Wayward Reviews

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A dark romantasy where our heroine is bent on destroying the vampire vessels in order to save her family and destroy the corrupted witches.

Book Synopsis

Revenge. 
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Raised to be my father’s weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his birthright, I would do anything to protect my younger brother from suffering the same fate. My duty forces me to the secret town of Crystal Hollow and the prestigious Hollow’s Grove University—where the best and brightest of my kind learn to practice their magic free from human judgment. 

There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for. 

But that doesn’t mean secrets don’t threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend. 

Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to the Thirteen.
Thirteen promising students destined to change the world. 

If the ghosts of Hollow’s Groves’ victims don’t kill them first. 

*Please note I do use affiliate links occasionally

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Review

* Non-Spoiler Review*

I got this book through my romantasy Fairyloot book subscription.

Annoyingly, the first book of 2025 I finish and it’s underwhelming.

Where do I begin? Firstly, the plot has a large amount of holes and is also rushed. I got the distinct impression that the author didn’t really know where they wanted to take the plot, which was made clear in how quickly the mystery was solved in the last two chapters of the book!

Secondly, while I have no issue with romance being at the forefront of the book – it needs to be believable. I got the impression this was going to be an enemy to lovers trope, but it just felt like they constantly hated each other the whole time.

Lastly, the character development was poor. Did I get to know the female protagonist well? No. She seemed like a bad ass character in the beginning and then it all crumbled (and not in a good way). There was mass potential for the supporting characters to have room to grow, but they were left to the wayside and only brought in when it need to boost the plot.

Overall, I was disappointed in this story. Potentially there was bits that engaged me at times and I liked the world concept – it was that the execution wasn’t there.

Spice Rating: 5/6 – See my rating system here

Book Rating: 2/5