This was annoying romance. I really enjoyed the world. This author crafted for the story. Each character had their own place in the story, and I really enjoyed how they all evolved and changed and plotted in this book. There was a lot of shots of twist interns that I didn't see coming in but I also found that I just love the main female and the main guy and how the whole romance aspect and magical world were enhanced upon in this book.

3rd person / 2 FMCs / short chapters / TW below /3,5 stars

🌿 two FMCs – 2 POVs
🌿 deadly women with daggers
🌿 female friendships
🌿 magic system
🌿 fuck the powerful patriarchal motherfuckers 🖕🏻

I don't remember the last time I *HATED* MMC. I love lil murderous men but a rapist is where I draw the line. Those two stars are for him because he absolutely disgusts me. And three for the FMCs.

With two FMCs, I usually prefer one POV but I must say I liked them the same amount. I'm weak for murderous women and Hope (let's pretend her surname isn't Nevada) delivered ten-fold. And I am sure she's gonna be ten times more badass in book 2.
I love hoes but Lenna's sluttiness was too forced. She was horny all the time for no reason and in the worst moments. Love a stubborn bitch that's not annoying tho. ❤️

I like the world it's set in but I think the world-building served as an introduction and wasn't visited too closely. If it's done to support the sequels it makes sense and was well-done. A lot of names and terms but it was easy to keep-up... Most of the time. 😅

What I missed was motivation to keep reading. I felt like there wasn't any goal to run towards to. Just random things they wanted to do. And maybe that's why there wasn't really any ending.
As with many books, I think I'd love it more if it made me feel anything. It has the elements and potential but the writing didn't dwell on the moments that could make it shine. I liked the writing overall, though.

Overall, I have mixed feelings. I liked the book but wanted to DNF after 40% at the same time. Make it make sense. It's not a bad book, but I won't read it again or continue in the series

Trigger warnings: violence, suicidal ideation/depression (past), mentions/threats of sexual assault, illness, death, unloving parents, alcohol, sexual content, misogyny

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Negative feedback isn't meant as an insult to the author!

more info: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6645930636

I really enjoyed the premise and introduction to this story. I love a slow burn and I really that aspect in this book. as well as the character development, the slow burn and the found family! The pacing felt a little off for me so I found it hard to keep up with the story at times but really enjoyable read!

This debut novel offers a unique blend of fantasy elements, combining aspects of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and ACOTAR. The dual POV of Hope and Lenna works surprisingly well, creating suspense as their storylines gradually intertwine. The world-building and magic system are impressive, though at times a bit overwhelming with the amount of information to absorb. While I wish there was more spice and LGBTQIA+ representation, the characters are engaging, and the political intrigue adds depth. Overall, it's a strong start, and I’m excited to see where the series goes.

I read Petals for Vicious Secrets in one poolside weekend and had the best time. I loved the unique magic system, strong female characters, and seeing how all of the characters paths were woven to combine at the end. This was such a solid romantasy debut, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes and how the characters and their relationships develop!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun slightly spicy romantasy that's world-building and magic system really shone through! Told from 2 POVs, both strong women embarking on separate journeys that eventually meet, Lenna's tough and opinionated, she's part of the nobility but sees the injustices around her and wants to change the world, Hope is pure-hearted and strong, she's loyal and protective to those she loves! There is a lot of found family, morally grey men, forced proximity, and some enemies to lovers, all you want in a romantasy! It's mostly slow burn but there are steamy chapters that were great and as the series goes on I think it'll just get spicier!

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC of Petals for Vicious Secrets, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I REALLY wanted to love this one. The premise was very intriguing - especially given that in the synopsis we are told this is perfect for lovers of greater works such as ACOTAR, FBAA, CC, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, etc. Can we PLEASE not make it the new norm to click bait readers into trying new works by making comparisons that aren't realistic.

The reality was that the writing style simply was not developed enough. I was distracted by weird verbiage to describe things - which can be a major ick for a lot of readers. I think that this one had a great potential to be outstanding, it just didn't hit the mark for me personally. I will give this author another try in the future to see if this is something they change.

I will say that the magical system was pretty unique - hence stating I think this one did have the potential to be outstanding. IF you can get over the verbiage issues, this one may be for you.

What a ride!

I am so sad this book is over! I just wanted to keep going with the story so bad!

Petals for Vicious Secrets was such a good book. This gave me Hunger Game vibes, but better! The unique world and characters were so good and made the story stand out. The plot twists were so, so, good! I didn't see some of them coming at all! It made the book so much better being thrown off like that.

I really loved the dual POV between Lenna and Hope. Both women are strong female leads, and I loved how they come from two totally different worlds with different personalities and are pretty badass.

I'm excited to see what comes next! With relationships growing and new twists and turns, I just can't wait for the next installment!!

I am so glad I found this book and was able to
receive an advance review copy through NetGalley to review.

Epic fantasy? Definitely I love everything that involves magic and plot okay? So that was perfect, I have nothing to complain, the slow burn was good, the story amazing, magic system very well done, but the end?? Why???

