You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by chillysea
Exquisite Ruin by AdriAnne May
4.0
ARC Review: Sadaré wakes up in an ever-changing maze. She remembers nothing of her life, but can feel that she is powerful. A guy, sorry a daemon, shows up and the two realize they must travel together to make it to the end of the deadly maze and fight the monster at the center if they have any hopes of escape. Daesra, the daemon, remembers everything Sadaré does not and oh boy does he hate her guts. And yet...
Look, I know this is tagged as romantasy and adult but whew this was way more explicit than I was anticipating. The specific uhhhh thing in this book is not really my thing but I went along for the ride and enjoyed it nonetheless. Also, the Cardan tail hater girlies are NOT gonna like this - homie's got a tail and hooves.
What I liked: There's a myriad of spoiler warnings at the beginning that seem all-encompassing, but I'm not an expert; The magic system itself relies on consent. After reading so many "romances" that have dubious consent in the best case, I deeply appreciated this; The fantasy elements of the maze were actually interesting, kept me on my toes, and added a real sense of peril; The relationship development and unfolding of memories were well-paced and felt believable; THE ENDING????????
What I didn't like: The first couple steamy scenes are all flashbacks, which really broke the building tension in the present; Didn't really love the desire for pain but like that's just me dawg; I wanted the outside world to be more fleshed out and the gods to be explained further. It looks like this may be the first in the series so maybe that will happen in later books.
Overall, I had a fun time and was absolutely gagged by the ending which bumped this from a 3 star to a 4 star.
Look, I know this is tagged as romantasy and adult but whew this was way more explicit than I was anticipating. The specific uhhhh thing in this book is not really my thing but I went along for the ride and enjoyed it nonetheless. Also, the Cardan tail hater girlies are NOT gonna like this - homie's got a tail and hooves.
What I liked: There's a myriad of spoiler warnings at the beginning that seem all-encompassing, but I'm not an expert; The magic system itself relies on consent. After reading so many "romances" that have dubious consent in the best case, I deeply appreciated this; The fantasy elements of the maze were actually interesting, kept me on my toes, and added a real sense of peril; The relationship development and unfolding of memories were well-paced and felt believable; THE ENDING????????
What I didn't like: The first couple steamy scenes are all flashbacks, which really broke the building tension in the present; Didn't really love the desire for pain but like that's just me dawg; I wanted the outside world to be more fleshed out and the gods to be explained further. It looks like this may be the first in the series so maybe that will happen in later books.
Overall, I had a fun time and was absolutely gagged by the ending which bumped this from a 3 star to a 4 star.