Reviews with content warning for Torture - Ruthless Vows

Reviews tagging 'Torture'

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!

Content Warnings

mariahlynnpeck's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book took me a while to finish because I was truly nervous to start it because the story could go so many ways. I wasn’t sure what was to happen but I’m glad Iris and Roman ended up together in the end. Though it left me wondering about certain aspects of the story.

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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.

Content Warnings

grey_poppy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.0

Was a nice wrap up to the first book. It mirrored the plot of the first, but still kept the storyline moving to a resolute finish. Since it was a war setting, I appreciate that the author kept some bitter notes to the happy ending.

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theinkedpath's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

ES:

Ya se ha acabado mi nueva obsesión...y no sé qué va a pasar después de leer este libro.
Necesitaba transportarme lejos de mi vida y este libro me ha dejado viajar hasta Oath con una maleta para máquina de escribir, enamorarme de nuevo del periodismo y vivir otra vida. Ojalá esa vida durara más.
Sé que este libro no es perfecto, pero ha sido mi oportunidad para dejar de ser yo por las noches y pensar que había cartas llenas de amor que viajaban entre armarios también para mi.

Pienso leer más cosas de Rebecca, por supuesto.

EN:

I did not want this to end. I needed more Iris and Roman. I needed more love letters full of longing and sweet words.
It is not a secret among those who love me that these past months have been a nightmare...and this book was my safe space during that time. The best moment of the day.
Probably it is not the perfect book, but it was the book I needed. I needed to scape to Oath, find myself in Iris and feel in love with journalism again (a career I studied but I could not find opportunities in the way I wanted). Old-fashion typewriters in hand, gathering stories, all mixed with magic.
Through Iris and Roman love story I had my heart pounding, wishing magic ley lines were real, waiting for the next letter.
I am a romantic, I am not going to lie. I wished for love letters of my own. But their love story serve me as a shelter for when stress and sadness was too much in my reality.
I also found that this story allowed me to find joy while also mirroring the desperation I was feeling in my real life. All mixed, all at the same time.
I wish I could explore Iris and Roman story further, as they have accompanied me in such hard times. It is hard to say goodbye.

Content Warnings

tiana_king's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

My only beef with this book is the magic, gods, and goddesses were not explained in much detail. Otherwise a nice wrap up to a good story. No there is no spice in this one either for those wondering

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haley49's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Such a tense and emotional page turner. I could listen fast enough. Lives up to the first book

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agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.0

The world-building was done well, immersing me in the story and making me curious to know more about Dacre's perspective.

I was initially intrigued by the possibility of Dacre

having a good side, but as the story progressed, I realized that his actions were merely the result of a god's human-like emotions getting the better of him.

While I still love Roman and Iris, I must say that the romantic aspect of this book doesn't measure up to the first book in the series.

However, the author did an excellent job of fleshing out the other characters, like Tobias and Attie. The book was filled with so many likable characters that I couldn't pick just one favorite!

The only criticism I have is

that I don't understand the reason behind Sarah and Forest's death, other than to give Iris more loss in her life.

Content Warnings

diamond627's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

4.75

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