GUYS… this book had me in a chokehold 😭 we’re talking paranormal/dark academia vibes with fae, vampires, angels, demons, shifters, sorcerers—you name it, it’s in here. Summer (our FMC) is total black cat energy and of course she gets paired with a golden retriever MMC (my weakness). Add in a chaotic, sassy bestie, found family feels, and banter that had me giggling and kicking my feet.

The real scene-stealer though? The mysterious stranger 👀 hot, broody, morally gray, and leaving breadcrumbs that I ate UP. Was it long? Yeah. Did it feel like a setup book? For sure. But it was so bingeable I couldn’t stop reading. And THAT ENDING??? Absolutely criminal. Book 2 better drop in my lap right now because I NEED ANSWERS.

I finally finished this monstrosity. It did not need to be 1,000 pages 🤦‍♀️ I honestly should’ve DNF’d it when I first wanted to, but I pushed through past 50% - and while it did get a little more interesting, it only ended up disappointing me in the end.
It’s massively overwritten with way too much filler and really weird pacing. And don’t even get me started on the constant moaning, growling, and straddling… The plot itself was interesting, but it got buried under all the extra words. The characters were actually well written, though the FMC drove me absolutely insane.
And that ending - WTF was that? A huge cliffhanger with zero explanation. I’m giving it 3 ⭐️ solely because of the MMC, because I do want to know who he really is and what that ending was even about. But wow… it kinda sucks how everything turned out in the end.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for giving me a chance to read this story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book

Unfortunately I am DNF-ing this about 30% in.

It's not the book, it's me. I probably should done a little more research before picking this one up, I could have saved myself from having ti write this review. I was really interested in this book because I liked the idea of a book set in this university with all kinds of supernatural beings attending, it sounded kinda similar to Zodiac Academy minus the bullying.

However unfortunately there are a few things in this book that is making me not want to continue picking it up. I will try to list these to help you decide if this is something you'd like to read or if, like me, this might not be a good pick for you:
• The insta-love. For a book this long I was expecting a nice slow burn romance with lots of yearning and that kind of stuff. but 5% in the characters were making out already when they just met like 10 minutes ago? And then boom now they are having sex every second chapter but they haven't even had a proper conversation.
• Our FMC is also very much giving the pick me party girl vibes which I do not enjoy
• She is also supposed to be this very standoffish "I hate people" person, but only a few pages in she's already besties with her new roommate? I get that sometimes you just connect with people but still, with this page count, it would have been great to slowly build up their relationship
• The fact that these characters are supposed to be adults, but they're acting like they're 16, everyone is just so immature and this really turned me off this book.
• Too much telling and not enough showing which just really is not my type of book.

I will say that if you liked Zodiac Academy, don't mind an insta-love romance & like the whole dark academia party collage vibes with some supernatural elemens there is a good chance you will enjoy this.

I did not finish reading this book because the premise was nothing like I expected. I wanted a dark academia atmosphere with a main character learning to let her walls down and to let people care about her. Unfortunately, I got a lot of high school drama with 20-year-olds and a main character that was really concerned with having sex with the star quarterback and then getting mad at him for having feelings for her because she's different than anyone he's ever met before, but then she's lusting after the mysterious hot headmaster..... yeah, no thanks.

4.5 The more time I process it the more I’m loving this book but also the hurt keeps getting worse. (I definitely hurt my feelings even more making a playlist for this book, because clearly I’m a masochist) BUT WHY DID NO ONE WARN ME?!

I’m bit of a mess right now, I finished at 5am fighting back tears. I love it when a book has me theorizing, but my blessing and curse of usually being right is when I don’t want to be, but at the same time I was kind of hoping for the ending? 🙂 because that would have made me love the book more (yes I know I’m insane) and well it did but damn it hurt.

Per my unhinged updates, I got the love interest wrong for a while there which is totally on me and my issues, I was very confused, but I was enjoying the academic setting, the world building infused with mythology and lore had me geeking out and you all know I love that. For a moment I thought the romance not being my kind would be an issue because I’m not into friends to lovers, and the mushiness had me wanting to bolt (I’m an anti-feelings girly so I got Summer too much, I was always packed and ready to run with her) but when my theory clicked into place about halfway through I started to see and appreciate everything differently.

The headmaster & the stranger?! I’M SO DOWN BAD FOR THEM!

I had a really good time, I giggled, gasped, screamed, got flustered, angry, manically laughed, got so frustrated, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, but I also wanted to crawl into the book because the found family in this 😭 There’s just so many characters to love ♥️

I’ll definitely try to hunt this book down here soon because I need to annotate, because I know I’m onto more, but also to share some quotes because there were so many, it’s a thicc book and well this is an ARC so I need the finished copy to share.

I already can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you Rose & Star Publishing, Alexis Rune, Jeanette Rose and NetGalley for this ARC. So happy I found it there because I had been wanting to read this so bad! 🖤

Did I finish this book, or did it finish me?
I love me a good dark-academia, complex romantasy, slow burn,.....you name it this book has it. I loved it and can't wait for more from these authors!

This book completely wrecked me—in the best way. Blood and Betrayals is dark, twisty, and full of the kind of romance that makes you scream into a pillow. Every betrayal had me side-eyeing everyone, and the tension kept me glued to the page.

