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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Quick thought:
I had seen this one around and got nosey. dark academia setting? multiple trigger warnings? sold, sat & DEVOURED. & the dedication??
‘For all the readers who watched their world burn to ash, and could do nothing but scream.’ 😈

My brief summary:
Summer has always been different. As a fae abandoned to the mortal realm, she’s used to feeling isolated. Everything changes though when Summer soon finds herself attending Avalon University, an elite institution for magical education.

She didn’t expect to have a feral vampire roommate, nor meet a senior angel, who manage to break down her emotional walls. She didn’t expect Avalon to feel like it could be her home.

But darkness lurks the halls and soon they’re filled with students’ blood. And naturally, Summer turns out to be the obsession of a sadistic stalker. With fear for the safety of her new friends, Summer attempts to solve the mystery and catch the killer before it’s too late.

So who is her stalker? Who is the killer? And why are they after her?

Highlights/Tropes:
🏫 Dark academia romantasy
🫆 Murder mystery
🧛🏼 Fae, vamps, shifters, angels, etc.
🖊️ Tattoo + Rune-based magic
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family
💖 Friends to lovers
👀 Stalker
🌶️🌶️🌶️+

Characters:
FMC:
Summer Tuatha De Daanan. freshman. fae.<
I LOVED Summer as an FMC. the indecisiveness, the confusion, the self-loathing and self-sabotaging… iykyk. it was all just so REAL. probably the best BPD representation I’ve ever seen in a book. and possibly one of my new favorite FMCs. I can’t wait to see where she goes from here.

MMCs:
Connor Azrael Morningstar. senior. angel.
a legit cinnamon roll from minute one. a sandwich? 🥪. such a sweet, considerate character, with both Summer and his younger brothers. so mushy he even got Alice on his side. such an angel (no pun intended) my heart hurts and that’s all I have to say.

The Stranger.
mr. tall, dark, dangerous, powerful, and possessive… 🤭 yeah, you could say I’m team stranger. I ate up everything about this man like I was HIS stalker, and it still isn’t enough. I have my suspicions but until then 👀

Quotes:
‘He may have grown up with a sword in his hand, but at the end of the day, a warrior has a moral code. A survivor has none.’

‘This is exactly what I wanted isn’t it? Why do I feel so disappointed?’

‘You do not get to decide your worth to someone else. Only they do.’

‘There is solace in being the only person who can break your own heart.’

‘It’s funny how certain truths slip out to certain people. Like instinctively, my brain knows who can handle which f*cked up parts of me.’

‘“You understand me in a way they don’t.”
“Your darkness calls to mine.” Something inside me twists, but it’s not unpleasant. “You feel it, too?”’

‘He is everything I could ever need and more. What is wrong with me that I feel like I need someone else in my life who understands my darkness? Why do I have darkness?’

‘Do I like her dress? Of f*cking course, I like her dress. I have eyes.’

‘You can love someone, and they can still not be the right person for you.’

‘Does it make me evil that I want others to feel even a fraction of this pain, even if they deserve it?’

‘We can overcome our pasts. We can decide to not let them define us.’

‘“You know, there’s an old saying about fate,” Max starts. “Fate doesn’t waste its bullets.”’

‘“No… no more hiding. Okay?”’ 🥺

Romance/Spice:
friends to lovers. a grumpy FMC and a cinnamon roll MMC. Summer + Connor’s love story was cute. Watching the give and take between them, the compromises made. It was sweet watching Sum transform into a mush for Con. Seeing her attempts at learning how to love. …But truthfully, I was much more invested in who I think may be potential love interests for down the road 👀.
In terms of spice, multiple open door and fade to black scenes. I don’t think that it necessarily took away from the story, but just know there’s definitely some spice!

Overall thoughts:
I enjoyed every minute of this and probably highlighted half the book 😅

An engaging plot, relatable characters, and lines that actually had me laughing.

Plot - I love a good romantasy / murder mystery crossover. And in an academia setting? Even better. The search for the culprit, uncovering each clue and truth… it all kept me on the edge of my seat. A solid balance of romance and mystery within a fantasy setting. World building with multi-realm lore, myths, and rune based magic, all well developed imo. And the ending? I was waiting for the shoe to drop and my jaw STILL fell. like that should be criminal. sign me up for the next one IMMEDIATELY.

As for the side characters - I’m obsessed with them all, but mostly Alice. She is literally the best friend everyone wishes they had and everything out of her mouth had me dying. SUCH a great character!! The Morningstar family was sweet, and I liked how each of them felt fully developed as characters. Each boy had a personality, and I grew to love them all. I also liked Max, his banter and his little character arc.
Also that headmaster? 🫦 something’s up with that.

In terms of my rating - it’s mostly based on vibes for this one. realistically this is probably more of a 4/4.5 star read (kinda long, but with good pacing. & probably could have used a little more editing) BUT the vibes were so immaculate it honestly didn’t matter to me. I just know this will live rent free in my head until March 2026, when book 2 comes out - aka, immediate 5 star. Sorry, not sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️

TLDR; Book 1 of an incomplete series. Dark academia romantasy murder mystery with witty banter, a hot stalker, and the best friend you’ve always wanted. Trigger warnings galore. Book 2 out in March 2026!

The emotional damage this book has dealt me! I am absolutely flabbergasted. For fans of series like The Zodiac Academy or The Legacy Series, this fantasy romance with dark and gothic elements will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.

I particularly loved how the authors wrote the characters. Particularly Summer who deals with a strong sense of self doubt and borderline personality disorder (undiagnosed), they are very true in writing the emotions as she feels them but is also conscious of how the feelings are effecting her relationships and the people around her. All of the characters feel very lived in true to who they are.

I am desperately waiting for the sequel. On my knees, begging for it (please).

Summer, a unique fae, gets accepted to Avalon University without applying herself and decides to attend. She tries to continue her closed-off demeanor but certain people learn to climb her walls. When other fae start to get m*rdered, she notices that they all look like her and not only is she being stalked by this psycho, she's also being watched by a mysterious "stranger" who is trying to protect her. Things get pretty dicey and there are so many little twists that this book definitely keeps you coming back for more!

This book takes you on SUCH a journey with Summer and her character development is really thought out. While I don't necessarily enjoy things just being spoon-fed to me in the story, the writing made it seem almost effortless. Summer is highly intelligent so it wasn't an unbelievable idea that she'd have such an inner dialogue.

I will say that it's about 20% a vibes read (in my opinion). There are a few aspects that didn't really make sense, such as a certain character trait that is only mentioned one time but it's mentioned like said character does it all the time? That threw me off a bit but it didn't really take me out of the story itself.

I also think the book could have been a bit shorter than it was, I was getting bored around the 25% mark because it didn't feel like much was really happening in the story and the spice probably could have been cut down a bit (I found myself skimming those parts at a certain point). Overall, though, I had a good time with it. I love Alice and Summer - their friendship is absolutely amazing!

Wow! The opening prologue was one of the sharpest hooks I've come across in a while. It didn't just reel me it, it yanked me from the water and left me laying on the shore, stunned and water to go back.

Mystery, darkness, fae, supernatural; Blood and Betrayal had it all and I ate it up. This book became my obsession while reading it. Nothing in my house got done, even after I had finished it, I still sat in shock, because, what an ending!

I've dropped a star on my review, purely because I felt it was a little to 'wordy' in parts, and did become a little flowery. I think I would have given this 5 stars if the book wasn't close to 800 pages.

That said, I can't wait for book two. Read this book, you have to!

3 - 3.5 stars. This is a dark academia, following our fae FMC Summer, as she's mysteriously enrolled at Avalon University by a stranger. The first 40% of this book is dedicated almost entirely to Summer's relationship with her new fling, Conner Morningstar. We see it all, their flirting, fighting, hooking up every other chapter, and Summer running away over and over again due to her trauma. The spice is repetitive and adds nothing after a while. Her roommate, Alice, is a quirky vampire and makes for some great found family, along with the rest of the Morningstar brothers. There are some mystery chapters sprinkled in between all of this but I found myself forgetting what the mystery events even were since there was little focus on it. I also wanted more of the academia. Summer almost solely hangs out with Alice and the Morningstars. Who are her neighbors? Who are her classmates? Why do they only use runes sometimes? Why did they never go back to Camelot?? So little is mentioned about the actual school part of this dark academia and I was bummed.

The plot doesn't really start moving until the 50% mark, which is frankly going to be too late for many readers. More students are k*lled on campus and the gang, with the assistance of the headmaster, hurry to figure out what is happening. A "Stranger" ghost of character starts showing up more, but we unfortunately do not get many answers on who this is or why are they so obsessed with Summer.

