Reviews with content warning for Violence - Midnight Ruin

Same as the rest of the series! In a good way. You don’t read this book for the plot, it’s for the spice. Audiobook narrators rocked, except something about the way the guy said “baby” in Charon’s voice. BIG ICK.

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booklover97's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful relaxing tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tashagrimaudo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

And so it continues! I keep getting lucky with my library holds on these books coming through right before travel times, because they are perfect for easy, escapist reading in the background of flights and vacation.

This sixth installation gives us the story of Eurydice, younger sister to Persephone and Psyche from the first two books, known for her innocence and (more recently) the broken heart she was left with after her time with Orpheus. For the past year, she's been living under Hades' protection in the lower city. Though to be more specific, she's been directly under the care of Hades' right-hand man, Charon. The two of them, after all their time together, have definitely caught some feelings, but Charon's priority is her safety and Eurydice is still reeling a bit from Orpheus' betrayal. When the ice breaks and they finally decide to take a risk on each other, Orpheus re-enters the picture too (looking to make up for past wrongs), and the three of them will have to work through quite a bit to create something that feels right for them all, together. Oh, and at the same time, the outside threats to Olympus haven't gone anywhere. In fact, the attacks are seeping into the Lower City and Hades faces some tough choices to protect his family and his people, choices that will affect all our MCs and, really, the whole of Olympus.

All this romance reading I've been doing lately is truly fine-tuning my own awareness of what I'm into. And this book has a lot of it. Phew. The relationship dynamics (as far as f/m/m, if not in regards to prior relationships or the role each plays in this poly situation) are similar to Wicked Beauty, which has been my favorite of the series to date. And while I liked that plot better than this one, I have to admit the threesome here makes this, probably, my second favorite. The intimacy dynamics really spoke to me (if not the specific kinks, then definitely the overall vibes of reliance and protection). On the whole, the actual sex scenes were magnificent; I loved that way that art and healing were woven in a bit too. This one for sure started out much more toxic - there was quite a bit, emotionally, that needed to be worked through - but once our three had a chance to really talk, it was handled (IMO) successfully enough. Plus, the general messiness of a lot of these romances are part of the "can't stop turning pages" reactions I have while reading. So, while I know they aren't always the healthiest, I am here for the it's-not-real-life-so-I-can-feel-less-guilty-loving-it drama. And my biggest soft spot is for the ending(s), when these poly relationships provide so much more support and love and presence than a person could get in a pairing. All those "I got you" vibes, from all directions, really get me right in the fulfilling feels.

Outside of the relationship, it was fun to revisit the Lower City and the characters there. We hadn't had a chance to do that in a little while, and there's always a bit of comfort reading in that kind of familiarity. And look, I know I said this for the last one too, but this story arc is getting real. I am finding myself invested in the outcome, the future of Olympus, far more than I would have expected. This happened with the Psy-Changling series too and, honestly, I don't hate it. It's nice to have these quick and entertaining and sort of ridiculous and definitely steamy reads sitting in reserve for when I need a break from heavier books/topics/life. There was a lot of violence in this one, as there have been in the last few, but of a different sort of style, which was a lot to read, but a nice mix-up. And we got a reveal of the big bad! I wasn't expecting the name, nor the reasoning, at all. But it fits so well and I'm really happy with it. As with everything else, Roebrt has done a great job using the original mythology as guidance for characters and themes, but continues to impress with the way she fits it into a new framework to make it something original (with many more happier endings, of course).

I'm still on board for more, y'all! Already on the library waitlist for the next (as yet to be published) installment. I am very interested to see where Ariadne’s story goes next, romantically and for the larger plot, because the setup we were given in this book was super mysterious and intriguing. Let's keep the drama (and sex) rolling onwards!

“But make no mistake, none of that threatens us, baby. We crossed that bridge tonight, and there’s no going back. You and me, we’re endgame.”

"The person I am now would never be satisfied with only witnessing magic. I want to be the one creating it."

"He’s become the boogeyman that they always accused him of being. Ironically, it’s not hate that made him this way. It’s love."

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