The Umbra King

The Umbra King is a solid start to a duet, with some amazing spicy scenes and a unique world filled with magic, a touch of Christian lore, and realism woven throughout. The story builds an intriguing atmosphere, and the chemistry between the characters really stands out.

However, the writing style shifts towards the end, which is my only qualm. The author moves from showing to more telling, which makes the final chapters feel rushed. Important plot points get tied up quickly, leaving the ending feeling a bit unsatisfying compared to the rest of the book. Despite this, it's an enjoyable read that sets up for an exciting conclusion in the sequel.

an underated dark romantasy pick

I really enjoyed this! A little dark and twisted, in a world where your soul can reside on a scale of white to black with a whole lot of grey area, how far will you go for the ones you love? I really enjoyed the main character of the book who is a strong female character and that's shown not told. Any moments of weakness are reasonable in context which is totally rare these days. I really loved the enemies to lovers tension and they truly felt like enemies in the beginning. The plot was also plotting, it was a super enjoyable read de start to finish!

I won't be reading the second book. This started off okay and got worse as you read..

Amazing! Loved this book. Sad I have to wait until the next book is written. Tropes in this book are enemies to lovers, fated mates, morally gray female and male main characters. I thought the world building and plot were unique. Even the secondary characters were great and well written. There is spice 🌶. There is a Pronunciation and World Guide at the back of the book. This book ends on the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers. I am dying to read the 2nd book.

ARC Review - I have no words. This book was AMAZING. The story, the characters, just everything. Even down to details that can sometimes get annoying if they aren't explained. For example does anyone know what Sunball is in Crescent City? It's never explained. But the sport in this is explained. It may seem minor but I just mention it to emphasize how I was not confused about one thing in this book. And man oh many when she says it ends on a cliffhanger she does mean it.