Reviews with content warning for Gore - Ruthless Vows

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

aksmith92's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

The Setup: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross is the second and final installment in her Letters of Enchantment duology. It picks up where "Divine Rivals," the first book, leaves us - documenting the tales of Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, two journalists caught in the throes of a divine war. Please note: the rest of my setup may contain some spoilers simply because it's a second book!

The story opens with Iris back in Oath, reeling from recent battles and trying to save her brother, Forest. Meanwhile, Roman, now under the influence of the god Dacre, has lost his memories and unknowingly becomes a pawn in Dacre's plans.

Ross masterfully intertwines Iris's and Roman's journeys with a rich tapestry of dreams, enchanted typewriters, and clandestine letters, creating the same type of atmospheric novel as Divine Rivals. We watch as the divine war continues and how Roman and Iris's love evolves in unique and profound ways.

What I Liked: You are a lovely writer, Rebecca Ross. Ross's writing was beautifully atmospheric in this novel and made for such a pleasant experience. The poetic prose brought an added layer of beauty to the narrative. Additionally, my character development itch was scratched in this novel. I loved reading about Iris and Roman and plenty of the other characters, too. Their stories were beautiful, and I loved getting to know them even more. Lastly, love, memory, and resistance themes were skillfully woven throughout the book. Ross questions the nature of heroism and the cost of war, providing readers with more than just a fantasy adventure but a commentary on the human condition. This novel had a dark undertone but somehow intertwined hope and intimacy, making for a well-rounded emotional experience.

I also simply loved when Iris and Roman were intimate - Ross had a very subtle way of talking about them being together, but it was touching and beautiful nonetheless.

Why Not 5 Stars? This was a long book. While I loved Ross's prose, I must admit that the pacing was occasionally slow. Some parts dragged on a bit too long, and honestly, the typewriter scenes didn't hit as hard as the first book, although I still thoroughly enjoyed them. My biggest reasoning for not giving this five stars, though, was because the fantasy element of this novel - the divine war - just didn't make sense to me. Maybe we're not supposed to understand it, because Ross wanted to talk about the impacts of war, but the divine war truly felt like a throw-in to accompany the magical typewriters more than anything else.

Lastly, this novel was a bit YA, and the characters were actually very young, which sometimes cheapened the romance. That is more of me thing than anything else, so I didn't let it sway my rating or review too much.

Overall, Ross knows how to write a book!

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aileron's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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? No

2.0

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aplain's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

4.0

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purplepenning's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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gpfot's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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abicaro17's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

REBECCA ROSS STRIKES AGAIN!! I am sobbing as I write this review. Iris and Roman, married but separated by Darce have to once again find each other through their words. Roman has his memories removed and Iris is back in Oath searching for a way to fix what's been broken. This book is sooo much better than Divine Rivals. I'm not sure if its the pre established relationships, the more evolved climax, or the constant stream of activity but Ruthless Vows took my breath away. Between the gut wrenching end, the beautiful relationship between Iris and Roman, and the satisfying conclusion of the duology this is everything I wanted it to be and more.

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