Scan barcode
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Fun addition to the series!
I'm impressed by how Robert managed to redeem Eurydice and Orpheus' relationship – never would've imagined I'd like them together again. This is a poly relationship with Charon, too, but Charon and Eurydice only start dating at the beginning of the book as well which makes it all a bit too unstable for me, there's a lack of foundation with Charon and Eurydice's relationship which makes it hard to believe that they're the stable couple here, the couple Orpheus yearns to be a part of. This was probably done to not copy the Patroclus x Achilles x Helen relationship but I don't think I would've minded a repeat of that! The latter seemed a lot more natural imo.
I've not been quiet about the fact that I'm primarily here for the romance, not for the politics. I still don't think it was necessary to turn a series that started as "Modern!Hades has a sex club lol" into "Here are the intricate politics and diplomacy involved in trying to run a Modern!Olympus". I love scheming just as much as the next person but please Katee, this isn't ASOIAF. All that to say, I've had my suspicions on who the Big Bad was for some time now and I'm both elated at the reveal and a bit disappointed that this is the route we're going for when this is supposed to be this great feminist retelling. Hope that resonates with someone and I'm not alone!
Loved seeing more of Hades and Persephone again, they remain the best couple in this series for me (with the best book as well) and it's great to see how Persephone's grown into her role as Hades' partner. With Charon as an MC we really return back to Hades' realm and it felt like coming back to my favourite dysfunctional home.
As much as the pet play was advertised for this book, it didn't play that much of a part! Didn't think I'd be into it (and I'm still not really lol) but it was fun and even if the actual play didn't have that many scenes there were loads of dog puns that I chuckled at.
Like other reviewers have said, I'm too far in to stop now – let's see how Roberts manages to fit BDSM into a more and more complex political story next...
I'm impressed by how Robert managed to redeem Eurydice and Orpheus' relationship – never would've imagined I'd like them together again. This is a poly relationship with Charon, too, but Charon and Eurydice only start dating at the beginning of the book as well which makes it all a bit too unstable for me, there's a lack of foundation with Charon and Eurydice's relationship which makes it hard to believe that they're the stable couple here, the couple Orpheus yearns to be a part of. This was probably done to not copy the Patroclus x Achilles x Helen relationship but I don't think I would've minded a repeat of that! The latter seemed a lot more natural imo.
I've not been quiet about the fact that I'm primarily here for the romance, not for the politics. I still don't think it was necessary to turn a series that started as "Modern!Hades has a sex club lol" into "Here are the intricate politics and diplomacy involved in trying to run a Modern!Olympus". I love scheming just as much as the next person but please Katee, this isn't ASOIAF. All that to say, I've had my suspicions on who the Big Bad was for some time now and I'm both elated at the reveal and a bit disappointed that this is the route we're going for when this is supposed to be this great feminist retelling. Hope that resonates with someone and I'm not alone!
Loved seeing more of Hades and Persephone again, they remain the best couple in this series for me (with the best book as well) and it's great to see how Persephone's grown into her role as Hades' partner. With Charon as an MC we really return back to Hades' realm and it felt like coming back to my favourite dysfunctional home.
As much as the pet play was advertised for this book, it didn't play that much of a part! Didn't think I'd be into it (and I'm still not really lol) but it was fun and even if the actual play didn't have that many scenes there were loads of dog puns that I chuckled at.
Like other reviewers have said, I'm too far in to stop now – let's see how Roberts manages to fit BDSM into a more and more complex political story next...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship, Gun violence, War, Death, and Medical content
corrieroe's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, Medical content, and Gun violence
Minor: Stalking
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I identify with Orpheus. That’s it. That’s the review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content and Confinement
descent to the underworld, the whole book is grovel, MMF why choose romance, Eurydice is a switch, fuckboy turned good man, oh shit I came too fast because it feels too good, everyone is queer, paying sexy penance, kinky body paint, shame kink, praise kinkbooksandteatime's review against another edition
dark
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, War, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Blood, and Death
emmsbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Dark Olympus Series has been great fun for me from the beginning and thus far there has not been a single one of these books I haven’t liked, Midnight Ruin was no exception and was a wild ride from start to finish. Whilst the books in these series are technically interconnected standalone’s you can not fully appreciate the story without having read the other books in the series before reading Midnight Ruin.
And ohh boy did this book jump right in! We get a taste of some of the juicy stuff between Orpheus, Charon and Eurydice really early on (considering the last few Dark Olympus books were a bit more slow burn this was a nice treat). From Book One we have been drip fed information about Eurydice and we have watched her character grow through the perspective of different protagonists who vary in their proximity to her (her sisters, mothers colleagues and general acquaintances) so it is very exciting to see this cut throat world through her eyes. Her self-exploration and growth was well rounded and her interactions with Orpheus and Charon had good flow.
While this story was majority character driven and led, the overarching plot continued to advance in this story. It has been a while since we have had a story anchored mostly in the Lower City and we continued to see additional layers in the city of New Olympus. This book continued to add elements to the political intrigue and built on the established dynamics. Katee Roberts writing is also so wonderfully considerate of its audience, there is complete transparency with trigger warnings at the start and the effort in ensuring balanced representation of all types of people of different backgrounds, identities and sexualities is something that the genre desperately needs, she does it well and without fanfare. Midnight Ruin showcased a very diverse cast of characters who just went about their business, it was fantastic.
My only criticism is the same as it has been with the last two Dark Olympus books, it needed to be just a little bit longer. I’d love for just a tiny bit more exploration at the end to make it a little less abrupt, but I know that this is a series of interconnected stories and I have complete faith that this series will be tied together with the right level of closure at the appropriate moment in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Abortion, War, Violence, Pregnancy, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
More...