Kayla, Dani’s roommate/BFF (besides Remi) brings a levity to the story that is absolutely perfect, she hilarious. Her personality is huge, she’s bubbly, and loud, but she’s also a contradiction in many ways- I love her, she’s the type of BFF all RH books need! All the characters are intriguing and mysterious, leaving us wanting to know more about them. The steamy scenes are fantastic! I can’t wait for her relationships to develop and grow with all the guys. You can tell the steam to come is going to be just as wonderful...
I can’t wait to see what happens next. This book happens over the course of a short time, so there is still so much to the story that we don’t even know yet. I loved the ending; it was one of those times where I go “where’s the next page?!” No, it can’t be the end!! It leaves enough intrigue that I will absolutely be back for more! Book two cant come soon enough 🖤
May 18, 2022
While this story was.....
Okay, so while this book was interesting and different from a few other RH series I've read previously, some times have the tendency to be a little predictable, however this book not so much.
Just when you think the story plot is going one way the Author, flips the script on you and you never see what's coming at you until it's to late and she has suck you into this storyline...
My only issue was there were quite a few plots and side story lines going on that kinda confused me because there aren't any other book series that this storyline and these characters would have spinned off from. It made feel like I didn't have the complete story and that she just expected us to know about these other people and to fill in the blanks. (Shrugging, who the heck knows!) Maybe it's me and I missed something!! 🤔 yeah, no I didn't, it's just they why she wrote it and it cost her a star review for me. 🤷🏾♀️
But as I mentioned before she suck me in and now I'm time invested and interested in this story as the plot thickens with the MFC Danica, and her alpha males heroes.
Overall Rating:
3.5 ~ Okay/Good Read
Here's hoping the next book of this series is better than this book. Fingers crossed! 😏
Okay, so while this book was interesting and different from a few other RH series I've read previously, some times have the tendency to be a little predictable, however this book not so much.
Just when you think the story plot is going one way the Author, flips the script on you and you never see what's coming at you until it's to late and she has suck you into this storyline...
My only issue was there were quite a few plots and side story lines going on that kinda confused me because there aren't any other book series that this storyline and these characters would have spinned off from. It made feel like I didn't have the complete story and that she just expected us to know about these other people and to fill in the blanks. (Shrugging, who the heck knows!) Maybe it's me and I missed something!! 🤔 yeah, no I didn't, it's just they why she wrote it and it cost her a star review for me. 🤷🏾♀️
But as I mentioned before she suck me in and now I'm time invested and interested in this story as the plot thickens with the MFC Danica, and her alpha males heroes.
Overall Rating:
3.5 ~ Okay/Good Read
Here's hoping the next book of this series is better than this book. Fingers crossed! 😏
September 23, 2021
Wow. I really loved this so much, there’s so much going on with a whole underlying history and mystery that keeps you completely hooked! Dani our FMC is a witch who has been with her Aunt (a pixie) and Uncles (wolf shifters) since she was left at a hospital with just a note and no memories of a time before only nightmares. Living in a wolf pack has never been a problem especially with her BFF Remi the alpha heir who she’s always had the major feels for. When she arrives at Black Veil strange magic occurs that forces bonds between her and others that she has no understanding or control over. Dani is a strong character who despite some hard times she pushes through but also knows when she needs to lean on the strength of others too. I can’t wait to see more into the guys histories as there’s definitely more to be told there! We have a variety of from our geeky mind reader to a cuddly dragon not to be forgotten the overbearing ahole reaper… This book is so full of mystery, suspense, a fair few laughs, angst, as well as a nice little dash of spice. Definitely not one to miss!
August 14, 2023
Interesting premise, crappy execution
I read the blurb and thought that this book had promise. Sadly, the potential was wasted. The world building was lacklustre and relied on info dumps rather than actual storytelling. There was no real character development, just stated characterisations. The relationship building was mediocre when it occurred, but it only happened for a few of the characters. There were issues with apostrophes all over the place as well as misused homophones ('awe' and 'aw' are NOT the same thing!). The plot was so disjointed that I went looking for a prequel a couple of times, because the major events that happened to shape the characters as people happened prior to the start of the book and the author sucked at integrating them into the storyline. The final straw was how weak Danica was as an FMC. She acted like a stereotypical first girl killed in a slasher movie on a few occasions and had zero spine when it came to Remi. This was a waste of time.
