What Lies Beyond the Veil
- Downloads：9025
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-24 04:19:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Harper L. Woods
- ISBN：B09HJYMTKW
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Once， we’d worshipped them as Gods。
For nearly 400 years， the Veil has protected us from the Fae of Alfheimr。 In their absence， our lives have shifted from decadence and sin to survival and virtue under the guidance of the New Gods。 I’ve spent my entire life tending to the gardens next to the boundary between our worlds， drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame。
Then， we died on their swords。
All of that changes the day the Veil shatters， unleashing the fae upon our world once again。 The magic of faerie marks those of us they mean to take， but the Mist Guard protecting Nothrek will kill us all before they let the fae have us。 There’s no choice but to flee everything I’ve ever known， not if I want to live to see my twenty-first birthday as a free woman。
Now， they’ll claim what’s theirs。
But before they capture me， Caelum saves me from the Wild Hunt。 Fae-marked and on the run， he is able to fight back in ways I only dream of。 From tentative alliance to all-consuming passion， our bond strengthens as the fae close in and evil lurks ever nearer。 With my life on the line， he is everything I shouldn’t dare to want and a distraction I can’t afford。 I can’t seem to stay away， not even with something greater on the line。
My heart。
Author’s Note: This book is intended for readers who are 18 and older。 It contains mature language， graphic violence， and explicit content with darker elements。 This is book one in a series and ends in a cliffhanger。
For nearly 400 years， the Veil has protected us from the Fae of Alfheimr。 In their absence， our lives have shifted from decadence and sin to survival and virtue under the guidance of the New Gods。 I’ve spent my entire life tending to the gardens next to the boundary between our worlds， drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame。
Then， we died on their swords。
All of that changes the day the Veil shatters， unleashing the fae upon our world once again。 The magic of faerie marks those of us they mean to take， but the Mist Guard protecting Nothrek will kill us all before they let the fae have us。 There’s no choice but to flee everything I’ve ever known， not if I want to live to see my twenty-first birthday as a free woman。
Now， they’ll claim what’s theirs。
But before they capture me， Caelum saves me from the Wild Hunt。 Fae-marked and on the run， he is able to fight back in ways I only dream of。 From tentative alliance to all-consuming passion， our bond strengthens as the fae close in and evil lurks ever nearer。 With my life on the line， he is everything I shouldn’t dare to want and a distraction I can’t afford。 I can’t seem to stay away， not even with something greater on the line。
My heart。
Author’s Note: This book is intended for readers who are 18 and older。 It contains mature language， graphic violence， and explicit content with darker elements。 This is book one in a series and ends in a cliffhanger。
Reviews
Tatianna Bluel
，
It felt very much like ACOTAR fanfic but not in a great way。 Not gonna lie， the mate being blond is…a let down haha。 Idk， maybe I was just waiting for Rys？ Maybe I think Caleum is an asshole…
Anie
，
*I received an ARC of this book for an honest review* If you’re a fan of the “who gave you those scars？！” trope， fated mates trope， or morally gray man trope， look no further！！！ Estrella is the perfect heroine: defiant in a male-driven society， mouthy in the best way， and fiercely loyal to her family。 She also has incredibly relatable insecurities and fears that make her one my favorite female characters in 2022 so far。 If you’re a fan of Rhysand from ACOTAR， Darius from Zodiac Academy， or Carda *I received an ARC of this book for an honest review* If you’re a fan of the “who gave you those scars？！” trope， fated mates trope， or morally gray man trope， look no further！！！ Estrella is the perfect heroine: defiant in a male-driven society， mouthy in the best way， and fiercely loyal to her family。 She also has incredibly relatable insecurities and fears that make her one my favorite female characters in 2022 so far。 If you’re a fan of Rhysand from ACOTAR， Darius from Zodiac Academy， or Cardan from Cruel Prince， look no further than Caelum！ I won’t reveal anything else 😏🌶This was definitely not your typical human-girl-collides-with-Fae-world book！ This book gives a unique perspective to the relationship between the human and Fae worlds， a fascinating Fae history that includes gods and hot spring orgies， and witches thrown in the mix too！ This book left me with my jaw on the floor and wishing it was August so I can get my hands on book 2！！ 。。。more
N
，
I do not typically read fantasy， but Harper knocked it out the park。 The story was a slow build， and by the end I was craving more。 Caelum and Estrella were amazing。 He was protective and everything you want in an alpha male。 He became her everything。 By the end of the book， he was my everything。 I cannot wait until the next book is released。 I am officially hooked。
Sunny
，
I’ve been super excited for this book's release ever since seeing it on booktok。 It wasn’t for me， but I totally see why people gave it stellar reviews。 This book hits my major romance points。 It has the who hurt you trope， sharing a bed for warmth， reluctant ally’s to lovers。 The love interest is protective to a fault （tbh a little too much for me， but if you love an overprotective man， then he’s for you） I've seen a fair amount of reviews compare it to From Blood and Ash， while I wouldn't say I’ve been super excited for this book's release ever since seeing it on booktok。 It wasn’t for me， but I totally see why people gave it stellar reviews。 This book hits my major romance points。 It has the who hurt you trope， sharing a bed for warmth， reluctant ally’s to lovers。 The love interest is protective to a fault （tbh a little too much for me， but if you love an overprotective man， then he’s for you） I've seen a fair amount of reviews compare it to From Blood and Ash， while I wouldn't say I liked it as much as that series it is a good comparison。 My major complaint about the book is the world-building。 Everyone else’s review seems to enjoy that aspect， but I couldn’t get my head around it， and it ruined the whole first half of the book for me。 If the fae have been gone for 400 years， how on earth does everyone know so damn much about them？ How does everyone know that once the veil drops， the hunt will come or what the marks are？？？ It just doesn’t make sense to me in a world where the religion controls everything and tries to shut down the old ways （and has for 400 years） that everyone would immediately understand what was happening and that nothing got lost in translation over the years。 I know I am being super nit-picky here， but it was something I wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief for and made me so annoyed at the book。 There were multiple pages that I had to go back and reread because I wasn’t sure what was happening。 。。。more
Teresa Juckett （Give Me All The Book's）
，
Just the cover alone is wonderful and this story just amazing。 I went into this book totally blind。 I had no idea what to expect at all。 Yet here I am completely blown away。 I've not read to many fantasy stories， so I'd say it's not a world I have ventured into many times， which is why I decided to read this and boy am I glad i ever did。 Estrella was a phenomenal fmc she was incredibly relatable， because she was someone I could identify with。 Now Caelum is a whole other brand of book boyfriend t Just the cover alone is wonderful and this story just amazing。 I went into this book totally blind。 I had no idea what to expect at all。 Yet here I am completely blown away。 I've not read to many fantasy stories， so I'd say it's not a world I have ventured into many times， which is why I decided to read this and boy am I glad i ever did。 Estrella was a phenomenal fmc she was incredibly relatable， because she was someone I could identify with。 Now Caelum is a whole other brand of book boyfriend this man right here is morally grey and is so swoon worthy。 He'd burned the world down if someone was to hurt Estrella。 There are still plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns leaving you with unanswered questions and that ending😱。 This book is definitely a ride， I will say that and I cannot wait for the next。 。。。more
Hickory Dickory
，
Honestly it was a low key combination of ACOTAR， FBAA， and the Iron Fey series， and I’m here for it。 Tropes:- Knife to throat - Touch her and I’ll kill you…nah I’ll burn the world down- Helping with each other’s injuries - One bed trope…cause bby it’s cold outside - Secrets， secrets， and more secrets
kittielovesbooks
，
Estrella lives right by the Veil and because of this， she knows that there are certain sacrifices that they make。 After all， they are the poorest in the kingdom， therefore the most replaceable。 Everything changes， though， the day that the Veil shatters and everything that they had learned to fear was released。 As one of the Fae Marked， she knows that if she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her miserable life connected with one of those monsters。 So， she runs。 What she doesn’t expect is finding Estrella lives right by the Veil and because of this， she knows that there are certain sacrifices that they make。 After all， they are the poorest in the kingdom， therefore the most replaceable。 Everything changes， though， the day that the Veil shatters and everything that they had learned to fear was released。 As one of the Fae Marked， she knows that if she doesn’t want to spend the rest of her miserable life connected with one of those monsters。 So， she runs。 What she doesn’t expect is finding Caelum。 He is everything that she doesn’t need to deal with now but， as another Fae Marked， he has the same goal as her。 Or does he？Adelaide Forrest/Harper L。 Woods did me rough again！ Geez。 I did not expect that she could put me through the same kinds of rides in her new fantasy series as she does in her dark mafia but， how wrong was I？！ Caelum is everything dedicated， alpha hero that I love about Adelaide’s stories but now it is set in this amazing new world that she has put together。 Grab this one up and get ready for a ride！！ 。。。more
Haley
，
3。25/5Overall I liked the story and I will continue with the series （left off on a cliffhanger）。 The way the story turned out didn't surprise me in the least， it was easily predictable， especially if you pick up on the emphasis on certain things and numerous mentions of said things。 I initially really liked Estrella and Caelum， Estrella's situation and the time period （medieval） makes you feel for her and the reality of the situations for women。 Estrella preached freedom and the ability to be ab 3。25/5Overall I liked the story and I will continue with the series （left off on a cliffhanger）。 The way the story turned out didn't surprise me in the least， it was easily predictable， especially if you pick up on the emphasis on certain things and numerous mentions of said things。 I initially really liked Estrella and Caelum， Estrella's situation and the time period （medieval） makes you feel for her and the reality of the situations for women。 Estrella preached freedom and the ability to be able to make her own choices， without men or anyone interfering，but many of the times she didn't take her own advice and only seemed to argue it when she's angry。 It irritated me how Estrella almost lost her intuition around Caelum as well as her natural suspicion because of the attention she got from him， she was quite suspicious of him in the beginning but neglected the issues that he presented/hid （although given she’s never really met a good man， nor been with someone who wants her for her it makes sense why she might’ve lost herself）。 I enjoyed Caelum in the beginning but near the end， him wanting to control Estrella was so at odds to what he was preaching throughout the story。 。。。more
Lindsay
，
Overall Rating: 5 ⭐️Spice Rating: 2。5 🌶 It's been a minute since I've read a 5 star read， and I am thoroughly impressed with Ms。 Woods。I absolutely love everything written under Harper L Wood's other name- Adelaide Forrest， so when I learned she was writing a （spicy） fantasy novel， I was jumping out of my chair ready to read this book， and oh boy did it not disappoint。This novel was absolutely everything I love about a fantasy book， but the adult version。 Surprisingly， I also enjoyed both Estrel Overall Rating: 5 ⭐️Spice Rating: 2。5 🌶 It's been a minute since I've read a 5 star read， and I am thoroughly impressed with Ms。 Woods。I absolutely love everything written under Harper L Wood's other name- Adelaide Forrest， so when I learned she was writing a （spicy） fantasy novel， I was jumping out of my chair ready to read this book， and oh boy did it not disappoint。This novel was absolutely everything I love about a fantasy book， but the adult version。 Surprisingly， I also enjoyed both Estrella and Caelum （usually in fantasy books one of the main characters seriously annoys me， but this was not the case）。 I am not obsessed with Caelum， and need one of my own irl， this man is H。O。T。My only complaint with this book is that it had to end ）: I simply devoured this novel， and I am impatiently waiting for the next one （which also happens to come out on my birthday 😏）*I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Shirley Cuypers
，
Review to come！
Gitanjali Kumar
，
Alright！！ Caelum definitely has my attention。。For a debut this book is definitely gold。Really good characterization，steady paced story，twisted and suspense filled，awesome chemistry。 Right from the very beginning this book was intriguing and till the end it kept me on the edge。 Caelum gives me so much Rhysand vibes and he is definitely interesting。 Estrella is an equally exciting badass but this girl truely suffers from self esteem issues。 She matures a lot as the story moved on and the chemistry Alright！！ Caelum definitely has my attention。。For a debut this book is definitely gold。Really good characterization，steady paced story，twisted and suspense filled，awesome chemistry。 Right from the very beginning this book was intriguing and till the end it kept me on the edge。 Caelum gives me so much Rhysand vibes and he is definitely interesting。 Estrella is an equally exciting badass but this girl truely suffers from self esteem issues。 She matures a lot as the story moved on and the chemistry was raw and beautiful to read。Some really good dialogues。。Very good start。Cant wait for the next book！ 。。。more
Steph W
，
