Book Review: Dark Night Golden Dawn (The Immortal Orders #1) by Allison Carr Waechter

Rating: ★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 408 pages
Author: Allison Carr Waechter
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: March 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a city where the elite are powerful as gods, the season is about to begin. The Immortal Orders will gather, pair and create a spectacle for all of Nuva Troi to witness.

Harlow Krane is a sorcière who wants nothing more than to recover from her most recent breakup in peace. When the season begins, her Order needs her help to save their ancestral occult district from being taken over by the Illuminated, the most powerful immortals in Nuva Troi. They offer to back off—if Harlow agrees to pair with their most eligible bachelor, Finn McKay. But Harlow has been burned by Finn before.

Finn McKay is one of the Illuminated. Rich, powerful, and he isn’t afraid of anyone—except for his parents. When they push him towards Harlow Krane, he knows their purposes are sinister at best. For the past seven years, Finn has done everything in his power to stay away from Harlow and he won’t break his resolve now, even if it means defying his parents. As the season begins, it’s clear something is dangerously wrong but besides Finn, only Harlow seems to notice.

With magic behaving strangely, the balance of power between the Immortal Orders and humans grows deadlier by the day. Harlow and Finn must work together to keep ancient grudges from resurfacing and take back their lives in the process. If they can get over their past, the whole world may have a brighter future.

Dark Night, Golden Dawn is Book One in The Immortal Orders Trilogy, a blazing hot fantasy romance, set in a contemporary world of magic, deception, and betrayal. 

WOW THIS DID NOT WORK FOR ME.

I feel like I read a completely different book than everyone else. Nope nooooooooope no.

A nagging issue I had with this, is that it felt like a contemporary romance shoved into a fantasy world? And not as a compliment. Because than the fantasy elements fell flat and I think a lot more world building could have been focused on. It was this weird zone.

It is definitely a romance which awesome. Things moved way too quickly. Was this supposed to be enemies to lovers? Furthest thing from that. Second chance? Yes that trope was efficient. When the couple is already completely back together before the halfway point I have no connection to them. It just turned into a let’s bang everywhere scenario that y’all know I never love.

There’s some sweet family and sister dynamics. Good friendships and connections. I never really liked the FMC either though which played a big part in me skimming way too much of this book.

I won’t be continuing the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door scenes; med-high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotional abusive boyfriend (recounted multiple times), depression, gaslighting, suicide attempt, animal cruelty, fatphobia, homophobia

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