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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
It’s been a while since a book gave me a book hangover, but holy hell.
For reference—I arrived at the last page of Door of Bruises and immediately texted a friend about it, after which we spent an hour picking apart our feelings over the phone. No matter how many stars I give to this review, no matter my complicated feelings on some elements, I have to commend Sierra Simone for that. She made me care.
And care I did. The strongest aspect of the series, aside from the evocative setting, has always been the characters for me. Door of Bruises has the challenging task of concluding six character arcs as well as a number of relationship arcs, and for the most part, the book pulls it off. There were more Rebecca chapters in this book than I expected, and they do wonders for Rebecca’s character and her relationship with Delphine. I could be difficult here and say they could’ve used an additional chapter or two near the end, but I loved what they did get. There is a real maturity to their scenes and I enjoyed seeing them navigate the conflict between them.
That maturity bleeds over into the other storylines too. My absolute favorite thing about this book is the inclusion of Auden’s perspective. After a bit of a rocky start, Auden started to grow on me, and Door of Bruises just knocks it out of the park when it comes to his character. I’ve no remarks there. The series has never had any trouble making Auden and Saint a compelling dynamic, so unsurprisingly, this final book is no different. In many ways, their relationship feels like the central storyline to me. I have my thoughts on that and where it leaves Poe, but credit where credit’s due, the storyline is pretty fucking great and remains a highlight up until the final page.
Now for the part where I dutifully list some minor quibbles with Door of Bruises. The balance between characters feels especially off in this one, mostly to the detriment of Becket’s development and, more disappointingly, Poe’s. Again, I could go on a for a few paragraphs about the way Poe has been sidelined since Feast of Sparks, but I’ll just stick with saying that I think she deserved more, and that if the ending falls a little flat, it’s entirely because Poe’s role in the story and relationship was underdeveloped.
Aside from that, there’s some plot threads that I think could have been a little tighter, but I can’t say it took away from my enjoyment.
The final thing I want to mention is the ending. I’m limited in what I can say, because I think spoiling anything about it would be ruining a lot of the fun, but Sierra Simone delivered a conclusion that both confirmed a lot of my theories and also completely threw me. It left me with this unnamable feeling—not quite happiness, not quite sadness. Something complicated and lingering and tangled. I don’t know if I liked it, but I loved it at the same time. There you go. Untangle that.
Eternal gratitude to Miss Simone for writing a series I could share with friends. More than anything, I had fun, and that far outweighs any narrative criticisms.
For reference—I arrived at the last page of Door of Bruises and immediately texted a friend about it, after which we spent an hour picking apart our feelings over the phone. No matter how many stars I give to this review, no matter my complicated feelings on some elements, I have to commend Sierra Simone for that. She made me care.
And care I did. The strongest aspect of the series, aside from the evocative setting, has always been the characters for me. Door of Bruises has the challenging task of concluding six character arcs as well as a number of relationship arcs, and for the most part, the book pulls it off. There were more Rebecca chapters in this book than I expected, and they do wonders for Rebecca’s character and her relationship with Delphine. I could be difficult here and say they could’ve used an additional chapter or two near the end, but I loved what they did get. There is a real maturity to their scenes and I enjoyed seeing them navigate the conflict between them.
That maturity bleeds over into the other storylines too. My absolute favorite thing about this book is the inclusion of Auden’s perspective. After a bit of a rocky start, Auden started to grow on me, and Door of Bruises just knocks it out of the park when it comes to his character. I’ve no remarks there. The series has never had any trouble making Auden and Saint a compelling dynamic, so unsurprisingly, this final book is no different. In many ways, their relationship feels like the central storyline to me. I have my thoughts on that and where it leaves Poe, but credit where credit’s due, the storyline is pretty fucking great and remains a highlight up until the final page.
Now for the part where I dutifully list some minor quibbles with Door of Bruises. The balance between characters feels especially off in this one, mostly to the detriment of Becket’s development and, more disappointingly, Poe’s. Again, I could go on a for a few paragraphs about the way Poe has been sidelined since Feast of Sparks, but I’ll just stick with saying that I think she deserved more, and that if the ending falls a little flat, it’s entirely because Poe’s role in the story and relationship was underdeveloped.
Aside from that, there’s some plot threads that I think could have been a little tighter, but I can’t say it took away from my enjoyment.
The final thing I want to mention is the ending. I’m limited in what I can say, because I think spoiling anything about it would be ruining a lot of the fun, but Sierra Simone delivered a conclusion that both confirmed a lot of my theories and also completely threw me. It left me with this unnamable feeling—not quite happiness, not quite sadness. Something complicated and lingering and tangled. I don’t know if I liked it, but I loved it at the same time. There you go. Untangle that.
Eternal gratitude to Miss Simone for writing a series I could share with friends. More than anything, I had fun, and that far outweighs any narrative criticisms.
