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A review by kateywumpus
A Wild and Ruined Song by Ashley Shuttleworth
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Well, this is it, folks. This is the fourth and final book in the Hollow Star saga, and what a banger. It certainly made up for my disappointment with the third book, though I still have some personal issues with some things that are done. This isn't an indictment of the book, its quality, or its story, but more... personal stuff if you get my meaning.
So let's get into it. Firstly, the main character, the one who these books extensively revolve around, is mostly off-screen and we rarely see things from her PoV. I mean, there's good reason for it, and I understand why it's done, but the series sucked me in with her as its main PoV along with her ex-fury girlfriend, and by the end we barely see her. Again, I understand why it was done. There's so much going on that you kind of need the perspective of the other four characters in order to get the full picture but, honestly, it's not what I signed up for.
Another gripe is that we finally get a sex scene and it's not from the main character and her girlfriend, but rather from two of the other PoV characters who I found to be the least interesting of the four. I'm kind of at the point where I just skip sex scenes if they're not sapphic, and even then I might skip them anyway depending on my interest in mood. While it's *good* to have a M/M scene in it, it's just not my thing.
Finally, there's a bunch of 'destined to be together' and 'soulbond' stuff, which is just eye-rolling for me. I actually don't like these tropes. The idea that there is One True Person out in the world for you, that you're always destined to be together diminishes the work you need to do to build a relationship with your partner. Any partner. There's a whole world out there and you can click with any one of them. It also doesn't help that one of the villains is literallydefeated by the power of friendship. I know I kind of come off as a curmudgeon here, and there are places where I actually like that trope, but it's not really what I'm looking for in this genre.
Like I said. These are personal gripes which bother me, but may not bother another reader, so I'm not dinging any stars off my review. The setting is rich and vibrant, the story is *excellent* and very well told, and the ending.... *mwah*. Perfect ending. Nailed the landing. 10/10, can't complain. I *highly* recommend giving this series a try. You can read the first book and leave it at that, if you wish. It's a fairly self-contained book, but the second leaves you on such a good cliffhanger that you'll want to throw the book across the room. Seriously. Give it a try. 5 stars.
So let's get into it. Firstly, the main character, the one who these books extensively revolve around, is mostly off-screen and we rarely see things from her PoV. I mean, there's good reason for it, and I understand why it's done, but the series sucked me in with her as its main PoV along with her ex-fury girlfriend, and by the end we barely see her. Again, I understand why it was done. There's so much going on that you kind of need the perspective of the other four characters in order to get the full picture but, honestly, it's not what I signed up for.
Another gripe is that we finally get a sex scene and it's not from the main character and her girlfriend, but rather from two of the other PoV characters who I found to be the least interesting of the four. I'm kind of at the point where I just skip sex scenes if they're not sapphic, and even then I might skip them anyway depending on my interest in mood. While it's *good* to have a M/M scene in it, it's just not my thing.
Finally, there's a bunch of 'destined to be together' and 'soulbond' stuff, which is just eye-rolling for me. I actually don't like these tropes. The idea that there is One True Person out in the world for you, that you're always destined to be together diminishes the work you need to do to build a relationship with your partner. Any partner. There's a whole world out there and you can click with any one of them. It also doesn't help that one of the villains is literally
Like I said. These are personal gripes which bother me, but may not bother another reader, so I'm not dinging any stars off my review. The setting is rich and vibrant, the story is *excellent* and very well told, and the ending.... *mwah*. Perfect ending. Nailed the landing. 10/10, can't complain. I *highly* recommend giving this series a try. You can read the first book and leave it at that, if you wish. It's a fairly self-contained book, but the second leaves you on such a good cliffhanger that you'll want to throw the book across the room. Seriously. Give it a try. 5 stars.