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adrierising's review against another edition
4.0
was it entertaining?
very much so. i love a good dystopian romance. add in aliens, a black FMC that likes to fight, and a scathing commentary on how truly evil humans can be and i'm sold. i'm always wary of book recommendations i get from social media but i actually like the story here. there's a lot of emphasis on the size difference trope which doesn't bother me so much but it did come up a lot. if you like adventure novels, this will probably be right up your alley. there's...so much trekking and walking to places but it doesn't drag like i've seen in other books. 5/5
was it enjoyable?
it was. and then it wasn't. as i said, i love a good dystopian romance -- even when the dystopian part outweighs the romance part -- but this was extremely violent. towards the middle of the book there is just once graphic depiction of extreme violence after another, interspersed with a completely random sexual assault that i find objectionable. the reasoning for it made little to no sense to me and it functioned entirely as a plot device. this is especially egregious because the FMC has only ever had two other experiences with sex -- one of which was another assault as a child. i just couldn't find a reason for it to be there -- or described in detail.
besides that, it dragged in the second half with what felt like a rushed 3rd act confrontation. i know that this was supposed to be a combination of 2 books but i think a clear delineation between the two would have gone a long way. without it, it just feels like the book rambles to an end. i also hated the ending. sorry. it was violent and then
nitpicky things from this point on. i think this would have been better categorized as a paranormal romance than an alien story. there's also continuity issues sprinkled throughout that caught me off-guard. at one point, the FMC points out that she's never heard of the princess bride but she makes a robocop reference, by name, a few chapters later. it's jarring. 1/5
was it well-written?
i want to say yes. i don't remember anything particularly egregious. 5/5
overall, i liked the premise but it was too violent for me to look at the rest of the series. i also really resent the comparison between this author and jr ward because ward’s books are just internalised misogyny wrapped up in black leather and sloppy writing. 3.7/5 stars
very much so. i love a good dystopian romance. add in aliens, a black FMC that likes to fight, and a scathing commentary on how truly evil humans can be and i'm sold. i'm always wary of book recommendations i get from social media but i actually like the story here. there's a lot of emphasis on the size difference trope which doesn't bother me so much but it did come up a lot. if you like adventure novels, this will probably be right up your alley. there's...so much trekking and walking to places but it doesn't drag like i've seen in other books. 5/5
was it enjoyable?
it was. and then it wasn't. as i said, i love a good dystopian romance -- even when the dystopian part outweighs the romance part -- but this was extremely violent. towards the middle of the book there is just once graphic depiction of extreme violence after another, interspersed with a completely random sexual assault that i find objectionable. the reasoning for it made little to no sense to me and it functioned entirely as a plot device. this is especially egregious because the FMC has only ever had two other experiences with sex -- one of which was another assault as a child. i just couldn't find a reason for it to be there -- or described in detail.
besides that, it dragged in the second half with what felt like a rushed 3rd act confrontation. i know that this was supposed to be a combination of 2 books but i think a clear delineation between the two would have gone a long way. without it, it just feels like the book rambles to an end. i also hated the ending. sorry. it was violent and then
Spoiler
there's a magical resurrection everyone explains away casually.nitpicky things from this point on. i think this would have been better categorized as a paranormal romance than an alien story.
Spoiler
the aliens in this are basically big vampires, some of which have glowing orbs in their chest. if it wasn't for the FMC constantly calling them aliens, i would have forgotten about it honestly.was it well-written?
i want to say yes. i don't remember anything particularly egregious. 5/5
overall, i liked the premise but it was too violent for me to look at the rest of the series. i also really resent the comparison between this author and jr ward because ward’s books are just internalised misogyny wrapped up in black leather and sloppy writing. 3.7/5 stars
couscous's review against another edition
2.0
This is a sad DNF because the first half was very intriguing and had me hooked but as I kept going I realised this book is basically Angelfall. Legit same plot lines and scenarios. Just a lot smuttier.
Which brings me to that - confessing their love for one another at halfway through takes away all the suspense? And I’m just not interested anymore like I know where this is going and I… just don’t care anymore. Which is said. I liked Abel. But not enough to put up with plagiarist vibes going on here.
Which brings me to that - confessing their love for one another at halfway through takes away all the suspense? And I’m just not interested anymore like I know where this is going and I… just don’t care anymore. Which is said. I liked Abel. But not enough to put up with plagiarist vibes going on here.
lannaniomie's review against another edition
4.0
Great. Really really great. There was a lot going on at times which made it a little hard to follow, but the plot was plotting for real. Abel and Kane were just so good together.Elizabeth Stephens is definitely slept on.3.5/5
marelles's review
4.0
This book needed chapters from Kanes POV. If you write a story where the main characters fall in love when they've only known each other for about two weeks, you need both of their POVs to make their relationship believable. And for that reason Able and Kane are just okay characters for me, I like them
The story really picked up after the first 250 pages. I liked Able's friendship with Mikey, their journey to get Kane was great.
At least four times, the scenes were described very poorly, and I was so freaking confused at what exactly was happening. Sometimes you have to assume what's going on and maybe you'll get a better explanation a few paragraphs later.
The story really picked up after the first 250 pages. I liked Able's friendship with Mikey, their journey to get Kane was great.
At least four times, the scenes were described very poorly, and I was so freaking confused at what exactly was happening. Sometimes you have to assume what's going on and maybe you'll get a better explanation a few paragraphs later.
arisuaru's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bidds07's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A fun read that gripped me from the beginning to the end! Abel was a badass that found strength in everything that had happened to her!!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
getlostmatilda's review
3.0
⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall impression: as much as I loved this book, I just couldn't get over how the scene was handled. Abel saved Mikey (her mate's brother) and in the process Kane (her mate) was captured. Although Mikey (I fkn hated this nickname btw) was supposed to keep Abel safe, he smelt her period blood and proceeded to rape her. The scene was so detailed and glorified that it made me feel physically sick. I can tolerate scenes like this when they serve a purpose in a book - but after the scene, Abel went on to protect Mikey for the rest of the book. She hid what he did to her, pretended like she wanted it and got upset when people wanted him held accountable for his actions. She didn't even want to tell Kane because she didn't want his view of Mikey to be muddied...like it should definitely be muddied because he's the grossest piece of scum there is out there. It felt like the scene served no purpose in the end, except showing us once again that men that rape women can get away with it.
✅ Alien king / human survivor
✅ Apocalyptic romance
✅ Enemies-to-lovers
✅ Insta-love romance
✅ Bonding for life / immortal romance
✅ Gritty
✅ Cool book cover
✅ Part of a series
⚖️ Dark romance
❌
❌
❌
❌ The term "sweetest blood" (aka period blood)
Overall impression: as much as I loved this book, I just couldn't get over how the
Spoiler
rape✅ Alien king / human survivor
✅ Apocalyptic romance
✅ Enemies-to-lovers
✅ Insta-love romance
✅ Bonding for life / immortal romance
✅ Gritty
✅ Cool book cover
✅ Part of a series
⚖️ Dark romance
❌
Spoiler
Abel is raped by her mate's brother❌
Spoiler
Abel protects her rapist❌
Spoiler
Author emphasises how much Abel enjoys oral sex whilst she is being raped❌ The term "sweetest blood" (aka period blood)
maca21's review
2.0
I DNF—ed this after few chapters because it was too similar to Angelfall by Susan Ee, which I love. Therefore, I couldn’t do it. It was like a copy with aliens and not with angels.
Maybe later it would not be so similar anymore but I was just so mad that I couldn’t continue it.
Maybe later it would not be so similar anymore but I was just so mad that I couldn’t continue it.
postmortem's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
bookishgirlshq's review
5.0
Unexpected
I went into this blind and it blew me away! I don’t even know what it was. I guess the characters did it for me and the plot was really interesting but not boring. I want the story to just keep going and going and going.
I went into this blind and it blew me away! I don’t even know what it was. I guess the characters did it for me and the plot was really interesting but not boring. I want the story to just keep going and going and going.