Confusing Worldbuilding and Repetitive Romance Make The Shard & The Serpent a Missed Opportunity

I went into The Shard & The Serpent with high hopes. Normally, sci-fi and dystopian fantasy aren’t my go-to genres, but the blurb completely hooked me. The promise of assassins, female rage, morally grey characters, and a gritty, high-stakes world sounded irresistible. Unfortunately, despite wanting to love this book, I came away more frustrated than thrilled, and I’m giving it two stars.

Through BookSirens I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A high-stakes, spicy dark romantasy where assassins and criminally ruled cities battle for dominance, Fate twists bonds into violent obsession, and female rage fuels a revenge story as brutal and relentless as John Wick.

Her: “I wasn’t raised to let go of the past. I was taught to take it to bed. Then to slaughter it.”

Him: “Whether to love her, to kill her–I crave her…If she’s the darkest thing in the realm, I’d rather be dragged into her depths than remain incomplete.”

In Mirror, ruined kingdoms have risen into darkly inventive criminal empires, each perfecting its trade through human trafficking and ruthless experimentation. Among the shadows, a secret league of female assassins with Fate-blessed powers exacts their ultimate punishment, vendettas paid only in blood.

Rayze Angeline is one of them. A Shard Daughter. The Angel of Sin. She can fold oceans, warp gravity, and slip into minds.

But her specialty is pleasure threads, entering a person’s mind by fulfilling their darkest desires and commanding them to spill their secrets.

Her target? Warrick Ivor. Obsessive Heir to The Serpent. Her sworn enemy. The one man she should never touch.

Unfortunately for Rayze, and to Warrick’s smug satisfaction, their souls are bound by Fate.

She hates him almost as much as she craves the way he makes her his. Every glance is a challenge, every touch a dare, and neither of them ever walks away without drawing blood. Why would they? Killing is their favorite pastime.

The more they push the limits of their Bond, the closer they edge toward a line that, once crossed, could turn passion into ruin. Dark secrets unravel, lust and empires collide, and revenge will be taken.

For. Always. No matter the cost.

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

Opinion

The first major issue I ran into was the worldbuilding. It took me nearly 150 pages before I felt even remotely oriented in the world Jinapher J. Hoffman created. The book drops readers straight into the middle of its chaos—criminal empires, four factions of ruling powers, secret assassins, and mysterious magic—and offers little clarity along the way. For me, that meant spending much of the first half of the book just trying to figure out where everyone fit. The Shard Daughters themselves, who should be the centerpiece of this story, were difficult to understand in terms of their origins, motivations, and powers.

And while I appreciate slow-burn reveals in some cases, here it felt more like stumbling around in the dark. The magic system is a prime example: it wasn’t properly explained until almost the very end. Even then, I still had unanswered questions, and some elements remained confusing after I closed the book. When the scaffolding of the world doesn’t feel solid, it’s hard to get immersed in the story itself.

My biggest disappointment, however, was the main character, Rayze. The marketing promised me female rage in the vein of John Wick, and I was ready for that. Instead, what I got was a repetitive cycle of her playing psychological and physical games with Warrick, the male lead she’s bound to by fate. She’s meant to kill him, but instead she goes through the motions of tormenting and sparring with him in ways that quickly grew monotonous. I kept waiting for her rage to explode into something raw and satisfying, but it never really arrived.

The dynamic between Rayze and Warrick is meant to be enemies-to-lovers, full of passion and bloodlust. On paper, that sounds thrilling. In practice, it felt like watching the same scene repeat over and over again. Their bond had potential, but it never broke new ground, and by the time a new enemy entered the stage—something that should have injected energy into the plot—I was already too disengaged. The tension just wasn’t there.

For readers who prioritize spice above all else, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The intimate scenes are frequent and unapologetically intense, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll probably come away satisfied. But for me, the overemphasis on sex left little room for meaningful character development. Both Rayze and Warrick are supposed to be morally grey, which could have led to fascinating clashes and a more layered story. Instead, their complexity was flattened into lust-driven encounters that felt empty rather than compelling.

Conclusion

The real tragedy of The Shard & The Serpent is that its concept had so much potential. Fated mates, betrayal, revenge, morally ambiguous heroes, and a heroine unafraid to speak her mind—these are all tropes I love when they’re executed well. Unfortunately, the muddled setting and lack of depth in both plot and characters made it hard for me to stay invested. Instead of being swept up in the drama, I was mostly just glad to finish the book.

Two stars for the ambition and flashes of creativity, but sadly, this one wasn’t for me.

About Jinapher J. Hoffman

Jinapher J. Hoffman is an epic dark fantasy author building a multiverse of feminine rage. She is an Amazon #1 Best Seller and mother to two adorable bunny rabbits. She lives in California with her hero and partner and spends most of her day organizing multiverse plot holes and building magic systems.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

this review was also published at:

Please leave this field empty

Newsletter
abonnieren

This field is required.

Ich sende keinen Spam! Erfahre mehr in meiner Datenschutzerklärung.

Thank you 🙂

• 2 Star Books

Daughter of Tides ♦ Kit Rocha | ARC Review

Haunting Adeline ♦ H.D. Carlton | Review

City of Stardust ♦ Georgia Evans | Review

Captured Beauty ♦ Tay Mo’Nae | ARC Review

The Black Unicorn ♦ Heather E.F. Carter | ARC Review