Alex

This was awful. I had an awful time reading this. The writing was juvenile. The weirdness and tension was revealed too quickly so the first “twist” was called within the first 30 pages. The second “twist” was a cop out, had no bearing on the story and ruined any goodwill I could've had for the story. The romance/obsession felt forced and there was so much nothingness in the pages that I was annoyed when reading. That's not including the numerous times the POV changed in the middle of a scene to force tension. I won't be reading this author again.

Oh god this was so pretentious and flat. Maybe it's because I'm a certified Shakespeare hater but this was a drag to get through. The plot was boring and predictable. I hated the casual misogyny and honestly the homophobia in this book. Oliver was so clearly in love with James, yet he never wanted to name his bisexuality for what it was. Also, Alexander is the stereotypical partying gay predator who likes to turn straight guys gay. The mystery aspect was so contrived and information is given so easily to Oliver as he needed it. All of the women were one dimension and flat. It was such a waste of time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel conflicted about this book. On one hand, I couldn't put it down. On the other hand, I was mildly annoyed the whole time I was reading. I liked that the world building and the explanation of the magic system felt natural as the story progressed. Vic was well developed but annoying. It didn't feel like she was in her 20s but it's possible that it's because she was adultified as a child. I felt very meh about the romance and the progression of time felt unclear. The last 20% of the book felt much faster paced than the rest but I'm willing to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Well, at least the cover was pretty. The world building was confusing, the characters lacked the depth necessary for me to be invested, and the political plot/side plot felt like an afterthought. The spice and sex lessons felt very mediocre because there was no depth to the character's relationships or even their motivations. There wasn't really any chemistry between Cate and Callum at all, just insta-love/insta-lust. The fantasy elements felt like a side thought and weren't well incorporated into the world-building. I know this is the first book in a series, but I probably won't be continuing to read.

This is the first book of P. Djèli Clark's ive read, even with multiple of his books on my tbr. I think the world building was well done for such a short  book. I don't think I've ever encountered undead assassins before and the world Clark pulled together was interesting, especially the magic system. I don't think I've think the wording was a bit strange at points and the story was rushed at points in an already fast paced story. It was a fun, quick read, even if I didn't like the ending.