Book: The mating trials by Anastasia Daniels
Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข
โ๏ธ๐ป๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐ ๐- The Mating Trials- the alpha
โ๏ธโ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค-
(out of 5 stars, my rating scale is at the end)
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5 / 5
๐ก๏ธ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ถ / 5 -๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ฆ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐
Which books have I also given this same rating? (๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ค๐)
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๏ธWe Who Will Die / The Wolf King / Daughter of No Worlds / The Ex Hex
โ๏ธ๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐ :
Genre- Paranormal Fantasy romance
๐ 280 ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐
Dual ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฉ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ- 29 June 2026
๐ฃ๐น๐ผ๐ or ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ driven? ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐โฏ๐
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ & ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ป๐ผ- The mating trials standalone but interconnected book 1
๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ on ๐๐จ? โ ๐ดโฏ๐
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ- ๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐น ๐นโด๐๐ mostly fast
๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ? โ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐, ๐โด, ๐พ๐๐ ๐โฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ๐๐โฏ๐ ๐ท๐๐ ๐น๐พ๐น๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐น โด๐๐ โฏ๐โด๐๐๐ฝ ๐ปโด๐ ๐โฏ ๐โด ๐โฏ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ 6 ๐โด๐๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐พ๐โฏ.
๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง? (Disability, plus size, mental health etc...)โ
โณโดโด๐น๐; ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐ , ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐.
๐๐พ๐น ๐พ โฏ๐๐ฟโด๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐?โ
๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ ๐โฏ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฝโฏ ๐โฏ๐๐ ๐ทโดโด๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐โฏ๐๐พโฏ๐?โ
๐ฒโด๐๐๐น ๐พ ๐โฏ๐ถ๐น ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ โฏ๐๐โฏ ๐ท๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฝโด๐?โ
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐? Those who love a simple and quick shifter read that acts as a standalone in an interconnected world.
โ๏ธ๐โ๐ผโ๐๐ผ๐ ๐โ ๐๐๐โ๐:
๐๐โด๐๐ป ๐ โ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐
โ๏ธ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค:
๐แฆแแพแฟแฟแจแแถ
๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐ถ
๐ฅ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง
๐ฅต๐๐พ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐๐
๐IแีTแฉ แชOแฏแด แชแแT
๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก
๐ฉโโค๏ธโ๐จ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐
๐
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐
๐พ๐ธโฏ ๐พ๐๐ธ๐โฏ๐ถ๐โฏ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ โฏ๐ถ๐ธ๐ฝ ๐ทโดโด๐
๐ก๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐, ๐ธ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ, ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐
โ๏ธ๐โ๐โ๐ผ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ค & ๐น๐๐ฅ๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐ค
๐TแIแฉแชี
๐ชงPแดสษชแดษชแดแดส Iษดแดสษชษขแดแด
๐งฉ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
โWสแด แด
ษชแด
แดสษชs แดแด สแดแด?!
๐ แทแฉแTแดแ
โ ๏ธ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐...
๐งจ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ช ๐ฝ๐โ
๐คฌ Feminine Rage
๐ถ Underdog
๐ช๐๐๐
๐ฝ๐ถ โโฏ๐โด
๐Cliff Notes Review-
The Mating Trials had me completely hooked during the first half, thanks to the fated mates, gothic atmosphere, and one of the sweetest green-flag heroes Iโve read in a long time. Thorn absolutely stole the show with his patience, respect, and unwavering support, while the mating trials themselves were a fun twist on the usual shifter romance. I just wish the world-building had been deeper, the communication a little stronger, and the second half packed the same punch as the first. Despite a few frustrations, itโs still an entertaining paranormal romance that has me curious to continue the series.
โI donโt want to own you. I want to stand beside you. You burn so brightly. I just want to be close enough to feel your heatโ
๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐:
The Mating Trials had so many things working in its favour before I even turned the first page. Wolf shifters, fated mates, a gothic castle setting, and a competition centred around finding your mate sounded like exactly the kind of paranormal romance I love. While I really enjoyed parts of it, especially the first half, I couldnโt help feeling that the story never quite reached its full potential.