This book was fantastic！I'll admit， I am not normally a reader of fantasy books， so I wasn't sure what to expect。 I was worried I might not necessarily understand the story line and characters。 Well， that was not an issue at all。 The world-building in What Lies Beyond the Veil was fabulous and I think worked perfect for a newbie like myself and anyone who is an avid reader of this genre。Estrella and Caelum's story sucked me in and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book。 There was action， This book was fantastic！I'll admit， I am not normally a reader of fantasy books， so I wasn't sure what to expect。 I was worried I might not necessarily understand the story line and characters。 Well， that was not an issue at all。 The world-building in What Lies Beyond the Veil was fabulous and I think worked perfect for a newbie like myself and anyone who is an avid reader of this genre。Estrella and Caelum's story sucked me in and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book。 There was action， plenty of twists and turns， loads of steamy scenes and a nice plot twist at the end， that I did not see coming。 I can't wait for book 2， What Hunts Inside the Shadows！ 。。。more
Samantha
，
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review:Honestly if you loved FBAA and ACOTAR then you will devour this book！ Tropes: - Touch her and die- Who did this to you- Fated MatesThe world building was OUT OF THIS WORLD 😉 and the MMC （Caelum） was just fantastic！！ And our FMC Estrella is honestly amazing。 She’s relatable in the sense that she is not afraid to ask for help （I get so annoyed with other FMC that are like I CAN DO IT when we all know they can’t。）I cannot wait to see where the auth I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review:Honestly if you loved FBAA and ACOTAR then you will devour this book！ Tropes: - Touch her and die- Who did this to you- Fated MatesThe world building was OUT OF THIS WORLD 😉 and the MMC （Caelum） was just fantastic！！ And our FMC Estrella is honestly amazing。 She’s relatable in the sense that she is not afraid to ask for help （I get so annoyed with other FMC that are like I CAN DO IT when we all know they can’t。）I cannot wait to see where the author takes the story in book 2 cause at this point I have no clue and I love it！！ As always check your triggers！ 4。5/5 。。。more
Fathi MYHKSKPG （heylittlesiren）
，
☆ ARC Review ☆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀What Lies Beyond The VeilRating: 🧜🏼♀️🧜🏼♀️🧜🏼♀️🧜🏻♀️🧜🏻♀️ | 🌶🌶🌶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀My thoughts:Now where do I start？ This book was insanely good！The world building was so cool and amazingly written。 The slow burn was real。 The tension was there。 What I really like was Estrella’s character development。 She went from kitten to a tiger。 She went through a lot yet she was strong and became a spitfire。 And Caelum this guy， was slowly rising to my top 5 fictional boyfriend。 Now where can ☆ ARC Review ☆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀What Lies Beyond The VeilRating: 🧜🏼♀️🧜🏼♀️🧜🏼♀️🧜🏻♀️🧜🏻♀️ | 🌶🌶🌶⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀My thoughts:Now where do I start？ This book was insanely good！The world building was so cool and amazingly written。 The slow burn was real。 The tension was there。 What I really like was Estrella’s character development。 She went from kitten to a tiger。 She went through a lot yet she was strong and became a spitfire。 And Caelum this guy， was slowly rising to my top 5 fictional boyfriend。 Now where can I order a Caelum for me？？ His nicknames for Estrella makes me giddy and my heart flutter。 He calls her “My Star” and “Little One”。⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I would suggest for you read this book if you love🧜🏻♀️ Possesive alpha🧜🏻♀️ Slow Burn🧜🏻♀️ Mated Fae🧜🏻♀️ Hurt her and you die⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Please please please pick up this book！Thank you so much @harperlwoodsauthor / @adelaideforrestauthor for the ARC in exchange of honest review。 I’m so going to buy the physical copy。⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I may or may not add this author to my auto buy author🙈🙈 。。。more
MichelleG
，
Fantasy has always been my second most loved genre behind romance， and this book fed both needs in a glorious way。 There is a ton of world building， and you have to invest the time to really get into it， but the map and glossary help。 The pay off is soooo worth it。 This author's heroines are intelligent， brave， quick witted and big hearted， and Estrella falls right into that mix。 The hero， Caelum， is all the swoony， possessive goodness you want in a hero， and watching the two of them together ha Fantasy has always been my second most loved genre behind romance， and this book fed both needs in a glorious way。 There is a ton of world building， and you have to invest the time to really get into it， but the map and glossary help。 The pay off is soooo worth it。 This author's heroines are intelligent， brave， quick witted and big hearted， and Estrella falls right into that mix。 The hero， Caelum， is all the swoony， possessive goodness you want in a hero， and watching the two of them together had me ignoring my family and losing sleep。I cannot WAIT for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Amber
，
Okay so this was a departure for me as a reader because this isn’t a genre I read a lot， but damn am I glad I read this book！If you love this genre， run don’t walk！ But honestly even if you aren’t generally into it… I’d recommend trying this book！ The world building was so well done！ That’s what usually turns me off fantasy books because sometimes the world building drags on and sometimes it isn’t enough for me to really grasp the concept or enjoy the book。 This author managed to find that perfe Okay so this was a departure for me as a reader because this isn’t a genre I read a lot， but damn am I glad I read this book！If you love this genre， run don’t walk！ But honestly even if you aren’t generally into it… I’d recommend trying this book！ The world building was so well done！ That’s what usually turns me off fantasy books because sometimes the world building drags on and sometimes it isn’t enough for me to really grasp the concept or enjoy the book。 This author managed to find that perfect happy medium。 So I was able to really immerse myself into the story。 Now what kept me going was the H… he was perfect。 So so hot and dominant。 I honestly can NOT wait till the next book drops。Also can I get a like for finally managing to write a review without spoilers？？！ That’s always such a struggle for me！ 。。。more
Reah Foxx
，
A whole new world！ Let me start by saying， I am not a typical fantasy/pnr reader。 Those aren’t my go to genres。 Have I read them before？ A few times。 Did I like them？ The ones I have read - sure。 But this book？ This world that Harper L。 Woods has created？ LOVE IT！ The connections that are made throughout the story are simply superb！ The possessive and protectiveness the H has for the h is truly Devine！ If you are hesitant to give fantasy a try - let this be your first read！ You won’t be disappoi A whole new world！ Let me start by saying， I am not a typical fantasy/pnr reader。 Those aren’t my go to genres。 Have I read them before？ A few times。 Did I like them？ The ones I have read - sure。 But this book？ This world that Harper L。 Woods has created？ LOVE IT！ The connections that are made throughout the story are simply superb！ The possessive and protectiveness the H has for the h is truly Devine！ If you are hesitant to give fantasy a try - let this be your first read！ You won’t be disappointed！ 。。。more
Kalynn
，
This book surprised me out of the gate and just delivered all the way though until the end。 It’s the fantasy book I’ve been hunting for。 💗💗💗 I love everything about it and I absolutely cannot， I repeat CANNOT， wait for this series to continue。 If you haven’t downloaded this yet， go， now…DO IT。 A must read！！
Katie
，
Such an amazing story。 I seriously couldn’t get enough of this story。 This is a fantasy story and wow it was so good。 Loved the storyline。 Hooked right in the beginning。 It was a tiny bit slow in beginning but still couldn’t put down。 Love the characters。 Especially Estella。 I so cannot wait so read the next one。 Definitely recommend。
Ashley
，
A fantastic start to a new series！ Stunning writing and amazing details， that made me feel as if I was in the story。 I love Harper L Woods' unique take on the Fae in this book; it's very interesting！ I am so in love with Estrella and Caelum。 I'm super excited about book 2！ A fantastic start to a new series！ Stunning writing and amazing details， that made me feel as if I was in the story。 I love Harper L Woods' unique take on the Fae in this book; it's very interesting！ I am so in love with Estrella and Caelum。 I'm super excited about book 2！ 。。。more
Felicia's Review
，
Omg！ What a story。 Harper L Wood。。。。。bravo。。。。。。Bravo。 This book was amazing。 If you love a man who will shattered the world for and fae lore。 This book is for you Caelum and Estrella story is powerful and full of major twist。 This book was read in one sitting as I couldn't put it down。 And that cliffhanger omg。 I can't wait for the next book。 Omg！ What a story。 Harper L Wood。。。。。bravo。。。。。。Bravo。 This book was amazing。 If you love a man who will shattered the world for and fae lore。 This book is for you Caelum and Estrella story is powerful and full of major twist。 This book was read in one sitting as I couldn't put it down。 And that cliffhanger omg。 I can't wait for the next book。 。。。more
j u n e ♡
，
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆-𝒂𝒓𝒄。 。𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫， 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲， 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡， 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐦 & 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭First things first， I can not believe that this book reminded me of From Blood and Ash 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓。 So yeah， if you like Fae stories like From Blood and Ash or A Dance with the Fae Prince， or if you love the 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 & 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 you really need to read this 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄！！！𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:One thing I liked about 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆-𝒂𝒓𝒄。 。𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫， 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲， 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡， 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐦 & 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭First things first， I can not believe that this book reminded me of From Blood and Ash 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓。 So yeah， if you like Fae stories like From Blood and Ash or A Dance with the Fae Prince， or if you love the 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 & 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 you really need to read this 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄！！！𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:One thing I liked about this books is the info dumping， not the bad kind of info dumping but the right way of giving it。 The author really just knows what to give the reader and the correct timing of giving it most of the times。 Aside from that， the unique and compelling world building and plot that just had me really curious as where this goes。Another thing is its own mythology that just once again reminded of 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐢𝐨𝐧 which is another plus points of my enjoyment。 I also would love to voice out my appreciatiation of the writing which I would say really did play a big role in organizing the sequence of scenes。𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓？ I think it wasn't really a twist since I saw it coming but the writing really did made me think that it wouldn't go there so that was really good for me and had me excited for the next part and how it would play out in the next book。I also would like to voice out that although I did enjoy it， it felt a little bit slow and also a little bit disappointed in the plot because I expected more but nevertheless it was still enjoyable because once again， the unique verse building the story had really set it for me and also I did understand its intention to set the REAL， SOLID， PLOT for the next book， I think。𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:The characters are definitely admirable in their own ways， 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧 ughhhh HATE THEM。Estrella is definitely a striking character， I love that she's fast to adapt on any thing she's thrown to， I love the fact that she does not back out in any fight。 And her sarcasm？ I love that so much。 I love it when she put people in their place and when she stands her ground and does not just shy away from anyone。 Another thing is her intelligence and how she assess the sorroundings first before acting anything most of the times。As for our supposedly hero， Caelum， there are many times I wanna punch him just to shut this fcker up because of his sharp and those 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐒。 Anway， he's fishy and I like it to be honest， I think the only thing I like about him is his mysteriousness in the whole book that still needed to be uncover more and of course this obsession and protectiveness towards Estrella， althouogh， I think his protectiveness turns out to be this extreme major red flag towards the almost end （minus this one） 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐍𝐍𝐍。As for the characters that have yet to be revealed， I'm already excited and curious about them。𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞:The thing I liked the most in the whole romance thing were the 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 & 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 as well as the 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄。I don't really wanna go more in detail with it because I think I might spoil it so I'll end it here。BUT I'M ALL FOR THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS HOPEFULLY。𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥:This was a good good read。 Definitely recommendable！！ CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE 2ND BOOK！！ 。。。more
A Book Lover's Emporium Book Blog
，
5+ starsDo you love a good steamy fantasy with plot twists and steam that will blow your mind？ This book does not disappoint。 If I could give this more than five stars， I would。 It was an addicting amazing rollercoaster of a ride and I didn’t want it to end。Let me focus on the map （I’m a sucker for a good map）， glossary， & hierarchy of the Gods & Fae for starters。 Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of so much information as well as picturing the layout of realms。 I definitely found myself going b 5+ starsDo you love a good steamy fantasy with plot twists and steam that will blow your mind？ This book does not disappoint。 If I could give this more than five stars， I would。 It was an addicting amazing rollercoaster of a ride and I didn’t want it to end。Let me focus on the map （I’m a sucker for a good map）， glossary， & hierarchy of the Gods & Fae for starters。 Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of so much information as well as picturing the layout of realms。 I definitely found myself going back to them as guides more than a few times。 They were definitely useful。The world-building was exemplary。 It was enough to paint a picture but kept the story moving。 I wasn’t overwhelmed with too many details or pages upon pages of backstory notes。 Between the carefully laid out clues， Estrella’s character growth into such a strong take-no-crap from anyone heroine， Caelum’s possessive alpha nature， the insane tension between the two （the banter alone gave me butterflies）， and the spice I could barely breathe。 I was glued to this book as my eyes devoured the pages much too quickly as I never wanted it to end。Caelum…Oh， my Fae！ He climbed quickly to the top of my book boyfriends list。 He would burn the world down for Estrella without hesitation， simply because she asked him to， and would destroy anyone who hurt her。 He’s incredibly hot， possessive， protective， dark， and just alpha-hole perfection！Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to go pout because it’s over and drown in my book hangover until book two comes out。 。。。more
Sheri M
，
What to say？ Much more eloquent reviewers have already said most of what I have to say。 Caelum is perfection and Estrella is no pushover。 I love the concept of the Marked and just trying to comprehend the fae side of that made my heart ache。 And the end！ I don't usually read fantasy， I'm an AF mafia fan， and people keep throwing the term "morally gray" around。 For my fellow mafia readers， Caelum is all alpha and JP af but not an alphahole。 This isn't a dark romance between the H and h。 If you'r What to say？ Much more eloquent reviewers have already said most of what I have to say。 Caelum is perfection and Estrella is no pushover。 I love the concept of the Marked and just trying to comprehend the fae side of that made my heart ache。 And the end！ I don't usually read fantasy， I'm an AF mafia fan， and people keep throwing the term "morally gray" around。 For my fellow mafia readers， Caelum is all alpha and JP af but not an alphahole。 This isn't a dark romance between the H and h。 If you're thinking， I like AF books but I don't know about fae。。。 trust her。 。。。more
siu
，
3 🌟 ！！okay if you loved From Blood and Ash & ACOTAR but wanted it darker， then this is the book for you ！！ 😼 the concept of a veil separating mortals from the fae is so interesting。 in this universe， all the histories and war stories paint the fae as evil creatures。 this book is a bit slow but did so well in setting up for the rest of the series ！！ what i loved:world building ！！ i was amazed at the amount of detail this book went into。 i love the writing style and attention to detail。 the close 3 🌟 ！！okay if you loved From Blood and Ash & ACOTAR but wanted it darker， then this is the book for you ！！ 😼 the concept of a veil separating mortals from the fae is so interesting。 in this universe， all the histories and war stories paint the fae as evil creatures。 this book is a bit slow but did so well in setting up for the rest of the series ！！ what i loved:world building ！！ i was amazed at the amount of detail this book went into。 i love the writing style and attention to detail。 the close proximity ！！ i love it when the MC and love interest have to work together。 it gave me all the romance i could ever ask for。 fated mates concept as well ！！ nothing could ever top that trope for me。 i love an MC who isn’t afraid to hold a dagger to the love interest’s throatwhat i didn’t like:the love interest started becoming two-dimensional to me with his overprotectiveness in the last quarter of the novel。 and then all the protective comments slowly started becoming a bit sexist and very controlling。 it had me hoping a second love interest would come in a swoop the MC away ！！ 。。。more
Renae
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*This。 Book。 I read ACOTAR years ago， before it blew up on TikTok， and I’ve been chasing good fantasy romance featuring a hot possessive Fae male lead ever since。 This book DELIVERS。 In a big way。 First， the main characters。 Estrella is the right amount of capable - she doesn’t feel like a total Mary Sue and she’s not amazing at everything， but she’s capable enough to hold her own and doesn’t come off as a damsel in distress。 She’s *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*This。 Book。 I read ACOTAR years ago， before it blew up on TikTok， and I’ve been chasing good fantasy romance featuring a hot possessive Fae male lead ever since。 This book DELIVERS。 In a big way。 First， the main characters。 Estrella is the right amount of capable - she doesn’t feel like a total Mary Sue and she’s not amazing at everything， but she’s capable enough to hold her own and doesn’t come off as a damsel in distress。 