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adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
I loved this book! It was a little hard to follow in the beginning - trying to figure out who was talking/thinking; there is a weird use of pronouns (1st versus 3rd person) throughout the book. The story line was fun, a bit of a mystery, and a it had a good ending. Very spicy - written well. Kind of like a very grown up Twilight, except just vampires and werewolves (almost no humans). The romance part of the story builds and is primary to all the subplots. The characters have good arcs. Overall, a fun, spicy, paranormal romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Stalking, Car accident, Gaslighting, War, Classism
Minor: Racism, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Misery is sometimes a likable character. She’s smart and loyal to her bff. She seems like a bad ass and then her insecurities come out as well as all of the things she should know but doesn’t. Sometimes she acts really naive for someone who lived the life she’s lived.
(Him:)“I’m not sure I’d be willing to risk hurting you.”
(Her:) I wish I could see his face. “You can stop. If it hurts, if it doesn’t work.”
(Him:) “What if I can’t?”
(Her:) “You will. I know you will.”
(Him:) “Or I won’t be able to. Because I want it too much.”
I added what’s in the parentheses to help. But y’all. This isn’t sexy. This is the male main character saying he would SA the female MC even if he hurt her and she said stop.
I also did not know this was a “knot” story. I’m not here to yuck your yum but it’s not for me. And the whole she’s a virgin crap? No thanks.
The only thing that kept me reading was the rest of the storyline, which was good.
(Him:)“I’m not sure I’d be willing to risk hurting you.”
(Her:) I wish I could see his face. “You can stop. If it hurts, if it doesn’t work.”
(Him:) “What if I can’t?”
(Her:) “You will. I know you will.”
(Him:) “Or I won’t be able to. Because I want it too much.”
I added what’s in the parentheses to help. But y’all. This isn’t sexy. This is the male main character saying he would SA the female MC even if he hurt her and she said stop.
I also did not know this was a “knot” story. I’m not here to yuck your yum but it’s not for me. And the whole she’s a virgin crap? No thanks.
The only thing that kept me reading was the rest of the storyline, which was good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Violence
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse
Lowe x Misery: she marries him to form an alliance between the werewolves and vampires. Meanwhile, she's searching for her missing friend. She bonds with some of the wolves better than she did among humans or even other vampires. She gets closer to her new husband and Misery thinks that he has a mate that isn't her, spoiler: she's his mate looking forward to book 2 which is probably going to be about Serena and Koen I just wish this book was longer, tbh
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Cursing, Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Blood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
It was my first Ali Hazelwoods’ ever and because I’m not a romance type of girlie I was so glad she introduced a fantasy theme into one of her books so I could read it myself. I went into it pretty much ‘no thoughts, head empty’ though being fully aware she’s known for her ‘gigantic men + small women’ couples and a bit of cringey dialogue. Not gonna lie, this type of approach saved my whole experience with this book. The outcome (meaning my enjoyment and final review) would be SO DIFFERENT if I decided to treat this book seriously from the beginning till the very end.
The book itself is written in a very unserious almost satire-like manner and I enjoyed how self-aware it was. I am used to heroines playing dumb, constantly asking the wrong questions and jumping to ‘made up from thin air’ conclusions so seeing Misery speaking her mind so openly and thinking what I was thinking was like a breath of fresh air. The writing wasn’t anything spectacular, definitely more ‘fanfiction like’ but I had an insane amount of fun reading all the banter and realistic(!) dialogues between characters (and these spicy scenes, damn). The characters fit the vibe of the book perfectly, each one of them adding some value to the main plot whether it’s for the mystery, drama or the family relationships. Basically we get the funny moments, thriller or found family bits when it feels necessary so there was no chapter where I felt it’s too heavy to digest.
Now to the romance itself, I definitely could feel lots of chemistry there to the point I found myself giggling and laughing out loud many times (the comedy style of the book definitely adding to that). I think Misery and Lowe worked really well together as a couple without losing their individual personalities in all the other scenes they were not seen together. The introduction of more heavy topics and conversations really helped me see them as more than just a fling but as a long term relationship that could get through all the hardships together and not break up right after the book is finished (looking at you Emily Henry).
Overall it really felt like a palette cleanser for me,very lightweight and fast paced, perfect when you’d love to stay up all night reading fanfictions but in a standalone book form. I definitely won’t actively avoid Ali Hazelwood’s books from now on, even if they are just contemporary romances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping
Minor: Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This was my first Ali Hazelwood and I really liked it! I understand that this a bit of a departure from her other books, but I liked that she kept an element of STEM in her fantasy world. I absolutely freaking loved Misery! Girl had me cracking up! Especially her interactions with Ana. Lowe was pretty great too. The knot thing was weird though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood