Tag: fiction

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/25/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ What is happening in this country (USA) is not okay. My heart hurts, I feel sick, angry, anxious, worried. This is NOT okay.

+ The other thing that took up half the week for me? Is the BTS Concert Tour ticket sales. I knew it would be rough, I’m a new fan (my sister is the bigger fan) but I really wanted to get tickets for her because unlike me – she hardly goes to concerts and said this was the one she wanted to go to. So I locked in (I’m always the one buying tickets anyway), did my research, but a membership for presale (yes I paid $22 so I can do presale!😅). Checked out all the dates and when Thursday came – tried my luck. Now I knew it was going to be impossible for one, the tickets for cities I wanted went on sale during my drive time dropping off the kids to school and picking them up! But I barely got into LA ticket sales after waiting a whole hour – only nose bleeds were left so I got 2 tickets. It’s in the 500’s section – nose bleeds…like up by the roof nosebleeds! My sister felt nervous about how high we would be – and I had the same concerns because I had anxiety during Lady Gaga and that was in an arena – imagine a stadium?!

So I locked in again and knew I had to do general sale yesterday. Started at 7am going from ticket queue to ticket queue. I thought 30k in line on Thursday was bad….nope, yesterday I was 104k in line or 70k…but there was one city people kept saying had tickets on twitter – Foxborough. I am in Hawaii…it’s a long flight that would cost a lot. But I got 13K in line and snagged pretty good tickets in the 100 section, lower bowl, back row so I can stand and not bother anyone. I felt relieved but worried about plane fare then a friend messaged me saying her friend had Stanford tickets, in the 100 section for sale. My Foxborough tix were affordable – only $500 for 2 tickets total! These new tickets…$800 each! I was like oh no way…but my sister said, with the cheaper airfare, it would be equivalent to a trip to Foxborough so she told me to get them.

By the time I paid for the tix, got them transferred, and finally ate something – I was weary, my body hurt, so exhausted from being tense all day (for three days). And then the news in Minneapolis made me want to cry. So yes I’m happy we got tickets to BTS and it’s 2 days after my sister’s 50th bday, so I’m happy for her…but my heart hurts.

+ I type all this and today said wow I can’t believe it’s still January! I feel like I’ve been traumatized with highs and lows this month alone. Not how I expected 2026 to start! I’m praying there is something that turns this ship around. RIP to Alex Pretti.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • Heart of Mischief by. Emma Noyes
  • Maybe This Once by. Sophie Sullivan
  • Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood
  • Second Chance Romance by. Olivia Dade
  • A Queen of Crowned in Flames by. Hazel McBride

Currently Reading:

  • A Promise of Lies by. Claire Sager
  • A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris
  • Dawn of the North by. Demi Winters
  • Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson
  • Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto
  • A Vow in Vengeance by. Jaclyn Rodriguez

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Heated Rivalry (HBO Max) – episode 1-2 – want to see what the hype is about!

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

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Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice:

Title: Dragon Cursed (Dragon Cursed, #1)

Author: Elise Kova

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 1/6/26

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dragons, Series


The moment you see a dragon is usually your last…

Since the dragons emerged–along with the scourge that ravaged our lands and people–there’s only one human city that remains standing: Vingard.

But the hellfire from above is nothing compared to the threat from within. For there is no worse fate than being dragon cursed. Slowly and excruciatingly, you’ll be transformed into a mindless beast who destroys everything–and everyone–you love.

Any of us could be tainted. Any of us could be lying. Any of us could be caught and killed by the authorities.

And I’m terrified that I might be next.

There’s only one other person who might suspect my secret. He’s like my shadow, following me wherever I go. Part protector, part tormentor, fully annoying. Sometimes I think I am just one of the million unfathomable secrets he keeps hidden.

Because Lucan definitely knows something.

And if I’m dragon cursed, death might be the only mercy I get.

Content Warning: death, violence, torture

I have the hard cover sprayed edged version of this book and it is gorgeous!

+~ Isola is Valor Reborn and the savior for all of Vinguard, if she can learn how to harness and use her power. But Isola has a secret – she doesn’t feel like she is the savior everyone wants her to be. In fact, she feels like she is dragon cursed and she’s doing her best to hide it. I could sympathize with Isola’s mental state – she’s scared, her parents aren’t with her (for different reasons), there is a lot of pressure on her. She’s keeping secrets and afraid of the Vicar, but there were some spots in the story I was frustrated with her. She’s lying to her best friend, but then gets mad when Lucan lies to her. But she does grow so that’s good.

+~ World building is interesting but focused on the Tribunal taking place, which is a trial where competitors become Mercy Knights at the end of the trial. The trial was okay, I wasn’t sure what they were supposed to be doing to prove they could be amazing Mercy Knights. The dragons are enemies in this story but we don’t know much about the history and I want to know more. I do feel like we were thrown into the story a bit and I had to catch up with understanding what Etherlight and sigils were.

+~ Secondary characters play a big part in this story but I needed more about her parents because their role in this story is important but we barely get anything. I did love Isola’s relationship with her best friend, Saphia. There are other characters at the end of the book who I hope we get to know more in book two.

+ There is a little bit of romance. Lucan is the Vicar’s adopted son, and he’s been tasked to keep his eye on Isola. Isola doesn’t like him because an incident in the past, but during the Tribunal, they spend more time with one another and decide to team up. Being around one another makes their attraction grow. I was definitely rooting for Lucan and Isola but we’ll have to see what happens in book two.

+ My favorite part has to be the ending, which has a few twists, some I suspected, but it was still fun seeing it play out and all the action that comes with it. It’s a cliffhanger though!

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one but I do want to learn more about the dragons or dragon shifters and the magic. I need more history. This first book focused on the Tribunal, which was interesting, but I felt like we were thrown into this world quick. Isola as the FMC is conflicted and challenged, at times she was frustrating but there is growth. I liked the growing romance, and I really loved the ending of this book! I loved the twists and the action – it is a cliffhanger though. We’ll see what happens in book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Arcana Academy by. Elise Kova | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Duel with the Vampire Lord by. Elise Kova | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Dance with the Fae Prince (Married to Magic #2) by. Elise Kova| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Deal with the Elf King | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

WWW Wednesday | 1/21/26

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Tomorrow is the BTS pre-sale and I already know it will be impossible for me to get anything because why are the Chicago and LA sale times during when I have to drop my kids off to school or pick them up? 😅 Like…I’m still going to try but…I doubt I can get anything. I did sign up for Toronto also – so we’ll see what happens! Wish me luck!

I am trying to work on February arcs but I’m getting a few indie authors asking me to read their books, so it’s getting a little crowded on my list! 😅

What are you currently reading?

Dawn of the North by. Demi Winter – 10%

A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris – 21%

Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood – 4%

Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto – 20%

Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson – 5%

I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray – chapter 2

Maybe This Once by. Sophie Sullivan – 30

Second Chance Romance by. Olivia Dade – 37%

What have you just finished reading?

Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Wicked Onyx by. Debbie Cassidy – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Silk & Iron by. Alexis Calder – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Queen Crowned in Flames by. Hazel McBride – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

A Winter of White Ash by. Lucia Damisa

A Whisper of Winds and Leaves by. M.B. Reese

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/18/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ What a week! Most of it was worrying about getting concert tickets. After giving up, and 2 hours of trying, I got tickets to the second show! My kids, a college friend and her hubby, and one of my other good friends are coming along, it will be the first concert for my kiddos – they love Bruno Mars.

+ But that’s not all…this week is BTS presale week. Now, I’m not BTS Army, but I am obsessed with Jung Kook, more so after going to South Korea with my sister. I think it’s funny that it was my family trip to Philly/New York that started my sister listening to K-Pop because she drove me car when she house sat for me and the station that popped up in my car was the K-Pop station! 😅 She’s been obsessed ever since. But it’s actually on our trip to South Korea last year that I learned how much of a BTS fan she was – I was shocked! So I’m the one usually going to concerts and she’s not, so she kind of designated me as the ticket buyer. I told her it’s going to be IMPOSSIBLE…but you never know. If we can’t get any for this year, we will try for 2027 dates. I would prefer 2027 because honestly, I did expect a BTS tour but I thought an announcement would come in March?

+ It actually got COLD here in Hawaii…and I mean 65 degrees in the morning and 75 by noon. 😅. I know, that isn’t cold to everyone else, but to us tropical islanders, it’s freezing! 😂

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • Crown of War and Shadow by J.R. Ward
  • The Cure by. Perdro Urvi
  • Wicked Onyx by. Debbie Cassidy
  • Silk & Iron by. Alexis Calder
  • Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova

Currently Reading:

  • A Promise of Lies by. Claire Sager
  • A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris
  • Dawn of the North by. Demi Winters
  • Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson
  • Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football
  • People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix) – I read this book a few years ago but watching it definitely brought me back to the book. I thought it was cute, it’s a good adaptation and I was reminded me of Poppy’s self-journey. I gave the book 4 stars – and I think the actors did a great job showing how different their personalities were, but how much they were also best friends – I love their friends to lovers/second chance romance. I also love that they had one of my favorite Robyn songs (Hang with Me) in the movie.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

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Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Fallen Stars (The Heavenly Bodies, #2)

Author: Imani Erriu

Format: audiobook and paperback

Pages: 544

Publication Date: 11/25/25 (first published 2/14/23)

Categories: Romantasy, Series


In this stunning sequel to the viral TikTok sensation Heavenly Bodies, Elara searches for a way to save her star-crossed lover and defeat the Stars out to destroy her.

“Stars will fall.”

Elara is vengeful. Her love, Prince Lorenzo, is in a deep sleep, trapped between the realms of life and death. Her enemy has vanished, and with him, Enzo’s only hope of returning to the waking world, leaving Elara with a life she has never wanted and new powers she cannot control.

Now a disgraced queen, Elara must find a way to save Lorenzo while also seeking the lost Titans, a league of gods who ruled the world long before the Stars. But there is a darker power at play, one that even the King of the Stars is afraid of. With enemies at every turn, Elara must tread carefully if she has any hope of waking her soulmate and fulfilling her promise to make every Star fall.

Content Warning: death, violence

There are four parts to this story and multiple POVS by Elara, Adrian and Merissa. But I felt like there are two main parts of this story – when Elara is walking in dreamscape trying to find Lorenzo and then the other part when Adrian comes into this story and it takes it in another direction of water adventures. There is a lot that goes on in this story, most of it coming in at the end, but I did feel like at times there was too much going on.

One thing I loved about book one is Elara and Enzo’s love story. They are apart for Part One, but I felt like Elara was holding her own with her friends, Merissa, Leo and Eli. Eli is a Star but on their side, and I found him an interesting character with a past we don’t know much about. When Elara reunites with her soulmate, there are some challenges because she can’t control her shadows. And though there is spice, it was very interesting and creative spice, which at times seemed awkward because of timing. Also because the story doesn’t focus on falling in love, it did feel like something was missing. Obviously, they will die for one another. But then they started calling one another “soulmate” and it triggered my pet peeve of the word “mate” being overused.

Also, there’s is not only one love story taking place. Adrian becomes one of the main characters of this story. He’s a pirate, he is drawn to Elara but he doesn’t know why. He meets someone, a mermaid and there is some spice between them. Adrian being a pirate, really pulled this story into a water adventure because he’s a pirate, and they encounter creatures in the sea. That was very interesting but definitely something I wasn’t expecting.

As for the conflict between the Stars (Ariete) and Celestes (Elara-Moon, Enzo-Sun), it seems like there is a truce for a little while because they have to defeat the Dark (and when they revealed who the Dark is I was like huh? Who is that? Because there are so many characters to remember! 😆 Then I remembered). Also, I’m assuming Elara will be finding other Celestes (or Elementals) in book three. So not only is the world expanding but the character list is also.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this story was kind of choppy with a lot going on, especially at the end. I feel like it was the book that was helping transition Elara/Enzo’s love story into the next phase where maybe someone like Merissa will have her time to shine. I did like having the world expand and the ocean adventures. I liked meeting new Stars, and characters like Adrian, but the list is getting long and I am bound to forget somebody. Maybe a characters list can be included in the next book? I think the ending is intriguing where Merissa’s POV comes in so I will be definitely reading book three to see what happens with her but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did book one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Heavenly Bodies by. Imani Erriu | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 1/14/26

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Today I am going to be in the Ticketmaster war for Bruno Mars tickets – hopefully for the Vegas show. 😩 I’ve seen him at every tour except for his first album – and he only has 3 albums and then the collab for Silk Sonic (I did see that show in Vegas). So may the ticket Gods be with me today! 😅 May the odds be in my favor!

And this is why I am back on a book buying ban again. It doesn’t help that BTS concert ticket presales are next week also and my sister really wants to go, so I’m trying to get tickets for her.

Any concerts you are dying to go to in 2026?

What are you currently reading?

A Promise of Lies by. Clare Sager – 20% – no progress

Dawn of the North by. Demi Winter – 2%

A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris – 1%

Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova – chapter 10

Wicked Onyx by. Debbie Cassidy – 5%

Silk & Iron by. Alexis Calder – 20%

What have you just finished reading?

Love and Other Brain Experiments by. Hannah Brohm – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Cure by. Pedro Urvi – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Songbird of the Sorrows by. Braidee Otto – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Crown of War and Shadow by. J.R. Ward – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

A Winter of White Ash by. Lucia Damisa

I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray

A Whisper of Winds and Leaves by. M.B. Reese

Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/11/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ You know, last year I really jumped into book because after the election I was feeling sick, worried about all the things that would happen to our country. I mean I read 230+ books in 2025, that’s a record for me. I was trying to escape all the bad feelings inside of me and it helped alleviate stress and anxiety, a little. And now it’s January 11th and I feel sick again – anxious – helpless when I see what’s happening in the news. What happened to Renee Good and seeing ICE do what they do …it’s sickening. What I see happening to this country and how our leaders are acting makes me feel physically ill. And this week the books couldn’t help me escape my feelings this week. 😒

+ But because life is weird and with this bad stuff going on, you still have to keep living and try to stay positive…one thing that made me super happy is Bruno Mars dropped a new song. And yes he is probably my favorite artist and not only because he is from Hawaii, and he’s half Filipino, but his music/his voice makes me feel something and this new song makes me feel happy. It pulls me out of the darkness going on in the world today. 🙏🏽

The song made me dance right away – another thing that heals us, singing and dancing! And this song was definitely needed. His tour tickets go on sale this week, and my son wants to go, a friend of college wants to go, another friend wants to go – I’ve seen him twice for his solo tours and then once at his Silk Sonic residency. All his shows were so amazing – I think he’s the artist I will definitely want to see in concert until he retires, if ever. I’m excited that my kids love him, he is also on my husband’s bucket list but he is waiting for Japan tour dates because my hubby wants to see him in the Osaka Dome. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway, let’s hope I get tickets – but this also means I am going back on my book buying ban (I have some on pre-order though 🤭 but outside of that I’m on a ban lol)…because concert tickets are expensive.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • A War of Wyverns by. S.F. Williamson
  • Stolen Midnights by. Katherine Quinn
  • Love and Other Brain Experiments by. Hannah Brohm
  • Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu

Currently Reading:

  • A Promise of Lies by. Claire Sager
  • A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris
  • The Cure by. Pedro Urvi
  • Dawn of the North by. Demi Winters
  • Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson
  • Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

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Shadows and Secrets by. Arcadia Rayne | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Shadows and Secrets (The Fatebreaker Trilogy, #1)

Author: Arcadia Rayne

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 614

Publication Date: 11/13/25

Categories: Romantasy, Fae, Fated Mates


She was sent to kill him. Now she might have to marry him.

Huntyr Lachlan is Velia’s deadliest assassin, and the fae prince who destroyed her family just walked into her kingdom.

