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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Rehvenge is used to living in the shadows and dealing with the roughest nightwalkers around--including the Black Dagger Brotherhood. His fearless reputation is why he's approached to kill the race's king, and his bad side is dying to rise to the occasion. As his secret identity as a sympath is threatened, he turns to the only light in his ever darkening world--a female vampire untouched by corruption and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction
Ok, so I'm not going to lie...I went into this expecting to see a story, but not expecting to really like it per se. I just wasn't exactly a fan of Rehv. Nothing personal, and I did see that he wasn't truly the evil bastard he pretended to want everyone to think he was, but at the same time, I just didn't necessarily feel invested in his character. But as the book went on, I definitely grew to like him a lot more.
I loved that while Rehv definitely had the whole "I'm a bad man, fear me!" thing going, it was for good reason, to protect those few people he cared about. He was definitely so much more than his persona. It was interesting watching him struggle to fully understand/grasp his feelings for Ehlena, but I loved how much he cared for her. Now, don't get me wrong, yes the whole "I'm a bad man, fear me!" thing was also real in the sense that, yes, he was a man who would do bad things when needed but at the same time, he truly cared about the short list of people he let close and watched out for those people who worked for him. I did kind of wish he'd ended the princess long before this, but at the same time, there wouldn't have been much of a story if he had.
Ehlena was awesome. She was so kind and everything and she always did what she thought was right. I was worried when things initially happened with Rehv that she'd try to somehow blame him or something, but she acknowledged that she'd made a choice and a mistake and she dealt with it. She didn't hide or whine or anything, she worried about finances, yes but she mostly got down to the business of figuring out how to move forward. I did get the slightest bit annoyed that she so easily believed what Rehv told her at the club, but at the same time, that could be attributed to who she was and the fact that she'd had the whisperings of that snake in her head going in. I got kind of excited when she started to piece everything together and realized not only where her feelings were, but who exactly Rehv was. I loved the way she stood her ground in her decision to go and she was smart about it too; she acknowledged that she didn't have the best skills at all and was more than willing to help as best she could rather than whining about it.
And Wrath and Beth! They didn't quite steal the show, but I loved their storyline in this. I did wish that Wrath really had told Beth sooner. As she mentioned, she might not have liked it, but she would have understood. And really, like everyone pointed out, he was the king. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, but what kind of move was it to go out fighting, alone? That was a colossally stupid move. That being said, I'm glad they finally had things out and started to rebuild their trust and their relationship. And I loved how Beth took what happened in stride. He was kind of a butt when things first went dark, but I'm glad that everyone was able to get him to stop wallowing and he's realized that he's not alone.
I really hope John Matthew gets to stab Lash. Or maybe he and Xhex can do it together. I did think that Xhex not saying something to the Brotherhood was idiotic, even for her. He was someone that was technically an enemy to all of them for multiple reasons and also, he was supposed to be, you know, DEAD! So I was frustrated that she didn't say something, even a "hey, there's this person walking around who thinks he's Lash" and then let the Brothers deal with it. I did think the peeks we got into her past were interesting and I kind of want to know more.
Ok, so I'm not going to lie...I went into this expecting to see a story, but not expecting to really like it per se. I just wasn't exactly a fan of Rehv. Nothing personal, and I did see that he wasn't truly the evil bastard he pretended to want everyone to think he was, but at the same time, I just didn't necessarily feel invested in his character. But as the book went on, I definitely grew to like him a lot more.
I loved that while Rehv definitely had the whole "I'm a bad man, fear me!" thing going, it was for good reason, to protect those few people he cared about. He was definitely so much more than his persona. It was interesting watching him struggle to fully understand/grasp his feelings for Ehlena, but I loved how much he cared for her. Now, don't get me wrong, yes the whole "I'm a bad man, fear me!" thing was also real in the sense that, yes, he was a man who would do bad things when needed but at the same time, he truly cared about the short list of people he let close and watched out for those people who worked for him. I did kind of wish he'd ended the princess long before this, but at the same time, there wouldn't have been much of a story if he had.
Ehlena was awesome. She was so kind and everything and she always did what she thought was right. I was worried when things initially happened with Rehv that she'd try to somehow blame him or something, but she acknowledged that she'd made a choice and a mistake and she dealt with it. She didn't hide or whine or anything, she worried about finances, yes but she mostly got down to the business of figuring out how to move forward. I did get the slightest bit annoyed that she so easily believed what Rehv told her at the club, but at the same time, that could be attributed to who she was and the fact that she'd had the whisperings of that snake in her head going in. I got kind of excited when she started to piece everything together and realized not only where her feelings were, but who exactly Rehv was. I loved the way she stood her ground in her decision to go and she was smart about it too; she acknowledged that she didn't have the best skills at all and was more than willing to help as best she could rather than whining about it.
