In this life, blood doesn’t just sustain you, it defines you.

At ten years old, one drop changed my whole world, and not just because I lost my freedom, my parents, and my memories all in one night. My life is now bound to another. My blood kin, whose cursed fate is dependent upon my own.

After being held captive for over a decade to protect someone I’ve never met, I’m now thrown into a new world.

Trinity Falls Academy is an opportunity to secure my future. Like life’s cruel guillotine, the curse shatters at twenty-one years old, and only one kin can make it to twenty-two.

I have one year to navigate the murky path set before me. One filled with supernaturals I didn’t know existed. Hidden among the humans are vampires, wolves, and witches.

The chalice will determine my quadrant, just like everyone else from Florentines. The only issue is, quadrants don’t mix, unless it’s a full moon party… So why am I caught under their intense gaze in the dining hall, the secret garden, and the fighting cage too?

I almost closed this book during the first chapter – I didn’t think it was for me. I couldn’t get into it. I actually revisited the blurb on Amazon to ensure the book was the one I thought it was. I decided to stick with it. I made it through the diary entries to what I would classify as the beginning of the book. In my opinion, everything before Chapter 5 was irrelevant. I’ve tended to notice that the FMC in reverse harem is either innocently shut away or filled with devastating trauma, and 90% of the stories take place in an academy or university setting. Of course, I’ve read outliers which don’t fit this mould, but they are few and far between.

It took me a while to sort all of this out in my head. The FMC has been locked away in a sterile, unpleasant, soulless concrete school since she was 10 years old. She has no memory of her life before the age of 10. She has thoughts of death and suicide; she has lost all hope for life and is under the impression that Florintine’s (the school) is only keeping her until her imposed death at 21.  Suddenly, the FMC and other accompanying characters are asleep on a bus and arrive at the Academy, supposedly to start their new life, 2 years before the curse is enacted.

The FMC is innocent but has been shut away against her will and lied to. Her arrival at the academy is one filled with confusion, fear, and rage. Okay, so I have worked out pretty quickly. There are four factions in the academy: Wolves, witches, vampires, and ordinary humans who are bonded to supernatural kin.  The four main men are Lincoln, Wylder, Tatum, and Asher. There is also Blaze on the sidelines.

Polaris (our FMC) befriends Bryony, a fellow witch with whom she shares the witching dorm. She is the first friend that Polaris opens up to, but the friendship is rocky throughout the book as Polaris doesn’t trust easily. She has clearly defined boundaries, and Bryony, for all her bubbly personality, isn’t great at acknowledging them.

Lincoln is the alpha of the alpha wolf pack. Initially, he appears completely idiotic, not being able to recognise Polaris when she looks slightly different. He spends a significant amount of time ensuring that she’s aware he ‘doesn’t do virgins’ but proves he has no self-control as the book continues. Honestly, I thought he was a tantruming child throughout this read.

Wylder meets Polaris at the moon party. He is the barman, and he is instantly captivated by her. Wylder is the muscle of the group and the one to take many of Polaris’s firsts. He can be a snarky bastard, but for the most part, he looks after Polaris when he is near her.

Tatum is the quiet, troubled wolf. He has past pain and trauma lingering in his soul. He doesn’t like loud noise or busy spaces, but is more content to sit on the sidelines drawing. Polaris comes to view Tatum as her safe space. There is an easiness to their bond, and I get the feeling that Polaris will need his calming presence more and more as the series continues.

Asher is an unknown wildcard. I didn’t learn much about him in this book other than that he was the first one to start up for Polaris when she was bothered in the cafeteria. He seems constantly preoccupied with his phone, and there is a tension of weight carried in his shoulders.

There is also Minnie, Lincoln’s sister, who is a force to be reckoned with. Fierce, independent, loyal.

Oh, and Blaze, rude, menacing vampire. Don’t know much about him, but there is more than meets the eye, and I believe he’s up to something.

We learn a little bit about the blood kin curse, but much of it remains a mystery. There are 2 deaths in this book, and their circumstances solidify the realness of the situation for all the main characters. For Polaris, it is a fear and paranoia that she carries with her.

We also learn a little bit about witches and the various covens that might be inclined to invite Polaris in. She meets the main coven, The Renegades, and she is less than impressed. In fact, she hightails it out of there, swearing to NEVER EVER join them. And I don’t blame her.

The ending was expected, not predicted. With the plot set up, there was no way for it not to progress as it was, but it was still done with charm and adrenaline. I stand by what I said, Lincoln is a big baby! But the final pages gave me more questions than answers, and I didn’t even pause before I started reading the next book.