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[katara]

Until the World Falls Down by Jordan Lynde

Genre:
Retellings, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Beauty and the Beast, Jim Henson's The Labyrinth, Magic, Fae, Dark, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Spicy Romance, Adult

Publication Date:
October 16, 2024

Page Numbers:
532

Read/Finished Date:
January 21 - January 22, 2025

Rating:
4.25/5

Premise:

Her freedom or her heart…in forty-eight hours, she'll lose one forever.

When a brutal betrayal leaves twenty-eight-year-old Nell heartbroken, she makes a desperate plea for love—offering anything in exchange. But when her bargain is answered by Enver, a cursed immortal bereft of emotions and memories, she is swept away to his timeless castle and presented with an impossible choice: escape his labyrinth within forty-eight hours or surrender to an eternity as his lover.

Despite the passion that burns hot between them, Nell refuses to become another of Enver’s victims. She vows to face the labyrinth—and his seduction—head-on. But Enver embodies temptation, and every stolen moment with him leaves her craving more.

With every step deeper into the labyrinth, she uncovers not only hidden truths about herself and what she truly desires but also the forgotten secrets of its enigmatic ruler. With every touch, their connection deepens, and Nell begins to see beyond Enver’s shadowed facade, realizing he may not be the monster he claims to be.

Torn between her desire for love and the dangerous being incapable of loving her, Nell must choose between her heart and her freedom—or risk surrendering both to his darkness forever.

For fans of Labyrinth and Beauty and the Beast.

Review:

This... this has to be one of my favorite novels for 2025. I had always hoped someone would give us a story close to Jareth and Sarah, but I knew that it would probably never happen.

But I see someone has heard my pleas. <3

Hoping tonight will be the night her boyfriend proposes to her, Nell finds out that it is not her but her sister who will wear her boyfriend's ring. Distraught, Nell makes a plea for someone to love her, and she finds it in a mysterious man at the bar.

Enver, cursed and void of emotion and memory, takes her to his timeless castle, where he gives her forty-eight hours to complete his labyrinth or remain here with him as his lover.

Okay, this novel met all my expectations, and to say I am pleased is the understatement. I also like how the title is a nod to Bowie's As the World Falls Down.

Unfortunately, I have to say that there were many times while reading I wanted to throw my book across the room. And why was that? Nell. She grated on my nerves many times in this book. And while I understand what her sister cruelly told her—that no one will love her—it seemed to have become her mantra over and over again.

Otherwise, I am hoping that the sister and Nell's ex have to run the labyrinth and lose. :D Okay, I know: how can you be so evil? Because I can.

If you are looking for a little bit of nostalgia, this book is definitely for you.

Similar Books:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
The King of Frost and Shadows by Jen L. Grey
The Death King by Penelope Barsetti