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discarded_dust_jacket's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
There’s a lot I really liked about this book. R.M. Virtues’ writing always hits for me. I thought the story itself was really original, and I appreciated the themes of working through PTSD and grief. The idea of a romance with your sleep paralysis demon was what really drew me in and I had so much fun reading the scenes where Penny and Acheron interacted.
The parts that distracted me:
I was a little confused when it came to the worldbuilding around Acheron’s character. I just never really understood the mechanics of how the sleep demons like, did their job. It’s not at all that I thought the premise was underdeveloped—because I got the distinct impression that Virtues has a very clear understanding of how Hell operates in this universe—it was more like, it didn’t feel communicated to the reader as thoroughly as I perhaps needed it to be.
The romance aspect of the story was a little oddly-paced in my opinion as well. It didn’t feel like a slow-burn (obviously, the book isn’t very long so it couldn’t be), but I couldn’t tell if it was trying to be or not. I guess it just surprised me the first time Acheron mentions loving Penny because it didn’t seem believable that they’d reached that level of intimacy yet (which can absolutely still be accomplished in a shorter, “insta-love” romance).
All in all I had a fun time reading this book, but I’m not sure I’d call it particularly memorable. Great to pick up if you’re just looking for a darker-themed, monster romance palette-cleanser that you can breeze through pretty quickly!
The parts that distracted me:
I was a little confused when it came to the worldbuilding around Acheron’s character. I just never really understood the mechanics of how the sleep demons like, did their job. It’s not at all that I thought the premise was underdeveloped—because I got the distinct impression that Virtues has a very clear understanding of how Hell operates in this universe—it was more like, it didn’t feel communicated to the reader as thoroughly as I perhaps needed it to be.
The romance aspect of the story was a little oddly-paced in my opinion as well. It didn’t feel like a slow-burn (obviously, the book isn’t very long so it couldn’t be), but I couldn’t tell if it was trying to be or not. I guess it just surprised me the first time Acheron mentions loving Penny because it didn’t seem believable that they’d reached that level of intimacy yet (which can absolutely still be accomplished in a shorter, “insta-love” romance).
All in all I had a fun time reading this book, but I’m not sure I’d call it particularly memorable. Great to pick up if you’re just looking for a darker-themed, monster romance palette-cleanser that you can breeze through pretty quickly!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence
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