Into oblivion

Book: Into oblivion by Ember Nicole

Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy

Rating: 4/5

๐“๐“ž ๐“ข๐“Ÿ๐“ž๐“˜๐“›๐“”๐“ก๐“ข
โšœ๏ธ๐”ป๐•–๐•ฅ๐•’๐•š๐•๐•–๐•• ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•ง๐•š๐•–๐•จ ๐• ๐•—- Into Oblivion

โšœ๏ธโ„๐•’๐•ฅ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜๐•ค-
(out of 5 stars, my rating scale is at the end)
๐Ÿ“š ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.75 / 5

๐ŸŒก๏ธ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ MF ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ / 5 -๐‘โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘๐‘˜ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐บ๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ค ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ 

Which books have I also given this same rating? (๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘ฆ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘›)

5โญ๏ธ Fourth wing / Bound by inked flame / Anathama / The Lies of Lena / Of silver and Curses
4.5โญ๏ธ Bitten / The Female / Quicksilver / Bride / Lights Out / A Bargain so Bloody
4โญ๏ธ Spellcaster / One Dark Window / From Blood and Ash / Phantasma / Butcher & Blackbird
3โญ๏ธWe Who Will Die / The Wolf King / Daughter of No Worlds / The Ex Hex

โšœ๏ธ๐•‚๐•–๐•ช ๐•€๐•Ÿ๐•—๐• :
Genre- Dark Fantasy

๐Ÿ“– 403 ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€

Dual ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฉ

๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ- July 20, 2026

๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ or ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ driven? ๐’ž๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“‡๐’ถ๐’ธ๐“‰โ„ฏ๐“‡

๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฒ & ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—ป๐—ผ- Standalone

๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ on ๐—ž๐—จ? โœ…๐’ดโ„ฏ๐“ˆ

๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ- ๐“Œโ„ฏ๐“๐“ ๐“…๐’ถ๐’ธโ„ฏ๐’น ๐’ปโ„ด๐“‡ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ ๐“ˆ๐“‰โ„ด๐“‡๐“Ž

๐— ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ? โœ…๐’ดโ„ฏ๐“ˆ, โ„ ๐“Œ๐’พ๐“๐“ ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐“‚โ„ฏ๐“‚๐’ทโ„ฏ๐“‡ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ ๐“‹๐’พ๐’ทโ„ฏ๐“ˆ ๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐’น ๐’ปโ„ฏโ„ฏ๐“๐’พ๐“ƒ๐‘”๐“ˆ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ˆ ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐’น ๐“โ„ฏ๐’ป๐“‰ ๐“‚โ„ฏ ๐“Œ๐’พ๐“‰๐’ฝ & โ„๐“Œ๐’พ๐“๐“ ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐“‚โ„ฏ๐“‚๐’ทโ„ฏ๐“‡ ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ ๐’ธ๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“‡๐’ถ๐’ธ๐“‰โ„ฏ๐“‡๐“ˆ ๐“Œ๐’พ๐“‰๐’ฝ โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐“ˆโ„ฏ

๐€๐ง๐ฒ ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง? (Disability, plus size, mental health etc...)โœ… trauma

โ„ณโ„ดโ„ด๐’น๐“ˆ; ๐‘ฌ๐’Ž๐’๐’•๐‘–๐’๐’๐’‚๐’, ๐‘ด๐’š๐’”๐’•๐’†๐’“๐’Š๐’๐’–๐’”, ๐‘ช๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’๐’†๐’๐’ˆ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ, ๐‘ฏ๐’‚๐’–๐’๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ, ๐‘ซ๐’‚๐’“๐’Œ, ๐‘ป๐’†๐’๐’”๐’†, ๐‘ญ๐’๐’“๐’†๐’ƒ๐’๐’…๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ

๐’Ÿ๐’พ๐’น ๐’พ โ„ฏ๐“ƒ๐’ฟโ„ด๐“Ž ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ˆ?โœ…

