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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oh, man, I so badly wanted to like this as much as I was hoping I would! The premise was promising, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.
To start with what I did like: Ezra and Killian. I did actually think they were really cute and I got invested in their relationship, it was more the structure around them that I struggled with. I generally enjoyed Ezra’s character- I saw another reviewer say that we don’t have enough books about pathetic MMCs who get their asses handed to them, and I completely agree! Shoutout to Ezra for that one. There were a few details included later on that unfortunately made me like him a little less, but overall I still found him an interesting enough character to follow. I did really like Killian, up until a certain thing happened later in the book. No spoilers, but it felt very out of left field and out of character, but on further reflection I’m not sure his character was fleshed out enough to really know whether it was out of character or not.
On that note, the things that didn’t work for me: also Ezra and Killian, in a way. While I did like their relationship and I was rooting for them, the pacing of their relationship felt very strange. The pacing of the story as a whole just felt off to me- everything happened so quickly in the beginning and I would have appreciated a bit more time to see Ezra and Killian in their normal states and then work up to what happens to Ezra. But then, after the warp speed in the beginning, things started to drag through the middle and I had a really hard time pushing through. I almost felt like it was meant to be a short story or novella.
I think my biggest issue was with the dialogue, though. My pettiest complaint was all the “boyo”s, for some reason it made me cringe to read it. Nicknames and terms like that being used too often is one of my pet peeves, and that one in particular was extra touch for me (I actually just generally don’t enjoy accents that are written out in the dialogue, I prefer to just be told what accent it is, but that’s still more of a personal issue). Beyond that, the dialogue and dialogue tags made it read awkwardly and stunted the relationships between characters for me.
But at the end of the day it is about gay vampires, so it has to at least get a couple stars.
adventurous
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
If you remove the shaky plot, it's actually a pretty good book, like the characters are really nice.
emotional
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
If, like me, you were tempted to read this book because it was advertised as similar to the "All For The Game" series, you will not be disappointed! Or so I hope...
From the very beginning, the similarities between the two are striking and the Main Character is clearly a Neil Josten from another universe and time period. A runaway who grew up in the mafia with an abusive father and who changes identities to escape the one he sent to track him down.
I wasn't as into this book as I was into the "All For The Game" series, but it still was a nice read, even if I'm not sure if I am going to read the next volume.
The characters and the relationships they built together were endearing. The story is way more focused on sibling-like bonds rather than romantic ones which, of course, pleases me as usual!
The softie inside me kind of wishes Killian and Marigold's siblings are somehow alive and thriving somewhere in the world ahah
We only got to meet them through memories shared by the two, but the tragedy of outliving your family still got to me!
It's true that I had a hard time understanding why the love interest would think his plan to "help" Marigold was a good one since, as a reader, it sounds like such a strange and complicated idea when easier and less deceiving way of ensuring she would have someone to take care of her exist, but afterall, the human mind is complex, and when directed by emotions, it can lead to rash and unthinkable decisions!
To be honest, my only complaint would be that the time span the book is set in seems incredibly short compared to the amount of events that happen in it and the development of the bonds between All three MCs —1 week.
When reading it, I felt as if months had passed, but in truth, it had always been a mere week and it disturbed me more than once!
From the very beginning, the similarities between the two are striking and the Main Character is clearly a Neil Josten from another universe and time period. A runaway who grew up in the mafia with an abusive father and who changes identities to escape the one he sent to track him down.
I wasn't as into this book as I was into the "All For The Game" series, but it still was a nice read, even if I'm not sure if I am going to read the next volume.
The characters and the relationships they built together were endearing. The story is way more focused on sibling-like bonds rather than romantic ones which, of course, pleases me as usual!
The softie inside me kind of wishes Killian and Marigold's siblings are somehow alive and thriving somewhere in the world ahah
We only got to meet them through memories shared by the two, but the tragedy of outliving your family still got to me!
It's true that I had a hard time understanding why the love interest would think his plan to "help" Marigold was a good one since, as a reader, it sounds like such a strange and complicated idea when easier and less deceiving way of ensuring she would have someone to take care of her exist, but afterall, the human mind is complex, and when directed by emotions, it can lead to rash and unthinkable decisions!
To be honest, my only complaint would be that the time span the book is set in seems incredibly short compared to the amount of events that happen in it and the development of the bonds between All three MCs —1 week.
When reading it, I felt as if months had passed, but in truth, it had always been a mere week and it disturbed me more than once!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
I thought the supernatural themes in this book were really well done and made for an interesting story. At first the book was kinda slow, specifically because there was very little information given up front, so I found it kinda hard to follow.
There were some really awesome visual descriptions though as the book got more intense and I kept picturing how this would be a great TV show. I always like weird dream shit so that was probably my favorite part.
The only bigger issue I had was that the relationship between Killian and Ezra felt very sudden. Since other major plot things were going on, I don't think the attraction between them made sense initially because there wasn't much exploration done. I wish there was more time spent on developing there relationship together, even if that meant another 100 pages, because I didn't really buy the 0-100 thing.
There were some really awesome visual descriptions though as the book got more intense and I kept picturing how this would be a great TV show. I always like weird dream shit so that was probably my favorite part.
The only bigger issue I had was that the relationship between Killian and Ezra felt very sudden. Since other major plot things were going on, I don't think the attraction between them made sense initially because there wasn't much exploration done. I wish there was more time spent on developing there relationship together, even if that meant another 100 pages, because I didn't really buy the 0-100 thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Car accident, Suicide attempt
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No