And Wrath and Beth! They didn't quite steal the show, but I loved their storyline in this. I did wish that Wrath really had told Beth sooner. As she mentioned, she might not have liked it, but she would have understood. And really, like everyone pointed out, he was the king. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, but what kind of move was it to go out fighting, alone? That was a colossally stupid move. That being said, I'm glad they finally had things out and started to rebuild their trust and their relationship. And I loved how Beth took what happened in stride. He was kind of a butt when things first went dark, but I'm glad that everyone was able to get him to stop wallowing and he's realized that he's not alone.
I really hope John Matthew gets to stab Lash. Or maybe he and Xhex can do it together. I did think that Xhex not saying something to the Brotherhood was idiotic, even for her. He was someone that was technically an enemy to all of them for multiple reasons and also, he was supposed to be, you know, DEAD! So I was frustrated that she didn't say something, even a "hey, there's this person walking around who thinks he's Lash" and then let the Brothers deal with it. I did think the peeks we got into her past were interesting and I kind of want to know more.
Getting close to the end of the series...and I'm kind of glad. They are pretty much all the same. This one had a better twist, but I'm looking forward to the end.
These books are getting so plot-heavy that they no longer feel like a series with books on individual characters.
I like the plot for these stories, I like the world, and I like seeing so much of it and all of it's shifting parts HOWEVER it feels like the romance isn't getting enough attention anymore and I wish there was a bit more focus on the individual couples of the individual stories. I really wanted to see more of Rhev and Ehlena but it was so easy to forget that this was their story.
*also i had SO many questions about Rhev and his *barb* (if you've read YOU KNOW) but it is SO GLOSSED OVER I would have had so much respect for J R Ward if she had described it in a lot more detail* (not saying i don't respect her now I just think it would have been iconic)
While this series overall is on average a 4 star read i bumped this down to 3 stars because I wanted more romance :(
I like the plot for these stories, I like the world, and I like seeing so much of it and all of it's shifting parts HOWEVER it feels like the romance isn't getting enough attention anymore and I wish there was a bit more focus on the individual couples of the individual stories. I really wanted to see more of Rhev and Ehlena but it was so easy to forget that this was their story.
*also i had SO many questions about Rhev and his *barb* (if you've read YOU KNOW) but it is SO GLOSSED OVER I would have had so much respect for J R Ward if she had described it in a lot more detail* (not saying i don't respect her now I just think it would have been iconic)
While this series overall is on average a 4 star read i bumped this down to 3 stars because I wanted more romance :(
I love Rehvenge. And Ehlena. And Ward’s weird addiction to adding random Hs into common words or names to make them more vampire-y. The entire symphath subplot was fascinating. I have both a deep desire to see a representation of those three-knuckled fingers as well as a profound revulsion of the thought. I enjoyed getting more of Xhex and Trez and iAm. (And how do you like those names?) I’m still thoroughly addicted to this series, and started rereading the next installment as soon as I finished the final page of this one.
First lines: "All kings are blind. The good ones see this and use more than their eyes to lead."
I have to say the first page of this novel took my breath away. I was trembling and hoping against all hope that it could not be true..but yet it was.. I was not excited that it was a book about Rehvenge, but he began to grow on me. I enjoyed that despite my innate dislike of Rehvenge in the previous books because he seemed so callous, he was really deeper and more emotional than I had expected. Which really goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.
The plot was very well developed, and just like the previous novels, there were so many twists and turns that I didn't always see coming. I thought that it was great that we finally got to learn more about the sympath colony.
The relationship between Rehvenge and Ehlena developed slowly, and the entire time I was praying that she would not get hurt. Because despite my growing affection with Rehvenge's character, I was still unsure of his possible intentions. Then once I began to trust him I was praying and praying that it would work out between them. It was an unlikely match, but as they say, true lover conquers all.
Since the beginning of this series, we have known that Wrath, the Blind King, was essentially going blind. So it's finally happened....and it terrified me. I was afraid of how this was really going to affect him, because you come to realize that despite his poor sight, he still relied on his sight quite a lot. This was very personal for me, because I've had trouble with my eyesight since I was a little girl and my ultimate fear is my eyesight becoming so poor that I cannot see. So as much as this hits close to home, I loved the solution that one of the other Brother's shellan's had, which was for Wrath to try out a seeing eye dog, and I also loved Fritz's reasoning for the specific breed of the dog. This particular passage had me laughing despite the somber mood I was presently in.
So basically, I really enjoyed this novel and the emotional rollercoaster it put me through. On to the next one!
I have to say the first page of this novel took my breath away. I was trembling and hoping against all hope that it could not be true..but yet it was..
Spoiler
So the first page of the novel is Rehvenge being asked to assassinate Wrath, the Blind King, by one of the members of the glymera. And Rehvenge's answer was YES. I was dying inside because I was thinking that since Rehvenge is a sympath it would not be out of this world that he betray the Brotherhood. Nevertheless, an alternate ending occurs which greatly surprised and pleased me.The plot was very well developed, and just like the previous novels, there were so many twists and turns that I didn't always see coming. I thought that it was great that we finally got to learn more about the sympath colony.
Spoiler
The blackmail relationship that Rehvenge had with the Princess was disgusting. I could not believe that he endured this type of treatment for more than two decades. I really would like to know exactly how this occurred, what happened with Xhex that he needed to protect her in such a way. I really admired Rehvenge's strength and loyalty for those that he loves.The relationship between Rehvenge and Ehlena developed slowly, and the entire time I was praying that she would not get hurt. Because despite my growing affection with Rehvenge's character, I was still unsure of his possible intentions. Then once I began to trust him I was praying and praying that it would work out between them. It was an unlikely match, but as they say, true lover conquers all.
Since the beginning of this series, we have known that Wrath, the Blind King, was essentially going blind. So it's finally happened....and it terrified me. I was afraid of how this was really going to affect him, because you come to realize that despite his poor sight, he still relied on his sight quite a lot. This was very personal for me, because I've had trouble with my eyesight since I was a little girl and my ultimate fear is my eyesight becoming so poor that I cannot see. So as much as this hits close to home, I loved the solution that one of the other Brother's shellan's had, which was for Wrath to try out a seeing eye dog, and I also loved Fritz's reasoning for the specific breed of the dog. This particular passage had me laughing despite the somber mood I was presently in.
"How'd you pick the breed, Fritz?"he said, because he needed to fill the silence and there was no reason to ignore the pink elephant in the room. Or the blond dog as it were. ... The doggen cleared his throat. "I chose him over the Labradors because he sheds more."For some reason I thought that his response was hilarious, because who in their right mind would choose a dog because it sheds more?
So basically, I really enjoyed this novel and the emotional rollercoaster it put me through. On to the next one!
I have enjoyed Rehvenge I'm the earlier books so I'm really glad that Ward created a female who is worthy of him. I was a little worries after the flatness of Marissa and what's-her-face who mated with Phury.
There was a lot of heartbreak in this book and I'm ready for John Matthew and Xhex to have their moment for sure. Yay for Rehv's happy ending
There was a lot of heartbreak in this book and I'm ready for John Matthew and Xhex to have their moment for sure. Yay for Rehv's happy ending
Audio book review.
I really enjoyed the characters and story development in this book. Everything felt very natural in the romance, a progression and gradual growth of feelings as opposed to the instalove that is heavily present in this series.
I love our main character, Revenge, because of his moral ambiguity. He's a handsome drug dealer with a mohawk, a walking cane, and a long sable coat. He's pretty badass in the books leading up to this one, but because this book is from his point of view most of the time, we get his inner struggle and self-doubt. He is mixed race and considered outside of both, vampire and sympath. Because of this, he fights his attraction to Elena, and has to keep his good intentions sort of hidden so as to not get on the bad side of his colleagues or his competition. All the while he's being blackmailed for nasty and brutal sex with his sadistic half sister (those scenes were uncomfortable, as undoubtedly they're meant to be). He walks a very fine line through this book.
I also enjoy reading about our leading lady Elena as she discovers her growing feelings for Revenge, accepts their developing love, and decides she doesn't care about his personal life or the demons he carries around with him. I understand why, when Revenge finally reveals all his secrets (or confirms them, as it were) Elena feels betrayed, but I appreciate that it was she who decided it essentially didn't matter and she loves him anyway. Normally the males in this series can be pushy and a bit manipulative. Kinda like Bella in the third book, Elena goes after what she wants instead of letting her man lead. After all, she leads the rescue mission to save him from the spiders and scorpions! That was a very visual scene that will stay with me...
Overall, a great story full of love and adventure and just the right amount of angst. Normally, I get super annoyed when the story cuts away to the lessers so we find out what they're up to, but the new leader is interesting and harsh enough to make up for it. Although, that's never really a focus in the books. We all know the Brothers are fighting lessers in this war against the Omega, but I often forget that those pale creepy men are even still around. They play such a secondary role to the romances in these books, hence why I do not talk about lessers more in these reviews.
Would definitely recommend! This one completely worked for me.
I really enjoyed the characters and story development in this book. Everything felt very natural in the romance, a progression and gradual growth of feelings as opposed to the instalove that is heavily present in this series.
I love our main character, Revenge, because of his moral ambiguity. He's a handsome drug dealer with a mohawk, a walking cane, and a long sable coat. He's pretty badass in the books leading up to this one, but because this book is from his point of view most of the time, we get his inner struggle and self-doubt. He is mixed race and considered outside of both, vampire and sympath. Because of this, he fights his attraction to Elena, and has to keep his good intentions sort of hidden so as to not get on the bad side of his colleagues or his competition. All the while he's being blackmailed for nasty and brutal sex with his sadistic half sister (those scenes were uncomfortable, as undoubtedly they're meant to be). He walks a very fine line through this book.
I also enjoy reading about our leading lady Elena as she discovers her growing feelings for Revenge, accepts their developing love, and decides she doesn't care about his personal life or the demons he carries around with him. I understand why, when Revenge finally reveals all his secrets (or confirms them, as it were) Elena feels betrayed, but I appreciate that it was she who decided it essentially didn't matter and she loves him anyway. Normally the males in this series can be pushy and a bit manipulative. Kinda like Bella in the third book, Elena goes after what she wants instead of letting her man lead. After all, she leads the rescue mission to save him from the spiders and scorpions! That was a very visual scene that will stay with me...
Overall, a great story full of love and adventure and just the right amount of angst. Normally, I get super annoyed when the story cuts away to the lessers so we find out what they're up to, but the new leader is interesting and harsh enough to make up for it. Although, that's never really a focus in the books. We all know the Brothers are fighting lessers in this war against the Omega, but I often forget that those pale creepy men are even still around. They play such a secondary role to the romances in these books, hence why I do not talk about lessers more in these reviews.
Would definitely recommend! This one completely worked for me.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i really did love this book it was very entertaining and had a great love story as usual, however i did find there was some boring parts and also parts i had to skip as it seemed a bit too close to home at the moment : (
This book turned out fine in the end but the first 40% was boring. There were so many POVs that you didn’t really see anything interesting happen to any of the people.
I thought that this book was going to be about Ehlena and Rehvenge but it wasn’t. Sure, they were in the book and by the end of it they got together but it wasn’t a book about them. This book was just showing what was happening next in this world.
I liked Rehvenge and Ehlena was fine but I didn’t really like them together and I didn’t understand how or why they got together. In the first half of this book, they only spoke to each other a few times and it wasn’t about anything important so their sudden relationship/them getting together was a bit odd.
There were a lot of scenes from a lessers’ POV which I hated as I didn’t care about what he was going, I just wanted to get back to the Brothers.
Wrath got a lot of scenes from his POV which I also didn’t like as I didn’t like his book and his scenes were boring. The only interesting scenes from his perspective happened near the end of the book.
I sort of liked seeing scenes from John and Xhex’s POVs. I liked John’s character and I liked Xhex’s personality but I didn’t really like their interactions.
Also, there were some scenes from Tohr’s POV and while I got that he was in pain, I wanted to see him do something to show that he actually cared about John as John took care of him this whole time and Tohr doesn’t really do much to return the favour or try to make amends.
There was a side character, José de la Cruz, who I liked but I doubt that he’ll be shown in any of the other books.
This book was ok when it comes to the plot and showing more of the Brothers’ lives but I didn’t really like Ehlena and Rehvenge’s relationship. I want to see what will happen with Xhex in the next book and how they are going to get together with John.
I thought that this book was going to be about Ehlena and Rehvenge but it wasn’t. Sure, they were in the book and by the end of it they got together but it wasn’t a book about them. This book was just showing what was happening next in this world.
I liked Rehvenge and Ehlena was fine but I didn’t really like them together and I didn’t understand how or why they got together. In the first half of this book, they only spoke to each other a few times and it wasn’t about anything important so their sudden relationship/them getting together was a bit odd.
There were a lot of scenes from a lessers’ POV
Spoiler
(Lash’s)Wrath got a lot of scenes from his POV which I also didn’t like as I didn’t like his book and his scenes were boring. The only interesting scenes from his perspective happened near the end of the book.
I sort of liked seeing scenes from John and Xhex’s POVs. I liked John’s character and I liked Xhex’s personality but I didn’t really like their interactions.
Spoiler
John sleeps with Xhex then she says that it didn’t mean anything and in addition to other things happening in his life, he sort of gives up and goes around sleeping with everyone and getting drunk all the time. So while I hate seeing a character sleep around when you know who they’re going to end up with, I understood John’s reason so it didn’t matter as much.Also, there were some scenes from Tohr’s POV and while I got that he was in pain, I wanted to see him do something to show that he actually cared about John as John took care of him this whole time and Tohr doesn’t really do much to return the favour or try to make amends.
There was a side character, José de la Cruz, who I liked but I doubt that he’ll be shown in any of the other books.
This book was ok when it comes to the plot and showing more of the Brothers’ lives but I didn’t really like Ehlena and Rehvenge’s relationship. I want to see what will happen with Xhex in the next book and how they are going to get together with John.