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daena

@driftsofdaena

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Vampire obsessed mood reader
🖤 Dark fantasy | Gothic romantasy | Paranormal horror
📚 ARC reader • Book reviews • My cat
⚔️ MDD, ADHD

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Bring back my dogs and we'll happily live here for eternity.

#bookstore #booklover by @driftsofdaena

55

2

5 months ago

Complete ruination and emotional devastation 🖤
🌟 ARC REVIEW 🌟

Book: Venator Mortis
Author: @ddietz.author
Release date: October 19, 2026

💔 “Loneliness made me obedient, it taught me to endure, and loneliness convinced me that love could only ever be used against me, because I had never once seen it used as a shield.”

💫 “Broken glass can still catch light, that is what we are. Sharp fragments. Dangerous, but together, we reflect something neither of us could have made alone.”

✨

Unexpected complete ruination. That’s what this book did to me. I thought this was going to be a fun, dark gothic, polyamorous romance thriller playing off Jack the Ripper. It was. But what I didn’t expect was the devastation, buckets of tears, and warm fuzzies it also brought.

I don’t think I have ever loved every main character like I love Olive, Edward, Alcott+, and Lazarus. Each has their own horrific backstory, quirks, very distinct personalities, and they all adore Olive. Their relationships with her and each other are sweet, understanding, and patient. THEN halfway through the book, the emotional rollercoaster of devastation began.

It deals with some upsetting and heavy situations. But somehow, through all the darkness and trauma, I found it empowering. A reminder to build strength, survive, move forward, and not allow the ruined world and the words that have torn us apart to drown us.

Morally grey characters with sharp, entertaining banter who love and care for one another with tenderness, and devotion. There’s such satisfaction in the justice they serve to vile and corrupt members of their society. Twists that left my head spinning. Dark, funny, brutal, and emotional.

You won’t just put this down and walk away. It stays with you, all of it. I’d say that I wished it was longer, but I don’t know if I could’ve handled any more.

Brilliantly written. Exquisitely devastating and torturous. It shattered me and absolutely broke me into a million jagged pieces. I loved this story with every tear it made me shed. 🖤

Thank you @ddietz.author for the incredibly special ARC opportunity!

✨

#VenatorMortis #arcreviewer #bookrec #gothicromance #darkromance by @driftsofdaena

10

9

a day ago

🧸 These books had me spinning in the dark and staring at walls. And loving all of it.

🖤 Dark, twisted, and beautiful
🖤 Manipulative, toxic, and perfectly wrong together

The lives of two people collide for all the wrong reasons. Isn’t your doctor supposed to heal you, not hypnotize and sexually manipulate you? And you’re not sure, we’re not sure what is real and what is an illusion.

You will never forget these reads!!! You will definitely never forget Lizzie and Danny or the innocent eyeless teddy bear. 🧸

Teddy Bear & Monsters Under the Bed
By @authorjennyoswald
Available now!

______________

• Morally black MMC
• Reality vs fantasy
• Manipulation and toxicity
• Obsession and age gap
• Childhood trauma
• Mental health struggles
• Doctor/patient relationship
• Sexual manipulation while hypnotized
• Powerful symbolism
• Beautiful and haunting imagery

______________

#darkromance #morallyblack #psychologicalhorror #psychologicalromance #bookrecommendations
• psychological thriller • dark read • bookstagram • twisted romance by @driftsofdaena

16

8

3 days ago

Can’t wait to continue an amazing series and begin a series I know I’ll become absolutely obsessed with 🖤🪄🐍 And these covers!!! 😍

✨

#tbrlist #needtoread #bookhaul📚 #ThePoisoner #AForsakenProphecy by @driftsofdaena

11

7

3 days ago

🌟 HAPPY RELEASE DAY! 🌟
Cage of Flowers by @jordanlb.author

Beautiful story of danger, magic, love, and betrayal. It drew me in immediately. Adventures, questions, and the feeling that something wasn't quite right kept me reading into the night.

✨

Enter a world of magic, prophecy, rebellion, and a romance that takes its time to bloom. Parson Ironerose and Elara Sundeer Ashcroft uncover dangerous secrets that could change the fate of the entire kingdom.

💜 Romantasy 🔥 Slow burn romance ⚔️ Found family
💫 Magical school ❤️ He falls first
✨ Prophecy

——————-

#happyreleaseday #fantasyromance #ACageOfFlowers #romantasy #bookstagram by @driftsofdaena

15

11

6 days ago

🌟 New ARC read at midnight is cat approved 🌟

About 1/4 in and I’m dying! This book brings together amazing characters. Doing not the nicest things but I’m rooting every single one of them ! 🖤

🖤 Why Choose (Polyamorous Romance)
🔪 Morally Gray Main Characters
🖤 Gothic Victorian England
🔪 Jack the Ripper Reimagining
🖤 Vigilante Justice
🔪 New Found Family
🖤 Slow Burn Romance
🔪 Touch Her & Die
🖤 "Who Did This to You?"
🔪 Monsters Hunting Monsters
🖤 Secret Identities
🔪 Cat & Mouse Thriller
🖤 Trauma & Healing
🔪 Corrupt High Society (Reaction Write to Epstein Files)
🖤 Strong FMC

————-

#VenatorMortis #catsofinstagram #gothicromance #arcreader #booksandcats by @driftsofdaena

10

11

8 days ago

🌟Official ARC Reader! 🌟
Thrilled to be an ARC reader for The Salt in our Blood by @t.renethornhill
Release date: November 17, 2026

🌊Thank you so much @t.renethornhill for this exciting opportunity!

