Rating: 3.5

This is one of the more unique fantasy books I have ever read. I loved how it focused on a human school counselor trying to navigate a new realm while trying to help students taught power and physical strength are the most important things in life. It was a really interesting concept!

I really enjoyed the first third of the book, but it started to lose my interest more and more after that. Although I found the counseling sessions interesting the book started to feel more preachy by the second half. Ella was often long winded with explanations even when it was just a casual conversation.

I also wasn't a huge fan of how quickly Kellen went from literally trying to kill Ella to head over heels in love with her. It didn't have a natural progression and I would have enjoyed seeing them be true enemies for much longer. Kellen also made so many declarations of his feelings (both short and long) that they started to lose their impact. Although most were only to himself or a character besides Ella, it made his declarations to Ella (when it finally did happen) fall a bit flat for me.

Another thing I wasn't fan of was the age of the twins. Despite the trauma they've been through maturing them, twelve was still too young of an age for how they were speaking and acting throughout most of the book. I think fifteen would have been a more appropriate age for them.

My last issue with this book is the inconsistencies in POV. Each chapter starts with a character name at the top so you know whose POV it is. However, in many chapters it switches POV without warning or simply after a decorative line break. This made it confusing at times and took me out of the story.

Overall, despite my issues with this book, I'm still looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens with Ella and Kellen.

If you are a fan of Zodiac Academy- this is for you. Imagine ZA but told from the teachers POV… and without crazy illogical plot lines (this is no hate to ZA- I LOVE THAT SERIES). This was such a fun ride with TRUE enemies to lovers. I loved the characters and the topic of mental health woven throughout the story. If you are looking for a unique story that has you captivated from start to finish- look no further!

I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2!!!

When i say i DEVOURED this book i DEVOURED IT! its 12:29pm as i write this and i have not slept i have not put this book down since i started it last night.

Everything about the story gripped me, had me hanging onto every single word said.


AND IT ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER?! Ma’am!! MA’AM!!! I need the next book.

I was smiling, laughing, crying at parts in this, when i say for parts i had to sit up in bed to read because it gripped me that hard I'm not kidding. This got me out of a reading slump and I'm not mad about that! I am mad about the cliffhanger though 😂 ma’am Kyla I NEED MORE 😩😩😩😩

This book was everything and more! A human school counselor and a dragon shifter professor is so clever and a trope I didn’t know I needed until now. I loved everything the slowburn, the mental health rep, the banter, the found family, the spice, and the plot twists. I especially enjoyed the wholesome moments (I definitely didn’t bawl my eyes out). I also loved that the world building was easy to understand and picture in my head. This was easily a top read for me for 2024!

I normally don't read fantasy books so it took me a while to get into the story and to understand everything. I liked the storyline and the characters but I think that fantasy just isn't for me. I'm very grateful that I got to read this book but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Azala Press for this arc!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

This book had a lot of deep complex emotional moments. The MC is a school guidance counselor in a world of shifters and other magical elements guiding students and faculty on how to regulate their emotions. At some points I felt things were getting a bit too emotional with repeated sentiments. The male MC sobbed and cried an unbearable amount. And I love me a man who can show his emotions. I married a sensitive man myself. But in the end he pretty much sobbed touching her, Sobbed thinking about her, it was a lot. The dynamic between Noelle and Kellan was fire though. They worked through a lot of things and characters developed more emotionally than anything. I really did enjoy the world building and incorporating their magic school classes and even a little tournament at the end.

I think there are places the daunting emotional moments can be cut down. Especially Kellans inner monolgoue about Noella and how much he thinks about it. It drones on a bit repeatatively.

All in all it's a fantastic world and I really want to read book 2 to see where the characters end up.

Thanks again Netgalley for the arc.

<b>⭐ - 4.5/5 - ⭐</b>

Thank you #netgalley and #azalapress for the ARC of this book!

I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I cheered, and every other reaction you can think of!

✦ Touch her and die
✦ Mental health rep
✦ Enemies to lovers
✦ Grumpy x Sunshine
✦ Slow burn
✦ Dark Academia
✦ Trauma/Abuse Healing

⚠️ - Yes - trauma, abuse, etc
🌶️ - 2/5
💕 - 4.5/5
👥 - 4/5
🌎 - 5/5
🗡️ - 2/5
💀 - 2/5


𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
Noella Rose gets a job offer to become the school counselor for Delmarth Academy. Unknown to her, this school is in another dimension, ruled by Gods and home to beings called Primordials, who happen to hate humans. After a year, she will be allowed to return home...if she survives that long.

