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dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body horror, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Minor: Death, Blood, Medical trauma
(Fairly descriptive) Last 25% of book: There is a suicide attempt where a character stabs a shard of glass into their neck.
(Fairly descriptive): Sexual assault of a minor by an adult.
(Less descriptive): Self harm, cutting. Happens more than once.
(Fairly descriptive): Murder, wrist slitting. Blood and violence descriptions, like a bat to the head or a fist to the face.
(Very descriptive): Sexual content between consenting adults, about 3 years apart in age. Although, this is considered to lean a bit towards "dark" romance, and one character is a bit more pushy with the other's boundaries. This may be uncomfortable to read for some.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Stalking, Murder
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Murder
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt
Minor: Torture
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-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
I think Kent did a lot of things well in this book, especially considering she normally writes MF romance. Niko and Bran were both really unique and compelling characters and I was rooting for them. I appreciated the trigger warnings, we knew that we were getting into from the jump.
I do wish she would have handled Niko’s medication issues differently. While some people do experience negative side effects from psychiatric medications, it isn’t typically to the extreme described (and usually that just means a lower dosage is needed). Because of so many people’s hesitancy to use psychiatric medications it’s frustrating to see an author write a stereotype that is rare and prevents people from using life saving medication. Especially when she handled all of the other mental health conditions with such care through out the story.
I do wish she would have handled Niko’s medication issues differently. While some people do experience negative side effects from psychiatric medications, it isn’t typically to the extreme described (and usually that just means a lower dosage is needed). Because of so many people’s hesitancy to use psychiatric medications it’s frustrating to see an author write a stereotype that is rare and prevents people from using life saving medication. Especially when she handled all of the other mental health conditions with such care through out the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder
dark
funny
slow-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
I enjoyed the characters in this book (especially Nikolai) but the plot and execution were lacking. Nikolai was funny and absolutely unhinged, which worked as a perfect opposition to the closed-off, repressed Bran. Nothing about Nikolai's approach was healthy or acceptable, but that's given in a dark story like this. Although the mafia theme was rather ridiculous, especially when you compare the blurbs of the other books in the series (God of Fury is the only one that I've read) to the actual characters in the background. :D Let's take Killian, who's depicted as a dangerous monster wherever you look, and what he does in the background of this book is mostly cuddle and kiss his girlfriend. All the killing, torturing, and violence is mostly on the periphery (except things like Grace's death which was another level of unhinged, and not in a good way ). Some emotions were very surface-level, especially on Bran's side (surprisingly). There were moments when I was wondering whether it was inspired by "For The Fans" in some way, especially Bran's staring at a mirror, "not your baby", repressed trauma that makes you conceal your sexuality, the new Instragram photos every day, the "bimbo" character and so on .
Most of the "dark" characters seemed rather playing at mafia than actually being a part of it, and the book could have been half of its length if the author got rid of all the repetitions and unnecessary scenes, but being in Nikolai's head was so funny, and I liked how they opened up to one another in the end.
Most of the "dark" characters seemed rather playing at mafia than actually being a part of it, and the book could have been half of its length if the author got rid of all the repetitions and unnecessary scenes, but being in Nikolai's head was so funny, and I liked how they opened up to one another in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Acephobia/Arophobia
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment