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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Vibes:
—the minotaur (original mythology flavor)
—amnesia
—lovers to enemis to WHAT ARE WE
—kind of hardcore stuff (think CNC plus plain and degradation) handles in a fairly soft way)
Heat Index: 7.5/10
The Basics:
Waking up in the labyrinth, Sadare knows only that she's a powerful witch—and her only companion and help is the demonic Daesra, who hates her. With no choice but to work together, they move towards the center of the maze and the monster that lies in wait, troubled—and tempted—by memories of a shared past as passionate as it was complex...
The Review:
A lot of things should work for me here, and to an extent some things truly did.
There's kink!
There's second chance with a heavy dose of "FUCK YOU FOR LIFE" (the only second chance I truly want). There are so, so many feelings left unsaid.
But I do feel that what made this work for me more than it should have was a classic issue: This was almost entirely from Sadare's perspective. While she's a compelling heroine (delightfully amoral, we might say at points) it's just hard to sell me a romance where I spend most of the time in one person's head and not the other's.
I mean, listen—it can be done. But here, I kept thinking of how much more I wanted to know about Daesra and his feelings for Sadare. I get that a lot of secrets were being intentionally withheld from the reader, but. Come on! I want feelings. I want emotion.
So while I loved a lot of the world, and I found the leads compelling on an individual level, the emotion didn't quite hit for me. I also found that the writing sort of held them at arm's length in that sense. Perhaps that was intentional, perhaps it was a side effect of the POV choices. Either way, it threw me off.
The Sex:
OH, the sex is hot though. And creative. The author is very transparent about the CWs ahead of the story beginning, and please pay attention. You have some really intense pain and blood play, plus CNC, general role playing, and so on. The sex? Not an issue for this book.
While this wasn't a hit for me, I appreciate the creativity, and I would try another book of May's. I'd just love to see her dig deeper into separate POVs.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
—the minotaur (original mythology flavor)
—amnesia
—lovers to enemis to WHAT ARE WE
—kind of hardcore stuff (think CNC plus plain and degradation) handles in a fairly soft way)
Heat Index: 7.5/10
The Basics:
Waking up in the labyrinth, Sadare knows only that she's a powerful witch—and her only companion and help is the demonic Daesra, who hates her. With no choice but to work together, they move towards the center of the maze and the monster that lies in wait, troubled—and tempted—by memories of a shared past as passionate as it was complex...
The Review:
A lot of things should work for me here, and to an extent some things truly did.
There's kink!
There's second chance with a heavy dose of "FUCK YOU FOR LIFE" (the only second chance I truly want). There are so, so many feelings left unsaid.
But I do feel that what made this work for me more than it should have was a classic issue: This was almost entirely from Sadare's perspective. While she's a compelling heroine (delightfully amoral, we might say at points) it's just hard to sell me a romance where I spend most of the time in one person's head and not the other's.
I mean, listen—it can be done. But here, I kept thinking of how much more I wanted to know about Daesra and his feelings for Sadare. I get that a lot of secrets were being intentionally withheld from the reader, but. Come on! I want feelings. I want emotion.
So while I loved a lot of the world, and I found the leads compelling on an individual level, the emotion didn't quite hit for me. I also found that the writing sort of held them at arm's length in that sense. Perhaps that was intentional, perhaps it was a side effect of the POV choices. Either way, it threw me off.
The Sex:
OH, the sex is hot though. And creative. The author is very transparent about the CWs ahead of the story beginning, and please pay attention. You have some really intense pain and blood play, plus CNC, general role playing, and so on. The sex? Not an issue for this book.
While this wasn't a hit for me, I appreciate the creativity, and I would try another book of May's. I'd just love to see her dig deeper into separate POVs.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a unique retelling of the minotaur story that I enjoyed! The characters were unique and interesting, as well as the gods and their motivations.
We follow two main characters through a maze as they grapple with their history as a couple, betrayal towards each other, and their own personal past traumas. They must overcome it all to escape the maze. We have lovers to rivals to lovers, and a beautiful dose of masochism/sadism.
Pain has a unique role in this story and is written in extremely well!
There were moments where the plot got a bit cyclical and lost. I got the feeling that the author was writing with a notebook next to them making sure they didn't leave any plot holes, but the messiness of it was a bit confusing and had me wishing the characters would just get to the point and the action.
We had a few themes like betrayal and self-deprecation that came up so often and without progress that I stopped caring about them by the end of the book. The characters did eventually grow and change but I stayed for the love and action. I did thoroughly enjoy the ending!
Do check Trigger Warnings before giving this book a try!
We follow two main characters through a maze as they grapple with their history as a couple, betrayal towards each other, and their own personal past traumas. They must overcome it all to escape the maze. We have lovers to rivals to lovers, and a beautiful dose of masochism/sadism.
Pain has a unique role in this story and is written in extremely well!
There were moments where the plot got a bit cyclical and lost. I got the feeling that the author was writing with a notebook next to them making sure they didn't leave any plot holes, but the messiness of it was a bit confusing and had me wishing the characters would just get to the point and the action.
We had a few themes like betrayal and self-deprecation that came up so often and without progress that I stopped caring about them by the end of the book. The characters did eventually grow and change but I stayed for the love and action. I did thoroughly enjoy the ending!
Do check Trigger Warnings before giving this book a try!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
reflective
fast-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
1st POV / 1 POV / chapters: medium-long / TW bellow
🩸monster romance: witch x demon (hooves, tail, horns)
🩸deadly labyrinth with mind of its own
🩸SPICE (explicit, BDSM – more info below)
🩸big plot twist
🩸betrayals, second chance, forced proximity, passion
🩸amnesia
🩸morally grey characters...they definitely match their freak
The world-building and story is beautifully complex compared to her previous YA books. Learning about the world (and gods) alongside the FMC (who has amnesia) is always genius as it doesn't overwhelm the reader AND it enriches the plot at the same time. We experience visiting the FMC's past and getting info out of the (unwilling) demon –– so we get the best of both worlds.
The maze is an amazing setting as well. We don't spend the entire book looking at grass and hedges but travel UNDER – through caves and sooo many different settings each with their own challenges. The pacing is perfect because it alternates between the romance (and banter) and the labyrinth's challenges.
I absolutely adored the pull between "I hate you...but I don't want you to die so we're kinda allies but not really and I HATE YOU but, of course, I love you, you idiot, you're a beautiful BITCH and I'd burn the world down for you." My heart was torn and struggled alongside theirs. So... lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies to allies to enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers... It's a RIDE. But it feels just right, makes sense, and didn't make me anxious!
The plot twist? HELLO? I had to put the book down because I was completely disoriented and had to replay the entire book in my brain to wrap my head around it. And yet, I didn't have a problem understanding, I only had to slow down and read it again to make sure all the pieces snap together (maybe I'm just not that smart 😄). It's utterly genius and if anyone says otherwise, they just don't think about our very own souls that much. (which is okay) This book is about self-discovery, forgiveness, and love on so many different levels.
– Rep: bisexual demon, non-binary god
Sexual scenes: CNC, sado-masochism, degradation, primal play, choking, gagging, rope bondage, spanking, blood play, foot fetishization, raw/unprotected sex – if you mind rough sex and pain I really don't recommend this book because the scenes are very intense (in a good way if you're into it).
full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6943678576
🩸monster romance: witch x demon (hooves, tail, horns)
🩸deadly labyrinth with mind of its own
🩸SPICE (explicit, BDSM – more info below)
🩸big plot twist
🩸betrayals, second chance, forced proximity, passion
🩸amnesia
🩸morally grey characters...they definitely match their freak
The world-building and story is beautifully complex compared to her previous YA books. Learning about the world (and gods) alongside the FMC (who has amnesia) is always genius as it doesn't overwhelm the reader AND it enriches the plot at the same time. We experience visiting the FMC's past and getting info out of the (unwilling) demon –– so we get the best of both worlds.
The maze is an amazing setting as well. We don't spend the entire book looking at grass and hedges but travel UNDER – through caves and sooo many different settings each with their own challenges. The pacing is perfect because it alternates between the romance (and banter) and the labyrinth's challenges.
I absolutely adored the pull between "I hate you...but I don't want you to die so we're kinda allies but not really and I HATE YOU but, of course, I love you, you idiot, you're a beautiful BITCH and I'd burn the world down for you." My heart was torn and struggled alongside theirs. So... lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies to allies to enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers... It's a RIDE. But it feels just right, makes sense, and didn't make me anxious!
The plot twist? HELLO? I had to put the book down because I was completely disoriented and had to replay the entire book in my brain to wrap my head around it. And yet, I didn't have a problem understanding, I only had to slow down and read it again to make sure all the pieces snap together (maybe I'm just not that smart 😄). It's utterly genius and if anyone says otherwise, they just don't think about our very own souls that much. (which is okay) This book is about self-discovery, forgiveness, and love on so many different levels.
– Rep: bisexual demon, non-binary god
Sexual scenes: CNC, sado-masochism, degradation, primal play, choking, gagging, rope bondage, spanking, blood play, foot fetishization, raw/unprotected sex – if you mind rough sex and pain I really don't recommend this book because the scenes are very intense (in a good way if you're into it).
full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6943678576
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Gore
Minor: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, War
This book heavily draws on the Minotaur Greek myth but imagine if the Minotaur was a hot demon and his love interest was a morally grey witch with a pain kink? And they’re stuck in a seemingly never ending lovers-enemies-lovers loop.
It’s a mostly character driven story with a small cast of characters. The 2 main characters both have very questionable morals and I love their messiness.
That twist at the very end I did not see coming!!!!
It’s a mostly character driven story with a small cast of characters. The 2 main characters both have very questionable morals and I love their messiness.
That twist at the very end I did not see coming!!!!
“Exquisite Ruin,” by AdriAnne May
I didn’t like this book. I didn’t like the mystery/ amnesia aspect, and way too much of the action and what was happening felt tedious and repetitive because the scenes were too similar with each other, over and over again. It just wasn’t for me, 2 out of 5 stars.
-Witches
-Demons
-Trials
Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
I didn’t like this book. I didn’t like the mystery/ amnesia aspect, and way too much of the action and what was happening felt tedious and repetitive because the scenes were too similar with each other, over and over again. It just wasn’t for me, 2 out of 5 stars.
-Witches
-Demons
-Trials
Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced