I probably won't be popular with this review, but I have to be honest considering how famous this book is. 

The characters were relatively okay, Ava is a real sunshine full of positive and cheerful, who only expects good things from life (even with her past). I really loved her. Alex is a real grumpy, I'm not saying that I hated him, but I'm not saying that I loved him either, he was too protective for me, so much so that it's already toxic. Their relationship, neither with you nor without you, is the main element of the book. I liked the cute parts, but somehow the erotica wasn't my favorite here either (it never will be).

In any case, it was easy and quick to read, the plot only gave the key at the end, because the writer was in too much of a hurry there. Basically a love story with the usual clichés, nothing new, nothing defini surprising. I read it once, but since I'm not a romantic person, I definitely won't pick it up more than once.

I will continue in the future, but right now this book just didn't get me 

Beautiful quote, isn't it? It captivated me too, until I read the book itself.  Witches, lost sister, found love and magic, do you need more?  well I'm sorry to spoil it all here, but forget this book immediately if you want to read about such things, because it contains none of the above. Although it was basically a good idea, it was horribly executed. I am sure that I would have liked it better if I had read it on Wattpad, I don't understand why so much paper and ink had to be wasted on this.

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Trin was a horribly annoying main character and that's true, I can't lie.  She drove me crazy with her constant whining. 

Jason, who didn't do anything for the whole book but be hurt and secretive, was even more useless than Trin.

The other characters don't even deserve a mention because there's simply nothing to say about them.  They had no depth or personality, only Kit 

the villain

deserves some attention because she had something the others didn't; a goal.

The time jumps upset me so much that I wished the devil would take my soul away.

The plot made no sense, was completely unfinished, illogical, flawed, boring and incredibly unenjoyable.  EVERYTHING was taken away by the dialogues and descriptions.

Come and reach me and take my soul, because I am so kind-hearted with this book too, but I can't help myself.  Maybe it's the thought of the new year, maybe it's just because it was the last book of my year 2022, either way I really liked it.  Looking back, maybe the 4.75 rating would be more appropriate for it, but I don't want to change that in this lifetime, because I really liked it when I finished it.

I'm not selling a cat in a bag when I say that the 19th century is everything to me, because it really is, so there was no question that I would read this book as well, and I admit that I was pleasantly disappointed, because despite how slow the beginning was, by the end  the story really captivated me.

Regarding the location itself, I would like to say that it was very modern, but it still lacked a bit of the atmosphere of the 1800s, in some places I felt it was too modern.  Well, I don't want to spoil this wonderful review with such negative problems right at the beginning, so let's travel back to 19th century London.

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Basically, as always, we go through the characters. So let's start with everyone's favorite Kitty.

Kitty won my heart immediately, but also my soul by the end of the book.  I loved that she was so strong, very independent, persistent and purposeful.  It was seriously refreshing to read about a female character who is so purposeful (like Rin from the Poppy War, my unbreakable queen.) And regardless of how much, how much I love her, I also admire her for having the guts to marry anyone at one point to save her siblings, I fully understand her ambition and her motives, but at the same time I was terribly sorry that she was forced into such a situation.

Radcliffe (James, whose first name I really don't like for some reason - but it's probably just me - so I'll just refer to him by his last name) is the center of my heart.  My heart ached because he had to go through the horrors of war at such a young age, I would have liked to have read more about his past.  I loved it so much that he was so patient (despite the fact that sometimes his glass was full) with Kitty and that at first he was forced to help her, but then he helped her voluntarily.

I also really liked the other characters, but Cecily was really annoying by the end, I literally scratched the wall every time she spoke (and at first I liked her the way she was, but after she ran away I couldn't forgive her, although in the end, thanks to her, Kitty & James found each other, so maybe  I should be grateful).  Aunt Dorothy is the tip of my heart, she carried it all on her back for sure.

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The plot itself was obviously really predictable, I don't think it will surprise anyone, but it was all well presented and it didn't bother me. Basically, I definitely don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't enjoy historical fiction, but anyone who does should definitely read it and give it a chance.  I'll be honest, it's been a long, long time since I've read a book like this (it also takes place a century earlier) and it was a serious refresher, but really.  There were indeed parts, I won't lie, when they followed each other either too quickly or too badly, but in the end it was followable.  Although I still can't put the Archies rescue at the end where to put it, if you play your money like that, you have to learn something from it.

This book was REALLY fucked up, but I don't know if it's in a good or bad sense, because even I didn't figure it out myself. Basically, this was the first "old" book in my life and of course booktok made me read it. It was very interesting to say the least.

