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A review by frantically
Door of Bruises by Sierra Simone
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Finishing this series was so bittersweet π₯Ή actually held out on it for ~1 year because I didn't want it to end!
I think the biggest thing holding me back was The Incest Thing. It's weird. It's still weird even now and I didn't think I'd get to this point but I've somehow accepted it? Just like Saint, I struggled with it soo much and I don't think that just because this is a dark romance that stuff like that even needs to be included but I really felt like I went on this journey with Saint and Auden and at the end we all just came to accept it for what it was β weird but somehow still just love.
Unlike the last two books this was really once again a Poe and Auden and Saint story and hey, I like the others, but those three are really what I'm here for π€·π»ββ no complaints
We get into the magical realism 110% here and it did feel a bit jarring, more so than in previous books, but we also got to see all of Thornchapel's magic. Everything is brought up again, questions are asked, research made (yay!) and there is so much history poured into this, I had to remind myself multiple times that this didn't actually happen.
Simone manages this perfect mix of actual Wessex and Saxon history with her own ideas and it works so well. As a practising Catholic who's leaned more and more towards Folk Catholicism in the last years, I think so many Pagan (and Christian!) rituals and early medieval practices fit so perfectly into a world with just a tad more of the occult than we think and I just loved it.
With how religion focused this whole series was, I do wish we could've focused more on Beckett and his arc! I felt his ending to be a bit lackluster, there were so many things revealed and it just left me wanting more (I started "Priest" immediately after finishing this).
The ending itself just left me numb at first (just like it did the characters, I'm sure). I really couldn't believe *that* was the solution they went with. I knew something had to happen and they couldn't just all go their merry ways but I just naively hoped they still would! Through the epilogue I did come to accept the ending and really appreciate it. Not your typical romance ending but still beautiful.
I have so much love and appreciation for this series and it holds a very special place in my heart π«Άπ»
I think the biggest thing holding me back was The Incest Thing. It's weird. It's still weird even now and I didn't think I'd get to this point but I've somehow accepted it? Just like Saint, I struggled with it soo much and I don't think that just because this is a dark romance that stuff like that even needs to be included but I really felt like I went on this journey with Saint and Auden and at the end we all just came to accept it for what it was β weird but somehow still just love.
Unlike the last two books this was really once again a Poe and Auden and Saint story and hey, I like the others, but those three are really what I'm here for π€·π»ββ no complaints
We get into the magical realism 110% here and it did feel a bit jarring, more so than in previous books, but we also got to see all of Thornchapel's magic. Everything is brought up again, questions are asked, research made (yay!) and there is so much history poured into this, I had to remind myself multiple times that this didn't actually happen.
Simone manages this perfect mix of actual Wessex and Saxon history with her own ideas and it works so well. As a practising Catholic who's leaned more and more towards Folk Catholicism in the last years, I think so many Pagan (and Christian!) rituals and early medieval practices fit so perfectly into a world with just a tad more of the occult than we think and I just loved it.
With how religion focused this whole series was, I do wish we could've focused more on Beckett and his arc! I felt his ending to be a bit lackluster, there were so many things revealed and it just left me wanting more (I started "Priest" immediately after finishing this).
The ending itself just left me numb at first (just like it did the characters, I'm sure). I really couldn't believe *that* was the solution they went with. I knew something had to happen and they couldn't just all go their merry ways but I just naively hoped they still would! Through the epilogue I did come to accept the ending and really appreciate it. Not your typical romance ending but still beautiful.
I have so much love and appreciation for this series and it holds a very special place in my heart π«Άπ»
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Incest
Moderate: Murder and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Animal death, Death, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail