Xii

absolutely check the content warnings before diving into this particular enter to the Royal Elite series - I enjoyed it, but man oh man are there some really rough emotional scenes that are very triggering if you're not in a good place. (I'm on my own healing journey, so there were a few moments I had to step away to breathe before continuing)

the book is good, the characters are funny and realistic. 

I'm not usually a fan of age gap - especially a 24 year age gap - but the FMC has had a difficult life that definitely matured her beyond her she

First and foremost: MIND THE CONTENT WARNINGS
this book deals with a number of dark and potentially triggering topics, so make sure you are in the correct headspace before diving into this book (and the series in general);

I've often struggled with queer romance for one reason or another - it can be a minefield - but this story handled it well. Writing an Ace/Demi character is not easy, so having a main character experience what many who identify with Ace-spec have is refreshing and oddly validating.

I think this is more of a "not right now" DNF

though not sure I have much interest in continuing, tbh. the FMC is a bit ... I hate to use the word "boring" but she reminds me of a boy obsessed 15 year old girl, not a grown woman (iirc she's supposed to be 20)

0.5/5 ⭐

I was intrigued by the premise of the book - but the execution of the story was like nails on a chalk board. the FMC is Schrodinger's shifter - she's both a shifter and a human; until the story looks at her too long and she has to be one or the other, but it's never consistent

is this a post-appocolyptic world where modern technology is known of but no longer functions? or is it a fantasy world? again, it's unclear

I think the FMC is trying to come across as a strong, independent woman - but she comes across as a judgmental, misandrist b***h

Right before I DNF'd - the one thought that I kept circling back to was “it's as if the author took the top 5 most popular tropes and is trying to shoe horn all of them into one story”

I've read some Bad!Fanfic that is more internally consistent than this published book