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angelofthetardis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Persephone and Hades' relationship is now public knowledge, but her Divine existence remains hidden. Living in a lust-fuelled haze, can the Goddess of Spring reconcile her desire for the Lord of the Underworld with her dreams of a 'normal' life? And what happens when the Gods choose not to smile upon those she loves?
While I did enjoy the story of this one, I found there to be a lot points to unpack, none of which went into sufficient depth to have a real impact on me. The strongest thread of all is clearly the relationship between Hades and Persephone, but as with the last book there is a lot of bouncing between extremes of mood, miscommunication and a whole lot of bedroom shenanigans! The trouble is, after a while this does start to detract from the story. At one point Hades compares himself to a horny teenager, and I'd have to agree; everything seems to stir his loins! It's not badly written, but equally it does get a bit gratuitous and it ends up just not being as spicy as it should be for the sheer volume that there is.
I think it's a shame that the stories of Leuce, Lexa and Sybil were all shoehorned into one book. They all feel a bit rushed, as do other plot points. When the resolutions come, they all happen very quickly and we just move on with the story. In this format it feels quite formulaic, and I wonder whether it might have been better to extend the series and have focused on one friend per book, or stretched the tension out over multiple books so that there could be more character and story development.
Apollo is probably the biggest let down for me - from an a-hole to an ally in essentially one conversation, I felt this completely let down the incredibly good rivalry and potential future threat that the author was building in.
That being said, I do like Persephone's gradual acceptance of her role as Queen of the Underworld, and her slow discovery of some of Hades' secrets and his life before her. And Hades is just a babe - he might be awful at communicating and have no idea how to be in a co-dependent relationship, but it's the mix of his 'touch her and die' attitude with his 'I'm so in love I can't think straight' vulnerability that makes him the most well rounded and fleshed out character of the series.
Looking forward to Hades' POV on this one!
While I did enjoy the story of this one, I found there to be a lot points to unpack, none of which went into sufficient depth to have a real impact on me. The strongest thread of all is clearly the relationship between Hades and Persephone, but as with the last book there is a lot of bouncing between extremes of mood, miscommunication and a whole lot of bedroom shenanigans! The trouble is, after a while this does start to detract from the story. At one point Hades compares himself to a horny teenager, and I'd have to agree; everything seems to stir his loins! It's not badly written, but equally it does get a bit gratuitous and it ends up just not being as spicy as it should be for the sheer volume that there is.
I think it's a shame that the stories of Leuce, Lexa and Sybil were all shoehorned into one book. They all feel a bit rushed, as do other plot points. When the resolutions come, they all happen very quickly and we just move on with the story. In this format it feels quite formulaic, and I wonder whether it might have been better to extend the series and have focused on one friend per book, or stretched the tension out over multiple books so that there could be more character and story development.
Apollo is probably the biggest let down for me - from an a-hole to an ally in essentially one conversation, I felt this completely let down the incredibly good rivalry and potential future threat that the author was building in.
That being said, I do like Persephone's gradual acceptance of her role as Queen of the Underworld, and her slow discovery of some of Hades' secrets and his life before her. And Hades is just a babe - he might be awful at communicating and have no idea how to be in a co-dependent relationship, but it's the mix of his 'touch her and die' attitude with his 'I'm so in love I can't think straight' vulnerability that makes him the most well rounded and fleshed out character of the series.
Looking forward to Hades' POV on this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Grief, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Cursing, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide, Murder, and Rape
sxcpixie's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Death
Minor: Violence and Domestic abuse
naaytaashreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“Create the life you want, Persephone, and stop listening to everyone else.”
I enjoyed this read compared to the first book.
This plotline felt like there was more meat to the content.
The one POV will always bother me in this series; however, it wasn't that bad at times in A Touch of Ruin. The only thing I can't review is Hades's character as there wasn't his POV, so it wasn't fair to judge what he does and says, even though it sometimes annoys me.
The focus of Persephone's growth in this was so good.
I love that she has flaws; she makes terrible decisions and mistakes. Even if we get annoyed and disagree with what she did, the outcome runs full circle, and she grows to learn and her character changes over time.
We get more action and involvement of side characters other than the focus of Hades and Persephone's romance.
I love Persephone is getting friends! I love a good squad and more of them!
“This mortal has distressed you,” Zofie said. “Do you want me to kill him?” “What? No, Zofie. You can’t just kill people who upset you.” The Aegis shrugged. “You can where I’m from.” “Remind me to hide all your weapons,” Persephone said.”
I enjoyed this read compared to the first book.
This plotline felt like there was more meat to the content.
The one POV will always bother me in this series; however, it wasn't that bad at times in A Touch of Ruin. The only thing I can't review is Hades's character as there wasn't his POV, so it wasn't fair to judge what he does and says, even though it sometimes annoys me.
The focus of Persephone's growth in this was so good.
I love that she has flaws; she makes terrible decisions and mistakes. Even if we get annoyed and disagree with what she did, the outcome runs full circle, and she grows to learn and her character changes over time.
We get more action and involvement of side characters other than the focus of Hades and Persephone's romance.
I love Persephone is getting friends! I love a good squad and more of them!
“This mortal has distressed you,” Zofie said. “Do you want me to kill him?” “What? No, Zofie. You can’t just kill people who upset you.” The Aegis shrugged. “You can where I’m from.” “Remind me to hide all your weapons,” Persephone said.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, and Mental illness
jailene's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide, Torture, Car accident, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, and Death
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