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A review by prettymonsters
Shattered Vow by Eva Chase
3.0
Darker Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy with a Monster factor. The main characters are prisoners and test subjects at first, then break free of thier captures. Most of this story will be of them traveling and hunting for clues about themselves. The FMC will have to put up with a lot of bullying and Us vs Her situations. I think book one is Medium to Slow Burn, as only one of the MMCs gets intimate with her.
I kept all spoilers to a minimum. I don't think anything I wrote would spoil the storyline, it's mainly facts that are made known at the start of the story. But you'll have to be the judge of whether or not you want to read ahead...
This book was darker than I thought it would be. The main characters start as test subjects kept prisoner by "The Guardians" (real name unknown). They have powers like telekinesis, mind control, strength, and partial shifting among others. After living thier entire lives as test subjects under the watch of the human Guardians they finally get a chance to break free of thier prison, a plan that leads to death, deception, punishment, and failure.
Riva is our FMC and fellow test subject with Jacob, Gabe, Zain, Dominic, and Andreas (the MMCs). After the failed escape attempt the Guardians decide having a woman in the mix was a bad idea and sell her off to be a prisoner of a crime lord who runs an underground fight ring. Riva spends 4 years chained to a cell and is only let out to fight in the ring. The only thing that kept her going was the hope she would someday make it back to her guys. Her chance comes during a particularly brutal fight when a power she didn't know she had awakened.
Now free Riva rushes to return to her guys and try to free them, turns out the guys had a partial plan in place to free themselves and Riva's rescue attempt distracts the Guariands giving the guys the perfect chance to free themselves. Riva meets the guys feeling the compound while she is breaking in to rescue them. Her heart is full of hope and happiness at seeing them again, but this quickly shatters when she learns the guys are not happy to see her at all. They're downright vengeful and angry towards her.
After failed escape attempt number one, the Guardians lied to the guys telling them that Riva had betrayed them for special privileges. The guys have spent the last 4 years despising her while she spent them yearning for them. Riva has spent her whole life imprisoned and the only family she has ever known are the guys. Her heart breaks knowing the guys believe the Guardian's lies but she's determined to prove to them that she's not what they think. This sets off an enemies-to-lovers bully storyline where the guys spew vitriol and hate at her regularly why she does not nearly enough to defend herself thinking she can only prove herself through action, not words.
Riva may be a badass killing machine but she has a vulnerable heart which makes reading what the guys do to her hard. The guys have a plan, now that thier free, to track down someone who used to work for the Guardians and might hold answers about what they are and if thier monstrous aspects can be cured. Riva thinks they should just go into hiding but goes along with the plan because it's important to the guys. On this trip, the guys will berate her, poison her with a disease only they can cure to prevent her from running away, lock her up at night, treat her like thier prisoner, and be complete jerks to her.
Small spoilers about the relationship status at the end of book 1, like whether or not bullying is still present and my thoughts about the FMC and if she will forgive easily...
The bullying will end after this book, how long Riva chooses to make them grovel is unknown but considering they have people chasing them down to either capture or kill them I'm guessing she decides they have bigger things to worry about. That doesn't mean she will allow any kind of intimate relationship with them yet. No, they'll have a lot of apologizing to do before she'll allow that to happen. But book 2 should start them out as a team unit instead of the Us vs. Her situation they've had going on in book 1.
All in All, I enjoyed the story it's engaging, and the mystery of who the main characters are started to get very good at the end. I don't currently care for the MMCs, but they certainly weren't meant to be portrayed in a good light in this book so we will have to see how they grow and learn in the next book before I decide if they deserve the FMC. Most people want to read about super strong badass FMCs while I personally like kind loving ones with a good heart. Riva was a good mix of both and I look forward to exploring more about her.
I could see how some might not like this type of FMC because she let the guys walk all over her. Unless you know what it's like to have no one and nothing in this world you might not understand the FMC's motives by allowing abuse from the only family and loved ones she has ever known in an attempt to keep them in her life. Also when she thinks all hope is lost with the guys she does something risky. Some people will dislike an FMC who did something so foolish. I felt it showed how selfless she truly is and it made her more realistic because I know what it feels like when you have nothing left and no hope and how reckless that state of being can make a person. You don't always think things through all the way, acting without regret because nothing is holding you back. But not everyone who reads this story will agree with my assessment.
Questions and predictions about the series, Major spoilers ahead...
The smoke/shadows that rose from thier blood, why haven't they thought to check and see where the shadows travel to once thier all together? It could lead them to more people like them or maybe the "Monsters" they were made from? either way, it would get more answers.
If they were created to fight these Monsters, why have they never come in contact with them on thier missions? Are the Monsters the bad guys?
I kept all spoilers to a minimum. I don't think anything I wrote would spoil the storyline, it's mainly facts that are made known at the start of the story. But you'll have to be the judge of whether or not you want to read ahead...
Spoiler
This book was darker than I thought it would be. The main characters start as test subjects kept prisoner by "The Guardians" (real name unknown). They have powers like telekinesis, mind control, strength, and partial shifting among others. After living thier entire lives as test subjects under the watch of the human Guardians they finally get a chance to break free of thier prison, a plan that leads to death, deception, punishment, and failure.
Riva is our FMC and fellow test subject with Jacob, Gabe, Zain, Dominic, and Andreas (the MMCs). After the failed escape attempt the Guardians decide having a woman in the mix was a bad idea and sell her off to be a prisoner of a crime lord who runs an underground fight ring. Riva spends 4 years chained to a cell and is only let out to fight in the ring. The only thing that kept her going was the hope she would someday make it back to her guys. Her chance comes during a particularly brutal fight when a power she didn't know she had awakened.
Now free Riva rushes to return to her guys and try to free them, turns out the guys had a partial plan in place to free themselves and Riva's rescue attempt distracts the Guariands giving the guys the perfect chance to free themselves. Riva meets the guys feeling the compound while she is breaking in to rescue them. Her heart is full of hope and happiness at seeing them again, but this quickly shatters when she learns the guys are not happy to see her at all. They're downright vengeful and angry towards her.
After failed escape attempt number one, the Guardians lied to the guys telling them that Riva had betrayed them for special privileges. The guys have spent the last 4 years despising her while she spent them yearning for them. Riva has spent her whole life imprisoned and the only family she has ever known are the guys. Her heart breaks knowing the guys believe the Guardian's lies but she's determined to prove to them that she's not what they think. This sets off an enemies-to-lovers bully storyline where the guys spew vitriol and hate at her regularly why she does not nearly enough to defend herself thinking she can only prove herself through action, not words.
Riva may be a badass killing machine but she has a vulnerable heart which makes reading what the guys do to her hard. The guys have a plan, now that thier free, to track down someone who used to work for the Guardians and might hold answers about what they are and if thier monstrous aspects can be cured. Riva thinks they should just go into hiding but goes along with the plan because it's important to the guys. On this trip, the guys will berate her, poison her with a disease only they can cure to prevent her from running away, lock her up at night, treat her like thier prisoner, and be complete jerks to her.
Small spoilers about the relationship status at the end of book 1, like whether or not bullying is still present and my thoughts about the FMC and if she will forgive easily...
Spoiler
The bullying will end after this book, how long Riva chooses to make them grovel is unknown but considering they have people chasing them down to either capture or kill them I'm guessing she decides they have bigger things to worry about. That doesn't mean she will allow any kind of intimate relationship with them yet. No, they'll have a lot of apologizing to do before she'll allow that to happen. But book 2 should start them out as a team unit instead of the Us vs. Her situation they've had going on in book 1.
All in All, I enjoyed the story it's engaging, and the mystery of who the main characters are started to get very good at the end. I don't currently care for the MMCs, but they certainly weren't meant to be portrayed in a good light in this book so we will have to see how they grow and learn in the next book before I decide if they deserve the FMC. Most people want to read about super strong badass FMCs while I personally like kind loving ones with a good heart. Riva was a good mix of both and I look forward to exploring more about her.
I could see how some might not like this type of FMC because she let the guys walk all over her. Unless you know what it's like to have no one and nothing in this world you might not understand the FMC's motives by allowing abuse from the only family and loved ones she has ever known in an attempt to keep them in her life. Also when she thinks all hope is lost with the guys she does something risky.
Spoiler
She runs away from the guys as fast as she can and when she sees an oncoming train she doesn't stop right away, she could have died because she felt so lost and alone with no hope left.Questions and predictions about the series, Major spoilers ahead...
Spoiler
Is Gabe really dead? Someone betrayed them that night and Gabe said he didn't sense anyone right before an entire squadron of Gaurians fell upon them. Also that doctored video of Riva supposably betraying them, Gabe's powers would have allowed him to control Riva and film it to make it look like she betrayed them. The guardians had already set up a buyer for Riva and planned to send her away but they must have worried about what the guys would have done once she went missing so they let them believe the worst, and possibly laid a trap with Gabe's help?The smoke/shadows that rose from thier blood, why haven't they thought to check and see where the shadows travel to once thier all together? It could lead them to more people like them or maybe the "Monsters" they were made from? either way, it would get more answers.
If they were created to fight these Monsters, why have they never come in contact with them on thier missions? Are the Monsters the bad guys?