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whatbeccareadnext's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think this is my new guilty pleasure series.
Some parts of this story have made me really uncomfortable, but I think that's part of the experience. The plot moves at a pretty fast pace, so it is so easy to get lost in the books. It helps that they're pretty short reads so nothing is getting dragged out for hundreds of pages.
Some parts of this story have made me really uncomfortable, but I think that's part of the experience. The plot moves at a pretty fast pace, so it is so easy to get lost in the books. It helps that they're pretty short reads so nothing is getting dragged out for hundreds of pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
karina_dreamsinwords's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
ireadinbed's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
I really like Nikki Sloane's writing style. Like obviously this is a kind of dark, taboo, romance so it's gonna be problematic. It's gonna be uncomfortable. But she does a great job if making me have affection for even the worst people.
Also great clothes porn.
Also great clothes porn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Sexism
bookishrealm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Stars. Ahhhh this one didn't hit as hard as that first one. It was still intriguing, but it definitely didn't have the same thrills. CW: (view spoiler)
After finishing The Initiation I instantly went into my hoopla to check out the follow up to see what would become of our characters. While I was intrigued by this story, I didn't really feel as invested as I was in the first one. I still have some issues with the characterizations. Some of the characters feel like stock characters so they end up falling flat. As a reader, I feel like I'm supposed to be invested in the relationship between Royce and Marist, buttttt I don't really care about them. My heart and interest is in this "thing" that we may possible be seeing develop between Marist and Macalister. Although, it really isn't a thing considering some other factors. I think what bothers me the most is watching Marist fall for Royce when he treats her like complete trash. He "appears" to have these plans to assist them both, but it comes off as not being genuine because there is a lack of transparency.
Quite frankly, I'm more interested in seeing what Sloane decides to do with Macalister as a character. While he has this overly possessive and aggressive personality, I can't help but believe that he's coming from an extreme place of pain and he genuinely wants to be loved. It doesn't justify his behavior, but it explains it. In fact, a lot of his behavior reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. He wants to be good to Marist. He wants to be nice to her, but he allows his ego and anger to get in the way overall preventing him from doing the right thing. There relationship is definitely complex, but one that I'm interested in seeing unfold.
Overall, this was a decent read. I will be finishing out the series. I'm still loving the tie in to mythology in these books. There definitely was a lot more in this installment than the first book. I'm hoping that we delve even further in the next book. It helps explain the behavior and personalities of some of the characters.
After finishing The Initiation I instantly went into my hoopla to check out the follow up to see what would become of our characters. While I was intrigued by this story, I didn't really feel as invested as I was in the first one. I still have some issues with the characterizations. Some of the characters feel like stock characters so they end up falling flat. As a reader, I feel like I'm supposed to be invested in the relationship between Royce and Marist, buttttt I don't really care about them. My heart and interest is in this "thing" that we may possible be seeing develop between Marist and Macalister. Although, it really isn't a thing considering some other factors. I think what bothers me the most is watching Marist fall for Royce when he treats her like complete trash. He "appears" to have these plans to assist them both, but it comes off as not being genuine because there is a lack of transparency.
Quite frankly, I'm more interested in seeing what Sloane decides to do with Macalister as a character. While he has this overly possessive and aggressive personality, I can't help but believe that he's coming from an extreme place of pain and he genuinely wants to be loved. It doesn't justify his behavior, but it explains it. In fact, a lot of his behavior reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. He wants to be good to Marist. He wants to be nice to her, but he allows his ego and anger to get in the way overall preventing him from doing the right thing. There relationship is definitely complex, but one that I'm interested in seeing unfold.
Overall, this was a decent read. I will be finishing out the series. I'm still loving the tie in to mythology in these books. There definitely was a lot more in this installment than the first book. I'm hoping that we delve even further in the next book. It helps explain the behavior and personalities of some of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
cupidities's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
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