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ammii's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicide, Classism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Cursing
bookdragong24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Body horror, Rape, Murder, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual content, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Drug use
Minor: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Addiction, and Homophobia
stephv10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Never have I read something so dark yet so beautiful all at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
sissa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Murder, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Rape, Blood, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Suicide
athenian_frog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Okay I'm gonna need you to understand that two of these stars are for the actual sex that happens between the two leads and the .25 is for the kinda cute sibling dynamic for the King Family. I think the author really tried to make the sex enjoyable/detailed, and didn't just sprint through the whole thing. Props.
My main issue with this book was the writing/internal monologue. Let me tell you, there were some moments that convinced me the author wrote this at 3AM one night and THOUGHT leaving it like that was fine:
"...unperturbed, calm, and completely unaffected by the
lick of danger and the lust for the thrill that hangs in the air like splashes of
magenta on turquoise blue."
"Demons I didn’t know existed flood my bloodstream, and pressure forms
behind my eyes."
"...he suddenly wraps his hand around my nape, near the hairs I constantly
assault."
"His eyes spark like a tropical forest before he clears his throat."
"The overwhelming mixture [of smells] flows and floods my senses like a chaotic
swirl of colors that blend and throttle each pigment until they settle on
unassuming gray.
"Barbarians. The lot of them. Hopeless, outrageous savages with no
grace whatsoever.
But then again, what to expect from mafia people?"
I understand that Brandon does art, but some of these descriptions took me out of the book while trying to understand what the author was trying to communicate. There's already a lot of "Telling, Not Showing" going on especially in Brandon's first chapters; for a min I couldn't believe I was sitting here listening to him recite his peers opinions of him, or how his brain was differently connected from other ppl's joy...he was sounding a little "not like other girls" Q.Q
It was also really surprising that Nikolai, someone who gets around, never seems to use any kind of greenlight/safeword/form of checking in when he has sex with people? Reading in his POV got kind of irritating, because he seemed to care very little for the safety of anyone he slept with until Brandon.
---> on a similar note, why didnt the suggestion of a system like that come up when Nikolai was worrying about how flighty/uptight Brandon is about sex?? It just seemed like a no-brainer to me but that's my opinion.
There's also brief discussion about the possibility of one of the MC's being ace/on the ace spectrum. But it felt very very surface level. Not saying you have to decide on a label, but since the author brought in the idea of feeling "broken" bc you don't experience sexual attraction very much, I expected more than just a cameo of the term LMAO.
The self harm discussions were also lacking, personally. But I can't discuss that in detail without spoiling. !!Please check the content warnings out below!!
The dynamic these two had was...good-ish. The "will they-wont they" started to drag, and Nikolai was getting a bit too pushy of Brandon's personal space sometimes for my comfort. The relationship ;later was sweeter and more acknowledging of boundaries but still.
Lastly, the newly introduced female characters were pretty flat. I gave a pass to some of the women from earlier in the series, but the original ones played antagonist roles only and weren't interesting, at all. :( this is an unfortunate trend I've been seeing in the M/M stories Ive read but I'm hoping for better.
as far as the spoilery issue I have with this book:
Let me set the stage:
You have a partner with serious issues regarding self esteem and intimacy. You are one of the few who knows they have a history of self harm.
You receive a video on your phone, and you open it. In the first few moments, it's clear that this is a video of your partner, as a minor, being approached by a much older woman. You can hear the dialogue and recognize the body language well enough to know that this is a recording of a child being molested.
What do you do? Do you:
A) Pause the video immediately and go tell your partner, stat.
B) Pause the video immediately and decide to discuss this with your partner at a later date.
C) Stop and tell your partner about the video in a private conversation away from their family, but send the video to the police together. Ask your partner about what they want you to do to support them.
or, D) Continue to watch the video, with the volume on high. Then, after your partner is sent to the hospital, allow everyone else in their family to watch the video, without your partner's consent.
