Mercy (A gay gothic angel romance) by Ian Haramaki

Mercy (A gay gothic angel romance) Reviews

• 
  Gray Garrido

  I was really expecting more from this.
  
  To start off:
  
  The language that Haramaki uses took me out of the story so many times because of how modern it was compared to the 1900’s setting of the novel.
  
  The two main characters did not read like adults at ALL. Instead they read like 16-18 year olds with the insane way their emotions would fluctuate. One second they would be discussing something & within the next second they would be holding back tears or full on crying. Which didn’t make any sense for a 30 year old man.
  
  I also found the reasoning behind the entire town hating the priest to be completely ridiculous. Sure his father was very loved by the town of Velak for being a powerful healer. But it didn’t make sense why they hated Ilya so much. It would have made more sense if there were so many demons sightings & deaths caused by demons that the entire town was living in fear & Ilya was incapable of doing anything about it.
  
  & going off his father being a healer. The magic system & world building was completely nonexistent. Which is fine I guess if the romantic aspect is the only important part of the book. But I had so many questions about the types of Demons that exist, why Ilya wasn’t as powerful of a healer as his father, why there was a Moon God & a Sun Goddess but it seems like the Moon’s children are super corrupt? But we also learned next to nothing about the realm of Eternal Night & Eternal Day.
  
  & sure! Danya & Ilya had cute moments! but the way that their romantic relationship evolved so quickly was giving me whiplash. Especially from Danya, who only seems to fall in love with the people that he’s assigned to protect which gives off “baby duckling imprinting”.
  
  I went into this blind after seeing a snippet on TikTok, thinking that this was going to be a story about a Priest dealing with the religious guilt of falling in love with this divine creature. I was not expecting for this to be an instalove story that seemingly has no plot at all.
• 
  Grapie Deltaco

  I cannot be normal after this. It’s one of my top reads of the year.
  
  (THANK YOU to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
  
  Mercy is the fantastic story of a cursed angel who has forgotten who (and what) he is falling in love with the tortured priest that rescued him.
  
  Ilya and Danya are so raw and earnest with one another that it almost hurts. Their care for another (alongside the chemistry) is palpable and so lovely- especially in contrast to the vile people of their small community.
  
  Ian Haramaki has written a love, a god, and a world that is unforgettably tender and magical down to its core. I was barking at the sky and frothing at the mouth the entire time I read this.
  
  CW: murder, death (including dead loved ones), grief, abusive parent (verbal and physical), bullying, explicit sexual content, homophobia, sexual harassment, corrupt church authority figure(s), violence, murder
• 
  K

  This book doesn’t know what it wants to be. It longs for an aesthetic it can’t uphold.
  
  
  If I wasn’t so opposed to DNFing books I would’ve kicked this one to the curb around page 30.
  
  The writing includes phrases like:
  - “what’s with the boob window?”
  - “you saved my ass”
  - “this fucking blows”
  - “what’s the big bad priest going to do to a naughty little boy like me?”
  - “my dick is going to retreat back inside of my body if I’m in this cold a single second longer.”
  
  Nothing anyone would say in 1920s Russia. Sure, it’s fantasy, but slang is formed naturally through history with the shift of culture.
  If you’re going to add in “take a picture, it’ll last longer” and “this looks like dogshit” you need to give me a good reason.
  
  1920’s Russia. This book includes 152 variations of “fuck” and “fucking”. 90% of them said by the angel. In 1920.
  
  What I’m trying to say is: the author’s ass must be horribly chafed from sitting on that fence. Pick a side.
  
  You can’t possibly deliver horrid dialogue and follow it up with purple prose exposition and descriptors. I will not be swayed by a pretty paragraph about the beauty of a church and the dichotomy of God’s love when the next sentence is literally “you’ve been in a fucking mood. What’s your damage?” or “my balls are about to retreat into my body.” IN 1920
  
  Oddly enough, the grammar used is at its most ye olden days during the sex scenes. Danya will say “fuck” twice every sentence and then whip out a “allow me to ravish you”.
  I need a gun.
  
  I assume the writing style was meant to be… comedic? This book desperately tries to make the reader laugh but it comes across as the equivalent of a middle schooler giggling at someone saying “shit”. Get a grip.
  
  Story wise:
  5% into the book the characters meet for the first time and already regard the other with a familiarity that’s wholly underserved. How are you going to wake up with amnesia after being trapped as a murderous beast for months and the first thing you do is FLIRT WITH THE PRIEST
  
  I don’t know how old these people are meant to be, but I’ve come across 13 year olds with better critical thought.
  
  24 hours after meeting Ilya is sobbing his eyes out because mother dearest didn’t love him as a child and Danya is comforting him. 24 hours.
  
  There was an attempt at found family. Attempt, keyword.
  
  
  ROMANCE:
  It just happens.
  
  They never interact as strangers, it’s like they knew each other beforehand. We get time jumps off the bat so we don’t see the evolution of it and then suddenly Danya is protective of Ilya and holding him to sleep on page 70. Okay.
  
  A passage:
  “Why are you crying, Ilyushka?”
  “Because you’re nice to me,” Ilya croaked, lip quivering as he tried to find his words, “And I don’t know how to deal with that.”
  This is an adult. A priest. An adult priest in 1920.
  
  At this point I’m just confused.
  
  “You make me feel very special” ????? YOUVE KNOWN HIM A MONTH
  I’m going to eat a cactus.
  
  
  
  I never pegged myself as a masochist but after reading AND FINISHING this thing I might have to reevaluate.
• 
  kylee stone

  think mid-tier destiel priest dean au on ao3
• 
  Kalie

  Thank you so much to the author for catching me publicly yearning on TikTok and sending me an ARC 😭😭
  
  I loved this! It’s a soft, emotional story of a downtrodden, desperately lonely priest who rescues an angel from horrible curse with an act of reckless mercy. I loved Ilya and Danya’s story and really was rooting for them. The tender yearning and care really made this book and at its core, it’s a story of healing and acceptance. I did find the language and dialogue slightly too modern for the time period (1920s) but overall, I really loved Mercy and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a queer romantic fantasy that will truly punch you in the gut but leave you feeling warm and fuzzy at the end 💛
• 
  Heather

  2.5 Stars
  
  This book sounded like something right up my alley - and in theory - it was. I enjoyed the story enough- the characters were likable if not more combative for my taste (I think there is a good way and a poor way to write an asshole with a good heart and Danya was somewhere in between those) - and the plot was average.
  
  
  Now usually, as a Heather myself, I am a fan of all and any Heathers reference. But I gotta say, the juxtaposition of the line “What’s your damage?” under a chapter header of September 16th, 1927… Yeah that’s a no from me honestly.
  
  This really just leads me into the main thing that didn’t work for me in this novel and that is the language. The author built us an entire religion with mythical creatures and demons and placed it in a little tiny town in the woods - but felt the need to tie it to the 1920’s? Now listen, I’m not a stickler for extreme period accuracy - but if you place me in a time setting I am expecting some of the major things to add up. The author did address the choice to have their characters speak in modern language (including pop culture references and slag) and said something along lines of “Because I think it’s funny” - which I have to then ask -
  
  Why? What about it is funny? Because if this story were a comedy or something outlandishly cheeky (Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall did a FANTASTIC job of using more modern language in a way that played up the silliness and really fit the theme instead of distracting from it) then sure... But this book has very serious and dark tones. I personally did not find it funny and instead found myself feeling distracted whenever a modern one liner was thrown in.
• 
  Alice

  1.5 stars
  The disappointment I'm feeling is currently immeasurable.
  
  I saw this book recommended on tiktok and on the premise alone I was immediately sold: tortured priest falls in love with a man turning into an angel in a rural Russian inspired town in the 20s.
  What I got however was a book that needed at least two more rounds of editing.
  
  I think this book would've benefitted from being set in the modern world, because the language used for dialogues and descriptions read nothing like 'rural Russian town in the 20s' and a lot like 'two teenagers having a crisis in the late 2010s':
  
  "Fuck, I can't think straight with you doing that," Danya gasped.
  Ilya laughed and replied, "Can you think gayly instead?"
  
  The two main character also call each other pet names constantly, to the point that every string of dialogue has them calling each other their names even when they are already talking and in the midst of a conversation. Nobody talks like that!
  And on the topic of dialogues, they were what really ruined the book for me: they were stilted, sometimes non consequential and made every interaction between the character feel weird and awkward.
  
  I also thought the motivation for the hatred towards Ilya was really weak, as well as anything going on in the plot, which was so sparsely sprinkled in the prose to the point where I almost thought there was no plot at all.
  
  Another pitfall was the romantic relationship: it goes from zero to a hundred so fast I did not even have time to get close to the character as individuals. It was to the point that I had to skip the sex scenes because I was bored!
  This is underlined by the inconsistent characterization: Ilya contradicts himself almost every chapter (he also cries in every chapter), and Danya's personality shifts into whatever the book needs him to be.
  
  The intermissions were also put in the wrong place, so that we, the readers, knew more informations than the characters themselves, making third quarter of the book incredibly frustrating.
  
  The last blunder was the inconsistent cultural references, from croissants instead of rogaliki, Ilya ingesting aspirins in, once again, RURAL RUSSIAN TOWN IN THE 20s, and the use of the word misogynist.
  
  All in all, even after all I've said, it's not a terrible story, the author definitely has a lot of potential, but it was not a fully realized book.
• 
  Rachel

  DNF at 84%
  I can't do it anymore. I was dedicated to finishing this one because it is coming in one of my special edition book boxes, but I can't get through it. I wanted to like this SO badly but it feels like a sloppy mess.
  
  The time period is a mystery. It feels very lamp-lighter-punk, with new tech like radios and cars existing rarely, but the dialogue cpuld be torn out of any modern romcom. It doesn't fit. It makes the characters feel flat and boring. I'm unsure how the author made an angel of the Sun goddess feel like the neighborhood's boring jock bro, but...
  
  Man, I REALLY wanted to like this. I was hoping for so much more and it has a great hook to it. The start is beautifully flavored, and then it falls apart. There isnt any feeling to the world. The words are all said, not felt.
  
  This really is just another typical bl erotica trying to masquerade as a deep romantic fantasy. It just doesn't have the depth.
  
  Like so many of this genre, I think that this could be a 5 star book if the author had an editor team dedicated to helping them reshape it. The ideas are there!! The plot is there!! The execution is miserable. We are having an epidemic of authors paying money for incredible covers, but neglecting to put the same money into the words.
• 
  Chuck

  I’m like shocked at the lack of world building. I don’t buy that these people are Russian, I don’t buy that they’re in the 1900’s and I definitely don’t buy their chemistry. The characters were so flat that when they got together it was kind of like??? I guess??? I’m like 50% of the way through and nothing has really happened. I wish any of these characters had some personality but they do not! Go girl give us nothing
  
  (Also the whole town hating Ilya makes no sense, especially considering the beast was only terrorizing them for what? A couple of weeks? They were all just made to be hated with no thought put into their individual personalities, it’s super disappointing)
• 
  sky

  truly at a loss of words to even describe how bad this book was. the lack of effort in any part of it was insulting. in story, characters, world building, overall writing. I can’t think of a single nice thing to say about it.
• 
  Morgan Dante

  *Provided an e-ARC*
  
  AAAAAAAAAA, you are all in for a treat! The romance, the tension, the domesticity, the sex. This is spectacular. You'll never look at breakfast the same way again.
• 
  felix

  i don't have anything nice to say
• 
  A.L. Davidson

  Theoretically, this book should have been a new favorite for me but I struggled to get through it. I don't dislike it, it's engaging enough, but it's definitely a rough read that I had to force myself to finish. I'm glad I did, the ending was satisfying enough, but it was a rough read.
  
  "Mercy" seemed like it would have been a book I'd love almost immediately; it's got a moody priest MC, an angelic love interest, historical fiction vibes, otherworldly elements, a good dose of spice, lots of mutual pining and slice of life moments that allow the romance to blossom naturally. At first, I was stoked because it felt like it would have horror themes woven in, especially in the first chapter, so I excitedly dove into the book the moment I finished up my last read. The first chapter got me SO invested. We meet Ilya, a grumpy priest in a small village who is sent out to hunt a demonic monster. He's introduced in a pretty bloody and tense opening scene with a gore-coated body and murmurs of dark deeds in the forest. Cool, love that! The first chapter was tense and did an excellent job establishing a story, establishing who Ilya is and introducing us to the monster that becomes our love interest, Danya. I would have LOVED to have finished THAT story. Everything that came after chapter one was a complete tonal shift that made the entire opening chapter feel almost pointless.
  