Kellen Kilic is a Primordial teacher at Delmarth Academy. His life is spent protecting his heart and his twin siblings. Noellas arrival turns his whole world upside down. He's supposed to hate humans, so why is this one invading his every thought?


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
● The author does such a good job at making us feel the pain that Ella is going through in the first few chapters of the book, that when she’s shown true compassion and friendship, I actually teared up a little bit.
● Points for the use of ‘spoons’ when talking about mental health and energy spent
● Mental health representation throughout
● I’m not usually a huge fan of 3rd person books, but honestly, this was written so well I barely noticed.
● The relationship between Kellen and Freya (Noella's dog) is just too stinking cute!
● Focuses more on the characters within the story, versus the fantasy and magic of the world. Not to say that the world building was incredible!


𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅:
● This being an ARC, I definitely overlooked a few things, but some of the paragraphs were LOOONG...like pages long.
● Sometimes the POV switches mid chapter and it's a bit confusing
● 3rd act breakup...however it was VERY brief.
● Mildly predictable twist(s)


𝒬𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈
<blockquote>"Selfishness is defined as concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others. Taking care of yourself is different than putting yourself above someone else. It doesn't mean you don't care for others to care for yourself. I'm both our dimensions, apparently, we have all been conditioned to think that prioritizing our needs or setting boundaries is a selfish thing to do, but it's not. Putting yourself first is not selfish."</blockquote>

<blockquote>"But I know depression. I know how it moves. I know how it operates. I know how it takes hold, and I know how it can destroy."</blockquote>

This is probably one of my favorite books of 2024. The whole book kept me on my toes and that cliffhanger left me screaming! I cannot wait for the next book and to read more of this authors books!

The premise sounded great, but it wasn't for me. There was a lot of info dumping on magical creatures at first.

Not a fan of fantasy and thought I would give it a go. Would recommend thought to my fantasy froends

Thank you to NetGalley and Kyla Shiner for providing an ARC of *Bleeding Rose* in exchange for an honest review.

*Bleeding Rose" offers an intriguing mix of fantasy and romance with a fresh twist on the magical school trope. The story follows Noella Rose, a human who unwittingly binds herself to a mystical boarding school through a contract. As the school’s first counselor, she faces prejudice from the Primordials, a race that values strength and views emotions as a weakness. Her main adversary is Kellen, a dragon-shifter who initially tries to make her life miserable but finds himself increasingly drawn to her.

The book shines in its enemies-to-lovers dynamic, which is both compelling and well-executed. The banter between Noella and Kellen is witty and engaging, making their evolving relationship a highlight. Additionally, the novel excels in its mental health representation, depicting how counseling can profoundly impact individuals dealing with trauma and emotional struggles.

However, the book does have some notable flaws. The formatting of the POV shifts can be jarring, with occasional inconsistencies in perspective transitions disrupting the flow. The abrupt change in Kellen’s attitude towards Noella halfway through the book feels forced and undermines the slow-burn tension that many readers might have anticipated. Moreover, the plot twist is fairly predictable, lacking subtlety and reducing the impact of the reveal.

The portrayal of the young characters, Eulaylia and Jarion, also felt inconsistent with their age, as their maturity level seemed more suited to older characters. Despite these issues, the book’s unique magic system and the focus on adult characters in a magical setting offer a refreshing change from the usual school-centric narratives.

Overall, *Bleeding Rose* is a captivating read with its strong romance and mental health themes, though it is somewhat marred by pacing and predictability issues. Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope and magical school settings will probably enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story develops in the next installment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Azala Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

True rating: 3.5

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. On one hand, the plot is decent and entertaining but on the other, there were some issues that were just hard to ignore.

1) I'm not a big fan of the formatting when it comes to the POV's. Each chapter starts off with the name of the character, telling you exactly whos' perspective we will be getting in that section. Unfortunately, this didn't always ring true. Occasionally, the chapter would randomly switch perspectives to the other character with no forewarning. Most of the time it did have an obvious break in the page that once you noticed, prepares you for the change, but there were a few times that the break was missing. It was a bit jarring and broke the flow of the book, pulling me out of my immersion into the story.

