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[katara]

Crimson Shadows (Immortal Descent #1) by Eve Newton

Genre:
Romantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, the Fae, Vampires, Elementals, Shifters, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Magic, Dark Romance, Dark, Academia, djinn, Reverse Harem, Contemporary, Why Choose?, Touch Her and Die

Publication Date:
August 15, 2024

Page Numbers:
448

Read/Finished Date:
April 21st, 2025 - Aril 22nd, 2025

Rating:
3.5/5

Premise:

I always knew I was different, but I never imagined how dark that difference would be.

When my absentee father returns to inform me of my true heritage, the way to figuring out this new reality of being half blood sucker is a secret paranormal University nestled in England's misty forests. It specialises in control and focus for beings like me and those whose default setting is trouble.

When I step through MistHallow University's hidden gates, I'm plunged into a world of ancient power and forbidden desires.

As my dormant powers awaken, so does a hunger I can't control and I fall under the spell of four otherworldly men who give trouble a whole new meaning.

Zephyr: a dark fae who is brutally savage and seductive.

Corvus: a vampire who can’t wait to show me the darkness his world revels in.

Ignatius: a fire elemental burning with a passion that draws me in.

Zaiah: a djinn whose every word feels like a wish granted but what’s the catch?

But when a sinister plot unfolds involving ancient prophecies, hidden artifacts, and shadowy enemies, somehow, I'm at the centre of it all.

At MistHallow, every choice has consequences, and the price might just be my soul. Welcome to my descent into the shadows. There's no turning back now.

*All series in the MistHallow Universe can be read as standalone - there is no reading order.

This is a dark paranormal romance book 1 out of 3 in a brand new reverse harem romance by USA Today Bestselling Author, Eve Newton. Set in England and written in British English, you will come across TWs so please see inside for details.

Review:

I am not even sure where to begin with this review. On one hand, the premise was the hook me, reeling me in and keeping my attention long enough to want to tear my hair out because the female lead was annoying as hell. Don't get me wrong; I understood her plight. She was placed in a world she had no knowledge of. Her mother had kept her away and though her father tried once in the beginning to know her, her mother refused. Well, that changed the moment those spells were removed and she learned that her father was a vampire.

But when she catches her coworker staking a body in the morgue, she realizes it is not safe for her and her father places her at MistHallow, a Hogwarts-like Academy for the Supernatural. No, Harry, you won't be getting an invite to this school because this school seems to be inclusive only to the supernatural like vampires, fae, and other creatures.

And if you think I am kidding when it comes to the school being Hogwarts-like, allow me to offer you two examples:

Exhibit A: The school changes when its needed.
Exhibit B: The portraits move.

Don't get me wrong, I find that a lot of the Dark Academia books have some sort of school that is directly or indirectly similar to Hogwarts.

As for our male leads, I tend to lean toward the favorite trope of them falling first and that does not seem to be a problem because the moment they meet her, they all feel a pull toward her. A need. A desire. A wish. All of it wrapped because the annoying female lead is the only woman on campus who has that ability.

The downside to this novel - the plot. It seemed have gone missing the moment she walked into the school. We have a school. We have students. Yet, not a single class. Yes, yes, I know - it was probably there. If you blinked, it was missed.

I will probably pick up the second novel to see how this story does end up playing out.

Similar Books:

Burning Embers by Katie May
Wicked Heirs by Leia King
Heir Academy Series by K.C. Kean