I have to jump ship on this at 34%. It was already boring me with its lack of plot, but now that the reasoning behind Levana’s marriage has been reveaI have to jump ship on this at 34%. It was already boring me with its lack of plot, but now that the reasoning behind Levana’s marriage has been revealed, I’m throwing in the towel.
I get she’s the villain. I GET IT. But homegirl just cannot catch a break and it’s too difficult to watch now. Sad....more
Not sure if I hated this because of the hype/high expectations or because it’s legitimately terrible or because I’m legitimately terrible. Could be alNot sure if I hated this because of the hype/high expectations or because it’s legitimately terrible or because I’m legitimately terrible. Could be all of the above or none of the above, tbh.
None of these characters feel real. I can’t even call them caricatures, as that would still give them too much personality. They’re all just…flat.DNF.
None of these characters feel real. I can’t even call them caricatures, as that would still give them too much personality. They’re all just…flat.
The storytelling and pacing are really frustrating to me too—which is what made me jump ship. It’s just a lot of summarizing conversations and scenes rather than, oh, I dunno, letting us experience the scene with the characters. It’s like I’m reading the Spark Notes version of a book. Except Spark Notes is much more well-written....more
1st book: dark romance 2nd book: SEVERAL graphic and gratuitous rape/torture scenes + revenge(ish) + consensual bloody sex
I’m not ever one for censoNo.
1st book: dark romance 2nd book: SEVERAL graphic and gratuitous rape/torture scenes + revenge(ish) + consensual bloody sex
I’m not ever one for censorship, so feel free to read the book if the TWs don’t bother you. I just don’t feel as though the first half of the book was in any way necessary. It spent hundreds of pages curdling my stomach and for what? To rush through Addie’s recovery in paragraph-long summaries? Then spend the rest of the book focusing mostly on her getting revenge/being okay with sex again? So, we’re just skipping right over any necessary therapy sessions, making new friends, finding a safe space in the world again, and everything else survivors go through just to get to the sexy revenge?
That’s beyond bad storytelling. You put the characters/readers through all of that just to try to switch the book back to a sort-of dark romance?
No. Absolutely not.
Based on this book’s ratings, I’m very much in the minority here. Just don’t go into this one thinking it’s in any way a continuation of the first. Probably best for you to pretend like this is a brand new series. Different characters. An alternate universe. Whatever you need to do. That’s about as much as the two books connect in this “duet.”
For the record, I did have to start skipping over scenes after the first rape/torture. There are several. Thought maybe I could handle one. Nope. Especially when it was clear this was all happening for shock value and not to treat the issues with much sensitivity. ...more
I’m so incredibly frustrated by so much of this book, particularly the last 25%, that I’m going to label this review as “RTC” knowing full well there I’m so incredibly frustrated by so much of this book, particularly the last 25%, that I’m going to label this review as “RTC” knowing full well there is no actual review to come because I will be busy fuming forever. Will definitely die mad about it.
This was so bad I literally cross-referenced certain sentences in it to make sure I was reading the finished copy and not some first-draft-from-7th-grThis was so bad I literally cross-referenced certain sentences in it to make sure I was reading the finished copy and not some first-draft-from-7th-grade-fanfiction-publishing-fluke.
I’m still not entirely convinced read this wasn’t my Truman Show Candid Camera moment....more
I’m beginning to think Penelope Douglas’s Birthday Girl was a fluke. That book was awesome. This book blows. Devil’s Night blows. (Do people even say I’m beginning to think Penelope Douglas’s Birthday Girl was a fluke. That book was awesome. This book blows. Devil’s Night blows. (Do people even say “blows” anymore? Eh.) AND BOOKTOK HAS ONCE AGAIN LIED TO ME.
I need to stop chasing that Birthday Girl high. It’s not going to happen. None of this is fetch.
1. The love triangle is the weirdest damn triangle I’ve ever read. And I say this as someone who has read many, many VC Andrews series. You’ve got this 17 year old with severe mommy and daddy issues now living with her dad’s stepbrother and said stepbrother’s two sons. All three men (the youngest being 20) openly lust for her and she does the same. The 17 year old. Seventeen. One-seven. I’m sure you know where this is going in regards to that plot.
2. Good god, the MC cries a lot. I read books on the Books app on my phone. Therefore, the pages don’t fit a lot of text. Maybe a couple paragraphs. I shit you not when I say the MC cries just about every other page. ON MY PHONE. WITH SMALL PAGES. I can only imagine how many times she cries per physical book page. Look, it’s fine if you’re an emotional person. I’m accepting of that. BUT THERE ARE SO MANY TIMES I CAN READ ABOUT TEARS FORMING IN HER EYES AND STREAMING DOWN HER CHEEKS. FOR THE LOVE OF VC ANDREWS AND OPRAH.
