I would rate 4.5 so rounding up to 5 as I cannot do halves on NetGalley.
This book was fantastic - like an intergalactic Hunger Games with magic!

The characters were layered and written so well! I also loved the prehistoric creatures. There is a romance storyline but it doesn’t deter from the main storyline.

The pacing was steady and I found that I could not stop reading! I loved the inclusion of systemic issues and psychological understandings such as the inner critic and mention of rules for living / core beliefs.

The story does overlap with others in the sci-fi / dystopian books but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would recommend and I will eagerly await the next book!

The Taming by Eve Hollenbeck was a fantastic read. It gave me some of the same high-stakes, competitive vibes that I love in Red Rising, but with a fantasy twist that made the story feel fresh and exciting.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the magic system. I really enjoyed learning how it worked as the story progressed, and I thought it added a lot to the world and the overall conflict. The character development was another strong point for me. The characters continued to grow throughout the story, and by the end I was very invested in what happens to them next.

This book definitely feels like the beginning of a larger series. By the time I reached the ending, I was already wanting the next book and curious to see where the story goes from here.

My only real criticism is that there were a few sections where the storytelling felt slightly rushed. Some scenes, relationships, or parts of the world could have benefited from a little more detail and time to develop. I enjoyed the story enough that I actually wanted it to slow down in those moments so I could spend more time in the world.

Overall, The Taming was an extremely enjoyable fantasy read with an interesting magic system, strong character development, and plenty of potential for the rest of the series. I would absolutely continue reading the series

Review posted on Goodreads and Instagram on 10/6/26
Will be posted on retailers upon release day.


Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for the ARC read!

Ok wow this was such a unique read. It honestly gave me those 2010s dystopian vibes! It was such a unique premise with how the magic system being mushrooms and they choose who to give magic too and they still act like normal mushrooms wanting to take over and populate. Not everyone has magic and it all varies and depending on how much you take depends on how much magic you have. Honestly between this and the multiple planets and the taming being who gets to “tame” the planet and rule it was so cool. It kind reminded me a bit of the show Invincible just with the multiple planets and wanting to take over new planets.

I loved Odessa as a character she knew what she wanted she had to save her mother and brother and it drives her throughout this story. Even with other events that try to throw her off course she still stays true to her target. She obviously does not understand the full depth of the world and the people she’s being forced to fight but she learns it slowly and at a pace as we as readers can understand without being info dumped on. Arran as a character was also well written he was mysterious but gave you enough to care about his character. Even the side characters have dimension. You can tell the author took care with the characters and giving them their own lives and stories and things that drive them. Another well written aspect is the villains they feel real and actually evil they don’t feel redeemable.

The pacing of this book I thought was good. It doesn’t take too long to get into the action and once you do it really moves. It gives you time to get new information but overall the story keeps a really good pace. I honestly wanted to just keep reading and getting back into the story. I wanted to find out what happened in the end.

The setting of the story is pretty stationary but it’s well written. It’s a very sci-fi setting and it honestly reminds me of the hunger games but in space.

If you love dystopian, sci-fi, enemies to lovers, fighting corruption and hunger games in space vibes this is for you! Overall this was such an amazing debut book and I really hope the author continues to write! I honestly loved the writing style and could feel the authors connection to this work. I cannot wait to see what comes next from this author!