Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Queen of Myth and Monsters

I'm a little underwhelmed to say the least.

After finishing the first book in the series I was excited to start the second book to get a more in-depth look at some of the characters but it felt like it was a bit lackluster. There wasn't much plot or character building in this book, granted there were a lot of things that happened throughout the book. It almost felt as though there were too many issues instead of the characters having to focus on one or two; as a reader there wasn't a main focal point as it almost felt chaotic.

To be fair, there were a lot of twists and turns that you would have or not have picked up hints on throughout the book. There's also a good amount of spice that was included, which I think we're all here for 😉

Content Warnings

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Whilst I didn't like this book as much as the first one I still think it was good and eventually found it's foot towards the last half.

The lore and world building for this series is still very well done in my opinion. We keep learning more history and why certain things are the way they are in their current timeline compared to the past. I think a lot of the secondary characters really pulled the story along and kept it going since Isolde and Adrian were not a highlight this book. The plot of the book was also lackluster but did at least build to a hopefully a more interesting third book.
The real issue I had with this story was Isolde and Adrian and their relationship. It felt very toxic on both sides, a lot of their actions didn't feel like they matched their characters at all. The book bought up so many issues between them and then made waved it away with sex between them.

In particular I felt that Isolde was abusive towards Adrian. She would yell and event hit him at times when she was angry at something Adrian did and never apologised for her actions whilst whenever Adrian was in the wrong he at least apologised eventually and in character. Adrian on the other hand doesn't feel like he understand that Isolde is not her past life at all despite what he says. It's not even a struggle that we really see play out and that he comes to terms with, this is a words don't match actions issue. I didn't feel like he loved Isolde at all but only what she was in the past and keeps comparing the two.

Event after everything I will still read the third book and see if any of the build up pays off and hopefully there are some much needed improvements.

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psydneigh's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

I didnt feel like any of the characters had ANY chemistry with each other. Adrian and Isolde’s relationship felt so toxic, I almost DNFed at 35%. Nothing happens in this book; its all set up for the next one. I will be stopping the series here.

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dorleness's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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julienicole1106's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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annejalinah_jackson's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing 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? No

4.5

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just_one_more_paige's review

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

I read King of Battle and Blood, the first book in the "Adrian X Isolde" series, just recently. And I was very into it. There was magic and battle and vampires and an enemies-to-lovers romance that went hard on the steamy front. So, I was pretty excited to see that the second book was already out. I was very interested in seeing where this story went next, after learning there was so much more history to the story of Adrian and Isolde than I'd originally thought.

Well, I was not quite as into this second book as I was the first one. The story and writing are fine, though a bit scattered, as St. Clair tries to address and move forward what feels like, perhaps, too many plot points. The steamy scenes, and there were, again, many, were still written really well (kudos to St. Clair again for that). I will say though, I got a little uncomfortable with the way the "fight and have sex" cycle didn't seem to get any better in this second book. I understand the need for that in the first, as enemies to lovers necessitates that vibe. But, now that Adrian and Isolde are clearly on the same side, if you will, I was frustrated that neither seemed willing to compromise or talk through any disagreements for real, they'd just yell at each other, unmoving, then sulk and feel guilty, then come back together later and have make-up sex without ever addressing the baseline issues, etc. It got tough to read. And even the reveal towards the end, about the way the goddess Dis is interfering with their relationship and Adrian's actions, was too little too late, IMO, to save my opinion of the couple's increasing unhealthy interactions. We'll see where things go in the next book (yes, I'm still going to read the next one and see where everything goes from here).

While St. Clair didn't really pull punches on the violence front in the first book, I felt like, in that case, it was still mostly in a way that empowered Isolde; I liked her as a bloodthirsty (encouraged by Adrian) heroine. In this novel, the violence gets...extreme. There is all the "normal" violence of a tyrant (think dramatic killing styles for "traitors" and mass killing to keep one's secrets, etc.). There is the magical beast violence (we get introduced to a number of canine/werewolf style magical animals in this installation, which feels a bit like an unnecessary nod to the "vampire and werewolf" trope, but they often exist together in folklore, so I guess I understand). And then there is violence against women, sexual and otherwise, that skirts the line of gratuitous. There is deep trauma from that type of violence rapant all over the plot and all the female characters, and I am not sure all of it was necessary to move the plot or character development forwards. I vaguely get the point(s) St. Clair is trying to make, about the inherent power of women, to face all that and find resiliency and strength anyways, to fight for themselves and each other, but it's just not quite done well enough. Really just, be careful and be ready for it before picking this book up.

While I am interested in the "let's conquer the world together" plans that Adrian and Isolde have, including how to regain her throne in Lara, and also free her mother's people, the part of the plot I wanted more about was the history of witches in Ravekka and Isolde's previous self and the rogue witch who stole The Book of Dis and what she planned to do with it. Well, I got the opposite here. I mean, the development was split between the two concepts, but the reveal about said rogue witch at the end left me...confused. Like, how was that the person behind it and how did they manage that reveal and what is their plan/goal? Just, really unclear. On the flipside, the conquering/invasion plans moved forward in a clear and understandable way. There was also *so much* backstabbing and betrayal; like, an unnecessary amount. It didn't feel dramatic, so much as trite, after it happened so many times.

So yes, Adrian and Isolde's characters were not as robust here as in the first book. They fell a little flat and into trope-like cycles, even though this second book should have been where they started to develop and grow together. There were some plot points I wished I'd understood more, and some that didn't feel necessary. And the experience of reading this got really intense at times. And yet, I am still for some reason wanting to find out what happens next. This series is just one of those easy, escapist, type reads, where I feel a little guilty about reading it (though I know I shouldn't), but go for it anyways, because sometimes that's exactly what you need as a reader. I recognize the red flags, but cannot help but cheer for a better ending for Adrian and Isolde, plus I'm a sucker for magic and vampires, so I'll be back when the third book is published.

“You do not have to have lived a hundred years, or even twenty. If your soul is tired, you will be tired.”

“Nothing is too long when it is goodbye.”

“I knew the truth of this world, and the only way to survive as a woman with power was to use it.”

“There is no comfort for this - not even in revenge - because trauma was a nightmare that clung to its victims with an iron fist.”

“You are the daughter of witches, as all women are [...] Magic is in our blood and bone; it is in the earth at our feet; it is in the very air we breathe.”

Content Warnings

xoxo_bookishbabe's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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