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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
My major dislike for the book was the MMC, Tarian, too possessive of Calanthe too early on, walking red flag, I know that some people enjoy that kind of a man in their books, but it wasn't for me. Tarian being a headache aside, I felt like the overall plot just felt a little lackluster/confusing. A lot takes place in the dream world, which was very chaotic. All leading up to eventually finding Tarian and settling everything afterwards. Also absolutely lost a star for the crime of calling Calanthe, Calamity. I wanted to hit my head against a wall. For anyone who enjoyed this book and gave it 5 stars, I'm happy your experience was better than mine. This book was a few chapters too long, could have probably done with less dream sequences where Tarian is throwing a tantrum at what Calanthe is doing IRL, saving his ass while he growls about her being his, while and having huge distrust for her through out the book. Accusing her several times for having feelings for his Malachi or Symeon. I thought it couldn't get any worse, until he got pissy about her sitting next to one of them and breathing the same air as her while her body was in the real world sleeping.
Wow! I have not enjoyed a fantasy this much in quite a while! I literally did not want to put this down, and was so annoyed I had to stop reading to go to work! The premise was so interesting, and the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat! I loved Callie and Tarian so much!! Their chemistry was off the charts from the very beginning. This was an easy to understand modern world that contains magic. The list of suspects is long, and the side characters are just as amazing as the main ones. I didn’t want it to end. In fact, my only complaint is that even though the book was over 600 pages, I feel like it could have been just a little bit longer so we got to see more of the HEA. I hear there’s a bonus chapter though, so excuse me while I go download that, and read the entirety of Olivia Wildensteins backlist!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Dementia, Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Car accident
4.5/5 stars 2/5 stars
This book was such a trip in the best possible way. It really made you feel the chaos of dreams and how they relate to the outside world. Reading it felt chaotic like you would if you had a wild dream and thought what just happened. I know that sounds maybe not too appealing but it was so intriguing. I was expecting a run of the mill hades x Persephone retelling and I mean come on his last name is Hadez but I was really wrong! This books story line is so unique and continually had me guessing. It was spicy, heartbreaking and really good! Calanthe Bloom is surviving, trying to take care of her mother and their slowly wilting flower shop. When a chance encounter with the elusive Tarian Hadez sends her life into a different direction. Her dreaming starts and so does the danger. You’ll be questioning everything and flying through the pages.
This book was such a trip in the best possible way. It really made you feel the chaos of dreams and how they relate to the outside world. Reading it felt chaotic like you would if you had a wild dream and thought what just happened. I know that sounds maybe not too appealing but it was so intriguing. I was expecting a run of the mill hades x Persephone retelling and I mean come on his last name is Hadez but I was really wrong! This books story line is so unique and continually had me guessing. It was spicy, heartbreaking and really good! Calanthe Bloom is surviving, trying to take care of her mother and their slowly wilting flower shop. When a chance encounter with the elusive Tarian Hadez sends her life into a different direction. Her dreaming starts and so does the danger. You’ll be questioning everything and flying through the pages.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Dark, Dangerous, and Deliciously Twisty!🌪💎❤️
My Dark Beast: Wicked Retellings, Book 1
By: Olivia Wildenstein
🎧 Duet Audiobook Narrated by: Blair Thatcher and Zachary Johnson
Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
📖 Ebook Read Using Kindle Unlimited
Edited 9th June 2024:
I've just finished a reread & my first listen to the brand new audiobook. I'm over the moon it's been done in a dual pov duet format. They've made this into an amazing experience.👏
Both narrators are so well cast as Calanthe and Tarian. She brings all of the fiestiness and fire of her character to life brilliantly.🔥🌹 He is a perfect Tarian, with all of his growly, possessive, and sexiness pouring into our ears!🎧🥵
Easily a 5 star listen.⭐️
I was swept away in this paranormal romance with Atlantean Gods with 'powers' and humble-ish humans who just thought they were mob bosses.😆
Calanthe Bloom is trying to keep her parents' flower shop open. It isn't her dream, but her Dad died, and her mum has altzheimers, so she's trying to keep a roof over their heads. Tarian Hadez, the head of the Atlantean families, is living in Boston. They meet when she's delivering cacti to his mansion for a dinner party. That is when both of their lives change - forever? Calanthe will gain more than the one friend she's always had, but Tarian may well lose everything!👀
Because of a transfer of a small amount of magic from him to her, she can now dream walk into his dreams and vice versa. This turns out to be imperative when it becomes clear that his very immortality is on the line!😱 She is the only hope for his friends and family to find and save him.🙏🏼✨️
I'm really hoping this will have an amazing audiobook, done with dual female & male pov narration.🙏🏼⭐️❤️
I'm also hoping the author will revisit this world as I loved it, and there are some threads I'd love tied up to.😉🤩
Debbie, 1970, UK
My Dark Beast: Wicked Retellings, Book 1
By: Olivia Wildenstein
🎧 Duet Audiobook Narrated by: Blair Thatcher and Zachary Johnson
Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
📖 Ebook Read Using Kindle Unlimited
Edited 9th June 2024:
I've just finished a reread & my first listen to the brand new audiobook. I'm over the moon it's been done in a dual pov duet format. They've made this into an amazing experience.👏
Both narrators are so well cast as Calanthe and Tarian. She brings all of the fiestiness and fire of her character to life brilliantly.🔥🌹 He is a perfect Tarian, with all of his growly, possessive, and sexiness pouring into our ears!🎧🥵
Easily a 5 star listen.⭐️
I was swept away in this paranormal romance with Atlantean Gods with 'powers' and humble-ish humans who just thought they were mob bosses.😆
Calanthe Bloom is trying to keep her parents' flower shop open. It isn't her dream, but her Dad died, and her mum has altzheimers, so she's trying to keep a roof over their heads. Tarian Hadez, the head of the Atlantean families, is living in Boston. They meet when she's delivering cacti to his mansion for a dinner party. That is when both of their lives change - forever? Calanthe will gain more than the one friend she's always had, but Tarian may well lose everything!👀
Because of a transfer of a small amount of magic from him to her, she can now dream walk into his dreams and vice versa. This turns out to be imperative when it becomes clear that his very immortality is on the line!😱 She is the only hope for his friends and family to find and save him.🙏🏼✨️
I'm really hoping this will have an amazing audiobook, done with dual female & male pov narration.🙏🏼⭐️❤️
I'm also hoping the author will revisit this world as I loved it, and there are some threads I'd love tied up to.😉🤩
Debbie, 1970, UK
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
My Dark Beast-Olivia Wildenstein
Narrated by Blair Thatcher and Zachary Johnson
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧🎧
This book was wild! I didn’t know how Olivia was going to cross a Hades/Persephone with Sleeping Beauty, but I’ll be damned…she did. Her world building is phenomenal. The mains get stuck in dreamland for a while and each time you go into a new dream it’s like a whole new world and the descriptions are incredible. And the story telling is just so so good. It is lengthy but honestly I don’t know what could have been eliminated. This was so good. Now I feel like I need to go back and reread it and I’ll probably pick up on so many things I missed the first time through.
The narration was so good. This is my first by these two narrators and I thought they did a stunning job. The narration style was interesting because it wasn’t completely in duet or completely in dual but it was like a mix of both.
World was a bit confusing and there was a lot going on with the family tree stuff.
dark
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Ya know what… I actually really enjoyed this. Very long, starts slow but the plot is THICK once you get to it