I read the blurb and thought that this book had promise. Sadly, the potential was wasted. The world building was lacklustre and relied on info dumps rather than actual storytelling. There was no real character development, just stated characterisations. The relationship building was mediocre when it occurred, but it only happened for a few of the characters. There were issues with apostrophes all over the place as well as misused homophones ('awe' and 'aw' are NOT the same thing!). The plot was so disjointed that I went looking for a prequel a couple of times, because the major events that happened to shape the characters as people happened prior to the start of the book and the author sucked at integrating them into the storyline. The final straw was how weak Danica was as an FMC. She acted like a stereotypical first girl killed in a slasher movie on a few occasions and had zero spine when it came to Remi. This was a waste of time.
September 16, 2021
Ooh I LOVED this book. I loved that in addition to watching Dani work on her relationships with the guys, she also has a super fun, reliable girlfriend; I think that’s missing in a lot of books. But still, the guys… Hot damn. I’m totally on board with #WhyChoose because they each have something different and while I see some groveling in the future, I can’t wait to see what happens as the bonds really grow. The story and world built in this book has so many layers and I’m so excited to learn more about how Dani and the guys are connected.
January 16, 2024
initially DNF (43% 11/3/21). pushed through the massive info dump, I enjoyed the story quite a bit! I may hold off until more books are out/the series is finished because I can tell by that cliffy, this is gonna be an angsty one.
(Update 2/11/23- It took me awhile to revisit this series, but I’m glad I did. I just finished book 4. I actually binge-read books 2-4 within the span of 24 hours lol. Needless to say, I definitely recommend. Also, the audiobook for this one just released and I HIGHLY recommend it! Bridget & Jake Bordeaux knocked it out of the park, as usual.)
(Update 2/11/23- It took me awhile to revisit this series, but I’m glad I did. I just finished book 4. I actually binge-read books 2-4 within the span of 24 hours lol. Needless to say, I definitely recommend. Also, the audiobook for this one just released and I HIGHLY recommend it! Bridget & Jake Bordeaux knocked it out of the park, as usual.)
August 26, 2022
This is a bit of a slow start to the series, but I am very intrigued. There are a lot plot lines and questions to be answered. I am totally into all the mates. Everything is a bit of a sticky mess and I am here for it!
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October 10, 2022Only 35% in and I can already tell you exactly what’s going to happen in this book. Also there is Insta-want, not love, but they immediately feel an intense pull to be together which I don’t like. Not for me
November 29, 2021
This book took me by surprise and I really enjoyed it. The book covered a lot and gave a lot of information for the reader, but also left enough out for an air of mystery. Dani and Remi's best friend relationship was great and I can't wait to see what their relationship turns into as the story goes. I loved how the relationship between Dani and Daxton was built and wasn't an "insta-romance".
We see a bit of Dani's past trauma and how that is impacting her now. I wish she would have told Daxton more about it, but it is completely understandable and realistic that she didn't. Remi and Daxton were the only "relationships" that were formed (best friend and "boyfriend"), but this is a RH and so there's more. You get a view in the life of her possible other men and how they interact.
This book had some action, was pretty faced paced on a timeline, but there was a build of her current relationship which i liked. There is also plenty of mystery surrounding the characters and Dani's powers.
The is a cliff ending so be prepared! Sadly, the entire series isn't out so I'll just have to wait for more!
We see a bit of Dani's past trauma and how that is impacting her now. I wish she would have told Daxton more about it, but it is completely understandable and realistic that she didn't. Remi and Daxton were the only "relationships" that were formed (best friend and "boyfriend"), but this is a RH and so there's more. You get a view in the life of her possible other men and how they interact.
This book had some action, was pretty faced paced on a timeline, but there was a build of her current relationship which i liked. There is also plenty of mystery surrounding the characters and Dani's powers.
The is a cliff ending so be prepared! Sadly, the entire series isn't out so I'll just have to wait for more!
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