A transcendent experience
Let me just start by saying that Sierra Simone is writing on a whole other plane, at a level so Goddess like that I feel fortunate that we are even allowed to partake of her words. I feel like there should be a trial by fire or something before we get to experience this magnitude of talent. To be able to appreciate it the way it should be loved and appreciated. Her writing is a masterclass in romancing the reader, in cajoling you right into falling in love with the words. I mean when you highlight even most of the afterword, you know you have something special on hand.
In the beginning I had waited so long for this finale that I had to take a minute before diving in. I finally let myself just start and be serenaded and seduced by her words, to sink into their beauty, to indulge in their excellence. Every time I saw a particularly profound phrase or line, I let myself breathe it in like the smell of a particularly exotic rose. Actually, never mind the roses. What I’m saying is, I let myself sip and savor, until, like all good things, the revelry ended and strife began. My poor, beautiful, horny Thornchapel residents had some serious suffering to go through after all.
And if the others suffered, Auden’s was journey was the most transformative, if not the hardest. My beautiful, floppy haired, haughty, pouty, dramatic, rich boy, my lord of the manor, my thorn king, my Sir Pouts-a-lot (clearly I’m no less dramatic). Not that the others didn’t have their own hero journeys, but for me personally, I hoarded every single Auden moment like a miser. Auden’s POV is somehow funnier, in a subtle and very dry British wit manner. I’ve had a deep fascination with the story of kingship and responsibility as told through Auden, the little lordling who we watch growing into the king he’s meant to be. One of the other highlights for me was the incredible bond between Rebecca and Auden, a friendship fast and true, between two monarchs in their own right. Poe’s soft sunshine, Delphine’s bright, fizzy effervescence, Becket’s loyal fervor, all combine to make a cohesive, strange little family unit.
Steeped in stories of theology and philosophy and history and archaeology (all of which I had little to no familiarity with), the narrative is breathtakingly rambling and sharply intellectual. The symbolism is strongly pervasive. Matters of human sacrifice and ancient fairytales are discussed with equal weight. Magical realism is a guiding principle in many of the author’s stories, but this series leans into it entirely. Of course, it is still as bananas, evocative, and horny, if not more so than before. Sexual rituals, instead of being profane, are almost as sacred (or more) than ancient rituals and religious feasts. Which is one of the things I love about their world, sex isn’t icky or bad or wrong, it is as essential as breathing, as integral as the language they speak, and there are no arbitrary limits (except consent of course). This series may not be for everyone (things get freaky on the Simone scale), but it is a bit of a love letter to the true connoisseurs of Simone. Of which club I’m the chieftain(ess?)
This book left me discombobulated. I felt legitimately shaky and mildly feverish after turning the last page. To be honest, I don’t even know what exactly I felt; a little punch drunk, a little sad, mostly bittersweet. My heart is both heavy and light, full and hollow. Both freaked out and comforted, like the author intended. Was this a perfect book? Not exactly, but I appreciated the imperfections just the same. In fact, I was almost prepared to take off half a star (for reasons that shall not be discussed), but clearly if my meandering thoughts are anything to go by, I’m so thoroughly infected by Thornchapel and its denizens that anything less than a perfect 5 stars would just be a lie (basically me having a mini tantrum, again, for reasons). I’ll be haunted by this world, and these characters for a while yet.
Let me just start by saying that Sierra Simone is writing on a whole other plane, at a level so Goddess like that I feel fortunate that we are even allowed to partake of her words. I feel like there should be a trial by fire or something before we get to experience this magnitude of talent. To be able to appreciate it the way it should be loved and appreciated. Her writing is a masterclass in romancing the reader, in cajoling you right into falling in love with the words. I mean when you highlight even most of the afterword, you know you have something special on hand.
In the beginning I had waited so long for this finale that I had to take a minute before diving in. I finally let myself just start and be serenaded and seduced by her words, to sink into their beauty, to indulge in their excellence. Every time I saw a particularly profound phrase or line, I let myself breathe it in like the smell of a particularly exotic rose. Actually, never mind the roses. What I’m saying is, I let myself sip and savor, until, like all good things, the revelry ended and strife began. My poor, beautiful, horny Thornchapel residents had some serious suffering to go through after all.
And if the others suffered, Auden’s was journey was the most transformative, if not the hardest. My beautiful, floppy haired, haughty, pouty, dramatic, rich boy, my lord of the manor, my thorn king, my Sir Pouts-a-lot (clearly I’m no less dramatic). Not that the others didn’t have their own hero journeys, but for me personally, I hoarded every single Auden moment like a miser. Auden’s POV is somehow funnier, in a subtle and very dry British wit manner. I’ve had a deep fascination with the story of kingship and responsibility as told through Auden, the little lordling who we watch growing into the king he’s meant to be. One of the other highlights for me was the incredible bond between Rebecca and Auden, a friendship fast and true, between two monarchs in their own right. Poe’s soft sunshine, Delphine’s bright, fizzy effervescence, Becket’s loyal fervor, all combine to make a cohesive, strange little family unit.
Steeped in stories of theology and philosophy and history and archaeology (all of which I had little to no familiarity with), the narrative is breathtakingly rambling and sharply intellectual. The symbolism is strongly pervasive. Matters of human sacrifice and ancient fairytales are discussed with equal weight. Magical realism is a guiding principle in many of the author’s stories, but this series leans into it entirely. Of course, it is still as bananas, evocative, and horny, if not more so than before. Sexual rituals, instead of being profane, are almost as sacred (or more) than ancient rituals and religious feasts. Which is one of the things I love about their world, sex isn’t icky or bad or wrong, it is as essential as breathing, as integral as the language they speak, and there are no arbitrary limits (except consent of course). This series may not be for everyone (things get freaky on the Simone scale), but it is a bit of a love letter to the true connoisseurs of Simone. Of which club I’m the chieftain(ess?)
This book left me discombobulated. I felt legitimately shaky and mildly feverish after turning the last page. To be honest, I don’t even know what exactly I felt; a little punch drunk, a little sad, mostly bittersweet. My heart is both heavy and light, full and hollow. Both freaked out and comforted, like the author intended. Was this a perfect book? Not exactly, but I appreciated the imperfections just the same. In fact, I was almost prepared to take off half a star (for reasons that shall not be discussed), but clearly if my meandering thoughts are anything to go by, I’m so thoroughly infected by Thornchapel and its denizens that anything less than a perfect 5 stars would just be a lie (basically me having a mini tantrum, again, for reasons). I’ll be haunted by this world, and these characters for a while yet.
I am satisfied! For a book where I quite honestly had no idea how Sierra Simone was going to wrap the series up well, wow this book came together beautifully!
Do I love fantasy twists in otherwise “real world books”? No. Does this one work and feel right? Yes!
I loved the resolution of the characters stories, their relationships, their love for each other. I liked the ending and how the door saga was completed. I laughed, I cried, I got very turned on! I didn’t realise how much I had grown to love Sierra’s characters until reading Door of Bruises. I was desperate for a happy resolution! I wanted my favourites to have their happy ending. I won’t reveal how it ends but I will say I’m satisfied and it’s a 5 star ending.
P.S. How do I come to the realisation that I won’t have another book with Saint in it?!
Do I love fantasy twists in otherwise “real world books”? No. Does this one work and feel right? Yes!
I loved the resolution of the characters stories, their relationships, their love for each other. I liked the ending and how the door saga was completed. I laughed, I cried, I got very turned on! I didn’t realise how much I had grown to love Sierra’s characters until reading Door of Bruises. I was desperate for a happy resolution! I wanted my favourites to have their happy ending. I won’t reveal how it ends but I will say I’m satisfied and it’s a 5 star ending.
P.S. How do I come to the realisation that I won’t have another book with Saint in it?!
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Again, I really just wanted to see how the story with the door played out. I was satisfied with the conclusion.
4.5 Stars
There's not a whole lot I can say about this considering it's the fourth and final book in the Thornchapel series, but what I can say is that I don't know anyone but Ms. Simone who can explore religion, kink, and the bisection of both in a more poetic and lyrical manner as she. The characters she has created in this series are flawed, broken and messy. There's no other way around it, but with that mess comes so much. Just so much. Hurt, healing, Relationships of all manner and means. But I adored this journey from A Lesson In Thorns to now and I'll cherish the bunch of them for many years to come. I volunteered to read and review an early copy of this and all opinions are my own.
There's not a whole lot I can say about this considering it's the fourth and final book in the Thornchapel series, but what I can say is that I don't know anyone but Ms. Simone who can explore religion, kink, and the bisection of both in a more poetic and lyrical manner as she. The characters she has created in this series are flawed, broken and messy. There's no other way around it, but with that mess comes so much. Just so much. Hurt, healing, Relationships of all manner and means. But I adored this journey from A Lesson In Thorns to now and I'll cherish the bunch of them for many years to come. I volunteered to read and review an early copy of this and all opinions are my own.
I am wrecked, but also completely sated. We shall call this the Auden Guest Treatment, folks.
This story is wild and magical and atmospheric and at times so desperately longing to break free from the pages that contain it, it’s impossible to truly encapsulate everything I feel after finishing it. But I am overwhelmed, not just because of how touchingly perfect the ending is, but also because this is my goodbye to Thornchapel, after being with this series from the very beginning.
It feels like a blessing to have the chance to open these books and step through the door into this world’s waiting embrace. Like cozying up in darkened library, lit only by the glow of the fireplace. Protected, sheltered and cocooned within its raw, ancient power.
Convivicat.
This story is wild and magical and atmospheric and at times so desperately longing to break free from the pages that contain it, it’s impossible to truly encapsulate everything I feel after finishing it. But I am overwhelmed, not just because of how touchingly perfect the ending is, but also because this is my goodbye to Thornchapel, after being with this series from the very beginning.
It feels like a blessing to have the chance to open these books and step through the door into this world’s waiting embrace. Like cozying up in darkened library, lit only by the glow of the fireplace. Protected, sheltered and cocooned within its raw, ancient power.
Convivicat.