Alexi Blake

Tall Dark and Evil

so I’m obsessed! I loved this story. Tall, Dark, & Evil is a mesh of angst and banter,.. which I’m not mad at. The author does a great job of keeping us on our toes with the dynamic between the MCs.

Alis, our main character is witty, her own person, not dealing with the bs from others, only thing is that Alis struggles with her magick. Reiks is the sexy male interest that has you swooning thru and thru. His traits were luring, especially his tendency of irritating Alis, which I truly enjoyed. They’re dynamic was everything.

The plot was pretty solid. I loved the way the story evolved and Alis soon enough grasped her origins. The side characters were also something that kept me hooked! There was no bore in that aspect at all. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy. All opinions are my own.

so I’m obsessed! I loved this story. Tall, Dark, & Evil is a mesh of angst and banter,.. which I’m not mad at. The author does a great job of keeping us on our toes with the dynamic between the MCs.

Alis, our main character is witty, her own person, not dealing with the bs from others, only thing is that Alis struggles with her magick. Reiks is the sexy male interest that has you swooning thru and thru. His traits were luring, especially his tendency of irritating Alis, which I truly enjoyed. They’re dynamic was everything.

The plot was pretty solid. I loved the way the story evolved and Alis soon enough grasped her origins. The side characters were also something that kept me hooked! There was no bore in that aspect at all. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Rating: 4.5 stars

TALL DARK & EVIL is a standalone that makes me wish for a longer series, because I could have kept reading about these characters forever! If you’re like me and love villainous banter (think Jude and Cardan in The Cruel Prince), you’ll be gobbling up pages for every moment between Alis and Reiks. These two were the embodiment of anti-heroes who border on villains, but they weren’t without their insecurities and sweet moments as well. For such a short book—and a standalone, at that—these characters were incredibly fleshed out and I couldn’t help but root for them every step of the way. Their dynamic was so entertaining, and trying to unmask the machinations of Reiks’s devious mind was a delight! I also really appreciated the secondary cast, especially Alis’s family. A united family is something I love in any witch coven, but sometimes the relationships could get tense or strained, and that made them much more realistic. I do think I would have liked a few more pages to better dive into Alis’s past, but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of her or the book in any way.

The magic and world-building was so interesting, I really want this to become a series. This world offers endless possibilities with how vast and interesting it is, so I’m hoping for more books set within it. The secondary characters are certainly strong enough to handle the main protagonist role *wink wink*. Cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

Rating: 4.5 stars


That feeling when the characters’ banter is so fun and deliciously intense that you want the book to go on forever...

Tall, Dark and Evil is an excellent blend of characters, romance and worldbuilding. Alis is a very interesting protagonist. You know from the start that she’s different from her cousins, and the author has done a fantastic job weaving the mystery until the very end, giving us little hints and peeks every here and there. And Reiks…he stole my heart. He’s intelligent, cunning, handsome and charming. Plus, he’s a prince! How could I have not fallen in love with him? Together, the two have so much chemistry and banter. I lived for their scenes! Is there some spicy action? Indeed, there is! The supporting characters were also intriguing, especially Alis’s family (Valina in particular) and Zale, who I hope to see more in the future! I know this is a standalone, but there's so much potential to continue this as a series, perhaps with different romantic pairings...please, oh pretty please! I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters just yet. 

As mentioned above, the worldbuilding was interesting and very well explained without unnecessary info-dump. I love it when magic and politics mix up in fantasy books. The academic setting at Five was a good way to meet the players, as it would have been difficult to see them interact outside when they come from different kingdoms, but I really loved the moments where the plot brought us out of Five and into courtly politics. However, my top moments were undoubtedly the ones where Alis and Reiks are together. 

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy! Opinions are my own.

Shelby Goodwin

OMG WOW, this was so addictive and such a unique rendering of so many of my absolute favorite romantasy tropes (hate-to-love, guy falls first, magical academy, fake dating, bully romance). HIGHLY recommend if you're looking for a well-written and captivating quick-read!

My biggest takeaway is how totally blown away I am by Alis Frejr and her mind-boggling abilities. Tall Dark and Evil was so mysterious and I loved how the secrets unraveled slowly, alongside the spicy slowburn build between Alis and drop dead sexy Natheran Reiks. I am having a hard time accepting that this is a standalone because I don't want to say goodbye to these two, but I definitely felt the ending was super satisfying and appreciated this fast-paced steamy romance! 

This one is perfect for fans of the Crave series and Folk of the Air, but expect significantly more smut!

Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed above are entirely my own.