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nikkisreadingx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My Hunger Games trauma is going to prevent me from rating this until I get through the review so let's go.
Notable things:
- The enemies-to-lovers trope is *really* well done. I don't like this trope when it's not fantasy or dark romance and often times, I feel like it's too rushed. It wasn't with this one. At all. The development of Dianna' and Liam's relationship is so...real. They hate each other for so long until they don't, and then they realized they hadn't hated each other for as long as they thought. It was just beautiful and as soon as that started, I was hooked.
- The world building is unique. The lore is great. In the beginning, it felt very Revelations/Rapture, then became very Valhalla/Ragnorak as we got to know more in the book. I can see now that the twist is because Dianna is kept in the dark about so many things and watching it unfold was interesting.
But I would also call it a little...lazy? If that's the right word. This is called high fantasy, but you could replace 'Onuna' with 'Earth' and it would make sense, because practically everything on the world was a reflection of earth. How people spoke, how they dressed, the technology, the buildings, it was all what we see in real life. This book hit the mark on urban-fantasy with other worlds on different planets. Urban fantasy is my preferred, so this worked for me. If you're looking for a true high fantasy feel, I think it misses there.
- Dianna's personality is fair and makes sense and is entertaining at times, but some of her snark is too immature for a centuries old warrior. However, I *loved* her character growth. So while her commentary was annoying in the first half of the book, it's welcome and endearing in the second half of the book. I didn't quite pinpoint when that shift happened (probably around the time she starts helping Liam with his nightmares), but it was really nice to see her grow and lose a bit of her bravado in favor of confidence in herself.
(I also could have done without the 'evil villain' clothing descriptions every time she got dressed in the frist half of the book. Why are they always the same?)
- The pacing of this book is a little off. The beginning took me forever. Mostly because it was a trauma dump. High stakes from page one, no moments of rest, I couldn't dive in because it was too much. When Liam was introduced, I thought there would be a break -- nope. He's as broken as she is. (Which, I will admit, had me curious to their story and helped me set aside time to continue reading even when I just wanted to dive into something sweet and happy.)
However, when it gets *going*, when Dianna is with Liam and finally removed from Kaden, I was sucked in. Completely. I went from reading 50 pages a day to 250 pages in one sitting. I only stopped because I knew I needed to a break before I got to the end.
- The ending. I hate cliffhangers in books and that's part of why it was slow going for me to get into this book. I also was under the impression this was a duet, so to finish this book and find out the sequel also has a cliffhanger?? đ¤đ But let's not get derailed there.
Part of the ending was predictable from the very beginning -- see: Hunger Games trauma -- and part of it was just heartbreaking. I don't like trauma porn, which was so much of the beginning of the book, that now, to see how much further it goes, how Dianna *cannot* be allowed to be happy, ever, it makes me very hesitant to continue reading the series. Especially when I don't know when the end is finally going to happen. I will because it was really good and I want to know how Dianna and Liam finally fall in love and I want to see how Liam helps Dianna heal in the next one, but I know I will struggle starting that book because it's just going to hurt.
As soon as I got into the book, I loved it. Even knowing what was coming, even knowing that I would hate the ending, even knowing that there wasn't a happy on the horizon for anyone, I couldn't help but love it. And I'm really interested to see where it goes.
Also -- don't go in this expecting spice. He fingers her, she blows him, that's all you're getting between these two in the whole 500 pages of the book. It makes sense -- because they're proper enemies-to-lovers -- but seeing people give this more than half a chili for spice meter is giving me all sorts of dissonance.
Notable things:
- The enemies-to-lovers trope is *really* well done. I don't like this trope when it's not fantasy or dark romance and often times, I feel like it's too rushed. It wasn't with this one. At all. The development of Dianna' and Liam's relationship is so...real. They hate each other for so long until they don't, and then they realized they hadn't hated each other for as long as they thought. It was just beautiful and as soon as that started, I was hooked.
- The world building is unique. The lore is great. In the beginning, it felt very Revelations/Rapture, then became very Valhalla/Ragnorak as we got to know more in the book. I can see now that the twist is because Dianna is kept in the dark about so many things and watching it unfold was interesting.
But I would also call it a little...lazy? If that's the right word. This is called high fantasy, but you could replace 'Onuna' with 'Earth' and it would make sense, because practically everything on the world was a reflection of earth. How people spoke, how they dressed, the technology, the buildings, it was all what we see in real life. This book hit the mark on urban-fantasy with other worlds on different planets. Urban fantasy is my preferred, so this worked for me. If you're looking for a true high fantasy feel, I think it misses there.
- Dianna's personality is fair and makes sense and is entertaining at times, but some of her snark is too immature for a centuries old warrior. However, I *loved* her character growth. So while her commentary was annoying in the first half of the book, it's welcome and endearing in the second half of the book. I didn't quite pinpoint when that shift happened (probably around the time she starts helping Liam with his nightmares), but it was really nice to see her grow and lose a bit of her bravado in favor of confidence in herself.
(I also could have done without the 'evil villain' clothing descriptions every time she got dressed in the frist half of the book. Why are they always the same?)
- The pacing of this book is a little off. The beginning took me forever. Mostly because it was a trauma dump. High stakes from page one, no moments of rest, I couldn't dive in because it was too much. When Liam was introduced, I thought there would be a break -- nope. He's as broken as she is. (Which, I will admit, had me curious to their story and helped me set aside time to continue reading even when I just wanted to dive into something sweet and happy.)
However, when it gets *going*, when Dianna is with Liam and finally removed from Kaden, I was sucked in. Completely. I went from reading 50 pages a day to 250 pages in one sitting. I only stopped because I knew I needed to a break before I got to the end.
- The ending. I hate cliffhangers in books and that's part of why it was slow going for me to get into this book. I also was under the impression this was a duet, so to finish this book and find out the sequel also has a cliffhanger?? đ¤đ But let's not get derailed there.
Part of the ending was predictable from the very beginning -- see: Hunger Games trauma -- and part of it was just heartbreaking. I don't like trauma porn, which was so much of the beginning of the book, that now, to see how much further it goes, how Dianna *cannot* be allowed to be happy, ever, it makes me very hesitant to continue reading the series. Especially when I don't know when the end is finally going to happen. I will because it was really good and I want to know how Dianna and Liam finally fall in love and I want to see how Liam helps Dianna heal in the next one, but I know I will struggle starting that book because it's just going to hurt.
As soon as I got into the book, I loved it. Even knowing what was coming, even knowing that I would hate the ending, even knowing that there wasn't a happy on the horizon for anyone, I couldn't help but love it. And I'm really interested to see where it goes.
Also -- don't go in this expecting spice. He fingers her, she blows him, that's all you're getting between these two in the whole 500 pages of the book. It makes sense -- because they're proper enemies-to-lovers -- but seeing people give this more than half a chili for spice meter is giving me all sorts of dissonance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide, Death, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, War, Death of parent, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment
nloprest6318's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
brooketreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
3.0
Conflicting feelings on this one. Overall, I enjoyed the overall plot and the two main characters. I was invested in Dianna and Liamâs slow burn romance. I love Liam. However, the only spice we got in this book I could have done without, because honestly it just felt unsatisfying⌠like this is not what they deserved after what they had been through in this book up to that point. The ending I saw coming, maybe not in the exact way it happened, but I feel like everyone had to know it was going to happen.
This felt too long. I also felt like too much was going on. Thereâs too many people to keep track of and too many places they went. I felt like I should have been reading this with a whiteboard of characters and places. I didnât always feel I had a clear picture of the setting. I felt like there were plot holes and things just thrown in to further the plot. Such as Tobias having the ability to re-animate the dead. I donât recall it being mentioned before the tomb raider scene.
I will say I did jump straight into book two. So, take from this review what you will.
Some of my favorite notes:
âGrand Estate?â I sighed, mostly to myself. âOh, fancy. I guess itâs a good thing we brought our party clothes.â LOL!
(Context: Dianna to Liam. They had just gone through a horrible crash and then a fight. They looked terrible.)