  Now, let me start with the things about "Mercy" I do love, because there are quite a few of them! The setting is awesome; I'm a sucker for a remote, isolated location with gothic architecture and historical tones and vibes. It was giving Resident Evil VIII, and a lot of the story beats can be compared to a religious retelling of Beauty and the Beast, so that blend is really doing something for me even if the concept itself isn't fully realized or fleshed out. I loved religious stories with heavenly/otherworldly tension, especially ones with queer elements that shift into the priest falling for someone he's "not supposed to". I enjoyed the cozy moments, the scenes of cooking and conversation, cuddles on the couch and dances in the chapel; all of those little things that really draw you into Ilya and Danya's romance - even if they both act like moody teenagers and their conversations can be grating on the nerves most of the time. I also loved the sensual scenes. Give me a good confessional romp and I'll be a happy reader, so I do applaud the descriptions, intimacy, and the build up that brings us to those moments because they absolutely feel deserved after so much mutual pining. Ilya and Danya are the driving force of the book that kept me invested enough not to DNF it.
  
  The book really feels like it could have used another round of harsher editing. The editor listed on the copyright page usually does a great job - we're in some mutual circles so I'm familiar with their work - and, while the book is mostly clean and grammatically sound, there are a lot of structural problems that could have easily been adjusted and weren't. It makes this a difficult story to get through despite the positives and potential. It may have been a cost thing since it was self published, I absolutely get that, but a round of beta readers may have been useful just to catch some of the more confusing aspects.
  
  "Mercy" really reads like an AO3 title, something that is a common thing noted in a lot of reviews, and I absolutely understand where that observation comes from."Mercy" has that certain something that makes it feel like fan fiction. The way the book was written really gives off the vibe of it taking place in an established world that readers should already be familiar with before starting, where the lore isn't given much attention because readers should already understand it. Almost as if we're following a side story set in a world we should know intimately between two characters who don't necessarily fit but have enough chemistry that it doesn't feel wrong. Almost like Ilya and Danya are that one crack-ship pairing that shouldn't work but does because the author is so passionate in their delivery.
  
  The biggest issue really is the world building - which is such a shame because I desperately wanted to know more. It is a bit baffling as to why so many important details were left out, especially when one of the two main characters is a literal amnesiac. It's the easiest narrative tool to introduce readers to your world in a way that makes sense without getting exposition heavy! It would have allowed Haramaki to elaborate and explain those fine details in a way that logically made sense.
  
  "Mercy" takes place in what we can, initially, assume to be a remote village in Russia in the 1920s. The chapters are established with dates that include real months and years and uses actual Russian terms of endearment - sweet, it's historical fiction. But wait, our priest - who does have similar vestments, gear, and responsibilities to real world priests - works for a church that worships the Sun? Okay, a little confusing but I'm sure we'll get more details about it... right? (Nope)
  
  Then we meet Danya (too quickly, in my opinion, some more mystery before his reveal would have really helped), and he almost immediately notes that Ilya's vestments have a "boob window" - that feels really modern, is he a time traveler? Danya speaks like a 2010s Chad - using phrases like "bratty slut priest" and cursing like a TikToker - and Ilya has zero issue understanding what he says. Their conversations feel jarring and disjointed because of it, everything is so overwhelmingly modern in the dialogue. Conversations with phrases like "I can't think straight" "can you think gayly, then?" are so strange to read in a book like this.
  
  We discover that Ilya, living in a remote village in the 1920s, has a radio and phone (items that weren't even common in households in the US until the late 1940s), and these electronics are old enough to have had rusted parts when Danya finds them, so it's definitely NOT historical fiction. Maybe it's an alternate version of our world? No clue, it's never made clear.
  
  The villagers feel like caricatures of human beings, especially Ilya's mother with her toddler-like temper tantrums and overwhelmingly exaggerated mental health issues. The town's unanimous, utter hatred of Ilya feels childish, and it's illogical that the entire populace, one that seemed to once be so heavily invested in the church, wouldn't have complained to the Capital and gotten Ilya transferred. Danya even mentions this and Ilya shrugs it off by saying the villagers would never vote him out. Why?! If they hate him that much get rid of him!
  
  We only get teeny-tiny glimpses of the religion that Ilya's entire life is centered around, which would have done a lot to help make the village of Velak and the book itself feel more fleshed out. There are repeated mentions of The Realm of Eternal Darkness, what is it? Who knows! There's another church that worships the Moon, but we rarely hear about them. Wait, Ilya works for the Church of the Eclipse? I thought it was the Sun! Which is it? He's also had his eyes burned out? But he regularly notes he can "see" things, so what does that even meant? We hear a lot about the Mother Sun but it turns out there's also a Father (who is later confirmed to be the Moon several chapters later but it isn't really addressed in detail) and night-angels, which are mentioned in an interlude for like a split second with no elaboration.
  
