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fallingwings's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I don't know how I feel about this book to be honest. On one hand, I enjoyed it way more than this author's other series (King of the Dark) and am even tempted to pick up the second book. On the other hand, parts of it feel like it could have been handled or done better. It feels torn between wanting to be a plot driven book and a character driven book, like it can't decide. There's a deeper plot beyond than just "revenge" but it's buried and we only get snippets of it.
This won't be anything long, I don't have the energy, but I'll put down my main thoughts.
Pros:
- I really enjoyed that the creatures in this book are unique. They don't fall into the popular classification creatures we see so much of nowadays (fae, vampires, werewolves) and it does make this book feel like a breath of fresh air.
Cons:
× The main problem I probably had with this book was that -- for the majority of the book -- we are left to believe that Havoc wants revenge on Dante because Dante didn't help him when he was attacked by his friend. Then, near the end, we learn that this whole revenge plot was because The revenge plot just doesn't work for me because it either comes across as childish and juvenile or it makes no sense.
So yeah. Interesting ideas, love the unique creatures, but the whole theme and plot needed some work.
I don't know how I feel about this book to be honest. On one hand, I enjoyed it way more than this author's other series (King of the Dark) and am even tempted to pick up the second book. On the other hand, parts of it feel like it could have been handled or done better. It feels torn between wanting to be a plot driven book and a character driven book, like it can't decide. There's a deeper plot beyond than just "revenge" but it's buried and we only get snippets of it.
This won't be anything long, I don't have the energy, but I'll put down my main thoughts.
Pros:
- I really enjoyed that the creatures in this book are unique. They don't fall into the popular classification creatures we see so much of nowadays (fae, vampires, werewolves) and it does make this book feel like a breath of fresh air.
Cons:
× The main problem I probably had with this book was that -- for the majority of the book -- we are left to believe that Havoc wants revenge on Dante because Dante didn't help him when he was attacked by his friend. Then, near the end, we learn that this whole revenge plot was because
Spoiler
Havoc was upset that Dante had another friend. I guess he felt replaced? But I was so confused on why he would be more pissed that Dante had a new friend over the fact that new friend tried to kill him. Dante even tried to stop his friend -- in front of Havoc -- but Havoc still considered him a traitor.So yeah. Interesting ideas, love the unique creatures, but the whole theme and plot needed some work.
lifeinthebooklane's review
5.0
This story is dark, twisted, and perilous, featuring a misunderstood monster and his butterfly boy. Ariana Nash's beautifully lyrical prose ensnares the heart whilst transporting you into the mysterious and dangerous world she has created. A world where nothing is as it seems and the truth is harder to find than a needle in a haystack.
This may be Dante's End but Havok totally stole the show. He's like an impulsive toddler, pulling the wings off an insect because he wants to see how they work. Full of ire, passion, envy and with a strong urge to protect the humans under his care. What isn't to love about this horned, winged, sexy monster? Dante is just as impetuous, quick to judge and flying off the handle as only a true redhead can. He both loves and hates his Jailor, remembering the young boy he once knew and sparring with the cold-hearted terror he now faces.
In a world where nothing is as it seems, where only the strongest, most determined and most ruthless survive, separating fact from fiction can seem an almost impossible task. Whom to trust, who to care for, whether indeed to care, these are the puzzles that can drive even the most balanced of men crazy.
Only Ariana Nash can make a dreadful monster loveable, and an affable hero into someone you want to punch. And make it imperative for this star-crossed pair to find the happily ever after in one another's arms. She also, cruel mistress that she is, likes to leave us on a soul-crushing cliffhanger too. I am absolutely besotted with Dante and Havok and will be counting the months, weeks, days and hours until book #2 is released. It can't come soon enough.
“Havok was jealous. Dante had said he’d come back, he’d promised. Havok had waited by that pond for so long. And when he had returned, he’d brought another, brought a replacement, a Lenolian like him. Someone not Havok. The betrayal stung to this day.”
This may be Dante's End but Havok totally stole the show. He's like an impulsive toddler, pulling the wings off an insect because he wants to see how they work. Full of ire, passion, envy and with a strong urge to protect the humans under his care. What isn't to love about this horned, winged, sexy monster? Dante is just as impetuous, quick to judge and flying off the handle as only a true redhead can. He both loves and hates his Jailor, remembering the young boy he once knew and sparring with the cold-hearted terror he now faces.
In a world where nothing is as it seems, where only the strongest, most determined and most ruthless survive, separating fact from fiction can seem an almost impossible task. Whom to trust, who to care for, whether indeed to care, these are the puzzles that can drive even the most balanced of men crazy.
Only Ariana Nash can make a dreadful monster loveable, and an affable hero into someone you want to punch. And make it imperative for this star-crossed pair to find the happily ever after in one another's arms. She also, cruel mistress that she is, likes to leave us on a soul-crushing cliffhanger too. I am absolutely besotted with Dante and Havok and will be counting the months, weeks, days and hours until book #2 is released. It can't come soon enough.
“Dante glanced up and caught a moonlit glimpse of Havok’s ass he was sure poets would be able to describe in lavish detail.”
drasticpear's review
adventurous
dark
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
These men are stupid as HELL, oscillating wildly between love, lust, and hate. Sometimes it was fun, and when it wasn't I tried to cut them some slack, but mostly I was just annoyed by it.
jcaesara's review against another edition
4.0
My first Ariana Nash book. I loved it.
From the first pages I came to adore this twisted, mischievous and cruel monster, Havok. Yes, he an evil bastard but I don't know why I found it was so easy to like him
From the first pages I came to adore this twisted, mischievous and cruel monster, Havok. Yes, he an evil bastard but I don't know why I found it was so easy to like him
lindadreams's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
sallysocker's review against another edition
3.0
This was not one of my favorite of Ariana Nash. I found the theme of the book really good and I liked the concept of the monsters (forgot what they were called) really interesting. But I have to say that is this one of Ariana Nash’s worst book when it comes to the romance and characters. I didn’t find the characters interesting in any way and the relationship between Havoc and Dante was so bad. Their feelings for each other went back and forth throughout the whole book and in the end it was left at such a way that I couldn’t make up my mind if I should root for them or not. Neither of them could decide if the other was a good person.
The romance in this book was just bad and I don’t thing this relationship will turn out good because both of them are just so mean and bad against each other that I don’t see how they will be able to solve it and also have a healthy relationship. I know Ariana are a master at writing angst and enemies to lovers but I can’t really say that this type of enemies to lovers is something that interests me. Relationships in books are supposed to stay in books and be fiction but at the same time I can’t enjoy the romance and see the relationship as something good when the characters have done such horrible things to each other.
The romance in this book was just bad and I don’t thing this relationship will turn out good because both of them are just so mean and bad against each other that I don’t see how they will be able to solve it and also have a healthy relationship. I know Ariana are a master at writing angst and enemies to lovers but I can’t really say that this type of enemies to lovers is something that interests me. Relationships in books are supposed to stay in books and be fiction but at the same time I can’t enjoy the romance and see the relationship as something good when the characters have done such horrible things to each other.
dinohakari's review against another edition
4.0
I spent several days after reading this book thinking about what to write, because it is not easy to say that you did not like something about a book when you are going to write a review. And it's not that I really didn't like it. It is rather a feeling that something was missing. Or maybe it's the fact that too many things happened?
First of all, I can't give it less than four stars because as always, the author created an incredibly well put together world, and she describes it in such a way that it's as if we were there. And the four stars also go because the story is original, and because I can't exactly put my finger on what bothers me about the book. Like I said before, it's more of a feeling. And I'm not going to rate it less until I read the next one and then maybe, what bothers me about this one, will clear up and change my point of view (and I can get to give it five stars. Which I hope).
Another thing that happened to me: While I absolutely loved Havoc, one of the MCs, I didn't feel any connection to Dante. And it's the first time it's happened to me with one of Ariana's books. I absolutely love all of her MCs. All. Of. Them. Some more, some less, but they all gave me something, they all made me feel something. The only thing that made me feel Dante? Anger and frustration, but more than anything, indifference. It's like I don't understand or I don't see what Havoc can see in him to fall in love with him.
Anyway, I don't want to make this a negative review, because it is NOT. I just wanted to explain why I didn't end up falling in love with this book. That does not mean that when I finish reading the trilogy, I do not end up saying that it is the best of everything that Ariana wrote.
So, I DO recommend that you read the book. But you must do it with an open mind, and prepared to see a lot of betrayal, a lot of hate, even though it is a love story, and a lot of twists and turns until the end, which leaves us in suspense until we can put our hands together. in the second of the trilogy, which will be released next year.
I was given an advanced copy and wrote voluntarily a review.
First of all, I can't give it less than four stars because as always, the author created an incredibly well put together world, and she describes it in such a way that it's as if we were there. And the four stars also go because the story is original, and because I can't exactly put my finger on what bothers me about the book. Like I said before, it's more of a feeling. And I'm not going to rate it less until I read the next one and then maybe, what bothers me about this one, will clear up and change my point of view (and I can get to give it five stars. Which I hope).
Another thing that happened to me: While I absolutely loved Havoc, one of the MCs, I didn't feel any connection to Dante. And it's the first time it's happened to me with one of Ariana's books. I absolutely love all of her MCs. All. Of. Them. Some more, some less, but they all gave me something, they all made me feel something. The only thing that made me feel Dante? Anger and frustration, but more than anything, indifference. It's like I don't understand or I don't see what Havoc can see in him to fall in love with him.
Anyway, I don't want to make this a negative review, because it is NOT. I just wanted to explain why I didn't end up falling in love with this book. That does not mean that when I finish reading the trilogy, I do not end up saying that it is the best of everything that Ariana wrote.
So, I DO recommend that you read the book. But you must do it with an open mind, and prepared to see a lot of betrayal, a lot of hate, even though it is a love story, and a lot of twists and turns until the end, which leaves us in suspense until we can put our hands together. in the second of the trilogy, which will be released next year.
I was given an advanced copy and wrote voluntarily a review.
kaitlin_durante's review
4.0
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Dante’s End by Ariana Nash is the first book in her new The Jailor series. Dante’s home of Lenola has been plagued by the Jailor for as long as he can remember. In an attempt to fight back, Dante organizes an attack that leads him to being the Jailor’s captive. What he never expects is that the Jailor is none other than his childhood friend, Havok. Havok has been serving his purpose for so many years without question but when Dante is thrust back into his life, he finds himself at odds with his status quo. Dante and Havok are different than when they were friends as children but can they help each other and do they really want to?
Dante is not the same man Havok knew as a child by the water. He has been hardened by years of trying to protect Lenola and pretending to be okay. As a captive, he struggles with a myriad of emotions ranging from happiness at seeing his friend again, sorrow at never going home and rage at the fact that Havok has been stealing people for years under his nose. Dante is forced to face the fact that he may hate who Havok has become but he is intensely attracted to him.
He sought it elsewhere, paid to chase the high in the hands of strangers, drowned himself in ravine, tried to summon it from other lovers, from Calen, but none had felt like this– like Havok was the only creature who could make him feel alive.
Havok is good at his job as the jailor. He believes he is protecting Lenola from further casualties by just accepting their offering even if the townspeople fail to see it that way. He is a monster that is for sure because although he has moments of kindness, he has a violent jealous streak that cannot be ignored. Havok struggles as well with the emotions that Dante brings to light. The two cannot deny their hate lust is extreme and finds itself bursting to the surface.
Dante was silent, motionless, tucked against Havok’s chest. Havok had him now, and he’d find a way for them to survive this.
Ariana Nash writes a mean gay fantasy story and this is another great addition. Dante and Havok’s early time together is shattered and the pieces lead to them becoming bitter enemies. The story has steamy moments fueled by rage and distrust which is another Nash theme. I love seeing the story unveil itself to us as the readers as the past reveals itself to the characters themselves. Cliffhangers! That’s all I have to say about that and how I cannot wait to see who we meet next and what happens to Dante and Havok.
4 stars for Dante and Havok’s monstrous reunion.
Dante’s End by Ariana Nash is the first book in her new The Jailor series. Dante’s home of Lenola has been plagued by the Jailor for as long as he can remember. In an attempt to fight back, Dante organizes an attack that leads him to being the Jailor’s captive. What he never expects is that the Jailor is none other than his childhood friend, Havok. Havok has been serving his purpose for so many years without question but when Dante is thrust back into his life, he finds himself at odds with his status quo. Dante and Havok are different than when they were friends as children but can they help each other and do they really want to?
Dante is not the same man Havok knew as a child by the water. He has been hardened by years of trying to protect Lenola and pretending to be okay. As a captive, he struggles with a myriad of emotions ranging from happiness at seeing his friend again, sorrow at never going home and rage at the fact that Havok has been stealing people for years under his nose. Dante is forced to face the fact that he may hate who Havok has become but he is intensely attracted to him.
He sought it elsewhere, paid to chase the high in the hands of strangers, drowned himself in ravine, tried to summon it from other lovers, from Calen, but none had felt like this– like Havok was the only creature who could make him feel alive.
Havok is good at his job as the jailor. He believes he is protecting Lenola from further casualties by just accepting their offering even if the townspeople fail to see it that way. He is a monster that is for sure because although he has moments of kindness, he has a violent jealous streak that cannot be ignored. Havok struggles as well with the emotions that Dante brings to light. The two cannot deny their hate lust is extreme and finds itself bursting to the surface.
Dante was silent, motionless, tucked against Havok’s chest. Havok had him now, and he’d find a way for them to survive this.
Ariana Nash writes a mean gay fantasy story and this is another great addition. Dante and Havok’s early time together is shattered and the pieces lead to them becoming bitter enemies. The story has steamy moments fueled by rage and distrust which is another Nash theme. I love seeing the story unveil itself to us as the readers as the past reveals itself to the characters themselves. Cliffhangers! That’s all I have to say about that and how I cannot wait to see who we meet next and what happens to Dante and Havok.
4 stars for Dante and Havok’s monstrous reunion.