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nineinchnails's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was by far my favourite in the series. if the whole book was them in blackchurch it might've been like 4.5 stars or higher because i really loved the vibes and the dynamics there - it kinda reminded me why i love reading RH because my favourite RH series are actually pretty similar vibes wise.
i think being able to personally relate to a lot of emmy's experience made the book hit a lot harder for me than the others in this series, because PD managed to portray how it feels to walk on eggshells like that surprisingly accurately. the prose isn't amazing and there were a few spelling/grammar issues (nowhere near as bad as a lot of other DR tho imo) but i found the flashbacks so moving. in most of the other books i found the flashback chapters a bit of a chore to read but i was tearing through these!
i liked damon even more in this book. it might be because his "friendship" with emory felt realistic and pretty natural (especially compared to rika in kill switch lol) so it less like a character assassination than in his book. speaking of rika, i liked her a lot more in nightfall - she also felt more authentic than she did in kill switch! for some reason a lot of alex's scenes and interactions felt somewhat forced or out of character and i can't put a finger on why exactly. there seemed to be a big emphasis on her relationship with will and their past hookups to the point it felt like overkill buther with aydin was perfect and i'm really relieved they ended up together .
i really liked the characterisation in this book and ended up liking the new characters way more than i expected. i was scared i'd end this book not caring about emmy and will's relationship since he's been obsessed with her since like the first book but it was developed well + i could understand why they fell in love. however, the last bit of the book (and the epilogue) fell a little flat for me and i'm not sure why, other than the pacing. i think it might be because there was so many characters together it was just a lot to keep track of, or something like that? anyways in regards to thetrain scene i'm so glad damon gave all the guys a little discipline bc i thought he was just witnessing that and it disturbed me a little that he was cool with all that .
i think being able to personally relate to a lot of emmy's experience made the book hit a lot harder for me than the others in this series, because PD managed to portray how it feels to walk on eggshells like that surprisingly accurately. the prose isn't amazing and there were a few spelling/grammar issues (nowhere near as bad as a lot of other DR tho imo) but i found the flashbacks so moving. in most of the other books i found the flashback chapters a bit of a chore to read but i was tearing through these!
i liked damon even more in this book. it might be because his "friendship" with emory felt realistic and pretty natural (especially compared to rika in kill switch lol) so it less like a character assassination than in his book. speaking of rika, i liked her a lot more in nightfall - she also felt more authentic than she did in kill switch! for some reason a lot of alex's scenes and interactions felt somewhat forced or out of character and i can't put a finger on why exactly. there seemed to be a big emphasis on her relationship with will and their past hookups to the point it felt like overkill but
i really liked the characterisation in this book and ended up liking the new characters way more than i expected. i was scared i'd end this book not caring about emmy and will's relationship since he's been obsessed with her since like the first book but it was developed well + i could understand why they fell in love. however, the last bit of the book (and the epilogue) fell a little flat for me and i'm not sure why, other than the pacing. i think it might be because there was so many characters together it was just a lot to keep track of, or something like that? anyways in regards to the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Death, Suicide, Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
sleepysadpoet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
CRYING, SCREAMING AND THROWING UPPPP
WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S OVER????
I pretty much knew from the beginning that Will was my favorite (Kai being second). This man is a die-hard simp and I love that for him. Mans is feisty too, and despite being warm and the one who makes people laugh, he can be cold as ice. I highlighted and annotated so much in the kindle app, but I think this may be my favorite in the series, hideaway being a close second.
I really like the concept of Blackchurch. Where powerful people send their kids that can't act right. But man from the beginning of this book I was mad as hell that Martin wasn't there because that man is a whole ass DEMON. He got what he deserved every time it came to him, and Kai and Will are kings for beating the snot out of the MF. If it were me, they wouldn't have gone to prison for it but that's because FUCK COPS.
I love that Emory and Will found each other again and that time didn't change anything. They were meant to be. I love the masks returning, as well, and the friendship between Emory and Damon is UNMATCHED. Damon's still an asshole but the shared understanding they have is everything <3.
