3.5 Stars!
The beginning of this book took me right back to my early uni days, sharehousing with friends and partying without a care in the world, and it felt nostalgic and beautiful. It had me reminiscing about stumbling home at 3am and falling asleep in my best friend's bed after talking for hours, the kind of friendship you lose as you get older (or I have, anyway).

Did the behaviour throughout the book feel completely juvenile, considering these characters are late twenties/early thirties? Yes.
Did I feel as though the length could have been cut down considerably? Absolutely.
Did I read it all it anyway? Surprisingly, I did.

This book is long. And while, for me, it could have been cut down a lot and the pacing throughout the middle felt extremely slow, I also understood that all the developing relationships were really being fleshed out, giving the reader plenty of time to grow emotionally attached to the characters.

The found family felt like home and the characters were written really well. Summer is chaotic and problematic and I found her relationship with Connor to be super REAL - cutesy and sickening, but isn't everyone with their first love?? I freaking loved her friendship with Alice, it was perfection. Everything was going so well (so WELL) meaning I was continually just waiting for it to all go to sh*t.

To be honest by around the halfway point I just accepted that I was in for a long read, there were elements I didn't like and some I found completely cringey, BUT I loved the flow of writing and I love a good mystery. The tension definitely had me wanting to know more.

I got to the end, however, and am left feeling flat. It was an easy read, but I didn't have any of my questions or theories answered and while I know that it's all setting up for book two, I feel as though I just read a thousand page book for not much pay off. A lot of it felt like unnecessary filler, and while I enjoyed the characters, the emotional attachment just wasn't there for me.

I'd still like to continue with the series. I need a few answers (one in particular) and I'm interested to see where it goes. I have read some AMAZING reviews of this book, so while unfortunately not completely for me, I feel as though there will be many readers who will love it.

I love this book so so much. I loved the urban fantasy college setting and watching Summer live her life. I also loved all the side characters. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It made me feel things and it was just the perfect book for me. I need the second book immediately and it cannot come out soon enough.

Love love loved this book after I got to about 30-40% into the book, before that i wanting to just add it to my DNF pile but I kept going because I didn’t think I’d pick this book up again, I rated the full five star just for the reading vibe it brought after i got through the first parts, the premise, the FMC, the MMC, the side characters, i did skit the smut though 😏. I read this in 2 days in between working and life but yeah definitely enjoyed it overall and bought the physical copy.
Thank you for the ARC

Blood and Betrayals by Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune is a gripping, suspenseful dark academia romantasy that will keep you hooked from the first page. Set in the halls of Avalon University, the story follows sharp-tongued Summer Tuatha De Daanan as she’s thrust into a deadly game of secrets, stalkers, and survival. With a haunting mystery, layered characters and mounting danger, this book masterfully blends tension, spice and emotion. As the blood spills and stakes rise, readers will be left desperate for more. Bring on Sorrow and Strangers - I can't wait!!

his book was so good! The characters and the plot ✅
I enjoyed it so much. It was easy to follow and kept my interest. The tension was good and the ability to get lost in the details and characters lives was great! Definitely reading more from this author!

This book broke my heart. I need the second one , like yesterday.
This book has a ton of “spice” but also friendship, found family, and in depth romance. While I really enjoyed the book, I do think that it would benefit from a couple less, unnecessary, Harry Potter-esque tropes like a professor named Draco and the mystery Journal. I do like the murder mystery aspect of this book. I think it might be a little long for what it is, but I enjoyed the journey.
Blood & Betrayals is perfect for the spicy-romance fans who like mysteries and university themes. I also really commend the author for having the main characters be over 25.

This book is already out, but I was able to get an arc from netgally. I was tricked into reading this by the 4 and 5 star reviews. This was not well written. I almost DNFed this book so many times.

I liked the found family in this book even though it seemed forced at times. I liked the mystery of a couple main characters and the way friendships build between a few characters.

