Shadowlands Omega (Beasts of Gatamora Book 2)

***TBD since i read an arc i will post my thoughts after the release date*** My Review & Thoughts: Spoilers referenced in my thoughts Shadowland Omega tells the story of a young cook in the shadowlands who cooks for Lord Yaron. Kiandah has a big family and loves her life. She doesn’t want much more of what she already has. On a day like any other, she discovers bodies and an outsider (Merlin from infamous Trash City who are in league with the evil Fates and the undead) she’s never seen before in her family’s cellar whom her parents and eldest sister have taken down there. No time to process what she’s seen, she and all the local cooks in the village are chased and herded into a church there they are attacked and caged in. Just when Lord Yaron orders the place to be burned down, Kiandah ascends to an Omega and her twin brother Cypress ascends to an Alpha. Unintentionally using her new omega fire powers to douse the flames, Kiandah forces Lord Yaron to stick to his duties as lord of the Shadowlands and protect the Omega (her). And she gets him to save not only her family but also the others in the church. I want to preface this first by saying I have read nearly all of the book by this author, and I read the first book in this series, Dark City Omega. I believe the premise is cool and the idea is different. I got spice, adventure, world building, plots for grow in the series and action in book one. I was looking forward to reading this book. However, my expectations and experience with book one was not equally met with Shadowlands Omega. And as an avid reader who likes to stick to series and authors, I am familiar with I do not see myself continuing with this series. I read an eArc to share an honest review but there were a number of things I just did not enjoy about this book. The begin started off strong but we quickly learn that Kiandah dose not think for herself; her character is this sacrilegious martyr of the family that EVERY SINGLE one of her family members uses and manipulate. There is nothing wrong with being a shy and timid person but the moment that changes her in my opinion should have been when she ascends as an Omega with this AMAZING fire ability; she can manipulate fire and create it out of nothing. But the readers must see embody such an underwhelming role in the book? There is a moment where Kia is attacked by a male rider and even after his is dealt with, she acts as if she feels sorry that Yaron acted the way he did. I think the best way I can describe it is that she went around as if she was the burden and how ever she was treated, it was deserved? She and her family were hated by the village for being involved with Trash City, but conveniently forgets that she was never involved with Trash City but takes ownership of their crimes like they all were involved when it was only her parents and older sister. I want to say that Yaron’s approach when he realizes her toxic reliance/connection with her family was handled well. However, we see him force the realization on her in a rather manipulative and public way by addressing the village directly with her family there. He calls on the villagers to name an appropriate punishment and when it is set, Yaron takes the physical punishment himself—while everyone watches. He’s bleeding all over the place, his body is messed up and she’s crying watching it happen. And why? Because of her family. Now, I don’t feel Kia every really let it sink in what her family’s crimes were but could there not have been a 2/3/1 split here? Those who were guilty be punished and those not involved not be punished? Especially in that physical and very public way. Something else could have been arranged. Things also started to shift for me after Kia was attacked when Yaron goes to the kitchens where her family worked to publicly tell them all someone tried to sexually assault her. Was that his business to tell? Why does he do this? What gives him the right? Again, my mind goes to manipulation. And if this is his normal tactic than Kia is just going from one toxic environment to another. In the mist of the back and forth of how to punish her and her family, there is no progression in the narrative. If Kia was not in Yaron’s chambers, she was with her family in the kitchen (like always). We get a hint of her being a skilled artist, but this must have been an afterthought or just something to make her seem like a real person. It is around the halfway point here were another conversation goes on loop, said in different ways about how Yaron will be taking Kia as his wife—before clarifying it with her—and how Yaron finds Kia to be his match. While they’ve slept together, they are not bonded at all and again outside of HIS chambers where he keeps her like a pet, they do not have progressive conversations or memorable instances of interactions. I found it funny when we finally leave his chambers and the castle that Kia denounces the fact that Yaron is her Lord when talking to Madam Zenobia. By that time, I think I hit the 70% mark of the book. It was at that point that I realized Kia does things out of the blue that reader does not see her do, develop or learn: she uses her powers in a way that seems to mean she has control over them (why couldn’t we see her training???) she holds court (in a way) with Mara, Cyprus and others to organize while Yaron is sleeping to basically send out the troops find out if an allied city was in danger and to protect their own homeland (because you know there’s a whole war still brewing in the outside while Yaron and Kia dance around each other). I did not expect to be still rambling on about this, but I guess I feel cheated with Yaron and Kia and set up to be disappointed. I had so many more questions about stuff raised in book one and Shadowlands Omega felt like it was planets away from there. I didn’t like that the world building, character building and action elements that were in book one didn’t exist with Kia and Yaron. Things that I also did not like but will not explain further: · Hired brother to look after her. Why was he so irked by them being together? Ew. · Overused/fetishes of commands related to beast/dogs. · Pacing. · Jane Austin References. · Laughs and jokes immediately after lashing chapter. · Stockholm syndrome.