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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
hellsploss's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I don't know why I expected this book to wine and dine me first before having the main characters do the literal devil's tango within the first few chapters of the book but here we are. If you're just interested in black pepper level spice scenes with only enough plot to string it together then this is the book for you otherwise stay away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Blood and Alcohol
zabeishumanish's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
One of the more fun and creative monster fucker books I've read. The story probably could have used one more round of editing though, just a few obvious typos and incorrect character names.
Acheron is a fascinating monster. The entire form of his body is malleable and he can change sizes and shapes on a whim.
I was a bit apprehensive of the whole sleep paralysis aspect of the book, but once I saw that being used as a kind of safe word for Penelope I was on board. The whole sleep demon system and Acheron being able to read her mind and limitations created a really nice sense of security. The creativity of this setup was fantastic and I loved that Penelope was able to have so much fun.
If the author chooses to make this into a series I would be delighted to read the rest of them. The side characters introduced in this book all have enough personality to welcome additional books.
Acheron is a fascinating monster. The entire form of his body is malleable and he can change sizes and shapes on a whim.
I was a bit apprehensive of the whole sleep paralysis aspect of the book, but once I saw that being used as a kind of safe word for Penelope I was on board. The whole sleep demon system and Acheron being able to read her mind and limitations created a really nice sense of security. The creativity of this setup was fantastic and I loved that Penelope was able to have so much fun.
If the author chooses to make this into a series I would be delighted to read the rest of them. The side characters introduced in this book all have enough personality to welcome additional books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
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