The Cerise is a dark fantasy romance centralling around Khiara. Our main character is a cerise: a red-haired person considered to be (and for all intents and purposes is) a witch by the local community. Cerises and those who shelter cerises are hunted down by soldiers. Seeking revenge for the deaths of her family and her assault, Khiara becomes an assassin and has killed every soldier who destroyed her life and family. Bar one - Sergeant Graves. With the help of her friend, Ezra, Khiara embarks on her final mission.

I was heavily disappointed by this book, I stopped reading around the 20/30% mark. Khiara's inner thoughts are so up and down, it's hard to get a firm grip on what kind of character she is. Is she the seasoned well-trained assassin or is she a novice walking into a kill without a clear plan? Her feelings for Ezra seem to run from completely uninterested to suddenly lustful in the space of two chapters. The story feels incredibly rushed and ill-thought out. It doesn't help that this is a short book - fewer pages for the author to work with. As a result, a lot of the inital worldbuilding was Khiara's monologue telling us key information rather that it being shown naturally.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. I really enjoyed it. A completely unexpected love interest, a unique and interesting magic concept, and political intrigue. There was a lot of tension between several characters. A sort of love triangle situation as well. There wasn’t a lot of spice, but it was well-written and enjoyable. this was a super fast-paced and very short read. A lot of questions were left unanswered. I can’t wait for the next one.

This review is hard for me.

My heart loved it. The writing was compelling and the plot was interesting, even though the witches are called Cerise which bothered me a lot because Cerise is French for cherry. The witches are called cherries. And they have red hair. This felt a tad unoriginal.

Also, the FMC is the one well-defined character. She is independent, bold, and a feminist. Plus, her unexpected love interest caught me off guard with how much I loved it.

However, my head saw a lot of flaws, things that could have made the book so much better. I do not love an unnecessarily long book, but this one was too short. Many events are only glossed over, making it hard to feel emotionally invested. For example, (this is not a spoiler it’s mentioned in the first pages) the FMC was physically abused at a younger age, which is in itself sad, but I still didn’t feel empathy towards this specific event because the author did nothing to reach for our emotions. It’s mentioned a few times, without dwelling on it or giving that much detail.

Along the same lines, some other events are just hard to comprehend. As if the author wanted so much to keep it short, she condensed the descriptions to a point where I didn’t really understand what was happening. The same is true with the characters’ development. We don’t know any of their backgrounds, making them one-dimensional. They unfortunately don’t have a lot of substance.

Finally, the world-building also took a hit in this department. The author created new places and names, but it’s never explained how they fit together. I am a sucker for a map, but, even without it, it would have been nice to have more explanations on the geography of the world the author created.

Finally, the ending really nicked the rating for me here. Endings are hard, but this one was just anti-climatic. Because I read it on Kindle, I didn’t even know I was only a few pages to the ending, because nothing could have prepared me for it. There was no build-up to it. It’s okay to want to add a little suspense, but, in this case, for me, it fell flat. There was absolutely no resolution after a ton of information dumping, giving us the impression we were about to learn something big, that a plot twist was coming, but it never did. It’s nice to end on a cliffhanger and keep the readers wanting more, but you still gotta leave us a little something.

All in all, this was a 3.7 stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy to review.

Let's start this off by saying that overall it was quite a nice read, albeit a bit cliche at times. However, there were some parts that made me feel a bit uncomfortable. 

The entire world is set in some misogynistic culture and seeing as how real life is, I didn't really vibe with it, the relationship progressed really quickly and didn't feel too natural. Some scenes felt repetitive to me as well. 

The cliffhanger has got me curious for the next book but I also feel like barely anything happened in this book outside of Khiara's head. It kind of felt like a setup for the next book, which isn't necessarily bad but not what you'd like for the first book in a series. I wish there were more prominent female characters as well, she only interacts with possibly male love interests 😭.

I saw a review say they sometimes don't know if the FMC is 15 or 30 and I truly get where they came from. Sometimes she's very mature and the next she feels like a child.

Like other reviewers here, I finished reading this in just one day with the page count coming in at just under 250 pages. It is a very engaging story, and I enjoyed reading it. The plot kept me going with a fast pacing and good writing overall. The weaknesses here include the character development and the length of this novel. It feels unfinished as a story, and the cliffhanger ending only intensifies this feeling that this is only half a book. Our main character, Khiara, is motivated very strongly throughout the novel to help her best friend, Ezra, but I couldn’t tell you why she cares that much about him. The story provides glimpses into their life before the story began, but without Ezra having time on the page to elicit sympathy, I do not care at all what happens to him, especially when it is beyond Khiara’s best interest to continue helping him. Honestly, I disagreed with her entirely and feel like he really deserves what is happening to him, which is also extremely unclear by the end of the novel. While I liked the characters, I did not understand or buy the motivations that were established. I intend and look forward to read the next book in the series, but I wish they hadn’t been split into separate books from the start.
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC!

TW: Rape is mentioned multiple times. Consent continues to be an issue.

The Cerise by Bailey Black
Published by BooksGoSocial
5/5 stars!!

Love love love this book!! Such a quick read with a enchanting plot and loveable characters! I wish it ended a little differently as I feel like a lot more could have happened to lead onto the second book. Riot and Khaira's relationship was interesting and I do think they have a great chemistry compared to Bash.
Revenge, a little bit of spice and a fast pace story line, this is such a good read if you are only starting to get into fantasy books. I would defiantly recommend this book.

I wish that some areas were explored more and that the relationship between Riot and Khaira was explored more. I cannot wait for the second book in the series.

Thank you to Bailey, the publisher and NetGalley for this beautiful arc!

"Your Mother would be screaming in her grave if she could see you now"

I finished this book in a day, it was THAT GOOD! Impossible to put down, the fast pace, plot twists, blindsides, surprise moments, mixed with the witty banter, humorous monolog, unlikely allies/Enemies to loves turn love-Triangle made it irresistible. The cover and description of this book had caught my attention, and I am so glad I got the change to read this because it was on a whole other level.

A well written, strong FMC, two enticing MMCs, a ruthless antagonist, a kingdom at the brink of war, lies around every corner, and truth in plain sight - The Cerise is THAT book

Khaira's stubborn nature, Bash's "Prince-Charming"-ness, and Riot's hardheadedness with a gentle kindness, made this trio one of my new favorites, I can't wait to hear news of the next book in this series, that cliffhanger was shocking and I MUST know more!

I really liked the premise of the story in The Cerise, but I felt like that’s where things ended for me. The FMC seemed to be very contradictory in the choices she made, and I never really felt invested in her character.

The story lags until about halfway through the book. Things then start to get interesting, but nothing in the book ever really gets resolved. All of these different story lines are happening simultaneously, and they are all left open ended. I love a good cliffhanger, but I don’t feel like every story line in a book needs to go unresolved, just to finish them in the second book.

I did like Riot’s character. He was the one I felt the most connected to in the story. I thought he was written really well. He reminded me of Ryatt from the Plated Prisoner series, because of his relationship with Bastian.

This was a 3.75 star for me, but upgraded to 4.
"The Cerise" by Bailey Black is a whirlwind of magic, intrigue, and romance that kept me hooked from the very first page. With its fast-paced plot and powerful witchy magic, this book delivered a thrilling ride. The dilemma of choosing between the prince and his guard added an extra layer of tension to the story, keeping me guessing until the very end (Still not sure who she will choose). And that cliffhanger ending? It left me desperate for more. I can't wait to see what happens next!

This was a good book. I do think the story was a little rushed and underdeveloped which made it hard to follow at times. Some characters appeared out of nowhere, with no lead up, and all of a sudden the main character has a sibling that had never been mentioned. The book was intriguing enough to where I want to read the second one. I am excited to read the second book.

This was such a good read! I was immediately sucked into the story and could not get enough of the characters. I went on a full emotional journey with these characters and I really enjoyed it. The book was easy to read and kept a good pace where I was never bored. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

The Cerise - Bailey Black
5+✨
Going into this I was not sure what I was going to get, I have seen so many books that says to read it if you like FBAA, (I don’t) BUT I love The Selection! So I had to give it a try, and boy am I glad I did. I was hooked from page 1, I might have a slight obsession with female assassins and revenge. Khiara is all that and more. The boys, well let me tell you this, I am team Riot all the way! There is something with Bash that doesn’t sit right with me, he seems a bit controlling and idk something is off for me.
The plot is amazing, we get twist and turns around every corner. I never felt even a tiny bit bored. I wish I had a time machine so I could go to when book 2 is released, and Bailey you did me dirty with that cliffhanger!
Anyways enough rambling, here is what you can expect from this book,
🗡️FBAA x The Selection
🗡️Badass heroine
🗡️Revenge
🗡️Secret powers
🗡️Strange curse
🗡️Enemies to lovers ish?

I highly recommend you go straight to Amazon and get yourself this book right now!
Thank you Bailey, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this book!
I am leaving this review voluntarily💕

It takes at least 100 pages for me to be engrossed into a book and I was giddy even before page 100!!! The characters are interesting and there is so much mystery I’m excited to have resolved in the next book!

Well this was a fast paced read for me, I really enjoyed the magic system in the story and thought the plot was interesting and I just wanted to read more and more. The characters were fun and I have a soft spot for Riot i must admit!

A fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and it's publisher for the opportunity to.read this e-arc. This is my honest opinion.

It's a very fun,quick read, it's dark has exiled witches and a selection for a queen. It isn't cut throat like many other book series has and not really a big part of the story which I like it's more about finding her friend. The world itself is slowly being built and you jump right in to the story. The FMC chemistry with the love interest is amazing and I hope to see more of it in the next books. Super easy "lighter" dark romantasy read.