Yeah...I really wasn't a fan of this narrative decision. I think that's an understatement, actually. I don't care if it was to let Nikolai and Lan bond through killing or whatever. Seemed very inconsiderate to go around showing the video willy-nilly, given it was significantly graphic and VERY traumatizing to Brandon. Boundaries who??
The woman who committed the rape was very hard to take seriously, by the way. Comically so, why would anyone distribute recorded evidence of their crime? Much less to someone who already doesn't like you? Ugh. Flat as cardboard.
My main issue with this book was the writing/internal monologue. Let me tell you, there were some moments that convinced me the author wrote this at 3AM one night and THOUGHT leaving it like that was fine:
"...unperturbed, calm, and completely unaffected by the
lick of danger and the lust for the thrill that hangs in the air like splashes of
magenta on turquoise blue."
"Demons I didn’t know existed flood my bloodstream, and pressure forms
behind my eyes."
"...he suddenly wraps his hand around my nape, near the hairs I constantly
assault."
"His eyes spark like a tropical forest before he clears his throat."
"The overwhelming mixture [of smells] flows and floods my senses like a chaotic
swirl of colors that blend and throttle each pigment until they settle on
unassuming gray.
"Barbarians. The lot of them. Hopeless, outrageous savages with no
grace whatsoever.
But then again, what to expect from mafia people?"
I understand that Brandon does art, but some of these descriptions took me out of the book while trying to understand what the author was trying to communicate. There's already a lot of "Telling, Not Showing" going on especially in Brandon's first chapters; for a min I couldn't believe I was sitting here listening to him recite his peers opinions of him, or how his brain was differently connected from other ppl's joy...he was sounding a little "not like other girls" Q.Q
It was also really surprising that Nikolai, someone who gets around, never seems to use any kind of greenlight/safeword/form of checking in when he has sex with people? Reading in his POV got kind of irritating, because he seemed to care very little for the safety of anyone he slept with until Brandon.
---> on a similar note, why didnt the suggestion of a system like that come up when Nikolai was worrying about how flighty/uptight Brandon is about sex?? It just seemed like a no-brainer to me but that's my opinion.
There's also brief discussion about the possibility of one of the MC's being ace/on the ace spectrum. But it felt very very surface level. Not saying you have to decide on a label, but since the author brought in the idea of feeling "broken" bc you don't experience sexual attraction very much, I expected more than just a cameo of the term LMAO.
The self harm discussions were also lacking, personally. But I can't discuss that in detail without spoiling. !!Please check the content warnings out below!!
The dynamic these two had was...good-ish. The "will they-wont they" started to drag, and Nikolai was getting a bit too pushy of Brandon's personal space sometimes for my comfort. The relationship ;later was sweeter and more acknowledging of boundaries but still.
Lastly, the newly introduced female characters were pretty flat. I gave a pass to some of the women from earlier in the series, but the original ones played antagonist roles only and weren't interesting, at all. :( this is an unfortunate trend I've been seeing in the M/M stories Ive read but I'm hoping for better.
as far as the spoilery issue I have with this book:
You have a partner with serious issues regarding self esteem and intimacy. You are one of the few who knows they have a history of self harm.
You receive a video on your phone, and you open it. In the first few moments, it's clear that this is a video of your partner, as a minor, being approached by a much older woman. You can hear the dialogue and recognize the body language well enough to know that this is a recording of a child being molested.
What do you do? Do you:
A) Pause the video immediately and go tell your partner, stat.
B) Pause the video immediately and decide to discuss this with your partner at a later date.
C) Stop and tell your partner about the video in a private conversation away from their family, but send the video to the police together. Ask your partner about what they want you to do to support them.
or, D) Continue to watch the video, with the volume on high. Then, after your partner is sent to the hospital, allow everyone else in their family to watch the video, without your partner's consent.
Yeah...I really wasn't a fan of this narrative decision. I think that's an understatement, actually. I don't care if it was to let Nikolai and Lan bond through killing or whatever. Seemed very inconsiderate to go around showing the video willy-nilly, given it was significantly graphic and VERY traumatizing to Brandon. Boundaries who??
The woman who committed the rape was very hard to take seriously, by the way. Comically so, why would anyone distribute recorded evidence of their crime? Much less to someone who already doesn't like you? Ugh. Flat as cardboard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, and Body horror
Minor: Medical trauma, Death, and Blood
(Fairly descriptive) Last 25% of book:lva358's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I seriously hate this book! The amount of times I rolled my eyes and the frustrations I felt while reading was a lot. I almost lost my mind when one of the characters said he was raised to respect women but at the same time calling them “holes” and that their only purpose is to be used… but then again, Rina Kent isn’t really known to love women in her stories.
With that said, I still give this book 2 stars because I couldn’t quite dnf it. Whenever I was ready to give up on this book (whenever Nikolai talked to his dick) I was somehow sucked back in and wanted to know what happened next. However, this book was too long especially since it didn’t really have a plot until the last 20% of the book.
The royal elite series had me in a chokehold a few years back which is why I was confused about not liking Rina Kent’s legacy of gods series. I’m not sure if she changed her writing or if it’s a me problem. Most likely it’s a me problem and the fact that I’m longer interested in reading about spineless fmcs and misogynistic mmcs. Since this is Rina Kent’s first mm book I’ll cut her some slack. Nevertheless, you’ll find much better mm books out there than this book.
With that said, I still give this book 2 stars because I couldn’t quite dnf it. Whenever I was ready to give up on this book (whenever Nikolai talked to his dick) I was somehow sucked back in and wanted to know what happened next. However, this book was too long especially since it didn’t really have a plot until the last 20% of the book.
The royal elite series had me in a chokehold a few years back which is why I was confused about not liking Rina Kent’s legacy of gods series. I’m not sure if she changed her writing or if it’s a me problem. Most likely it’s a me problem and the fact that I’m longer interested in reading about spineless fmcs and misogynistic mmcs. Since this is Rina Kent’s first mm book I’ll cut her some slack. Nevertheless, you’ll find much better mm books out there than this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
themissingbookmark's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Murder, Homophobia, Gore, and Stalking
nataliemazzawi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
living_for_the_hope_of_it_all's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
1.75-2/5
HONESTLY??? yeah it was pretty problematic in parts but did i love the characters??? yeah absolutely!
am i going to read the other 50 books in this universe?? absolutely tf not BUT IT'S FINE i liked it!! not that bad for sure!!!
did i almost drop it because of the third act drama?? yep i did. i did NOT want to deal with those fuckers but my friend who i was buddy reading with was like "u gotta catch up to me" so i did. and i finish the whole book (SHE PROCEEDED TO DNF BTW THE BITCH-) but yeah it was alright :D
the whole russian mafia thing had me laughing out loud i could not take it seriously BUT it was a bit brutal at times
~okay update like a few weeks later
seeing as this book led me into one of the worst spirals of my life and impacted my mental health SO horribly
also just remembering how comically bad some parts were
i have taken the rating down a notch
HONESTLY??? yeah it was pretty problematic in parts but did i love the characters??? yeah absolutely!
am i going to read the other 50 books in this universe?? absolutely tf not BUT IT'S FINE i liked it!! not that bad for sure!!!
did i almost drop it because of the third act drama?? yep i did. i did NOT want to deal with those fuckers but my friend who i was buddy reading with was like "u gotta catch up to me" so i did. and i finish the whole book (SHE PROCEEDED TO DNF BTW THE BITCH-) but yeah it was alright :D
the whole russian mafia thing had me laughing out loud i could not take it seriously BUT it was a bit brutal at times
~okay update like a few weeks later
seeing as this book led me into one of the worst spirals of my life and impacted my mental health SO horribly
also just remembering how comically bad some parts were
i have taken the rating down a notch
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
neyvan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Rape, Murder, and Self harm