When I’m writing this review, more than 24 hours have passed since I finished this book, and my jaw is still on the floor.

This book was a goddamn rollercoaster of emotions, well, mostly in the last part. Writing a non-spoiler review is so hard because there are so many things I want to say and even more questions I have for the authors. But mentioning anything too specific would ruin the experience, and we don’t do that here.

First off, if Summer is a strong yet deeply flawed character working through her trauma, making her incredibly easy to relate to. And if she wasn’t inspired by Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift, she certainly reminded me of that song a lot.

The minute I met Alice, I immediately saw Twilight’s Alice. So when I found out that was the actual inspiration, I crackled! I love her so much. I wish she were my best friend too, she’s funny, protective, and understanding.

Connor? Oh, Connor. That boy is cute. He’s the perfect boy-next-door type, maybe even a little too “mushy” for my taste. But at the end of the day, he’s an angel, so I suppose it was to be expected. He’s sweet, patient, and so understanding. Truly the embodiment of a “man written by a woman.”

And then there’s The Stranger. The mystery surrounding him kept me so invested. The number of times I wrote “I WANT TO KNOW!!!” in my notes is astounding. I kept trying to guess, “Is it this character? Or that one?”, and that’s all you’ll know from now 😏.

And Max, he was definitely intriguing. I cannot wait to find out more about him and the rest of the characters in the next book!

What about the ending? You should have seen me thinking my Kobo was glitching, looking for the next pages, spoiler alerts they were none. I was left with even more questions, and I NEED to know where this story goes next.

I know it’s a big book, but trust me, it’s so worth it!

A huge thank you to Rose & Star Publishing, Janette Rose & Alexis Rune for the PR box & ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Oh my goshhhh..the ending! I'm calling it, this will be the next big Romantasy hit! The world building and characters sucked you right into this novel. It has everything and more that I enjoy in a romantasy. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc! I can't wait to read more by these authors.

I finished this book, stared at the wall… and screamed. THAT ENDING. I am still unwell.

Let me start by saying this isn’t the kind of book I usually gravitate toward. It’s urban fantasy with a touch of dark academia, but it also reads a bit like a contemporary romance. It took me a little while—about a third of the way in—to feel fully invested. That said, I completely understand why the authors chose to focus more on character development early on rather than diving straight into plot. And I’m so glad I stuck with it, because it absolutely paid off.

The character work in this book is phenomenal. The authors truly excel at crafting layered, complex people who unfold slowly—especially Summer and Alice. I adored their bond. These two would walk through fire for each other, and the way their friendship is written—raw, real, unwavering—was one of my favorite parts of the story.

Connor. Oh, Connor. I used to think I was a sucker for soft characters, but this cinnamon roll of an MMC has reset the bar. He’s supportive, sweet, and totally swoonworthy. I also loved the entire Morningstar Clan and cannot wait to see more of them in the next installment.

And then there’s the Stranger. I’ve never been a fan of stalker-type romances… and yet here I am, completely obsessed. The way the authors dropped hints and built intrigue around this mysterious character was so well done. I have theories. I have feelings. I have a deep, desperate need for answers.

This book is full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and now I’m left with so many questions. Book two cannot get here fast enough. Please and thank you.

Did I finish this book, or did it finish me? It’s been awhile since I had a 5-star read, and this one absolutely sucked me in to its intricate world. Although it’s over 900 pages, the story flew by and I still have so many questions at the end. And don’t even get me started on that ending…

The authors do a phenomenal job of writing Summer’s character. I highlighted so many quotes that capture the internal struggle that someone who has been through trauma and battles mental health issues faces - building emotional walls, imposter syndrome, never feeling worthy of love, pushing others away when they start to get close, and the list could go on. Summer has so much character growth and it was emotional to see how she learns to let others love her and to love others.

I literally love every character in this book (except the few villains) and cannot wait to see what happens with their storylines. Alice brings so much comedy and fierceness, Rafe is a tortured soul for Summer to connect with, Connor is a literal ray of sunshine and good soul…and that’s just a few to start with. I need to know more about Emrys, and discover who the stranger is (I have theories).

I could keep rambling about this book and how obsessed I am with it, but I’ll wrap it up with some of my favorite quotes & say that you definitely need to enter the world of Avalon!

𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘺. 𝘛𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴.”

“𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸.” 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥. “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘴?”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘑𝘰𝘺. 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨.” 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?

Thank you to the authors and Rose & Star for providing me with a copy of this book. This review is voluntary, and all opinions expressed are my own.

When I’m writing this review, more than 24 hours have passed since I finished this book, and my jaw is still on the floor.

This book was a goddamn rollercoaster of emotions, well, mostly in the last part. Writing a non-spoiler review is so hard because there are so many things I want to say and even more questions I have for the authors. But mentioning anything too specific would ruin the experience, and we don’t do that here.

First off, if Summer is a strong yet deeply flawed character working through her trauma, making her incredibly easy to relate to. And if she wasn’t inspired by Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift, she certainly reminded me of that song a lot.

The minute I met Alice, I immediately saw Twilight’s Alice. So when I found out that was the actual inspiration, I crackled! I love her so much. I wish she were my best friend too, she’s funny, protective, and understanding.

Connor? Oh, Connor. That boy is cute. He’s the perfect boy-next-door type, maybe even a little too “mushy” for my taste. But at the end of the day, he’s an angel, so I suppose it was to be expected. He’s sweet, patient, and so understanding. Truly the embodiment of a “man written by a woman.”

And then there’s The Stranger. The mystery surrounding him kept me so invested. The number of times I wrote “I WANT TO KNOW!!!” in my notes is astounding. I kept trying to guess, “Is it this character? Or that one?”, and that’s all you’ll know from now 😏.

And Max, he was definitely intriguing. I cannot wait to find out more about him and the rest of the characters in the next book!

What about the ending? You should have seen me thinking my Kobo was glitching, looking for the next pages, spoiler alerts they were none. I was left with even more questions, and I NEED to know where this story goes next.

I know it’s a big book, but trust me, it’s so worth it!

A huge thank you to Rose & Star Publishing, Janette Rose & Alexis Rune for the PR box & ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this one! I honestly wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into when I first started this but I was hooked from the jump! I don’t think this book would fall under one of my “usual” reads but I’m so happy I got the opportunity to read this, it was a great time!

This book expands across genres: dark academia, contemporary romance, thriller, murder mystery, fantasy, paranormal romance — it’s certainly unique and doesn’t fit into any single box

The characters of this book are so easy to connect with:
• I loved Alice from the moment I met her, she’s the best friend that anyone would be lucky to have. She’s fierce, feisty, fiery, and funny. She constantly had me cracking up and is one of my favorite side characters ever.
• Summer hits really close to home for me. I empathize with her trauma, past relationships, and walls she’s built up to protect herself. I felt like I was reading a reflection of my past self not willing to accept the love and care of a healthy relationship. It was so easy to love her and identify with her, she was a great FMC.
• Max is a mystery to me, I have a lot of unanswered questions about him, but I’m so intrigued by his character. I WANT to like him, and for now I’ll say that I do, but I have a little side eye question mark about this one
• Connor “Big Guy” Morningstar was such a sweet MMC. He’s not my usual MMC type and at times he was a little TOO sweet for me. But I love how understanding and supportive he is of Summer, and as an Alice, as long as he makes Summer happy, he’s alright in my book

I could go on about more characters in this book but then this review would end up as a short novella. The twists and turns in this book are crazy! My buddy read with Sarah has SO MANY notes in it of our predictions and speculations! I promise you’ll never know what’s coming next, and honestly that’s a sign of a great read

I have SO MANY unanswered questions after that ending! I had to take a few minutes to process it all when I finished. I know she’s a thicccc book which can be a bit intimidating but do yourself a favor and give her a read. Feel free to blow up my DMs with thoughts, reactions, and speculations!

Omg I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down! I am also dying to read book 2, so I'm hoping it won't be too long a wait 😅

This book was kind of a dark romantasy book set at Avalon University, an elite magic institution with shifters, angels, vampires, berserkers, fae, warlocks and others. Throughout the whole story there was an undertone of darkness and mystery, so that it almost felt like a little bit of a thriller at times especially when murders started happening. I really liked all the characters and felt like they were really well written, and particularly liked the 'stranger' who is very intriguing.

I think fans of Zodiac Academy will definitely enjoy this!

This was a wild ride and thoroughly addicting. We follow Summer through her first year at Avalon Academy and the drama, murder, parties that follow. There are fae, vampire, shifters, frat house parties and a whole load of potential leading men, Conner & the Morningstar brothers, The Headmaster, The Stranger, Max, this book is packed full of beautiful people. Conner the golden boy angel and his love for Summer despite her high walls and the progression of their relationship alongside our mysterious Stranger, I cannot wait to see where this all goes for book 2. I have to admit it’s the first book that made me tear up in a long time and kept me guessing the whole way through!

DNF 25% in


I tried. And because I received an ARC, I told myself I shouldn’t DNF an ARC but holy cow it would have put me into a book slump if I continued on. This book is well over 800 and the dialogue is very childish to me. It’s very hard to power through and I couldn’t do it anymore.

