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Shadow and Moonlight #1
Of Shadow and Moonlight
Newly Revised Edition available September 2023!
A New Adult, Paranormal Fantasy Romance about a woman fated to die young, a man cursed to live forever, and a darkness that threatens to destroy everything they love.
Cassie was never able to experience the life that many take for granted, the freedom to dictate her own journey. No, her life had been spent sheltered, protected from an inevitable fate that would come for her regardless of what anyone could do.
After her medical condition goes downhill, she is left with a few years of breath in her lungs and a choice: die alone, without ever experiencing what it truly means to feel alive and free; or to find that light, that missing puzzle piece, that feeling of not feeling so alone in her final days.
When Damien appears in her life, her world turns upside down when he shows her the hidden magic that lies in the shadows of her world and within herself. Suddenly plunged into a hidden war that has raged for countless centuries between gods and monsters, Cassie begins to feel the weight of her secret, which she has kept hidden all her life.
Cassie must embrace the tragic, dark history that runs through the blood in her veins or risk her world falling into darkness.
A New Adult, Paranormal Fantasy Romance about a woman fated to die young, a man cursed to live forever, and a darkness that threatens to destroy everything they love.
Cassie was never able to experience the life that many take for granted, the freedom to dictate her own journey. No, her life had been spent sheltered, protected from an inevitable fate that would come for her regardless of what anyone could do.
After her medical condition goes downhill, she is left with a few years of breath in her lungs and a choice: die alone, without ever experiencing what it truly means to feel alive and free; or to find that light, that missing puzzle piece, that feeling of not feeling so alone in her final days.
When Damien appears in her life, her world turns upside down when he shows her the hidden magic that lies in the shadows of her world and within herself. Suddenly plunged into a hidden war that has raged for countless centuries between gods and monsters, Cassie begins to feel the weight of her secret, which she has kept hidden all her life.
Cassie must embrace the tragic, dark history that runs through the blood in her veins or risk her world falling into darkness.
414 pages, Hardcover
First published November 29, 2022
About the author
Luna Laurier
14 books467 followersLuna Laurier is the Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s Bestselling debut author of Of Shadow and Moonlight. She lives in the south with her husband and son on their little farm. She has a Bachelor’s in Business, and when she’s not writing you can find her reading, filming cheesy book humor and bookish cosplay Tiktoks, and buying more books when she already has more than she can read. She is currently working on her debut series, and cannot wait to see where it leads.
social media: @authorlunalaurier
www.lunalaurier.com
social media: @authorlunalaurier
www.lunalaurier.com
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April 28, 2023
He dipped his head, his lips gently brushing over each bruise, cut, and scrape, attending to each lovingly.
“For each wound they left, mea luna.” He kissed my wrist. “I swear I will give them tenfold.”
Thought of the day: random fanart will be my ruin.
***
🌕𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 - 𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗔 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗥🌕
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙾𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙼𝙾𝙾𝙽𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 #𝟷
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝚄𝚁𝙱𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 - 𝚅𝙰𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴𝚂 - 𝙳𝙴𝙼𝙾𝙽𝚂 - 𝙶𝙾𝙳𝚂 - 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙻 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂 - 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙳𝙸𝙴 - 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃 - - 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙰𝚃 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝚂𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 - 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿 (𝟿𝟶𝟶 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚈𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚂 𝙻𝙾𝙻) - 𝙸𝙼𝙼𝙾𝚁𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚡 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝙰𝙽
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/𝟱
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/𝟱
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜📜/𝟱
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀💀½/𝟱 (𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷 - 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 - 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 - 𝙺𝙸𝙳𝙽𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙲𝙷𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙸𝙲 𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂 - 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳𝙸𝚃���𝙾𝙽 - 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷 𝙾𝙵 𝙰 𝙽𝙴𝚆𝙱𝙾𝚁𝙽 - 𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳 𝙾𝙽𝙴𝚂/𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂 - 𝙶𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙵 - 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚁𝙴𝚃𝚂)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧/𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥½/𝟱 (𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝚈𝙴𝚃 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝚄𝚃 - 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝚁𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙸𝚃𝚈 - 𝚄𝙽𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒🚒/𝟱 (𝙷𝙾𝚃 𝙷𝙾𝚃 𝙷𝙾𝚃 - 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝚂𝚄𝙲𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰𝚂 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙴𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙰𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝚆𝙷𝚈 𝙽𝙾𝚃 - “𝙱𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕, 𝚖𝚎𝚊 𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚊. 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐. 𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎.”)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 💣💣½/𝟱
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐/5 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴/𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚄𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/𝟱
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/𝟱
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 💔💔/𝟱
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗥𝗘𝗣: 𝙲𝙷𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙸𝙲 𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂 (𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽)
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 𝙽𝙾𝙽𝙴
★𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚:
★𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚: 🎶𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴 - 𝚂𝙰𝙼 𝚂𝙼𝙸𝚃𝙷🎶
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
***I always try to be as objective as I can with my ratings for DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNINGS, SMUT TECHNICAL CONTENT/INTENSITY, SMUT QUANTITY, ROMANCE QUANTITY, ANGST LEVEL, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERSNESS; the ratings for CHARACTERS, WRITING, PLOT, SMUT QUALITY, ROMANCE QUALITY, are instead tied to my own subjective reading experience and final opinion of the book.
Second thought of the day: this time, it was totally worth it!
All things considered, I'm glad fanart didn't deceive me, for once.
Of Shadow and Moonlight reads like the majority of the books I used to love when I was a teen and was obsessed with anything urban-fantasy. In a good way, of course.
I read the love interest's name Damien and suddenly I was back in 2008, reading on my stuffed armchair without a care in the world.
It filled me with sweet nostalgia, because right from the very first line, it catapults you back in time, back when enemies remained enemies and lovers were nice and went all in, all at once
Luna Laurier seems to take everything that made a book good and appealing back then, and adds to it all those elements me and my fellow mutuals are constantly raving about nowadays.
Also, weird as fuck and totally random, but...This book made me wanna write my own???
I won't, don't worry. I'll stick to reading those others have written, but LL made writing and creating something impressive seem so untroublesome, for a second I seriously considered it.
Alas, I lack the talent and commitment to stick to a project so big and, even if I did, I know writing a book is no joke.
Well, writing a book could be easy, objectively.
But writing a good book?
That's another story.
Case in point, Luna Laurier.
Her writing is simple and fresh; the plot she created entertaining to the point I would have definitely finished this in one sitting if I had more time to sit down and actually read.
One of the things I liked the most about this, was how easy it was to get into.
The lore about Luna Laurier's supernatural world is unpretentious yet sophisticated, with easily memorable names and terms, and a balanced amount of notions to keep in mind.
If I had to describe this book using only one world, I'd say this was effortless.
Again, I mean this in a positive way.
Sometimes you need a book that, despite the engaging plot, won't require too much energy from your mind, and Of Shadow and Moonlight provided me all the entertainment I needed without having to rack my brain over impossibly pompous details.
Cassie is fantastic and brave and a real badass.
I love it that she's not whiny despit the adversities and simply accepts that her life is what it is, and goes along with it.
In one of my reading updates I was joking about how she easily accepts the fact that there's a supernatural world beside ours when Damien spills the beans.
I'd honestly react the same way if it happened to me, so I'm not accusing her of anything, but it was further proof that this book had its own pace and flow that no trope could disrupt.
Damien is simply perfect and I fell for him so hard it's embarassing.
He's Edward Cullen good on steroids, minus the creepy stalkerish tendencies, plus a filthy mouth and a sex appeal that had me foaming.
