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leigh23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Rape, Blood, and Sexual assault
livist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This started a bit slow but got better. I would say this one leans more romance than fantasy. A lot of the magic is just doing more common things, so I guess it’s more like cozy fantasy? Idk genres
When I read romantasies I’m torn between two parts of me: the toxic romantic and the matured realist and this book was no exception.
The toxic romantic is like my own siren, she calls me to chill out and just enjoy the overbearing protectiveness of the male lead and ignore the large age difference between them.
I was purely a toxic romantic in my teens and early twents and that aged me would have found 0 problems with this story. However, my old ass was so perturbed. Like I always just ask why couldn’t she have been ending high school and all her sad years were in college? It’s so icky that he wants to fuck her at 16 and while the toxic romantic is all heart eyes over the, “I knew it from the moment I saw you trope,” the realist in me is like eewwww she wasn’t even 16 yet when you first met her!!!
Usually in these situations other stuff is happening fast enough to take me out of that mind set/distract me but because this leans more romance, that was the central focus. Their past and how it affects their present.
There’s a fantasy plot unfolding ever so slowly in the background but it’s only enough to delay them hooking up for most of the book and then suddenly she’s kidnapped and held for days in prison. It felt like it came from left field because it wasn’t the primary focus and then bam she’s in prison.
Also the main character is so so so insecure it is so frustrating. I don’t know how many times she had to be like,”he looked at me seductively BUT THATS JUST HOW HE IS. He doesn’t think I’m pretty bc I’m just me and he left me.” I wanted to just scream to get therapy girl.
Ultimately, Caly trades one possessive guy for another, albeit she has more history with Des.
There were some cute and funny moments too. Endearing he wanted to watch movies with her. I liked Desmond overall. I liked him a lot at the beginning when it seemed he had a strong moral compass and didn’t take her favor. I think the whole repayment thing was an interesting plot device too.
I liked the whole until the end of darkness metaphor and it being more meaningful in that darkness never seems to end. I liked some of the seemingly random customs/traditions, I enjoyed that part of the world building. Also lol to werewolves basically having a period.
I honestly liked the flashbacks to show their relationship building but when it was clear he wanted more from teenage her I was icked out. That’s when I wanted to be like let’s never go back to the past ever again.
I know a lot of her self esteem issues come from trauma bc the girl has really been put through the ringer and she seems like she’d be more bad ass but unfortunately a lot of it gets sidelined. I mean the girl gets nerfed instantly when she goes to the other world.
Otherwise, I thought the idea that earth has supernatural beings that walk amongst humans and there’s a separate magical world as a cool concept. I honestly wish we spent more time in magic land or ever more demonstrations of Cali doing more than fretting over her insecurities.
I’ll probably finish this series. This review seems very critical as it is the realist that often writes, but I enjoyed it overall and want to see more of where this goes. I just hope Caly gets some self love and we never tread back to high school ever again.
When I read romantasies I’m torn between two parts of me: the toxic romantic and the matured realist and this book was no exception.
The toxic romantic is like my own siren, she calls me to chill out and just enjoy the overbearing protectiveness of the male lead and ignore the large age difference between them.
Usually in these situations other stuff is happening fast enough to take me out of that mind set/distract me but because this leans more romance, that was the central focus. Their past and how it affects their present.
There’s a fantasy plot unfolding ever so slowly in the background but it’s only enough to delay them hooking up for most of the book and then suddenly she’s kidnapped and held for days in prison. It felt like it came from left field because it wasn’t the primary focus and then bam she’s in prison.
Also the main character is so so so insecure it is so frustrating. I don’t know how many times she had to be like,”he looked at me seductively BUT THATS JUST HOW HE IS. He doesn’t think I’m pretty bc I’m just me and he left me.” I wanted to just scream to get therapy girl.
Ultimately, Caly trades one possessive guy for another, albeit she has more history with Des.
There were some cute and funny moments too. Endearing he wanted to watch movies with her. I liked Desmond overall. I liked him a lot at the beginning when it seemed he had a strong moral compass and didn’t take her favor. I think the whole repayment thing was an interesting plot device too.
I liked the whole until the end of darkness metaphor and it being more meaningful in that darkness never seems to end. I liked some of the seemingly random customs/traditions, I enjoyed that part of the world building. Also lol to werewolves basically having a period.
I honestly liked the flashbacks to show their relationship building but when it was clear he wanted more from teenage her I was icked out. That’s when I wanted to be like let’s never go back to the past ever again.
