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willdarlingg's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
In all honesty, I probably shouldn’t have picked this one up, considering it’s a YA and I didn’t particularly like the first one, but the Lord Under character was so good and I just wanted more of him. I was hoping to get more of the Violeta/Lord Under romance that was hinted at in the first book, and we got pieces of it, but the progression of their relationship was strange. And then there were so many lines about how the three of them - the Lord Under, Violeta, and Rowan - were all connected, so I assumed the resolution would be a triad-type relationship, but this was unfortunately not to be. Rowan was the least interesting character, I just really didn’t like him, even in the first book, and the addition of his POV slowed everything down by so much. The pacing was stuttering and all over the place, it felt like the plot could have been trimmed by a lot, and maybe even included in the first book. There just didn’t need to be this much back and forth. The writing tried so hard to be poetic and beautiful, but ended up being repetitive, messy, and confusing. I struggled with placing characters and scenery, and I constantly lost track of things and places. I definitely think someone else could enjoy this book, but if you're looking for a good monster romance, this isn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
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