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Power of Five #1
Power of Five
Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.
Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.
River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.
Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.
Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.
Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.
River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.
Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone... especially for Lera herself.
Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2018
7664 people are currently reading
14632 people want to read
About the author
Alex Lidell
70books1,751followersAlex Lidell is the Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin) and several Amazon Top 100 Kindle Bestsellers, including the POWER OF FIVE romance series. She is an avid horseback rider who believes in eating dessert first. She writes as both Alex Lidell and A.L. Lidell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,197 reviews
January 21, 2024
It was great! Silly, mindless fun. Just what the doctor ordered.
Lera is an average stable girl, living near the border of the Mystwood, a magical forest that separates the human world from the land of the immortal fae. Power of Five kicks off with four fae warriors - River, Coal, Shade, and Tye - who sweep Lera off her feet and on towards fairyland because ancient fae magic has chosen her as a fifth member in their "quint". Smut and chaos etc ensue.
Here's a few tropes you can expect from this book:
Instalust and some instalove
Traitorous Body (lmao this one has grown on me lately)
Virgin Heroine (not a big part of the story)
Elemental Harem
Shifters
And some more insidious trope that Power of Five thankfully skipped:
NO pact not to date/make advances on the MC
NO domineering alpha shitheads and/or submissive heroine (thank god)
NO damaged MC with a tragic past (thank GOD)
NO special snowflakes (FRIGGIN THANK THE LORD)
If I could only have one man: I would pick Shade. He shifts into a wolf and sleeps in the most inconvenient places; how cute is that. He has healing magic, which is unusual for a male character, and a nice break from convention. Shade is caring and open, but knows how to talk hard sense into Lera when she's being an idiot. All around, an awesome guy.
If I could change one thing: I hated the way the chapters switched from Lera's POV, in first person present tense, the one of the "males" POV in third person past tense. Yeah, you read that right. THe shift from first to third person is jarring enough, but present tense to past tense?! What the hell is that supposed to achieve? Are the guys in some alternate future timeline that makes them look back on every event in the past?????
Join us over at Reverse Harem Revolution for a buddy read of book 2, .
Lera is an average stable girl, living near the border of the Mystwood, a magical forest that separates the human world from the land of the immortal fae. Power of Five kicks off with four fae warriors - River, Coal, Shade, and Tye - who sweep Lera off her feet and on towards fairyland because ancient fae magic has chosen her as a fifth member in their "quint". Smut and chaos etc ensue.
Here's a few tropes you can expect from this book:
Instalust and some instalove
Traitorous Body (lmao this one has grown on me lately)
Virgin Heroine (not a big part of the story)
Elemental Harem
Shifters
And some more insidious trope that Power of Five thankfully skipped:
NO pact not to date/make advances on the MC
NO domineering alpha shitheads and/or submissive heroine (thank god)
NO damaged MC with a tragic past (thank GOD)
NO special snowflakes (FRIGGIN THANK THE LORD)
If I could only have one man: I would pick Shade. He shifts into a wolf and sleeps in the most inconvenient places; how cute is that. He has healing magic, which is unusual for a male character, and a nice break from convention. Shade is caring and open, but knows how to talk hard sense into Lera when she's being an idiot. All around, an awesome guy.
If I could change one thing: I hated the way the chapters switched from Lera's POV, in first person present tense, the one of the "males" POV in third person past tense. Yeah, you read that right. THe shift from first to third person is jarring enough, but present tense to past tense?! What the hell is that supposed to achieve? Are the guys in some alternate future timeline that makes them look back on every event in the past?????
Join us over at Reverse Harem Revolution for a buddy read of book 2, .
July 17, 2018
2.5 stars
This book was written like a YA fantasy romance, only with very NA romance scenes. Based on that, I wouldn't recommend this for adults (heroine is too immature, characterizations are weak) or for young adults (one romance scene is too explicit for that audience). This was also my first 'reverse harem' book, and yeah, no thanks to that. The whole concept feels too Mary Sue - for this book specifically all the guys want her because she's SPECIAL even though so far she has not done a single special thing other than exist.
This book was written like a YA fantasy romance, only with very NA romance scenes. Based on that, I wouldn't recommend this for adults (heroine is too immature, characterizations are weak) or for young adults (one romance scene is too explicit for that audience). This was also my first 'reverse harem' book, and yeah, no thanks to that. The whole concept feels too Mary Sue - for this book specifically all the guys want her because she's SPECIAL even though so far she has not done a single special thing other than exist.
May 29, 2020
Light and enjoyable - yes, reverse harem - not so much!
I liked this book a lot more than I expected due to the fantasy storyline. I don’t really understand what constitutes a Reverse Harem book these days. Maybe this series will eventually turn into one. However, in this book the main character, Lera is a Mortal girl who finds out that she is one of a group of five magical warriors, the other 4 are Fae and Male.
Lara has a bond with them and is attracted to them, but what girl wouldn’t be if she was a poor mortal girl and all the sudden started spending all her time with 4 tall handsome magical men who constantly protect her and train her and treat her well. They are not having sex, so is it really considered Reverse Harem? Anyway, that may just be my little pet peeve. Though I guess it is so people don’t get surprised in future books when it does happen.
I did really like the story, the guys each have their own different characters: the leader River is large and in charge, a bit aloof and comes from one of the three high court families. Shade is a healer and a wolf shifter and lost his twin brother which is why they need a new fifth for their quince. Tye is a lover with the power of fire and a rule breaker. Coal is a former slave of the Mor’s (enemy of the Fae). Together the group heads to the Citadel after picking up Lera where they will take their oath as a quince and resume duties protecting the realm.
|ŷ||||
I liked this book a lot more than I expected due to the fantasy storyline. I don’t really understand what constitutes a Reverse Harem book these days. Maybe this series will eventually turn into one. However, in this book the main character, Lera is a Mortal girl who finds out that she is one of a group of five magical warriors, the other 4 are Fae and Male.
Lara has a bond with them and is attracted to them, but what girl wouldn’t be if she was a poor mortal girl and all the sudden started spending all her time with 4 tall handsome magical men who constantly protect her and train her and treat her well. They are not having sex, so is it really considered Reverse Harem? Anyway, that may just be my little pet peeve. Though I guess it is so people don’t get surprised in future books when it does happen.
“We would all feel safer if one of us sleeps by your side, Leralynn,� River says in too-patient tones for the tenth time in as many minutes.
If I thought the males protective before, my official agreement to join the quint has deteriorated their behavior to new levels. “And I would feel safer if you didn’t kill each other.� I throw up my hands.
“Can we pull straws? Take turns? Do anything but a combat to the death?�
“Straws,� Shade agrees.
“Turns,� says Tye.
“I’m fine with combat,� says Coal.
I did really like the story, the guys each have their own different characters: the leader River is large and in charge, a bit aloof and comes from one of the three high court families. Shade is a healer and a wolf shifter and lost his twin brother which is why they need a new fifth for their quince. Tye is a lover with the power of fire and a rule breaker. Coal is a former slave of the Mor’s (enemy of the Fae). Together the group heads to the Citadel after picking up Lera where they will take their oath as a quince and resume duties protecting the realm.
|ŷ||||
April 17, 2023
This book is free on Amazon (Canada) today (04/17/2023). 🙂
✅� Characters
✅� Pace
✅� World-building
✅� Smut (pretty mild)
🆗 Predictable plot
🆗 Romance
🆗� Cover
Meh.
