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A review by 1bookobsessionconfessions
Storm Clouds and Devastation by Ashley James
2.0
2 Mixed feelings and melancholy stars
This was a really emotionally heavy story. I think Bodhi’s struggles and his past were handled okay and not told in great detail which I think suited such an emotional, dark and at times very tragic story.
I sympathized for Bodhi, I was angry on his behalf, I was rooting for his growth and happiness.
(Heed the trigger warnings, I don’t need them, but this has quite a few that could affect people.)
The forbidden aspects of Jules and Bodhi’s romance seemed small compared to the multiple traumatic aspects of their lives.
Both characters had heavy individual struggles and I wanted them to have happiness and joy.
Their chemistry was decent, they had an instant attraction and it made for steamy and sensual interactions.
I didn’t feel the emotional connection between them, I think the sexual connection overshadowed the emotional or anything deeper.
Bodhi is a tragic character, I wanted good for him. It was heart wrenching to know his thoughts of no self worth or hope for himself.
It was a look into a character who’s had a life mostly depressed and in a desperate emotional state. I felt it was a lot to process at times, the title says it well. It’s not a happy story.
I read and enjoyed the previous book in this series and what I really like about both books is the sex positive vibes, especially about sex workers. It’s refreshing and I think it’s so common in our culture yet it’s usually not spoken of in a real way and it’s usually portrayed as a negative. This is my favorite aspect of the story and series.
*There’s something in Jules’ story that I think will be problematic for some as it is for me. Some people believe bisexual people aren’t satisfied with one partner or in a committed monogamous relationship. (It’s an absurd and dangerous belief in my opinion.)
It was alluded to heavily regarding Jules’ relationship with his wife. I was able to overlook it once and just go with the story but it’s something that I feel feeds the belief and it was repeated quite a few times throughout the story. It didn’t sit well with me, it was quite frustrating and dampened my feelings for the story.
As I’ve stated this was a very emotionally heavy read, I think the portrayal of Bodhi’s struggles was portrayed ok until the end, I could identify with some of his struggles, it was at times difficult to read. I had to take breaks.
Jules’ character wasn’t accessible to me, I appreciated his desire for Bodhi to feel positive about himself, he was protective but he came across as a bit aggressive, too domineering in that respect and the relationship was based on sex so I never got the warm emotions about their relationship.
Overall I feel the story was Bodhi and his trauma, depression and harmful behavior. It was not a read that brought entertainment or much pleasure as it was fairly dark and extremely melancholy.
I have mixed feelings about the portrayal of Jules.
The way things moved forward towards the end was too easy for me. I don’t feel people recover just from the love of another person, that’s another dangerous belief in my opinion. I think the romantic/fate aspects of the story are a detriment to the bigger picture. People don’t actually get better from mental health issues and trauma just because the love of another person saved them.
There is light at the end of the story, for me it wasn’t on Bodhi’s strength alone and that bothered me.
It had a lot of promise, I liked the previous book and was so intrigued by Bodhi.
I think such deep subject matter needs more than an ending that explains everything away by using love and soulmates.
This was a really emotionally heavy story. I think Bodhi’s struggles and his past were handled okay and not told in great detail which I think suited such an emotional, dark and at times very tragic story.
I sympathized for Bodhi, I was angry on his behalf, I was rooting for his growth and happiness.
(Heed the trigger warnings, I don’t need them, but this has quite a few that could affect people.)
The forbidden aspects of Jules and Bodhi’s romance seemed small compared to the multiple traumatic aspects of their lives.
Both characters had heavy individual struggles and I wanted them to have happiness and joy.
Their chemistry was decent, they had an instant attraction and it made for steamy and sensual interactions.
I didn’t feel the emotional connection between them, I think the sexual connection overshadowed the emotional or anything deeper.
Bodhi is a tragic character, I wanted good for him. It was heart wrenching to know his thoughts of no self worth or hope for himself.
It was a look into a character who’s had a life mostly depressed and in a desperate emotional state. I felt it was a lot to process at times, the title says it well. It’s not a happy story.
I read and enjoyed the previous book in this series and what I really like about both books is the sex positive vibes, especially about sex workers. It’s refreshing and I think it’s so common in our culture yet it’s usually not spoken of in a real way and it’s usually portrayed as a negative. This is my favorite aspect of the story and series.
*There’s something in Jules’ story that I think will be problematic for some as it is for me. Some people believe bisexual people aren’t satisfied with one partner or in a committed monogamous relationship. (It’s an absurd and dangerous belief in my opinion.)
It was alluded to heavily regarding Jules’ relationship with his wife. I was able to overlook it once and just go with the story but it’s something that I feel feeds the belief and it was repeated quite a few times throughout the story. It didn’t sit well with me, it was quite frustrating and dampened my feelings for the story.
As I’ve stated this was a very emotionally heavy read, I think the portrayal of Bodhi’s struggles was portrayed ok until the end, I could identify with some of his struggles, it was at times difficult to read. I had to take breaks.
Jules’ character wasn’t accessible to me, I appreciated his desire for Bodhi to feel positive about himself, he was protective but he came across as a bit aggressive, too domineering in that respect and the relationship was based on sex so I never got the warm emotions about their relationship.
Overall I feel the story was Bodhi and his trauma, depression and harmful behavior. It was not a read that brought entertainment or much pleasure as it was fairly dark and extremely melancholy.
I have mixed feelings about the portrayal of Jules.
The way things moved forward towards the end was too easy for me. I don’t feel people recover just from the love of another person, that’s another dangerous belief in my opinion. I think the romantic/fate aspects of the story are a detriment to the bigger picture. People don’t actually get better from mental health issues and trauma just because the love of another person saved them.
There is light at the end of the story, for me it wasn’t on Bodhi’s strength alone and that bothered me.
It had a lot of promise, I liked the previous book and was so intrigued by Bodhi.
I think such deep subject matter needs more than an ending that explains everything away by using love and soulmates.