Totally hooked! This book was such a fun, wild ride and seriously addictive—I couldn’t put it down. It gave me major Zodiac Academy vibes, so if you’re into that kind of intense, character-driven fantasy with action and twists, you’re going to love this. The worldbuilding has so much promise, and I can totally see this turning into a series people get obsessed with.

Huge thanks to Rose and Star Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts are my own, promise.

Yeah, no. This just wasn’t it. The dialogue gave me major bad Wattpad flashbacks—so cringey and forced. And why is the first book in a series almost 800 pages?? I had a feeling from that alone this wasn’t gonna be for me, but I gave it a shot anyway. Honestly, if the writing doesn’t click, it doesn’t click, and I’m not gonna force myself through 800 pages of something I’m not enjoying.

Also… the vibes?? Just no. It’s giving party girl, “I’m not like other girls,” college chaos, “let’s fuck shit up,” and every magical pop culture reference you can imagine thrown in like it’s a TikTok mashup. Merlin’s son?? Alice the Vampire?? Professor Draco??? Vlad Dracula??? Like... what are we doing here.

The setup says all the students are 27–32, which sounded cool because I was hoping for more mature characters. But then they act like freshmen at their first frat party. So why even mention their age?? Don’t sell me older characters and then write them like horny 19-year-olds.

Here’s an actual line from chapter one:

“Most are in their late twenties or early thirties… blah blah prestigious Avalon University.”

Cool, so why are they all acting like chaotic teens making out in dark corners and getting wasted every night?

By 16% in, the main characters have already hooked up and the guy is obsessed with the girl and wants to be her boyfriend. Like... what. They barely know each other. It's the most eye-roll insta-love I've read in a while. Even if there’s another love interest later, I honestly don’t care—everyone’s behavior is just super immature and annoying.

And the writing? Flat as hell. Literally feels like:
“Went to class. Hot professor. Next class. Another hot professor. Went out. Met a hot guy. Repeat.”
I didn’t even get to the smut, because I couldn’t stand being in the FMC’s head. She’s the ultimate “pick me” and just... ugh. Absolutely insufferable.

Also—cooch??? In a supposedly dark academia book?? Please be serious.

Hard pass.

DNF

Yeah, no. The dialogue reads like a bad Wattpad story—super cringey and unnatural. Right off the bat, I could tell this book was way too long (why is the first book in a series almost 800 pages??), and honestly, I knew from that alone it probably wasn’t for me. After giving it a shot, I’m definitely not going to push myself through something I’m not enjoying. If the writing doesn’t click, it doesn’t click.

blood & betrayals is the start of the avalon university series, and what a start it was!

i was immediately intrigued from chapter one, and throughout the whole novel, the dark and ethereal atmosphere remains. the world building is incredibly intriguing, and i found myself as interested as summer in the history and the magic of this world. i wanted to know everything. if jeanette rose & alexis rune released a history book about the universe they created in blood & betrayals, i’d read it. i’d attend the classes.

now, while i would have liked the story to spend a bit more time on the mystery aspect of the plot, i was honestly quite terrified for summer. the weight of this mystery was felt through the whole novel, which was gripping.

what drives the story, in the end, are the characters. i loved summer, i loved how far from perfect she was, how she made mistakes and how she sometimes felt very messy feelings. she is flawed, but i was rooting for her. connor took me a while to like, but in the end, i understood his character and appreciated him a lot. and the found family! alice is an icon and i adored her. rafe? i loved him, and i wouldn’t say no to more of him. zane & zach were funny, and i really liked lucas as well. the sense of belonging that summer feels spending time with them, and other characters like max, was portrayed so well. and of course, the stranger. my feelings were all over the place when it came to him, just like summer’s, and it’s what makes him a fascinating character. i first thought i knew who he was, but honestly, i don’t know anymore. i can’t wait to know more!

i really liked the writing style as well, it gave me 2000s/2010s style, in the best way possible. it was so bingeable. the vibes were perfect, i have to say. however, i do think the book could have benefited from being a little shorter. it did feel long at times with the pacing. the ending, while a bit too abrupt in my opinion, was incredible and opens up incredible potential for book two! i’ll definitely be continuing the series!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Addictive as hell! This is an amazing start to what I anticipate will be everyone's next fantasy obsession, definitely for fans of Zodiac Academy, loved this so much, great balance of character depth/action

I absolutely ate this book up!!! The setting was absolutely perfect! The cast of characters was amazing! The plot, the drama, the mystery, all of it was incredible.

I had a really fun time reading this book. I haven’t read Zodiac Academy, but I imagine that the way I felt reading this book is how people feel when they read Zodiac Academy.