2.5 stars
Lera has been a slave for most of her shitty life. Her master is creepy and disgusting, and she is stuck in this crappy situation, until 4 faes appear and take her away, because she is special of course... Then there is a lot of traveling and being horny, and more traveling, and more horniness... Lera manages to impact the guys' life from the start even though they created no connection, and they seem to gravitate around her because she is so special... And that's about it.
I would have liked this book to be more detailed. The plot is simplistic and overall weak, to be honest. They travelled for the whole book, and besides going to the citadel, I have no idea what will happen in the next book, because the bigger picture is not clear at all here.
The male characters are the typical stereotyped strong alpha male, the story is very predictable and the heroine is quite ordinary. I do love the damsel in distress trope every once in a while, but Lera was almost too much of a damsel in distress. The males also infantilized her and treated her like a baby at times, I was frustrated on Lera's behalf! They kept carrying her around like her legs couldn't properly function, and while it was only to be more efficient and faster at times, other times it was just because they seemed used to carrying her around, or they didn't trust her ability to walk... It was seriously annoying the number of times she got carried and just passed around from one guy's arms to the other's.
The pace is good and there is a good balance between action scenes and more quiet moments, still, the relationship between Lera and the 4 males was moving on too fast. I mean, they fell in love in a week, if it even took that long. Way too fast! Lera's superability is probably her ability to always be horny for rude faes she just met. This would have been great if it had happened over the course of a few weeks instead of a few days. This was much too insta-love for me. That being said, I am curious to see where this is going and I am hoping for better relationship development (or I should just say that I am hoping for some relationship development) in the next book so I will give it a try.
That being said, the 4 males are nice characters even though they are not really fleshed out and their backstory is very minimal. I liked them all and they all have some distinctive traits that set them apart, yet made me like them all for different reasons.
Still, everything in this book is okay, nothing extraordinary. I enjoyed reading this book, it is a fast read (it only took me a few hours), but it is an "I want to take my mind off of things and focus on hot steamy males" kind of book. Don't read this one if you are looking for an elaborate plot, complex world-building, or characters with depth.
🙂
✅� Characters
✅� Pace
✅� World-building
✅� Smut (pretty mild)
🆗 Predictable plot
🆗 Romance
🆗� Cover
Meh.
2.5 stars
Lera has been a slave for most of her shitty life. Her master is creepy and disgusting, and she is stuck in this crappy situation, until 4 faes appear and take her away, because she is special of course... Then there is a lot of traveling and being horny, and more traveling, and more horniness... Lera manages to impact the guys' life from the start even though they created no connection, and they seem to gravitate around her because she is so special... And that's about it.
I would have liked this book to be more detailed. The plot is simplistic and overall weak, to be honest. They travelled for the whole book, and besides going to the citadel, I have no idea what will happen in the next book, because the bigger picture is not clear at all here.
The male characters are the typical stereotyped strong alpha male, the story is very predictable and the heroine is quite ordinary. I do love the damsel in distress trope every once in a while, but Lera was almost too much of a damsel in distress. The males also infantilized her and treated her like a baby at times, I was frustrated on Lera's behalf! They kept carrying her around like her legs couldn't properly function, and while it was only to be more efficient and faster at times, other times it was just because they seemed used to carrying her around, or they didn't trust her ability to walk... It was seriously annoying the number of times she got carried and just passed around from one guy's arms to the other's.
The pace is good and there is a good balance between action scenes and more quiet moments, still, the relationship between Lera and the 4 males was moving on too fast. I mean, they fell in love in a week, if it even took that long. Way too fast! Lera's superability is probably her ability to always be horny for rude faes she just met. This would have been great if it had happened over the course of a few weeks instead of a few days. This was much too insta-love for me. That being said, I am curious to see where this is going and I am hoping for better relationship development (or I should just say that I am hoping for some relationship development) in the next book so I will give it a try.
That being said, the 4 males are nice characters even though they are not really fleshed out and their backstory is very minimal. I liked them all and they all have some distinctive traits that set them apart, yet made me like them all for different reasons.
Still, everything in this book is okay, nothing extraordinary. I enjoyed reading this book, it is a fast read (it only took me a few hours), but it is an "I want to take my mind off of things and focus on hot steamy males" kind of book. Don't read this one if you are looking for an elaborate plot, complex world-building, or characters with depth.
🙂
March 18, 2019
Pleasant suprise. I really enjoyed it. Reverse Harem is still new to me, but I think this one is one of the best RH out there. I hope the sequels are just as good.
October 9, 2018
So, I totally forgot to write this review (plus a ton others) for September but since I just finished the third book of this series - well, I thought it was the perfect time to write the reviews for this series.
Power of Five was a pretty good book. I was a big hesitant to jump into this reverse harem book for having trust issues with past books. I didn't want my heart or my eyes to be utterly disappointed. Well, thank my lucky stars because I loved everything about it. The characters were easy to like, maybe love, and the story was pretty entertaining.
In it, you will meet Lera. She is an orphan who is treated poorly by her master - the douche canoe. He beats her for so many reasons and I just wanted to sucker punch the shit out of him. One day her life changes when four mysterious men show up. River, Coal, Tye, and Shade were delicious (in my mind) and I wanted to know more about them.
Well, they are a part of a quint.. but they are missing a fifth member. They've been waiting for decades to find their fifth member and let's just say they were smidge disappointed to find Lera to be it. Mostly because she's a female and a human. They aren't human and all they care about is her safety.. because she will mostly likely end up dead from everything.
So they go on this journey to tell the elder council that they don't want to bond with her. Of course, they all start to develop feelings for her pretty fast and vice versa. Out of all the guys, I'm so intrigued by River. I get that he's the commander and a prince.. but I don't get why he's wanting to get rid of her. Everyone else is slowly getting on board to keeping her. Heck, she wants to keep them.
There's some smut, but not enough. I need more and I can't wait to see how far she and the guys go. I also really want to mention how much I hate Klarissa. Trust me, if you meet her.. you'll hate her too.
Power of Five was a pretty good book. I was a big hesitant to jump into this reverse harem book for having trust issues with past books. I didn't want my heart or my eyes to be utterly disappointed. Well, thank my lucky stars because I loved everything about it. The characters were easy to like, maybe love, and the story was pretty entertaining.
In it, you will meet Lera. She is an orphan who is treated poorly by her master - the douche canoe. He beats her for so many reasons and I just wanted to sucker punch the shit out of him. One day her life changes when four mysterious men show up. River, Coal, Tye, and Shade were delicious (in my mind) and I wanted to know more about them.
Well, they are a part of a quint.. but they are missing a fifth member. They've been waiting for decades to find their fifth member and let's just say they were smidge disappointed to find Lera to be it. Mostly because she's a female and a human. They aren't human and all they care about is her safety.. because she will mostly likely end up dead from everything.
