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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
cute story, bit weird pacing in places (end felt very rushed in comparison to how little happened in the majority of the book) but a fun lil romance. and werewolves make it even better.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Personally, I think she should've been allowed to kill her abuser
funny
reflective
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
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
“It touched a strange, possessive place in his heart. She was here, wearing his clothes, watching her favorite show on his TV, looking relaxed and content.”
➽ I'm sad to say that I was super disappointed by this book. The Glimmer Falls series had so many ups and downs for me. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first book (though it was still worthy of 3 stars), really enjoyed the second book and absolutely hated the third book. I was excited that we followed a vampire and werewolf pairing this time, but I hated the way the plotline was executed. A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire follows Ben, a werewolf who's also Mariel's boss and best friend. He drunkenly orders a magical crystal off eBay, only to find out that a vampiress called Eleanora has been stuck in said crystal for decades. Ben's now the new owner of the crystal with the power to command Eleanor to do anything, which was the first issue for me, as this was NOT executed well. The only thing I liked about this book was Eleanora, who deserved so much better. She's traumatized from being used by the witch who imprisoned and enslaved her, forcing her to do her bidding. Eleanora's confused by the modern world, a trope I always enjoy, as she slowly gets used to living in Glimmer Falls.
➽ While I liked Eleanor, Ben immediately rubbed me the wrong way. The author tried so hard to write him as the Nice Guy but didn't actually show us why any evidence. In fact, his constant obliviousness and ignorance about the power he holds over Eleanora made him so off-putting. There's nothing worse than a man who's so unaware his own power he accidentally abuses it. It doesn't even occur to him that Eleanora is forced to obey his every command until his friends point it out. It made me so angry that it' was always up to Mariel to sit him down and explain how his actions hurt Eleanora. Ben acted so incompetent and everyone always had to cater to his needs.
➽ Eleanora's supposed to forgive him every single time he accidentally commands her because he'll have a panic attack and make it all about himself. It doesn't matter that Eleanora has her own PTSD to deal with after years of being used as a slave. She always has to put it aside to deal with Ben's anxiety. I don't understand why Ben never got help for his anxiety, as he seemed open to therapy but then didn't make time for it. I understand struggling with anxiety, but here it was used to absolve him of his actions, so he didn't have to face their consequences. Eleanora's own trauma was always brushed aside in favor of coddling Ben, which was so unfair to her. Their entire relationship is build on a power dynamic that gives Ben the ability to order her to do anything. He says he won't do it, but then often slips up before correcting himself or having a panic attack. It was so icky, as he didn't even try to get rid of Eleanora's curse so she'd be free to do what she wanted. In fact, that plotline only comes up in the very end, so the entire time we're supposed to root for a Romance that feels like a Master/Slave dynamic.
➽ Eleanora deserved so much better than Ben! She deserved to be able to heal from her Trauma without being put in a relationship with someone who had the power to command her as the witch did. Combined with Ben's severe anxiety, those two should NOT have gotten into a relationship, as it wasn't healthy for either of them. I wish the story had actually gone anywhere with Ben's anxiety and feelings of being a 'bad' werewolf! His character was not only infuriating but also quite shallow and gave off so many red flags. Another problem was how the story was dominated by Ben's sister Gigi's mayoral campaign. She felt like a main character in a story that wasn't supposed to be her own. Instead of Ben dropping everything to help Eleanora get rid of the curse (what he would have done if he was actually a 'Nice Guy'), we spend so much time on Gigi and her campaign. Ben felt more urgency to help his sister than free the woman he supposedly loved from her imprisonment.
➽ The ending was unfortunately also predictable. The power dynamic only resolves in the very end when it should have happened way earlier. Of course, the third act conflict is about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood
funny
lighthearted
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