There was so much completely dislike about this.
The ending was so abrupt. After 600 pages of mindless partying, ridiculous sex scenes, and terrible relationship dialogue the book just ended.
The characters talk and act like 18 year old fraternity and sorority kids in bad college movies. The fmc and mmc are in insta love and overuse pet names, Big Guy and Babe. I love spice, but the characters can't be around eachother for more than five minutes without a sex scene. There's minimal friendship building between them and a forced parental involvement that makes them seem all wrong for one another.
The ending has everyone randomly make it to the same place for a rushed battle even though we have no idea where this location is, and we end on a huge cliffhanger.

Will I continue this series? Probably not.
There were so many questions left unanswered.
Why did every other male character seem more interesting than our mmc?
Who is actually after the main character?
Who is the Stranger?
What's Rafe's deal?
What's up with Max?
Why is the headmaster so mysterious?

Thank you to NetGalley, Rose and Star Publishing, and the authors for letting me read and write this honest review.

Wow. Blood and Betrayals completely sucked me in.
I didn’t realize how much I was craving an older heroine in a romantasy until this one. Watching her get thrown into a deadly magic academy (training, politics, secrets) while slowly coming into these dangerous powers? I was obsessed. This book has all my favorite tropes: found family, enemies-to-lovers vibes, a broody shadowy love interest, multiple supernatural creatures (vampires, demons, shifters), sex-positivity, and hints that more love interests are coming.

The worldbuilding is rich, the side characters feel important, and the spice? Chef’s kiss. And that ending—absolutely brutal. No neat resolution, just a cliffhanger that left me yelling at the page and already counting the days until book two.

If you love magical schools, power awakenings, found family, and steamy paranormal romance, you need this one on your shelf.

That ending was so foul. Miss authors I am in ur walls !!!!

No bc I fr shed a few tears over that ending. What do u mean!!!! I was expecting smth like that but not in the way it happened 😭😫 I’m devastated. Truly shattered plssss i need the next book like rfnnnn I beggggg

At first I was pretty mad that there was essentially nothing interesting happening in this book for the beginning half of the book. Genuinely was confused about the direction of the story (tbvh I still am even after I’ve finished lol) but when I got to the second half things started really kicking in. It shouldn’t have taken like 400 pages for a book to actually get interesting but I’d say it was worth it.

The smut/sex scenes got annoying REAL fast. Like I was skipping almost every one after the first five times (and that was within the first 200 pages mind u). It felt unnecessarily repetitive and tired.

I only cared when Stranger showed up 🫦🫦🫦 watch me find a new obsession when he fully materialises.

The mouth on this man… 🚬 I need him on a cellular level.

The headmaster is also 😋😋😋 he reminds me of Nanami from jujutsu kaisen (it’s pretty clear I have a type)

Connor was too lovey dovey and there’s usually nothing wrong with that but idk their connection felt forced. As soon as we got introduced to him I was praying he wouldn’t be the one lol.

Summer pissed me off. Her character is so frustrating 😭 i only stayed for stranger, the headmaster and bc I like world.

To address the Nocticadia and zodiac academy allegations I am saddened to inform u that it is nothing like Nocticadia — like at all. Idk why it’s even being mentioned in relation to this book tbh. There isn’t even a teacher x student relationship! I was lied to.

And as for zodiac academy I can see the similarities, the fmc is like a chaotic blend of Tory and Darcy in one body.
But there are no similarities with any of the male characters. The vibes of this book are different. Unique.

𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲:
I’m low-key scared this book is gna turn out to be a reverse harem or smth bc like why is every guy wrapped around her finger lol and why is she always so bothered when they don’t find her hot even while she has a boyfriend? It’s confusing as fuck.