So they go on this journey to tell the elder council that they don't want to bond with her. Of course, they all start to develop feelings for her pretty fast and vice versa. Out of all the guys, I'm so intrigued by River. I get that he's the commander and a prince.. but I don't get why he's wanting to get rid of her. Everyone else is slowly getting on board to keeping her. Heck, she wants to keep them.
There's some smut, but not enough. I need more and I can't wait to see how far she and the guys go. I also really want to mention how much I hate Klarissa. Trust me, if you meet her.. you'll hate her too.
September 12, 2019
So far, so good.
I love the fantasy, fae, magic theme of this book.
Ends on a cliffy... as expected. So, continuing on in the series immediately.
I love the fantasy, fae, magic theme of this book.
Ends on a cliffy... as expected. So, continuing on in the series immediately.
July 9, 2018
Story: 4
Narration: 3
Overall: 3.5
Naturally for a reverse harem this book was steamy, but it had more going for it than that. The characters are well developed and the narration for each is clear and definable.
I really did enjoy the story but while I felt the characters were well rounded and well developed I did feel that the story required something (I cannot put my finger in what was missing for me, I think it just needed tweaking)
I do think that this is still worth a listen, it just didn’t quiet fully work for me.
Initially I admit, I was not a fan of the narration however I feel this is more down to personal taste, it did grow on me a bit, but I did not love it. I cannot fault the narration, there was nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t like some of the characters voices (though as I said, they were clear and definable.) I do wonder if I would enjoy the story more with different narration as I always feel that for an audiobook to completely be enjoyable the listener has to appreciate both the voice acting and the writing.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Narration: 3
Overall: 3.5
Naturally for a reverse harem this book was steamy, but it had more going for it than that. The characters are well developed and the narration for each is clear and definable.
I really did enjoy the story but while I felt the characters were well rounded and well developed I did feel that the story required something (I cannot put my finger in what was missing for me, I think it just needed tweaking)
I do think that this is still worth a listen, it just didn’t quiet fully work for me.
Initially I admit, I was not a fan of the narration however I feel this is more down to personal taste, it did grow on me a bit, but I did not love it. I cannot fault the narration, there was nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t like some of the characters voices (though as I said, they were clear and definable.) I do wonder if I would enjoy the story more with different narration as I always feel that for an audiobook to completely be enjoyable the listener has to appreciate both the voice acting and the writing.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Alex Lidell. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
May 1, 2018
Rating : 4 stars
1. The characters were all developped and were all likeable. The guys were great and for once I don't think I had a favorite and Lera was a good heroine, a bit weak but with quite a mental strength. She was definitely a perfect fit to her guys, vulnerable yet not afraid.
2. While I found the wold building a bit lacking, I was pulled in the story from the first chapter. It was nicely written and with the right amount of romance and action.
3. Yes, there is instalove/instalust or whatever but it didn't really bother me. It just felt right and I really wonder how the author managed that.
4. I very much want to read the next book and I'm hoping that Lera is gonna develop some kind of fudging powerful magic. That would be awesome.
5. Shade in his wolf form was adorable.
Thank you Alex Lidell for providing me this ARC.
1. The characters were all developped and were all likeable. The guys were great and for once I don't think I had a favorite and Lera was a good heroine, a bit weak but with quite a mental strength. She was definitely a perfect fit to her guys, vulnerable yet not afraid.
2. While I found the wold building a bit lacking, I was pulled in the story from the first chapter. It was nicely written and with the right amount of romance and action.
3. Yes, there is instalove/instalust or whatever but it didn't really bother me. It just felt right and I really wonder how the author managed that.
4. I very much want to read the next book and I'm hoping that Lera is gonna develop some kind of fudging powerful magic. That would be awesome.
5. Shade in his wolf form was adorable.
Thank you Alex Lidell for providing me this ARC.
March 18, 2018
Note I beta read this for Alex.
It's Alex so of course it's amazing! I love everything she has written and I am STOKED that she's venturing into my new fave, Reverse Harem! Her world building is fantastic and the characters are amazing and omg all the swoons!!! But it's not over the top it's the right amount of story with swoons added in. This is a perfect book if you want to start a reverse harem series but aren't sure where to start!
It's Alex so of course it's amazing! I love everything she has written and I am STOKED that she's venturing into my new fave, Reverse Harem! Her world building is fantastic and the characters are amazing and omg all the swoons!!! But it's not over the top it's the right amount of story with swoons added in. This is a perfect book if you want to start a reverse harem series but aren't sure where to start!
May 6, 2018
actual rating 4.5 stars
I'm not even sure why I'm taking the half star off because I loved this book so much I considered buying a ring and asking it to move in with me
I'm not even sure why I'm taking the half star off because I loved this book so much I considered buying a ring and asking it to move in with me
October 21, 2020
Spoilers ahead, this review covers up book 3 as I'm currently reading this series
Human servant girl Lera's life unexpectedly changes as 4 fae males appear telling her that their magic chose her as the fifth member of their warrior quint. Considering Lera is a human without power it's decided that the group must journey to the Citadel to have the ties cut. As a human Lera is too vulnerable to fight the fae enemy.
From the very first meeting however it's clear that there's a connection between Lera and the 4 and a journey that began as a way to end the quint turns into them choosing to solidify their bonds. But not everyone is pleased that the second most powerful quint is choosing to stay with a human and soon the group is in constant danger as forces try to sever their link
***
RH
A manwhore
A former slave who was tortured and abused and still suffers from nightmares
A prince who hasn't been with anyone in years because of his first love
A wolf shifter who's stayed as a wolf for years in guilt and grief at his twin's death
A virgin human girl who's git a lot to prove especially to herself
Probably my favourite RH to date though there isn't as much sexy times as I expected lol, but the few so far are scorching. I like the h, she has moments of insecurity but she's also brave as heck. The guys are all pretty good so far, Tye is the manwhore seemingly jovial and playful one. Coal is the cold and distant one with lots of pain in his past. River is the leader sure of his power but unsure of his place with Lera. I actually forgot the wolf's name which is a bummer cuz I really liked him. He's been in his wolf form for years and only shifts back as Lera joins the group.
Book 3
About 3/4 of this book was unnecessary
The h has yet to be able to do anything with all the power she's supposed to have
It's not until the last 10% that things pick up before they end in another cliffhanger
This is a RH, and the romance isn't really adding up. I think it was in book 2 or was it 1 there was talk of them loving her but aside from training and some really weirdly timed sex I don't see any relationship building to explain that love
The way River asked for them to have sex annoyed me, as a way to strengthen her.. She should've turned his ass down
Shade(the shifter who's name I couldn't remember lol) remains a favorite
The h is kinda annoying me now
On to book 4 which hopefully improves
2*
Book 4
I was so bored it's unbelievable
Why tell me the h is so powerful, so unique then have her acting like a clueless, horny village idiot? We see her fumble through using her powers except in the final showdown with the bad guys where we get a crazy ass explanation for why things turn out the way they did
She FINALLY has sex with ALL the guys together, like seriously?!! Given that this whole thing was based on them being strong as a GROUP, and that sex helps with their power wasn't it a given that sex with all of them together would've been something big?