I know a lot of her self esteem issues come from trauma bc the girl has really been put through the ringer and she seems like she’d be more bad ass but unfortunately a lot of it gets sidelined. I mean the girl gets nerfed instantly when she goes to the other world.
Otherwise, I thought the idea that earth has supernatural beings that walk amongst humans and there’s a separate magical world as a cool concept. I honestly wish we spent more time in magic land or ever more demonstrations of Cali doing more than fretting over her insecurities.
I’ll probably finish this series. This review seems very critical as it is the realist that often writes, but I enjoyed it overall and want to see more of where this goes. I just hope Caly gets some self love and we never tread back to high school ever again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
cburch16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
llau's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape
messica's review against another edition
2.75
This is like if Charlaine Harris wrote ACOTAR.
I’m new to the romantacy genre and I just have some observations. First, what’s up with the body horror? Most fantasy does not include this amount of torture and gore. Frankly I’m not sure why adding boinks warrants the extra horror. Related, are we not capable of writing one of these that doesn’t include SA? What’s going on with all these insanely unsexy plot lines? Is it overcompensation for the boinks? Conflict can happen without torture and SA. I’ve seen it done in every other genre. I just 💁♀️
I think I originally put a hold on this because some random Reddit thread suggested to read this after ACOTAR. And yeah honestly that’s a good way to rec this book because this reads similar.
I’m new to the romantacy genre and I just have some observations. First, what’s up with the body horror? Most fantasy does not include this amount of torture and gore. Frankly I’m not sure why adding boinks warrants the extra horror. Related, are we not capable of writing one of these that doesn’t include SA? What’s going on with all these insanely unsexy plot lines? Is it overcompensation for the boinks? Conflict can happen without torture and SA. I’ve seen it done in every other genre. I just 💁♀️
I think I originally put a hold on this because some random Reddit thread suggested to read this after ACOTAR. And yeah honestly that’s a good way to rec this book because this reads similar.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
caitsreadingcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.25
I very much loved the writing style in this book. The plot was engaging, the imagery and metaphors were beautiful and well written but there were a few things that I didn’t care much forthe way Callie was essentially groomed by Des at a young age but I did respect that he waited for her to mature and was at least somewhat aware of all of the torment and abuse she had endured. It is obvious that he cares deeply for her and loves her .
The romance was well written. I typically don’t go for such toxic relationship tropes but I did still enjoy it. I thought the world building was nice though it could have been better. I was not at all pleased with the stereotypes forced on her POC best friend Temper and it’s too cringey to elaborate on. There are a lot of unanswered questions but that just means I’ll have to keep reading!
The other thing that disturbed me wasCallie’s changed physical appearance. I don’t think she deserved anything else to hate about herself, to make her feel tainted and vulnerable. She had endured enough before that. Overall, a good read.
The romance was well written. I typically don’t go for such toxic relationship tropes but I did still enjoy it. I thought the world building was nice though it could have been better. I was not at all pleased with the stereotypes forced on her POC best friend Temper and it’s too cringey to elaborate on. There are a lot of unanswered questions but that just means I’ll have to keep reading!
The other thing that disturbed me was
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Alcohol, Rape, and Sexual assault
poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Rhapsodic was a fairly spicy Romantsy story. It was scary but threaded with sexual assault. The age difference between the characters was problematic for me. It wasn't just that there was one, but the age and circumstances of their first meeting gave me the ick. The mystery of the children and catatonic fae was scary, but I wasn't satisfied with the resolution. Perhaps the payoff is further down the series, but I won't get there. I don't like sexual victimization as a plot point, and it was really the only thing moving the story forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Child death, Confinement, Torture, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Dysphoria, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity
helminthy's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Very easy to read. The plot is interesting but the pacing made it clear that the characters were the focus. This would be fine if the character arcs were fleshed out, but they seem to change opinions and states in order to make the tone feel more broody.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Death, Blood, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Torture and Alcoholism
keyro's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Firstly, I don’t see too many reviews mentioning that this is an “age-gap” fantasy romance book. Age-gap used lightly since she was 16 and he was falling for her, although he said he wouldn’t touch her until she was of age.. alarming and very.. child groomy.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoy the past/present jumps but it also made it gross just listening in detail for how much they cared for one another romantically while she was a TEEN.
As far as the writing, it’s a STEP UP from those terrible wattpad-esque, It’s easily digestible.
I wish we got more of a POV from Des or learned more about him, we know surface level details, hoping the 2nd book will dig deeper, if it is, then it was a semi-great intro to Callie, although towards the end - she was set out to be a damsel in distress which is contradictory when callie was initially written to be a strong person.
Rhapsodic - 3.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
readyforit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
4.25⭐️1.5🌶️(I was promised spice with this series and honestly there were only a couple scenes and they weren’t super graphic)
This book is an urban romantasy set in our modern world but with an unknown other fae world. Callie is a human with siren powers who we learn has 322 debts to repay to The Bargainer (aka the fae king of the night realm aka aka rhysand 2.0). The story flips back and forth between Callie’s teenage years (about 7 years ago) when she made the bargains and present day, when The Bargainer has finally come to collect. Des is a possessive, obsessive, desperate man who would crawl home to her. I love how he’s only soft for her🥹 Callie is another one of those copy-paste badass FMC who is sassy and can fight and get shit done. You know her, you either love or hate her.
This book has a lot of similar elements to ACOTAR. If you hated how much world-building was in ACOTAR, you’ll probably enjoy this more since the world-building is minimal and woven into the flashbacks. I think it was a bit misleading of the author to write that the bargainer had “something else in mind” for Callie to repay her debts, which is honestly a really good premise for a spicy book, but didn’t deliver. Whoever rated it a 4/5🌶️ is out of their mind lmao.
I’ve read a lot of criticism about how des grooms Callie, and I think if that is a trigger for you, just skip this book. I don’t think des uses grooming techniques to form a relationship with Callie. I think they were two lonely people, one a human teenager and one the equivalent of a fae adolescent or young adult (idk he’s like 200 something), who formed a deep friendship that evolved into something more. He technically waited until she was 23 to come back to be with her and still gives her a choice. If every relationship between a human teenager and supernatural 100+ yo MMC is grooming then we also have to criticize twilight, the vampire diaries, ACOTAR, etc. It’s important to remember that this is 1. Fantasy and 2. Fiction.
Overall, I really liked the book but I don’t think I’ll reread unless the rest of the series really grips me. I felt like the first part of the book was very good and then the climax was a little lacking. I assume the villain will show back up later in the series.
I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator is pretty good! I would’ve liked it better if they hired a male narrator to do a duet for des’ lines but he doesn’t get a pov so I understand why they didn’t.
This book is an urban romantasy set in our modern world but with an unknown other fae world. Callie is a human with siren powers who we learn has 322 debts to repay to The Bargainer (aka the fae king of the night realm aka aka rhysand 2.0). The story flips back and forth between Callie’s teenage years (about 7 years ago) when she made the bargains and present day, when The Bargainer has finally come to collect. Des is a possessive, obsessive, desperate man who would crawl home to her. I love how he’s only soft for her🥹 Callie is another one of those copy-paste badass FMC who is sassy and can fight and get shit done. You know her, you either love or hate her.
This book has a lot of similar elements to ACOTAR. If you hated how much world-building was in ACOTAR, you’ll probably enjoy this more since the world-building is minimal and woven into the flashbacks. I think it was a bit misleading of the author to write that the bargainer had “something else in mind” for Callie to repay her debts, which is honestly a really good premise for a spicy book, but didn’t deliver. Whoever rated it a 4/5🌶️ is out of their mind lmao.
I’ve read a lot of criticism about how des grooms Callie, and I think if that is a trigger for you, just skip this book. I don’t think des uses grooming techniques to form a relationship with Callie. I think they were two lonely people, one a human teenager and one the equivalent of a fae adolescent or young adult (idk he’s like 200 something), who formed a deep friendship that evolved into something more. He technically waited until she was 23 to come back to be with her and still gives her a choice. If every relationship between a human teenager and supernatural 100+ yo MMC is grooming then we also have to criticize twilight, the vampire diaries, ACOTAR, etc. It’s important to remember that this is 1. Fantasy and 2. Fiction.
Overall, I really liked the book but I don’t think I’ll reread unless the rest of the series really grips me. I felt like the first part of the book was very good and then the climax was a little lacking. I assume the villain will show back up later in the series.
I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator is pretty good! I would’ve liked it better if they hired a male narrator to do a duet for des’ lines but he doesn’t get a pov so I understand why they didn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Rape
Rape and CSA is mentioned but in the past and nondescript