First reading: ★ ★ ★ ★ 
Second reading: ★ ★  ★ ¾
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Honestly, this book series will always and forever be one of the most important to me because it has given me so much. It has everything I ever need; mythology, history, magic and strong characters. 

Annith was a very likeable protagonist, although she lacked Ismae's thoughtfulness and Sybella's ferocity. She was her own master and although there were bad decisions she tried all along to stay on the path of light. She was stubborn and more persistent than anyone else. Her past and her secret really surprised me, because I didn't think so. 

Balthazar

(or Mortain himself)

has grown very close to my heart, he has so much understanding, patience and even so much strength that it is incredible. I loved that we didn't learn everything about him right at the beginning and his character was so mystical throughout. However, I didn't like the fact that he had practically become

mortal

. 

Their love was basically cute - up to a point.

I mean, it was okay, because they're not related after all — but how could you fall in love with someone you thought was your father? —

They fit together and everything, but it was interesting. 

The plot started slowly, but it was understandable, full of adventure and danger. Annith's journey was extremely long and bumpy, but when she reached the finish line, all the effort was worth it in the end. The pace was a bit slow, but I'm not complaining. The ending ended nicely (I loved that Anne got the happy ending too - in real life), so I loved it!

Considering that this was not my first historical novel, I try not to be biased and jump right into the deep water, but I just can't because I have so many thoughts.

 I would like to start by saying that compared to a normal person, I am much more knowledgeable about the life of Queen Victoria, but I obviously know significantly less than a historian.

Basically, this book didn't sit on my shelf for long, because now I'm burning with Victorian fever (thanks to the series, which I still haven't started, but what's is not lost that is delayed haha)

This time I'm really trying to separate reality/series/book.
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The book started with the 16-year-old Victoria and ends with the 19-year-old queen. I really liked that the story spanned several years.

Victoria is a determined but lost, strong character but weak young girl, around whose neck an entire country has been torn.  To be honest, she was really very, very lucky to be able to turn 18 before her uncle died.  I really loved her character, I actually adored her because she was so realistic (even though it's based on a real person).  I suffered with her, cried and laughed with her.  It was amazing to see how she became a grown woman.

Melbourne, well, about it, I'd rather jump into a river than say I loved him, because I really couldn't love him.  I know that in reality he was more of a father figure than a lover, but it is a fact and true that 18-year-old Victoria, cut off from everything, suddenly did not know the difference between love and trust, which is no wonder. I was happy for him that he didn't take advantage of the poor thing like many men would have done and that he held on to the memory of his dead wife and that he was able to let her go.  That's why a small part of me respects him.

Albert, my dear prince. To be honest, I liked him a lot in the last 5 chapters and I was terribly waiting for him to finally appear.  My soul literally cried when he made a splint for Dash (my beautiful only puppy), if I were Victoria I would have marry to him on the spot without question haha.

The others:

Victoria (Victoria's mother) is the Duchess of Kent.  Basically, she was a dragon in real life, but thanks to Albert, she reconciled with her daughter.  Here in the book, she started to open up to her on her own and throughout (even if she didn't show it) she deeply cared and loved her daughter.  Honestly, a part of me really hurts that she was treated like a breeding mare, because she isn't, neither are any of the women.

Alexander, I'm trying not to cry because he couldn't be with Victoria, because he was the heir to the throne (even though the situation would have been difficult geographically in the first place haha) I loved that he turned to her with such respect and devotion that no one else had.  I believe that in another life, in another world, they found each other again and lived happily, because if her love life hadn't worked out with Albert, it would certainly have happened with him.

Emma, ​​Harriet, etc. were and are important people, I really liked them (especially Emma).  It's horrible what happened to Flora and it's really horrible what Victoria did to her (also in reality), but I understand her and why she did it, who wouldn't want to get rid of the enemy?

I would like to touch briefly on the Melbourne & Victoria relationship.  I really don't support this as a love story and i never will, for me the well-known father-daughter relationship remains.  But I was glad that they were there and supported each other, that they helped when the other was in deep, that they were there when the other needed it.

In summary, this was a great book with great characters, the only thing that bothered me was the plot;  although I really loved it, it was very slow and sometimes (not often, but ) boring. 

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Queen Victoria's life and early reign.

At first I really wanted to give this book 5 stars. I really wanted it, but it still hasn't reached the level I expected. I liked the basic concept, although didn't like all of the characters, I can't say a single bad word about them. They were all very different and their interests were their personalities. Unfortunately I can't get into the Team Jameson and Team Grayson fight because Xander was my favorite Imao. Avery was a very lovable main character, I couldn't have asked for a better one!

Despite all its faults I will definitely read the second part at some point!