But when her plan goes wrong, she’s thrust into the Conclave, an ancient competition for the prince’s hand.

Now trapped in a deadly game, Huntyr must navigate rival suitors, perilous trials, and a prince who is far more dangerous, and captivating, than she ever imagined.

In a world where nothing is as it seems, though, her greatest enemy may be the one she least expects.

Content Warning: violence, death, mentions of torture/training

I didn’t know anything about this book. It was one of those nights I was scrolling on Kindle Unlimited, saw this pretty cover, the synopsis sounded like the usual romantasy Fae story and I decided why not?

Even though this is 600+ pages, I felt like the story moved fast because the world-building is light, and there are a few typical tropes: deadly bridal trials, secret identities, enemies to lovers – all the things I enjoy in a romantasy.

Huntyr is a mortal and an assassin. Her contract assigns her to kill the Fae Prince, Derian. Huntyr is only happy to take the contract because she hates the Fae since in her memories, it was the Fae that killed her father. Her father dying when she was young set into motion a childhood of strife, starvation and fear. It’s what made her an assassin.

Derian, is one of the most power Fae in existence – he is a storm-wielder and the spare who is in charge of his brother’s forces. When his brother arranges a marriage for him to a mortal, Derian takes matters into his own hands and instead announces a Conclave – a competition to the death for his hand in marriage. And Huntyr is one of the contestants.

Derian and Huntyr’s relationship starts off with sparks. She can’t stand him but must play a part and hide her assassin identity. And Derian can’t seem to stay away from her. I thought their banter was fun, and I really loved how their relationship grew. They are enemies, but the attraction between them is strong, and soon they are both falling for one another. I loved seeing them fall for one another. It is a fated mates romance, which I usually steer away from, but I like how this one is done. I like how Derion gives Huntyr space when she needs it, but I like how they fight too – it sometimes leads to something which was fun.

The world-building is pretty light, with the deadly trials taking up most of the story. But I didn’t mind it because there was a lot of action. We didn’t get to know a lot of the contestants, but I still enjoyed the fight scenes. Huntyr is pretty bad-ass in a fight. There is an enemy the Fae are fighting, also, the Velkai, who is encroaching on their borders. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and found family that is growing for Huntyr.

I thought the ending was very emotional for Huntyr and a good set up for book two.

One of my issues with this story was some of the language and it wasn’t a lot, just a few here and there…but there would be a moment where the character would say something modern like “cool” and it would take me out of the story.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was such a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t sure if I would like it or I’d just be bored with the usual romantasy tropes, but this was an easy read filled with a strong FMC, romance, spice, and deadly fights. I’ll definitely be reading book two because I want to see how they deal with the Velkai, but definitely check this book out if you like the usual romantasy tropes.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 1/7/26

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I feel like I’m reading an interesting mix of books right now: romantasy, contemporary romance and dystopia. I’ve been loving the mystery thrillers I’ve been reading too – they have been really fun palate cleansers.

I am working on February arcs and I feel like I’m making good progress! I requested a lot for January and February but I don’t have much for March-June, which is on purpose. I do want to read more on the backlist, like books on my physical book shelf, or series that I’ve been meaning to read like Empire of the Vampire, and I would love to re-read a few books before their sequels come out this year! So I’m trying to read less arcs to make room for all of that!

What are you currently reading?

A Promise of Lies by. Clare Sager – 20%

Love and Other Brain Experiments by. Hannah Brohm – 1%

The Cure by. Pedro Urvi – 15%

Songbird of the Sorrows by. Braidee Otto – 33%

Dawn of the North by. Demi Winter – 2%

A Curse of Crimson Tears by. Julie J. Morris – 1%

What have you just finished reading?

