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sestrout's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
vsamek's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Rape
pinklizzards's review against another edition
This book was so slow and the plot was all over the place. I enjoyed the first book, but oh my god, this one sucked.
I stopped reading because right before the end, I started getting a REALLY strong hint that one of my least favorite tropes was about to happen. And, surprise, it did.
There’s a pregnancy trope. GAG!
I stopped reading because right before the end, I started getting a REALLY strong hint that one of my least favorite tropes was about to happen. And, surprise, it did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Rape
mfrank's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Trigger Warning: discussion of sexual assault and rape
This book was so disappointing compared to the first book. I absolutely loved the first book, but this one felt like a mess from start to finish. Cat and Griffin's relationship felt completely stagnant through about 350 pages of the book. In addition, the plot just felt like a meandering mess. The first two hundred pages are this quest to get the Ipotanes who are then never mentioned again once they "have" them. The constant deus ex machina mentioned by others is also very present and very real. It feels like the author wrote herself into a corner sometimes and then just used the gods to get Cat out of it. I didn't mind the "chosen one" plot line of Cat, but rather that it feels like Cat never actually has to grow or struggle because everything is solved for her. It was also very annoying how much Cat and Griffin had the same argument about him overprotecting her. I just wanted Griffin to shut up and for them to stop having the same conversation over and over.
I also don't see many people mentioning this. I'm really not sure why. The first book had some of that "you know you want it, you're lips are saying no, but you're body is saying yes" type shit that I don't really like too much. I gave it a pass mostly because despite all that talk, Griffin still respected Cat's boundaries and it didn't actually cross into non-con. The second book breaks that. There is actually really significant sexual assault in this book. First, Cat is nearly raped by this rotting, undead, werewolf creatures in a scene that is fairly graphic and very disturbing. Beyond that, though, the entire plot hinges on Cat trading her friend, Kato, to Atalanta. Although it's portrayed as "no hardship" from Kato, it's very rape-y. Atalanta is trying to kill both Kato and Cat and only stops when Kato agrees to perform this sex ritual with her, which then goes on for two or three days. Atalanta gives him a potion that increases his stamina or something and makes him able to have continuous sex for that whole time. He references not enjoying it, feeling pressured, being coerced, and that he wanted nothing to do with her at the end of it. And it's just never really mentioned again until Kato is forced to face Atalanta again (although it's not really mentioned, just noted that she still "wants" him and he is disgusted by the thought of it). (side note, I also hated the depiction of Artemis in this and how Cat sort of looks down on her. There's a lot of the idea that sex is the only real love and the only love worth having so Artemis should be pitied almost like a child for swearing herself to virginity without realizing what she was going to be giving up for eternity, which just really rubbed me the wrong way). The entire plot is resting on this sexual assault and it never goes into the ramifications of this for Kato. I wonder if the third book will bring it up, but probably not and I'll never know because I certainly don't plan on reading it.
The baby plot at the end of the book was also very obvious from the beginning. I wouldn't have minded it except that it was used as the justification for Griffin's controlling and overprotective behavior. Griffin apparently suspected it the whole book and just never told Cat despite how pissed he was with her for all the secrets she was keeping. The fact that Griffin knew she could be pregnant and never told her was just the icing on the cake for how much I absolutely couldn't stand Griffin in this book after really loving him in the first book.
Ultimately, I will not continue with this series and would not really recommend this book. I still think the first book is really good and may re-read that in the future, but I will not finish this series.
This book was so disappointing compared to the first book. I absolutely loved the first book, but this one felt like a mess from start to finish. Cat and Griffin's relationship felt completely stagnant through about 350 pages of the book. In addition, the plot just felt like a meandering mess. The first two hundred pages are this quest to get the Ipotanes who are then never mentioned again once they "have" them. The constant deus ex machina mentioned by others is also very present and very real. It feels like the author wrote herself into a corner sometimes and then just used the gods to get Cat out of it. I didn't mind the "chosen one" plot line of Cat, but rather that it feels like Cat never actually has to grow or struggle because everything is solved for her. It was also very annoying how much Cat and Griffin had the same argument about him overprotecting her. I just wanted Griffin to shut up and for them to stop having the same conversation over and over.
I also don't see many people mentioning this. I'm really not sure why. The first book had some of that "you know you want it, you're lips are saying no, but you're body is saying yes" type shit that I don't really like too much. I gave it a pass mostly because despite all that talk, Griffin still respected Cat's boundaries and it didn't actually cross into non-con. The second book breaks that. There is actually really significant sexual assault in this book. First, Cat is nearly raped by this rotting, undead, werewolf creatures in a scene that is fairly graphic and very disturbing. Beyond that, though, the entire plot hinges on Cat trading her friend, Kato, to Atalanta. Although it's portrayed as "no hardship" from Kato, it's very rape-y. Atalanta is trying to kill both Kato and Cat and only stops when Kato agrees to perform this sex ritual with her, which then goes on for two or three days. Atalanta gives him a potion that increases his stamina or something and makes him able to have continuous sex for that whole time. He references not enjoying it, feeling pressured, being coerced, and that he wanted nothing to do with her at the end of it. And it's just never really mentioned again until Kato is forced to face Atalanta again (although it's not really mentioned, just noted that she still "wants" him and he is disgusted by the thought of it). (side note, I also hated the depiction of Artemis in this and how Cat sort of looks down on her. There's a lot of the idea that sex is the only real love and the only love worth having so Artemis should be pitied almost like a child for swearing herself to virginity without realizing what she was going to be giving up for eternity, which just really rubbed me the wrong way). The entire plot is resting on this sexual assault and it never goes into the ramifications of this for Kato. I wonder if the third book will bring it up, but probably not and I'll never know because I certainly don't plan on reading it.
Ultimately, I will not continue with this series and would not really recommend this book. I still think the first book is really good and may re-read that in the future, but I will not finish this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
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