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amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The whole idea of the Ravenhood was very confusing for majority of the book and, due to the POV, the readers only knew what Cecilia did, which wasn't much. Nothing was really revealed until the end of the book.
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer
jen1804's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are a few chapters which I really enjoyed and they are what boosts the rating of this book to a 3. But most of this read is confusing as hell. There’s keeping your audience in the dark in order to create some mystery, and then there’s making your audience so confused that they begin to question whether they’ve missed a whole chapter.
This book also time jumps a lot, it’s very fast paced and there’s large chunks of the timeline that we don’t get any narrative for which is a shame.
I really like Dominic’s character and especially adored the rainy day scenes in bed with a book. Also the float scene is a yes from me🤪. Not a huge lover of the FMC Cecelia and not a fan of Sean if I’m honest, something about his vibe is just a bit off.
Overall this is a meh read and I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend, but it ends on a cliffhanger so annoyingly I now need to read the next one to fully understand what on Earth actually happened in book one.
Satisfactory ending? The chapters leading up to the ending are soooo chaotic and had me making a confused scowly face at the page for an extended period of time. But the ending itself is decent because it’s a cliffhanger.
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Cecelia Horner is an 18 (almost 19) year old woman who has been forced to move in with her very wealthy father who owns a factory in Triple Falls North Carolina for a year before she can claim her inheritance.
She meets Sean Roberts her first day at work at her father’s factory. Then she meets Dominic King and things get interesting. Sean and Dominic are hiding a lot of things from everyone except for their very close group of friends who all have the same tattoo of a Raven. There are also lots of classic cars, hiking and parties.
This is a coming of age/sexual awakening story set in a small town with an anti-establishment twist.
The main characters are all kind of terrible and a little stupid. There is a lot of explicit sex and it’s well done, but the relationships are super toxic, there is a lot of lying and some scenes could be triggering if you have issues with emotional abuse or gaslighting.
There is not an HEA or an HFN so it’s technically not a romance. But that’s what this book is about. Hope this is helpful!
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
arys_library's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
frankieclc's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
bookbeejoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
LIKED: I became involved early on and was always eager to see the character's relationships develop together.
IFFY: I think the author was trying hard to keep us in the dark about The Ravenhood in order to set up answers later in the next book. So the suspense was definitely high, but I wanted some answers, even a bite. And when the MC did get some scraps, they came suddenly and did flow strangely into the story.
DID NOT LIKE: The plot is barely minimal. Important seeds are definitely planted for the next book, but the first book is heavily skewed toward the characters, their actions, and their dialogue with each other.
Right now I'm adding the next book "Exodus" to my TBR but it is currently available. I want to continue Cecelia's story, but the end of the book took a turn, and I found myself not wanting to dive right into the next. I think I will enjoy the rest of the story more if I digest the relationships a bit and take a break.
I gave the book 3.75 stars because I could feel like I was being set up for book two as I read. Series are definitely some of my favorites, but I want each book to be a gem within the collection.
I felt like the end of the book was a bit rushed, but had to say so in spoilers because it involves when Sean and Dom "betray" Cecelia and she thinks they have played her. I could see where the author was going with this, but I felt like it was done poorly. The scene was confusingly written, which may have been to convey Cecelia's emotion, but it did not work well. Afterward, when Sean and Dom each tell/show Cecelia that they did not mean they were using her and were pretending is also so, so rushed. It is at odds with what was such a slow-paced book so far. This was one of the only plot twists in the book and although not totally originally was not bad, so I was disappointed more time was not taken with this.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism and Abandonment