I can't stand stupid characters
The h did not live up to the hype
We finally find out why Tye has been acting like he has pms, of course he too had a tragic past. Now the incident was bad ok but he still basically abandoned his mom and sister IDC
This series spins off into some academy thing which I'm definitely not going to be touching
1.5*
Human servant girl Lera's life unexpectedly changes as 4 fae males appear telling her that their magic chose her as the fifth member of their warrior quint. Considering Lera is a human without power it's decided that the group must journey to the Citadel to have the ties cut. As a human Lera is too vulnerable to fight the fae enemy.
From the very first meeting however it's clear that there's a connection between Lera and the 4 and a journey that began as a way to end the quint turns into them choosing to solidify their bonds. But not everyone is pleased that the second most powerful quint is choosing to stay with a human and soon the group is in constant danger as forces try to sever their link
***
RH
A manwhore
A former slave who was tortured and abused and still suffers from nightmares
A prince who hasn't been with anyone in years because of his first love
A wolf shifter who's stayed as a wolf for years in guilt and grief at his twin's death
A virgin human girl who's git a lot to prove especially to herself
Probably my favourite RH to date though there isn't as much sexy times as I expected lol, but the few so far are scorching. I like the h, she has moments of insecurity but she's also brave as heck. The guys are all pretty good so far, Tye is the manwhore seemingly jovial and playful one. Coal is the cold and distant one with lots of pain in his past. River is the leader sure of his power but unsure of his place with Lera. I actually forgot the wolf's name which is a bummer cuz I really liked him. He's been in his wolf form for years and only shifts back as Lera joins the group.
Book 3
About 3/4 of this book was unnecessary
The h has yet to be able to do anything with all the power she's supposed to have
It's not until the last 10% that things pick up before they end in another cliffhanger
This is a RH, and the romance isn't really adding up. I think it was in book 2 or was it 1 there was talk of them loving her but aside from training and some really weirdly timed sex I don't see any relationship building to explain that love
The way River asked for them to have sex annoyed me, as a way to strengthen her.. She should've turned his ass down
Shade(the shifter who's name I couldn't remember lol) remains a favorite
The h is kinda annoying me now
On to book 4 which hopefully improves
2*
Book 4
I was so bored it's unbelievable
Why tell me the h is so powerful, so unique then have her acting like a clueless, horny village idiot? We see her fumble through using her powers except in the final showdown with the bad guys where we get a crazy ass explanation for why things turn out the way they did
She FINALLY has sex with ALL the guys together, like seriously?!! Given that this whole thing was based on them being strong as a GROUP, and that sex helps with their power wasn't it a given that sex with all of them together would've been something big?
I can't stand stupid characters
The h did not live up to the hype
We finally find out why Tye has been acting like he has pms, of course he too had a tragic past. Now the incident was bad ok but he still basically abandoned his mom and sister IDC
This series spins off into some academy thing which I'm definitely not going to be touching
1.5*
April 22, 2019
"I was planning to be dead. Instead, I’m more alive than I’ve ever been."
I think I just died.
3.5 stars but rounding up to 4 stars because this was so entertaining and fun.
We all know how much trash I am for anything fae related......
Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist in a REVERSE HAREM?
If I had to choose my one escapism fantasy-- THIS IS IT
May 24, 2021
Was this book inherently good? No.
Was it entertaining as hell? Yes it was!
The character relationships in this book was definitely jumpy. How does one love another in a matter of a week? I have no clue.
But that aside, this was fun 🤩
Was it entertaining as hell? Yes it was!
The character relationships in this book was definitely jumpy. How does one love another in a matter of a week? I have no clue.
But that aside, this was fun 🤩
July 11, 2019
Lately I'm into reverse harem books and I hope to find a really good one, one that will blow my mind. This book was quite all right and I liked it but I don't think I'm going to continue reading the rest of the series. Why? Well some parts of the plot were just too slow for me and I just wished more from her potential lovers. I adored Tye and Shade but Coal and River were just mean jerks that had their walls so high up that I do doubt Lera will ever be able to tear them down. Other than that I liked the plot for the most part, it's fresh and has a lot of potential. I also liked Lera's character. She was fun and brave when needed. I do wonder how she'll evolve in the next book. Maybe I'll read it but it for sure won't be right now.
July 9, 2021
This was extremely disappointing. I did not like the writing. Overly simplistic and awkward, especially with the use of "male(s)/female."
I gasp, stepping away - and knock right into a wall of muscle and maleness. Tye, the smiling red-haired fae male, no longer amused.
[...]though I'm certain I've never seen this male before. My instincts scream at me to run, even as the male's eyes draw me toward him[...]
This happens throughout the entire book and very often - as you can tell with the above. Those are just a couple examples from the beginning of the book where they first meet.
It's also first person POV for Lera in present tense, but third POV in past tense for the others - the "males." Not a fan. That one is on me, though, since I don't like first POV and don't like present tense either. Especially not mixed!
Nothing really happened. It was mostly them just trying to figure out if they were going to keep the "mortal" - the "magic mistake." And if she was going to stay with them for her own reasons.
I did pick this up for the reverse harem. But if you're looking for anything at the get-go this is not it. There is a lot of sexual tension and some kisses but, besides one scene, that's all. Which is totally fine. I get it, especially with them all coming to terms with everything, but I wanted at least more of that aspect since I didn't get anything else...
I gasp, stepping away - and knock right into a wall of muscle and maleness. Tye, the smiling red-haired fae male, no longer amused.
[...]though I'm certain I've never seen this male before. My instincts scream at me to run, even as the male's eyes draw me toward him[...]
This happens throughout the entire book and very often - as you can tell with the above. Those are just a couple examples from the beginning of the book where they first meet.
It's also first person POV for Lera in present tense, but third POV in past tense for the others - the "males." Not a fan. That one is on me, though, since I don't like first POV and don't like present tense either. Especially not mixed!
Nothing really happened. It was mostly them just trying to figure out if they were going to keep the "mortal" - the "magic mistake." And if she was going to stay with them for her own reasons.
I did pick this up for the reverse harem. But if you're looking for anything at the get-go this is not it. There is a lot of sexual tension and some kisses but, besides one scene, that's all. Which is totally fine. I get it, especially with them all coming to terms with everything, but I wanted at least more of that aspect since I didn't get anything else...
July 1, 2018
This was ... interesting.
I think the storytelling was great but I could not connect with any of the characters. Lera was too meek, I understood the reason being she was a slave she had no say in her life but still...meek. Rivers was just the strong head, Coal the token silent guy, Tye, the comic relief and Shade, the adorable wolf, this almost reads like a disney cartoon.
I wish we were told their missions more, it just seems like five people get bonded just for the fun of it because nothing exciting happened in this book and I know this is the first book of the series so it might not have all the action packed story lines in it but spice it up a little.
The instalove part though, Lord, save me , I almost chucked it out the window or in my case forcibly swiped at my reader.
I will be check out the next one though, hopefully it delivers.
I think the storytelling was great but I could not connect with any of the characters. Lera was too meek, I understood the reason being she was a slave she had no say in her life but still...meek. Rivers was just the strong head, Coal the token silent guy, Tye, the comic relief and Shade, the adorable wolf, this almost reads like a disney cartoon.
I wish we were told their missions more, it just seems like five people get bonded just for the fun of it because nothing exciting happened in this book and I know this is the first book of the series so it might not have all the action packed story lines in it but spice it up a little.
