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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Look, my expectations were low as fuck, but this book was exactly what I didn't know I wanted. I love me some consensual non-consent, let me just say. I was browsing the romance section on my nook, as you do when you've unexpectedly hit that time of the month and you just want some escapist fiction to distract you from your woes. Katee Robert hooked me within paragraphs. So many of my favorite tropes, all packed into like, what, three, four paragraphs?
Look, we got fairy-tale/Disney retellings. We've got a villain as one of our romantic leads. We've got some established kink going on. We've got the mafia AU thing. We've got our female lead as a bratty princess with more underneath that front. It was great. Perfect? No. But solidly great. Love it. Definitely reading the next one.
Look, we got fairy-tale/Disney retellings. We've got a villain as one of our romantic leads. We've got some established kink going on. We've got the mafia AU thing. We've got our female lead as a bratty princess with more underneath that front. It was great. Perfect? No. But solidly great. Love it. Definitely reading the next one.
Sometimes I wonder how it's possible for Katee Robert to churn as many books as quickly as she possibly can. It's because her writing is kind of simplistic. The plots are straightforward and don't have a lot of substance. That shouldn't come as a surprise because of the books genre but it is to me because I had forgotten her writing style. The book is decent but I'm going to go back to my 400-500 page paranormal romances and historical romances.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Violence
Minor: Confinement, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder
The book contains consensual non-consenting sexual acts, but no actual rape. It also contains under-negotiated kink.
Jafar and Jasmine meets a mafia romance.
There was way too much happening in this book. It was very reaching, and not quite grasping. First of all, Ali is this terrible guy but we don't actually experience any of it. Then there's this "Daddy" bit. I understood where it came from, but then she kept using it... And I don't see how she'd even like that idea. Throw in some "cumulation" instead of "culmination", with no actual reason for Jasmine to like Jafar more than she did at the start of the book (except he's now playing out her fantasies)... Honestly, I'm just left with nothing.
The book is short and that is the only reason why I finished it. The premise is wonderful. Hades and Meg? Tink? Hook? Fascinating. So maybe I'll try out book 2. But in the meantime, this particular book is just not for me.
There was way too much happening in this book. It was very reaching, and not quite grasping. First of all, Ali is this terrible guy but we don't actually experience any of it. Then there's this "Daddy" bit. I understood where it came from, but then she kept using it... And I don't see how she'd even like that idea. Throw in some "cumulation" instead of "culmination", with no actual reason for Jasmine to like Jafar more than she did at the start of the book (except he's now playing out her fantasies)... Honestly, I'm just left with nothing.
The book is short and that is the only reason why I finished it. The premise is wonderful. Hades and Meg? Tink? Hook? Fascinating. So maybe I'll try out book 2. But in the meantime, this particular book is just not for me.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s an interesting take on what if the princesses end up with the villains and that’s pretty cool, but that’s about it.
1.5
I must stop getting my book recommendations from TikTok.
The characters in this book are based of Disney characters and the spice is 5/5 so honestly that made it super weird to read. If they would have been originally characters fine but Jafar, Jasmine, Ali, Hook…really!????
I must stop getting my book recommendations from TikTok.
The characters in this book are based of Disney characters and the spice is 5/5 so honestly that made it super weird to read. If they would have been originally characters fine but Jafar, Jasmine, Ali, Hook…really!????
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is slightly disappointing because I just finished Neon Gods, also by Katee Roberts and thoroughly enjoyed that novel. This one just didn't meet my expectations unfortunately. The main problem I had with Neon Gods is that the writing felt repetitive at times, but it was bearable. In this novel, however, most of the book just felt like rehashing the same already well-established concepts with little to no actual plot progression. I understand that plot and narrative aren't necessarily the main point of these sorts of novels, but I would like at least a little something to bite into.
I did enjoy the ending where Yasmina reclaimed her father's territory for herself. But it just felt so rushed and out of left field. We see throughout the narrative that she's been sheltered so much. It makes the conceit of her overthrowing Ali pretty unbelievable in my opinion. Not to mention, it happens so quickly. I just think that if that was the climatic moment then it could've been done much better. There are a few moments throughout the book where Yasmina displays a certain level of intelligence and competence, but they are so few and far in between and so inconsequential to the plot that the thought of her running a whole criminal empire(?) seems unlikely. I did enjoy that aspect of the story as a concept, I just think Roberts could've utilized it more throughout the narrative so that it didn't feel like a needlessly tacked on ending to round out Yasmina's character growth.
In any case, I am interested in the world Roberts created in this novel. I likely will be reading the rest in the series eventually.
I did enjoy the ending where Yasmina reclaimed her father's territory for herself. But it just felt so rushed and out of left field. We see throughout the narrative that she's been sheltered so much. It makes the conceit of her overthrowing Ali pretty unbelievable in my opinion. Not to mention, it happens so quickly. I just think that if that was the climatic moment then it could've been done much better. There are a few moments throughout the book where Yasmina displays a certain level of intelligence and competence, but they are so few and far in between and so inconsequential to the plot that the thought of her running a whole criminal empire(?) seems unlikely. I did enjoy that aspect of the story as a concept, I just think Roberts could've utilized it more throughout the narrative so that it didn't feel like a needlessly tacked on ending to round out Yasmina's character growth.
In any case, I am interested in the world Roberts created in this novel. I likely will be reading the rest in the series eventually.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn't quite what I was expecting, which is of no fault to the author or the book itself! It was a quick read and lacked in a sense of story. I did, however, like the treatment of Jasmine's character growth, which was my favorite part of the book itself!
adventurous
tense
fast-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:
Complicated