This was an extremely fun to read rollercoaster of a book! A new adult fantasy novel with plenty of romance, lust, magic, and conflict. I am still shocked by how much happened in just 300ish pages. The main character was very intriguing and I really enjoyed her internal dialogue, which is something I can have a hard time to enjoy in fantasy novels sometimes.

The book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I would be absolutely delighted if I could read the sequel now!

Nope nope nope nope nope. This book gave me major ick, which sucks cause I wanted to like it. I'm a big fan of romance-fantasy and I'll basically consume anything in that genre, but this was just nope.

The main character was whiny and the perfect example of a 'I'm not like other girls' girl. It felt like the author was trying so hard to make a badass female lead, and it ended up falling into the cookie cutter of what people think that should be.

I found the whole thing to be very highschool, teen drama blah. Just not for me at all.

I was intrigued by the description, and the magic system seemed very cool. While parts of this book were great, some of the plot was confusing. It seemed like nothing was happening, but then all at once, it was faced paced. Some aspects were added that made it very confusing and hard to follow. I also only liked the characters some of the time. Overall, it was entertaining but left me with more questions than answers.

This book hit the bullseye when it found its way to me!

There is just something about a princess, a little spice, and a great setting that turns my brain into a pleased pile of goop. This book had everything that I craved for something to turn my brain of an just enjoy.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received for review: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to Netgalley and the author.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: The author has set up a fascinating story, an intriguing world, and compelling characters. I'm very interested in seeing what happens next and flew through this one. Ended on a minor cliff.

I went into this one without any expectations. I chose to read it because of the genre and the cover. You never know what you'll get when you go in with zero expectations, but I really enjoyed this one. It gripped my attention pretty quickly. The character isn't always lovable and made some stupid decisions, but I enjoyed seeing her journey/watching it progress, and I loved Gideon.

If you like romantasy, give this one a go. It's an interesting start and debut from an author I'll be keeping tabs on from now on.

Content: Strong language throughout, tamer new adult over 18 sexual content, underage drinking, violence.

Love,

Danica Page

Found on netgalley was drawn to it by the blurb
Looked instering so I requested it and so happy i was approved to read it. I do recommend this book and already told a few that they need to read this book. 5 star book. Kept me pulled into it. Couldn't put it dowm at all. Might reread it later on in the year.

The story, characters, and world building was amazing! There was one death I wasn't sure needed to really happen, but the story was still great! The way the main characters powers were fully unlocked at the end were sad but it made sense that losing someone like that would help unlock someone's full potential.

I will definitely recommend this book to others and I plan to purchase a physical copy! I hope a 2nd one is coming and can't wait to read it too!

DNF

unfortunately this book simply did not catch my attention :(
It felt too tropey and not original enough to keep me wanting to read. Nothing about it was bad, it just wasn’t much different from so many other NA fantasy stories out there.

Author is right that it does feel similar to ACOTAR. I did enjoy the main character and the world building was interesting. The mated trope was complicated with a third character that was both interesting but also felt under-developed. I was shocked when I had only 10% left and felt like it would end in a cliffhanger and it did not - though it did feel rushed to tie out a lot of loose ends. I was expecting a bit of a twist with some characters though perhaps that comes with the next book in what I presume is a series. Invested enough that I will read the next one too, it was a diverting read. I received a complimentary copy of this book, thank you NetGalley.

🌿Tropes & Themes 🌿
•Soulmates
•Love triangle
•Morally gray love interest
•Found family
•Enemies to lovers -ish
•Who did this to you?

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

I would like to thank Sword & Shield Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this read! I was definitely hooked and curious about what would happen next. Usually I can predict certain aspects but this book took a lot of unexpected turns! The world building is done well and has some interesting elements. The author paints wonderful images of the different realms and weaves in some history of them as well.

It starts slow and true to the story, Val was raised in the mortal realm, living a normal mortal life other than when she was training to kill demons and be the princess of another realm called Empyrean. I always love a lost or exiled princess lead to believe her kingdom is a utopia only to find out the shocking truth not everything is as it seems. I loved that she admits to wanting revenge and power and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants!

The relationship between Val and her love interests could have been fleshed out a bit more. There are some scenes which I adored but wish there was more of that! Gideon didn’t really feel like much of an enemy to lover. The god of the forsaken and their relationship definitely feels like it had more potential for an enemy to lover trope.

“Because when I kiss you, your body will beg for more. Your knees will quake, your heart will pound, and desire will consume you until your left with an aching that only I can satisfy”

Would definitely recommend! It reminded me in some aspects of ACOTAR, From Blood and Ash, and a little bit of a hades x Persephone retelling.

The story was amazing and I really want to know how it continues. The world building is good. Not too complicated and logical.
English is not my mother tongue and as far I can tell, the writing style was good. I liked it and was easy to follow.
The only downside was the connection between the two protagonists. I didn't quite feel it. Each of their own were awesome characters and I liked them. But the connection between them... I don't know. Something was missing for me.
Overall it was a solid read and I want to know how the story continues!

Whew, this one was...kinda wild. In a good way, I think.

It's another entry in the New Adult Romantasy genre juggernaut that's so popular at the moment. It features Fae, Demons, a broken kingdom, betrayals, secrets, romance, a dash of spice and a somewhat insane amount of plot twists.

As I was reading A Realm of Ash and Shadow I occasionally felt like it was all a bit much. The author literally threw everything but the kitchen sink into this book's storyline and it did feel a bit messy at times. But as more time goes by since I read it, I actually think I'm appreciating it more in retrospect and I'm definitely still thinking about it and looking forward to any future books to see what the author does next with everything she has begun here.

I also had a few issues with main character Valeria's actions and reactions here and there - she's a tad impulsive - and some of the dialogue made me cringe once or twice, but I can't deny I had fun reading this book nonetheless!

This story may start out feeling very reminiscent of so many other similar Fantasy Romance books you've probably already read, but it quickly deviates and becomes something more unique. I didn't want to rehash any of the plot in my review, but I'll just say that any time you think you know what's going on in A Realm of Ash and Shadow, you don't.

If you're looking for a fun read within this genre we all can't get enough of and have some good neck exercises to help you with the inevitable whiplash you'll experience from the crazy plot, I'd say definitely give this one a go.

4 stars ★★★★

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of a realm of ash and shadow. This was such a cute fantasy romance, right up my alley and the over was beautiful.

With purely magnetic worldbuilding that draws you in with every page, and captivating and badass characters that seem to leap off the page, A Realm of Ash and Shadow is a reader's dream! I couldn't put it down. It was fantastical and mesmerizing ina all the best ways and I immediately knew I had to own a copy for my permanent library.

Not 100% sure how I feel about this book.

Things felt both rushed and slowed. It felt like there were plot holes that were not explained and character changes that didn’t make sense.

At other times the story line was good. The characters interesting as well as their abilities. However I don’t think that out weights the parts that didn’t feel like part of the book. The parts that felt weird or confusing.

I would not recommend

Lots of action that kept me turning the pages throughout. Loved the feistiness and strength of Valeria. Gideon and Malachi also have a special place in my heart. But I’m definitely rooting for Vemdour, rightly or wrongly!

I feel like my thoughts on this one might be disjointed but honestly, that'd match how I felt reading this book.

The plotline had pacing issues, it had too much going on and yet not enough explained for me to care about where it was going. Also, when people say they want something "like ACOTAR" or like another hit book they generally mean the vibes of that book, not stuff jerked directly from the pages.

My biggest issue with this book was the constant reconfirmation of our FMC's age (freshly 18!) and general immaturity while also hammering home the overt sexualization. I love an open-door scene as much as the next person but the focus on the character's age and high school-level activities (prom) and then jumping directly into multiple sexual interests just felt icky. I'd have preferred the characters all aged up clearly and the book just be planted in the NA category.

Thank you to Sword and Silk books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐
🌶️

3 STARS

I enjoyed the world building a lot. The idea of different realms, that function in different ways, and have different rules is something I liked a lot. I am a bit confused as to what really is the difference between the Realm of Mortals and Empyrean. It feels like the only difference is the time period they are set in, and the knowledge of other Realms...

Plot and writing are a bit chaotic. It felt like trying too hard, as there were moments where the story didn't flow as well. This is one of the books where the "less is more" would work perfectly. That being said, it is a fun and interesting read. The political situation of Empyrean, and all the revelations that we got, were great. There were plot twists that were very predictable, but there were also a few that caught me off guard!

The characters are a big hit or miss for me, and the relationships are a bit all over the place. They do feel forced, but they kind of got explained, so they are just...okay I guess. Both the love triangle and the hate to love trope didn't really work for me. As it always is with me, I loved the side characters!


CONCLUSION

This is an okay, fun read...that is a bit chaotic.
It's a good first book in the series, as it makes me curious what will happen next and where will the characters go from here.
If you are looking for an entertaining read where you don't have to think a lot, and that is a fast read (I finished this in a day and a half) this is a book for you.




Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Realm of Ash and Shadow is a must-read for any YA fantasy romance lovers. This book is a masterful example of addictive fantasy that will keep you captivated until the very last page. The book has it all, from magic, romance, enemies-to-lovers, godly realms, and just the right amount of spice.

The story follows Valeria Breault, an 18-year-old princess who was exiled from Empyrean because her father didn't want the hassle of raising her. After a horde of demons crashes her prom, Valeria is forced to fight for her life and barely escapes being captured by the Realm of the Forsaken. She is then dragged back to Empyrean, only to find herself in a hellish nightmare where the poor are dying, the rich are thriving, and her claim to the throne is in jeopardy.

Buckheit has created a richly layered world system, and the pacing of the book is fantastic. The book has constant action, but it doesn't feel too fast, and there's still character development. The four-world system going on here is fascinating, and the world-building was done in a very organic way, with no info-dumping or leaving the reader confused for pages on end.

Although Valeria is not the most likeable character in the beginning, the character development is impressive, and she grows on you as the story progresses. I adored Gideon and Malachi's friendship, and the love triangle trope was done very well. The story was captivating, with great twists, an unravelling of lies, good tension, and witty banter.

The title, and synopsis didn’t really catch my attention right away, but after a few chapters it evolved into a compelling plot, and became my evening escapism. The world building was tactically done; it paints a picture but doesn’t confuse the reader with an exuberant use of detail.

I’m a sucker for a soulmate trope and found family. This book also has some morally grey characters, love triangles, and an “enemies to lovers” tale. Filled with great twists, an unraveling of lies, good tension and witty banter; the story was captivating. This book ends with a great cliffhanger though, so I can’t wait for the next book!