The Predator Dark Verse #1

holy shit SO GOOD🙂‍↔️

tristan mf caine omfg

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ / 5

Introduction
The Predator by Runyx is a solid start to the Dark Verse series, and while it has a lot of potential, it also left me with some "could do better" vibes. The plot is fast-paced, the characters have potential to steal your heart (or at least steal your attention), and there’s definitely room for the series to grow. Here’s my take on it:

Plot & World-Building
The world is dark and full of danger (shocking, I know!). It’s pretty intriguing, but there were times when I was like, "Wait, what just happened?"—the action moves so fast that sometimes I had to pause and ask myself if I missed something. Especially the stuff about the codes. I felt so dumb cause I'm in IT and see codes every day, but I have no idea what the point of the codes were in the book lmao.

It got a bit chaotic, but I’m still curious to see where this series goes. Fingers crossed for less confusion and more clarity in book two and going forward.

Characters

Morana Vitalio (Protagonist):
Morana had a rough life, and it's the saddest thing ever. I mean, my girl never stood a chance... her name literally means death, and her backstory is tragic as fuck.

Her "dad" is a piece of work (we'll get to him in a second), and she has zero friends. Honestly, she’s kind of like the girl who’s always the third wheel at the party, but still tries to make the best of it even though she's only there to be the designated driver. I really felt for her, especially with how alone she is. Home girl needs a hug fr.

Tristan Caine (Stand Up Comedian By Bay, Badass By Night):
Tristan’s your classic sassy guy with a heart of gold (he’s also a walking comedy show). I bet he secretly knows every Cardi B song off-by-heart. Idk why, but I just know he shakes his ass to WAP and Bodak Yellow.

He has his moments, but I don’t care as much about him as I do about Dante—but more on him later. Tristan’s humor is probably my favorite thing about him; it’s like he was born to give sarcastic remarks and take Morana's sass right back. I cared about him only after the flashback when Amara told Morana about their (Morana's and Tristan's) past.

Dante (The Love of My Life):
Dante is literally everything. I don't even care that he didn't get enough screen time. I already need him in my life. He’s the charming guy who’s not trying too hard to be broody or mysterious (thank god). His chemistry with my [redacted] is off the charts! He's got future book boyfriend HUSBAND written all over him, and I’m ready to commit.

Amara (The Friend Who Needs More Page Time):
Amara’s cute, but she’s basically the "Bonnie Bennett" of this story (except without all the witchy powers). She's always swooping in to save Morana, but I just wanted to see more moments of them being actual friends, you know? Maybe doing normal stuff like shopping or going on a girls' trip. Getting drunk in Crimson and hitting on hot guys. I want less anxiety-filled action scenes and more laughing over bad coffee and hangovers. Please, Runyx, let these girls have a chill moment... it's okay to rest, I promise.

Gabriel Vitalio (The "Villain"):
Ugh, Gabriel... He’s meant to be this terrifying, dangerous man, but honestly, he just feels like a 60-year-old mean girl who throws temper tantrums when someone else gets the cookie. Like, he’d be the one to steal your fries at lunch and then act like you’re the problem. I wanted to fear him, but instead, I was just rolling my eyes every time he showed up. Like girl sit down.

What I Liked About The Predator

One thing I really loved about this book was the real enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Morana and Tristan. I’m talking they actually want each other dead at the beginning—none of that “I’m pretending to hate you, but my heart beats for you” blah blah nonsense. Their hatred was legit, and honestly, that made the attraction even more satisfying. And the tension? Chef’s kiss. It had me needing to read the next chapter, and that’s not something you see in every enemies-to-lovers story.

Final Thoughts
The Predator is a fun read with a lot of humour and tension, but there’s definitely room for improvement. The main characters are solid (especially Dante, who is, like, my new obsession), and the interactions between Morana and Tristan were entertaining—but it needs more depth. Still, I'm hooked enough to keep going. Here’s hoping book two gives us more Dante and more hangovers for girlies.

Ni bien ni mal, normalito

i thought i was going to hate this but it was surprisingly good

if i was in a room with tristan and morana trust that some things will be broken

2.25

I have nothing to say but WOWWWW

typical mafia story, reminds me of over my dead body by rebelle fleur on wattpad but it's better.

i've finally entered the world of the Dark Verse. i knew it would be good and addictive.

the writing was not the best - too much repetition and some truly atrocious grammar choices but fuck it i was into it 3 starts for vibes and vibes alone and for fmc for having an actual brain

The tension??? The chemistry??? The characters??? The push and pull??? The tension???????? It had me hooked from page one and I took my sweet time reading it because It’s rare that books make me feel this intrigued and invested from start to finish. I loved Tristan and Morana, I loved the Dante and Amara set up, I loved how different each of these characters were from each other. I’m going straight to the next one.

made me love enemies to lovers 😁🤞

3.25 ⭐️ I don’t particularly explore this genre a lot, but this wasn’t pretty bad. The world-building was creative, and the brutal intricacies of mobs were very interesting. The slowburn, enemies to lovers tropes certainly fit the narrative of the writing perfectly well. The tension between Tristan and Morana was invigorating, to say the least. I’ve never read a book with so much butterflies and tension like a string pulled so taut in my entire life. You’d never know what to expect with a kiss or a quick fuck in this book. Overall, the plot isn’t totally that bad, it is actually quite unique and well laid out, to say the least. My only comment is that the prose was overly descriptive and extremely repetitive. I swear this book could’ve been shorter if the author had Grammarly. I’m also noting that I do not need to hear that Tristan has blue eyes and smells like whiskey and sin every two pages.