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for the ARC! ♥︎

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Wow... just.... wow...
The first half of the book was great but... then the second half!!!!
This had Zodiac Academy vibes and I felt all of the feels. It absolutely destroyed me at the ending. Full tears, totally unexpected ending!
I was ready to give this book 4 stars at the beginning, but then the longing, the spice, the headache... this book was EXCELLENT.
I love her relationship with the Stranger, Connor (and his family), and Alice, who is the best friend we all need. I am going to be here, biting my nails, until the next book is released

Blood & Betrayals is a sprawling, emotionally potent dark‑academia romantasy. It excels in multi‑layered world‑building; complex, flawed (and flawed‑overcoming) characters; slow‑burn but intense romance; and a mystery that pulls you deeper with every chapter. If you crave lush supernatural settings, bondable found‑family dynamics, a slow‑burn romance that hits emotional depth, and bold sensuality—this book may finish you in the best possible way.

This is definitely one of those books you read for entertainment over good writing. The character ages do not match the behaviors and there’s about 600 pages of fluff in the middle but I was able to pull through!

I loved a lot of things about this book, mainly the fact that Summer had more chemistry with every guy that wasn’t Connor. The hot and broody headmaster Emrys, Max, and even the stranger. There was so much delicious tension with these characters. Setting up for a new love interest potentially? Don’t get me wrong, the ending with Connor was absolutely heartbreaking and I am still recovering. Somewhat predictable given how fast their relationship moved but RIP Connor. I also thought the rune magic was really cool and different. I want to explore Summer’s other powers in the next book. Summer and Alice’s friendship was the cutest.

Now on to the bad…and there was plenty! The overuse of “big guy” (ick), the constant putting herself in danger when she knowingly has a stalker, and the pointless spice was just getting too much. I love spice but some chapters were just like OK WE GET IT. I also hate the whole “I’m too broken to be loved” thing. Summer’s character got on my nerves and I don’t think she grew that much over the course of the book. Let’s hope we see some character development in the next one.

Things I’m thinking about:
* Stranger - reveal yourself! Not having a main character reveal in 1000 pages is crazy to me. But…piercings?? No seriously tell me more immediately.
* Why is Rafe fighting demons?
* Is it just me or did the prologue never actually happen in the book?
* Aqua. The girl with one or two mentions throughout the book? Didn’t see any clues pointing to her but ok i guess.
* Who applied to the academy for Summer??

I probably will come up with more questions but for now I’m just going to sit and think about this book for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rose and Star Publishing, and the authors for letting me read and write this honest review.

This is hard to talk about with no spoilers but what just happened? My jaw is still on floor.

This book kept me on my toes as despite being mentioned at the very beginning that Summer is different to other fae, it doesn't come into play until much later. Instead it's Summer's development and opening herself up to Alice and Connor which is the main focus alongside a murder mystery on campus. As much as I love sweet Connor and him being a total Mary-Sue, I was starting to find the Summer's back and forth a little repetitive and it did impact the pacing for me. I'd have loved to seen more of Summer and Alice's time in Draculea instead as the found family aspect of this book was one of my favourite parts. From Alice setting up Zack, to Farrah and her binder, to Summer supporting Luke, there were so many sweet moments.

This book was also giving hints of why choose vibes (which I wouldn't be mad about) but after that ending, is this a villain origin story (again, wouldn't be mad about it)? As much as I love the Stranger, I would like this to be fixed somehow as I was not ready for that ending. And the illustration at the end of the book just gutted me!

My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely until I finished it and it is one I will re-read

This book was everything!!! If you want a cure from your Zodiac Academy hangover this is the book! It’s spicy, it’s mysterious, it’s hilarious, and the ending is gut wrenching. The book is longggg but it reads so fast I could not put it down! 10/10 recommend

Thank you for the chance to receive this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book overall. It was a nice blend of urban fantasy, academia, with an interesting magic system, and some spicy romance.

The characters are engaging, and definitely fit the academia mold well. Since they're all non-human species, it's hard to say whether their ages and maturity align well, but if you're looking for characters who feel very mature, these may not be for you. They feel like collegiate humans, and it makes sense for the plot.

At its core, the story is a murder mystery, which is laid out and woven in slowly. It's not fast paced, until the end, which feels a bit too fast even.