The world feels lush and dangerous without ever slowing down, and the characters? Messy, morally grey, and impossible not to love (even when you want to throttle them). And the romance… whew. Addictive, sharp, and absolutely unputdownable.

If you love fantasy that mixes heartbreak with heat and never lets you get too comfortable, you need this book on your list. I devoured it and now I’m desperate for more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First up thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this for an honest review.

This book has left me with very mixed feelings. At the beginning, I thought I was going to devour it and absolutely love it. I was really intrigued to find out what kind of fae she was and get some background info. The characters are really well written and likeable to begin with but then some things started to flop. Hearing big guy so many times 🫥.

The book was looooong and I loved Connor- easily top tier boyfriend.

The stranger though? He just disappeared near the end which leaves you with questions. I just felt after chapter 54 it was dragging and I was close to giving up. The ending was good, fair, I did cry but I also guessed what was going to happen so it was a predictable read.

I think overall I just wish it wasnt so many pages for such little plot? I feel mean giving this review. I think it being compared to zodiac academy has meant it fell flat because of high expectations.

It just built up to a few story lines that never got elaborated on but because of how long winded it was to get to the end, im not sure id read a second.

I liked it but it fell flat and I didnt love it and im so sorry its not a raving feral book love review from me.

I am so sorry, but I did not finish this book. I don't typically leave reviews on books that I didn't finish. I know there is a huge market of readers that would LOVE this book. This one just wasn't for me. The characters didn't match their supposed age and for me it is just too long.

Thank you so much for providing the ARC for this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a THICK read but if you enjoy paranormal and dark academia, then you definitely need to add this one to your TBR. I absolutely loved the friendship between Alice and Summer. Alice might just be my spirit animal. And the MMCs omg I loved them too! But this one gave me all the feels and easily a 5 star read.

Dark academia, murder, mystery and all the mayhem that being in a school usually does. I enjoyed this so much, it didn't take itself seriously and I just enjoyed the fun that it is meant to be. The main character was far too relatable and i loved all the elements and the whole supernatural cast was so much fun.

I love a good dark academia book, and this delivered on that front. I loved that there were all kinds of supernatural beings lumped together in this school. It was easier to imagine the characters as younger than their ages, though, because they all seemed rather immature for their ages. For me, there was a bit too much spice to the point where it weighed down the plot progression, and I found myself skimming spicy scenes to get back to the plot. Overall, I think it was enjoyable, but it could have been a lot shorter. I would recommend this book if you like dark academia, spice, and murder mysteries!

This definitely could have been shorter, but overall I really liked this book. Very CW tv show vibes, with a raw and messy main character who I unfortunately found very relatable. Really loved all the characters and the relationship dynamics, and there was a little murder mystery component that kept me hooked. Also the ending??? Absolutely gutting and I'll be picking up the next book as soon as it's out.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review on this book, unfortunately I did not like this at all. The immaturity level of the characters felt like I was reading about high school teenagers, not almost thirty year olds. A lot of the dialogue was honestly a bit cringe worthy. I think the plot line was interesting, but unfortunately the dialogue and demeanor of the characters just completely wasn’t my taste.

Thank you for the ARC! I tried to get into this, but unfortunately I felt like the book was far too long, and the plot with it. That being said, I can see how readers would enjoy this for the vibes and tropes.

This book gave me everything: murder, mystery, magic, morally grey mayhem—and then emotionally wrecked me with the ending. The spice was good, but sometimes I was yelling, “Okay, stop hooking up and solve the mystery already!” Brutal cliffhanger. Would suffer again.

Blood & Betrayals is the kind of book you lose yourself in completely. The world of Avalon University is dark, dangerous, and dripping with atmosphere, and I could not get enough of it. Fae, vampires, angels, shifters — it’s a whole cast of supernatural chaos, and somehow it all works together seamlessly.

What really stood out for me were the relationships. Summer and Alice are iconic as a best-friend duo, both fierce and flawed but loyal in a way that makes you root for them instantly. Connor brings the perfect golden retriever energy, balancing out Summer’s sharp edges with patience and warmth. Then there’s the Headmaster and the mysterious stalker, who added so much intrigue I found myself desperate for answers.

The pacing is ambitious, yes, but I never felt bored. The sheer size of the book gave space for detailed worldbuilding, complex magic, and plenty of spice woven into the drama. The blend of dark academia, romantasy, and murder mystery vibes is addictive. By the time I reached the cliffhanger ending, I was wrecked in the best way and immediately needed book two.

I just finished Blood & Betrayals and it definitely kept my attention. It’s a long read at over 700 pages, but the mix of dark academia vibes, magic, and romance made it easy to stay invested.
The setting is atmospheric and interesting, and I thought the way Summer’s trauma and mental health were portrayed added depth to her character. Her friendship with Alice was one of my favorite parts of the book — their bond really stood out.
Some of the characters, like Connor, were easy to root for, while others felt a little less developed to me. The pacing was solid overall, though there were moments that dragged. And I’ll admit, the cliffhanger ending felt a bit frustrating after such a long journey, but definitely has me invested for the next book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

This book was so good! Did it need to be that long? I don’t think so. But did I cry at the end? Yes I did. Very much enjoyed just wish it wasn’t so long.