A Language Dragons by. S.F. Williamson ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Touch of Poison by. Claire Sager – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wicked and the Damned by. Rebecca Robinson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (arc)

Here Lie All the Boys Who broke My Heart by. Emma Simmerman – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (arc)

Shadows and Secrets by. Arcadia Rayne – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (arc)

A War of Wyverns by. S.F. Williamson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(arc)

Stolen Midnights by. Katherine Quinn – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(arc)

Fallen Stars by. Imani Erriu – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

Fallen Gods by. Rachel Van Dyken

A Winter of White Ash by. Lucia Damisa

I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray

A Whisper of Winds and Leaves by. M.B. Reese

Dragon Cursed by. Elise Kova

What are YOU reading right now?

The Sins of Silas by. Kylie Snow | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles, #2)

Author: Kylie Snow

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 784

Publication Date: 9/18/25

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, Series, LGBT+


A SECRET MAGE. A VENEGEFUL PRINCE.
WILL FORBIDDEN LOVE UNITE THE REALM – OR BURN IT DOWN…
*please check trigger warnings before diving in

Five years ago, Silas La’Rune lost his mother, his home and his love, Lena Daelyra. Grief turned into rage, and rage to purpose. Now known as the Slayer of Witches, Silas wages a brutal campaign against Magekind. But during a raid on a Mage village, he finds Lena alive, hiding a secret darker than she is a Mage herself. Torn between fury and forbidden desire, Silas can’t help but show mercy when faced with the eyes of his lost love.

Amid a Kingdom on the brink of war, with no one else to turn to, the pair form a fragile alliance to to topple the tyrant King of Otacia – Silas’ own father, Ulric La-Rune. Yet another shadow looms, a rising necromancer is
beginning to terrorise the land they once called home.

Forced to hide their past, every stolen glance reignites a fire they cannot tame. As rebellion ignites and old loyalties fray, Silas can’t decide what will destroy him her lies or his sins…

Content Warning: death, violence, torture, rape, cheating

I really don’t like the original book covers for this series but so far the story is addicting. It’s filled with tropes and so many ridiculous situations happening all at once, it’s entertaining and comical at times, it’s hard to put down. It’s SO messy.

Silas and Lena are now teamed up as allies, trying to find more allies in neighboring kingdoms so that they can find this mysterious Necromancer and also put an end to the reign of Silas’ father who is an awful king. But in between all the searching for allies, and trying to figure out this mystery about the Gods and prophecies – there is SO much relationship drama.

I was like this most of the time. 🫢 Because I’d be reading something and then something crazy would happen or some random information would drop. I would even start laughing because of all the whiplash in this story! It’s one after the other and it’s entertaining as heck.

Silas and Lena are Soul-Ties (fated mates) and clearly are trying to stay away from another and be with other people but we know and almost every character in the book knows – they want one another. Silas is married so he’s trying to keep up a front and and then there is Lena who is itching to get with Roland, until Torrin comes along too and she wants him as well. This woman….wants them all! And the spice? It’s got all the smut for the smut lovers out there. Threesome anyone? Like love triangle what? Why stop at a triangle huh? 🤣. My eyes were like this 😳.

Honestly, I just wanted Silas and Lena to talk things out. And they eventually do and it’s a loaded talk, more trauma, more secrets we didn’t even know, torture that Silas endured. But why is there now more than one rape scene in this series? Is the darkness really necessary when we have enough relationship drama going on? It just seems so out of place in both books and just feels like it’s thrown in for shock value.

There are other relationships going on like with Merrick and his lady problems.

The one thing I do enjoy about this series is the found family. I love the side characters like Merrick, Torrin, Elowen, Viola, and Dani.

I also like how the world opened up and humans and mages meet the warlocks. But again the story takes on a wild turn near the end, like a cell phone shows up – so now there are going to be portals huh? I don’t know if I can take anymore of it but the ending was crazy and ends in a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:

The writing is not really for me but it’s easy to consume and the story is entertaining and messy. The world building is still not the best. Do I like Lena hooking up with everyone in front of Silas, nope because aren’t they Soul-Ties? Or are we going for Why Choose? Because that could work if Silas was down with it. 😅 I’m reading this series for the drama! It’s messy as hell and I need to see what happens in book three with Silas but I hope it ends at three books because I don’t think I can take anymore. 😆

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Lies of Lena by. Kylie Snow (audiobook) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