She’s sassy and smart and gives Caelum a run for his money。 And Caelum。 Hoooo boy。 He fits right in with Rhys， Rowan， Casteel， Rip， the Zodiac boys， and all of the other fantasy men we love so much。 His “touch her and you die” streak is so hot。 He is NOT shy when it comes to what he likes in the bedroom， and his dirty talk is off the charts。 🔥 Now the plot。 The pacing in this is great and mixes world-building with action in a great way。 There are enough little surprises to keep you guessing throughout， and so many hints and breadcrumbs to future revelations。 I was hooked from chapter 1， and this book reads so fast。 I cannot wait for the next installment， my only complaint is how long we have to wait！ Do yourself a favor， and pick this up ASAP。 。。。more
Alexandria
，
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year- Adelaide is an insta-buy author for me and her Mafia books are my favorites of the genre， and her foray into fantasy did not disappoint！The world in this is wholly unique and not like anything I’ve read before， the concept， the execution， and the romance are all top tier。 Estrella is a very likeable MC and Caelum is 🔥🔥。 The twists in this are predictable， but not in a way that ruins the story。 I was still left wanting more because despite th This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year- Adelaide is an insta-buy author for me and her Mafia books are my favorites of the genre， and her foray into fantasy did not disappoint！The world in this is wholly unique and not like anything I’ve read before， the concept， the execution， and the romance are all top tier。 Estrella is a very likeable MC and Caelum is 🔥🔥。 The twists in this are predictable， but not in a way that ruins the story。 I was still left wanting more because despite the big twists being predictable， I was left with SO MANY unanswered questions。 I cannot wait for August。 My only critique would be that at times the dialogue didn’t fit the atmosphere- Estrella’s use of “dick” as an insult took me out of the story， it felt too modern for the setting。 。。。more
Chelsea Wackus
，
3。75/5⭐️I went in pretty blind to this book and it reminded me of From Blood and Ash and ACOTAR。 If you like those book you will most likely enjoy this。 The book starts out pretty slow as the author is trying to build the world and give you a lot of information to understand the society。 This book has quite a bit of action， fighting， and violence in it， but was pretty minimal on the fae/fantastical beings and magic。 I feel like I was missing some of the magic in this。 The magic and fae are refer 3。75/5⭐️I went in pretty blind to this book and it reminded me of From Blood and Ash and ACOTAR。 If you like those book you will most likely enjoy this。 The book starts out pretty slow as the author is trying to build the world and give you a lot of information to understand the society。 This book has quite a bit of action， fighting， and violence in it， but was pretty minimal on the fae/fantastical beings and magic。 I feel like I was missing some of the magic in this。 The magic and fae are referenced pretty consistently through out but not a lot of interaction with it/them。 I’m hoping we get more in the next book。 I enjoyed the characters。 Caelum was the right amount of asshole but also swoon worthy。 He was sarcastic and flirty and I loved it。 I loved Estrella’s self respect and how she knew her value。 While she could be a bit naïve she also stood her ground and fought when necessary。 Estrella and Caelum have such good romantic tension that I was happy when they finally got together。 The spice was pretty good too。 The book really picks up in the last 10-15%。 The plot twist was well established so I predicted it at the end but I really liked seeing how Estrella reacted to it。 The premise of the story was so cool and I’m excited to read the next book and see where this series will go！**I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review** 。。。more
Jacqueline （on brand）
，
What a beginning to the start of the next great indie fantasy series！Harper L。 Woods is seasoned and you can tell that the author put a lot of thought and time into this book and I enjoyed reading from cover to cover。This books has reignited the fantasy genre fire in me that just been smoldering the last few years and I love that it has spice！！！ I am a sucker for some spice in my reading。 I can't wait to see how this series grows and I'll definitely be falling along。 What a beginning to the start of the next great indie fantasy series！Harper L。 Woods is seasoned and you can tell that the author put a lot of thought and time into this book and I enjoyed reading from cover to cover。This books has reignited the fantasy genre fire in me that just been smoldering the last few years and I love that it has spice！！！ I am a sucker for some spice in my reading。 I can't wait to see how this series grows and I'll definitely be falling along。 。。。more
Darcie
，