When Liam was fighting Tobias and he has raised the dead and they all stopped and patted themselves đ§ umm ok
Dianna drinking Liamâs blood đ very Edward drinking Bella. I imagine Dianna with that same crazy look đ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: War and Death of parent
There may be more. If I remember any, Iâll add them.bangiebangs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
4*
- ends on cliffhanger (unfinished trilogy/series)
- spice: 3/5 (only bc there were so few scenes, but those were excellent and worth the wait)
This had been on my TBR for a while and I finally started reading it because an author I follow loved it. Have to admit, I almost DNFâd this because it took me forever to get into the story. Not sure why but for the first quarter I wasnât sure I knew what was going on, or cared too much either.
That said, once I got into it, boy was I into it! I knew this was an E2L story so I was excited to see how that would happen. But this isnât even the best part (though that slow burn, hmmmm delicious!), I thought the world-building was just excellent. I still donât totally get how one world âfellâ into another or what happened to that first world exactly (it seems to still exist? Or is that another planet?) but it seems to make sense most of the time. I just think of it as continents, basically.
I really liked that the villain here is the FMC, which is somewhat unusual. And if she is bad, you really dislike her â she is not just a little villainous for show, she is a mass murderer. It does make sense that some of the other characters are not exactly willing to overlook that. If youâre a Nesta fan, youâll probably like Dianna, though.
I think in places the antagonism and self-hate may have been a little overdone, but overall, it worked. The MMC also has his fair share of self-loathing to carry, and we get a good view into depression and recovery from different points of view, and different kinds of depression. I thought that was done really well.
Other than that, you get the usual fantasy bodies that are flat and muscled and whatnot with the endless thick shlong you expect (getting a tad tired of this, ngl, just give me a realistic body every once in a while, not this âhulking guy plus petite womanâ porn-ish thing), and if I read âyou need to be readyâ and âhe fed me his dick inch by inch until finally seated fully blah blah never felt so fullâ I might abandon ship.
So tl;dr, the book picked up significantly in the second half for me, and I immediately started reading the next one. The cliffhanger was only bearable bc book 2 is already out, but otherwise I would have been in pain. Best wait until the next (last?) one is out if an unfinished series is not your flavor of masochism ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Blood, and Sexual content
sarahjanehayes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Grief, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and War
radiantgeode's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Mental illness, Grief, Torture, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Rape, War, Cursing, and Blood
zias's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Sexual content, and Death of parent
jen_sten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Violence, and Death
booksalacarte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
3âď¸ 2đśď¸
Badass/morally grey FMC
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Forced proximity
One bed
Quest
Forbidden romance
Fight scenes
Dragons
đłď¸âđ rep
Cliffhanger
Seems to be dual POV. The beginning started off with interesting world building and introduced us to the FMC. The magic is interesting. I have to admit that Iâm still confused about quite a bit, but Iâm thankful that the magic doesnât look like every other romantasy out there. I think it was a little clogged in its delivery.
Badass/morally grey FMC
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Forced proximity
One bed
Quest
Forbidden romance
Fight scenes
Dragons
đłď¸âđ rep
Cliffhanger
Seems to be dual POV. The beginning started off with interesting world building and introduced us to the FMC. The magic is interesting. I have to admit that Iâm still confused about quite a bit, but Iâm thankful that the magic doesnât look like every other romantasy out there. I think it was a little clogged in its delivery.
A god with PTSDâŚLiam/Samkiel a different kind of male main character. I applaud even if his character does feel like Thor after Endgame. He was fully flushed and by far the character holding the book together.
The slowest burn. Goodness gracious. They go from enemies-to-pretty much lovers, but not quite.
I didnât enjoy how often things were repeated. Prose and stories told, in full, more than once. I found myself going, âyeah, yeah, yeah⌠Iâve heard this before.â It was really annoying. Then to just have to go through it again in the other POV. Yikes. The dialogue was also cringeworthy. Some of the general conversations were just not at all realistic in the way character spoke to each other and word choices.
The nature of Dianna was so immature when she wasnât fighting. She is supposed to be almost a thousand years old? She acted like her emotional growth stopped in her early 20âs. She was written very YA. I wanted her to fight more so I didnât have to deal with her immaturity.
The stakes felt high, until you read the line, âweeks laterâ⌠multiple times. Then you start wondering what the hell people are doing for those weeks! Nothing helpful or plot moving. Just twiddling their thumbs? I donât want to be in the same PoV and suddenly have a plot blackout for weeks!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Blood
haleyc00k's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content