Shelved by 2 Litcadians
Reviews
Started January 29, 2026 · Finished January 30, 2026
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review. I will start with saying that though I enjoyed the book overall, it was my least favorite in the pleasure and prey series. That isn’t to say I am completely disappointed, but I think that in comparison to the other parts of the series, this one felt underdeveloped. I was really excited to see a dark-feral FMC from Merlin again. I love the dynamic we often see in her novels between the unhinged MMC and the less-unhinged-but-not-quite-normal FMC, but it’s always a nice change to see that shaken up a bit. Tova matches the MMC Larkin’s freak so well, and it was extremely satisfying to see. In that vein, I also loved the struggle both Tova and Larkin face in their exploration of each other and their eventual feelings. I will follow that up at the end of my review with a spoiler. Additionally, I loved the background we get about Tova that helps us to see how she got from point A to point B (I.E. what led to the murder of her mother) while also exploring that she very likely was just… born like this. I will say though that while I overall liked Tova, I found her emotional swinging more annoying than usual. I recognize her internal conflict, but I personally didn’t like the way it was written very much. She came off more confused than her initial character is presented, which is to say feral/strong/apathetic. I also didn’t really like the development of the background plot with her roommate, as it plays a central part and yet felt like an afterthought. In the same vein, the spice (while plenty) felt less overwhelmingly hot than I’m used to from Merlin. Overall, I give this one a 3.5 star and continue to hold Heartless as my #1 pleasure and prey book (delicious coming in as a close second). SPOILERS BELOW: <spoiler>One of my favorite parts is the way that Larkin is depicted as a serial killer fighting with his own confusion about having emotions. He’s a psychopath, and yet his obsession is clear, eventually leading him to conclude it to be love. The fact that he follows it up by telling Tova that she is his until “she kills him or they both die” really struck me as something a serial killer would truly say and feel. It captures that essence of character building I love from Merlin. I also loved the allusions to changelings in that Tova’s mother keeps accusing her of not being her child. That real life phenomenon of belief was really fun to see in this story. </spoiler>