Wow! This book was different than I expected. I enjoyed how her magic is so different from any other book I have read. This was a very creative twist on magic as a whole.

I enjoyed the fact that she was able to hold her head high and stay so strong during everything that she was going through. She was able to play the part of a bar maid and a lady in waiting, all to reach goals.

I do think that there was a part in this where the author changed her mind on who she was to fall for.. The random meeting of him in the woods to when she was in the castle and found out who he really was, it is like his personality changed.. I found him to be enduring and somewhat captivating when she met him in the bar, but after that, I was annoyed by him. He ignores her ad then when he is with her it is nothing but sweet promises..

I do think that the guard is a better option for her. He not only tests her boundaries to gain her trust but he also takes the time to look after her. Even though it is all under the pretense that it's what the prince would want.

There are little things that bothered me, besides being left on a huge cliff hanger and not getting any answers... There are too many unknowns... will she finally have her revenge? Will the prince find out? Will the brutal King make an actual appearance? Can we get the answer on if Riot has actually killed a Cerise? how does Riot know so much about her? Why can she not sense Bash?

I feel like the story went great lengths, but nothing was really discovered that makes sense.. I am hoping that there is more than one more book coming.. I don't think everything could be tied up in one more book.

I am giving it four stars though. It is creative, there is lots of action, and it keeps you hooked on the story. So much so that I want to be a Cerise.. Are there more Daughters of legend to be introduced in the next book to make up all of the elements? One can hope.

This was a fun and intriguing read that had me turning the pages and now hanging on by a thread to that cliffhanger. The Cerise, natural born redheads, are thought by the Kingdom to all be witches, thus aren’t well trusted and often killed. The FMC, Khiara, is a Cerise blessed with coveted magic even she is not experienced with. The book description is pretty much spot on with how this book starts, but there’s some surprising twists throughout and we see Khiara’s magic grow throughout the book.

There are two love interests in the book, and I won’t go into detail on them as to avoid spoilers, but the tension is steamy! Is it bad I kind of want the sequel to be a why-choose Romantasy?

Overall, I liked the premise of the book and the elemental magic system that we keep learning about. The story picks up and it becomes hard to put down. My criticism would be that the writing was a bit too fast paced leading to choppiness here and there. The author introduced a lot of plot holes that we may or may not see resolved thus making this read lack some cohesiveness. The characters and side characters lacked a bit of interest and depth, but perhaps we will see growth or more execution with that in the next book. Despite those few things, I still really enjoyed the book and it was a quicker read. I’ve already preordered book 2 and hope to also get to read the ARC for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bailey Black for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

While this book had an interesting premise, it failed to truly capture me at any point. Overall, I got through it, and it had a few saving graces. I would definitely give the sequel a try because now I'm invested.

First, the things I liked:
- a great fantasy premise based on magic on the four elements: earth, air, water, fire.
- dark magic vs. light magic, good vs. evil
- a reluctant male love interest.

Now, what didn't work for me:
- this book is written in first person and her thoughts often ramble so much I don't know where we originally started. Also, she seems young at times and old at others - I don't think we ever find out her true age.
- I never had a chance to truly connect with the FMC in order to root for her. From the start, we were off on a trail of intrigue and murder and I only ever learned the basics of the heroine's life and how her journey had gotten her to where she was.
- somehow, the romance was rushed and yet dragged out. Only after I was about halfway through did I remember it was first in a series, but there was little connection between the MC and her three (possible) love interests.
- MC went back and forth so much I felt like I was getting whiplash. She would say one thing and do another. Again, it just made it difficult for me to get a grasp on who she was supposed to be.
- so many incongruencies between setting and dialogue. Liberal use of modern swearing (You're pissed off), but she's wearing petticoats and corsets. The men are in soft leather breeches and boots, but the MC wears a dress with "spaghetti straps." There's also some kind of electric light source where characters switch on a light when entering the room. It was like a medieval fantasy with modern conveniences.
- everyone dying with very little fanfare. Like, people are dropping DEAD and everyone's like "oops, let’s get them off the dance floor."
- the single sex scene in the book. It seemed.....unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this e-book for my honest review.

I got to read this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review. I was overall excited and interested when I read the plot summary, Unfortunately the book did not quite hit the mark for me. Throughout the read I was confused on the multiple plots being presented and the storyline wasn't cohesive. The romance was 'meh' and I felt no strong connection to either one of the love interests. My final issue with the book is the wording/phrasing. I felt like the phrasing was at times strange and took me out of the world.

I think if the plot was more cohesive and the characters personalities were more developed this book would have had a higher rating, but unfortunately it fell flat. However, I hope that Bailey Black continues to pursue her passion for writing and continues to develop and hone her craft!

I was pretty much lost in the sauce until I was about halfway into the book and by then there were so many plot holes I just could not get into the story. I loved the concept but the characters fell flat for me - just no personality or character development.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc - will I read the second book? Maybe just to see if any of my questions are answered.
#justiceforsage