I personally wanted more mystery and suspense. The ending made little sense to me because there wasn't much leading up to it and very little clues supporting it. What does it even mean? I will probably still read book 2 but I sincerely hope it isn't as long.

Pick this up if you love:
-Found family
-Dark academia
-Spice
-Fae, magic, and realms
-Suspense

🖤 Vibes:

dark academia, fantasy, "dark past", broody strager

📖 TL;DR:

Wish I could have half stars, this is a solid 3.5.
Very long for a first book in a series where not THAT much happens and so many open questions remain. Summer is a bit annoying to read. If it weren't for the bipolar disclaimer, I would have stopped reading. The world-building and the vibes kept me reading mostly.


🔥 Spice Level:

2/5 - There are many spicy scenes but very vanilla and brief.

⭐ Things I give a thumbs up:

The Strager
The world-building
The mistery
Alice and Summer's relationship
The Morningstar brothers

🤷🏻‍♀️ Things that made me want to hit my head against the wall:

"My big guy"
All the mushiness (Also, the fact that even the characters acknowledge it)
What's the deal with Max?
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE HEADMASTER
BRETT?
WHERE IS THE UNDERWEAR?
Summer personality (just hope it get's better in future books)
The "troubled past" wasn't that troubled

🎯 Would I recommend it?:

Yes, but only for the vibes and because it sets high expectations for what is to come.

I beg your finest pardon? THAT ENDING!!!!!!

I've been in such a weird slump but I devoured this entire beast in about 24 hours. I was hooked from the begining and the mystery behind the stranger? LOVEEEED it. Also, Headmaster Emrys and his slutty glasses, SOOOOO HOT. THAT MAN CAN DISCIPLINE ME ANYTIME :)

I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2. I just know the trauma is going to be INSANE.

I loved:
- found family
- Headmaster Emrys
- The Stranger
- Max
- Alice
- Dark Academia
- Multiple realms
- Mysteries


was it a fun time? yes, yes it was. that ending was fucked. I need more 🤣

Thank you so much Netgalley & Rose & Star Publishing & the wonderful authors for an earc in exchange for an honest review

Dark academia, an elite university shrouded in mystery. Secrets and murders. He falls first and found family.

I absolutely loved this book - definitely 5 stars for me.

This book gave me all the feels - happiness and best friends and found family and comedy, but also creepy vibes along with tension and yearning. This had it all. And the end. Literal tears. That one I did not see coming, but now that I have gotten over my shock I am sort of glad it happened that way (don’t come at me - without spoilers I have my reasons 😂).

I am team Stranger all the way. I have theories on who it could be, but nothing really fits perfectly. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to find out more about him. The tension and yearning that built up was perfect. I loved the time that this book took to really explore the different relationships and dynamics, both romantic and non-romantic.

This book gave me Zodiac Academy vibes, and I love that series so much, and the other series in the same universe. I cannot wait for book 2, the idea that we still have months to wait is almost untenable!!!

The only thing I will say is that I did feel like the nickname of big guy was overused - even in the same conversation Summer would say big guy in every sentence at times. And the reveal of the murderer seemed a bit out of the blue for me at the end, but I suspect that will be built on in the next book and that there are things I do not yet know.

A huge thank you to the amazing authors Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune, Rose and Star Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Blood & Betrayals in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely finished this book and (even though was on a Kindle Unlimited at its release) you can be assured I immediately went and purchased the paperback shelf trophy!

As a romantasy lover, I loved this book. LOVED. 6 stars. One of my favorite reads this year. The plot is absolutely on point with excellent world building and FANTASTIC main character development. Once more readers are aware of Blood & Betrayals it will BLOW UP. I laughed, I felt shock and I cried. The "spice" in this book is spicy. There several spicy scenes and, for me, those could have had more variety. Few books make me cry and this was absolute emotional damage. Add this to your TBR and then devour it.
Troupes: Dark Academia, FMC with a past, MMC is a literal Angel, Found Family. First Love, Grumpy (Her) x Sunshine (Him)

This book follows a fae woman, Summer who is attending a supernatural academy filled with different species from vampires, angels, sorcerers, fae etc. Amongst some school drama and relationship building we get a full on murder mystery with some major twists while Summer is faced with personal trials and tribulations along the way.

I gave this book 4 stars! I loved the FMC and her journey in battling her demons while finding people that love her for who she is. A lot of my praise for this book comes from the relationship building for Summer and her found family. It reminded me a bit of Zodiac Academy but a little more mature since this seems more like a college. While it is a Dark Academia book, I thought there could have been a little more jargon surrounding the schooling and the learning the coincides. In addition to the relationships, I enjoyed the murder mystery element of this because it's not something I see as much in fantasy books I read. I did read more like general mystery book taking place in a fantasy world which kept the pages turning.

The only thing that felt a bit much for me was the frequency of the "spicy' scenes. it kind of felt like it was just thrown in the story too much and took away from more depth that the plot/world building could have gone into.

In the end, I was surprised at the conclusion and shed tears which doesn't happen for me often. I do think that it sets up a lot of hope for the 2nd book to be better than the 1st and hopefully get more into the world and Summer's background.

This book was very reminiscent of Zodiac Academy. It was cringe, fun, and heavily traumatizing during the ending scenes. I loved the friendship between our main character and her newly found best friend. Although the romance is a bit off-putting, it made sense once readers got to the end of the book. The book is a little longer than it needed to be, and it did feel dragged out at a few points. I am thoroughly entertained though, and will be tuned in for the sequel.

What do you mean that’s the ending? I’ll be starting at a wall until book two. Thank you very much for ruining any book I will read after this. 6 stars. Unreal. The torture. The trauma. Was this worth 1000 pages? Also yes.

Big thanks to the Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was entertaining but had some problems - the majority of which could be solved by making it 300-400 pages shorter. While this book is on the long side (1000+ pages), I kept waiting for deeper world-building or more character development that never really happened. We technically found out the plot twist but the motive was barely explained, which made the reveal fall flat.

There were also a bunch of random side stories/side characters that didn’t add much. The only parts that really kept my interest were the headmaster/stranger (definitely the most intriguing character) and Alice, who was a fun and loyal best friend.

Sadly I was left with more questions than answers with this one.

5 stars — Absolutely unforgettable.

This book completely consumed me. I adored every minute spent with Connor and Summer, two characters that now live rent-free in my mind. Their dynamic was magnetic and so well developed.

The dark academia setting paired with the mystery gave this story such an immersive, moody atmosphere. It’s a longer book, but I never once felt like it dragged, in fact, I was happy to linger in this world as long as possible. One of my favorite aspects was the friendship between Summer and Alice. It was genuine, supportive, and added so much emotional depth. Their bond was just as captivating as the central romance.

I’m already anxiously waiting for book two. I need more of these characters, this world, this VIBE. Easily a new favorite. This book had me hooked from start to finish, and now I’m counting down the days until book 2. Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune, you’ve created something truly special!

This was at least 400 pages too long. I feel like there could have been more of the world building, more characters development, and more story building. We got no real answers from this book. While we did find the killer, we didn’t really get the motive?

There were a lot of unnecessary side stories. The main characters were apparently closer to their 30s but acting like they were teenagers.

Honestly, the only interesting part of this book is the headmaster/stranger. Alice was a fun BFF. The plot was hardly there and it was mainly background noise to Summer & Conner. We also ended with significantly more questions than answers. I won’t be continuing this series.

Thank you to the authors and Net Galley for the ARC.

This book is now one of my favorite reads - 5⭐️!
The plot was plotting, the spice was spicy and I fell in love with the characters.
I have so many questions needing to be answered. And that ending….. it destroyed me!
Chefs kiss!🤌🏻
Impatiently waiting for book 2 to come out!

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!

Firstly, I love the concept as I loved Zodiac Academy. However, I didn’t like the instant love, didn’t like the mmc (connor just was not it sorry, it was desperate and a bit weird). I think the female mmc was trying to be like Bryce Quinlan but didn’t quite get there. I did love the friendship between Alice and Summer (one of the main reasons why i read on.) If you are into:
- Instant love
- extreme golden retriever mmc vibes
- fantasy but in touch with the modern world
- long books?
- spice

Then this book is for you. I think I just wanted more of a plot with my spice? Potentially a personal preference 🤷🏼‍♀️

I absolutely flew through this book!

The characters were so addixting and lived for the messiness of it all

The drama, the suspense it was … * chefs kiss *

Cannot wait for book 2 because that ending killed me