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mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Listen, I'm enjoying the hell out of this series.
The gothic nature of the novel - a hellfire club, a cursed aristocratic line, a haunted mansion, and séances - was incredibly fun, if not entirely ~spooky~ in perhaps the way it was intended. There are some heavy-handed moments that made the horror elements a little on the nose, but overall this novel was another fun paranormal mystery.
What I'm really loving the most, though, is the healthy relationship between our main characters. Are they perfect? No. Are their flaws also kind of heavy-handed? Absolutely. Are the issues from book one still prevalent here? Oh yeah. But - despite all that, and despite the fact that they're having disagreements and aren't always the best at communicating, they're still comforting each other. They're validating one another's emotions. They're listening and they've always got their partners' best interest at heart. And that is really fucking enjoyable to see in a story, especially when so many plotlines use unhealthy relationships as a device without ever resolving the unhealthy behavior in a fully fleshed out, believable way.
The secondary cast of characters is also fun, here - the viscount as both desperately lonely and hurt because of his family's history and morbidly fascinated by it could be a predictable figure, but he's also a bubbly social butterfly who does yoga to pop music. Declan as the absentee father who really does care underneath layers of contempt and disinterest was predictable, but it happens. Tom continues to be a lovable badass.
Again, not what I'd call a ~Novel of Substance~ but I enjoyed the read. The narrator is also doing the most for this series beyond anything I've heard from him before.
The gothic nature of the novel - a hellfire club, a cursed aristocratic line, a haunted mansion, and séances - was incredibly fun, if not entirely ~spooky~ in perhaps the way it was intended. There are some heavy-handed moments that made the horror elements a little on the nose, but overall this novel was another fun paranormal mystery.
What I'm really loving the most, though, is the healthy relationship between our main characters. Are they perfect? No. Are their flaws also kind of heavy-handed? Absolutely. Are the issues from book one still prevalent here? Oh yeah. But - despite all that, and despite the fact that they're having disagreements and aren't always the best at communicating, they're still comforting each other. They're validating one another's emotions. They're listening and they've always got their partners' best interest at heart. And that is really fucking enjoyable to see in a story, especially when so many plotlines use unhealthy relationships as a device without ever resolving the unhealthy behavior in a fully fleshed out, believable way.
The secondary cast of characters is also fun, here - the viscount as both desperately lonely and hurt because of his family's history and morbidly fascinated by it could be a predictable figure, but he's also a bubbly social butterfly who does yoga to pop music. Declan as the absentee father who really does care underneath layers of contempt and disinterest was predictable, but it happens. Tom continues to be a lovable badass.
Again, not what I'd call a ~Novel of Substance~ but I enjoyed the read. The narrator is also doing the most for this series beyond anything I've heard from him before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, Gore, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
fuzzywilson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit
cluckieduck's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
While Blue & Levi are adorable, I just did not enjoy this one as much as I did book 1. It's a bit jumbled trying to decide whether to be a bit camp, a bit spooky, and a bit mysterious, but the styles end up competing for space. It's missing that magical spark for me and fell a bit flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
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