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A review by undrcvrbookahlc
Of Rain and Wrath by Katie May
4.0
What an interesting concept! The cover and blurb pulled me in and I really enjoyed this book. There were times when the pacing felt a little slow and I preferred Kassandra's POV over the guys (switches back and forth but Kassandra is main POV) since she felt more raw and real.
That said, I don't really like Blaze... While he gives off alpha/possessive vibes, it's done in a way that just irritates me. Since we get his POV, there's no misunderstanding of his thoughts since he literally spells it out for us. Even after realizing Kassandra was his mate (not a big spoiler since you learn this fairly early on- but she doesn't realize it, only he does), he thinks to himself that maybe he will still go through with his arranged marriage and keep Kassandra as a mistress since he never planned to be faithful to his wife. And of course, he'll have to sleep with his wife a few times to keep her off his back. Something about that just irks me. Well, I know exactly why it irks me. I hate OW "drama" used as a plot point. Eventually he dismisses that idea and decides he won't go through with the arranged marriage, but still.
He is also very unclear about his feelings other than possession towards Kassandra. He says he is going to take care of her and protect her, but for someone who has been used and abused her whole life, how is she to trust that? None of his actions show care for her wellbeing other than his own selfish desires to bring her to heel. All he does is stick her in his room while he's out to meetings and forces her to sleep in the same bed as him. The few times she sneaks out with the head of the royal guard, he flips out. Sure in his inner monologue he thinks about what lengths he will go to for her, but none of it is verbalized.
Treyton is an interesting character that I'd like to see more of. I didn't like the stunt he pulled at the market (again, a tease of OW drama) and I don't like that that miscommunication is being used as a plot point to get Kassandra not to trust him as much. Kassandra also quickly calls him out on his fake smile and fake persona and how much she dislikes it but her ire towards him seems shallow and we're not really given enough detail to understand why she dislikes him so much, so quickly after meeting him. It just doesn't make much sense.
There are at least 2 other male POVs that we get, the prince of the Winter realm and an assassin hunting the Death Whisperer. I'm not sure if this is going to be a reverse harem or if Kassandra will have to choose. I hope she doesn't since I don't like love triangles but that's a personal preference. Sharing is caring, you know?
Anyways, I'm still looking forward to book 2 and I hope we get more from the guys... right now they are all falling a little short. I'm also still struggling to remember which measurement of time is for seconds/minutes. It's not done in a way that is intuitive so I just feel confused. Hopefully book 2 will have a little more connection between the characters. I am absolutely rooting for Serena and Cayetana. For the love of god PLEASE make that happen, Katie May!
That said, I don't really like Blaze... While he gives off alpha/possessive vibes, it's done in a way that just irritates me. Since we get his POV, there's no misunderstanding of his thoughts since he literally spells it out for us. Even after realizing Kassandra was his mate (not a big spoiler since you learn this fairly early on- but she doesn't realize it, only he does), he thinks to himself that maybe he will still go through with his arranged marriage and keep Kassandra as a mistress since he never planned to be faithful to his wife. And of course, he'll have to sleep with his wife a few times to keep her off his back. Something about that just irks me. Well, I know exactly why it irks me. I hate OW "drama" used as a plot point. Eventually he dismisses that idea and decides he won't go through with the arranged marriage, but still.
He is also very unclear about his feelings other than possession towards Kassandra. He says he is going to take care of her and protect her, but for someone who has been used and abused her whole life, how is she to trust that? None of his actions show care for her wellbeing other than his own selfish desires to bring her to heel. All he does is stick her in his room while he's out to meetings and forces her to sleep in the same bed as him. The few times she sneaks out with the head of the royal guard, he flips out. Sure in his inner monologue he thinks about what lengths he will go to for her, but none of it is verbalized.
Treyton is an interesting character that I'd like to see more of. I didn't like the stunt he pulled at the market (again, a tease of OW drama) and I don't like that that miscommunication is being used as a plot point to get Kassandra not to trust him as much. Kassandra also quickly calls him out on his fake smile and fake persona and how much she dislikes it but her ire towards him seems shallow and we're not really given enough detail to understand why she dislikes him so much, so quickly after meeting him. It just doesn't make much sense.
There are at least 2 other male POVs that we get, the prince of the Winter realm and an assassin hunting the Death Whisperer. I'm not sure if this is going to be a reverse harem or if Kassandra will have to choose. I hope she doesn't since I don't like love triangles but that's a personal preference. Sharing is caring, you know?
Anyways, I'm still looking forward to book 2 and I hope we get more from the guys... right now they are all falling a little short. I'm also still struggling to remember which measurement of time is for seconds/minutes. It's not done in a way that is intuitive so I just feel confused. Hopefully book 2 will have a little more connection between the characters. I am absolutely rooting for Serena and Cayetana. For the love of god PLEASE make that happen, Katie May!