Petals for Vicious Secrets by Martha Monteval was exactly what I needed! I absolutely loved the dual point of view, and the strong female main characters. This book left me sitting on the edge of my seat and counting down days for Book 2 of the Pan0m Saga.
Hope's story reveals her bravery, as she uncovers truths about her family that she must now avenge. While Lenna's is focused on fighting injustices, with her fierce determination. Both Hope and Lenna's POV came together nicely, I really enjoyed both their stories equally. But the magic system was quite unique and unlike anything I have read. The Romance was slow, not too spicy, but definitely worth the wait.
My only complaints were that I didn't really love the title, though it is clear why it was chosen, And how do I get a physical copy for my shelf? I have been able to recommend it on the Kindle, but I need one for my shelf. Looking forward to book 2,
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the magic system! I had a hard time getting into the book, maybe just because I'm not already used to the magic system. I really enjoyed the characters, The MMCs were amazing and the world building in itself was amazing!
The character development was a bit shallow for my taste and was just very long at the beginning. Overall a good book tho, I would recommend it to some of my friends!

Wow just wow.
Very unique stories loved the characters and the banter. I will buy it in physical copy.
Highly recommend.

3.5 stars/5 stars

First of all, I did not expected the multiple POV with very different stories for a good part of this book. I feel like Lenna carried the story for a good while, until she become very whiny and annoying and I don't understand where did that change come from? Like, even when you lose something really important for you, you don't suddenly transform into a bitch, especially since the first part of the book underlines how unfair she finds the world to be and how much she dislikes the way royals behave. On the other hand, for some time Hope's story was really bland and I expected more from her mother tbh. When the stories finally merged together, it was okay.

The story is a lot about friendship and how people can achieve great things when working together, but it's a bit messy, which downgrades it for me. There is an interesting magic system that is explained pretty well during the training. There is also a romantic subplot with booktok's favourite troupe.

All in all, it feels more like YA with a few adult elements and it can be an interesting story, but I feel like the writing could be better.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. You're thrown straight into action with characters fighting for their life! We follow two strong female leads who's paths cross, and their morally grey male love interests. The book has great banter and the best tension and slow burn romances. Martha writes amazingly immersive world building, and a fantastic magic system.
I did, however, have a few struggles at the very beginning with identifying characters and their descriptions being repetitive, but this did rectify later in the book. The ending was a little predictable but great. This was a fun start to the series, I can't wait for book 2!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I absolutely loved this book it gave me everything that I needed. I was able to escape reality and immerse myself into another world. I really couldn’t put it down and would highly recommend you buy this book, expect to have a day free as you won’t be able to stop

Thank you for this opportunity to read this book. I really enjoyed it! This book has a unique magic system with dual FMC POV who meet later in the book. There is a lot of world building but it def adds to the book. If you love a slow burn, he falls first and sassy banter, this one is for you!

I really liked the blurb and the cover for this book, but the writing failed to deliver for me. The intro was so convoluted and basically written in the third person but was from a POV. It was very secretive about main character’s first name, which I found bizarre. Hope's story line was what dragged the book down for me, Lenna's was a lot more interesting. Author spells minute things out that don't need to be spelled out. Lastly, I think the description needs to be updated to reflect that it is a multi POV story, because it only has Hope in the blurb. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Also formatting problems in kindle, the pages were gray with black text, could not figure out how to change it.

Petals for Vicious Secrets definitely delivers on its promise of a unique romantasy and original magic system, however unfortunately it was a bit of a hit or miss for me.

The story follows 2 young women, Lena and Hope as we see their storylines unravel simultaneously. While the book did pick up after around 50%, I have to admit I struggled at the beginning to get into it.

What I definitely loved was the unique magic system! I feel like it’s very difficult to create a truly special and original world and the author did a great job. The world building was interesting and I got truly invested into these character’s world.

I also enjoyed the found family trope and the idea of two strong FMC that are complete opposites of each other.

What I struggled with was the writing. Often, it felt a bit clunky and some phrases sounded quite unnatural making the book difficult to follow at the beginning. I know it’s a debut novel though so I definitely believe the author has a lot of potential.

Another thing I struggled with was the “depth” of the characters. The idea of two FMCs in their mid 20s, that are as different as one can be is a good concept but the execution fell a bit flat. I feel like the characters were quite one sided with only a few very specific traits to describe them, which made it a bit difficult for me to connect to them.

Overall, I think it’s a good debut and I will follow the authors work in the future. However, this book wasn’t truly for me and I don’t know if I’ll continue the series.

It’s definitely worth a try though, especially if you’re a fan of:

✨ unique magic systems
✨ slow burn romance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨epic fantasy
✨ found family

Not going to lie, this book did take me a minute to get into. It was quite slow for a while, but the second half of the book did pick up and get more interesting, and I was able to immerse myself into the book a bit more. I did appreciate the fact that even though there were separate story lines, they eventually converged into one story. Unfortunately, because of the pacing, I don't think I was able to love this as much as I wanted to. However, for a debut novel, it is still a really good book.

This book was very hard to follow, I wanted to DNF within the first five pages, and I made it five chapters before deciding not to continue. The first few chapters with little dialogue could have been effective if the descriptors other than “the dark haired woman” and the “blue eyed man” were used to describe the other characters on the scene. It would’ve been much more effective to give the characters at the Trading Day nicknames like “pirate” and “granny” to draw the reader in. The dialogue read quite juvenile and stilted, the way tweens talk. A great idea but poor execution stopped me from continuing.