I swear to the gods that I will continue this miracle, but I simply desire something lighter to read right now. 

No. 

I could fill books with how much, but how much this book saved me. My whole soul, my heart. It pulled me up to the surface and dragged me back to life. Gods, I needed this so badly. 

I loved it so much that I can't put it into words, after the Naturals series I just went with the flow, read it, but never really because I wanted to, but more because I didn't know what else to do. But I listened, saw and felt the plot, with every inch of me, buried myself in it until the end.

It's as if the writer took Hunger Games, mixed it up with Star Wars with a hint of Divergent and Poppy War. 

Darrow reminded me of  Rin so much that I almost cried. He is full of rage, so much rage that it is incredible, all the anger of his ancestors, the screams of centuries were concentrated in him. Still, he retained his grace, his compassion, and did not let power intoxicate him. I've said once that I don't often (I usually avoid such books) read from the MMC pov, somehow I find it harder to identify with them, but Darrow is just so LIFELIKE that I can't help but love him. With every scar, every tear and every mistake. 

My wonderful and untamable Mustang stole my heart. I loved her character terribly, even though she's not particularly strong or a warrior, but her soul is so bright and she believes in redemption for a better future, and I see her, what she went through, what she long for. She fits to Darrow like fire, to wood.

Sevro's jokes brightened up the book so much, I really loved my little goblin (sorry Sevro haha), Cassius had flaws, but I understand why he did what he did and I totally agree with him. Pax, my sweet boy, deserved so much better. I hope he knows that they remember him, that he gave his life for a good cause.

The plot was amazing, full of action, everything was always fast-paced, full of suspense, tics and a bunch of twists and turns. I would definitely like to read it again in the future.

Other quotes I loved;

Well, I don't know how to feel about this book. I really don't know, and I don't know if I'll ever know, to be honest. 

It was really full of twists, brutal parts, etc., but for me something was missing. However, I liked that past, present and future met at the same time.

The plot was quite enjoyable, I won't say it dragged me along all the way, but it kept my attention for a while, although the beginning was difficult to get going. The wording wasn't bad, it could have been better, but that's it. But what I absolutely liked was the real rawness, it was lifelike and extremely realistic. The ending felt a bit unfinished and too fast, but not everything could be perfect. For a read, it was good.

Date: 2024/10/26-2024/10/31
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Rating: ★★★
Spice Rating: 🌶
Age Rating: 17+

TIGGER WARNINGS: Death of parent, Sexual content, Violence, Guns, Death, Sexual assault, Cursing, Murder, Blood, Injury

First, what you can expect from this book:

- enemies to lovers (dislike/hate to love)
- highschool romance (academic rivals)
– good girl x had boy
– some maffia inffulence
– character-driven
– Dual POV
– fast-paced & exciting
– teenager drama
– found family
– cute friendships & journey of healing

This is usually the part where I’d share how much I enjoyed the book and how excited I am for the next one, but I’m afraid I can’t genuinely say that this time.

I read this book specifically to give an honest review, and while the whole concept was promising and the tropes were right and captiving, it just didn’t work out for me this time the way I hoped.

Maybe it's me, maybe it's not, no matter how you have to go through this, not everything can be perfect.

By the way, I surprisingly liked Ahana's character, she was a real fire (she even had a gentle side), determined and proud, not the kind of girl who just stops doing things. I think as a female protagonist she was perfect, she had flaws, she had wounds, everything it that made her realistic.

Gabriel, on the other hand, didn’t grow on me as much as I expected. I often struggle to connect with male characters, especially those with obsessive or alpha traits, so maybe I didn’t fully open up to him. However, I do appreciate his loyalty to Ahana, he was there for her, protected her, loved her in her worst moments, and trusted her when everything was on the line.

For me, the romance felt a bit like insta-love. There was tension, spark, and hatred at first, but the chemistry seemed to fade too quickly.

The plot was fairly predictable (rather it had a ton of chlisé), perhaps too much, but for a long afternoon reading on a gloomy day it is perfect, I liked the atmosphere itself. Most of the characters were different, with different motivations and goals (well, about Cameron, I hope he just rotting in hell). What I really liked were the friendships! Real boundless and infinitely innocent friendships, especially Ahana and Liam's. The world building itself was easy, you don't have to think about much - I didn't either, it was just right. That brings me to the writing style. This is the author’s first book, so I won’t be too critical here. In my opinion, they both still needs to improve in this area, but I can see the potential and the will in them, after all Rome was not built in a day either. Also there were a couple of spelling errors and other issues that needed correction, but they weren't disturbing.

The ending felt a bit quick and abrupt (but that could be just me), however we got a cliffhanger, which honestly was a great move.

I recommend it to those who want to relive their last year of high school, their first true love, who long for something darker, something lighter on a rainy day

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take me with it now, but I see its potential and I know I need to give it space. I can't wait to get back to this story at the right time.

Not the best wording. Also a bit dull and monoton for me. 

Not in the mood for it, however it has an instresting start. 

It could not hol my attention

Basically, I've read a lot of other books on this topic, but this was probably the first one that really touched me. Not because there was anything else in it that the others didn't. It's more because I'm a twin myself (a triple twin) and I can't even think about what would have happened to us if we had ended up here. 

Eva and Miriam were incredibly strong and survived so much that it is unspeakable. I don't want to say I'm sorry because Eva wouldn't want to hear it, but I do, as deeply and honestly as no one else could. I'm glad they got out and the world heard their story, I'm glad people saw them and understood what happened. Their memory deserves to live on, to never happen again.