You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
loved this story
Rhage is so swoon worthy and his & Mary’s story is so sweet and endearing. I loved seeing their relationship a couple years down the road and how they worked through their issues. The side stories were great as well. This book will give you all the feels!! <3
Rhage is so swoon worthy and his & Mary’s story is so sweet and endearing. I loved seeing their relationship a couple years down the road and how they worked through their issues. The side stories were great as well. This book will give you all the feels!! <3
I love Rhage and Mary ... while I was happy they were getting a follow-up book, I wasn't looking forward to reading through the difficulties. Once again, Ward knocks it out of the park. It was nice to see more of the war against the lessers. The touch on the new trainees was a nice tie-in to the Legacy spin off.
So many feels for Rhage and Mary. Watching them struggle with infertility was difficult. Bitty is amazing! She is such a pistol. Her connection to Rhage just melts my heart. Their bonding over his GTO made my heart sing.
Assail ... oh my... I was really on the fence about him. I have to say, I'm much more invested in his storyline than I was going into this book.
Layla/Qhuinn/Blay have a pretty dramatic part of the book. Xcor is in a precarious situation ... and I can't wait for Layla to drop her bombshell news she discovered. I can hardly wait to see that play out!!
Throe is still up to no good. It'll be interesting to see what he does now after his slight set back. (Zadist was AWESOME in that part of the book). It was nice to Sexton pop in this book.
So many feels for Rhage and Mary. Watching them struggle with infertility was difficult. Bitty is amazing! She is such a pistol. Her connection to Rhage just melts my heart. Their bonding over his GTO made my heart sing.
Assail ... oh my... I was really on the fence about him. I have to say, I'm much more invested in his storyline than I was going into this book.
Layla/Qhuinn/Blay have a pretty dramatic part of the book. Xcor is in a precarious situation ... and I can't wait for Layla to drop her bombshell news she discovered. I can hardly wait to see that play out!!
Throe is still up to no good. It'll be interesting to see what he does now after his slight set back. (Zadist was AWESOME in that part of the book). It was nice to Sexton pop in this book.
Fun read
Fun read, missed the BDB. I feel like i missed the one before this though going to read that one shortly
Fun read, missed the BDB. I feel like i missed the one before this though going to read that one shortly
I'm happy. It's been a long time since I've reached the end of a BDB book and could say that, but I am. JR Ward gave Rhage and Mary the perfect second book to continue on their story. Full review to come.
I found the main storyline of Rhage, Mary, and Bitty to be melodramatic and predictable. It was VERY repetitive and so sugar-coated that I had trouble reading through the eye-rolling. However, some of the other side story lines were great. I'm still really hooked on the Layla/Xcor story, and I thought Assail's character development was good. I'm also very curious about JoJo and where she will end up in this world. I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of Paradise in this volume when the author was clearly setting her up for her own story in the last book. I'm still enjoying the series, but maybe she's running out of ideas? The repetitiveness of the story lines is getting to me.
I would consider myself to be a huge JR Ward fan. Since I first discovered the Black Dagger Brotherhood (and devouring the first six books in a week!), I've been a devoted reader and I anxiously look forward to each new instalment. Whereas the first eleven or so books in this series were mostly devoted to a single couple, there has started to be a trend where Ward releases a book revisiting a couple from the past and then a new couple then another book focusing on a previous couple. It's nice in theory. I loved these characters when I first read their happily ever afters and it's nice to see them again now in the future and just how happy their ever afters were.
I was excited to read The Beast. Rhage and Mary from Lover Eternal have been one of my favourite BDB couples. There was just something so fun and romantic about their meeting and falling in love which keeps me reading and rereading their book. I was curious as to how things went for them after everything the Scribe Virgin did for them and how they were dealing with the price.
But in so many ways The Beast is a bit of a filler book. The kind of book which doesn't really add much substance to the overall series and would probably have been better if it was just a couple of novellas instead. One focused on Rhage and Mary. Possibly one of Layla's storyline.
Why do I say this?
Because I felt like Rhage and Mary's plot was predictable. I loved how the novel started for them. Action and angst and all that delicious kind of stuff I read for. But after the initial scene I found my attention waning. The sexfests between them were red hot and love reading them but the whole dealing with Mary's infertility storyline was just boring to me. There were just no surprises at all. Not just in terms of how things ended with them but the whole flow was exactly what I was expecting. The Rhage and Mary part of the book took up the most pages but I really think the entire story could have been summed up in 50 pages.
Layla's story was fairly slow moving but did add some rather important things of note for the series as a whole. And I wanted her to have more interaction with a certain BOB leader.
There was a few points of interest with a new character I'd not read about before but her side of the story felt like a lot of pages with nothing much happening. I am interested to see just how her path intersects with the Brothers but I'm not convinced she needed this much screen time considering how much her part of things impacted on the plot as a whole.
The best part of this book for me was the Assail side of things and that did surprise me. Normally I kind of gloss over anything bits concerning him but I loved reading his emotional turmoil, how his addiction was plaguing him and a few other bits and pieces I don't want to spoil. I'm excited to see how his part in this book affects the future for the Brotherhood.
Overall, The Beast was a little slow moving and not what I was expected from a Black Dagger Brotherhood novel. I loved seeing how Rhage and Mary's relationship had matured since meeting and falling in love but it didn't deliver in terms of excitement and drama I was hoping for. There were a few things in this book which I think will be relevant in the future but I think I could sum up anything important in a five sentence paragraph. This book was a nice way to pass the time but not essential for the series as a whole (and yes, I do understand how arrogant that makes me seem considering I have no idea what comes next in the series yet).
After angsting all novel about not being able to have their own children, Mary and Rhage adopt Bitty - the daughter of the first mother/daughter family Mary dealt with at Safe House.
Layla gives birth to twins (a girl named after Blay's mother and a boy given a Brotherhood name) prematurely but it does seem like they will live. She also finds out Xcor is the son of Tohrment's father.
Some random human woman discovers that she is the full-blooded sister of Manny. She also seems to believe in vampires based on videos posted to youtube by high junkies.
Assail goes into rehab after rescuing a blood slave held captive for decades by one of the highborn vamps. He and Z get revenge.
I was excited to read The Beast. Rhage and Mary from Lover Eternal have been one of my favourite BDB couples. There was just something so fun and romantic about their meeting and falling in love which keeps me reading and rereading their book. I was curious as to how things went for them after everything the Scribe Virgin did for them and how they were dealing with the price.
But in so many ways The Beast is a bit of a filler book. The kind of book which doesn't really add much substance to the overall series and would probably have been better if it was just a couple of novellas instead. One focused on Rhage and Mary. Possibly one of Layla's storyline.
Why do I say this?
Because I felt like Rhage and Mary's plot was predictable. I loved how the novel started for them. Action and angst and all that delicious kind of stuff I read for. But after the initial scene I found my attention waning. The sexfests between them were red hot and love reading them but the whole dealing with Mary's infertility storyline was just boring to me. There were just no surprises at all. Not just in terms of how things ended with them but the whole flow was exactly what I was expecting. The Rhage and Mary part of the book took up the most pages but I really think the entire story could have been summed up in 50 pages.
Layla's story was fairly slow moving but did add some rather important things of note for the series as a whole. And I wanted her to have more interaction with a certain BOB leader.
There was a few points of interest with a new character I'd not read about before but her side of the story felt like a lot of pages with nothing much happening. I am interested to see just how her path intersects with the Brothers but I'm not convinced she needed this much screen time considering how much her part of things impacted on the plot as a whole.
The best part of this book for me was the Assail side of things and that did surprise me. Normally I kind of gloss over anything bits concerning him but I loved reading his emotional turmoil, how his addiction was plaguing him and a few other bits and pieces I don't want to spoil. I'm excited to see how his part in this book affects the future for the Brotherhood.
Overall, The Beast was a little slow moving and not what I was expected from a Black Dagger Brotherhood novel. I loved seeing how Rhage and Mary's relationship had matured since meeting and falling in love but it didn't deliver in terms of excitement and drama I was hoping for. There were a few things in this book which I think will be relevant in the future but I think I could sum up anything important in a five sentence paragraph. This book was a nice way to pass the time but not essential for the series as a whole (and yes, I do understand how arrogant that makes me seem considering I have no idea what comes next in the series yet).
Spoiler
After angsting all novel about not being able to have their own children, Mary and Rhage adopt Bitty - the daughter of the first mother/daughter family Mary dealt with at Safe House.
Layla gives birth to twins (a girl named after Blay's mother and a boy given a Brotherhood name) prematurely but it does seem like they will live. She also finds out Xcor is the son of Tohrment's father.
Some random human woman discovers that she is the full-blooded sister of Manny. She also seems to believe in vampires based on videos posted to youtube by high junkies.
Assail goes into rehab after rescuing a blood slave held captive for decades by one of the highborn vamps. He and Z get revenge.
Amazing
I absolutely loved it! This has to be one of my new favorites. I couldnt ask for anything better. I can't wait for the next one!
I absolutely loved it! This has to be one of my new favorites. I couldnt ask for anything better. I can't wait for the next one!
I loved it! Finally! I feel like this goes back to what I love about the series. The Shadows and The King were solid but this had all the feels again. Rhage and Mary's journey brought tears and smiles. Layla, Qhuinn and the babies got their own part. Assail had a big piece here and I didn't hate him for a change. There were moments with Tohr, Lassiter, V that were all important and meaningful. Xcor and Throe have their place as well. We had the whole gang in the story lines but it didn't feel rushed, crowded or too busy. It was just enjoyable and makes me want to go back and reread the beginning few books. Except Phury's. Ugh.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
I was a little surprised when Ward announced that she was devoting another BDB book to Rhage and Mary. In the end, this book ended up seeming a bit odd to me. The beginning read like the climax of the novel, because, really, there wasn't much that happened in the middle-ish part of the book. And, Rhage and Mary's whole storyline began to read like one of the numerous sub-plot storylines that have become so prevalent in Ward's writing. I'm not convinced that an entire BDB novel should have been devoted to their relationship. Therein lies the trouble with Ward's numerous storylines; you don't feel like there is a true focus on any one set of characters. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining about the many subplots in the BDB books now--it just makes for a different reading experience. At least she got rid of the irritating lesser POV's!
Things with Xcor were really put on the back burner in this novel, since he was conveniently out of the equation for the entire book due to a medical situation. I really hope she resolves something with him in the next novel, because his character is becoming stagnant. The best part of The Beast for me was the introduction of new, interesting characters. I really hope she continues writing about them, because they are a breath of fresh air to the series.
I really enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't a favorite in the series for me. Still, I'm comfortable rounding it up to a 4.
I was a little surprised when Ward announced that she was devoting another BDB book to Rhage and Mary. In the end, this book ended up seeming a bit odd to me. The beginning read like the climax of the novel, because, really, there wasn't much that happened in the middle-ish part of the book. And, Rhage and Mary's whole storyline began to read like one of the numerous sub-plot storylines that have become so prevalent in Ward's writing. I'm not convinced that an entire BDB novel should have been devoted to their relationship. Therein lies the trouble with Ward's numerous storylines; you don't feel like there is a true focus on any one set of characters. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining about the many subplots in the BDB books now--it just makes for a different reading experience. At least she got rid of the irritating lesser POV's!
Things with Xcor were really put on the back burner in this novel, since he was conveniently out of the equation for the entire book due to a medical situation. I really hope she resolves something with him in the next novel, because his character is becoming stagnant. The best part of The Beast for me was the introduction of new, interesting characters. I really hope she continues writing about them, because they are a breath of fresh air to the series.
I really enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't a favorite in the series for me. Still, I'm comfortable rounding it up to a 4.