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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars.
the beginning was meh, nothing special but the book grows on you as you progress through it. very immersive and eerie, the vibes were immaculate and the story was pretty easy to follow.
the beginning was meh, nothing special but the book grows on you as you progress through it. very immersive and eerie, the vibes were immaculate and the story was pretty easy to follow.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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
A fun premise which simply can't hold its own in the face of some truly awful writing and wonky-at-best worldbuilding.
Characters who? Cohesive narrative what? I'm sorry but what is MM Goodreads on and where can I get some so that I, too, can see the amazing chemistry and attention to detail?
And that ending? Don't piss me off fr...
Characters who? Cohesive narrative what? I'm sorry but what is MM Goodreads on and where can I get some so that I, too, can see the amazing chemistry and attention to detail?
And that ending? Don't piss me off fr...
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed that not only was it a riff on "Romeo and Juliet" but it really leaned into the R&J plot points. We've got an unexpected meet-cute at a party during which Romeo & Juliet...sorry, Graeme and Cassius don't recognize each other. We've got two families and their friends who are 110% ready to feud in public. We've got a balcony scene (several balcony scenes, it's a high-traffic balcony)! Romeo kills Tybalt in a public duel! Romeo/Graeme has to go into hiding! (but this time he hides at Juliet/Cassius's giant necromancer mansion instead of running away to a neighboring city-state) We've got an apothecary actively encouraging experimentation with poison! And then these two crazy kids get engaged!!!
And happily, Romeo and Juliet do not die, lol.
Seriously, there was so much to enjoy here. And it had things that R&J most definitely did not, including witchcraft! Demons! Rituals involving blood! Talking to birds! Defensive driving! References to penguin mating practices! Worrying about failing your college project to grow a poisonous apple tree!
It's been a while since I read a book that I hated having to put down to do things like work and sleep. The plot was snappy, never dwelling too long anywhere, and kept introducing new twists and turns. The writing was perfect for this purpose, really sharp, not over-written, and providing a decent amount of imagery. There were excellent character arcs for Cassius and Graeme, and I thought the tension between their attraction to each other and the deep-seated hatred towards each other's families was well done. The only thing I really side-eyed was the excessive number of sex scenes, haha. Most didn't seem to move the plot forward, so I started skimming them to get back to the action.
The one caveat I'll add, now that I've read (and unfortunately didn't enjoy as much) Igni Ferroque, is that the female characters could be better developed. All but two women in this book are either dead from the start or end up dying horrifically. There's only one solidly "good" female character among the secondary characters. Not saying this must be a requirement for every book ever. It's just something I notice when I read books with only male protagonists, whether romance novels or other.
And happily, Romeo and Juliet do not die, lol.
Seriously, there was so much to enjoy here. And it had things that R&J most definitely did not, including witchcraft! Demons! Rituals involving blood! Talking to birds! Defensive driving! References to penguin mating practices! Worrying about failing your college project to grow a poisonous apple tree!
It's been a while since I read a book that I hated having to put down to do things like work and sleep. The plot was snappy, never dwelling too long anywhere, and kept introducing new twists and turns. The writing was perfect for this purpose, really sharp, not over-written, and providing a decent amount of imagery. There were excellent character arcs for Cassius and Graeme, and I thought the tension between their attraction to each other and the deep-seated hatred towards each other's families was well done. The only thing I really side-eyed was the excessive number of sex scenes, haha. Most didn't seem to move the plot forward, so I started skimming them to get back to the action.
The one caveat I'll add, now that I've read (and unfortunately didn't enjoy as much) Igni Ferroque, is that the female characters could be better developed. All but two women in this book are either dead from the start or end up dying horrifically. There's only one solidly "good" female character among the secondary characters. Not saying this must be a requirement for every book ever. It's just something I notice when I read books with only male protagonists, whether romance novels or other.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this. It's an actual enemies - hate to lovers but they just can't leave each other alone. It's embedded in a tense at times plot about demons being summoned. There's a few loose ends - things not tidied as neatly but the overall book is good enough for me to skip over them.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Really liked how well written this book is. Easy to follow along and had one hell of a plot twist!
THIS is enemies to lovers, and like, actually well written. Actual angst around the fact they’re supposed to hate each other. Not this like “oh I hate you” but inside making it 300% obvious that’s just lies from the beginning. Even though as the trope goes, that does happen eventually, I feel this story actually has a great plot that meant the enemy part actually made sense. It was tense. I enjoyed reading this so much. Good amount of spicy, good smack talk, I loved the whole witches elements/dark elements. Ugh. Perfect. Honestly a great enemies to lovers take.