The climax of the story does give us the "who" donnit part of our resolution, but the how and why aren't really clear. (This is a book 1 of a series, so some lack of resolution or ambiguity is expected, but this felt unsatisfying.) And honestly, I'm not sure I'm convinced the "who" would plausibly have been able to be the one behind the murders, given the way some of the characters trying to stop the murder are described as being nearly unlimited in their power.

There is also a very big surprise at the end, which certainly sets up the next book, but because the end was so fast-paced, it almost felt cheapened for the impact it should have had. It *should* have made me bawl, but instead it left me basically shocked.

Definitely not one for readers who need a lot of resolution.

But if you love fun, magic, a little murder and some "holy sh**" plot twists, you may really love this.

I’m usually a sucker for a dark academia combined with some paranormal elements, which is why I really enjoyed the setting and the overall plot of this book. However, I did feel like the story dragged in parts, which made it harder for me to stay fully connected to what was happening. Some scenes just felt a bit too drawn out, and I found myself losing momentum here and there.
BUT… that cliffhanger at the end? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
Even though I was expecting some more clarity towards the end, I’m really curious to see what happens in book 2 which I will definitely be picking up.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC and since it was a read now I don’t feel that bad for DNFing this.

I am DNFing at only 9% and with this book being like 1k pages long and I’m in the middle of chapter 9 it ‘s enough for me to call it quits. The author even notes not to skim because we’ll miss something but I promise you, you can skip a majority of the beginning and still get the idea. But she should really know how to cut back if she doesn’t want any skimming.

My immediate problem was the immature writing. It threw me back to 2010 Twilight era storytelling and it almost read like a 16 year old trying to write how college life is. We are introduced to our FML, Summer, and she was already super annoying because she looked down on everyone because she’s so edgy. And of course there’s the lowkey misogyny and not like other girls attitude. She and her roommate, who is a pixie-looking vampire named Alice (really?), are immediately friends because they both are lonely or whatever. Super lazy writing with no development in their friendship. Summer is supposed to be this loner who doesn’t want to be close to anyone and then is immediately like I can trust this person I met for one minute. Her personality was all over the place, she was a walking contradiction. Alice was also super insufferable. Are we really going to glance away at her stabbing another student for something she started? And she got them into trouble the first day. Does Summer not see the problem of her potentially being kicked out of this elite school because of her? These were grown adults that acted like teenagers. I don’t understand the point of them being in their late 20s to early 30s. She also makes out with the MML at 6% and he is already obsessed with her for no reason. Where is the development? Why are we speeding through building relationships? It’s giving a bad CW show.

I was really intrigued with the world building as we got a chapter of her classes, but I don’t know if I am willing to read through Summer being so much better than everyone and her and Alice’s shenanigans outside of classes in order to get back to the academic stuff. It’s really hard for me to pick this book up because I’m dreading reading about these characters.

I had heard alot of hype around this book and wanted to see what it was about.
I really enjoyed the plot howeve, Summer was so infuriating I wanted to hit my head against a brick wall a alot. Her relationship with Alice was so lovely and wholesome, especially when taking into account her history and back story. I do wish we were able to know more about her past and why she is the way she is as the same part was brought up multiple times but not in great detail. I also think the book could have been made at least 200 pages shorter as it was getting quite repetitive. I understand why it was the length it was but I do believe for a bigger hit factor it could be made shorter. I am still holding my breath on the stranger. I neeeed to know who it is. I will 100% be picking up the next book when it comes out as I need more of this story.

Dnf at 26%
200 pages

⋮ ⋆｡˚꒰ঌ 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 ໒꒱˚｡⋆

A self obsessed ,Bad bitch , pick me , wannabe be and “I’m not like other girls” FMC is busy making out with your common “Golden Retriever ”and “a guy who tells you he loves you every second” MMC whom she doesn’t want to call him her boyfriend , and discusses her S life with HIS BROTHERS ( I dnfed after this shit) Apparently according to the book , Someone gets murdered and you have to find the killer for the rest 700 pages 🤡🤡 Basically a murder mystery with a stupid FMC and Wattpad smut .


