Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by terranstorm
Exquisite Ruin by AdriAnne May
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's so very hard to talk about this book without giving away the ending :D because I loved it! Despite the temptation, I must resist so you can experience it for yourself.
This is a love story. It is also about self-love, and forgiveness: two tortured people learning to walk in each others' shoes. It's relatable, I think, how much easier it is to fight for another than for oneself. We get very creative about problem solving if the other is the one on the chopping block, no? Interesting way to explore that. The maze is literal but also metaphorical, psychological.
The fantasy setting is well-done. It's a tiny cast, just the two central characters and a few unspeaking creatures and broken reflections of them. Even the maze is them, imo, testing them and aiding them in that weird way you get from dreamscapes—though that isn't the right term here, not exactly.
Their relationship is kinky to be sure. Certainly D/s and s&m. I enjoyed seeing how those elements played out in a fantasy setting, pain as a source of power, both the strength and the freedom she finds in surrender. The comparison to Kushiel's Dart is accurate. That said, this is more plot-driven fantasy-romance than the 'erotica' tag suggests, imo. There's betrayal and heartbreak, and healing in the face of self-recrimination and despair.
Due to the brain-bending twist, I've been eager to re-read this from the start and see all the clues I'd missed the first time. Very happy I did. Highly recommend this book!
This is a love story. It is also about self-love, and forgiveness: two tortured people learning to walk in each others' shoes. It's relatable, I think, how much easier it is to fight for another than for oneself. We get very creative about problem solving if the other is the one on the chopping block, no? Interesting way to explore that. The maze is literal but also metaphorical, psychological.
The fantasy setting is well-done. It's a tiny cast, just the two central characters and a few unspeaking creatures and broken reflections of them. Even the maze is them, imo, testing them and aiding them in that weird way you get from dreamscapes—though that isn't the right term here, not exactly.
Their relationship is kinky to be sure. Certainly D/s and s&m. I enjoyed seeing how those elements played out in a fantasy setting, pain as a source of power, both the strength and the freedom she finds in surrender. The comparison to Kushiel's Dart is accurate. That said, this is more plot-driven fantasy-romance than the 'erotica' tag suggests, imo. There's betrayal and heartbreak, and healing in the face of self-recrimination and despair.
Due to the brain-bending twist, I've been eager to re-read this from the start and see all the clues I'd missed the first time. Very happy I did. Highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault
Fear of spiders