A review by mgseaton01
A Darkness So Sweet by Emma Hamm

4.0

A monster romance perfect for a vacation beach read!

First off, loved the world-building. The politics, character dynamics, and vivid descriptions grounded me in the story. I also appreciated the little teasers of future couples sprinkled into the final chapters!

Ragnar was a standout for me, though his character shift about a third of the way through, from arrogant ass to full-on simp, felt a bit jarring. Either version of him could’ve worked well on their own, but the transition was too abrupt to fully land for me. Maia was sweet and easy to root for, though I wish we’d seen more of her plant magic in action.

My main issue was that the enemies-to-lovers switch was too abrupt. With how awful Ragnar was to Maia in the beginning, I needed more buildup or at least some groveling and acknowledgement of his past behavior. It felt like a missed opportunity to explore their cultural differences in a meaningful way.

Despite this, loved the book, love Emma Hamm, and November 14th can’t come soon enough!