🖤 Adult dark fantasy
🗡️ Vengeful god
🥀 Loyalty & betrayal
❤️‍🔥 Slow-burn romance
🌊 Human sacrifice
⚔️Masked stranger
✨ Secret magic

Merciless sea god, secrets, questionable decisions, a masked stranger, and a princess beginning to realize her kingdom may have been sacrificing itself to a lie.

#darkfantasy #fantasyromance #slowburnromance #TheSaltInOurBlood #adultfantasy by @driftsofdaena

9

4

8 days ago

✨ARC REVIEW✨

Thank you @craig_zeppelin_author for the ARC opportunity.

Book: Time of the Gods
Author: Craig Zeppelin
Release date: October 23, 2026

✨

“Beliefs,” he said with a click of his tongue, causing a slew of hanging lanterns to materialize that illuminated the cave’s darkness with their glowing brilliance. “Do not change the truth.”

✨

Even goddesses struggle.

Arleia is a reluctant goddess. She continues to discover not only her new powers but also the weaknesses that come with those powers. She is trying to learn and control her new abilities, but not always successfully.

As a goddess, much is expected of her. But we get the feeling she isn’t joyfully meshing into her new role, and is exasperated by her followers and their expectations.

New characters are introduced. Secrets are revealed. Not everyone is what we think. The world building gave me a better understanding of Arleia’s world.

The covers of this series are gorgeous!

———————-

*Created in canva

#TimeOfTheGods #darkfantasybooks #darkfantasy #arcreader #fantasybooks by @driftsofdaena

8

5

8 days ago

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Thank you @therealjojobee for offering me the opportunity to read Airabeth.

Book: Airabeth
Author: @therealjojobee
Release date: Available now

“But life isn’t meant to be endured, it’s meant to be enjoyed, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life merely surviving.”

✨

Don’t let the gorgeous cover fool you. This story slams you into Nadia’s world of darkness, violence, and fear. It grabs and rips, and doesn’t let you go.

– Sickness, Cruelty, Warfare, Addiction, Doubt, Fear, and Obedience, are the Masters. Sadistic powerful beings that manipulate the thoughts of mortals, sending them spiraling into a path of violence and despair. Nadia’s world is bleak but now to save her family, she must fight in a series of brutal tests that challenge her mentally & physically.

There was a connection with these characters that I didn’t expect. Nadia’s strength, vulnerability & her reactions to situations, made her one of the most relatable & realistic heroines. The MMC, Cruelty, is brooding, violently protective, AND loves poetry. His quiet nature, gentleness & respect for Nadia, has made it impossible for me to get him out of my head.

From beginning to end, I had a wonderful feeling of dread and unease. Dark characters, nightmarish creatures, and fights for survival, along with the steady pace and nonstop tension, kept me reading until 2AM. I couldn’t put it down. Epic ending with surprises that left me crying and screaming for more.

FANTASTIC FIRST BOOK IN WHAT WILL
DEFINITELY BE AN INCREDIBLE SERIES.

✨

“People like us don’t get happy endings, so stop trying to write one when the Masters are holding the pen.”

—————

🖤 enemies to lovers
🥀 psychological warfare
⚔️ deadly trials
🖤 morally grey characters
🥀 mind control & rebellion
⚔️ sibling protection arc
🖤high stakes survival

—————

#Airabeth #fantasyromance #darkfantasy by @driftsofdaena

11

4

9 days ago

I’ve been wanted to read this book forever! Only three chapters in and the writing and descriptions have me obsessed! 🖤 Author: @d.m.writer18

“In this world, silence carries weight, and every whisper of wind through ancient branches feels like the echo of something far older than human memory.”

✨

#darkacademia #darkfantasy #indieauthorsofinstagram #gothicfantasy #fantasyreads by @driftsofdaena

6

9

12 days ago

So excited to be part of the ARC Team for “Unravel the Stars”! Currently reading the first book in the series “Inherit the Stars” 🌟

Thank you so much @author.amy.ressa 💜

✨

🌙Sailor Moon vibes
✨Older bi FMC
🌙Multi-POVs
✨…Why choose?
🌙Secrets uncovered
✨Spice (MF & FF)
🌙Celestial kingdoms
✨Cosmic magic
🌙Found family
✨Galactic politics
🌙Missions & initiations

💫 Apply now to be an ARC reader for book two and receive the first book free! Sign up through link in bio here: @author.amy.ressa 💫

✨ Releases December 11, 2026 ✨
_______

Blurb:
Some threads, once pulled, can never be rewoven…

After striking a perilous bargain, Cyra returns to a solar system coming apart at the seams. Nearly a year has passed for everyone she left behind: the planetary kingdoms are crumbling, unrest unfurls on every world, and whispers of revolution grow louder.

Lord Zevran, the militant ruler of Mars, has held both hope and what remains of her throne together while his illness tears him apart. Ren, the newly appointed High Protector, never stopped searching for the one person she can’t allow herself to want. And Lord Lucien of Pluto, bound to forces beyond imagining, continues to risk everything to protect her from the destruction they intend. But as Cyra struggles to reign, those closest to her see what she cannot: the woman who came home is not the same woman who was taken.

———-

#arcreader #unravelthestars #cosmicmagic #romantasy #sailormoonvibes by @driftsofdaena

13

6

12 days ago

✨SEPTEMBER RECAP✨
Read some fantastic books in September. I’m incredibly appreciative of all the authors who gave me an opportunity to be an ARC reader.

📚There are so many talented writers, that I never would’ve discovered if not for being on here. 🖤

🌟

#septemberreads #monthlywrapup #indieauthors #bookrecs #septemberwrapup by @driftsofdaena

10

10

14 days ago