A review by doomfaery
Restless Slumber by K.J. Sutton

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

Clumsy use of metaphor. Terrible grammar. Words are repeated on accident or else missing entirely. It reads like it was published on Wattpad and edited by a family friend, or the author herself. 

None of this would bother me if the plot had any substance, anything good to sink your teeth into, but it simply does not. The first book had some real potential, but book 2 is actually worse. 

Someone else in the reviews said that the whole thing reads like stuff the author wanted to happen but it didn't logically make sense, and I couldn't agree more. The book is basically a lot of nothing, held together by bursts of action and moments that the author clearly thought would make a cool scene, but she didn't do any of the work for the audience to get us there.

Her magic system doesn't follow the same rules she previously laid out, characters are poorly written, and the romance is meh. Author clearly was inapired by SJM, JLA, and Cassie Clare, but lacks the skill to mimic them in any way. The god stuff is boring and tired - what's with the demon rape scene at the end? The only author who can get away with putting mainstream religion in an urban fantasy is Clare, but hoooo boy does this author try it. 

I had to force my way through this book, and lost patience many times. Fortuna is supposed to be a character we rally behind and support as she overcomes her anger and takes power and rules with kindness- you know the old reliable trope- but that's hard to do when her characterisation is so poor and she does nothing to earn the audience admiration. 

I saw a lot of people get excited by the plot twist at the end but it's nothing I haven't seen done before and done better. Relieved to be through with it honestly.