One of the most heartbreaking parts of the story was the rejection. Thorn didnโt deserve the rejection he received after proving over and over again that he was kind, patient and trustworthy. I genuinely felt for him during that part of the book. But also I was annoyed because the reasoning behind it was stupid and therefore unbelievable to me. A simple conversation would have cleared everything up, that easy! -which in my opinion, is a plot hole.
I really enjoyed the concept of the mating trials themselves, although theyโre probably not what the title leads you to expect. Rather than a series of dangerous or competitive challenges, theyโre more focused on testing compatibility and attraction between potential mates. I particularly enjoyed the scent and touch trials, as each one explored a different aspect of the bond without becoming repetitive.
The world itself had plenty of interesting ideas, but I wanted much more from it. There are mentions of gods, traditions and the wider history of the wolf shifters, yet very little is explored in any real depth. The gothic castle setting creates a great atmosphere, but I was left wanting richer lore and a stronger understanding of how this world truly worked beyond the trials themselves.
The romance also develops very quickly. Considering the bookโs shorter length, thatโs understandable, but readers looking for a slower emotional build or extensive character development may find it a little rushed. I personally would have loved more time spent building the relationships before the emotional payoffs.
The pacing was a bit of a mixed bag. I absolutely flew through the first year of the trials and was completely invested. The second half, however, lost some of that momentum. The conflict introduced later, particularly involving the Widows, didnโt feel quite as compelling as the earlier drama with the rival alphas. It felt more like an obstacle added to keep the story moving rather than a natural progression of the plot.
๐งโโ๏ธ โ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค:
The strongest part of the book for me was Thorn. He has to be one of the biggest green flags Iโve come across in a shifter romance. After searching for his mate for years, he could easily have become possessive or demanding, but instead he shows incredible patience and respect. He never pressures Ember into choosing him and gives her the space to make her own decisions. He simply wants her to choose him because she genuinely wants to, and I absolutely loved that about his character.
Ember was a little more complicated for me. I completely understood why she was hesitant to accept the bond. Having spent so much of her life protecting and raising her younger brother, it made sense that leaving him felt impossible. My frustration came from the lack of communication. So much heartache could have been avoided if sheโd simply explained what she was feeling. Genuinely, one conversation would have sorted all the issues- but that would end the book so it was just cast aside hoping we would all pretend it wasnโt an option. Knowing Thornโs personality, it was difficult to believe he wouldnโt have worked with her to find a solution. Instead, a lot of the conflict felt avoidable, which left me feeling more frustrated than emotionally invested.
I also found Emberโs younger brother a little inconsistent. At times he behaved much younger than his age, while in other scenes he seemed far older and more mature, making it difficult to get a clear sense of his character.
Some of the supporting cast also felt underused. I was particularly hoping weโd spend more time getting to know Dove, especially knowing sheโll be the focus of the next book. Instead, she fades into the background for much of the story, which meant I didnโt finish the book feeling especially invested in her upcoming romance. The same could be said for several side characters who showed glimpses of interesting personalities but never received enough page time to fully develop.
โณ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐-๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
No and I would to the right people rather than a blanket recommendation.
๐ชง๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ค:
Overall, The Mating Trials was an enjoyable, easy-to-read paranormal romance with a lovable hero, an interesting premise and enough emotional moments to keep me turning the pages. I just wish the world-building had been richer, the conflict a little stronger, and some of the later drama tightened up. Even so, Thorn completely won me over, and Iโm curious enough to continue with the series.
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ;
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
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๐๐ช โ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ค:
โญ๏ธ DNF
โญ๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏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๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏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!
๐ฅโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ๐ฅ
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:
๐ถ๏ธโ segsual language and a little on-page action
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธโ a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ โ Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more dark / taboo fantasies and realities.