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A review by isi__1
The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This honestly started out super great. I was quite invested in the beginning, because I was looking for an easily digestible, fun, fast-paced, romance story, which doesn‘t require a ton of brain power, as a pallet-cleanser in-between some bigger adult epic fantasy books. This was exactly what I was looking for. This book is quite ’trope-y‘, but I didn‘t really mind. Was it mind-blowing? Did it contain beautiful prose? Did it have outstanding characters? No, not really. It was entertaining, though, and I can perfectly understand why this books seems to be quite popular. I can definitely see a lot of people having a good time with it.
To be honest, though, I did start to get a bit bored around halfway through the book. The romance itself didn‘t manage to carry the story anymore and I wasn‘t overly immersed in the rest of the world or the individual characters (Except Alex. I love Alex).
However, this book did make me realize something about myself. I think I like friends-to-lovers. Especially if it‘s a childhood friend. I always thought that wasn‘t a trope I liked, but apparently I was missing some self-awareness, lmao.
There‘s also a bit of a love-triangle going on, but I don‘t think it was done particularly well. It is your typical childhood friend (who very obviously doesn‘t end up being the final love-interest) vs the mysterious bad guy / enemy constellation. Realizing that I wanted the childhood friend to end up with the female main character made me realize that friends-to-lovers might be more of my cup of tea (as long as it‘s still slow-burn). I know this is a very unpopular opinion, but I stand by it!
Overall, the story was fun, but it did feel like I‘ve read a ton of very similar books before.
To be honest, though, I did start to get a bit bored around halfway through the book. The romance itself didn‘t manage to carry the story anymore and I wasn‘t overly immersed in the rest of the world or the individual characters (Except Alex. I love Alex).
However, this book did make me realize something about myself. I think I like friends-to-lovers. Especially if it‘s a childhood friend. I always thought that wasn‘t a trope I liked, but apparently I was missing some self-awareness, lmao.
There‘s also a bit of a love-triangle going on, but I don‘t think it was done particularly well. It is your typical childhood friend (who very obviously doesn‘t end up being the final love-interest) vs the mysterious bad guy / enemy constellation. Realizing that I wanted the childhood friend to end up with the female main character made me realize that friends-to-lovers might be more of my cup of tea (as long as it‘s still slow-burn). I know this is a very unpopular opinion, but I stand by it!
Overall, the story was fun, but it did feel like I‘ve read a ton of very similar books before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood