Beg the Night

Mystics of Ashora, Book 1

De: Emily Blackwood

Narrado por: Laura Horowitz, James Cassidy

From author Emily Blackwood comes a dark and twisted romantasy about two powerful mystics and the forces that urge them together—even if they hate each other.

Athena is an earthly. She wields no power, and though war rages across the lands, she lives a relatively normal life in isolation until she's kidnapped by the Ministry and questioned for the magic they're certain she possesses.

As she struggles to grasp her new reality, she's forced into a dungeon with dozens of mystics. Only to discover she's the only female.

True unleashing of power can only be obtained by claiming—a mating ritual under the powerful blood moon. But Athena is in luck. Those mating must be willing, and she is certainly not willing to come within a foot of any of her options.

Until she meets Sinner.

Sinner is a tier three—the only three in the entire dungeon, making him the most dangerous and powerful of the men. He has very little interest in getting along with others and prefers to live his life alone.

So it comes as a shock when he volunteers to complete the claiming with Athena. She's his ticket out of that dungeon, and she knows it.

The two struggle for the upper hand as Sinner tries to convince Athena to mate with him willingly.

But Athena resists. She has a secret, and it's one the Ministry would do anything to get their hands on.

Can she keep her secret hidden long enough to survive? Or is Sinner the one person who will expose her for what she truly is—a monster?

©2025 Emily Blackwood (P)2025 Podium Audio

Such whirlwind

Loved the story it had so many twists and turns a little bit of spice. I wish there was more. I cannot wait till the next book comes in and the narrators were phenomenal.

Dark Dystopian Romantasy

Story

Dark dystopian romantasy with an FMC full of rage and dark MMC with a tortured soul and he has all the obsessive, jealous, possessive “shadow daddy” vibes.

We’re introduced to Athena as she buries the last of her family, completely alone and hollowed out by grief. That’s when the Ministry shows up and takes her into custody. She’s lost all will to fight, and even under torture, insists she has no powers. Eventually, they throw her into a dungeon packed with a lot of men. She’s given one month to choose a mate at the Claiming.

Sinner has already been down there for months. It’s his dungeon, his rules. So when this new girl shows up, claiming to be powerless and shaking up the established order. He knows she’s hiding something, he just needs to uncover her secrets and figure out how to use them to escape.

Athena and Sinner begin as reluctant allies, both operating in survival mode within the brutal confines of the Ministry's underground prison. Sinner stakes a claim on Athena, declaring that he’ll be the one to claim her. From the moment Sinner claimed her, she became his. He knew it, and so did his power.

I loved this book! I thought this story was in a way unique. The slow burn was painful in the best way possible. I am DESPERATE for more of them! I would have like for more information about the mystics/magic system/world building, but other than that I absolutely ate this up!

With angst, plots and a good background, this book is an excellent way to start this series. I cannot wait for book 2!

Audiobook

The narrators, Laura Horowitz and James Cassidy, delivered a clear, steady, and inviting performance that draws the listener effortlessly into the story. Their voices enhanced every moment of action, making the suspense and tension come alive. Each character is distinct, with unique voices that felt authentic and memorable, yet they both kept everything perfectly organized, never losing track of the story’s flow. A truly engaging and skillful narration that elevates the book to another level.

Here only because of James Cassidy search

I was not disappointed at all - story was very interesting and can’t wait for 2nd book

Good base but needs some work

This story has a strong foundation, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired; especially when it comes to character development, world-building, and emotional payoff. Many moments that could’ve carried real weight end up feeling either undercooked or brushed aside, making the book’s most dramatic beats fall flat.

Side Characters & Development:
The side characters felt like an afterthought. Carter and Leon, introduced early on, practically vanish for the majority of the book and then reappear just in time to wrap up the ending. The same goes for the other prisoners in the dungeon; the story never explores who they are or why they matter. These omissions make the world feel empty, as if only the main couple exists.

Benedict and Katherine’s bond, or lack thereof, also deserves exploration. Did they ever care for each other? Why did they choose eachother? Why did she stab him without hesitation?

The Virgin-Pure-Innocent Trope:
Then there’s the dynamic between Athena and Sinner. She’s 24 and a virgin, and he’s agonizing over “taking away her innocence” because she’s supposedly too pure for a “monster like him.” Her virginity makes sense, given her sheltered upbringing, but the way it’s handled feels lazy.

Additionally, Sinner initially sees Athena as a threat to be feared, and then suddenly views her as fragile. It’s confusing, especially for a relationship that’s supposed to be built on mutual strength and tension.

Mags & Mishandled Trauma:
Mags is written as the typical “ditzy best friend” with some added trauma thrown in: specifically, an “almost raped by her father” backstory that was poorly represented. Her sexual assault is mentioned only to further pity Sinner, who apparently suffered deeply because of what happened to her, while Mags herself is portrayed as mostly unaffected because she was “too young to understand.” That’s both unrealistic and deeply irresponsible writing. If you’re going to include child sexual assault in your story, you owe it to survivors to handle it with care and psychological realism, not as a quick empathy shortcut for a male lead. Mags deserves better than being reduced to trauma fuel for Sinner.

The Ministry & Lack of Real Villainy:
The Ministry is supposed to be the embodiment of evil, an organization capable of enslaving, torturing, and committing a genocide, but their actions never quite live up to that description. They’re cruel enough to force people into sexual acts, and they conveniently have healers on hand to keep victims alive, but their methods of punishment seem oddly tame: stabbing thighs and slicing arms. That’s it? If they’re the driving force of the story’s conflict, they need to be more than just background villains.

Romance That Skips the “Enemies” Part:
The “tension” between Athena and Sinner mostly consists of snarky banter and mutual attraction. I kept waiting for a real clash of morals or goals, something that would make their connection feel earned. Instead, the relationship develops too quickly and predictably, and I’d bet we’ll eventually find out they’re destined “mates” some way. That wouldn’t necessarily be bad, but only if their dynamic gets more depth in future books.

The “sex drug in the air” scene was another missed opportunity. It could’ve been a horrifying violation, a moment that explored trauma, or the ethics of consent under manipulation. Instead, it comes off like a convenient plot device to sneak in a spicy scene. The aftermath doesn’t treat it like the assault it is. it’s almost framed as a good thing because Athena has her first orgasm from a man. That’s disturbing, not romantic.

Predictable Plot Twists & Rushed Revelations:
Most of the supposed twists were predictable. Athena having killed her family? Heavily hinted at. Katherine secretly healing her? Practically announced.

Leon’s betrayal near the end could have been shocking, but again, it was too heavily foreshadowed. If he ends up sacrificing himself later, it’ll feel like another predictable redemption arc.

Athena’s self-discovery arc is also rushed. She goes from repressing her memories to accepting her power and her role in her family’s death within a few pages. There’s barely any emotional fallout, just a few tears, a nightmare or two, and then she moves on.

What Worked:
Despite all this, there are some real strengths. The “shadow man” not being another dark-haired, tan antihero is refreshing. Sinners backstory is perfect for his character. I assume that due to him being a main character he is actually fleshed out which is exactly what I want to see for other characters. And the banter between him and Athena itself are well written.

The mix of modern technology and magic, guns and powers side by side, is genuinely cool and unique. I can’t wait to see more fighting scenes.

The world feels like it could be fascinating if it were explored out more: is this one a civil war or a global one? Are there alliances, other factions, or neutral zones? There’s so much potential here.

I also appreciated that Athena’s sister is genuinely evil and kind of crazy, not just misunderstood or secretly good. That was a twist that actually landed.

Final Thoughts:
Ultimately, this book has the bones of something great (magic, emotion, moral grayness) but the execution needs sharper writing, slower pacing, and deeper empathy for its characters. And the characters themselves have solid foundations, they just need more attention and dimensionality. There’s potential here; it just needs to be handled with more complexity.

The ending twist was fabulous

Overall I liked the story. It was a little rushed with the forced proximity but the chemistry between the MMC and MFC was great. The story is unique with X-men type vibes. Missed opportunity to highlight various levels of abilities with the minor characters and or interactions with the antagonists. The month long stay and interactions could have been explored or boosted. The day in and day out really didn’t flow with major exchanges seeming to happen every few days. Realistically the characters should have interacted a lot more or there should have been more strife with the antagonists. To see where the story goes, I will start the second book that is not on audible.

Loved it!

Emily Blackwood has done it again! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the next one! The voice acting was top-tier as always with these two. I really enjoyed the storyline and the ability’s they have.

There was no real plot

The story is slow and all over the place. This isn’t a real enemies to lovers because there’s no reason for them to actually hate each other

The voice actors.

Book is mid. The story plot was meh. Don’t spend money on this. Voice actors were really good though.