The instalove part though, Lord, save me , I almost chucked it out the window or in my case forcibly swiped at my reader.
I will be check out the next one though, hopefully it delivers.
June 21, 2018
Re-read: 4 stars
Yep, I think I enjoyed this re-read of POWER OF FIVE even more than the first time! I love the high fantasy feel to this reverse harem. It is not often done, so it feels fresh and unique. And I love the characters.
Leralynn is a great main character who somehow believably grows from a sheltered, naive, unlearned indentured servant into a woman of strength, without losing her sweetness or innocence. Or at least showing the potential to become one kickass heroine as the series progresses. It is nice to read a strong character that does not have to be snarky and sarcastic and aggressive - the latter is a trope that is becoming a little overused lately.
And I love this harem. The balance of personalities between River's repressed control and dominance, Coal's leashed violence and unexpected insight and compassion, Shade's sweetness and caring and lack of inhibition with a touch of iron will, and Tye's humor and flirtation and silliness. It all just works. I cannot wait to see these relationships develop.
And I continue to be impressed by the world building. As befits the high fantasy feel, the world is epic in scope. I love the concept of Mors / Lunos / Mystwood / the mortal realm and the Gloom that all exist both side-by-side and layered atop one another. It is a fascinating backstory and setting for what, so far, has been a very intimate story.
I continued to have an issue with a few awkward or discontinuous plot points (see Update Notes at the bottom), but none that derailed my enjoyment of this series. And while there were a few awkward moments in the prose, there were also some absolutely lovely thoughts, beautifully constructed passages and I found it generally well-written book.
Truly, this is a must-read to me.
Original read: 3.75 stars I really enjoyed this one.
The strength of this story was in the world building. It takes place in a unique fantasy world where three realms are separated from one another - the mortal realm, the fae realm, and Mors (home of the evil Qoru). There is a half-realm, the Gloom, that exists alongside and connects to the Light above (what they call the full realm that they exist on). It is possible, in limited circumstances, to travel through the Gloom, and for things to escape Mors to attack in the Light. The fae warrior quints fight these monsters and battle to keep the Qoru contained in Mors.
POWER OF FIVE is the story of a quint that has lost one of its members, and the magic has assigned them a new fifth - who happens to be a mortal girl. Not only has a mortal never been part of a fae quint, but there is only one other quint that has ever been composed of mixed genders (the Elder Council). And no one knows if a mortal can survive the magic than runs through a quint, or survive their warrior life, since mortals have no magic of their own. An intriguing premise for a story! And one that was nicely realized.
I found the plot and pacing to be engaging, especially for a first book that has so much background to deliver. And the development of the characters was solid. I felt connected to each of them, and I really like the balance in the harem. River, Shade, Coal and Tye have a nice balance of abilities, diversity of background, and very distinct personalities...and are very appealing. Lera shows growth, even in this first book, and is a believable balance of inexperienced youth with a core of solid steel and strong will.
While the author flirted with some seriously poor decision-making that had me tense through a lot of the book, she did a very good job of not stepping over the line and with having the characters recognize the import of their actions. So, in the end, it worked okay for me.
My biggest two problems with the book were the insta-love (something I detest), and the language issues (see below). I was able to live with the insta-love though, because there was a compelling reason (the quint bond that was forced by the magic), and because there was plenty of fight against it, leaving the characters sufficient time to come together and build a real connection. I still think more work on that is needed, and I felt the sexual progression happened too quickly. I think it was a little unrealistic that Lera would allow so much so soon, given she was untouched and young. But overall, it didn't bother me enough to stop reading, and the scenes were tastefully done.
Lastly, POWER OF FIVE was different than a lot of RH fare. It read more like a standard fantasy novel in both language and tone. It was a delight to read something other than first person. The book was written in a combination of third person present and third person past tenses. I did find that a little odd and would prefer the whole book to be in the same tense, though it was clearly done intentionally. All of the heroine's POV chapters were third person present. All of the chapters in the males' POVs were in third person past tense.
I also felt that, in trying for a high fantasy tone in the language, that the author strayed a bit purple on occasion. And in a number of cases, very awkwardly - sentences, metaphors, similes and idioms that just didn't work right and pulled me out of the story. But those sorts of line edits are easily made, and hopefully will be resolved before launch.
All in all, a new RH series I am excited to read more of - I hope the second book doesn't take too long!
UPDATE PROGRESS NOTES: (from re-read)
93.0% "Discontinuity: Earlier, when Tye talked to Autumn and she told him to buy her time to research quint bonds, he said there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the power to stop the bond being severed. And yet here, it clearly says no one can force-cut the bond. Either someone is dying or everyone must agree. So all he would have had to do to stop the severing would have been to not agree to it. A little confusing."
91.0% "That happened kinda quick. Definitely insta-love to be happening in book 1 (even the end of book 1), but it works within the story's premise (the quint bond). And it is aided by the fact that they have a lot to overcome before they are together."
81.0% "Not sure why she would trust this. One: Pyker hasn't stepped forward to help them fight. Two: If there is a cave he could hold alone then he or she should be calling that information out to River and Tye because they can ALL run there and hold the choke point."
75.0% "Nice quote:
53.0% "Sigh... once again Coal's training happens AFTER Lera bloodies herself flailing around."
50.0% "Sigh...bad bad River. Secret keeping is no bueno!"
39.0% "These are the worst training techniques I've ever heard of. Teaching someone to ride without explaining what and how to do it first. No demonstrations, etc. Teaching someone to fall without the same first. Teaching someone to defend themselves without telling them or showing them how first. It is ridiculous to just expect them to try something and it work or be right. And just will result in frustration for everyone."
20.0% "Beautifully written!
3.0% "SECOND READ - While I am appreciating an epic fantasy RH, I find the swap to first person present tense for Lera's POV chapters to be a little offputting. Partially because I am not a fan of present tense, and partially because I do not understand the shift from third person past in the prologue and male POVs to the first person present in Lera's. It just feels awkward to me. And I do not see a logical reason for it."
Note: I was provided an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Yep, I think I enjoyed this re-read of POWER OF FIVE even more than the first time! I love the high fantasy feel to this reverse harem. It is not often done, so it feels fresh and unique. And I love the characters.
Leralynn is a great main character who somehow believably grows from a sheltered, naive, unlearned indentured servant into a woman of strength, without losing her sweetness or innocence. Or at least showing the potential to become one kickass heroine as the series progresses. It is nice to read a strong character that does not have to be snarky and sarcastic and aggressive - the latter is a trope that is becoming a little overused lately.
And I love this harem. The balance of personalities between River's repressed control and dominance, Coal's leashed violence and unexpected insight and compassion, Shade's sweetness and caring and lack of inhibition with a touch of iron will, and Tye's humor and flirtation and silliness. It all just works. I cannot wait to see these relationships develop.
And I continue to be impressed by the world building. As befits the high fantasy feel, the world is epic in scope. I love the concept of Mors / Lunos / Mystwood / the mortal realm and the Gloom that all exist both side-by-side and layered atop one another. It is a fascinating backstory and setting for what, so far, has been a very intimate story.
I continued to have an issue with a few awkward or discontinuous plot points (see Update Notes at the bottom), but none that derailed my enjoyment of this series. And while there were a few awkward moments in the prose, there were also some absolutely lovely thoughts, beautifully constructed passages and I found it generally well-written book.
Truly, this is a must-read to me.
Original read: 3.75 stars I really enjoyed this one.
The strength of this story was in the world building. It takes place in a unique fantasy world where three realms are separated from one another - the mortal realm, the fae realm, and Mors (home of the evil Qoru). There is a half-realm, the Gloom, that exists alongside and connects to the Light above (what they call the full realm that they exist on). It is possible, in limited circumstances, to travel through the Gloom, and for things to escape Mors to attack in the Light. The fae warrior quints fight these monsters and battle to keep the Qoru contained in Mors.
POWER OF FIVE is the story of a quint that has lost one of its members, and the magic has assigned them a new fifth - who happens to be a mortal girl. Not only has a mortal never been part of a fae quint, but there is only one other quint that has ever been composed of mixed genders (the Elder Council). And no one knows if a mortal can survive the magic than runs through a quint, or survive their warrior life, since mortals have no magic of their own. An intriguing premise for a story! And one that was nicely realized.
I found the plot and pacing to be engaging, especially for a first book that has so much background to deliver. And the development of the characters was solid. I felt connected to each of them, and I really like the balance in the harem. River, Shade, Coal and Tye have a nice balance of abilities, diversity of background, and very distinct personalities...and are very appealing. Lera shows growth, even in this first book, and is a believable balance of inexperienced youth with a core of solid steel and strong will.
While the author flirted with some seriously poor decision-making that had me tense through a lot of the book, she did a very good job of not stepping over the line and with having the characters recognize the import of their actions. So, in the end, it worked okay for me.
My biggest two problems with the book were the insta-love (something I detest), and the language issues (see below). I was able to live with the insta-love though, because there was a compelling reason (the quint bond that was forced by the magic), and because there was plenty of fight against it, leaving the characters sufficient time to come together and build a real connection. I still think more work on that is needed, and I felt the sexual progression happened too quickly. I think it was a little unrealistic that Lera would allow so much so soon, given she was untouched and young. But overall, it didn't bother me enough to stop reading, and the scenes were tastefully done.
Lastly, POWER OF FIVE was different than a lot of RH fare. It read more like a standard fantasy novel in both language and tone. It was a delight to read something other than first person. The book was written in a combination of third person present and third person past tenses. I did find that a little odd and would prefer the whole book to be in the same tense, though it was clearly done intentionally. All of the heroine's POV chapters were third person present. All of the chapters in the males' POVs were in third person past tense.
I also felt that, in trying for a high fantasy tone in the language, that the author strayed a bit purple on occasion. And in a number of cases, very awkwardly - sentences, metaphors, similes and idioms that just didn't work right and pulled me out of the story. But those sorts of line edits are easily made, and hopefully will be resolved before launch.
All in all, a new RH series I am excited to read more of - I hope the second book doesn't take too long!
UPDATE PROGRESS NOTES: (from re-read)
93.0% "Discontinuity: Earlier, when Tye talked to Autumn and she told him to buy her time to research quint bonds, he said there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the power to stop the bond being severed. And yet here, it clearly says no one can force-cut the bond. Either someone is dying or everyone must agree. So all he would have had to do to stop the severing would have been to not agree to it. A little confusing."
91.0% "That happened kinda quick. Definitely insta-love to be happening in book 1 (even the end of book 1), but it works within the story's premise (the quint bond). And it is aided by the fact that they have a lot to overcome before they are together."
81.0% "Not sure why she would trust this. One: Pyker hasn't stepped forward to help them fight. Two: If there is a cave he could hold alone then he or she should be calling that information out to River and Tye because they can ALL run there and hold the choke point."
75.0% "Nice quote:
“Rules are . . . like fences,� Tye conceded. “They keep things nice and orderly, but he who hops over them gets the apples.�59.0% "Um... I don't get this. She bathed and was all dolled up for dinner. Went to dinner and has just come back to her room. Why on earth would she be all sweaty now? Doesn't make sense to me."
53.0% "Sigh... once again Coal's training happens AFTER Lera bloodies herself flailing around."
50.0% "Sigh...bad bad River. Secret keeping is no bueno!"
39.0% "These are the worst training techniques I've ever heard of. Teaching someone to ride without explaining what and how to do it first. No demonstrations, etc. Teaching someone to fall without the same first. Teaching someone to defend themselves without telling them or showing them how first. It is ridiculous to just expect them to try something and it work or be right. And just will result in frustration for everyone."
20.0% "Beautifully written!
Five paces to go. Three. None. The horse braces his weight on his hindquarters and leaps into the air. I fly off. The ground races up to meet me. The triumph of impact comes before the shocking echo of it, my shoulder screaming in pain as the world blinks in and out of darkness. I whimper, curling around my left arm, telling myself that I am alive.19.0% "It is a little silly that she thinks she can just hop on these hotblooded horses with nary a lesson and somehow figure out how to ride."
3.0% "SECOND READ - While I am appreciating an epic fantasy RH, I find the swap to first person present tense for Lera's POV chapters to be a little offputting. Partially because I am not a fan of present tense, and partially because I do not understand the shift from third person past in the prologue and male POVs to the first person present in Lera's. It just feels awkward to me. And I do not see a logical reason for it."
Note: I was provided an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 24, 2018
Amazing!
Thanks to my RH group for this one, as an avid reader of this genre and everyone trying to be an RH author, it is hard to find good ones.
This was a great one. I loved the relationship between Lera and her guys. It had just the right amount of everything.
What i enjoyed the most was that they were open and honest with each other right from the beginning.
Thanks to my RH group for this one, as an avid reader of this genre and everyone trying to be an RH author, it is hard to find good ones.
This was a great one. I loved the relationship between Lera and her guys. It had just the right amount of everything.
What i enjoyed the most was that they were open and honest with each other right from the beginning.
October 31, 2018
Urban Fantasy Reverse Harem
Ahhhhh! I really liked this book. I have always enjoyed good Reverse Harem books. It ends with a... well let's just say it doesn't. I think maybe the series is just one long book. That is why it is only 4 stars!
4 stars!
Ahhhhh! I really liked this book. I have always enjoyed good Reverse Harem books. It ends with a... well let's just say it doesn't. I think maybe the series is just one long book. That is why it is only 4 stars!
4 stars!
March 21, 2020
Good thing the other books are out because this was much too short and ended too abruptly lol
December 31, 2018
I'm glad I waited a few days to review this, otherwise I'd probably have said something I'd regret, and you're never supposed to put anything on the internet that you'd be embarrassed for your parents or children to see. ;) But damn was this story hawt. And character-driven. It's the first book in a reverse harem series and not a whole lot happens but it was super engaging and steamy AF. It's not all about the sexy times but rather the bond being forged between four fae warriors and the mortal woman that magic has claimed for their quint. And I'm dying for the next book, which luckily comes out on the 29th. =D
June 18, 2018
3-3,5* stars ish
I am sad to say that i got a lil disappointed. It might me the fact that i saw how many great reviews it got on amazon and also the hype. I think i had to high expectations, i kind of felt that the world building was lacking a bit and the characters fell a bit flat.
I didn't like the MC that much, she was so meek and whiny... and she could'nt fight at all( not that i expect all MC females can do)
my fave is Shade, i love his animal form
But i will continue reading it even if i didn't get what i expected
I am sad to say that i got a lil disappointed. It might me the fact that i saw how many great reviews it got on amazon and also the hype. I think i had to high expectations, i kind of felt that the world building was lacking a bit and the characters fell a bit flat.
I didn't like the MC that much, she was so meek and whiny... and she could'nt fight at all( not that i expect all MC females can do)
my fave is Shade, i love his animal form
But i will continue reading it even if i didn't get what i expected
January 26, 2024
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: **Power of Five is the first book in the new adult fantasy romance series by the same name by an author that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Alex Lidell has written some amazing young adult action/adventure series, but Power of Five is by far my favorite of hers! Guys, this book sent me into a spiraling book hangover. So much so, after reading 3 other books that I thought would help me move past my obsession of Power of Five, I had to go back and re-read Power of Five a mere 3 days after I binge read it the first time. I am so in love with all of the characters. Power of Five is by far my favorite read of 2018. I am talking top of the top!
Power of Five is a fae fantasy and it is the story of a group of four elite fae warriors, who have been searching for years for the fifth member that will complete their warrior quint. They are all shock to find it is a human girl named Lera. Lera and the four warriors-River, Coal, Tye, and Shade, set off on an adventure through the fae realm to try and sever the bond that links all members of the Quint together. But of course, across this journey they get to know Lera and it is so so good. I don't want to say much more except that I am completely addicted to each and every one of the five characters. I can't pick a favorite, I just love the way they are all so different and they all complement each other.
There are plenty of secrets and magic galore and tons of sexy, awesome fae warrior goodness and other intangibles that just make Power of Five the best book I have read in such a long time. There are multiple love interests in this series, but if you are unsure of how that will play out, just read the book! I promise you will be a convert and you will immediately fall in love with Lera,River, Coal, Tye, and Shade. I especially love Coal and River.
Fans of new adult fantasy romances do not want to miss this series because it will soon join your favorites shelf. All of Alex's series are well written, well though out and well executed, but the Power of Five series has become my favorite of all time. I am already itching to get my hands on the second book. I need it in my life right now! Right now! And if you guys would be interested, I am already coming up with a post featuring the members of the quint and breaking down their personalities. I cannot get enough of this book! Everyone needs to read it immediately. (It is free on Kindle unlimited, so if you are a KU member, go grab this book this instant!)
Power of Five is a fae fantasy and it is the story of a group of four elite fae warriors, who have been searching for years for the fifth member that will complete their warrior quint. They are all shock to find it is a human girl named Lera. Lera and the four warriors-River, Coal, Tye, and Shade, set off on an adventure through the fae realm to try and sever the bond that links all members of the Quint together. But of course, across this journey they get to know Lera and it is so so good. I don't want to say much more except that I am completely addicted to each and every one of the five characters. I can't pick a favorite, I just love the way they are all so different and they all complement each other.
There are plenty of secrets and magic galore and tons of sexy, awesome fae warrior goodness and other intangibles that just make Power of Five the best book I have read in such a long time. There are multiple love interests in this series, but if you are unsure of how that will play out, just read the book! I promise you will be a convert and you will immediately fall in love with Lera,River, Coal, Tye, and Shade. I especially love Coal and River.
Fans of new adult fantasy romances do not want to miss this series because it will soon join your favorites shelf. All of Alex's series are well written, well though out and well executed, but the Power of Five series has become my favorite of all time. I am already itching to get my hands on the second book. I need it in my life right now! Right now! And if you guys would be interested, I am already coming up with a post featuring the members of the quint and breaking down their personalities. I cannot get enough of this book! Everyone needs to read it immediately. (It is free on Kindle unlimited, so if you are a KU member, go grab this book this instant!)
July 12, 2022
bro this was such a let-down? the main character was a bit too much of a damsel in distress for me. disappointed :((
July 2, 2020
4.75
I loved this book so much more than I was expecting! It was a unique story in which captivated me so much !
I loved this book so much more than I was expecting! It was a unique story in which captivated me so much !
July 7, 2024
| DNF 40%
�
Started off great, but it's going downhill. I was expecting a little more build-up in terms of romance, but author rushed things and I lost my interest...
�
Started off great, but it's going downhill. I was expecting a little more build-up in terms of romance, but author rushed things and I lost my interest...
January 6, 2019
Unbelievable, even for a work of fiction
Lera technically an indentured servant. What that really means is that she has a debt to pay off. But when the man holding your debt pays you almost nothing, and skims practically it all back as "living expenses", that debt doesn't go away. Rescued by a group of 4 fae and taken to their realm, seems like a win. Except, this magic bond may not exactly work since she's a human. This magical mishap may not be the Cinderella storybook happily ever after she thought it would be.
Spoilers ahead.
Ok. I managed to read this one and the sequel. I had to surrender after that. These are centuries old magical beings. They are horribly immature. The 20yo human slave I can forgive for being immature. She's finally got a taste of freedom and is going to go at life like a hell bent colt, or filly rather, released from the pasture for the first time. But the guys? They've supposedly faced war, battles, training, the loss of a brother/teammate; any number of life events that weather a soul. Shade goes from mourning a twin to basically forgetting his existence in 2 chapters flat. The other characters, after mentioning the loss once, never speak of it again. Lera, for a former slave that spent her days caring for horses, is weak. I've worked on farms before. Horses are a handful, 600-800lb toddlers that pull, make messes and require a lot of work. They describe Lena pushing wheelbarrows and mucking stalls. This means she has some upper body strength. Yet she can't throw a punch, hold a sword (even a practice one) or anything else strenuous. She even gets winded going up stairs. She has undoubtedly tossed hay bales, climbed lofts, lifted tack, held reins of wayward animals and more. But she's painted as a delicate flower. This duality is frustrating. I could believe shy, overlooked, afraid of punishment, sure. But weak? No. I'm not going to address the barely applicable plot and lackluster romance. I was expecting a fighter, at least a scrappy can do attitude. I got a weenie surrounded by jerks, one who threatened to break her ribs if it would help toughen her up faster. The others ignore her or paw at her, in turns. Not what the reviews led me to believe.
Lera technically an indentured servant. What that really means is that she has a debt to pay off. But when the man holding your debt pays you almost nothing, and skims practically it all back as "living expenses", that debt doesn't go away. Rescued by a group of 4 fae and taken to their realm, seems like a win. Except, this magic bond may not exactly work since she's a human. This magical mishap may not be the Cinderella storybook happily ever after she thought it would be.
Spoilers ahead.
Ok. I managed to read this one and the sequel. I had to surrender after that. These are centuries old magical beings. They are horribly immature. The 20yo human slave I can forgive for being immature. She's finally got a taste of freedom and is going to go at life like a hell bent colt, or filly rather, released from the pasture for the first time. But the guys? They've supposedly faced war, battles, training, the loss of a brother/teammate; any number of life events that weather a soul. Shade goes from mourning a twin to basically forgetting his existence in 2 chapters flat. The other characters, after mentioning the loss once, never speak of it again. Lera, for a former slave that spent her days caring for horses, is weak. I've worked on farms before. Horses are a handful, 600-800lb toddlers that pull, make messes and require a lot of work. They describe Lena pushing wheelbarrows and mucking stalls. This means she has some upper body strength. Yet she can't throw a punch, hold a sword (even a practice one) or anything else strenuous. She even gets winded going up stairs. She has undoubtedly tossed hay bales, climbed lofts, lifted tack, held reins of wayward animals and more. But she's painted as a delicate flower. This duality is frustrating. I could believe shy, overlooked, afraid of punishment, sure. But weak? No. I'm not going to address the barely applicable plot and lackluster romance. I was expecting a fighter, at least a scrappy can do attitude. I got a weenie surrounded by jerks, one who threatened to break her ribs if it would help toughen her up faster. The others ignore her or paw at her, in turns. Not what the reviews led me to believe.
May 23, 2018
I’m familiar with Alex Lidell’s YA fantasy books so I thought I would love this book because I love Fae and Reverse Harem novels but unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. I’m not fond of insta-attraction, the plot failed to hold my interest and some parts felt rushed but my main issue was that I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. Otherwise, It’s really a good read and I think many people would definitely love it. So it’s a case of it’s not you, it’s me.
Lera is a likable character who’s vulnerable yet strong. She’s an orphan since young who’s later sold to a harsh master. She led a hard life by cleaning mucks and avoiding her master’s advances but it all changes when she meets the four elite fae who claims that she’s one of their bonded warrior. Well, we’ve four interesting fae characters River, Coal, Tye, and Shade. River is the commander of the group who doesn’t want to accept a mortal woman as their fifth. Coal is the broody and cold fae who doesn’t let his feelings show on the outside. Tye is a total womanizer who can’t stop flirting with Lera. Shade is a fae in mourning who refuses to shift back from his wolf form to his original fae form after the death of his twin Kai, their fifth warrior who died a decade ago. They all can’t resist their pull towards Lera but they can’t risk a mortal’s life who might not be able to handle their powerful magic so they all decide to break the bond. Hence they all journey together to the fae lands to sever the bond but as they spend more time with her, their desire for her grows even more and they don’t want to let her go. They all sound pretty good, right? but my favorites are definitely River and Coal because I like dark and broody guys in my romance more than the fun types.
The romance was quite steamy and I really hope it’s not a group thing because I totally detest them. The fae world the author created was intriguing and the magical aspects seemed very interesting but I wish the author provided more info on them. Overall, this was an Okay-ish read for me but I highly recommend it to all the Reverse Harem fans cause you might enjoy it more than I did.
Lera is a likable character who’s vulnerable yet strong. She’s an orphan since young who’s later sold to a harsh master. She led a hard life by cleaning mucks and avoiding her master’s advances but it all changes when she meets the four elite fae who claims that she’s one of their bonded warrior. Well, we’ve four interesting fae characters River, Coal, Tye, and Shade. River is the commander of the group who doesn’t want to accept a mortal woman as their fifth. Coal is the broody and cold fae who doesn’t let his feelings show on the outside. Tye is a total womanizer who can’t stop flirting with Lera. Shade is a fae in mourning who refuses to shift back from his wolf form to his original fae form after the death of his twin Kai, their fifth warrior who died a decade ago. They all can’t resist their pull towards Lera but they can’t risk a mortal’s life who might not be able to handle their powerful magic so they all decide to break the bond. Hence they all journey together to the fae lands to sever the bond but as they spend more time with her, their desire for her grows even more and they don’t want to let her go. They all sound pretty good, right? but my favorites are definitely River and Coal because I like dark and broody guys in my romance more than the fun types.
The romance was quite steamy and I really hope it’s not a group thing because I totally detest them. The fae world the author created was intriguing and the magical aspects seemed very interesting but I wish the author provided more info on them. Overall, this was an Okay-ish read for me but I highly recommend it to all the Reverse Harem fans cause you might enjoy it more than I did.
January 17, 2021
This is my first RH romance, and I was a little (actually very) worried that it would be sleazy and that there wouldn’t be enough time spent building up all of the romantic interests. After reading another book by Alex Lidell which advertised this series in the back, I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did!
Leralynn is an amazing and relatable protagonist. She’s tough, but not unrealistically so. She’s had a hard life, but it’s not so angsty that it clouds her outlook on the world.
She’s “mistakenly� bound to the four fae warriors--Shade, Tye, River, and Coal. Somehow, this very short (under 200 pages) first book in the series managed to make them all three-dimensional, interesting characters with tragic pasts and despite them all being warriors, they’re all quite distinct from one another, not just in terms of appearances, but their personalities as well.
On top of all this, the book introduced River’s younger sister, Autumn, who I absolutely adore, and it introduced a fantastic villain who I can’t wait to see more of in the future. I love villains that don’t view themselves as bad guys, and her rationale behind what she’s doing is really quite sound. She’s not evil, she just wants what’s best for the quint (and, unfortunately, that means not having a mortal as a part of it).
Most of the book comes from Leralynn’s point of view, but we also get occasional chapters from the fae warriors� POVs. Despite only having 1 or 2 chapters from an individual warrior’s POV, I feel like I’ve gotten to know them very well as Leralynn gets to know them.
This book is full of action and fight scenes, and the way that magic works in this world is quite interesting. I’m particularly intrigued by the “Gloom�, and I can’t wait to learn more of how the quint is expected to protect the fae from the creatures that come out of it and Mors. All this happens on top of just enough romance to keep me turning the pages.
This was an incredible first in a series, and I’m definitely going to be consuming the rest of the books very soon. Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Leralynn is an amazing and relatable protagonist. She’s tough, but not unrealistically so. She’s had a hard life, but it’s not so angsty that it clouds her outlook on the world.
She’s “mistakenly� bound to the four fae warriors--Shade, Tye, River, and Coal. Somehow, this very short (under 200 pages) first book in the series managed to make them all three-dimensional, interesting characters with tragic pasts and despite them all being warriors, they’re all quite distinct from one another, not just in terms of appearances, but their personalities as well.
On top of all this, the book introduced River’s younger sister, Autumn, who I absolutely adore, and it introduced a fantastic villain who I can’t wait to see more of in the future. I love villains that don’t view themselves as bad guys, and her rationale behind what she’s doing is really quite sound. She’s not evil, she just wants what’s best for the quint (and, unfortunately, that means not having a mortal as a part of it).
Most of the book comes from Leralynn’s point of view, but we also get occasional chapters from the fae warriors� POVs. Despite only having 1 or 2 chapters from an individual warrior’s POV, I feel like I’ve gotten to know them very well as Leralynn gets to know them.
This book is full of action and fight scenes, and the way that magic works in this world is quite interesting. I’m particularly intrigued by the “Gloom�, and I can’t wait to learn more of how the quint is expected to protect the fae from the creatures that come out of it and Mors. All this happens on top of just enough romance to keep me turning the pages.
This was an incredible first in a series, and I’m definitely going to be consuming the rest of the books very soon. Free on Kindle Unlimited!
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