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taunalee's review
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
Overall, I still love this series. It took me on a fun ride and I haven't been this invested in a story and characters in a long time. However, this book was a SLOG for me for the first 70% of the book. It just didn't pull me in the way the first two books did. It got there eventually, and I absolutely love how it wrapped things up, but I really had to work for it. Also, I feel like this book's publication was maybe a bit rushed? There were a handful of typos, and some of the pacing felt off.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
lkristin2018's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Although the action and characters are well developed and engaging, I cannot give this book a good rating due to the glorification of suicide and murder as the way to solve the main problem. While the author ultimately allowed the king and Quint to escape, their intention was to die while killing the evil consuls. The glorification of suicide and looking at it as a sacrifice for the greater good is especially problematic in a book marketed to teenagers when teenagers currently have a shockingly high rate of suicide. Suicide is a tragedy, not a clever plot point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
hdcamp's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
HOLY CATS IT EXISTS IT HAS A COVER IT HAS A TITLE
WHAT ROCK HAVE I BEEN LIVING UNDER
Curses, January is so far away :(
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
😵
The actual title of this book is "Destroy the Hannah."
It was touch and go at the start. I read a few chapters and the characters didn't feel quite right. I had made the mistake of not re-reading the last two books, so I was a little forgetful of where we were in the story; the biggest issue was that I couldn't remember who Lochlan was or why I cared, which was a really bad thing. Take it from me - if you have the tendency to forget basic information about your own life like I do, you probably want to re-read before starting a sequel. It starts not long after where "Defend the Dawn" ends, and a lot happens at the end of that.
I will admit that the book isn't perfect. It has a few flaws (I'll elaborate in a moment). But it was emotional and humorous and overall quite genuine. I have only one real complaint, which I'll try to explain, but which I don't entirely understand myself. You should know that there is a M/M romance in this book that gets a lot of page time. It wasn't out of the blue, so you'll probably know who I'm talking about, but be warned: it goes farther than I was expecting. There's about as many explicit detail as has been in previous books, but actual sex is implied a few times.
And then the ending hits, and I was crying all over the place. I decided I could finish this before meeting up with some friends; none of us expected them to find me sitting on my couch with puffy eyes, completely and utterly hysterical.
The rest of this review is going to be riddled in spoilers, so if you haven't read it, consider yourself Gandalf'd
My favorite part of this whole series has always been Harristan and Corrick's relationship. I can't handle them - they just love each other so much and I love that. Even though they were separated for the whole book, it's still the best. Most of the emotions I felt were because of them. The sacrifices they made for each other, the things they learn about the roles their brother had to play after the death of their parents, the growth and change they make inspired by each other's strengths??
ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
As you may recall, Harristan is my favorite character, and has been since the beginning. I love everything about him. I am going to wait for my re-read (*sigh* someday) to more accurately assess this, but I did feel like he was a little OOC. Not terribly so, and I couldn't tell if it wasn't just the result of forgetfulness and suddenly being inside his head, or if it was genuine OOC-ness.
Quint was another of my favorite characters. He was perfection. Quint supremacy.
I think the weirdest part of this book was that Quint and Harristan had more page time than Tessa and Corrick; the latter aren't even together until the last 200 pages or so, so for this book at least Harristan and Quint are the true main characters. This is reflected in their romance. There's more page time given to Harristan/Quint (post having sex and everything) romance-wise than Tessa/Corrick got ever, like at all as I recall. That struck me as being a little weird, especially since I was expecting there to be as much Tessa/Corrick to compensate. We barely got anything from them (except for another veiled allusion to them having sex). There was a really nice proposal scene that I really liked, but that was kind of it.
And this is a challenge for me. I don't personally condone any sexual action outside of marriage. In particular, acting on feelings of same-sex attraction is described as a sin that "cries out to God." Understanding that is one thing. Applying it to people you care about (or yourself) is another entirely. This mostly just reminded me how I sometimes feel torn in two directions - and I can't imagine how much more challenging it must be for those even closer to the issue than I am. This is part of the danger in desensitization; if we are frequently interacting with positive representations of sinful actions, we have an issue on our hands. Although the characters are fictional, they elicit an emotional response (especially considering they're my favorites), and reading this is confusing even for me who is relatively quite firm in my belief here. I'm rambling a bit, but I've just been thinking about how we can love someone and simultaneously desire eternal life for them (and thus desire that their actions would be such as would lead them there), while also desiring that they find happiness, love, and community. Obviously they can have both, but society has pushed forward a "fast and easy" way to find love and happiness that is deeply flawed. Same-sex attraction is a huge wound. I can't even wrap my head around the pain of it. And I believe that same-sex attracted couples feel genuinely loving of each other, and that they can be in healthy relationships - but I also know that sexuality is a gift from God, and isn't something that we can remake to suit our fallen desires.
Maybe it isn't more challenging. Maybe I'm in my own head too much. In all honesty, I think I've been in my own head for a while now. This review is getting to be more introspective than I expected, so I'll shut up about all my musings for now and go back to being a goofball
🥴
Okay my biggest complaint of all time was that they really should have let Harristan stay dead. "But Hannah," I hear you say, "didn't you just write a wordvomit that frequently referenced how he's your favorite character?"
🙄
Yeees, and I stand by this. There was something exquisite about Harristan's death and the way in which Corrick learned of it, the way it changed him, and the effect it had on his relationship with his subjects. That painfully spectacular something is completely undone by keeping Harristan and Quint alive. Yes, it's nice. Yes, I was kind of relieved. No, I don't think I liked it. Marvel has ruined this very specific aspect of storytelling for all of us. #EndFictionalResurrection for real.
My final thought is that Rocco and Tessa made a better ship. I feel bad for Corrick, but Kemmerer just keeps introducing other men and every time I think that there is going to be a love triangle. This has been a problem for me for the whole series. Something about Corrick really wasn't holding my attention. I shipped her more with Quint there for a second. I guess Rocco and Olive were cute... I just... meh.
I did love this though 😅 As always, don't let my complaining confuse you!
WHAT ROCK HAVE I BEEN LIVING UNDER
Curses, January is so far away :(
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
😵
The actual title of this book is "Destroy the Hannah."
It was touch and go at the start. I read a few chapters and the characters didn't feel quite right. I had made the mistake of not re-reading the last two books, so I was a little forgetful of where we were in the story; the biggest issue was that I couldn't remember who Lochlan was or why I cared, which was a really bad thing. Take it from me - if you have the tendency to forget basic information about your own life like I do, you probably want to re-read before starting a sequel. It starts not long after where "Defend the Dawn" ends, and a lot happens at the end of that.
I will admit that the book isn't perfect. It has a few flaws (I'll elaborate in a moment). But it was emotional and humorous and overall quite genuine. I have only one real complaint, which I'll try to explain, but which I don't entirely understand myself. You should know that there is a M/M romance in this book that gets a lot of page time. It wasn't out of the blue, so you'll probably know who I'm talking about, but be warned: it goes farther than I was expecting. There's about as many explicit detail as has been in previous books, but actual sex is implied a few times.
And then the ending hits, and I was crying all over the place. I decided I could finish this before meeting up with some friends; none of us expected them to find me sitting on my couch with puffy eyes, completely and utterly hysterical.
The rest of this review is going to be riddled in spoilers, so if you haven't read it, consider yourself Gandalf'd
My favorite part of this whole series has always been Harristan and Corrick's relationship. I can't handle them - they just love each other so much and I love that. Even though they were separated for the whole book, it's still the best. Most of the emotions I felt were because of them. The sacrifices they made for each other, the things they learn about the roles their brother had to play after the death of their parents, the growth and change they make inspired by each other's strengths??
ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
As you may recall, Harristan is my favorite character, and has been since the beginning. I love everything about him. I am going to wait for my re-read (*sigh* someday) to more accurately assess this, but I did feel like he was a little OOC. Not terribly so, and I couldn't tell if it wasn't just the result of forgetfulness and suddenly being inside his head, or if it was genuine OOC-ness.
Quint was another of my favorite characters. He was perfection. Quint supremacy.
I think the weirdest part of this book was that Quint and Harristan had more page time than Tessa and Corrick; the latter aren't even together until the last 200 pages or so, so for this book at least Harristan and Quint are the true main characters. This is reflected in their romance. There's more page time given to Harristan/Quint (post having sex and everything) romance-wise than Tessa/Corrick got ever, like at all as I recall. That struck me as being a little weird, especially since I was expecting there to be as much Tessa/Corrick to compensate. We barely got anything from them (except for another veiled allusion to them having sex). There was a really nice proposal scene that I really liked, but that was kind of it.
And this is a challenge for me. I don't personally condone any sexual action outside of marriage. In particular, acting on feelings of same-sex attraction is described as a sin that "cries out to God." Understanding that is one thing. Applying it to people you care about (or yourself) is another entirely. This mostly just reminded me how I sometimes feel torn in two directions - and I can't imagine how much more challenging it must be for those even closer to the issue than I am. This is part of the danger in desensitization; if we are frequently interacting with positive representations of sinful actions, we have an issue on our hands. Although the characters are fictional, they elicit an emotional response (especially considering they're my favorites), and reading this is confusing even for me who is relatively quite firm in my belief here. I'm rambling a bit, but I've just been thinking about how we can love someone and simultaneously desire eternal life for them (and thus desire that their actions would be such as would lead them there), while also desiring that they find happiness, love, and community. Obviously they can have both, but society has pushed forward a "fast and easy" way to find love and happiness that is deeply flawed. Same-sex attraction is a huge wound. I can't even wrap my head around the pain of it. And I believe that same-sex attracted couples feel genuinely loving of each other, and that they can be in healthy relationships - but I also know that sexuality is a gift from God, and isn't something that we can remake to suit our fallen desires.
Maybe it isn't more challenging. Maybe I'm in my own head too much. In all honesty, I think I've been in my own head for a while now. This review is getting to be more introspective than I expected, so I'll shut up about all my musings for now and go back to being a goofball
🥴
Okay my biggest complaint of all time was that they really should have let Harristan stay dead. "But Hannah," I hear you say, "didn't you just write a wordvomit that frequently referenced how he's your favorite character?"
🙄
Yeees, and I stand by this. There was something exquisite about Harristan's death and the way in which Corrick learned of it, the way it changed him, and the effect it had on his relationship with his subjects. That painfully spectacular something is completely undone by keeping Harristan and Quint alive. Yes, it's nice. Yes, I was kind of relieved. No, I don't think I liked it. Marvel has ruined this very specific aspect of storytelling for all of us. #EndFictionalResurrection for real.
My final thought is that Rocco and Tessa made a better ship. I feel bad for Corrick, but Kemmerer just keeps introducing other men and every time I think that there is going to be a love triangle. This has been a problem for me for the whole series. Something about Corrick really wasn't holding my attention. I shipped her more with Quint there for a second. I guess Rocco and Olive were cute... I just... meh.
I did love this though 😅 As always, don't let my complaining confuse you!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and War
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Medical content, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Confinement, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
jenlferg's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Harristan is a sweet cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs.
What a wild ride this was.
What a wild ride this was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
booktalkwithrae's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Wow! I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It did not go in the direction that I thought it would, but it was entertaining from beginning to end.
The romance was definitely a little lacklustre in this one. But there was another romance that we got to enjoy to keep us satisfied. I absolutely love the romance between these two characters (I don’t want to say the names, as it could be a potential spoiler for people who have not read the first book). But if you know, you know.
I like that the romance between Tessa and Corrick was not rushed. It was very slow burn. Reuniting was so satisfying, and I loved every minute of it.
Lachlan was a surprising character development for me. I did not expect to love him as much as I did. The banter between him and Corrick was so fun and entertaining. And I really like how it shows two different sides of the same story. Sometimes making decisions for a kingdom is not easy.
The plot felt slow at times but because I love the character so much I didn’t mind. There was a lot of political intrigue in this book and very interesting character dynamics. This book had me guessing from beginning to end. There were some very shocking reveals that made me want to throw the book across the room.
My only gripe was I found the ending was very rushed, and I don’t know how I feel about the ending. In one way I am satisfied, but in another way, I wish there was a little more.
Overall, this is my trilogy from this author. This is a YA fantasy trilogy that I will recommend to anyone that wants kingdoms, princes, kings, romance, adventure, banter, secrets, politics and more.
The romance was definitely a little lacklustre in this one. But there was another romance that we got to enjoy to keep us satisfied. I absolutely love the romance between these two characters (I don’t want to say the names, as it could be a potential spoiler for people who have not read the first book). But if you know, you know.
I like that the romance between Tessa and Corrick was not rushed. It was very slow burn. Reuniting was so satisfying, and I loved every minute of it.
Lachlan was a surprising character development for me. I did not expect to love him as much as I did. The banter between him and Corrick was so fun and entertaining. And I really like how it shows two different sides of the same story. Sometimes making decisions for a kingdom is not easy.
The plot felt slow at times but because I love the character so much I didn’t mind. There was a lot of political intrigue in this book and very interesting character dynamics. This book had me guessing from beginning to end. There were some very shocking reveals that made me want to throw the book across the room.
My only gripe was I found the ending was very rushed, and I don’t know how I feel about the ending. In one way I am satisfied, but in another way, I wish there was a little more.
Overall, this is my trilogy from this author. This is a YA fantasy trilogy that I will recommend to anyone that wants kingdoms, princes, kings, romance, adventure, banter, secrets, politics and more.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content and Violence
taryn_g's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
annelihghh's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Pregnancy
pen_to_paper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
This book was a total roller coaster of emotions. It made me grin, giggle out loud and also gasp and cry uncontrollably.
The thing that really sold this book and series was the relationships between characters and how they all felt so real and raw and beautiful. The brotherly love between Corrick and Harristan felt so true even though they were separated. Tessa and Corrick still stole my heart, but honestly I enjoyed other romantic relationships more.
The relationship between Quint and Harristan was something I'd desperately wanted since book 1 and it was in my opinion the best romance of the series. Killing them both was the most devastating part, but it was still beautiful and the way it happened was on par for the relationship they'd built through the book.
The book just had the perfect ending too. When everything seemed settled, the ending just really shocked me. I'm really thrilled Harristan and Quint lived in the end, they deserved it and their ending is so beautiful.
Put it simply, this book just thrilled me the whole way through.
The thing that really sold this book and series was the relationships between characters and how they all felt so real and raw and beautiful. The brotherly love between Corrick and Harristan felt so true even though they were separated. Tessa and Corrick still stole my heart, but honestly I enjoyed other romantic relationships more.
The book just had the perfect ending too. When everything seemed settled, the ending just really shocked me.
Put it simply, this book just thrilled me the whole way through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Vomit