There is a lot to love about this book, but it didn’t fully hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed that it was written by a Filipino American writer as I am trying my best to be more diverse. I also enjoyed the trans masculine character, and their story arc. There is a wonderful note from the author on the goodreads page for this book about the trigger warnings and a note about the word choices used by the character. It was top notch. I also enjoyed the vampires and some of the world building, though I feel it was a little lacking and didn’t fully include everything I needed from it. I also didn’t enjoy Shan as a character. In some areas she was withdrawn and shy, but then in the beginning she took out her own dad, which points to her being strong and ruthless. Her character didn’t fully come to a full circle for me and wasn’t all encompassing. I did enjoy the darker fantasy elements and think that despite the holdbacks I had, this is a great start to a new series, and I would recommend it (after you check triggers).

If you’re looking for a dark romantasy with some fun subplots then you need to check this one out


3.5 stars rounded up.


Thank you to @orbitbooks for this #gifted arc. I also got this gorgeous copy from @illumicrate in a past box. The cover art is stunning. All thoughts are my own.