I love that in every book in the series, the horsemen have growth. They're menaces to everyone else, but they love each other so much.
I feel like I don't know what to do now that the series is over.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S OVER????
I pretty much knew from the beginning that Will was my favorite (Kai being second). This man is a die-hard simp and I love that for him. Mans is feisty too, and despite being warm and the one who makes people laugh, he can be cold as ice. I highlighted and annotated so much in the kindle app, but I think this may be my favorite in the series, hideaway being a close second.
I really like the concept of Blackchurch. Where powerful people send their kids that can't act right. But man from the beginning of this book I was mad as hell that Martin wasn't there because that man is a whole ass DEMON. He got what he deserved every time it came to him, and Kai and Will are kings for beating the snot out of the MF. If it were me, they wouldn't have gone to prison for it but that's because FUCK COPS.
I love that Emory and Will found each other again and that time didn't change anything. They were meant to be. I love the masks returning, as well, and the friendship between Emory and Damon is UNMATCHED. Damon's still an asshole but the shared understanding they have is everything <3.
I love that in every book in the series, the horsemen have growth. They're menaces to everyone else, but they love each other so much.
I feel like I don't know what to do now that the series is over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Police brutality
sevendoteight's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Murder
francess_m's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Police brutality, and Stalking
jen1804's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Difficult to rate this book because there was a lot I liked but also a lot I didn’t like. This book is so long and if I’m honest it kind of all felt a bit disjointed what with the time we spent in Blackchurch, the flashbacks and the trying to figure out how everything fitted in with the timeline that we’d been given during the other horsemen’s books. Parts of it felt straight up ridiculous and out of nowhere and left me feeling baffled. Like where did this rando girl Athos even actually come from all of a sudden who has now been adopted by Rika and Michael.
I also personally felt that the descriptions at times were lacking to the point where I found I was getting confused about where they were and what was happening and the logistics of it all.
The scenes of Martin abusing Emory were so graphic and so excruciating to read. I felt so sad for Em. I think Penelope Douglas did a good job of making us despise Martin and portraying the mind of a domestic abuse victim. Harrowing.
The friendship that blossomed between Em and Damon was so endearing, understanding each other’s pain and keeping each other’s secrets, though I feel robbed of not getting to witness Will’s reaction to Em telling him about Natalya and why they were in the school showers together that night. I love that Damon gave Em the carfax room from one abused child to another, and I love that Damon and Emory now have a design and building business together, plus him rebuilding the gazebo using her blueprints was just beautiful.
So glad Martin fucking died. But I so badly wanted Damon to dive off the cliff after Will and be the one to pull him out of the water as a kinda full circle moment.
I loved the romantic scenes between Will and Emory so much, they were so cute, I bookmarked so many of their lines, especially their flashbacks from when they were in school. I liked seeing the female play a more dominant part too. There was not enough romance content though! And the ‘present’ scenes seemed too rushed. Like woah that marriage proposal did not have enough of a present day romantic foundation behind it after all the spiteful Blackchurch behaviour for it to make sense.
As much as I thought the marriage was quick though I can forgive it, because the four way wedding was everything and I adored that so much!
If I’m being honest Will’s Blackchurch agenda kinda doesn’t really make a great deal of sense to me, like whatever, and the whole Aydin/Alex sub plot is just a big nope. But I’m glad Will’s grandpa was a double crossing legend and seeing their relationship with each other was lush.
I did however really like that Will discovered Coldfield and the tunnels and I loved the idea of their own private access to all these places around Thunder Bay and Meridian City including tunnels to each other’s houses.
I wasn’t very happy about how angry Will was about the whole Em being ‘the reason they went to prison’ thing, because let’s be clear it was NOT her fault and she did not in fact owe any one of them an apology. This series is basically full of the guys holding grudges over miscommunication, lol.
The train carriage scene was weird but I guess also not unexpected from this bunch of characters! Pahahhh.
Overall I enjoyed it, and really loved the insight into their kids ten years later that we got in the epilogue. I love that these four guys who were basically entitled assholes in high school let’s be real, have all found a strong woman who’s their match and equal. I really enjoyed the context of found family throughout this series and the love that is woven through all of them.
Satisfactory ending? Yes.
I also personally felt that the descriptions at times were lacking to the point where I found I was getting confused about where they were and what was happening and the logistics of it all.
The scenes of Martin abusing Emory were so graphic and so excruciating to read. I felt so sad for Em. I think Penelope Douglas did a good job of making us despise Martin and portraying the mind of a domestic abuse victim. Harrowing.
The friendship that blossomed between Em and Damon was so endearing, understanding each other’s pain and keeping each other’s secrets, though I feel robbed of not getting to witness Will’s reaction to Em telling him about Natalya and why they were in the school showers together that night. I love that Damon gave Em the carfax room from one abused child to another, and I love that Damon and Emory now have a design and building business together, plus him rebuilding the gazebo using her blueprints was just beautiful.
So glad Martin fucking died. But I so badly wanted Damon to dive off the cliff after Will and be the one to pull him out of the water as a kinda full circle moment.
I loved the romantic scenes between Will and Emory so much, they were so cute, I bookmarked so many of their lines, especially their flashbacks from when they were in school. I liked seeing the female play a more dominant part too. There was not enough romance content though! And the ‘present’ scenes seemed too rushed. Like woah that marriage proposal did not have enough of a present day romantic foundation behind it after all the spiteful Blackchurch behaviour for it to make sense.
As much as I thought the marriage was quick though I can forgive it, because the four way wedding was everything and I adored that so much!
If I’m being honest Will’s Blackchurch agenda kinda doesn’t really make a great deal of sense to me, like whatever, and the whole Aydin/Alex sub plot is just a big nope. But I’m glad Will’s grandpa was a double crossing legend and seeing their relationship with each other was lush.
I did however really like that Will discovered Coldfield and the tunnels and I loved the idea of their own private access to all these places around Thunder Bay and Meridian City including tunnels to each other’s houses.
I wasn’t very happy about how angry Will was about the whole Em being ‘the reason they went to prison’ thing, because let’s be clear it was NOT her fault and she did not in fact owe any one of them an apology. This series is basically full of the guys holding grudges over miscommunication, lol.
The train carriage scene was weird but I guess also not unexpected from this bunch of characters! Pahahhh.
Overall I enjoyed it, and really loved the insight into their kids ten years later that we got in the epilogue. I love that these four guys who were basically entitled assholes in high school let’s be real, have all found a strong woman who’s their match and equal. I really enjoyed the context of found family throughout this series and the love that is woven through all of them.
Satisfactory ending? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicide, Police brutality, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
coligmueller's review against another edition
3.0
The book was ruined because they spent too much time trying to round out the series (which they did not do well) rather than focusing on Will and Emory. Also the complete 180 with Alex and Aydin was ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Stalking, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
romanysky's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy and Violence
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Police brutality
noveltay's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
If you like miscommunication, toxic relationships, and hard to read abuse with very sweet flashbacks of falling in love: this ones a great book to read!
This book was a good way to end the series, although this one personally was the “least realistic”. Will is hard to love for me, but the flashbacks were making me fall in love with him. Emory is very hard to love but for the wrong reasons for me.. she clearly is a victim in MANY ways, but I feel like she prolonged a lot of communication the entire book (NOT in the flashbacks though- that was reasonable given her situation).
This book did have me fall in love with Damon even more, Kill Switch being my favorite of the series.
This book was a good way to end the series, although this one personally was the “least realistic”. Will is hard to love for me, but the flashbacks were making me fall in love with him. Emory is very hard to love but for the wrong reasons for me.. she clearly is a victim in MANY ways, but I feel like she prolonged a lot of communication the entire book (NOT in the flashbacks though- that was reasonable given her situation).
This book did have me fall in love with Damon even more, Kill Switch being my favorite of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
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