Apr 7, 2025
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Have you read A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey (2022)?
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A Veil of Gods and Kings - Book Review
Title: A Veil of Gods and Kings
Author: Nicole Bailey
Online Rating: 4.04/5
Personal Rating: 4/5
Warning(s): Greek Mythology, M/M, and (mild) Sexual Content.
Pages: 347
Summary: A god fighting his fate. A prince burdened with secrets. And a romance that could end in flames. Apollo is a deity… almost. Half mortal and refusing to take his position as god of the sun, he spends his nights drowning out haunting memories and his days avoiding responsibilities. Until his father forces him into an ultimatum: Ascend immediately. Or spend the year mentoring under the obnoxious Prince Hyacinth. Forced together, Apollo and Hyacinth grapple with their mutual disdain for each other. But what starts as a kindling of irritation begins to burn into something new. A spark that, if it turns to flame, could incinerate everything they’ve always protected. A reimagining of the Greek myth of Apollo and Prince Hyacinth, this NA, enemies-to-lovers fantasy series is a whirlwind journey full of romance, intrigue, and enthralling characters.
Review: Truthfully, I’ve read a few books and have read the true myths of the Greek gods a lot over the years, and this is the first time I’ve ever read about Apollo in this type of way. Granted, all those books were when he’s already a god, but that also makes me nervous about the second book since I know how their story goes. In case you haven’t read any other books with Apollo in it, he’s ALWAYS the asshole and basically a sex addict. In this book, still kinda a sex addict, but only for sex from a certain pretty prince! ;) The reason I’m scared is because this is before Apollo becomes a god, so this is basically the match lit before the fire. I’m worried about what’s going to happen in the next installment, and the author may address theses things. Speaking about addressing… The author put in the beginning of the book a discretion warning for “sexual assault” and “sexual contact” but none of that happened in the book. The sex was basically glossed over or “faded into black” as I saw some reviewer phrase it. I don’t know if its more for what’s going to happen in the second book, which I hope doesn’t happen of course (the s/a), but I don’t understand the point of her false warning. Anyway, this is the positive part, so I should be more positive… I loved their slow burn retelling, and it wasn’t a un-plotted slow burn. There’s was always something going on, and some sort of pining between the two (except in the very beginning). I loved reading their tail, and also can’t wait for the next one. Kinda a cliff hanger in the end, but not to bad to the point I want to jump off a cliff because I can’t wait LOL Now, can I just say… WOW to the ending! If you came here after reading the book, then you know how I feel right now. The slightest of information at the end made my JAW DROP! Out of all things for the author to hit me with, I was not expecting Tami (Apollos sister) to be the one to shock me. I was always wondering why I couldn’t find a person named “Tami” as Apollos sisters online, or anywhere in the true tails about her. And now I know, and holy shit I’m excited to read more!
Negatives: Let me be the first (not actually) to say I didn’t like that there was sections about Epiphany (Hyacinth’s sister) POV. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her side story, but it was more fit to be in its own separate book then in this one. When I read a book about a pairing, and it has split chapters, I only want to read about the pairing. Not about one of the pairing’s sisters. Instead of giving her own chapters the author could have written a third installment in Epiphany’s POV for the people curious about it. I liked her story, but would have preferred not to read it. I sorta addressed this before, the gloss over for the sex scenes, and it honestly frustrated me. Not because I read it just for the sex, but because it wasn’t just these scenes I felt the author glossed over. When a chapter ended, that was the end of the day, basically. It’s like the author couldn't think of anything else important that could have been put into a scene or discussed between the people in that chapter. I wished for far more detail but instead didn’t get much. Also, after they got together, the plot lessened a little bit and I don’t know if that was for more build-up for their relationship or because the author didn’t know what else to write about. Honestly, if she stretched out sex scenes in it, I wouldn’t have cared because at least there was more spice to this “spicy novel.” LOL
Ending Notes: (08/15/22) - I didn’t know this originally, but this a four part series. I said “second installment” a couple of times in this review, and suggested a third installment too, but there’s actually four books overall. The other two are coming out this year, too. I believe the third is coming out at the end of this month, and the fourth in September. I just bought he second book, so that review is coming soon!
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|| Account Directory || Book 2 Review || Book 3 Review ||
In the Midst of Omens by Nicole Bailey is visceral, emotional and powerful, telling the tale of Gilgamesh and Enkidu with complexity and humanity
Check out my review of In the Midst of Omens by Nicole Bailey
A Crown of Hopes and Sorrows - Book Review
Title: A Crown of Hopes and Sorrows
Author: Nicole Bailey
Online Rating: 4.42/5
Personal Rating: 5/5
Warning(s): Mild sexual content, Violence, Murder, Death, Greek mythology, Witch craft, Jealousy
Pages: 358
Summary: Two souls bound together. But one thing threatens to tear them apart.
Jealousy.
While tensions build and fates shift, Hyacinth and Apollo seek Zephyrus. God of the West Wind. Well connected among low deities. And Hyacinth’s previous lover.
Amid political schemes and personal struggles, Apollo and Hyacinth tumble through a world verging on war. But as jealousy flares and secrets come to light, all their careful planning may burn to ash.
This fast-paced sequel to A Veil of Gods and Kings is full of romance and twists and turns set in a dark, magical world.
Review: This book had me in TEARS so many times that I lost count! The emotions the author makes you feel is a whirl wind. I went from super happy to super sad so quickly. I’m also one for jealousy - I think it’s kinda cute and sweet at times - but in this book I was screaming for it to end. All I wanted was Apollo and Hyacinthus to be happy together, and there was a few times I worried about their future.
Never once while reading this book was I not intrigued or lost focus. My attention was completely on this book 100% of the time. Forget work or school… this book became my priority! LOL
I love the side characters. Maybe there own whole side story got annoying at times, but I did like knowing how the author brought Artemis‘s story to life. Maybe it could have just been one or two explanation chapters, but either way I love her character as a whole and I’m glad the author continues to put Artemis in this story in such a powerful way.
Already pre-ordered the third book. Can’t wait for it to come out at the end of this month! (August, 2022). I’m probably going to read that book just as fast as this one too because this series is just so good!
Negatives: For details, though, I find it kinda weird that the author put more detail into a heterosexual sex scene, and not about the main couple. I understand that the author is AFAB, but I feel like when you write a book about a M/M pairing you should focus on that couple more than the hetero side couple, you know?
I also feel like this isn’t an unpopular opinion, and in retrospect isn’t the worst negative in the world, but I don’t like how characters other than Hyacinthus and Apollo have chapters. I’ll be honest, after Apollo and Hyacinthus got into a fight, I skipped Artemis and Epiphany’s (Pip) chapters because I was just to into the story of the main couple at that point.
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Book Review: Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey
Image Source: Google Images
Before I write this review, I would like to apologize to all my readers for my Inactivity these past few weeks. What can I say? Life’s been busy. But, after a long story struggle against my reading slump, I have finally finished reading Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey, and that is what I will review today. I will be keeping this review shorter than what I usually tend to write because, first, I have my exams in a week and I really should be studying and, two, there isn’t much to write about for this book. So let us begin with the first impressions.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Now, my first impressions of this book were very good, especially because of its cover design. My god, it is gorgeous! It is so vibrant and lovely, you just can’t help yourself. In fact, because of the cover design, I established very high expectations for this book. I was hoping for a mythical folk tale of some sort and instead got a very cliche YA fantasy novel. This I will discuss in the next section, i.e., My thoughts.
SUMMARY
The book tells the story of Faye, a young girl who always felt a sense of belonging in the oceans. Her life takes a complete turn when she meets Daron, who tells her she is not human, but actually an ether. Daron, a Centaur raised by Prometheus himself and the leader of the Elite forces, becomes her protector as there is a prophecy connected to her that could change the course of the world of Ether and humans.
MY THOUGHTS
So, as I was saying before, I had expected the story to be like a folktale and instead I got a very cliched YA story. Now, it really isn’t a bad thing, but I am obsessed with YA novels and have read so many great works, that something as basic and straightforward as this story just doesn’t appeal to me. The main protagonist, Faye, is literally the most entitled and annoying person to have ever existed. How anyone ever tolerates her is just beyond me. Daron, though not as annoying as Faye, still gets on my nerves sometimes. And all the other side characters just seem to be background noise. The only character that I really liked in the book was Alec. And yes, I am somewhat inclined towards that name (*screams in Alec Lightwood*), but that is not the only reason I like him. Even though Alec’s character, again, is not very well developed, he is still the least annoying person in the book with a significant storyline.
It took me some time to realize why I had such a hard time finishing this book. It was because the book had absolutely no depth. Everything that was happening, every fight, every battle, even the plot twists, were completely predictable. It just couldn’t hold my interest. Saying that, I do think it is a good book if you have recently taken up reading and get confused by multiple, complex plot lines going on simultaneously or characters which do not fit into the black and white, good or evil category.
END NOTE
Again, I apologize for this extremely short and vague review. I will leave the amazon links for the book in case anyone wants to read it. Hopefully, I will be able to stick to a routine for my blogs after my exams end, but till then adios and I will see you guys as soon as I can. Also, do check out my previous posts on All Readers Aboard!
Review: Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey
Review: Faye and the Ether by Nicole Bailey
Faye and the EtherNicole BaileyPublished October 27, 2020 Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads About Faye and the Ether For as long as I can remember, the sea has called to me, luring me to explore the secrets hidden beneath its cresting waves. Faye is tossed into a current of uncertainty as she deliberates over her college choices. More than anything she wants to study by the…
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When They Go Low, We Go High
A movement, a mantra, a menu.
by Nicole Bailey, Anna Dunn, Jennie Lupo, and Zahra Tangorra illustration by Keara McGraw