๐’ฒ๐’พ๐“๐“ ๐’พ ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐’น ๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ฏ ๐“ƒโ„ฏ๐“๐“‰ ๐’ทโ„ดโ„ด๐“€ ๐’พ๐“ƒ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ˆ ๐“ˆโ„ฏ๐“‡๐’พโ„ฏ๐“ˆ?โœ…

๐’ฒโ„ด๐“Š๐“๐’น ๐’พ ๐“‡โ„ฏ๐’ถ๐’น ๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐“Ž๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ƒ๐‘” โ„ฏ๐“๐“ˆโ„ฏ ๐’ท๐“Ž ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ˆ ๐’ถ๐“Š๐“‰๐’ฝโ„ด๐“‡?โœ…

๐–‚๐–๐–” ๐–œ๐–”๐–š๐–‘๐–‰ ๐–Ž ๐–—๐–Š๐–ˆ๐–”๐–’๐–’๐–Š๐–“๐–‰ ๐–™๐–๐–Ž๐–˜ ๐–™๐–”? Those who love Greek mythology and those who love a truly dark feminine rage story with hot and heavy primal play spice!

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿ…ฒ๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…ท๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…ด๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…ฒ๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…บ๏ธŽ ๐Ÿ†ƒ๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…ท๏ธŽ๐Ÿ…ด๏ธŽ ๐Ÿ†ƒ๏ธŽ๐Ÿ††๏ธŽ!๐Ÿšจ

โšœ๏ธ๐•Šโ„™๐”ผโ„‚๐•€๐”ผ๐•Š ๐•€โ„• ๐•Š๐•‹๐•†โ„๐•:
๐Ÿ’‹๐ป๐‘ข๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ 
๐Ÿง™โ€โ™€๏ธ๐”š๐”ฆ๐”ฑ๐” ๐”ฅ๐”ข๐”ฐ
๐Ÿ‘น๐–‰๐–Š๐–’๐–”๐–“๐–˜

โšœ๏ธ๐•Š๐•ก๐•š๐•”๐•– ๐”ฝ๐•’๐•”๐•ฅ๐•ค:
๐Ÿ”ฅ๐’๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง
๐Ÿฅต๐’Ÿ๐’พ๐“‡๐“‰๐“Ž ๐’ฏ๐’ถ๐“๐“€
๐Ÿ™๐ป๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘ก

โšœ๏ธ๐•‹โ„๐•†โ„™๐”ผ๐•Š
๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐‘€๐‘ฆ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘ /๐ฟ๐‘’๐‘”๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”
๐Ÿชฆ๐•ณ๐–”๐–—๐–—๐–”๐–— ๐•ฐ๐–‘๐–Š๐–’๐–Š๐–“๐–™๐–˜
๐Ÿญ๐•Š๐•ฆ๐•Ÿ๐•Ÿ๐•ช ๐• ๐”พ๐•ฃ๐•ฆ๐•ž๐•ก๐•ช
๐Ÿน๐๐š๐ ๐€๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐…๐Œ๐‚
๐Ÿคฌ Feminine Rage
๐ŸฅŠ Revenge
โณ๐ƒ๐š๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ

โœจ Tแ•ผแ—ดแ—ฐแ—ดี โœจ
Modern Medusa retelling

๐Ÿ“Cliff Notes Review-
Into Oblivion completely captivated me with its haunting Appalachian setting, dark Medusa retelling, incredible atmosphere, unforgettable characters, and perfectly paced slow-burn romance. Rhiannonโ€™s journey through trauma and feminine rage was powerful, and the spice was just as emotionally charged as it was steamy. My biggest struggle was the writing style, as too many mysteries, characters, and pieces of lore felt underexplored or left open to interpretation, leaving me with more confusion than satisfaction. Even so, this was a beautifully dark and unforgettable read.

