I had the pleasure of reading an ARC for Atticus from the lovely gang over at NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This book was really captivating, with a fascinating magic system, an interesting cast of characters and an intense romance between two young magic users. Well… one young magic user and one 500 year old magic user in the body of a 20 year old.

The main character Atticus is absolutely one of those marmite characters - you either love him or you hate him. Having lost his family brutally at a young age, he sets out to destroy their killers - a group of ‘immortals’, magical humanoid creatures who can’t die by the usual methods. Even given his background, Atticus is not a sympathetic character and takes ‘morally grey’ to new levels. He is petty, a bully and addicted to drugs and sex.

Our other main character, and Atticus’s love interest is Dominic, a sweet golden retriever of a boy who is trying his best to get by after his brother was put into a coma by a freak accident. Atticus realises that he needs to ‘steal’ Dominic’s unique brand of magic in order to kill the immortals and in exchange for this he agrees to help bring Dominic’s brother out of his coma.

I thought this book overall was well written and the magical world was fascinating. I thought it did let itself down towards the end, as I thought some of the plot points started to get confused, for example why Atticus was trying to ‘steal’ power in the first place, when he probably could have just asked Dominic to help him!

All in all, a good read for fans of magical history like ‘A marvellous light’ and ‘A taste of gold and iron’.

I absolutely loved this book! From the world to the characters, everything was just right. The magic was so intriguing and unlike anything i’ve read before yet so easy to understand. I really enjoyed the setting throughout the whole book but especially London. The old school campus, the architecture and just the way of life was so fun to read and I was immersed from the start.
The characters were amazing, Atticus is definitely someone im going to remember and I loved his relationship with Vec! Seeing him evolve throughout the book and become this strong, independent person was so enjoyable.
The pacing was good and the dual pov was really interesting, it really helped to understand Dominic more as a character and I loved him so much.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark fantasy romance.

I really liked the idea of this book and thought I could handle the items warned about. I couldn't even finish the book, only got half way through. I liked the general plot but felt like it was constantly sidetracked by all the sex. The time frame represented was severely repressed, which was given a head nod to but the sexual ideas used were 21st century ones, not even 1400 ones. All in all the rating wasn't strong enough, the plot wasn't strong enough for me to continue reading through the end, but the potential is there.

It took me a little to long to actually get into this book but I was determined to finish it. I'm actually glad I did.
I really liked the ending of this book and th relationship in this.
Atticus was an interesting character that I liked enough to keep pushing through.

Book Review 📚
Atticus by Abelia Sumpter - 3.5/5 ⭐

This is very hit and miss for me. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. There was so much I couldn't make sense of and the language used was just a bit out of place for the setting they're in.

Characters - Atticus himself was amazing, I really enjoyed his character and his development along the way. He's a strong lead character who you feel connected to thanks to the amazing writing. Some of the other characters are subpar at best, I don't think I enjoyed any other character as much as I did Atticus but maybe that's the point.

The world building was insane. Was so in-depth and written beautifully that I didn't have any trouble reading it. There are some parts where you think they're completely unnecessary but it was still very enjoyable.

It's a very quick read, light and easy enough to follow. Overall it's good and worth the read if you enjoy a historic fantasy with a little bit of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rose and Lavender Press for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

This was one I was excited about based off the blurb, but unfortunately, the book itself fell flat for me. I wanted dark academia, fantastical world building, and a complicated romance. While the beginnings of all that were here, I left disappointed.

For one, the language. Not just the prose, although it's at times flat or melodramatic. Our main character grew up in the 1400s, now transported to the late 1800s. Why, then, does he use phrases like ''shoot me now', 'crazy bitch', and 'you know your shit'?

Next, the supporting characters. I know I was reading a love story between two men, but I wish we'd seen...any well-rounded women characters in this novel. Women in Atticus are either insane/evil, faceless lusty hookups, or dead. The dead ones, of course, are the most virtuous.

Finally, the pace. This book is a quick read, but that's partly because so much is glossed over. The epilogue contains several major events and feels almost like reading an outline pitch for the sequel vs a finale. It negatively impacts our main couple too; by the end, the 'I love yous' don't seem earned. The premise seemingly promises betrayal, conflicted feelings, weighing your new romance against your oldest, bloodiest goal - but none of that is truly explored, If it's touched on, it's done shallowly, leaving the reading wanting more. In fact, despite all the gore, death, and drama, the novel feels very angst-light. The characters aren't emotionally affected, so why should the reader be?

All that being said, if you're in love with the blurb, don't let my negative experiences stop you. This wasn't the book for me, but if you just need a quick and queer fantasy romance, this might be the read for you. 2/5 stars.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Rose & Lavender Press for a free eARC of this novel. All thoughts within this review are my own)

Incredible book! From the world building to even the side characters, everything is so well thought out. The way that time travel was incorporated so untraditionally and the difference in the world and magic between the two times was so well written. The way the magic is described is very unlike any books I've read, and I was fascinated by the difference in the core magic in between the years. I absolutely fell for Dominic, he's so hurt and suppressing so much. This book made me feel so many emotions. The ending made me cry, and I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel.

Speechless!!(figuratively, seeing that I'm about to review this🤡) A dark historic-urban-fantasy romance??? She's hitting ALL the spots here 😩😩

Right of the bat, the author successfully weaves so many elements together in a cohesive manner, that alone is pretty commendable, and the plot was great! Bit of edgy and gritty, but with a touch of humor and warmth and heartbreak.

The world is also amazing. I loved seeing the duality from the 1400s to the 1890s, how a world with magic developed over the centuries. I was fascinated by the different branches of magic changed over time, either becoming obsolete or more prominent, and how bloodlines were affected by it. I liked the concept of a characters shift through major time periods and its implications regarding their old magics contrasting with that in the new world. I thought it was fun and the author did a good job exploring it. 🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️

Speaking of characters, Atticus has had a traumatic past, and I totally get why he feels that he has to do what he's doing. And the stuff he got into while pretending to be a student was WILD😭 Nasty boy, that guy. Gotta admit, he can be pretty smooth though, and soon enough he's got Dominic going along with his plans.

And Dominic! Such a cutie. A soft boi from a line of magic users with powers so dark they're basically outlawed and had to live in hiding. He has no idea Atticus knows and is using him, poor child😔😔

The supporting characters were great as well. I love the guardian/ward relationship Atticus has with his mentor and friend, after experiencing the tragic loss of his family. Dom's university friends and his family fit in well too, with the latter playing a pivotal role in the driving force of the plot.

It was really fun to watch them at it, basically two university students taking on high society with their little adventuring and snooping, mixed with some magic, love, deception and some bi-awakenings 🤩🤩 Watching their bond develop was a major plus. The way they weren't friendly at first and then coming to rely on each other while their relationship grows into something more.

I finished it in one sitting. It being low-angst and fairly straightforward helped a lot with the pacing. It wasn't overly dark either to be fair, having to mostly do with the death magic and general circumstance.

Overall it was a fun read. I think the author really hit the nail on the head with this one. It was entertaining and I was very much engaged with the story and the characters. I really have no complaints, but perhaps there were a few loose ends that could perhaps lead to a sequel maybe??