Bumpy Oak Books

3 stars

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Scarlet Gaze is a new adult paranormal romance centered around a magical school in England. Collin is a freshman at Marke Staple University, where he learns that magic is real and that he has power. When his new roommate, Terrence, is identical to a person Collin saw in a paranormal encounter in his youth, it brings more questions than answers.

Conceptually, I really liked this novel. The blood magic system as presented was very interesting and seemed to be well thought out. The school itself was fun, and played right into my love of the magic school trope.

The romance between Collin and Terrence was pretty unhealthy, given the blind devotion and manipulation involved. The conflict resolutions were too neat and tidy to be believable, and came across as fanfiction-y. There was nothing that I can immediately identify as being super memorable, but I definitely was entertained by the read.

Overall, I had fun reading Scarlet Gaze and did enjoy the reading experience.