Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I...well, this was... different.
This wasn't Fantasy Romance - this was uncensored fairy-tale porn. Not gonna lie, I kind of enjoyed the book though the plot was thin and I would have loved to know more about the character's backstories. Let's see what part two brings.
This wasn't Fantasy Romance - this was uncensored fairy-tale porn. Not gonna lie, I kind of enjoyed the book though the plot was thin and I would have loved to know more about the character's backstories. Let's see what part two brings.
The premise of this story was totally on brand for me. Beauty and the Beast re-telling! Shifters! Magical curse! Beasties! Spice!
The story was interesting enough for me to finish the book, but the writing style wasn't for me. I'm sad that it ended on a cliffhanger, and the jury is still out on whether or not I will read the next book.
The story was interesting enough for me to finish the book, but the writing style wasn't for me. I'm sad that it ended on a cliffhanger, and the jury is still out on whether or not I will read the next book.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Graphic: Sexual content
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Wtf did I just read? Did anything happen? I’m confused.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book reads like a horrific car crash that you just can't look away from, even though you know it'd be safer for you to. I feel bad that my friend spent money on it as a gift for me.
Writing quality: I was on fanfiction.net 10 years ago. I've read some bad writing. A Ruin of Roses was somehow worse. I felt like I was reading the early draft of a thirteen-year-old's dragon omegaverse fanfic. It's a perplexing blend of traditional fantasy setting with out-of-place modern language, like thr author couldn't decide where and when the book was set. Do not, under any circumstances, go into this book thinking you'll find quality writing, strong plot, or realistic dialogue. Be prepared to cringe—a lot—and sometimes even gag over how bad it is. And if you love Beauty and the Beast, just...go read ACOTAR or something. At least that's better than this.
Characters: I mean, they're...characters. It seemed to me that the author was going for the brash-but-brilliant beauty archetype with Finley, but it just fell flat. Her inner monologue was painful to read, and when shestarted communicating with her "animal," it was wildly uncomfortable. You should also know this book is deeply patriarchal while attempting to subvert the patriarchy, and it has a bunch of bullshit "men are so hopeless without women" and "women must set men straight" lines. And good god, Hadriel?! Somehow this author has managed to make a one-dimensional twit with a baseless obsession with "shamefucking" out of Lumière.
Spice: You could say this is 🌶🌶🌶🌶, but frankly, that makes it seem like it's good spice. There is a way to write a lightly plotted smut story, and this ain't it. As other reviewers note, there is not penetrative sex between the FMC and MMC in book 1, but they do everything else. That'd be totally fine if it felt like there was something building between the two of them. In reality, their dynamics give you whiplash for no good reason, and so the smut payout doesn't even feel good. Also, the author was very much going for a debauched-court vibe but succeeded only in an amateurish caricaturization.
Final verdict: In this economy, I do not recommend spending your hard-earned Smut Cash on this book. If you get a free copy or read it on KU, you may have fun with just how cringey it is. And hey, I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum. If you love this book, go off. Personally, I'll think twice about trusting anyone who recommends it.
But again, this is like a car crash you can't stop staring at so...I'll probably give book 2 a shot on KU. Maybe it gets better once they finallyrealize they're true mates or whatever Breene calls it in this universe.
Update: Book 2 is 615 pages long (on KU at least). I can almost guarantee it's overwritten to hell and back, so we'll see how far I get.
Writing quality: I was on fanfiction.net 10 years ago. I've read some bad writing. A Ruin of Roses was somehow worse. I felt like I was reading the early draft of a thirteen-year-old's dragon omegaverse fanfic. It's a perplexing blend of traditional fantasy setting with out-of-place modern language, like thr author couldn't decide where and when the book was set. Do not, under any circumstances, go into this book thinking you'll find quality writing, strong plot, or realistic dialogue. Be prepared to cringe—a lot—and sometimes even gag over how bad it is. And if you love Beauty and the Beast, just...go read ACOTAR or something. At least that's better than this.
Characters: I mean, they're...characters. It seemed to me that the author was going for the brash-but-brilliant beauty archetype with Finley, but it just fell flat. Her inner monologue was painful to read, and when she
Spice: You could say this is 🌶🌶🌶🌶, but frankly, that makes it seem like it's good spice. There is a way to write a lightly plotted smut story, and this ain't it. As other reviewers note, there is not penetrative sex between the FMC and MMC in book 1, but they do everything else. That'd be totally fine if it felt like there was something building between the two of them. In reality, their dynamics give you whiplash for no good reason, and so the smut payout doesn't even feel good. Also, the author was very much going for a debauched-court vibe but succeeded only in an amateurish caricaturization.
Final verdict: In this economy, I do not recommend spending your hard-earned Smut Cash on this book. If you get a free copy or read it on KU, you may have fun with just how cringey it is. And hey, I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum. If you love this book, go off. Personally, I'll think twice about trusting anyone who recommends it.
But again, this is like a car crash you can't stop staring at so...I'll probably give book 2 a shot on KU. Maybe it gets better once they finally
Update: Book 2 is 615 pages long (on KU at least). I can almost guarantee it's overwritten to hell and back, so we'll see how far I get.
Oh my god this was so BAD. I disliked everything about this. The story made 0 sense, the characters were annoying and all they wanted to do was to fuck. The alpha vibes were laughable. Also the FMC's swearing was so cringe