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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Update to my review for the first book: it did not get better.
So, first of all, the two main characters keep doing the thing of “you kept SECRETS from me?” As if they are not themselves hiding truly astonishing amounts of information and it was annoying the first time and progressively more annoying with each subsequent occurrence. There was a lot of interpersonal conflict that seemed to exist because the book had a conflict quota and was working to exceed it.
Also, this is a book written after 2020, so OBVIOUSLY I’m going to judge it for its portrayal of an epidemic and, in particular, the way our main characters seem to constantly do the thing that should-by the rules of the world-get them sick but don’t. The explanations offered are insufficient for making me feel like it’s more than a hand wave plot device and, I mean, come on.
Also, wow, is this a book about bad dads. Just like EVERYONE. Dead moms and bad dads. Which also made it FASCINATING to see who got forgiven by the narrative. One evil mom would have been a lovely change of pace.
And while I’m kvetching, the book definitely set up the main romance to be far kinkier than it actually delivered on. Which, like, fine. Given the publishers, it makes sense. But why write it that way to start then?
This could have been so much less meh.
So, first of all, the two main characters keep doing the thing of “you kept SECRETS from me?” As if they are not themselves hiding truly astonishing amounts of information and it was annoying the first time and progressively more annoying with each subsequent occurrence. There was a lot of interpersonal conflict that seemed to exist because the book had a conflict quota and was working to exceed it.
Also, this is a book written after 2020, so OBVIOUSLY I’m going to judge it for its portrayal of an epidemic and, in particular, the way our main characters seem to constantly do the thing that should-by the rules of the world-get them sick but don’t. The explanations offered are insufficient for making me feel like it’s more than a hand wave plot device and, I mean, come on.
Also, wow, is this a book about bad dads. Just like EVERYONE. Dead moms and bad dads. Which also made it FASCINATING to see who got forgiven by the narrative. One evil mom would have been a lovely change of pace.
And while I’m kvetching, the book definitely set up the main romance to be far kinkier than it actually delivered on. Which, like, fine. Given the publishers, it makes sense. But why write it that way to start then?
This could have been so much less meh.
I'm not going to lie. After finishing the previous book, Scavenge the Stars, I was really excited to dive into Ravage the Dark. In it, you will still be following Amaya and Cayo. Also, the rest of the found family crew filled with amazing people. We are also still trying to figure out what's going on with the mysterious plague. Yeah, so a lot happened in this book and my mind is still trying to cope with what went down.
Now the plague isn't the only dramatic thing in this either. Nope, we have Amaya trying to figure out her family history and such. Things weren't that easy to digest when it came to her family. So I could see why she kept some things a secret but it still hurt my heart that she didn't tell Cayo the truth until it was (sort of) too late.
Speaking of Cayo. Oh man. These two frustrated me so much in this one. I just don't get why they dance around one another and don't communicate necessary things. I'll even admit that I wanted to strangle them from time to time. I still like them but the trust issues are THERE people.
In the end, this sequel did a pretty good job for me. The twists and turns throughout this adventure definitely made it a page turner for me. I'm so happy that I dove into this and fell in love with these characters!
Now the plague isn't the only dramatic thing in this either. Nope, we have Amaya trying to figure out her family history and such. Things weren't that easy to digest when it came to her family. So I could see why she kept some things a secret but it still hurt my heart that she didn't tell Cayo the truth until it was (sort of) too late.
Speaking of Cayo. Oh man. These two frustrated me so much in this one. I just don't get why they dance around one another and don't communicate necessary things. I'll even admit that I wanted to strangle them from time to time. I still like them but the trust issues are THERE people.
In the end, this sequel did a pretty good job for me. The twists and turns throughout this adventure definitely made it a page turner for me. I'm so happy that I dove into this and fell in love with these characters!
Sometimes it's not about getting revenge. Sometimes it's about forgiving and moving on.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
slow-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:
Complicated
The first one was at least an enjoyable retelling, but this one departed entirely from the "Count of Monte Cristo" inspiration and just couldn't support itself. It felt slow and kind of meandered all over the place with very few actually exciting parts.
If you liked the first book, you will probably like this one. Much like the first one, I appreciated the casual representation of minorities. This one even featured a transgender character with a binder, which I had never seen in a book before.
The transmission of the disease is still just as confusing as it was in the first book, and Cayo and Amaya are still not great love interests. There was also one point in the book where they were grieving together, and then all of a sudden kissing. It could have been a cute bonding moment, but instead it felt incredibly random and unnatural.
On the positive side, I absolutely loved the plot twist in this book. I didn’t see it coming until the author had dropped enough hints for me to have a gasp out loud moment.
The transmission of the disease is still just as confusing as it was in the first book, and Cayo and Amaya are still not great love interests. There was also one point in the book where they were grieving together, and then all of a sudden kissing. It could have been a cute bonding moment, but instead it felt incredibly random and unnatural.
On the positive side, I absolutely loved the plot twist in this book. I didn’t see it coming until the author had dropped enough hints for me to have a gasp out loud moment.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes