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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I'm sorry but this book is not for me.
This is the first book in the twisted love duet act by Alice Anders and it is a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling with the similar family dynamics. It's more enemies to lovers but the back story is the one that is more like enemies to lovers.
There's a lot of trigger warnings in this book and I suggest that you read it before you commit to this book.
In all honesty I felt like the female main character was a bit to weak for my liking and male male character was a bit too abrupt and absolutely cruel even towards the girl especially when he is anger or when he is triggered by something. Additionally there's no consistency between the characteristics of the both the female main character as well as a main male character which annoyed me a little bit.
The story moves a bit too fast for my liking because one moment a character is alive and well and the next page they are dead so there was no proper flow to the story and I feel that sort of contributed into my rating of the book as well.
But I must say that the word building the family is and the dynamic between the families was really really well written.
All in all I do not think that this book is for me however this book does end in a cliff hanger so I am currently 68% in the next book just see where the story is headed.
This is the first book in the twisted love duet act by Alice Anders and it is a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling with the similar family dynamics. It's more enemies to lovers but the back story is the one that is more like enemies to lovers.
There's a lot of trigger warnings in this book and I suggest that you read it before you commit to this book.
In all honesty I felt like the female main character was a bit to weak for my liking and male male character was a bit too abrupt and absolutely cruel even towards the girl especially when he is anger or when he is triggered by something. Additionally there's no consistency between the characteristics of the both the female main character as well as a main male character which annoyed me a little bit.
The story moves a bit too fast for my liking because one moment a character is alive and well and the next page they are dead so there was no proper flow to the story and I feel that sort of contributed into my rating of the book as well.
But I must say that the word building the family is and the dynamic between the families was really really well written.
All in all I do not think that this book is for me however this book does end in a cliff hanger so I am currently 68% in the next book just see where the story is headed.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a dark and intense. revenge-filled, Romeo and Juliet retelling, following the lives of Roman Montague and Rose Capulet in the city of Verona Bay, six years after Roman had been exiled for killing Rose's cousin Tybalt. Much like in the original story, the Montagues and Capulets are fierce rivals and when Roman and Rose meet they fall in love. In the story's six year time jump however, we learn Rose has married Paris(who is not very kind or gentle) and Roman holds some series grudges and is back with a revenge plan. The big questions of the story are whether Roman and Rose will reconcile or if they feel too betrayed by each other. Which family will come out on top? Will they all get out of this alive?
I was so invested in this story and its characters. It was well written and I had a hard time putting it down to take care of real life activities. The story is full of darkness and tension and heartbreak lurks around every corner. It was so well written that I'm hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for the second book in the duology to come out to find out how whings are going to finish.
I was so invested in this story and its characters. It was well written and I had a hard time putting it down to take care of real life activities. The story is full of darkness and tension and heartbreak lurks around every corner. It was so well written that I'm hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for the second book in the duology to come out to find out how whings are going to finish.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
DNFed at 50%. Both main characters were trash. Rose was whiny and boring. Roman is a rapist. It wasn't cute. It wasn't sexy. And in 50% of the book, nothing happened. Just so much nothing.
“Downfall" by Ellie Sanders, it’s a dark and twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. Heads up, there are some heavy topics in there, so make sure you check out the content warnings before diving in. Also, Ellie's got that British flair, which might throw you off a bit with the words and phrases, but personally, I rolled with it just fine.
Now, Roman and Rose – these two had me hooked. From the get-go, you know their love story is doomed, but they're all in, thinking love's gonna conquer everything... until it doesn't.
Rose's life has been like a rollercoaster ride from hell and it goes from bad to worse. Her family is all about power and prestige, treating her like a pawn in some messed-up game. But here’s the thing – no matter what crap gets thrown at her, she stands tall. Everyone sees her as the sunshine princess, but behind the scenes she’s dealing with some heavy stuff, forced to play a role just to protect the only thing that matters in her life. She also thinks that Roman betrayed her when she needed him the most. Even though she's got a truckload of hate for him, deep down, she knows he's the only man she'll ever truly love.
Roman, on the other hand, is the Montague heir, head over heels for Rose, who just so happens to be from the enemy Capulet family. Classic star-crossed lovers, right? One day, though, everything changes, and he’s convinced his soulmate stabbed him in the back. Cue the revenge vow.
Fast forward six years, and Roman's back from exile, with revenge still burning in his veins. But he's not the same guy anymore – he's harder, ruthless even. He's stalking Rose, plotting his payback. But, he starts seeing things that don’t add up with what he thought was the truth. Despite it all, he's still in love with Rose. And when the truth spills, I love how he switches gears – he becomes more patient and gentler with her, trying to prove he's still the man she fell for and earn her trust.
Not gonna sugarcoat it, though - Roman pulls some seriously messed-up moves on Rose that had me fuming. But then you start thinking about how she betrayed him and the fallout of her actions. It doesn’t make what he did right, not even close. I’m just glad Sophia showed up when she did.
Overall, I really liked this book. The storytelling flips between past and present, and the side characters? Loved 'em, even the ones I can't wait to see get what's coming. The pace is on point – couldn't put it down. It ends with a gut-wrenching cliffhanger and I’m so glad I can jump straight into book 2.
But fair warning, this isn’t a light, fluffy read. This story is packed with hate, malice, and revenge. Some twists you might see coming, but others blindsided me, and that's the good stuff! If you're into a dark and twisted Romeo and Juliet vibe, this one's for you!
Now, Roman and Rose – these two had me hooked. From the get-go, you know their love story is doomed, but they're all in, thinking love's gonna conquer everything... until it doesn't.
Rose's life has been like a rollercoaster ride from hell and it goes from bad to worse. Her family is all about power and prestige, treating her like a pawn in some messed-up game. But here’s the thing – no matter what crap gets thrown at her, she stands tall. Everyone sees her as the sunshine princess, but behind the scenes she’s dealing with some heavy stuff, forced to play a role just to protect the only thing that matters in her life. She also thinks that Roman betrayed her when she needed him the most. Even though she's got a truckload of hate for him, deep down, she knows he's the only man she'll ever truly love.
Roman, on the other hand, is the Montague heir, head over heels for Rose, who just so happens to be from the enemy Capulet family. Classic star-crossed lovers, right? One day, though, everything changes, and he’s convinced his soulmate stabbed him in the back. Cue the revenge vow.
Fast forward six years, and Roman's back from exile, with revenge still burning in his veins. But he's not the same guy anymore – he's harder, ruthless even. He's stalking Rose, plotting his payback. But, he starts seeing things that don’t add up with what he thought was the truth. Despite it all, he's still in love with Rose. And when the truth spills, I love how he switches gears – he becomes more patient and gentler with her, trying to prove he's still the man she fell for and earn her trust.
Not gonna sugarcoat it, though - Roman pulls some seriously messed-up moves on Rose that had me fuming. But then you start thinking about how she betrayed him and the fallout of her actions. It doesn’t make what he did right, not even close. I’m just glad Sophia showed up when she did.
Overall, I really liked this book. The storytelling flips between past and present, and the side characters? Loved 'em, even the ones I can't wait to see get what's coming. The pace is on point – couldn't put it down. It ends with a gut-wrenching cliffhanger and I’m so glad I can jump straight into book 2.
But fair warning, this isn’t a light, fluffy read. This story is packed with hate, malice, and revenge. Some twists you might see coming, but others blindsided me, and that's the good stuff! If you're into a dark and twisted Romeo and Juliet vibe, this one's for you!
"He's the love of my life. My soulmate. And yet I've stabbed him in the back. But I had no choice...."
Downfall is a dark, modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Keeping that in mind, I went into this novel as blind as possible and I was pleasantly surprised at how much it kept to the source material, while also being its own story. The author does not shy away from dark aspects, and I found myself feeling sick to my stomach at some situations, and getting so, so angry and disgusted towards certain characters in others. I'm hoping to see a bit more character development from the MC's in book 2, and with the cliffhanger I have every hope I'm going to get it...however I am unsure if there is a HEA here because of the source material. Am I hopeful? Of course, but I have no doubt the author will do these characters justice no matter where their story ends! 3.5 stars for this one, I liked it!
The trigger warnings are there for a reason - if you are sensitive whatsoever to anything mentioned in them I would use caution with this book as it is quite detailed in some scenes.
Downfall is a dark, modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Keeping that in mind, I went into this novel as blind as possible and I was pleasantly surprised at how much it kept to the source material, while also being its own story. The author does not shy away from dark aspects, and I found myself feeling sick to my stomach at some situations, and getting so, so angry and disgusted towards certain characters in others. I'm hoping to see a bit more character development from the MC's in book 2, and with the cliffhanger I have every hope I'm going to get it...however I am unsure if there is a HEA here because of the source material. Am I hopeful? Of course, but I have no doubt the author will do these characters justice no matter where their story ends! 3.5 stars for this one, I liked it!
The trigger warnings are there for a reason - if you are sensitive whatsoever to anything mentioned in them I would use caution with this book as it is quite detailed in some scenes.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved the writing in this. She really did the story justice but the things she went through absolutely broke my heart. Can't wait to start the next one