He's the golden hero you can't help but fall in love with, who's idea of a birthday present is a personal library, and I'm 100% sure my puberty would have taken an even bigger hit if I'd met him when peak hotness for me was full of Fours and Jace WaylandLightwoodMorgensternHerondales.
I'm sorry for all the 2000s urban-fantasy references, but I really can't stop thinking this book belongs to a time and place where thing were easier and I was easily starry-eyed and easily impressed by what I read.
On that tune, the romance was adorable, emotional and sexy.
There's one certain thing I'd love to scream about but can't because, duh, spoilers, but trust me when I say our author didn't leave anything to chance.
Cas and Damien's love is powerful and timeless, undoubtedly beautiful and eternal.
By this point, we all know how I feel about the enemies-to-lovers trope, but the fact that I didn't mind one bit that the romance in this was undemanding and epic and absolutely unproblematic, says more about the greatness of this book than the questionability of my own morals.
There's a little smut that's basically the cherry on top of a giant and delicious cake, but it's not heavy and it doesn't distract you from the more important things going on in the main course.
Laurier's secondary characters are as interesting as the main ones, and I can't wait to know more about them. Barrett and Thalia, in particular *wink wink*.
The villains are bad and cruel, but their motivations are still a little weak (although, I might have a teeny tiny toxic crush on one of them, but don't tell Damien).
I feel the same about a couple other things regarding some plot points, but I've got no doubt it'll all come through in the sequel, so I'm gonna consider these little underdeveloped traits, rather than technical flaws.
To top it all, this book comes with its own illustrations by the incredibly talented Huangja and with a playlist I can't stop playing over and over.
I can tell teenage me would have loved the shit out of this book, but I know for a fact today me had the time of her life with it.
Chapeau, mea Luna.
Iykyk.
“Lord Damien, king of the immortals, Lord of darkness.”
He slammed his hand against the wall, blocking my path and pressing me up against the wall. I swallowed, feeling the dark rolling power he contained as he held me in place, and my heart leapt.
He lowered himself to my ear. “You keep talking like that and I may just enjoy making you call out my title in our bed.”
Our bed. I bit my lip, heat flooding my body and stemming into my cheeks. His hand came to my hip, sliding up along my waist, his thumb brushing just under my breast. My breath hitched, but I forced my composure, meeting his gaze, a coy grin curving my lips.
“As you wish, milord.”
September 10, 2023
Oh man…where do I start? I had to DNF this book at 70%. I really tried to like this. I wanted to like this….but there were too many problems for me to ignore. And I can ignore a lot.
For starters…it’s pretty clear this wasn’t worked on by a developmental editor. The plot is so underdeveloped and weak. It managed to feel rushed as hell (her acceptance of EVERYTHING and falling in love to start at a few big ones) but also it dragged ass in a lot of placed (whenever Cas and Damien were alone together)
Cas (the MC) and her ability to accept things just blows my mind. She meets this new group of people who turn out to be vampires (kinda not really) and she’s just like meh ok sounds legit. She falls in love with Damien after one date and I get the fated mates trope but this was FAST even for that. Like…damn girl.
The other reason I have such a hard time buying THAT is because the first half of the book it is shoved down your throat that she is insecure and has anxiety and doesn’t like people and crowds are scary… but then she just accepts this large new friend group with no reservations (even though half of them outwardly don’t like her).
It was also really annoying that the first part of the book really built up her heart condition and how it was about to kill her if she sneezed too hard…but then she get’s kidnapped, tortured, runs for her life multiple times and her heart is like…nah. I’m fine. That whole plot point just sorta fell by the wayside.. the author tried to make it relevant again but it didn’t really work after chapters and chapters of it not being a thing.
I also really struggled with the setting of the book. Cas is supposed to be 20 and in college but all of the school scenes read and feel like high school. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal but it was super jarring. It kept pulling me out of the text and being like “what how old are they?”
The other major major issue I had aside from plot problems was the actual writing. There are several key phrases and sentence structuring that the author clearly likes and likes a lot. There are multiple times the same phrase is used. Over and over and over. The prose reads like the way people talk, full of colloquialisms and turns of phrases that just aren’t appropriate for non dialogue text. It also had editing problems, not a lot but enough that I was annoyed by it, and had multiple missing words, missing capitalizations, formatting issues.
this book had the potential of being pretty good. It just needed to go through a round of dev. Editing and one edits first. The writing and plot feels like a polished first draft, but not developed past that point. I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
For starters…it’s pretty clear this wasn’t worked on by a developmental editor. The plot is so underdeveloped and weak. It managed to feel rushed as hell (her acceptance of EVERYTHING and falling in love to start at a few big ones) but also it dragged ass in a lot of placed (whenever Cas and Damien were alone together)
Cas (the MC) and her ability to accept things just blows my mind. She meets this new group of people who turn out to be vampires (kinda not really) and she’s just like meh ok sounds legit. She falls in love with Damien after one date and I get the fated mates trope but this was FAST even for that. Like…damn girl.
The other reason I have such a hard time buying THAT is because the first half of the book it is shoved down your throat that she is insecure and has anxiety and doesn’t like people and crowds are scary… but then she just accepts this large new friend group with no reservations (even though half of them outwardly don’t like her).
It was also really annoying that the first part of the book really built up her heart condition and how it was about to kill her if she sneezed too hard…but then she get’s kidnapped, tortured, runs for her life multiple times and her heart is like…nah. I’m fine. That whole plot point just sorta fell by the wayside.. the author tried to make it relevant again but it didn’t really work after chapters and chapters of it not being a thing.
I also really struggled with the setting of the book. Cas is supposed to be 20 and in college but all of the school scenes read and feel like high school. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal but it was super jarring. It kept pulling me out of the text and being like “what how old are they?”
The other major major issue I had aside from plot problems was the actual writing. There are several key phrases and sentence structuring that the author clearly likes and likes a lot. There are multiple times the same phrase is used. Over and over and over. The prose reads like the way people talk, full of colloquialisms and turns of phrases that just aren’t appropriate for non dialogue text. It also had editing problems, not a lot but enough that I was annoyed by it, and had multiple missing words, missing capitalizations, formatting issues.
this book had the potential of being pretty good. It just needed to go through a round of dev. Editing and one edits first. The writing and plot feels like a polished first draft, but not developed past that point. I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
October 27, 2022
*ARC for an honest review*
A 3 star read is always just an ok read for me. So ‘Of shadow and moonlight’ was ok. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate either, but I had a hard time getting through it.
The plot development was too slow, but at the same time, Cassie’s acceptance of things such as vampires, reincarnation, goddesses, and other creatures, happened too fast. And same goes for the development of her relationship with Damien. I get the idea of fated mates, where you can’t help feeling the connection to that person, but it still felt too rushed.
Also her family’s acceptance of Damien felt weird. Cassie has a terminal heart disease (which somehow she managed to keep a secret from her lifelong best friend), she is abducted at some point, and when she gets back her parents are like sure.. go stay with Damien, I’m so happy you have him. That’s weird coming from parents who sheltered their daughter her entire life. They literally saw him once before that. They knew nothing about him. Cassie knew nothing about him, we knew nothing about him, because all we get are bits and pieces. My point is, even though I loved his character, Damien needed more character development.
It was 100 pages too long imo, simply because it lacked dynamic. The book itself is not long, but when nothing of substance happens, it feels long.
It is advertised as having a splash of modern ACOTAR/throne of glass, but in my personal opinion, it gives FBAA/Mortal instruments vibes.
Overall I really liked the idea. It had an interesting premise, but the way it was structured wasn’t for me.
I’d still recommend it to those who are just getting into fantasy, or prefer urban fantasy over high fantasy.
A 3 star read is always just an ok read for me. So ‘Of shadow and moonlight’ was ok. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate either, but I had a hard time getting through it.
The plot development was too slow, but at the same time, Cassie’s acceptance of things such as vampires, reincarnation, goddesses, and other creatures, happened too fast. And same goes for the development of her relationship with Damien. I get the idea of fated mates, where you can’t help feeling the connection to that person, but it still felt too rushed.
Also her family’s acceptance of Damien felt weird. Cassie has a terminal heart disease (which somehow she managed to keep a secret from her lifelong best friend), she is abducted at some point, and when she gets back her parents are like sure.. go stay with Damien, I’m so happy you have him. That’s weird coming from parents who sheltered their daughter her entire life. They literally saw him once before that. They knew nothing about him. Cassie knew nothing about him, we knew nothing about him, because all we get are bits and pieces. My point is, even though I loved his character, Damien needed more character development.
It was 100 pages too long imo, simply because it lacked dynamic. The book itself is not long, but when nothing of substance happens, it feels long.
It is advertised as having a splash of modern ACOTAR/throne of glass, but in my personal opinion, it gives FBAA/Mortal instruments vibes.
Overall I really liked the idea. It had an interesting premise, but the way it was structured wasn’t for me.
I’d still recommend it to those who are just getting into fantasy, or prefer urban fantasy over high fantasy.
October 3, 2024
1,5 stars
This reads like a Twilight knock off if Jacob would´ve been Edward with even more petty Highschool drama. Simply no.
This reads like a Twilight knock off if Jacob would´ve been Edward with even more petty Highschool drama. Simply no.
August 6, 2022
Wow! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Couldn’t put it down once I started. Immediately drawn in by the prologue. The artwork throughout was gorgeous. All of the characters are incredible. Can’t wait for the rest of Cas and Damien’s story. ❤️
✔️Possessive Fated Mates
✔️Fun Supportive Characters
✔️ New world to fall in love with
✔️Engaging story
✔️ Spice 🌶🌶🌶
✔️Vampires and maybe a bite or two ..
Seriously just read it!
✔️Possessive Fated Mates
✔️Fun Supportive Characters
✔️ New world to fall in love with
✔️Engaging story
✔️ Spice 🌶🌶🌶
✔️Vampires and maybe a bite or two ..
Seriously just read it!
July 30, 2022
Where do I even begin? This book was amazing! I was hooked from the start and I didn’t want to put it down. The chemistry between the two main love interest is fantastic. The spice is immaculate. They story is captivating and sucks you in. I could go on about it but I don’t want to spoil the fun. I loved every minute of it. I can already tell this series is going to be a new favorite of mine. Don’t walk, run to the nearest site or bookstore to buy this book! I promise you won’t regret it.
April 18, 2024
*Full disclosure: I was given an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I gave this book 200 pages before I DNFd it. I really really wanted to like this book. It seemed to have all the aspects that I usually enjoy, but I just couldn’t get into it. It really seemed like it needed one or two more draft revisions to tighten it up and make it shine. Out of the first 200 pages, probably 90 pages could have been cut, and the story would have been much stronger. The main points of the plot begin at around page 140, and for me that was far too long to wait. I found myself skipping ahead to see if anything interesting was going to happen in certain chapters, and I wanted more out of the dialogue, because I couldn’t feel connected to the characters. I respect that not all works of art are for all people, and this book just wasn’t for me.
Read it if: you read for tropes and spice; you like YA romance, but spicier; you like conversational, first-person prose; you like sweet romances or charming romantasy; you enjoy type-based characters; you like TV shows like the Vampire Diaries; you want lovers to kiss right away; you’re patient about plot development.
Don’t read it if: you like lyrical prose; you want a fast-paced, dynamic plot; you don’t want to read about the characters’ day-to-day stuff; you like stories to be intricate; you like complex dialogue, you like slow-burn, in-depth development of romances.
I gave this book 200 pages before I DNFd it. I really really wanted to like this book. It seemed to have all the aspects that I usually enjoy, but I just couldn’t get into it. It really seemed like it needed one or two more draft revisions to tighten it up and make it shine. Out of the first 200 pages, probably 90 pages could have been cut, and the story would have been much stronger. The main points of the plot begin at around page 140, and for me that was far too long to wait. I found myself skipping ahead to see if anything interesting was going to happen in certain chapters, and I wanted more out of the dialogue, because I couldn’t feel connected to the characters. I respect that not all works of art are for all people, and this book just wasn’t for me.
Read it if: you read for tropes and spice; you like YA romance, but spicier; you like conversational, first-person prose; you like sweet romances or charming romantasy; you enjoy type-based characters; you like TV shows like the Vampire Diaries; you want lovers to kiss right away; you’re patient about plot development.
Don’t read it if: you like lyrical prose; you want a fast-paced, dynamic plot; you don’t want to read about the characters’ day-to-day stuff; you like stories to be intricate; you like complex dialogue, you like slow-burn, in-depth development of romances.
February 4, 2023
Thank you to Luna for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I rounded down for GoodReads but this was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 book for me.
The premise of the story is unique & great! I definitely want to know what happens next and will continue to read this series. I loved Damien & The Order, they all clicked so well. If you love the Vampire Diaries, you’ll love this! It has vampires, fated mates, and chosen one vibes.
A few things fell flat for me, the pacing was off, and some of the phrases were repetitive. First, Cas is terminally ill but this only seemed to matter the first half of the book. Then she has a best friend, Kat, who means the world to Cas but doesn’t know she’s sick? And then she also disappears the second half of the book. The plot took about 140 pages to pick up, I felt like the first 100 pages could have been trimmed down. Some of the characters and their relationships weren’t as fleshed out as they should have been. Obviously, this is Luna’s debut novel so I didn’t expect perfection which is why I will still continue the series!
I rounded down for GoodReads but this was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 book for me.
The premise of the story is unique & great! I definitely want to know what happens next and will continue to read this series. I loved Damien & The Order, they all clicked so well. If you love the Vampire Diaries, you’ll love this! It has vampires, fated mates, and chosen one vibes.
A few things fell flat for me, the pacing was off, and some of the phrases were repetitive. First, Cas is terminally ill but this only seemed to matter the first half of the book. Then she has a best friend, Kat, who means the world to Cas but doesn’t know she’s sick? And then she also disappears the second half of the book. The plot took about 140 pages to pick up, I felt like the first 100 pages could have been trimmed down. Some of the characters and their relationships weren’t as fleshed out as they should have been. Obviously, this is Luna’s debut novel so I didn’t expect perfection which is why I will still continue the series!
Read
June 22, 2023DNF @ 20%.
A number of craft issues that I couldn’t ignore. Very repetitive. Honestly, I don’t say this lightly, this has a long way to go in becoming a book that I would read and enjoy. Because I don’t enjoy reading a book, and heavily editing the thing as I go.
The characters felt one dimensional and often times lost in the scene. At one point, the FMC’s hands were covered in gravel and dirt, a conversation occurs, and all of a sudden her hands are in water and then she’s in class. The character just didn’t move through the world naturally at all.
The FMC is highly anxious and worries on what everyone else thinks (no issue there, just letting y’all know). My issue does lie with the fact that she is highly socially anxious, hates crowds, has no friends and then meets this massive friendship group (MMC ‘s Clan) and she’s like “this is great”. At one point they’re all laughing with each other so she starts laughing with them even though her inner dialogue says ‘I didn’t know what they were talking about’. It was giving ‘small child watches movie with adults and laughs when the adults laugh’. 😭
I know there are a lot of other issues mentioned by others with regards to this book. The fact that it comes across as heavily immature with a virginal FMC, with heavy spice doesn’t tickle my pickle. Have heard reports of problematic handling of heavy topics as well.
Thus, my decision to DNF.
Choosing not to leave a star rating because I feel bad… but leaving thoughts in case it helps someone else decide if it’s something they’d enjoy or not.
A number of craft issues that I couldn’t ignore. Very repetitive. Honestly, I don’t say this lightly, this has a long way to go in becoming a book that I would read and enjoy. Because I don’t enjoy reading a book, and heavily editing the thing as I go.
The characters felt one dimensional and often times lost in the scene. At one point, the FMC’s hands were covered in gravel and dirt, a conversation occurs, and all of a sudden her hands are in water and then she’s in class. The character just didn’t move through the world naturally at all.
The FMC is highly anxious and worries on what everyone else thinks (no issue there, just letting y’all know). My issue does lie with the fact that she is highly socially anxious, hates crowds, has no friends and then meets this massive friendship group (MMC ‘s Clan) and she’s like “this is great”. At one point they’re all laughing with each other so she starts laughing with them even though her inner dialogue says ‘I didn’t know what they were talking about’. It was giving ‘small child watches movie with adults and laughs when the adults laugh’. 😭
I know there are a lot of other issues mentioned by others with regards to this book. The fact that it comes across as heavily immature with a virginal FMC, with heavy spice doesn’t tickle my pickle. Have heard reports of problematic handling of heavy topics as well.
Thus, my decision to DNF.
Choosing not to leave a star rating because I feel bad… but leaving thoughts in case it helps someone else decide if it’s something they’d enjoy or not.
July 10, 2023
Hmmm 🤔
This story was okay; it just didn’t do much for me. I felt it was too drawn out and too much going on simultaneously. It was a sweet story with vibes from a movie I’ve seen before with the whole reincarnation. I would say give this book a try; you might enjoy it. I, unfortunately, won’t continue to the next book, though.
This story was okay; it just didn’t do much for me. I felt it was too drawn out and too much going on simultaneously. It was a sweet story with vibes from a movie I’ve seen before with the whole reincarnation. I would say give this book a try; you might enjoy it. I, unfortunately, won’t continue to the next book, though.
April 12, 2023
*I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I really enjoyed this book!
It's like a combination of Fallen by Lauren Kate and Twilight- sans the two love interests trope.
Female main character has a heart condition that she's dying from. I don't know how accurate the representation is because I'm not familiar with cardiomyopathy, (which i *think* that's what it is. It's only mentioned once or twice. She has to take meds for it.) but it was cool to see a main character with a condition like that.
This was a great read! I'm already excited for book 2!
I really enjoyed this book!
It's like a combination of Fallen by Lauren Kate and Twilight- sans the two love interests trope.
Female main character has a heart condition that she's dying from. I don't know how accurate the representation is because I'm not familiar with cardiomyopathy, (which i *think* that's what it is. It's only mentioned once or twice. She has to take meds for it.) but it was cool to see a main character with a condition like that.
This was a great read! I'm already excited for book 2!
September 29, 2023
This book is so much fun to read!! I was able to read it in one sitting and enjoyed every word!!! I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for Cassie and Damien!!
August 6, 2022
It’s rare for me to binge a book like that, and if I hadn’t gotten a headache on day one, I would have read it all in one day, it’s just so good!
From page one, the characters are lovable, not going to lie, even had a tear in my eye from the prologue.
This is a vampire story that still feels unique and different. I love stories that include mythology elements and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved that the story takes place in our world, and how slowly we discover it might not be as peaceful as we think it is, that there are monsters hiding in the dark.
The fact that this also has romance juste makes the whole thing pretty much perfect in my eyes.
Sure the two main characters are great, but the side characters are great too! Wether they’re caring, funny from teasing so much, or downright so bad you want to go hurt them yourself.
This has enormous potential to become a favorite series, and I’m going to need AT LEAST ten books from Luna in this world alone.
From page one, the characters are lovable, not going to lie, even had a tear in my eye from the prologue.
This is a vampire story that still feels unique and different. I love stories that include mythology elements and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved that the story takes place in our world, and how slowly we discover it might not be as peaceful as we think it is, that there are monsters hiding in the dark.
The fact that this also has romance juste makes the whole thing pretty much perfect in my eyes.
Sure the two main characters are great, but the side characters are great too! Wether they’re caring, funny from teasing so much, or downright so bad you want to go hurt them yourself.
This has enormous potential to become a favorite series, and I’m going to need AT LEAST ten books from Luna in this world alone.
December 16, 2022
This book was such a fun, fantastic read! I love how it combined the elements of fantasy and the modern world. The twists and turns were enough to keep me guessing but not confusing. It was fast paced without feeling rushed. I love the FMC and her determination in spite of her situation. I love the MMC, he truly is someone I could see myself with IYKYK. Cannot wait to see where this series goes. AS Luna's first book I would say bravo!!!!!!!
April 23, 2024
Wow, this book had me hooked! Loved Cassie's character, and all of the little twists that made me keep reading. Also the paperback version has beautiful artwork inside! Can't wait for book 2!
December 2, 2022
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I've been following the author on TikTok for a couple months and was really excited to read her book when I realized it was coming out so soon. I love her platform and was looking forward to reading her take on the fantasy romance genre.
Onto the actual review: I give it a solid 3.5 stars
I still can attest to having enjoyed the book for its premise and tropes. We don't have enough main characters who are chronically ill in novels so this was a very fresh eye-opening view for a fantasy series. Cassie hiding her illness from her peers is very realistic because she wants to be treated like a person for whatever time she has left after being suffocated almost her entire life. I just wish she wouldn't hide if from the people who are closest to her (she still keeps it a secret from her romantic partner even though it was basically given away the guy is clueless for not asking about her hidden meds). Her character development felt a little dry, and her meeting the MMC love interest so soon in the book seriously made me cringe a bit.
It was almost set up too perfectly. And then pushing conventionally enjoyed tropes onto the reader felt just as forced as the progression of the relationship between Cassie and Damien. I was hoping for more angst and tension. There was so much potential that I could pinpoint in various parts of the book but I just never saw any sort of fruition of that potential, which was pretty disappointing. I read the whole book because I wanted to at least say I gave it a try and the author is very new to the game so she has time to evolve and create even more amazing books further in her career.
Having read the BookTok beloved fantasy series such as ACOTAR, TOG, FBAA, among other book series that aren't as showcased, I was able to pinpoint the exact trope used under the exact situation of a separate book I had previously read. However what irked me the most was how obvious they were. I had a friend who told me that these days it feels like new authors already know the formula and simply give it back to us in their debut novels because authors who inspired them lay the framework that they worked tirelessly to build. This is absolutely not to say that Luna Laurier hasn't shed blood sweat and tears into her book, following her author journey has given me a new appreciation of the effort authors put into their work. I just find that there is definitely room for improvement in the "show don't tell" category.
Into the fun stuff now: I was mindBLOWN by how the author spun non-traditional vampiric lore into Greek lore. The world building is always my favorite part of a novel and I felt like it was done in such an engaging way here. I ATE IT UP!!! I'm interested in seeing where it's going go in the second book.
Onto the actual review: I give it a solid 3.5 stars
I still can attest to having enjoyed the book for its premise and tropes. We don't have enough main characters who are chronically ill in novels so this was a very fresh eye-opening view for a fantasy series. Cassie hiding her illness from her peers is very realistic because she wants to be treated like a person for whatever time she has left after being suffocated almost her entire life. I just wish she wouldn't hide if from the people who are closest to her (she still keeps it a secret from her romantic partner even though it was basically given away the guy is clueless for not asking about her hidden meds). Her character development felt a little dry, and her meeting the MMC love interest so soon in the book seriously made me cringe a bit.
It was almost set up too perfectly. And then pushing conventionally enjoyed tropes onto the reader felt just as forced as the progression of the relationship between Cassie and Damien. I was hoping for more angst and tension. There was so much potential that I could pinpoint in various parts of the book but I just never saw any sort of fruition of that potential, which was pretty disappointing. I read the whole book because I wanted to at least say I gave it a try and the author is very new to the game so she has time to evolve and create even more amazing books further in her career.
Having read the BookTok beloved fantasy series such as ACOTAR, TOG, FBAA, among other book series that aren't as showcased, I was able to pinpoint the exact trope used under the exact situation of a separate book I had previously read. However what irked me the most was how obvious they were. I had a friend who told me that these days it feels like new authors already know the formula and simply give it back to us in their debut novels because authors who inspired them lay the framework that they worked tirelessly to build. This is absolutely not to say that Luna Laurier hasn't shed blood sweat and tears into her book, following her author journey has given me a new appreciation of the effort authors put into their work. I just find that there is definitely room for improvement in the "show don't tell" category.
Into the fun stuff now: I was mindBLOWN by how the author spun non-traditional vampiric lore into Greek lore. The world building is always my favorite part of a novel and I felt like it was done in such an engaging way here. I ATE IT UP!!! I'm interested in seeing where it's going go in the second book.
April 9, 2023
Okay, there's a lot to unpack with this one...
What I liked:
I think the overall premise was really interesting. I liked the way the author spun vampire lore and layered it with Greek mythology. I can't say that I've personally seen that done before so it was definitely fun to see how the two were tied together.
What I didn't like:
I think one of my bigger issues with this book can be summed up in a word: derivative. Oof, okay, I know that sounds bad but hear me out: We all know how hard it can be to come up with a unique plot/storyline and most (if not all) books are influenced by some other work, whether it be another book or other art form. And I don't think it's even an issue to see evidence of influence in a book - I just don't particularly like when it's a little too obvious.
The same thing can be said for the tropes in the book. The way that most of the scenes were set up - it's clear that the author had a certain outcome in mind for every scene in which the trope is revealed, but the plot and dialogue leading up to those scenes were blatantly obvious as to what was about to happen. I love typical tropes as much as the next person, but they should just blend into the plot. I shouldn't be able to clearly see the individual hidden structures beneath and the outline of the author's thought process. Show me the house, not the blueprint. So I guess what it really comes down to is execution. Amazing premise, but the execution was lacking.
Moving on to the characters. I'm gonna be honest, I had a lot of trouble getting invested in any of the characters but especially our FMC. I think Cas' character is given a wonderful base with her terminal illness and her clear interests/hobbies but when it came down to her personality - her thoughts & dialogue were lukewarm at best. Even with Damien and some of the side characters - idk, there was something missing for me? This is gonna sound so mean, but it feels like there was an attempt at joking/banter to show their personalities but it fell a little flat because of how obvious it was? Don't get me wrong, I was still somewhat invested in the characters, but it was fairly shallow investment. But there were a couple of side characters that I really grew to like, so I'm hoping we get to see more of them in the second book!
What I liked:
I think the overall premise was really interesting. I liked the way the author spun vampire lore and layered it with Greek mythology. I can't say that I've personally seen that done before so it was definitely fun to see how the two were tied together.
What I didn't like:
I think one of my bigger issues with this book can be summed up in a word: derivative. Oof, okay, I know that sounds bad but hear me out: We all know how hard it can be to come up with a unique plot/storyline and most (if not all) books are influenced by some other work, whether it be another book or other art form. And I don't think it's even an issue to see evidence of influence in a book - I just don't particularly like when it's a little too obvious.
The same thing can be said for the tropes in the book. The way that most of the scenes were set up - it's clear that the author had a certain outcome in mind for every scene in which the trope is revealed, but the plot and dialogue leading up to those scenes were blatantly obvious as to what was about to happen. I love typical tropes as much as the next person, but they should just blend into the plot. I shouldn't be able to clearly see the individual hidden structures beneath and the outline of the author's thought process. Show me the house, not the blueprint. So I guess what it really comes down to is execution. Amazing premise, but the execution was lacking.
Moving on to the characters. I'm gonna be honest, I had a lot of trouble getting invested in any of the characters but especially our FMC. I think Cas' character is given a wonderful base with her terminal illness and her clear interests/hobbies but when it came down to her personality - her thoughts & dialogue were lukewarm at best. Even with Damien and some of the side characters - idk, there was something missing for me? This is gonna sound so mean, but it feels like there was an attempt at joking/banter to show their personalities but it fell a little flat because of how obvious it was? Don't get me wrong, I was still somewhat invested in the characters, but it was fairly shallow investment. But there were a couple of side characters that I really grew to like, so I'm hoping we get to see more of them in the second book!
November 30, 2022
I got the amazing opportunity to bean ARC reader for this book! Thank you Luna for having me!
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! Absolutely amazing. I loved this book so much. It's got Vampires, Monsters, God's and so much more that according to Luna, we haven't even scratched the surface yet. She was not kidding when she said Black Dagger Brotherhood's vampires, add a dash of a modern twist on A Court of Thorns and Roses and a splash of Greek mythology. BUT ITS....ITS SO MUCH MORE.
Our FMC, Cas, is just a small town girl that's has been pledged with a terminal illness. The doctors don't know what's wrong. She has come to accept that " all the color has been taken from her life." Until she runs into Damien....
Damien our morally Grey love interest that brings the color back into Cas life as he is able to show her what life would be like not afraid. But one night, Cas meets Damien in a terrifying nightmare that is more real then she has ever felt. And Damien is more then she thought he was.
Damien bring Cas in his world of Immortals and Monsters that seems oddly familiar to Cas. Cas and Damien face battles that test their love and Cas's dying heart.
GET READY to scream in laughter, angery and Heartbreak (THE BETRAYAL......) I CAN NOT WAIT for the world to read this book...and I can not wait for BOOK 2. (Did I mention the cliffhanger....?)
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! Absolutely amazing. I loved this book so much. It's got Vampires, Monsters, God's and so much more that according to Luna, we haven't even scratched the surface yet. She was not kidding when she said Black Dagger Brotherhood's vampires, add a dash of a modern twist on A Court of Thorns and Roses and a splash of Greek mythology. BUT ITS....ITS SO MUCH MORE.
Our FMC, Cas, is just a small town girl that's has been pledged with a terminal illness. The doctors don't know what's wrong. She has come to accept that " all the color has been taken from her life." Until she runs into Damien....
Damien our morally Grey love interest that brings the color back into Cas life as he is able to show her what life would be like not afraid. But one night, Cas meets Damien in a terrifying nightmare that is more real then she has ever felt. And Damien is more then she thought he was.
Damien bring Cas in his world of Immortals and Monsters that seems oddly familiar to Cas. Cas and Damien face battles that test their love and Cas's dying heart.
GET READY to scream in laughter, angery and Heartbreak (THE BETRAYAL......) I CAN NOT WAIT for the world to read this book...and I can not wait for BOOK 2. (Did I mention the cliffhanger....?)
Read
June 6, 2023This book was most definitely not for me! I don’t think I’ll rate it, as it’s not the book’s fault—but I will swing back and write a review soon to highlight some things that might help other readers know whether this would be a good fit for them or not :)
December 1, 2022
I’m thankful to have received an ARC for this book!
If you’ve been chasing the feeling that reading Twilight for the first time gave you, this book is for you.
Besides all the butterflies you feel falling for the male love interest, this story contains an element of Greek mythology that was fascinating and kept me reading and wanting to know more!
I do wish, that the FMC’s illness ( which is a huge part of her personality) had a bigger impact on the plot. It just seemed like something that was always brought up but had no purpose? But I’m hoping in book 2 we will understand more!
All the characters were lovable, found family 10/10 ❤️🔥 and the plot twists got me 🤣 I really LOVED the flashbacks that FMC has of her pasts lives. It gave me Vampire Diaries doppelgänger vibes.
Overall, I think it’s a great start for Luna’s debut novel and can’t wait to see what else she releases in the future 👏
If you’ve been chasing the feeling that reading Twilight for the first time gave you, this book is for you.
Besides all the butterflies you feel falling for the male love interest, this story contains an element of Greek mythology that was fascinating and kept me reading and wanting to know more!
I do wish, that the FMC’s illness ( which is a huge part of her personality) had a bigger impact on the plot. It just seemed like something that was always brought up but had no purpose? But I’m hoping in book 2 we will understand more!
All the characters were lovable, found family 10/10 ❤️🔥 and the plot twists got me 🤣 I really LOVED the flashbacks that FMC has of her pasts lives. It gave me Vampire Diaries doppelgänger vibes.
Overall, I think it’s a great start for Luna’s debut novel and can’t wait to see what else she releases in the future 👏
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2023
A bit of spoilers ahead.
Two chapters - that's how far I made it. Wanted to push more, to try finishing it (since I, in fact, hate to DNF) but it was just unbearable.
Luna Laurier had this great idea to read a few books, add a bunch of descriptions, and call it a day. There was no editor, painfully obvious but I can get past that. What I can't get past is how she didn't reread her sentences and chapters more than once. How do I know that? Oh, boy.
Prologue + 2 chapters alone, all quotes are from here.
LL, nobody thinks about their hair constantly as ''curly'' or ''straight'', you don't have to note it every time (once is enough in the prologue and 2 chapters), and why, in hell, would you give curly hair to her best friend as well (the only other person she interacts with, beside her parents) so now we have a repetition of curly for that too? Whole shoulder thing as well.
Same situation.
I was trying to figure out why is it marketed ''for the fans of BDB'' because the first association on BDB would be guns, leather, hot guys, dark setting. Not once did I feel like reading descriptions was a chore, as was the case here. Then it clicked.
So, Cassie (FMC) has a heart condition and limited time to live (sort of Mary from BDB) and a mix of a personality of Beth and Mary. MMC seems a bit like Wrath (minus blindness) but didn't push that far to discover more about him. Then the whole disappearing of people happened, again if I recall, from the very first 2 books of BDB (and later on).
To make it short - this isn't for fans of BDB. This is a shallow copycat of it, taking the elements from the series.
If I wanted to read BDB, I would read BDB.
One of the main glaring issues of the book is how LL keeps telling many things, not once letting the reader experience them, by showing them.
Such as her friend telling her twice about some guy, not once we got shown what they talked about, outside of just a brief detail once the conversation ended.
Then, the logic issue. I dunno have something changed in dating, but this guy had invited her to a concert - a date. So what is ''asked me out'' and ''out out'' then, if not a date? I'm just confused.
Cassie mentioned her social anxiety about 5 times, there was not once shown a shift in her mind or body reaction when being in a crowd.
I am not sure how LL managed to piss me off with blankets, but here we are:
If Cassie isn't underweight, why is she bitching for having a ''thin jaw line''? What was the point of this, she threw compliments at herself, but tried to make it pity?
It's called insomnia.
LL telling you in advance how this is about to happen. Followed by the worst foreshadowing of MMC I've seen so far ft. Put It On Repetition Once More.
Chapter 2 y'all. Lmfao.
She woke up at 3 pm, took time to dress up, drove to the mall (so let us assume around 5-6 pm) and apparently it's morning. Alright.
This is why I keep telling you to get off social media. The word ''cute'' has a twisted term (used for basic, hot, sexy, revealing, and so on) and it came from there. That's a basic bitch comfortable outfit.
I've also seen that there is a nickname ''Mea luna'', while the author chose her pen name ''Luna''. That's... You know what, I'll skip commenting further on this.
And now, the absolute highlight where I didn't know if should I laugh or cry (probably both).
What mark, to be known for a catastrophic dam failure that flooded the city, killing thousands in the late 1800s? 💀
I'm out, I can't do this anymore.
Two chapters - that's how far I made it. Wanted to push more, to try finishing it (since I, in fact, hate to DNF) but it was just unbearable.
Luna Laurier had this great idea to read a few books, add a bunch of descriptions, and call it a day. There was no editor, painfully obvious but I can get past that. What I can't get past is how she didn't reread her sentences and chapters more than once. How do I know that? Oh, boy.
Prologue + 2 chapters alone, all quotes are from here.
Curly brown hair spilled over her shoulders
my curly brown hair falling over my shoulders.
Deep brown hair hung in a mess of loose curls and split ends, spilling out from behind my ear and over my shoulder. I tucked it out of my face and rubbed my dark hazel-brown eyes, shadowed with dark circles.
and I threw my curly hair into a messy bun.
Kat’s coppery, curly hair bounced over her shoulders
I sat up, rubbing a towel through my wet curls.
LL, nobody thinks about their hair constantly as ''curly'' or ''straight'', you don't have to note it every time (once is enough in the prologue and 2 chapters), and why, in hell, would you give curly hair to her best friend as well (the only other person she interacts with, beside her parents) so now we have a repetition of curly for that too? Whole shoulder thing as well.
A hollowness nipped at my chest.
My chest swelled, curiosity piquing.
Regret swelled in my chest.
The hollowness in my chest only fueled the tears I held at bay
I winced as a painful bout of arrhythmia fluttered in my chest.
Same situation.
I was trying to figure out why is it marketed ''for the fans of BDB'' because the first association on BDB would be guns, leather, hot guys, dark setting. Not once did I feel like reading descriptions was a chore, as was the case here. Then it clicked.
So, Cassie (FMC) has a heart condition and limited time to live (sort of Mary from BDB) and a mix of a personality of Beth and Mary. MMC seems a bit like Wrath (minus blindness) but didn't push that far to discover more about him. Then the whole disappearing of people happened, again if I recall, from the very first 2 books of BDB (and later on).
To make it short - this isn't for fans of BDB. This is a shallow copycat of it, taking the elements from the series.
If I wanted to read BDB, I would read BDB.
One of the main glaring issues of the book is how LL keeps telling many things, not once letting the reader experience them, by showing them.
Such as her friend telling her twice about some guy, not once we got shown what they talked about, outside of just a brief detail once the conversation ended.
She brushed off my words. “Well, we were texting last night after we got off the phone, and he asked me out! Like out out, not just on a date!”
Then, the logic issue. I dunno have something changed in dating, but this guy had invited her to a concert - a date. So what is ''asked me out'' and ''out out'' then, if not a date? I'm just confused.
It wasn’t that I innately hated people, but if I were given the choice to be in a room and socialize with a bunch of strangers or sit on my bed reading books or drawing, I would choose the latter.
I didn’t particularly like crowds. It wasn’t so much that I hated people; I just never got used to being surrounded by them after so many years spent as a shut in.
She preferred parties and concerts, while I, on the other hand, was more antisocial, finding it difficult to be surrounded by crowds of people.
Cassie mentioned her social anxiety about 5 times, there was not once shown a shift in her mind or body reaction when being in a crowd.
I am not sure how LL managed to piss me off with blankets, but here we are:
and throw my blankets over my head.
I searched through my blankets
My warm blankets sung to me
Some girls would probably be happy to have my thin jaw line, but it wasn’t by choice. I wasn’t quite underweight, nevertheless, the doctors had been adamant that I try to eat more.
If Cassie isn't underweight, why is she bitching for having a ''thin jaw line''? What was the point of this, she threw compliments at herself, but tried to make it pity?
Mom always joked that I was her little night owl, even when I was little, but it had never been by choice. For as long as I could remember, sleep had always evaded me until the late-night hours.
It's called insomnia.
I constantly reminded myself love wasn’t like that in real life just to combat my desire to experience it. Relationships weren’t always passionate and perfect. Men didn’t fawn over women, they didn’t dote over their lovers, and they seldom were fully devoted to them.
LL telling you in advance how this is about to happen. Followed by the worst foreshadowing of MMC I've seen so far ft. Put It On Repetition Once More.
There was something familiar about him, but I couldn’t place it.
He briefly scanned me, as if he were trying to figure out if he knew me, but I knew I’d never seen him before.
I couldn’t shake the odd feeling of familiarity, but I knew I’d never seen him before.
Chapter 2 y'all. Lmfao.
If there was one thing I loved in the mornings, it was tea.
She woke up at 3 pm, took time to dress up, drove to the mall (so let us assume around 5-6 pm) and apparently it's morning. Alright.
I sifted through my closet in search for something that might at least scratch the surface of cute and stylish, so I didn’t look like a cave goblin next to Kat. Eventually, I settled on a simple sweater and jeans, and I threw my curly hair into a messy bun.
This is why I keep telling you to get off social media. The word ''cute'' has a twisted term (used for basic, hot, sexy, revealing, and so on) and it came from there. That's a basic bitch comfortable outfit.
I've also seen that there is a nickname ''Mea luna'', while the author chose her pen name ''Luna''. That's... You know what, I'll skip commenting further on this.
And now, the absolute highlight where I didn't know if should I laugh or cry (probably both).
As I made my way down the porch steps, I looked out, down into the valley of the city. My home, Johnstown, was an old industrial town in Pennsylvania, famously known for a catastrophic dam failure that flooded the city, killing thousands in the late 1800s. History and age had carved its way into the very bones of the city, staining it in a way that wouldn’t fade until long after I was gone. I wished that I could leave a mark like that.
What mark, to be known for a catastrophic dam failure that flooded the city, killing thousands in the late 1800s? 💀
I'm out, I can't do this anymore.
October 25, 2022
Super cute debut novel from the talented Luna Laurier! Full transparency, I don’t read a lot of NA so it took me a minute to get into it, but I’m so glad I kept going because it got really good!! Wanted to share in case future readers feel the same way—keep going!! You’re hooked by the second half.
Some of my all time favorite tropes in here, from the sweet, misunderstood “bad boy” actual cinnamon roll love interest, to reincarnated soul groups, to watching Cassie start to embrace her inner badass. Can’t wait for book two. Congratulations on the first installment, Luna!
Some of my all time favorite tropes in here, from the sweet, misunderstood “bad boy” actual cinnamon roll love interest, to reincarnated soul groups, to watching Cassie start to embrace her inner badass. Can’t wait for book two. Congratulations on the first installment, Luna!
August 8, 2022
Luna Laurier debut fantasy was absolutely amazing and the artwork through out is perfect. A fantasy about Cas, a girl fated to die young, meeting Damian. As Cas and Damian relationship grows Cas finds herself in a world full of immortals, monsters, magic, Gods, love, mates, danger and a little bit of spice 😉. Cas and Damian story will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait to for book 2 to come out!
November 3, 2022
I had the honor of being an ARC reader for this author. I Loved loved loved this book!!! I couldn't put it down!! I was drawn in right away. We all need someone like Damien in our lives. I found the story very easy to read, flowed well, no dull spots. Action, adventure, fated lovers, supernatural beings.....this one had it all and I can not wait to read more by this author!!
June 15, 2023
Such a great book!!! I was hooked from the beginning and can not wait for the second one! The plot, the vampires, the spice....all perfect!
December 22, 2022
DNF at 50%..it was a good story but the troupe used is one I have never been a fan of so I lost interest.
January 18, 2023
Ths is Luna Laurier's debut novel and if I'm not mistaken is also self-published. It had a lot of potential and it started out really strong but unfortunately there were several flaws I noticed that kept it from being really great. I want to touch on each issue individually paired with constructive criticism to try to create a more constructive and productive review. Before all that though, I want to start on the positives and what I liked about the book.
I absolutely loved all of the characters. They were different from each other, I could picture them clearly in my mind, and I loved getting to know all the diverse personalities. I think the characters were my favorite part of the book.
OSaM also has a solid start. I liked that it started off when Cas was a girl and then fast forwarded to her as an adult. I loved how Laurier eased us into the setting. I was very thrown off at first because I didn't know it was an urban fantasy, I thought it was more medieval fantasy so taking the time to adjust and understand this is a new adult/young adult urban fantasy in the 21st century was nice. The stakes were high with Cas's heart condition and knowing she could die at any time, which I liked. The higher the stakes the better in my opinion.
Now onto the critical part of the review, i.e. what I didn't like or what I think could be improved.
I think a lot of my dislikes boil down to the fact that the pacing was incredibly rushed for this book. It's only around 400+ pages and much more happens all in the span of these 400 pages when it should have been done in multiple books. I understand that Laurier is currently writing the sequel to this book, this is not a standalone, so it makes me wonder why everything was so rushed when plans for more books had already been made. In my opinion, this book would have been far better paced if it had been broken up into two different books and Laurier had taken more time to develop Cas and Damien's relationship as well as the worldbuilding and past. There are a lot of great things in this book but they needed more time to develop. Cas and Damien's relationship would have also been more enjoyable and interesting if there had been time taken to develop their relationship. Instead, it came off as insta-love.
I noticed there was a lot of convenience in this book, which I disliked and aided in the rushed feeling. There were other conveniences in the book, but this was the most apparent one to me.
Piggybacking from that point, it frustrated me that Cas's heart condition stopped mattering the further on into the book I read. Starting at the beginning of the book, the stakes were high (as I mentioned above) and it was fairly consistent until There could have been a lot more at stake and there could have been a lot more drama in the end if she was coming into her own and her condition made it more difficult or dangerous for her to do so.
I personally did not enjoy the fact that Cas is a self-insert Mary Sue character. I understand that a lot of authors and readers like self-insert characters because of escapism, but for me, it pulled me out of the story because Cas could have been a more fleshed-out and interesting character. Some characteristics I found cringey were that she is introverted, anxious, loves reading more than anything and has very average features i.e. curly-ish brown hair, average build, etc. She is basically both Luna Laurier and the reader. It also gives off a lot of "I'm not like other girls" vibes which had me losing interest. Personally, I feel like adding characteristics that aren't super common or not likely to be reflected in the readers would make her more of an individual and interesting character who stands out from the other million FMCs that look and sound exactly like her.
Speaking of self-insert, I disliked the heavy-handed moon imagery. I have a nagging feeling Luna Laurier likes the moon because of the moon goddess, "mea luna", her own author pen name (real name?), and others that pop up. It was just very in your face with the moon imagery it eventually became redundant. Ways to fix would be to include it if that's what interests you as a writer but lay off a little. Instead of three or four references to the moon, keep it at one repeating symbol or motif so it's still important but not excessive.
Something small and it's really an opinion and not a critique, but I really disliked that there was art inside the book. I personally don't like it when books have art of their characters (with a few exceptions). It takes away the creative freedom I as a reader am given and I feel as if I'm being told how to envision the characters.
Lastly, I feel like there were too many marketable tropes to pull readers in. This book was mainly marketed on TikTok and Booktok's algorithm and its readers LOVE tropes. Unfortunately, I feel like in this book they were overused and Laurier was trying so hard to use all of the tropes that it became more about ticking off a trope checklist in the book instead of creating something emotional and compelling. I would have loved it a lot more if less tropes were used or if they had fit seamlessly within the story instead of the story being written to fit them all in. These tropes such as "touch her and you die", fated mates, and coming into power (just to name a few) are popular for a reason; people like them. However, I feel like new writers get too excited about including a trope before asking, "does this make sense?" as far as the timeline, pacing, characters, etc.
Overall I understand that Luna Laurier is a first-time author and she can only improve from here, but as for this debut novel, I don't even know if I'd want to read the sequel. I enjoy following her and seeing her have fun with her book and characters on her channel, but as far as the actual book went, it was a flop for me.
I absolutely loved all of the characters. They were different from each other, I could picture them clearly in my mind, and I loved getting to know all the diverse personalities. I think the characters were my favorite part of the book.
OSaM also has a solid start. I liked that it started off when Cas was a girl and then fast forwarded to her as an adult. I loved how Laurier eased us into the setting. I was very thrown off at first because I didn't know it was an urban fantasy, I thought it was more medieval fantasy so taking the time to adjust and understand this is a new adult/young adult urban fantasy in the 21st century was nice. The stakes were high with Cas's heart condition and knowing she could die at any time, which I liked. The higher the stakes the better in my opinion.
Now onto the critical part of the review, i.e. what I didn't like or what I think could be improved.
I think a lot of my dislikes boil down to the fact that the pacing was incredibly rushed for this book. It's only around 400+ pages and much more happens all in the span of these 400 pages when it should have been done in multiple books. I understand that Laurier is currently writing the sequel to this book, this is not a standalone, so it makes me wonder why everything was so rushed when plans for more books had already been made. In my opinion, this book would have been far better paced if it had been broken up into two different books and Laurier had taken more time to develop Cas and Damien's relationship as well as the worldbuilding and past. There are a lot of great things in this book but they needed more time to develop. Cas and Damien's relationship would have also been more enjoyable and interesting if there had been time taken to develop their relationship. Instead, it came off as insta-love.
I noticed there was a lot of convenience in this book, which I disliked and aided in the rushed feeling. There were other conveniences in the book, but this was the most apparent one to me.
Piggybacking from that point, it frustrated me that Cas's heart condition stopped mattering the further on into the book I read. Starting at the beginning of the book, the stakes were high (as I mentioned above) and it was fairly consistent until There could have been a lot more at stake and there could have been a lot more drama in the end if she was coming into her own and her condition made it more difficult or dangerous for her to do so.
I personally did not enjoy the fact that Cas is a self-insert Mary Sue character. I understand that a lot of authors and readers like self-insert characters because of escapism, but for me, it pulled me out of the story because Cas could have been a more fleshed-out and interesting character. Some characteristics I found cringey were that she is introverted, anxious, loves reading more than anything and has very average features i.e. curly-ish brown hair, average build, etc. She is basically both Luna Laurier and the reader. It also gives off a lot of "I'm not like other girls" vibes which had me losing interest. Personally, I feel like adding characteristics that aren't super common or not likely to be reflected in the readers would make her more of an individual and interesting character who stands out from the other million FMCs that look and sound exactly like her.
Speaking of self-insert, I disliked the heavy-handed moon imagery. I have a nagging feeling Luna Laurier likes the moon because of the moon goddess, "mea luna", her own author pen name (real name?), and others that pop up. It was just very in your face with the moon imagery it eventually became redundant. Ways to fix would be to include it if that's what interests you as a writer but lay off a little. Instead of three or four references to the moon, keep it at one repeating symbol or motif so it's still important but not excessive.
Something small and it's really an opinion and not a critique, but I really disliked that there was art inside the book. I personally don't like it when books have art of their characters (with a few exceptions). It takes away the creative freedom I as a reader am given and I feel as if I'm being told how to envision the characters.
Lastly, I feel like there were too many marketable tropes to pull readers in. This book was mainly marketed on TikTok and Booktok's algorithm and its readers LOVE tropes. Unfortunately, I feel like in this book they were overused and Laurier was trying so hard to use all of the tropes that it became more about ticking off a trope checklist in the book instead of creating something emotional and compelling. I would have loved it a lot more if less tropes were used or if they had fit seamlessly within the story instead of the story being written to fit them all in. These tropes such as "touch her and you die", fated mates, and coming into power (just to name a few) are popular for a reason; people like them. However, I feel like new writers get too excited about including a trope before asking, "does this make sense?" as far as the timeline, pacing, characters, etc.
Overall I understand that Luna Laurier is a first-time author and she can only improve from here, but as for this debut novel, I don't even know if I'd want to read the sequel. I enjoy following her and seeing her have fun with her book and characters on her channel, but as far as the actual book went, it was a flop for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2023
**3.75⭐️**
I really loved the idea of this book, but I felt a few elements were lacking. I loved Cas and Damien’s relationship, as well as the bond Cas forms with the others in the group. However, I feel like we skipped over a lot of the relationship development in both cases. The plot moved at a good medium pace, but still somehow felt like it was jumping forward in a lot of places. I will say, the hardest part of reading this book for me was the poor editing. The content and writing is fantastic, but there were too many little mistakes to ignore. Overall, the supernatural element in this book is very interesting and I am looking forward to the next installment.
I really loved the idea of this book, but I felt a few elements were lacking. I loved Cas and Damien’s relationship, as well as the bond Cas forms with the others in the group. However, I feel like we skipped over a lot of the relationship development in both cases. The plot moved at a good medium pace, but still somehow felt like it was jumping forward in a lot of places. I will say, the hardest part of reading this book for me was the poor editing. The content and writing is fantastic, but there were too many little mistakes to ignore. Overall, the supernatural element in this book is very interesting and I am looking forward to the next installment.
December 12, 2022
I was really excited to read this one and I really love the concept, but the pacing was off on this one. I found myself really confused and not very connected to the characters. The first 140 pages are so consumed by Cassie’s Illness, and then it becomes an afterthought. Maybe there will be more answers in book 2? I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 2 and I know this was Luna’s debut, so I’m excited to see how she improves in her next installment!
March 6, 2024
DNF @ 26%
Could I have given it a better chance? Well yes
But I hate when books waste my time and this was dragging painfully. It felt like I was further than 26% with how slow the story was going
The chemistry between the MC’s? Practically nonexistent
That’s it. That’s all.
On to the next book✌🏾
Could I have given it a better chance? Well yes
But I hate when books waste my time and this was dragging painfully. It felt like I was further than 26% with how slow the story was going
The chemistry between the MC’s? Practically nonexistent
That’s it. That’s all.
On to the next book✌🏾
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