⭐️ 2/5 stars
📖 Length: 617 pages
📱 Format: ePUB
⏳ Read Time: DNF’d at 63% (12 days)
Synopsis
What if this time, she’s powerful enough to stop them all. What if this time, they don’t destroy her?
Arianna Jay is born into a life of magic, she’s a low level witch in a world where daemons and other supernatural beings walk the earth. She thinks she’s destined to a life as a nightclub owner while doing the occasional spell, until one fateful meeting with the man that has been haunting her dreams changes everything.
Gaelan Illis has spent thousands of years reliving the pain and devastation of losing his soul mate. He’s cursed to find her and lose her over and over again, but this time when he finds her, she’s not the same.
Could this be the life he’s always wished for? One where he gets to keep her forever?
As dark secrets start to unfold and the purest of evil after them – can true love really conquer all?
What I thought
I don’t actually remember applying for this ARC, but when it landed in my inbox, I was intrigued. The premise sounded perfect for spooky season: witches, daemons, magical books, and a world where the supernatural walk openly alongside humans. Add in fated mates, a strong FMC, and those “Charmed vibes” the author promised, and I thought I’d found a new autumn favourite.
Arianna Jay, a low-level witch destined for a quiet life, suddenly finds herself tangled with Gaelan Illis, a daemon cursed to relive the loss of his soulmate over and over again. This time, Arianna is different, stronger, and their connection could finally break the cycle… if the darkness hunting them doesn’t destroy them first. It’s a great setup, full of magic, romance, and danger.
The release was originally set for September 30th, but on October 1st I received an email from the PR company pushing it back to October 20th due to “editing issues.” Honestly, I should have known then.
Because while the concept was solid, the execution just wasn’t there for me. At over 600 pages, the book felt unnecessarily long, and by the halfway point I found myself skimming. The biggest problem, though, was the editing. Early on there were just a few errors per chapter, but by 50% the text was riddled with mistakes and wrong-word usage. It pulled me out of the story constantly, until eventually it became almost unreadable.
As for the romance, this one is very spicy. In fact, I’d class it as more erotic than straight paranormal romance. That surprised me, because the cover calls it a “Daemon Romance,” which led me to expect more urban fantasy with romantic elements. Instead, the spice dominates. For readers who enjoy explicit scenes with themes like primal play, knotting, “touch her and die” energy, and a “special peen,” (this gave me the biggest ick!) this will probably be a highlight. But for me, it felt abrupt, repetitive, and occasionally unnecessary to the plot. I’m more of a slow-burn reader who likes tension to build naturally, so this aspect really didn’t work for me.
This is actually my first ever DNF, and I don’t make that decision lightly. My inner perfectionist hates leaving a book unfinished, especially an ARC, but sometimes you just have to admit defeat. Life is too short to push through something that isn’t working.
All in all, I’m gutted. The Book Reader had all the ingredients of a book I should have loved, but the poor editing and heavy-handed approach to spice meant I just couldn’t connect with it. Maybe it’ll hit differently for readers who enjoy more explicit fantasy romance and can overlook the errors, but for me, it was a miss.
Thank you to the PR company and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Until next time… ✨
Leave a Reply