Scan barcode
victorialyn's review against another edition
1.0
I’m guessing by “The Ruined”, Renee meant “The Ruined Series” because what the f*** did I just read? Don’t waste your time, just imagine your ideal ending after the first three.
reigandunkle's review against another edition
Syd took one for the team and read this whole book so l didn't have to. This book definitely "ruined" the entire series for me, especially the ending. Don't. Read. It.
shaynas_bookland22's review against another edition
I'm literally so upset right now. I loved this series and it ended so messed up.
kelseyloock's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
I deserve financial compensation for how much I praised The Beautiful, only to be let down by this magnitude. This book lives up to its name: it ruined the rest of the series.
13anna17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookishbellee's review against another edition
3.5
I have some mixed feelings about this finale. I wholeheartedly love this series, the atmosphere is immaculate- 1870s New Orleans vampires mixed with a fae world brimming with political intrigue, betrayal and the like (all my faves) and each book seemed to be even better than the last, adding more intricate world building, setting the stakes higher, and making me fall more and more in love with the characters.
And for the most part The Ruined was just that but somewhere along the way one of the characters started acting in a way that was completely off from their actions in the previous books and it threw me off. A very different mindset altogether. This felt like it was done to move the story along which I more or less get but wasn’t too entirely keen on.
The ending also felt very sudden. To be perfectly honest I feel like we didn’t get the closure that was needed. Either The Ruined should’ve been a bit longer to fully flesh out the resolution and some character arcs or the pacing from beginning to end should’ve been different.
Overall I find myself thinking about this ending and feeling unsatisfied with how it all tied up. However, for the most part I’m still very much in awe with Renee’s creativity with incorporating many elements and her stunning prose!
slaapkameractivist's review against another edition
2.75
I normally love Renee Ahdieh books. I would rank her among my favourite writers and recommend the books. Including the first 3 books in this series. I looked forward to this book but this is the first book of her I struggled through. This series just should have stopped sooner but now there's just too much story in this story, almost as if she couldn't say goodbye to the characters. It ended up destroying them. Which is a shame because it started as a 5 star series.
penniew79's review against another edition
3.0
I have always loved a good vampire book and especially a southern vampire one. But this one was kind of a let down as far as the ending. Though I enjoyed the story, I felt like for it to be the final book that it was very flat.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and my review was not influenced in any way
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and my review was not influenced in any way
merlin_reads's review against another edition
2.5
I'm so confused. In Ahdieh's author notes at the end of this book, she talks about writing a four book series about vampires - where did that series go?? I thought we were getting old fashioned vampires from 1800 New Orleans. That is not what we got at all. By the end of the book, this was more about fae politics than vampires. I feel so betrayed.
I absolutely LOVED The Beautiful. The ambiance, the vibes, the location, the characters... it was all there! I ended that book excited to see what happens next. Alas, as the series went on, each book just fell more and more flat. And we lost what made that first book so special. Honestly, by the end of this series, I HATED Celine and did not want her with Bastien at all.
So let's talk about this book. It was a giant mess from beginning to end. And all because the characters refuse to talk to each other like adults. Celine just whines about how she's not taken serious and Bastien has turned on her and her mother loves her and wah wah wah. What happened to the girl who took no shit from anyone? Who didn't take things at face value but fought to find the truth and stand up for what's right? She was 100% gone. Her "love" for the mother who abandoned her was invalid. I never fully understood why Celine turned her back on everyone for one person who left her.
Then there's Bastien. He at least was trying to do the right thing but yet he never communicated that information to anyone. He just came up with his own plans and decided they were right. His fights with Celine were just so frustrating because no one was actually talking to the other!
Also, I need someone to explain Emelie to me. I never understood her blind hatred for Bastien. Yes, hating her uncle was legit - he left her to die. But Bastien only ever loved her and she was just like, who cares let me destroy your world. And why? I felt like this character was only used for her rage to push the plot where it needed to go. There was no other function to her. And I found that sad. Emelie could have been explored more and given more depth than just hate.
The best character was Arjun. And we don't talk about what Ahdieh did there.
Oh, what was the point of Haroun? Why introduce this character and the crossover and do absolutely NOTHING with it? I really do not understand.
There was so much information given to us in this book and then the ending climax was crammed into one chapter that felt rushed. I missed the core family from the first book. I missed Vampires. I miss what this series could have been because it began beautifully!
Sadly, I wish this series would have stayed at one book.
***** Initial reaction ****
I am upset. I am frustrated and I don't know how to rate this right now.
But one question, what was the point of the character crossover? Did I miss something?
I absolutely LOVED The Beautiful. The ambiance, the vibes, the location, the characters... it was all there! I ended that book excited to see what happens next. Alas, as the series went on, each book just fell more and more flat. And we lost what made that first book so special. Honestly, by the end of this series, I HATED Celine and did not want her with Bastien at all.
So let's talk about this book. It was a giant mess from beginning to end. And all because the characters refuse to talk to each other like adults. Celine just whines about how she's not taken serious and Bastien has turned on her and her mother loves her and wah wah wah. What happened to the girl who took no shit from anyone? Who didn't take things at face value but fought to find the truth and stand up for what's right? She was 100% gone. Her "love" for the mother who abandoned her was invalid. I never fully understood why Celine turned her back on everyone for one person who left her.
Then there's Bastien. He at least was trying to do the right thing but yet he never communicated that information to anyone. He just came up with his own plans and decided they were right. His fights with Celine were just so frustrating because no one was actually talking to the other!
Also, I need someone to explain Emelie to me. I never understood her blind hatred for Bastien. Yes, hating her uncle was legit - he left her to die. But Bastien only ever loved her and she was just like, who cares let me destroy your world. And why? I felt like this character was only used for her rage to push the plot where it needed to go. There was no other function to her. And I found that sad. Emelie could have been explored more and given more depth than just hate.
The best character was Arjun. And we don't talk about what Ahdieh did there.
Oh, what was the point of Haroun? Why introduce this character and the crossover and do absolutely NOTHING with it? I really do not understand.
There was so much information given to us in this book and then the ending climax was crammed into one chapter that felt rushed. I missed the core family from the first book. I missed Vampires. I miss what this series could have been because it began beautifully!
Sadly, I wish this series would have stayed at one book.
***** Initial reaction ****
I am upset. I am frustrated and I don't know how to rate this right now.
But one question, what was the point of the character crossover? Did I miss something?