She has the ability to kill any deadly supernatural. But if her power ever awakens, the organisation that governs supernaturals, would force her to be their loyal huntress. Or kill her, like they did her mother. Nicole hides in a small university town with her family to stay safe, she’s convinced the mythological art collection at a local manor contains a final message from her mother. Before she can begin her study of the art another Empyreal, Kyan, arrives on the scene. When they discover his prey has stolen a painting for leverage, they’re forced to work together.

As the creature threatens to expose her powers, her tenuous alliance with Kyan threaten her heart. If her true identity is revealed, she will be hunted next. No one disobeys the governing body of supernaturals and survives. Especially when the art they’re seeking unveils a conspiracy that would change the lives of creatures and human forever. After a life of hiding her true nature, who could resist the temptation of magic.

A forbidden romance steeped in mythology and magic that will leave you wanting more. This may be the first in a series but it takes the fantasy world by storm: magical creatures, forbidden alliances and supernatural creatures are prowling across the pages. There isn’t anything about this book to to like cause it has it all. There is a magic in reading something that entices you from he very first page and magical creatures existing alongside humans is one of them. Imagine is this was real.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵

I could not believe that this is a debut book. From the writing, the world building, the characters, the magic system, the dark academia setting, one of the most unique fantasy systems, this was a masterclass from start to finish, I was completely and utterly engrossed into this world where empyreals and supernatural beings exist. For me, this book is if Serpent and Dove had a baby with The Mortal Instruments.

Nicole was such an interesting heroine, she gave of black cat/angry gf energy with her badass personality and attitude, but you can see why due to the magnitude of love and loyalty she has for her family. Kyan was a perfect match for her through and through, he was powerful and so dedicated to a cause, loyalty is something they both had in spades. This book is perfect for fans of books such as Fourth Wing and I really think this will be the next best fantasy series upon release. I cannot wait to see where Megan Scott takes this next.

Thank you to Netgalley, Megan Scott and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review ♥️

oh my god, this book was so, so good! it has a ton of interesting and unique elements, from the complex fantastical setting to the way art and history are woven into the story.

what immediately drew me in was the concept of Empyreals and how it related to a vast multitude of commonly-known supernatural creatures. I think I could compare Empyreals to Shadowhunters in terms of their protective nature, however Megan Scott managed to create a whole new world where things aren’t so black and white. I particularly loved how the characters’ sense of right shifted as the story progressed.

another stunning aspect was the art! here, history is painted, and also manipulated, through art, which I think was one of the story’s most compelling devices. there’s nothing like a famous painting that conceals secrets within!

while I was fascinated by the book, I did think it dragged on a bit towards the end - it was odd that the eagerly-anticipated climax took place at around 80% of the story, followed by quite a bit of talking and walking/standing around. however, the ending moments were awesome and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel!