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chaos_code's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
1. All the talk about Nikki being a "bleeding heart." Okay, we get it. Blake threatened to use his Eros (sexual coercion) powers on her and chases her so she shoots him. Then feels bad. I hate Blake. The author tries to make him sympathetic later but it's just gross.
She tries to save her sister from torture and r*pe, but Jamaal stops her, so she couldn't get there in time. He is punished (rightfully so) and she feels bad.
Alexis is killed brutally and it almost makes her feel bad. I understand having your characters be compassionate and humane but still...
2. I love mythology - but I get that a lot of people don't, so they might not know anything about it. What was annoying was that as soon as Nikki found out about the other Descendants or about Artemis, she didn't do any research. She mentions using cameras, gps, google, etc to help with her private investigating. BUT SHE NEVER USED ANY TECHNOLOGY TO LEARN ABOUT HER SITUATION!!! "Oh, Artemis was a hunter, so now I'm a sharpshooter." Literally that's the most basic thing that anyone who took a HS English or History class would remember! She doesn't look up any information about Kali, Artemis, Loki, Eros, Hermes, etc. So it seems like she's gonna be surprised about everything in the future. I thought she was supposed to be an resourceful, intelligent, level headed sort of person.
3. I knew Jamaal was gonna be the love interest. It seems Jenna Black really wanted to lean heavily on the "enemy" in the "enemies to lovers" trope. Nikki finds every excuse to justify his bad behavior because he is soooo attractive. I don't like abusive characters. Jamaal thinks that Nikki killed his best friend on purpose. He is unstable because of his powers, has anger issues, jumps to conclusions, a "shoot first, ask questions later" type of person. In multiple situations he: punches her, kicks her, chokes her out, magically sneaks into her room at night to threaten her, actively tries to kill her by beating her to death. Even after Anderson promised Nikki that she and her sister would have protection, and Jamaal wouldn't bother her, Jamaal disobeys him. Then his punishment is the 3 days of executions. Nikki feels soooooo bad like it's not his fault, he was so angry, I understand anger, blah blah blah. It's bullshit.
Sidenote - Is it me or is it weird that Jamaal is the only black character and he's very unlikeable?
4. I don't know if the author is really handling Steph's r*pe in a responsible way.
5. Thing with her parents. Nikki was adopted and given a loving home. But she doesn't refer to them as her parents, only as "Steph's parents" or their first names. She doesn't want their money, love, etc. Yet she is constantly bringing up the fact that she was a foster kid and has a lot of issues from that. The idea of a foster kid finally finding a "home" but not accepting or appreciating it. It's like spitting in the face of all the actual foster kids in the system who have to deal with abuse because they haven't found a "home."
6. The good guys are dicks! They're only considered good because they don't r*ape, torture and murder like the bad guys do! Anderson's group is not actually that good. The bar is so low.
- I wasn't sure if it was worth continuing the series so I looked at the reviews for the next 3 books. Oh boy...seems like nothing changes, there's no character development, lazy writing, Nikki is dumb, her powers aren't that useful, Jamaal is still an asshole love interest, Nikki is still a "bleeding heart."
Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna read the next book. I can deal with a messy first book, if the subsequent books get better but it doesn't look like it. Just another crappy paranormal fantasy series.
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Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Sexual violence, and Rape
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