This is the first ever book that I finished, closed, then IMMEDIATELY opened up and started reading all over again 🤩 

It’s giving everything every lovable YA book gave, back in the day, but with adult themes thrown in there too.

I’m honestly obsessed with Oleander, she’s like a swearier Katniss Everdeen 🤣 

Love this book and the only reason it’s not getting a full 5⭐️ is because I’m livid at how much I’m going to have to fork out for the rest of the series. Can’t seem to find second hand versions anywhere and with each of the later books all costing between £16.99- £19.99, this new  addiction will likely set me back almost £100 💀💀💀💀 (absolutely not gonna be able to stop me though 😅)

Fun book for when you don't want to think too hard. All of the dudes suck majorly except Atlas, really really hoping he doesn't end up letting me down as well in the sequel. Overall it would've been so much better if it wasn't so long. So many pages and so little happened between them. Still had a good enough time that I'll be reading the sequel though. 

 Are y'all ready for a different side of me? No but seriously, I normally stick to posting about books I love, but I read a book that has been on my TBR forever and I had high hopes for it. I love the cover and I thought this would be a nice little spicy read. Little did I know this would be one of my most hated books. If you like this book, maybe skip my review? You've been warned.

Yeah umm no. Nope, nuh uh, 1 star. Where are the trigger warnings? I thought maybe it was just because I listened to the audiobook, but nope. I just checked the Kindle edition and there's none. From what I can tell there's none on the author's website either. There's sa, literal sa, in this supposedly spicy book, and that's the extent of the smut, a r* scene. F* this book.

Olli, our main character is insufferable. Constantly whining, complaining and unnecessarily using the word freaking every other sentence. She's 19 but acts like a child.

The book feels so repetitive and goes nowhere. The main character is supposedly super powerful and scary but has to hide it all away and can't tell her fated bonds a single word about any of it. They all treat each other horribly and even the one guy who's decent, I'm sitting here wondering when he's gonna flip. Toxic with a capital T all but the one.

The r* culture just being accepted and acceptable is beyond wild. The fact that Olli is sa'd and the author goes above and beyond to convince us and the characters that it wasn't actually sa makes me so mad. The author could have done something really good with that narrative and spoken to what a victim of sa goes through, but instead gaslights Olli, her bonds, and us.

Among other triggers is k*dnapping, emotional ab*se, physical ab*se, mis*gyny, g*slighting, t*rture, domestic ab*se, cl*ssism, false impr*sonment, conf*nement, v*ctim blaming, and probably a whole lot more I'm forgetting.

On the language side of things, "freaking" appears 179 times, "b*tch" 55 times, "f*ck" 466 times, "sh*t" 181 times, "a*shole" 62 times, "d*ck" 34 times, and "d*mn" 63 times.

Originally this was just meh, like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. I was alternating between 3 and 2 stars. After finding out there's no trigger warnings whatsoever, it's a 1 for me. This may just be my new hated book on the same level as Haunting Adeline. I picked up book 2 from Libby because apparently I like torturing myself. I thought it had to get better. We'd turn around the plot on the r*ist and do something about him, but no. She's just crying over her freaking leather boots she couldn't live without that she lost in book 1. Like what?

Olli is a total mean girl, not a girl's girl.

The only good thing going for this book is that the cover art is gorgeous. So maybe we should stop judging books by their covers. Smh. 

Alright, ends on a cliffy, but overall a pretty good PNR novel. Reverse harem for you spicy readers but minimal spice in this one, but definitely lots of language. Loved the audiobook narrator. Really looking forward to seeing more of the Gifts and watching Oli’s story play out. I’m loving her friendship with Sage.

Wish they all of them groveled more. Loved the academy setting.