3. The entire book needs to be 300 physical book pages shorter. Again, I read on my phone, so I have no idea how long this book actually is and I don’t care enough to look it up. If subtracting this book makes it nonexistent (which I don’t think is possible because it felt like it was AT LEAST 4,000 pages), then you’re welcome, world. Please send my Nobel Peace Prize in the mail.
4. The spice is stupid. You read 3,000 pages of everyone lusting after each other, but no one actually doing anything. Then the MC goes to bone town once per dude and it all just disappears. We move right into fade to black mode or random one sentence references to it. Once again, I must ask what in the hell the author thinks I’m reading for. Also, please, PLEASE read the trigger warnings on this. There are many references to SA and, I’d argue, at least three “spicy” scenes that the MC doesn’t consider SA, but in fact absolutely are.
Also, TW for animal lovers—There are parts of a few scenes you’re going to have to skip. I can’t tell you what specifically happened in them (because I also skipped them) other than the characters go hunting and…..yep....more
I’m willing to put up with a lot of toxic things for a sexy book. And I put up with all of those things and more in this one. It was fine. I’m along fI’m willing to put up with a lot of toxic things for a sexy book. And I put up with all of those things and more in this one. It was fine. I’m along for the ride.
BUT THERE IS A LINE. THERE. IS. A. LINE. And it crossed that line around the 75% mark.
**TW for animal lovers—You’re going to have to skip a lot of the epilogue. You’ll know it when you see it....more
I’m perfectly willing to accept part of the blame here. The cover and synopsis had me thinking this was going to be a cute fluff book. I was in cute-fI’m perfectly willing to accept part of the blame here. The cover and synopsis had me thinking this was going to be a cute fluff book. I was in cute-fluff-book-mode.
It wasn’t until around the halfway mark (and several actual naps) that I realized I’d been reading in the wrong mode. I should’ve been reading in flimsy-plot-and-flimsier-characters-sex-book-mode. Which I’m perfectly willing to do as long as I know ahead of time.
Sadly, by the halfway point (which is when the first sex scene happens, which is extremely odd for a flimsy plot and flimsier characters sex book..it normally only takes a couple of chapters) I was much too irritated by the pacing, the superficial cardboard cutout characters, and wooden dialogue to be able to switch modes. IT WAS JUST TOO LATE FOR ME. I was hate-reading by that point and there was no going back.
So make sure you go in with the right mindset. That way you won’t find it at all annoying when the whole enemies to lovers trope disappears after their first interaction, the characters show no personality outside of loving social media and fish, the side plots are completely rushed and irrelevant, and the “conflicts” are completely contrived and melodramatic. ...more
I have to jump ship on this. I’ve been using it as a sleep aid for the past month. It somehow worked better than ASMR.
None of the charactersDNF at 45%
I have to jump ship on this. I’ve been using it as a sleep aid for the past month. It somehow worked better than ASMR.
None of the characters feel like themselves. There’s tons of telling, not showing. There’s plot after plot after plot. There’s racing through all aforementioned plots. Yet, at the same time, there’s trudging through aforementioned plots at a snail’s pace.
It’s like we’ve thrown all the previous, modern-day books in the series right out the window and have decided to go straight down the Greek mythology only path. Which, look. I get it. This is an H & P retelling. But it’s like we decided that only the plots from the Hades POVs matter. Persephone and her job? Nope. Demeter’s death? Lol also no. Lexa? Haha try again. Helping out the souls? Forget it.
I’ve decided this series is actually a trilogy with ONLY the Persephone POVs. The Hades ones do not exist. This fourth book does not exist. Block. Unfollow. Unfriend. Strike it from the record. ...more
This book was incredibly frustrating. It doesn’t have much depth at all. I thought at first the pacing was the problem, and that is partly it, but theThis book was incredibly frustrating. It doesn’t have much depth at all. I thought at first the pacing was the problem, and that is partly it, but the real issue is that the entire book reads as a summary of its A Touch of Ruin counterpart.
Seriously. It’s like Hades is typing the Sparknotes version. It’s exhausting to read because there are no pauses to ruminate on or explore anything. It’s just a race to finish the summary, with some stuff Hades does when Persephone isn’t present. The book doesn’t stay on one scene or conversation long enough for you to really care about anything that’s happening.
• Lindsey Dahling •
>
Books:
its-a-no-from-me-dawg
(55)
Loading...
