What if it takes a monster to save a kingdom?

I’ll never forget the sight of my little sister’s lifeless body—or that my rogue magic killed her.

Sorcery like mine is punishable by death. So I live in the shadows, stealing from the corrupt to give to the needy. Maybe a little good can wash the blood from my hands.

It seems like a decent plan… until I try to help a dying noblewoman and somehow steal her soul instead.

Now her ghost is demanding I take up the quest that got her killed: exposing a conspiracy at the royal college to unleash a deadly power on the entire kingdom.

Do I want to infiltrate the cutthroat world of haughty elites? Gods, no. But if I can save the kingdom, I could save my own soul too.

So I’ll pose as a refined lady, attending their classes and fancy balls, sneaking and spying like I learned on the streets. But I can’t tackle this threat alone. I’ll need to win the trust of the dead woman’s allies: four arrogant noblemen.

Four damaged yet dangerously enticing men. No matter what they stir in my heart, I can’t afford to let them get too close.

Because if they discover the monstrous things I’m capable of, saving my soul will be the least of my worries…

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 | 0.🌶️

Kindle | 40 Chp | 508pg

So, I read this in two evenings and I became very invested in the characters through the read. This is another why choose romance by Eva Chase. One of the reasons I like her books so much is for the attention to detail in character evolution. These characters are fully formed, and each has individual attributes that allow them to forge their own destiny but also work cohesively as a team. The why choose aspect, in my opinion, is secondary to the plot.

Ivy is the female character that we follow in this book. We meet her as a female ‘Robin Hood’ style character in the slums of the city. Even at the beginning she was a compelling character with a past that was shrouded in mystery. The events that lead up to her meeting the rest of the characters was curious, and it felt natural for the plot.

This book is the first in a series of 4 books and it is sort of a mystery/investigation/fantasy vibe. It made reading it more fun because I wasn’t 100% on what was going to happen, but I was content to enjoy the ride.

Ivy ends up at the college in the inner wards, following an investigation that she feels she has no place in but also cannot walk away from. At the college she meets the four men: Stavros, Cas, Alek, and Ben.

The general, The Courtesan, The Scholar, and The Bastard’s Bastard.

Each of these male characters have their own fully fledged story.

Stavros (The General) made a name for himself in the army, but war takes a toll on a person and when he realised, he was no longer at the top of his game, he returns and becomes a teacher.

Cas (The Courtesan), who has always known he would grow up to become a courtesan. He thrives on making other people happy and views his career choice as an extension of himself.

Alek (The Scholar), who desperately seeks approval from those around him. He keeps to the shelves of the library, research, and catalogues everything they find. He is a quiet character, hard to read but I did see him emerging slightly during this narrative.

Ben (The Bastard’s Bastard), who is the illegitimate son of the brother of the King. Ben has an easy-going attitude but he’s also as quick as a whip. He plays off his status as if it means nothing to him but there was a subtle level of vulnerability moving through his character.

Cas warms to Ivy first, the others, it takes longer but they do come around. Ivy is in a unique position, sharing her space with another and not knowing whether the men value her for herself or for the other near her. It provides some tense emotional narrative between the characters.

Ivy has a secret through this book which is revealed within the first few chapters. She has magic moving through her veins. The world building of this book shows that once the godlen’s ruled over the lands but there was a rebellion and the godlen’s turned their backs on the people. Since then, there have been wars, occupations, new rulers etc. Through it all, when people turn 12, they can dedicate themselves to a godlen, sacrificing a part of them, and receiving a gift in return.

Some people sacrifice something as small as the tip of their finger while others sacrifice eyes and organs. Barbaric, but it works well for the plot. Part of the rebellion caused people to be born with magic. These people are hunted down and killed. Magic comes at a price. You want to heal someone? Someone else dies. Most people born with magic are driven insane by it or become infected with evil from all the bad deeds they’ve done with their magic.

From the start, I knew Ivy and her magic would be different. It doesn’t take a genius to work that out – there would be no plot without it! I had many theories while reading on how this might manifest as the story continued – I think I have sussed some of it out, but I shall have to hold counsel till the next book.

There are a lot of ‘red herrings’ as the group investigate the unnatural happenings at the college and plenty of people for the reader to suspect. I enjoyed that my opinion continued to change the more I read.

There were several moments while reading this that left me on the edge of my seat, my shoulder forward as I devoured what I was reading.

I didn’t make any highlights while reading this and that is simply because I was so absorbed with what I was reading that I didn’t stop to think that I should be highlighting any text that resonated with me.

This is only the second book of 2024 to make it into my Top Read’s of the year.