Sarah J. Maas at her finest. A slow start but a gripping story. Bryce is an interesting main character who is battling with demons and secrets but becomes embroiled in the hunt for the killer of her friends. She must help to find the answers before the finger in pointed at her. A gripping story that leaves you wanting more.

This was my first excerpt of a SJM book. I haven't read her others but based on this i most definitely will be.

This extract has me so excited for what Maas has in-store for us in this book. The first couple chapters were slow for me but as always, Maas always grabs my attention with her writing, and takes me on such a beautiful adventure. I can’t wait to keep reading now thanks to this extract!

Such a great preview for the book! I cannot wait to read the whole book! Sarah J Maas is my top favorite author!

Well I love anything Sarah J Mass. The world building took a bit of understanding, once there it was a ride. I feel like the use of swearing was a bit forced and unnatural but I made my peace with that. Hopefully the second is a strong contender.

Loved this so much! The characters, the storyline, everything about it was such high quality and so well written. I can't wait to read the full book.

A great introduction to what I can already tell is an incredible, painful and exhilarating ride through a vast and vivid world filled with an amazing cast of characters that is what Sarah J. Maas is known for.

I am a Maas devotee; the clearly transparent attempts in this first book of a (presumably) longer saga to set out a wide range of characters for future books is rough. I found myself struggling to keep characters straight for the first half of the book, which is a rarity for me. Ultimately, I finished the text but it was difficult. Here's hoping the next book is a bit smoother, as I will happily buy her texts. Perhaps her other books are just so good that I had incredibly high expectations!

This extract definitely made me get more excited for the book, and as soon as it came out I made sure to get a copy!

I absolutely LOVE Sarah J. Maas' other series (ACOTAR & TOG) so I couldn't wait to get my hands on her newest book of a brand new series.

To be honest, I found it a bit of a slow burner at the beginning with lots of world & character building, so much so that I struggled to keep up a wee bit, but I pushed through & I'm so glad I did! The last 1/4 of the book had me hooked and I really struggled to put it down. I can't wait for book number 2!

Oh boy, do I have things to say.
I enjoyed it. Very much. But there are sooo many flaws.

The world-building is confusing af. I had to watch an Instagram Reel to actually fully understand it. It features too many different species, too many places, too many types of things (both magical and technological) and sometimes it doesn't feel cohesive at all.

The use of Latin makes no sense at all, and it's also grammatically wrong. Next time you want to steal Rome's symbol (SPQR) make sure you know how to do it.

The plot is intriguing, engaging, and a breath of fresh air in the realm of Fantasy, but it's spread too thin. One thing I loved were the plot twists, they were so good!

The amount of swearing is excessive and unnecessary. Please understand that this book, even though it's targeted as Adult, is just a YA with lots of swearing and sex.

The difficult themes of this story were portrayed in a beautiful way, and I resonated with it a lot.

The characters are incredibly annoying and clichè at first, especially Bryce. They have a very good development throughout the story though.

The relationships are kinda meh in my opinion and could've been so much better, while the friendships are amazing, they almost had me cry.

As previously stated, this book is far from being perfect, and many things about it did not sit right with me. But Sarah J. Maas has this special gift - even when she writes something trash, she manages to do it in a way that will make your mind forget about the infinite flaws, and only focus on the good parts. That's why, despite the pretty harsh review, I'm still giving this book a high rating. It gave me feelings, it made me feel something, and in the end that's what matters to me. But I'm going to be honest - if you didn't like her previous works, you're not going to like this one, so don't try to read it in the hope it will be different from her other books because it isn't.

Way too much world building. When will the story ever start? I feel like I need an encyclopedia on hand to follow anything!

This was great, I really liked the beginning and I find the characters and especially Dannika so interesting, looking forward to continue and learn more about this one and Hunt!

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into the story ! I love this author so will try again may have bern just the wrong time to read

A great sneak peek at the newest Sarah J. Maas book. The storyline is intriguing. Characters are easily to develop feelings for & care about their livelihood & outcome within the story. Can't wait to read the entire book/series!

WOW what a beginning to a book! This little sample sure had me hooked! I have the book on audio from the library so I can't wait to dive in!

I can't rave enough about this book! Sarah J. Maas has an incredible talent for writing in such a way that I'm instantly immersed in the story and attached to the characters. Even as you plunge into the story and are a bit overwhelmed by the depth of the world she has created, I found myself caught in the current and unable to put the book down.

I love how strong and independent Bryce is and how she fights for what she wants and when she meets Hunt, sparks fly. I won't talk too much about the actual story as I don't want to give any surprises away, but I was completely gripped and went through a kaleidoscope of emotions throughout. There aren't many books which can make you laugh and cry within a few chapters, let alone pages!

This is an incredible new fantasy world and I can't wait to read the next instalment! I give this 5 out of 5.

From everything that I was able to read so far. I'm in love! Sarah J. Maas never steers me wrong with her books. With this being an Adult fiction. She did very well. Lots of world build up and fantastic characters

Really enjoyed this extract, can't wait to read the full book. The author has painted an excellent picture of the new world, was disappointed to have to stop.

Only a few chapters in, and Sarah J. Maas has painted this world so vividly. The characters, the setting, the descriptions are brilliant and exciting.
I can already tell how huge and detailed this world is, so I urge you when you read it, take your time and savour every page. There is a lot of new information to take in and learn but even from reading just the first little bit, I’m so intrigued as to find out how much bigger it gets.
From the first page I already love how vast the number of different creatures and species there are.
You can tell immediately that this is adult and not young adult. It is still very much Sarah J Maas’s style of writing which I love, but a more intricate and mature element is woven in it, so I found it required a lot more focus and concentration. I love the dynamic between the characters already. The friendships are so well written and I also love how, despite it being a fantasy book, the dialogue is so relatable. It has a great thread of humour and I cannot wait to read on and fall in love and feel all the emotions that I'm certain are coming our way.
This is going to be a really exciting new adventure.