2) I was IN LOVE with this book being a true enemies to lovers story. I was so excited that our MMC, Kellen, was actively trying to torture and kill our FMC, Noella. The premise of the world being that these beings have no time for emotions. They value strength over everything and see emotions as weakness. So when Noella gets a job as a guidance counselor for these children, she is enemy number one from everyone at the school, staff included. At least until 20% into the book where suddenly he no longer wants to drive her out of the academy. It was such an abrupt change that I put the book down for a while, unable to pick it back up as I felt lied to and robbed. I wish that we had more of a slow burn between them, more of the chemistry as they butt heads and clash, slowly shifting into that lovers mindset instead of the random genre shift that we were given.

3) I absolutely loved the mental health representation in this book! We see kids and even some teachers overcome trauma that was forced on them as a race of people. The author does a fabulous job of showcasing tips and tricks that we can do ourselves in real life if that is something that you struggle with. Watching the characters in the book realize that emotions are not a weakness, and watching them grow and become better people for embracing their pain and struggles, was such a beautiful thing and I truly admired it.

4) The plot twist wasn't a twist at all. The author gave us so much foreshadowing that it was glaringly obvious around 30% of the book what was going to happen. I think that she needs to learn how to subtly weave information in for the reader in throwaway comments or simple nods that aren't so in your face. It would have made the reveal satisfying if we weren't spoon-fed the information throughout the book.

5) While I loved the twins, Eulaylia and Jarion, their mental maturity was too great for that of a 12 year old. The author should have aged them up just a smidge to align more with how she portrayed the characters. I do understand that these two characters had so much trauma on them that it forced them to grow up before they should have, but their age just didn't vibe with what the author was giving us. However all that being said, I do think that they were more of the better side characters in the story. I loved their journey, their growth and just their overall personalities.

Overall, despite the flaws in the book it was a decent read, if not a little long. I will probably continue with the series as it comes out and ends up on my radar but I won't be going out of my way to do so.

If you're looking for a new dragon shifter with a dirty mouth, look no further!

This book follows Ella, a human who unknowingly signed a contract binding her to a magical school in another dimension. She's their new (and first) school counselor in a place that only values strength and power, so not only does she have to fight bigotry for being human, she also has to challenge their preconceptions of what a counselor does and how she can serve the school.

And then there's Kellen, a renowned dragon-shifter and leader of all of the shifters at the school. He hates her and tries to make her life hell. Yet... he can't help constantly running into her.

The banter in the beginning of this book was top notch. Some lines had me straight up cackling and laughing. I also loved the mental health representation and how the author showed the reader many different ways a school counselor (and therapist in general) can play a vital role in people's lives.

"You've taken over my thoughts, my dreams, my every breath. You represent everything we've been taught not to value, yet you're the strongest person I've encountered in all my twenty-eight years of life."

Some tropes are:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Forbidden love
- Shifters
- Unique magic system
- Mental health representation

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. The only negatives were 1. I predicted some of the big reveals at the ending early on in the book and 2. It got a little too sappy at the end. I adore declarations of love, but they were given many times so it almost took away from the impact of them in a way.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Relationship: M/F
Romance Level: Slow Burn
POV: Multi, third person
Rating: 3.5/5, rounding to 4 ✨
Spice: 2/5 🌶️ …that’s me being generous. It’s the vulgarity and sexual openness of dialogue that bumps it up. There are only a few open-door scenes.
Darkness: 2/5 🖤
Series/Stand Alone: Book 1
Cliffhanger: Yes
Themes/Tropes: Secrets, hidden identities, secret powers, trauma healing, enemies to lovers, found family, mates, shifters, meddling gods, bulling, dark academia, revenge, softie MMC, strong/fierce FMC, sunshine/grumpy, and cute banter
Check Triggers: yes

I found myself struggling to get through this book for the following reasons:

1. The awkward and random POV shift. The beginning of each chapter is one of the MC’s names. You would assume that you’re reading from that character's POV, but wrong! It randomly changes to another MC POV mid-chapter. Sometimes there’s a page break for the change and sometimes there wasn’t. Not to mention, this book was written in the 3rd person, which made it even more difficult to follow the change in character POVs.

2. While I appreciated the rep of mental illness and overcoming trauma, I was confused by Kellen’s 180 personality change. We’re taken into a cruel other world-dimension that supposedly doesn’t understand the concept of emotions. Showing or expressing emotions will deem you as weak and worthless. Kellen, the MMC, is like all the other characters in this world…. Actually, he’s more. He’s the strongest, toughest, smartest, etc, etc….well in the beginning. Then there’s a drastic personality change where he’s always “sobbing”. No, I’m serious. He was literally always sobbing. Even more than the “human.” Again, I loved the emotional well-being aspect and I understand that something had to give in order to reinforce the main concept of the book, but making Kellen a submissive, blabbering, crying, groveling mess really made it hard for me to finish.