I think there is a lot of potential for this book to go places.

Thank you to Rose and Star Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by the manner in which I received it.

🩸 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔅𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔶𝔞𝔩𝔰 ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔴 🩸
I'll begin by stating that the prologue gave me the ick, and I wasn't sure whether to continue reading or not. However, after I passed that part, it became good. I loved the main characters and the side characters, especially Alice. The male characters in this book are hot- very hot! Lol. (It is NOT a why choose or love triangle book.) I liked the murder/ stalker aspect, but the eerie vibes were barely there. I have read dark academia books with better eerie vibes, but I do understand it is also romantasy; still, I wanted more. Also, let's talk about the MC, specifically their age and its relation to the plot. The characters are around ages 27 to 30, but their actions and speech give off vibes of teenagers to those in their early 20s. I think the authors decided to categorize the characters within that age range mainly because of the frequent sexual scenes, which I didn’t really like. Each scene was so brief- like a quickie, him slamming into her with nothing more! Lol. No passion, no longing, no tension, NOTHING. Ultimately, I wasn't as obsessed as others due to the reasons I've mentioned and because there are many unanswered questions and scenes we aren't sure whether they were actually fulfilled or not. Not only that, some scenes felt so unnecessary, and it was SO GOD DAMN LONG- like, why?! Over 1000 pages... I'm positive the story could have been way better if it had been shortened by half, better edited, with some scenes erased, while adding more eerie vibes, tension, passion, and better sex scenes! Lol.
So, do I recommend this book? Maybe? I am not entirely sure.
Will I read the next book? I think so, hopefully it will be less than 1000 pages… because I won't last another round of that hehe

Rating: 3.5 rounded to 4 ⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

✨ 𝔗𝔯𝔬𝔭𝔢𝔰/ 𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢 ✨
- Fae, vampires, angels, shifters, sirens
- Dark academia romantasy
- Murder mystery
- stalking
- Avalon University
- Golden retriever MMC

A dark academia fantasy book with a side of murder mystery. Summer Tuatha De Daana was running from her dark past and the shady people in her life. When someone applied to Avalon University on her behalf and she got accepted to the elite institution, she figured its the best place to hide out and get the chance to acquire knowledge and develop her magic. In the smorgasbord of supernatural creatures (fae, vampire, archangels, shifters, sorcerers, etc.) learning to wield their power, one seems to be on a murder spree intent on Summer being the final target.

Blood and Betrayals has such amazing characters, an absolute riot of lovable and questionable ones. Alice, the unhinged slightly violent vampire bestfriend and roommate, is my favorite. We all need a friend like her IRL, vampire powers aside, the loyalty and level of understanding she extends to Summer is top notch. Connor, the golden retriever boyfriend, with his rowdy pack of siblings and adorable parents. There's a pureness in Connor's characterization that you can understand Summer's struggle with her relationship with him. The stranger and the headmaster are equally questionable and attractive in a dark and foreboding way - you know it probably will not end well but that it's definitely going to be one hell of a ride.

This book is long, some parts did feel really slow, I understand the need to highlight Summer's inner monologue however it feels repetitive at some point. That ending though, OOOHHH BRUTAL!!! I was internally screaming: NOOO, this cannot be how this ends!!!

Overall, a really good read. Looking forward to Book 2 with hopefully more answers to the murder mystery side of the storyline!!!

I had a fun time reading this if I'm honest.
The murder mystery as well and the dark academia vibes was perfect!
Oh and I cant forget my favorite black cat and golden retriever romance!!
Summer is such a fun character who is honestly hilarious throughout this book! And then we have Connor who is such a cutie and he is so sweet!! he can do no wrong!

Now listen yes I did cringe a few times with the dialogue but honestly I feel like it builds the character development sometimes. I read for vibes and this just worked for me.

I took five business days to write this review because I am still recovering from that brutal cliff hanger. OMG I absolutely devoured this story and this world. Our FMC Summer is mysteriously enrolled in Avalon University, where strange murders are taking place, and she is determined to figure out who is behind everything. When I say I want to read a good dark academia fantasy book, this is a perfect example of what I mean. This school is built of fae, vampires, archangels, shapeshifters, etc and they are all learning how to wield their powers. The main characters are so well flushed out, you will fall in love with everyone! From our feisty FMC Summer, to her murderous best friend vamperina Alice, the Moringstar brothers, and THE SHADOW DADDY STRANGER . I absolutely loved this story, the spice (grumpy fmc x sunshine golden retriever mmc), the banter, the character development, the unique magic system, and the mystery whodunit element. I highly recommend, and will be impatiently waiting for book 2 because whyyyyy did it end like that?!?!?!