A review by deedireads
Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

TL;DR REVIEW
Unfortunately, Fall of Ruin and Wrath was a bit of a miss for me. I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF, but I probably will not be continuing with the series. 

For you if: You have enjoyed JLA’s previous books (otherwise I don’t recommend).

FULL REVIEW
I was extremely excited by the prospect of the first book published by Bramble, Tor’s new romance imprint.  Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a miss for me. I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF, but I probably will not be continuing with the series. 

The main character of the book is a young woman named Calista, paramour (slash courtesan, kind of) to a Baron who’s kind enough. She has a unique ability to read a person’s thoughts and future by touching them. She and her best friend grew up on the streets, so she’s not complaining about their comfortable position. Then her encounter (actually, re-encounter from childhood) with a Hybhorn (read: angel) prince disrupts it all.

Like I said, I didn’t hate this enough to DNF; I could see the potential of a strong ending to make my complaints worth it, and I was having fun enough. Unfortunately, such an ending didn’t materialize, so I walked away with three main issues. 

  • First, consent in this novel is EXTREMELY questionable. JLA tries to address the question head-on and make it clear that Calista is willing, but…is she??? It’s uncomfortable at least. 

  • Second, I couldn’t keep any of the worldbuilding details straight in my head. I kept forgetting all the different ranks and types of magical races, etc. I read a LOT of high fantasy and am pretty darn good at this; it was a book problem, not a me problem.

  • Finally, I love spice as much as the next romantasy reader, but this is not really about romance, it’s just about sex (she uses the word “f*cking” every time). There is a lot of it (in public, no less), which is fine, but it got repetitive. And yet somehow it’s also a slow burn? The raunchiness completely overshadowed the worldbuilding and the plot (even the romance plot).

At the end of th day, I was surprised by all the 4- and 5-star reviews on Goodreads, but then I realized all the high reviews were from her existing fans, and everyone else felt similar to me. (I guess that means, at least, if you’re already a JLA fan, chances are good you’ll like this book!) A bummer, but on to the next one.
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