Reviews

Tear the World Apart by S.D. Simper

egexe's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

My god(s), this took me so long to read out of pure worry and anxiety for the characters, unsure of what would happen and what twists would come my way. 
I dont think a single book has made me feel so much, worry so much and after every more intense chapter I had to take some time to process, analyse and just let myself feel. Truly stunning, knocking out of the park

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia

reiviluola's review

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

tdap1899's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny slow-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

kimberlylarkspur's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

As with the previous books in the series, the plot and characters are beautifully-conceived, but the writing is often juvenile and poorly edited. Issues around misuse of words aren't quite as common as in the previous three.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Pedophilia

netgyrl's review against another edition

4.0

4 Stars - SD Simper is an amazing author. She says in the book that love and hate are so close to each other. I think they can be sides of the same coin. I would say that I hate and love this series.

I am going to get a bit spoilerly to try and explain my complex feeling about this story.

Spoiler

It's so dark. Two of the main characters are really despicable people. Ayla is basically an amoral, sociopathic, serial killer/torturer, perpetrator of genocide who has killed/murdered 100,000's of people. She sleeps like a baby at night. Her atrocities do not bother her at all. Her one redeeming quality, if you can even call it that; she loves Flowridia. I would posit that Flowridia, is even worse. Khastra says to her "... you are either the biggest idiot on this realm or the wickedest woman to walk it." I was like, amen Khastra, say it louder for the people in the back. Flowridia is worse then Alya because she knows what she is doing is wrong and does it anyway for fully selfish reasons. What Flowra does to Lara is the most heinous crime in the story. That story line... omg... i hate it soooooooo much!!! and I hate them and yet and I am rooting for them? It makes me feel bad, like rubber necking at a 20 car pile up. Fascinated by the gruesome spectacle.

So, why didn't I just walk away? Well, it's SD Simper's fault.

The way she writes the story kept me 10o% hooked. Even when I could only bring myself to read a few pages a day, I could not, not finish it. Especially when I thought (WRONGLY) that this was the last book. I HAD to know how the hell it would end. Imagine my surprise, when at the end I see at least one more book coming. UGH.

Anyway - I need a break. My heart and soul can't take anymore right now. Will I read the next one? Maybe? Probably. But right now I need the fluffiest, lowest of the angst romance to sooth my battered psyche.

isoka's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

gracerichards11's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

claudiereads's review

5.0

Holy shit! This book!



I feel like my head’s about to explode, but it’s all starting to make sense now…

Spoiler

I think I know what Flowridia’s bargain with Casvir will lead to, even though I hope I’m wrong. However, all the clues are pointing in that direction — Staella’s scroll, probably containing the secret of Ilune’s conception; Ayla’s reaction to the news; last but not least, Chaos seems like she’d be an almost-exact replica of Ayla, but with additional necromantic powers… And in Casvir’s tender care, she would grow up to be a horrible threat, damn that deal-making horned bastard...

This series is great! Hope we won’t have to wait long for the next — final? — installment.

jxl6's review

3.0

To be fair I didn’t care about Etolié

megan_by_force's review

5.0

I had perused a review of either this book or of the one prior where someone stated they couldn't quite swallow the growth of Flowridia's character. I find it to be a fascinating dichotomy of her thoughts and actions and just how far someone will push, even if it goes against everything they thought they were.

I remain enraptured by the relationship between Ayla and Flowridia, even though it can be vile.

It's impossible not to be endeared to Etolié. And Khastra has a weird sense of honor, but I'm here for it.

Learning the morality of other characters has been great as well while we're slowly unraveling this sort of cyclical mystery with subtleties and nuances that just keep helping the story to grow. And while there was one twist I saw coming from the third book and really hoped would happen differently, I really can't wait to find out what Simper does with it.