3. The very obvious upcoming “plot twist.” This was a big one for me. This almost made me stop the book completely. I was already struggling to begin with and, since the ending was so painfully obvious due to the very obvious foreshadowing, what was the point of finishing?

4. Last but not least, The FMC, Noella. While I liked her in the beginning, she became annoying towards 40%. By annoying, I mean, entitled, disrespectful, bratty, and ignorant. I brushed it off due to her circumstances, but as the story went on, she became worse. I hate when these traits equate to a character being strong. It’s not. She made me want to apologize for her behavior and explain that not all “humans” are like this. She had strong opinions on a world/gods she knew nothing about. It was the equivalent of me going to a different country, publicly disrespecting their way of life, their Gods, their history, etc. and then excusing my behavior because I’m not from there. I’m not exaggerating. I quote: “I’d be careful what you say about the Gods. They hear everything, and they forget nothing.” “I don’t care,” she dismissed with a shrug of her shoulders. “They’re not my Gods, so they can’t punish me.” 😑 And while she required everyone to acknowledge her feelings and opinions, she threw a temper tantrum and dismissed one of her ONLY best friends because he couldn’t tell her something…

Besides those 4 issues, I would still recommend this book. I enjoyed the concept of the plot and it was unique. I loved the found family trope and side characters. I even enjoyed the dog, Freya. If you enjoy mild-fantasy (minimal world building), enemies to lovers, slowwww burn romance, then this is the book for you.

Thank you Netgally & Azala Press for this ARC opportunity.

If you loved Zodiac Academy, but want a book about adults instead of students, then read this!

Noella Rose is a human school counselor who unknowingly signs a contract that binds her to a mystical boarding school. She is surrounded by Primordials, who see emotions as weaknesses and humans as inferior.

Kellen is a Primordial who has sacrificed to protect his younger siblings. He doesn’t trust humans and sees Noella as a threat to everything he has worked for.

I love how this book was about the adults in a magical school rather than focusing on the students, it was such a unique book!

The enemies-to-lovers trope is always my favorite, so I really enjoyed Noella and Kellen's relationship.

I’m so excited to see what happens in book 2!

Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope and bully romances will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Azala Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It explored mental health and the author dealt beautifully with it. I loved that the main character was an adult and how she handled her work life. The world is interesting and I can't wait for the second book. I figured out what the final plot twist would be, but I definitely enjoyed the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Azala Press for providing an advanced copy of this book.

Wow what a book kellen and Noelle were amazing loved the character! Such a good book! And can we talk about the twins!! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.




Ok, let me start of by saying I LOVED this book. It’s like Zodiac academy told from the teachers perspectives, but also mixed with Assistant to the villain vibes??? Idk but it worked so well and the legitimate mental health rep/resources was absolutely beautiful to see in this genre.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **

Keep in mind I gave this 4 stars EVEN WITH these issues in mind; the plot and the characters make up for all of these twofold. I would’ve given it five if it weren’t for the following things (sorry if these sounds harsh at all as that’s not my intention!)

• I think it would’ve made a lot more sense if eulaylia and jarion were 14-15 rather than 12 based on their maturity (I understand they went through A LOT to get to this point, but in no world is a 12 year old using words like “mantle” and “” correctly lol). It honestly wouldn’t change the story very much if they were a few years older so it would just make the most sense

• while I love Kellen, I wish he kept his hard exterior much longer as he was already kinda soft and devoted to Noella 100 pages in. And then after that, even though he’s supposed to be this big bad imposing guy, he cries more than Noella— don’t get me wrong, I am all for men with emotions and tears, these just didn’t seem natural to him/his character :/

• I also wish the lustful thoughts didn’t start so hot and heavy so soon into the book with how much they were supposed to hate each other. Idk it kinda minimized all the work the other parts of the book that made it a slow burn, especially since Kellen could read and participate (I think?) in Noella’s dreams. I wanted to bask in their loathing of each other a bit longer, see their attraction grow (for legitimate reasons rather than the almost insta-love spell Kellen was under— like his insane amount of concern for Ella when she was drunk came out of nowhere), and see Ella fight it more instead of forgetting about all her ethics and morals until the last second