Needs a little bit more drama

what the hell is this book?? Why was it written?? Why did it go viral?? Who is the main character?? What’s his adress?? What’s his number?? Is he polyamorous?? Can he marry me??

This book is the end of me.

they’re so….

thats my fucking tristan morana !

tristan is one hell of a man of few words like literally lmao

– and also wtf i thought this doesn't have any continuation bc i thought the reaper (?) is a different story! like i thought it would be Amara and Dante's! i was about to lose my shit when that 'kiss on the rain with a gun' part was literally the last part 😭 and i was like "wth no way they're gonna end it like this bc im gonna be mad" and then i read the "to be continued" part 😭

but anyways IM SO EXCITED TO CONTINUE THE SECOND BOOK AAAAAAASBDKDJWK TRISTAN AND MORANA ABOUT TO MAKE ME LOSE IT AGAIN LETS GAUr

This is going to be a fun series and this was an interesting start. I didn’t know at first but was then told that this couple was two books. That definitely helped me knowing that when reading because it was a relief when I was nearing the end wondering what was going to happen. I will say the build/pace was pretty slow throughout the entire book build I’m intrigued to see what will happen next.

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
The Predator is the first book in the "Dark Verse" series and this series has been so intimidating for me if I am being honest. So many rave about this one especially on instagram, its EVERYWHERE. I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest into it but after really enjoying Gothikana, I had to rethink it and decide on this one. Well I grabbed it in audio (and if you are a audio fan, get it in audio, you won't regret it) and it was superb. I loved everything about it. And honestly with how hooked I was into this one, its definitely on the list of favorites for the year too. I was so consummed by this book and literally couldn't put it down, and as a audiobook that is saying something for sure.

First Line
On a cold dark night in winter, with the wind howling and the skies crying in sleet, two men from the Tenebrae Outfit met the two men from Shadow Port in the middle of nowhere.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Tristan Caine
The Heroine: Morana Vitalio

Summary
The Predator begins with our heroine, Morana Vitalio, comes after Tristan Caine and attempts to kill him as she believes that he knows the truth about a mystery and is her target and with him being her family's enemy, she won't lose sleep over it, but Tristan Caine is a not a man you can easily kill and she finds herself on the other end of her own knife and where Tristan makes his own vow to her but ends up protecting her in his own way. Even though Tristan has vowed to kill her, they end up in this sexy tango of secrets and myterious reveals and when she ends up on the run from her own family, Tristan is the man that offers sanctuary. But why does he want to kill her and why does the hate run so deep?

What I Loved
This book tore me upside down and sideways and I never knew what was going to happen next. I absolutely couldn't get enough of this book. In fact, this book is WAY better than Gothikana. And yes I know they are completely different but I was so CONSUMED by this book in a way that Gothikana didn't even come close for me. There was so many delicious alpha vibes and loved how strong these characters are. The heroine I know comes off strong and she may not work for everyone, but honestly, I ended up loving her, and that is a rarity for such a prickly heroine but she really worked for me.

She had such relatable vulnerabilities and how she just wants to be loved by anyone because she has been so neglected was so empowering. Even though she knows how to kick ass and fight on her own terms, she also has a sweet spirit too. She isn't your typical kick ass heroine which I really respected because I found her so likeable in the end. You can see how she has been abused over the years and I really wanted her to find her HEA because she deserved it.

The secrets that surround this book were so impactful and man I was beyond intrigued. I love a good mystery but the way that this book is layered was so intricate in many ways. There is some mystery behind the hero and why he has such a hate filled vendetta against the heroine when she hasn't really done anything to him to actually warrant it, so getting the reveals in the end was so fascinating and really adds depth to the hero. There are so many "touch her and die" vibes and the alpha moments with the hero were so captivating.

What I Struggled With
Not much to be honest. At first I was curious why the hero wanted to kill the heroine so badly but that gets satisfied so I have to say it was just about perfect.

Narration
This narration was PERFECTION! Honestly they made this one so so addictive and really made the world building and the characters jump off of the page so vividly.

Overall View
The Predator is a fascinating beginning to a world that will pull at your curiosity from the get go. You won't want to let go of this story or these characters who literally take your breath away! CAPTIVATING AND ENTHRALLING!

Favorite Quote(s)
Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt."

" You twitch and you die."
...."Interesting," he remarked evenly (yeah I was laughing so hard)

“No one else gets to kill you, Ms Vitalio, the last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Dark Romance, Romantic Suspense
Character Types: Alpha Male, Mafia
Themes: Kick Ass, Touch Her and Die, Family Feud, Dirty Talkin'
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers

Book Perspective
1st POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Both

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Penelope Douglas
Ana Huang
Rina Kent

Song This Book Inspires
Russian Roulette by Rhianna

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Narrators:
Kai Kennicott, Michael Pierce

boring sloppy lazy

4 stars

So many twists and turns I couldn’t put it down

i enjoyed it but all i can think rn is danteamara