So, this one really took me by surprise. It was odd how much I enjoyed something I expected to dislike. The serial unaliver being the female protagonist is one of my favorite things but for some reason the setup of this universe felt off. But pretty quickly after we got to Vincula, I started to enjoy it.

The Umbra King, the ruler of the Vincula prison realm, is exactly what you’d expect - broody, powerful and has a good sense of humor (he’s blonde though… so that was unexpected). Oh… and did I mention he’s a shadow daddy? And he uses them… VERY well. Ugh 🤤 

Aurora is strong and feisty, she’s not one to back down from a fight or not stay true to herself. I enjoyed her personality and her empathetic heart was clear from the start. She may have been a ruthless killer (of those who deserved it, of course), but she was selfless and would do anything she could for those she loved. 

The relationship between Caius and Rory is great because we first see it through her “enemies to lovers” lens before seeing it through his “fated mates” lens.  

There was so much tension and angst between them and it was truly a great execution of enemies to lovers. Even the other characters were all fantastic, like Sam and Lauren (but not Nina… we hate Nina).

I’m happy I finally gave this one a chance. It was so worth the read! I don’t know what I would’ve done if I couldn’t dive straight in to book two! 

Tropes: 

Enemies to Lovers

Serial Unaliver

Found Family

Fated Mates

Forced Proximity 

Touch Her and Die

Spice: 2.5 🌶️