๐ŸŒ ๐•Ž๐• ๐•ฃ๐•๐•• ๐•“๐•ฆ๐•š๐•๐••๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜, ๐•จ๐•ฃ๐•š๐•ฅ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•• ๐•ก๐•’๐•”๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜:
Into Oblivion is one of those books thatโ€™s incredibly difficult for me to rate because I genuinely loved so much about itโ€ฆ while simultaneously struggling with the way it was told.

The premise completely hooked me. A dark Medusa retelling set deep within the Appalachian Mountains, blending mythology, folklore, mystery, horror and romance? It sounded like everything I love in a fantasy romance.

And honestlyโ€ฆ the atmosphere was phenomenal.

Ember Nicole clearly has an incredible talent for writing darkness that feels almost tangible. The Appalachian setting is haunting, eerie and oppressive, creating this constant feeling that something is lurking just beyond the trees. The supernatural elements, folklore and creeping sense of unease were some of my favourite parts of the entire novel.

The spice deserves its own mention becauseโ€ฆ wow. It was incredibly well written. Emotional, intense and perfectly placed within the story.

Where I struggled was with the writing style itself.

I completely understand what I think the author was trying to achieve. There is a deliberate sense of uncertainty running through the entire novel. Information is withheld, events are left open to interpretation, and youโ€™re never entirely sure whether what youโ€™re reading can be trusted. It creates an unsettling atmosphere that absolutely fits the tone of the story.

Unfortunately, Iโ€™m the kind of reader who needs answers.
I like mysteries, but I also like enough breadcrumbs that I can begin piecing things together as I read. Instead, I often found myself feeling confused rather than intrigued because so many ideas, characters and pieces of history felt only partially explored. -The witch is probably the best example of this for me. She fascinated me from the moment she appeared, but by the end I felt like I understood her less than when she was first introduced. Her role, particularly during the final quarter of the book, I waited for her to round with warnings and threats, or to start cleaning up the mess but it never came, so that left me with so many questions. I really kept expecting certain moments to be explained or expanded upon, especially considering the magic involved, but instead those questions remained unanswered.

The wider mythology also left me wanting more. The other creatures and legends for example. The foundations are fantastic, but I wanted richer lore, more history, and more explanation about how everything fit together. I could see the potential for something enormous, yet I often felt like I was only being shown fragments of the bigger picture.

My feelings about the ending are equally conflicted.

The revenge itself was incredibly satisfying, and there were several twists that genuinely caught me off guard. The final revelations added another layer of tragedy to the story and completely changed how I viewed certain characters.

โ€ฆHowever, I expected something slightly different from Rhiannonโ€™s final arc. -After everything sheโ€™d endured, I thought her journey would become not only about revenge, but also about protecting and supporting other women who had suffered similar horrors. Instead, the conclusion leaned much more towards karmic justice than emotional healing. It certainly worked within the story, but I personally found myself longing for moments where victims felt seen, heard and understood, rather than simply avenged.

I also would have appreciated a little more closure. There were conversations I desperately wanted to happen, truths I wanted openly acknowledged, and confessions I felt would have made the emotional payoff even stronger.

This book stayed with me long after I finished it, and I genuinely admire what Ember Nicole created here. Her ability to write haunting atmosphere, emotionally scarred yet compelling characters, feminine rage, unsettling magic and addictive slow-burn romance is undeniable.

This was my first book by Ember Nicole, and although the writing style didnโ€™t completely work for me, Iโ€™m absolutely interested in reading another of her books. Iโ€™m curious to see whether this fragmented, mysterious style was a deliberate choice for this particular story or simply her natural writing voice.

๐Ÿงโ€โ™‚๏ธ โ„‚๐•™๐•’๐•ฃ๐•’๐•”๐•ฅ๐•–๐•ฃ๐•ค:
Rhiannon was easily my favourite part of the book. Everything she survives is horrific, and yet she never loses the fierce determination to keep going. She embodies feminine rage without allowing her trauma to completely define her. I loved watching her reclaim pieces of herself, even when her journey was painful, messy and devastating.

I struggled slightly with Rhiannonโ€™s emotional journey surrounding intimacy. Considering everything sheโ€™d endured, I personally found some of the intimate scenes difficult to reconcile with her previous trauma. I wanted a little more exploration of how she reached that point emotionally because it felt like an important part of her healing journey.

Breylan was another highlight for me. His determination to uncover the truth and protect those around him made him incredibly easy to root for, and I loved that, despite arriving as an outsider, he seemed to care more about the people in this town than many of those who had lived there their entire lives.

Their romance was exactly the pace I enjoy. Slow-burning, full of tension, reluctant attraction and chemistry that simmered beneath every interaction. Even with the heavy themes surrounding the story, their connection provided moments of warmth that stopped the darkness from becoming overwhelming.

The side characters were so interesting, and the villains were also well written. I was drawn in immediately as all the characters we met had an important role to play in the story, no one was โ€˜stuckโ€™ in the story for the sake of it. They all had a purpose and fulfilled it extremely well.

๐Ÿ˜ฅ ๐•Ž๐•™๐•ช ๐•Ÿ๐•  ๐•—๐•š๐•ง๐•– ๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•’๐•ฃ๐•ค?
I just couldnโ€™t get along with the writing style and open questions.

โณ ๐•Ž๐• ๐•ฆ๐•๐•• ๐•š ๐•ฃ๐•–-๐•ฃ๐•–๐•’๐•• ๐• ๐•ฃ ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•”๐• ๐•ž๐•ž๐•–๐•Ÿ๐••?
Absolutely I would recommend this! But I wouldnโ€™t re read it no.

๐Ÿชง๐”ฝ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•’๐• ๐•ฅ๐•™๐• ๐•ฆ๐•˜๐•™๐•ฅ๐•ค:
Overall, Into Oblivion didnโ€™t quite deliver the clarity or depth I personally crave in fantasy, but it excelled at creating mood, emotion, unforgettable characters and beautifully unsettling darkness. It may not have been a perfect read for me, but itโ€™s certainly one I wonโ€™t be forgetting anytime soon.

๐น๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ค๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘”๐‘”๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ ;

๐•‹๐•š๐•œ๐•‹๐• ๐•œ
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๐•„๐•ช โ„๐•’๐•ฅ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•Š๐•ช๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•–๐•ž๐•ค:
โญ๏ธ DNF

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another author's hands

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
It was OK. I wish I didn't start this one as it didn't do it for me as I struggled to read it. It had an interesting premise that fell flat but I had to see what happened in the end.

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I don't regret reading it, and I will read the next one, but this one did have a few flaws. [These could be repetitive writing, gaps or plot holes, better character growth or world building, areas needing more detail]
Generally, the book lacked depth and became confusing. The plot resonated with me even though it annoyed me on the whole.

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the right people, but I wanted more! Sadly, it's easily forgettable with a few issues I just couldn't overlook/get past.

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Good book! I loved it, but... I needed more! I really did enjoy it, but it had a few parts that needed more detail or added history/background or lore. But that's because the story or characters were memorable, and the plot was strong with brilliant twists. I would re-read if I needed to catch up for the next book and would recommend.

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
Great book! I truly wish the story had been thought about more, or the author had been given more time as this book is so close to brilliance! I will likely read again and will definitely be recommending it to all!

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
WOW! Absolutely amazing book! Well written with great characters and a plot so memorable that it will stay with me. I will definitely read this again, I will be recommending it and sharing it with the whole world! Also- I NEED A PHYSICAL COPY!

๐Ÿ”ฅโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐Ÿ”ฅ
This is my God level tier. The book must be perfectly memorable. Even after reading 50+ more books, I will remember character names and emotions along with the plot. If there is a special edition, then I need to own it! If there is a conversation on books- I'm talking about this!

SPICE SCALE:
๐ŸŒถ๏ธโ€“ segsual language and a little on-page action

๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธโ€“ a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times

๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธโ€“ a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers

๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ โ€“ super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.

๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ โ€“ Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more

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