  Ilya mentions that men are of the moon, women are of the sun, so "homosexual relations are illegal" because they can't create an "eclipse" - but Ilya and his late father work for the church of the Sun (or do they? I got so lost, I can't honesty tell you) because they use/d healing magic, so is it really so strict on gender? It's mentioned that those who work for the Moon side have different magics, but it's only briefly mentioned in passing. The church has Hunters, they have angelic armor-piercing weapons, that they go after leshys and vampires - why didn't we get THAT story?? - and these Hunters were the ones who inflicted the curse on Danya but they just let him go once he left the Capital walls. And when it's reported by the townsfolk of Velak that he's killing villagers, they never address it. Why? They work FOR the church and know who he is, why wouldn't they go finish the job? And why do they have angel-killing weapons?! No clue! It feels like a lot of this should have been addressed before I hit the 60% mark, which is really the biggest issue I had, because even once I finished the book I was left with so many unanswered questions. I understand establishing mystery and lore, but it can't happen in the last few pages.
  
  It feels like the majority of the focus was spent on Ilya and Danya's relationship, which is fine, but the rest of the world could have used some TLC. I was completely disconnected with any chapter that involved other characters or them going into town. I was left wanting more from the world building because the concept of the Mother Sun, the church, the creatures of the night, all of it is SO interesting but isn't given enough time to really shine or develop. It's almost like Haramaki had two different book ideas that were threaded together, but not cohesively.
  
  The turning point where I started to really lose interest was right around the halfway point where, after Danya and Ilya have their first moment of intimacy, we're thrust into a super random two chapter interlude that feels SO out of place. They should not have been included. Now, I'm not a flashback hater in the slightest. I love a good exposition-heavy flashback chapter, but this one comes out of nowhere and does absolutely nothing to help the story. The book cuts from Danya and Ilya's romp in the cathedral to Danya's creation via Mother Sun, then speed runs through the next few years in the span of a handful of pages to get to the big reveal of how he became cursed with little fanfare or build up.
  
  We have half a book of lead-up and mystery behind Danya's memory loss, why he became the creature that haunted the forests, and his role as a child of the Sun, only for it to be completely undone because of these random interlude chapters. We meet the human he's meant to be protecting, Tatyana, and she's insufferable. Poor Danya starts to fall in love (because of course he does) while she belittles and demeans him, she's not given time to develop so she feels like a cruel, manipulative witch but we're supposed to feel empathy for Danya's loss and it's impossible to. Then, it shifts to what eludes to Tatyana basically molesting Danya in an private opera box after he confesses that he loves her. He has NO idea what's happening. I think it was supposed to showcase his angelic innocence, but it's an uncomfortable scene when you stop to think about it, one that essentially boils down to non-con because Danya doesn't actually understand what's going on.
  
  Then, it jumps ahead several years to mass chaos, showcasing how Danya became cursed, what happened to his charge, and how he ended up outside of Velak, and it all happens SO fast. Without warning, it drops us right back into Ilya and Danya's story a month after their first intimate scene. The interlude disrupts the pacing, removes/spoils the mystery that the entire book was founded upon, and only adds more questions. It could have easily been several chapters, even a prequel story on its own, but it feels shoehorned in at a really random place that makes everything before it feel moot. This is a prime example of why a lot of folks don't like flashbacks - this could have all been slowly unraveled across the book in a more natural manner.
  
  I will say, the book did somewhat redeem itself in the last 20% but not enough for me to forgive a lot of what came before it. That last 90 or so pages felt more akin to what we were shown all the way back in chapter one, and I loved it. The action/fight sequences had some rough moments description-wise but the tension, the magic and the heavenly fights, the shocking twists and intense shift into the final act were all so well done. It bumped it from 2.5 to 3 stars, and with the allusion to a sequel in the last handful of paragraphs, I can only hope what we get next has some time to cook and get proper edits because I would actually like to come back to this world, to Danya and Ilya, and see them take on the church. That last 20% was the book I was hoping for, so I'm glad I stuck it out and didn't DNF it but it shouldn't have taken that long for the story to get interesting enough to have me binging it.
  
  Overall, like I said, I don't HATE it, not in the slightest. It's just OK, a decent outing for an indie author that has a lot of potential and some great ideas that need a good team to help be realized to the fullest. I'm more disappointed over what could have been, a story of a grumpy priest in a remote village hunting monsters with a mysterious demon stalking him through the trees until his true form is revealed. Something with more horror and build up that leaned into what was shown in that first chapter and the final act. I don't dislike the majority of what I've experienced. It's a decent brain-off book, one with a beautiful cover and a lot of potential that I hope Haramaki takes into the next outing and builds upon (and gets a harsher editor or some really thorough beta readers, because the book could have been great with some really simple tweaking). I'd definitely be down for reading whatever title Haramaki releases next, because I was SO invested at first and, again, I keep reading it despite its flaws so there is something there that is captivating!
• 
  Amon♰

  *ARC READER*
  I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I am tremendously grateful to have been an ARC reader for this wonderful novel. I was planning to take my time and savor this book slowly, but the pages wouldn't let me go. I finished it much faster than I expected because I couldn't stop reading. It is definitely one of the best books I've read this year, without a doubt. I don't usually cry while reading books, and with this one, I cried at least three times. It's incredible that this is Ian Haramaki's debut book because it is absolutely perfect, and I highly recommend it. The characters are incredibly lovable. I know I'll be thinking about Ilya and Danya until the next book comes out. Read it immediately!!
• 
  Stephanie Gillis

  I got to read an early copy of this book and I'm very happy to say how much I enjoyed it! The banter, the romance, the sheer anger-inducing rage of how Ilya is treated by a small town and the angel that shows him he is worthy of so much love. The character growth, the mystery, and that freaking ending had me so happy. It's very different than other angel romances I've seen out there especially with its setting and world-building with a religion that was so unique. I'm incredibly excited to read the sequel.
• 
  Zack Davies

  Arc copy review
  
  !!!Y’all it’s a priest and angel love fest you gotta read it!!!
  
  I loved these characters and the story of this book, they are super loveable and to watch them grow together was really fun and they grow in your heart too. They really both deserve so much better and I am glad that they have each other to remind themselves of that even if they never believe it. I am Ilya protector #1 and will kill for him.
  
  you should read it because the story is good and it’s a great book but once again also you should read it because QUEER PRIESTSSSSSSSSSS
• 
  Rads

  This was diabolical.
  
  - the setting makes 0 sense
  - the language doesn't make sense for the nonsensical setting. modern lingo in the 1900s?
  - why is everyone russian? It lends 0 relevance to either points up top.
  - no one acts their supposed age
  - the magic? don't even get me started
  
  But there are nuggets of potential, unfortunately they're burried under all that crap.
• 
  evy

  mirthless & insulting fluff. does not appear to even be copyedited, much less structurally edited, despite the claims in the acknowledgements. but i suppose if you don't bother to engage with the barest threads of the world you're trying to weave for the audience, what's several punctuation and grammatical errors?
• 
  Alsterus (Alyssa)

  3.75 ⭐️
  
  I throughly enjoyed the beginning of the book. It started strongly. Once I got to the little over the halfway mark it started to drag and then so much happened at the end that just made me angry I more or less just skimmed it; also just so much was happening I was a little overwhelmed. It felt rushed.
  
  I was going to give this a solid four stars because of how much I was enjoying it at first and the only reason a star was taken off was because it’s set in 1920’s when really I don’t think we need a date. 1 because it’s not really necessary and 2 the language did not sound like it came from the 20’s. It was fully today’s language.
  
  Extra stars came off because the ending being rushed. And also the characters got a little annoying to me but maybe that was just me being angry at the pacing.
• 
  andy

  4.5 stars.
  
  i feel insane right now. i took .5 off bc sometimes the very modern phrases mixed with the historical fantasy setting threw me out but not enough that i didn’t still
  enjoy what i was reading.
  i would die for ilya and danya but they’re also ready to die for each other so i don’t matter in this equation.
  more in depth & detailed review to come at a later date.
• 
  Katie Kaboom

  "I'm not angry, just disappointed"
  
  ---
  
  My theory in this book is that Haramaki role played this online with a friend. In a different setting. And then when trying to make it into a Book, came up with the loosest world and a plot of "everybody hates Ilya", and called it good enough.
  Sometimes roleplays need to stay in RP form.
  
  World? Bad.
  Plot? If you can call it that; Worse.
  Vibes? Gone
  Characters? Annoying and Shallow
  
  People rating this 5 stars, I don't understand. I wish I did, it has everything I want in a book, but I would rather read Twilight over again if I wanted an annoying wishy-washy awkward romance.
• 
  Taylor

  DNF really wanted to like it but couldn’t get past 30%
• 
  Megan Williamson

  Wish I could forget everything I read so that I could read it again.
• 
  Eli

  i was going to give it two stars but the “suka blyat” was the last straw
• 
  nero

  10% in and I already can't take it anymore. This reads like the work of a teenager who's read way too much shitty fanfiction, not a 30 year old adult.
• 
  katabaza

  started out pretty good and then oh boi and then. the whole town hating mr priest was just blown out of proportion, i needed something better to believe they would hold a grudge for such a long time. every single character felt like a caricature (the priest’s mother?). main characters were kinda likable (at first at least) but then i just got so tired of them being oh so dramatic and then worse oh so in love. it didn’t help that they got together halfway through the book and i had to suffer till the end. sex scenes were there ig, not the worst, not the best. felt way too modern at times, especially in the dialogue (i will never forgive them for the bird brain and „bratty slut priest” WHO SAYS shit like that). will not attempt to discuss world building bc the world building doesn’t exist)
• 
  Mer

  Rating: 3.5
  
  Overall, a good read and a solid debut book! Only not rated higher because of my personal preferences in what I enjoy/am looking for in a book.
  
  If you enjoy tender romance, healing, and a good fucking, I would recommend this book for your reading list.
  
  The only major critique I have is that I would have liked the church plot to have been hinted at/started earlier in the book. It began to appear in the plot late, and in general I think it slowed down the pacing.
  
  I really enjoyed the ending - it is a good jumping point for a second book.
• 
  Solly

  Man I wanted to love this so badly. I read the first page and was like "wow this could be a new fave". It had so many elements I deeply enjoy! The cover and paperback are also incredibly beautiful.
  But, starting at chapter 2, it became very clear that it wouldn't become a favourite and it went downhill from there. The extremely modern language/slang, combined with the (kinda) historical setting, combined with the dark themes... made everything fall extremely flat. It also felt like there was sooo much telling and so little showing. I don't believe in the blanket "show don't tell" because some things can be told when it's appropriate but... here I felt like all the relationship development happened off page. We're told Ilya takes such good care of Danya. We're told Danya is flirty or annoying or whatever. It makes all the relationship development feel flat. The plot was unconvincing, the reason for the violent hatred from the town was flimsy, the depiction of abuse didn't feel real or impactful (and I recently read a MG with violent parental abuse!! That felt real and impactful) because of the exaggerated dialogs. The worldbuilding was paper-thin, Ilya barely ever felt like a priest (what are the Church daily rituals? except from not healing himself, what are the rules? he seemed to feel guilty from desecrating the confessional but didn't struggle with religious guilt otherwise?) or like he had faith in his deity.
  I loooved the concepts and the drekavac and more horrory stuff, but everything else felt like it needed to be fleshed out and/or edited more. This type of book is usually exactly my jam so I was just disappointed that I couldn't love this.
• 
  g

  this was EVERYTHING to me. i love these emotionally vulnerable men. nothing is quite so delicious as catholic guilt and repressed sexuality coming head to head with carnal lust and debauchery. both danya and ilya were incredibly well characterized; they’re messy, pathetic, defensive damaged goods… and so desperate not just for each other but for liberation. loved that shit.
  
  i think rooting this story in fantasyland (slavic sounding town names that don’t exist) was the right choice. but by utilizing russian specific names and legends paired with very real world months and years, it created a sense of dissonance between what the reader expects of the language used and industrialization of the region they’re in. i spent a fair third of the book trying to figure out if this takes place in the real world due to the months being from gregorian calendar.
• 
  Sara Ratliff

  3.75 ⭐️
  
  This book is essentially 300 pages of hurt/comfort, which won't work for everyone, but absolutely worked for me.
  
  I do have some criticisms about the writing itself. The dialogue reads very modern, which took me out of the 1920's eastern Europe atmosphere. Some of the romantic dialogue and pacing decisions also felt, not exactly juvenile, but a bit lacking in the maturity I'd expected from the premise.
  
  This wasn't the masterpiece I was hoping for, but I still had a good time with it and look forward to reading the sequel.