There is so much to love about this debut novel by Tara Tai. It is an interoffice, enemies-to-lovers romance, with both video games and D&D woven heavily into the plot. As I am a huge fan of both video games and D&D, I was pretty locked into this book.
An otherworldly romance set in Paris. I loved the diversity of magical/supernatural creatures. And I also loved the diversity of the characters sexual and romantic identities—a very good representation of different identities.
There is no possible way to sing enough praises for this book. It is pure perfection—storytelling at its finest.
Good writing and lots of good BDSM aspects, written by someone who has either lived it or researched it well. I found this particularly refreshing.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I loved this modern, adult fairy tale so much. And for so many reasons. It has deep, diverse, and fully actualized characters. It has a plot that grabbed me hard and held me for the entirety of the adventure. It has witty banter, a tender love story, hard topics, a light tone, and lessons about finding ourselves and finding courage. And, most importantly, this book is a tribute to all the storytellers of the world—without them, how else would we know that magic still exists?
There is a lot of love in this book. Dark academia. Secret societies. Hidden histories. And queer characters. It is a dark and twisted reminder of the power and corruption of money. And it does a very good job of capturing the isolation, loneliness, and awkwardness of being an outsider trying to fit into the classed structure of wealth and privilege.
A good story, but the whole thing just felt a bit uninspired, like this book will fade into the recesses of my mind, quickly forgotten. There wasn't anything I disliked about it, but in the same token, there wasn't anything memorable about it.
Light and playful tone with a good amount of whimsy. I loved the assortment of supernatural creatures, and I really adored the dragon, Amber.
An exciting continuation in the Bound to Fire and Steel series. I continued to love the polyamorous relationship and the sexual fluidity of many characters. The use of language is lovely. And towards the end, I was even moved to tears.
A love story with diverse characters, a unique premise, and a happy ending. I enjoyed the steampunk Victorian setting, the little hints of magic, and the unusual romance. However, the pacing was a bit slow, for my taste.
Oh my. Oh my. So much naughty fun. But this steamy romance is so much more than just the lascivious bits. I was in this one for the quality of the writing, the worldbuilding, the plot, and the characters. This had everything I want in a novel.
Charming and mysterious. This book has plenty of witchy wonders. The intriguing magic system is a beautiful tribute to bees. And there are also hints of Old Norse folklore woven in with the spellwork.
