The Umbra King (Vincula Realm Book 1)

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This NA fantasy, murder-mystery/revenge/romance is full of playful banter, intrigue, and loveable characters, and will very likely appeal to fans of books like A Touch of Darkness, These Hollow Vows, and Serpent & Dove. Yes indeed. I wanted Rarity to tame him by riding this magnificent stallion until his will would be broken. She looked at him. “Everyone loves to hate the villain, including you.” “Am I your villain, Miss Raven?” He didn’t know why he asked, but he was interested in her reply. He wished he hadn’t, because her response was immediate. “Yes.” Their gazes collided in a battle of wills, and he leaned down so his lips grazed her ear. “Then I’ll be a damn good one.” Me thinks Rainbow Dashes overconfidence shall be her undoing when facing a unicorn who has enough power to fight off two alicorns.

There will always be someone who thinks of me as their villain. The least I can do is be a damn good one.” HOLY MF SH*T my 2023 fantasy reading has started off with not just a bang but a NUCLEAR explosion !!With a haunting prophecy hanging over his head, Caius races against time to break the magic barrier trapping him in his own realm. With the help of unlikely allies, they discover a solution, giving Caius hope for the first time since Rory’s departure, but it comes at a steep price Aurora/Rory is a killer with a big heart, and I really liked her. She is strong, has a sharp tongue, and would do anything for her loved ones. She sees herself as a monster even though she’s a hero. She stood tall even when she was afraid and didn’t let people push her around. The Umbra is tied with the Frost Spirit for having the third highest amount of health out of any enemy in the game, only beaten by the Void Reaver and the Nuclear Monster.

This story has a lot of magical characters including Fey, Alchemists, Angels, and more. The author does a good job building the realms and explaining each type of "mystic" character throughout the chapters. She also included a “World Guide” at the beginning of the book, and I appreciate that extra effort made for readers.

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This is a third-person paranormal fantasy with a main focus on Aurora (Rory), who is a fae and also happens to be a little bit of a vigilante murderer. She is caught and instead of being sent to hell, she is sentenced to Vincula the prison realm for committing 13 brutal murders. When she gets to this realm, she's literally plonked at the feet of King, Caius and from very early on is barraged by the consequences of her perceived actions as a Butcher by many of the inmates. His anger was barely leashed when he said, “Who did this to you?” He visually inspected the bruises on her limbs, touching each one with his golden gaze.” Oh my god, when I say this was fantastic - this was FANTASTIC. This is an urban fantasy, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, mistaken identity, female serial killer who's an all around badass and hellbent on revenge story told with fascinating world building complete with thorough history, multiple species with unique abilities and characteristics, well developed side characters that make you care about their story, a logical plot, and a dash of "Who did this to you?" In the very beginning there's a link to an audible pronunciation guide along with the text pronunciation guide for names and places, a printable world map, brief rundown of each realm, and a list of the different species with their attributes and characteristics. The detail that went into this is astounding! This was my first fanfic ever written - didn't know if I wanted to make it very long so I opted for shorter (which means things play out faster). Hopefully nobody minds too much. The one thing that kept this book from being utterly spectacular is that even though the characters were slightly older, there were aspects of this that felt very juvenile. Our main character goes through a period of being a little bit (read a lot) jealous and almost has a temper tantrum because she thinks he hooks up with somebody. That just feels like a little bit of high school drama! BUT I do appreciate that they do seem to talk out their differences.

I know! When I posted my story I was really excited! But try to spread it out. Makes it more likely people will see your story. This book is so unlike things I’ve read in the past! While there are some of my favorite tropes like enemies to lovers and hate to love, and my favorite mythological creatures (shifters, fae, angels, etc) the world building and magic system were so unique. The friendships in the book are also so so amazing. Maybe my expectations were too high, but unfortunately I didn’t like it. Even the writing felt off. There is nothing I would change. Maybe sometimes scenes were awkwardly written and sounded cringe, but that could also be a 'me problem' so I'm still giving it 5 shiny stars! Coming to think of it, this is my first 5 Star rating of 2023! 😯

Rory- Rory is such a badass murdery FMC. I loved her so much, she has zero chill when it comes to bad guys and does what she feels has to be done. (She's also completely unhinged, but in a really " her heart is in the right place" kind of way) I love her loyalty to her friends and the way she goes toe to toe with Caius is thrilling! After the brutal murder of her twin sister, Aurora ‘Rory’ Raven spends years forging herself into a ruthless vigilante killer.

This was hands down the most unexpected five star read for the year. I read this on a wim after seeing a reaction video. I went in knowing it would cause me severe emotional damage but it was so worth it. Feeling like an outsider looking in, she tries to acclimate to her new life, but she can’t shake the feeling that something, or someone, is missing. A few years after the show, a supposedly fortuitous event has occurred. Spike and Rarity have made one choice. Princesses Celestia and Luna have made theirs. Twilight is split between friendship and duty while Discord plays only to please himself. Normal • Speedy • Slow • Normal Boss • Hidden • Mystery • Breaker2 • Breaker • Necromancer • Strong • Slow Boss • Hidden Boss • Bolt • Speedy Boss • Mystery Boss • Breaker4 • Breaker3 • Mystery Summoner • Grave Digger

Nikki Grey

Sombra: evil incarnate. Now has amnesia. With no idea who he is may have a chance at a normal life... until Twilight and the gang learn who he is...