• dinner with Kellen’s mother - in no way did Ella playing the part as “pet” ever make sense. It didn’t fit the vibes of the book and came out of left field and overall felt extremely forced for even the characters to admit how pointless it was. Trust me I’m usually a sucker for this type of scene but it didn’t make sense for any of the characters to agree with or even consider, especially with how quickly the act got “found
out”

• overall, i think the book just needed a bit more grace over some parts to help the voice and tone flow better

• i also wish a bit more suspicion was placed on the voice in Ella’s head but for some reason it was always dismissed as normal

• in terms of editing, it switches back and fletch between Ella and Kellen’s perspectives ( I honestly think I would’ve enjoyed this book more is it was just Ella’s) but sometimes in the middle of chapters without warning it’ll switch perspectives. This is just an arc so maybe this will be fixed, but it really threw me through a loop a few times

• the games at the end of book (roughly pages 420-470) were much too long for my taster I kinda skipped over them, sorry! Although Laya’s win was really touching



I cannot wait for the second book!!!!

This book is beautiful in so many ways. The author did a brilliant job crafting a captivating story, led by the one and only Noella Rose, a fantastic school counselor at Delmarth Academy. Noella shares her wisdom not only with the students but also with us, the readers. She’s such a likable character—strong, confident, and, despite her tough past, fully in control of her life. Her mission is clear: help children connect with their emotions, recognize them, and act on them. She takes no nonsense and does whatever it takes to do her job right, and that’s what makes her truly stand out.

On the other side, we have Kellen Kilic, who, thanks to Noella, begins to question his long-held beliefs about strength and vulnerability. Kellen is a complex character, fiercely protective of his younger siblings and willing to do anything for their wellbeing. He’s an excellent father figure, and his emotional evolution throughout the book is beautifully executed. Despite his initial disdain for Noella, Kellen finds himself drawn to her, and over time, their relationship evolves from enemies to lovers. Their chemistry is electric, yet grounded in a maturity that allows them to communicate openly and grow together—a refreshing dynamic in any romance. Honestly, Kellen Kilic is the new book boyfriend on the map. Who needs a dragon rider when you can be the dragon rider? (Evil laugh!)

The relationship between Noella and Kellen, starting from enemies to lovers, was really interesting to follow. I see them as being in a mature relationship, where they can communicate their feelings and act on them, which is so refreshing. Watching their dynamic grow was one of the highlights of the book for me.

All in all, the book is great—I loved it. It’s a perfect blend of magic, emotion, and character growth. A solid 5/5 stars!

Calling all Zodiac Academy fans! This new fantasy romance is for you!

Overview:

This book follows our FMC Noella who unknowingly signs a contract to work as a school councillor in a different dimension, in the land of Cavale.

Unbeknownst to her, the people of Cavale absolutely despise humans due to a war between their Gods and so she struggles to settle into her new role, especially when the faculty are involved in torturing her. There’s one member of staff who gives her an extra hard time, Kelley Kilic, the head of the Varmin department.

Review:

Wow. I feel like this book was a free therapy session for me. The mental health representation in this was incredible and a real eye opener. Noella’s character is incredible. She is one of the strongest FMC’s I’ve read and the way she interacts with every single character shows how amazing she is.

I love Kellen’s character development in this book. Him and the twins work through their trauma with the help of Noella and it truly is an amazing thing to experience the further you get through the book.

If you like enemies to lovers, dark themes (check trigger warnings), bully romance and amazing character development then this book is definitely for you.

The only criticism I have is that the plot twist at the end was very predictable however I still enjoyed it nonetheless and it has set us up nicely for book two.

Thank you NetGalley & Azala Press for my copy of the eARC!

Few minor spoilers

Overall rating 3.75





Good romantasy, I definitely got hooked into this.
Always love a fated mates trope. There was a well built chemistry and palpable tension between Kellen and Noella.
A few spelling mistakes during the arc read, a few cheesy lines that lasted just a little too long.
World building should have been much more, whilst some parts went on for too long.
And the twins didn't speak like 12 year olds. Even being too mature from their trauma, it felt like it was forgotten they were infact children.
I understood "the act" that was portrayed later in the story, but the actions carried out infront of the twins gave me serious pause. It was too much. There was just no need to involve 12 year olds in that type of scenario.

But overall I really enjoyed this book. And I definitely look forward to the next!

Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to arc reader this.