⋮ ⋆｡˚꒰ঌ ࣪𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ࣪ ໒꒱˚｡

I cannot describe how much I loathe this book. LIKE WDYM I READ 200 PAGES JUST FOR THE FMC TO MAKE OUT WITH A GUY WHO SHE CANT CALL HER BF!??? If brain cells could scream, mine would’ve filed a noise complaint every time the FMC opened her mouth. IVE MET PAPER STRAW WITH MORE BACKBONE THEN HER. She basically wears short skirts and support other teams in matches to attract the attention of the MMC ( I thought we left that in 2020) and she’s SO INDECISIVE that she just couldn’t even say I love you to the MMC . MMC being dumber, RUNS AFTER HER , she IS NOT WORTH THAT MY GUY💔 This was so slow paced but had the most shitty insta love ( others may describe it as love at first sight but FMC didnt even love him) IN 200 PAGES YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE THEM MAKING OUT INSTEAD OF MAKING A SLOW BURN!? There was no real chemistry between the characters, it was all LUST , there were not even lovers they were LUSTERS.

Second issue is the amount of unnecessary cursing in every sentence. It seemed like the FMC couldn’t complete her sentence without cursing. It’s literally WATPAD ! So unnecessary smut ( Okay I get it it’s not YA but still , you don’t need smut to make a book better) The writing style seemed super immature , Yes I’d rather read Shakespeare than about some horny teenagers ( Yes they are 16 yr old )The FMC’s name for MC is big guy 💀

The biggest ick ? EVERY MALE CHARACTER IS DESCRIBES AS HOT AND SEXY and the fmc wants to be fcked by them. IF THIS WOULDVE BEEN WRITTEN BY AN MALE AUTHOR DESCRIBING EVERY FEMALE CHARCATER LIKE THIS , He would’ve faced so much Criticism. Why aren’t we calling out this??? Peak Gender equality 🫡🫡

Thirdly , I’ve been catfished into reading this book and Please read this if you are planing to read this book. I read it thinking that it’ll have the mixture of my fav genres , but unfortunately, just No.This is NOT AT ALL worth your time . I’ve read better stories than this in Wattpad . The found family trope seemed so forced . Where’s the murder mystery according to the summary ?? I read some spoiler review and let me tell you , THE PLOT TWIST DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR 1000 PAGES OF ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Calling THIS a fantasy and Mystery book is a crime , Do not fall for this scam.

⋆.˚✮ 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 ✮˚ I want to acknowledge all the people who finished this book because I can never have so much patience. Salute to you guys 🫡 Thank you to Rose & Star , Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune for the e arc in exchange for an honest review !

"Darkness calls to me. There are no answers in the light."

I don't even know where to begin. This book ended up destroying me, like, I can only stare at a
wall blankly for the foreseeable future kind of devastation. A screaming into the voids level of emotional damage that sneaks up on you before you even know what's happening,

Summer is such a raw, beautifully messy fmc, and watching her grow through trauma, friendship, and love? Masterpiece. The found family in this is EVERYTHING. The comfortable dynamic between everyone ends up feeling so effortless and second nature, and you can't help but feel so at home... until you don't.

I can't even mention he who shall not be named because one, it's a spoiler. and two, I'm not sure I'll get through this review without tears if I do. It's fast-paced, full of twists, and heavy on the feels. Lots of mystery and suspense, and spice that stays spicy. All the connections are emotionally charged, and there's never a dull moment. I was at the edge of my seat consistently trying to figure out where my gut feeling of impending doom was coming from, especially when the pages were flying by so fast and I was inching closer and closer to the end.

I fear I'm left hollow.
Craving more. Wrecked & grateful that I've been introduced to this world. BUT BEGGING FOR BOOK TWO.