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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
This can’t be the actual fourth book in this series…Thinking about finishing this series? Honestly, don’t. Pretend that the third book is the last one in the series, and move on with your life.
adventurous
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Ruined was a highly anticipated read for me, but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. I really liked these characters and Ahdieh’s beautiful world-building. I always love how many sensory details she includes and the romantic tension.
However, the conclusion felt rushed and I disliked Arjun and Jae’s fate. It was abrupt and there wasn't enough time to process the turbulent ending. I think if there was more time after the explosive final scenes, I would have felt more satisfied with the conclusion. I really enjoyed Arjun and Pippa’s story, but it got tossed by the wayside in this book because there were so many other threads to wrap up.
While this wasn’t the conclusion I was hoping for, I will definitely check out whatever Renée Ahdieh writes next.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
So I think my main problem with The Ruined is that I like Celine and Bastien, but Pippa and Arjun from The Righteous stole my heart. So I was expecting that this book would also wrap up their stories and it just didn't do them justice. I know people could argue that they were the side characters to The Beautiful and The Damned, but they were my favorite and their treatment here broke my heart. Additionally, I think there were so many threads coming together in The Ruined that it become a bit murky?
So I think my main problem with The Ruined is that I like Celine and Bastien, but Pippa and Arjun from The Righteous stole my heart. So I was expecting that this book would also wrap up their stories and it just didn't do them justice. I know people could argue that they were the side characters to The Beautiful and The Damned, but they were my favorite and their treatment here broke my heart. Additionally, I think there were so many threads coming together in The Ruined that it become a bit murky?
Everything that was beautiful about this series has in fact been ruined. The first two books were so captivating, this truly should have been a duology. Book 3 was okay, but it lacked a lot for me and as much as I liked Pippa and Arjun, I didn’t need their story. It felt like a cash grab to make this series longer than it needed to be.
I also wasn’t wild about all the fae involvement and going to the veil. I was hoping the book would truly lead to amazing characters in the vampire/werewolf being developed but the popularity of fae steered it in that direction. I wouldn’t have even minded if Celine was half fae but they stayed in NOLA and didn’t have to whisk Celine away to be of course the heir.
So I was hopeful that after book 3 being so disappointing this conclusion would nicely wrap everything back up and bring us back to NOLA with the world and characters we loved there in the court of lions.
It doesn’t happen, or it happens very briefly I should say. My favorite character is Odette and after the possibility of her death I was hoping to see more of her but that wasn’t the case. Everything just felt so pointless in this book. It just seemed the author didn’t care, like she hated her own characters. And the plot of this book was all over the place with nothing really solid enough to hold interest. There were a million different ways to write this book and it feels like Adieh wrote the worst version of it that she could.
The originally release of this book was February of 2023 and it was pushed all the way back to December, it makes me wonder how much worse the book was that delayed it for so long.
Utterly disappointed in the turn this series took. In my head it will remain a duology because the last two books completely destroyed my love for the characters and the world. I used to recommend this book series to everyone and now, I think I can’t.
I felt like most of this book was so pointless and nothing connected together it was so sloppy.
I didn’t mind the ending, it left room for hope for Bastien and Celine but the rest of the book was just a mess.
I'm furious right now. What kind of ending was that?? This book was torture and then ended horribly. I went from loving Celine in The Beautiful to hating her by the end of the series. Absolutely the worst ending I've ever read. I'm so hurt and angry. I waited 2 years for THIS?! 😡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What is it with these series endings this year?
I am at a loss for words. What the heck was that?! Why would it end like that? Why was the ending so rushed? And why were plotlines added with no resolve? I hope there is a spinoff coming in the future or something because I am confused. I cannot stress how uninterested I was in the Celine/Bastien storyline. The poor decision making, the miscommunication...they were AGGRAVATING! After The Righteous, I was so excited to read this book—mainly for Arjun 😍—but his scenes were few and far between. There are so many things I want to rant about but I'm trying to keep this spoiler-free.
I really am such a huge fan of this series—the characters, the world—but this was just ridiculous. Respectfully, this book can "f*ck right off." I have nothing else to say. I'm upset.
*Thank you to the publishers for this gifted copy*
I am at a loss for words. What the heck was that?! Why would it end like that? Why was the ending so rushed? And why were plotlines added with no resolve? I hope there is a spinoff coming in the future or something because I am confused. I cannot stress how uninterested I was in the Celine/Bastien storyline. The poor decision making, the miscommunication...they were AGGRAVATING! After The Righteous, I was so excited to read this book—mainly for Arjun 😍—but his scenes were few and far between. There are so many things I want to rant about but I'm trying to keep this spoiler-free.
I really am such a huge fan of this series—the characters, the world—but this was just ridiculous. Respectfully, this book can "f*ck right off." I have nothing else to say. I'm upset.
*Thank you to the publishers for this gifted copy*