**SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW**

**THANK YOU NETGALLEY, THE AUTHOR AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS eARC**

I’ve finished *Blood & Secrets* by Serenity Wylde, and it was truly a rollercoaster—packed with twists, romance, and suspense. Everly’s journey kept me turning pages late into the night, desperate to unravel all the secrets surrounding her mysterious past.

The shifting perspectives between Everly, Kai, Lucien, Elias, and Riven added complexity and intrigue. I loved the complexity added by alternating chapters between Everly, Kai, Lucien, Elias, and even Riven. Kai’s deep loyalty and his heartfelt declaration of love before they entered Veilwood genuinely moved me. Lucien’s struggles with his past-life bond to Everly, as Selene, and his efforts to protect her from his father’s schemes made him an incredibly compelling character. Riven remained mysterious but intriguing, especially after he shared a vision of Everly’s parents fleeing Nightveil, trusting him to keep their daughter safe. But to be honest, I found the three men pining for Everly a bit overwhelming. It sometimes felt like too much, though each relationship brought something unique to the story.

However, I'm totally Team Kai! His loyalty, fierce protectiveness, and genuine heart made me root for him throughout, especially his heartfelt confession before their dangerous journey into Veilwood.

Everly’s powerful moment in Veilwood—commanding the Hollowborn with a single ancient word—gave me chills. The shocking revelation of Everly’s true heritage and that Lord Duskbane orchestrated everything, even murdering her mother to bring Everly to Lucien, was heartbreaking and intense. Her newfound role as Queen of the Hollowborn promises thrilling developments.

The loss of Elias was heartbreaking, especially given his bond with Sera, but Everly’s fierce determination to avenge him showcased her growth and strength. The final scene, where she confidently declares she’ll spend time at each house and then choose who to marry, was powerful and bold, setting up exciting tensions for the sequel.

Overall, *Blood & Secrets* was captivating—filled with supernatural drama, strong friendships, and emotional depth. Despite the romantic entanglements feeling slightly overdone, I’m genuinely excited for book two, and absolutely can't wait to follow Everly journey further!

Enjoyment: 3
Start: 5
Characters: 2
Setting: 3.5
Plot: 3
Ending: 1
Style: 3
Rating: 2.93

I was really excited for this when I started reading this, but it dwindled down as the story progressed. The characters fell flat and the story seemed very rushed and forced.

I really struggled to finish this book, but I can definitely see the way the plot was going and the way this would be a great read! The amnesia aspect and a lot of "tell not show" were really where I struggled with this book. 2/5

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

The story follows Cassidy, a human who finds herself entangled in a world of vampires, werewolves, and witches. As she navigates this dangerous new reality, she discovers hidden truths about her own lineage and the dark secrets that the academy harbors.​Cassidy is portrayed as a strong and resilient protagonist who faces numerous challenges head-on. Her interactions with other characters, particularly the enigmatic and brooding Zane, add depth to the story. Wylde's writing is immersive, with vivid descriptions that bring the supernatural elements to life. The pacing is steady, allowing for character development and world-building without overwhelming the reader.

The concept for this book and what the plot could be - - 5 stars
The actual book and plot -- 3 stars

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Let's start with the good: the amnesia trope draws the reader in and lets us learn about the world Everly is in while she is also learning about it. Very cool idea. This was my first time reading a 'dark fantasy' novel with that trope. The MMCs are suitably dark and broody. The FMC is a good mix of independent but reliant on friends.

What didn't work for me personally:
- The writing style was, at least in my kindle version, a lot of single lines, even when it wasn't dialogue, and sometimes a few sentences together before the paragraph break (space in between lines/sentences). It read like every sentence was some big reveal or something dramatic, even when it wasn't.
- The book just needed...more. More detail about the world. More depth for the individual characters. When very major things happened to the characters, and several VERY major things happen to multiple characters, it felt out of the blue. Multiple times I annotated my Kindle book with "I feel like I'm missing some backstory here"
- The ending also felt rushed and I couldn't even be surprised about the 'twist' of who Everly is because I felt I didn't have enough context to appreciate how big of a deal the reveal was.
- Little things, like, if Everly has been at the school for years, why are all the professors starting class like it's everyone's first day? Like, the vampire MMC is hundreds of years old? But enrolled in the academy? (Are the vampires born? Made? How do they age? How is this one hundreds of years old but also in high school?)

Maybe a lot of my questions/concerns will be addressed in Book 2, but I probably won't remember to read it.

This book hooked me right from the beginning. It's a fast-paced, dark fantasy romance with no spice.

Everly wakes up without her memories, and she has to figure out who she can trust and what happened. I loved that it had fae, vampires, werewolves, and hybrids. I'm a big paranormal lover. I can't wait to see what happens in book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This book was a bit of an odd one for me if I'm being completely honest. Its not a bad book by any means. The amnesia aspect had me off kilter for a fair bit and I think that if the book had of had an initial chapter introducing the world and the character before her amnesia, the book would have had a bit better of a flow to it. It would have also been better if the author had leant harder into the confusion about who to trust aspect if the story.

Everly, our FMC, wakes up after visiting the Nightveil forest with amnesia. This story follows her "recovery" and her journey to learning why she was in the forest to begin with & just who Lucien (Our Vampire MMC), Kai (Our Werewolf MMC) and Riven (Our Fae MMC) are to her.

Story wise, there are some issues. Our MMC's have entirely too much familiarity with her that is not really explained. Were they together before this? Were they just friends? If the boys are the age that they are, why are they not teachers instead? There is also a bit of confusion as to why the Headmistress doesn't explore any of the other options available to her, when Everly clearly breaks the rules in the beginning. Currently the book is very love triangle-y, and I'm not really sure who she will get with... though I'm hoping that its all three MMC's.

With some reworking, this book could be a 4 or 5 star read.

Blood and Secrets was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I look forward to seeing what will happen in future books.

Blood & Secrets by Serenity Wylde:

“Blood & Secrets” does an amazing job of introducing us to the dark fantasy world of Nightveil Academy while setting up the plot for future books through budding relationships between not only Everly and her three dark princes but between Everly’s group of friends. I am really looking forward to seeing the relationships between the characters develop throughout the series. I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of pet names (all three of the princes have their own pet names for Everly). This book is perfect for people looking for a book that isn’t too spicy but more of a slow burn romance. I look forward to reading the next book in the series especially with the number of mysteries you are left with at the end of this book.

Thank you to Serenity Wylde, BookBuzz and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and leave an honest review.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and engaging paranormal story. After Everly, a vampire hybrid, is attacked, almost dies, and is back at the Nightveil Academy, she tries to find out the secrets of her hidden past along with her friends Sera and Elias, Riven, the fae prince, Kai, a werewolf outcast, and Lucien, the vampire heir. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and. a must read riveting story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the amazing author, Serenity Wylde!

4/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of “Blood & secrets”. I enjoyed the plot of this book; the gothic academy, the atmosphere, the different creatures (vampires, werewolves, fae…), the lore,and i also really liked the personality and development of the main characters of the story. If you like romantasy books with stories regarding any of these creatures you’ll like it.

Review of Blood & Secrets by Serenity Wylde
* * * * *
A fantasy supernatural reverse harem romantasy read that is mysterious and intruiging right from page one!

Everly's life starts off with a mystery, as she wakes up in a strange room with even stranger people, sensing that she is not being told the full truth of who she is, why she's at a strange academy, and what has happened to her.
She's a hybrid. She's a student at Nightveil. She's done something she shouldn't have...apparently.
With three devilishly handsome men - all from different walks of life - constantly watching her, she feels more distracted than she is getting closer to the truth of why she was found on the edge of the forest where people don't come back as they once were.
Secrets. Mysteries. Threats. Danger. A curse. A choice to make.
Who is really on Everly's side?

Very happy I gave this a change. It was a great romantasy read, with fantasy male romance partners to keep it all very interesting and sparking that sexual tension we all love. With the mix of hybrids, vamps, wolfies and fae, it is sure to keep us sucked into this world and understand its structure to help build out characters, specifically the hunk Kai, the intense Lucien, and magnetic Riven. As relationships build and shift, we of course get to that epic cliffhanger!!!

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Blood Secrets
💫💫💫

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and easy read that has opened the series up nicely.

Everly wakes up and finds herself in an Academy she does not remember attending and finding out that she is a vampire hybrid.

I like the premise for this book but I wish we had of seen more of the school. We are instantly thrown into trying to find out which of the three MMCc she will choose and the mystery of why she was near the Veilwood in the first place.

It is an amnesia story, but I felt like the writing could've had more bulk. The chapters are short and the reasoning for some character interactions or reactions confused me.

There is no spice in this book, which is completely okay. I don't know who our FMC will choose but if it ends up being all three I won't be mad.

Nice, quick YA read.

It’s exciting that there’s multiple MMCs after our main girl, you don’t know who’s she’s going to choose.

The chapters are short, the pacing is super fast. Realistically it could do with some bulking out, more time passing, more information/lore, deeper connections and relationships.
The air is always thick and everything smells metallic which got a bit repetitive.

The end of the book felt very rushed and the mention of marriage really caught me off-guard as it kinda came out of nowhere. That being said, I’m curious to know what happens in the next book and where our characters end up.

Thanks NetGalley and Serenity Wylde for letting me read this early.

The book Blood & Secrets by Serenity Wylde is sort of good. In the first half it kept teasing that it was going to get more interesting but than went back to a slower pace. Even with this is kept me wanting more and loved it in the end.

I just finished the book, and I’m sitting at a solid 3.5 stars. The dark, suspenseful atmosphere hooked me right from the start, and I loved the morally complex characters. The romance was steamy, with plenty of chemistry, but there were times I felt like the emotional buildup was a bit lacking. The pacing was sometimes too quick, especially when it came to the relationship development. The leads were compelling, but I wanted to see more of their growth and struggles, especially in their connection with each other. The mystery aspect was interesting, but not fully fleshed out, and I think it could’ve added more depth to the story. Overall, I enjoyed it for its intensity and darker vibe, but it didn’t completely blow me away. It’s a good pick if you’re into high-stakes romances with some mystery

What a great way to end book 1! I can't wait to read book 2.

I loved the way Blood & Secrets threw me right into a mystery, leaving me to solve and understand what is going on alongside Everly, the FMC. It carried a great mix of romance and adventure, and was a relatively quick read.

I feel like the only thing i didn't like too much is the fact that the world building wasn't as solid as I would've liked it to be, but it was still good.

The romance between Everly and each of the MMC's was really well-written and kept me on my toes throughout the whole book, wondering who she'd choose in the end, though to be honest I was rooting for her to just get with them all.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this book, all opinions are my own.

A Captivating Fantasy Read
If you're a fan of the Zodiac Academy or the House of Night series, you'll likely enjoy "Blood Secrets" by Serenity Wylde. This book offers a similar blend of fantasy and adventure, with a strong female protagonist at its center. Everly's journey is compelling, as she navigates a world shrouded in mystery after a bout of amnesia leaves her questioning her own identity.

The world-building in "Blood Secrets" is engaging and the characters are intriguing. The pacing is fast-moving, making it easy to become fully immersed in the story. I'm looking forward to continuing the series and uncovering more secrets alongside Everly. If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, "Blood Secrets" is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you NetGalley for this free book for an honest review!

dark but so good!
I was expecting this to be like scary for some reason but it pulls you in and its so captivating!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!