Scan barcode
debstrain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is the first ever book that I finished, closed, then IMMEDIATELY opened up and started reading all over again š¤©
Itās giving everything every lovable YA book gave, back in the day, but with adult themes thrown in there too.
Iām honestly obsessed with Oleander, sheās like a swearier Katniss Everdeen š¤£
Love this book and the only reason itās not getting a full 5āļø is because Iām livid at how much Iām going to have to fork out for the rest of the series. Canāt seem to find second hand versions anywhere and with each of the later books all costing between Ā£16.99- Ā£19.99, this new addiction will likely set me back almost Ā£100 šššš (absolutely not gonna be able to stop me though š )
Itās giving everything every lovable YA book gave, back in the day, but with adult themes thrown in there too.
Iām honestly obsessed with Oleander, sheās like a swearier Katniss Everdeen š¤£
Love this book and the only reason itās not getting a full 5āļø is because Iām livid at how much Iām going to have to fork out for the rest of the series. Canāt seem to find second hand versions anywhere and with each of the later books all costing between Ā£16.99- Ā£19.99, this new addiction will likely set me back almost Ā£100 šššš (absolutely not gonna be able to stop me though š )
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Vomit, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Lesbophobia
sheridan_powell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
3.0
Did I enjoy this? No. Did I fly through it? Yes. Will I read the next one? Probably.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and War
palomabbrackin's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
this shit was ASS
this was not a good book for so many reasons
TW: SA, violence, EA
ok from the get go the writing in this book was very poorly edited, with many grammar mistakes and spelling errors that were just a bit infuriating. ok, not the worst thing, sometimes a given with independently published authors
but thenā¦we get into the structure of the story. of which there is none. no plot, just interactions and this weird mystery over who and what the character is and what their past entails. I cannot begin to explain how annoying this was, and i love a good mystery mc
then we get into the men that are ābondedā with this character (the whole āwhy chooseā aspect of this book), and this is really the icing on the cake. there is absolutely no reason why I would want any of these men except MAYBE one who isnāt even really a part of the story until somewhere towards the end. let me tell you why each mmc is bad:
this was not a good book for so many reasons
TW: SA, violence, EA
ok from the get go the writing in this book was very poorly edited, with many grammar mistakes and spelling errors that were just a bit infuriating. ok, not the worst thing, sometimes a given with independently published authors
but thenā¦we get into the structure of the story. of which there is none. no plot, just interactions and this weird mystery over who and what the character is and what their past entails. I cannot begin to explain how annoying this was, and i love a good mystery mc
then we get into the men that are ābondedā with this character (the whole āwhy chooseā aspect of this book), and this is really the icing on the cake. there is absolutely no reason why I would want any of these men except MAYBE one who isnāt even really a part of the story until somewhere towards the end. let me tell you why each mmc is bad:
- gabe: is a doormat and has no personality through the entire book and his only purpose is to be bodyguard and liaison for the other men
-north: controlling POS who does not give a fuck about the wants and needs of fmc, literally has her get a tracking chip put into her neck???? literal EA
- nox: literal r*pist. huh??? and you expect me to want to like him in the next book??? not to mention heās her teacher???
- gryphon: doesnāt interact at all with fmc, until he does, and then he doesnāt again. like he does not care, i am convinced. also why should i care????
- atlas: the only one i gave a shit about and he was kinda cringe /:
the ending of this book was so hastily written and the action made no sense to me and i still donāt understand fmcās power. like is it nightmares? is it death? suffering? I donāt know. all I can say is that I have more questions than answers.
i like torturing myself with bad books so best believe i will be reading the next book in this series. i love wasting my time. who knows, maybe ill dnf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual harassment
psychnp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Rape, Grief, and Death of parent
autumnwitch14's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
brynjamin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Almost DNF'd this one. It got SO much better in the last 75 pages. Desperately needed more world building at the front of the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and War
kristanjenkins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and War
ktmcd26's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I am writing this review after I quickly read the whole series and donāt fully know when one book ended and the other began, so this review is more for a series as a whole.
The series has an interesting concept and some interesting scenes, however it suffers from very poor word building an extreme repetition.
The series very much reads as the books were started without a plan for how they are going to end. So things that are set up in the beginning are ignored or essentially re-written later to make way for whatever the author wants later. One of the biggest problems with this is that the world is extremely under developed and I cannot tell you the motivations for a large handful of main characters. Often times this can be ignored if you donāt think about it too hard, but sometimes it is distracting.
The series suffers from the same scenes being replayed over and over again. There seems to be a desire to always have these big dramatic moments, but not enough variety or explanation as to the differences. The repetition can also be seen in the spicy scenes and the wording. If I never read the word Bonded again, I think I will be all right.
I desperately wanted to focus more on the interpersonal connections of the characters and not these big threats.
I also found the immaturity of the MC to be detrimental to the story. I think I would have liked it more if she wasnāt still practically a child.
Half-way through there is also the reveal that many characters have a sentient parasite living inside them. These beings are not well developed, and thatās just no a troupe I enjoy.
The series has an interesting concept and some interesting scenes, however it suffers from very poor word building an extreme repetition.
The series very much reads as the books were started without a plan for how they are going to end. So things that are set up in the beginning are ignored or essentially re-written later to make way for whatever the author wants later. One of the biggest problems with this is that the world is extremely under developed and I cannot tell you the motivations for a large handful of main characters. Often times this can be ignored if you donāt think about it too hard, but sometimes it is distracting.
The series suffers from the same scenes being replayed over and over again. There seems to be a desire to always have these big dramatic moments, but not enough variety or explanation as to the differences. The repetition can also be seen in the spicy scenes and the wording. If I never read the word Bonded again, I think I will be all right.
I desperately wanted to focus more on the interpersonal connections of the characters and not these big threats.
I also found the immaturity of the MC to be detrimental to the story. I think I would have liked it more if she wasnāt still practically a child.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
colorcrystals's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I devoured this. Read it in maybe 1/2 a day. The author sets up the mysteries around Oleander with skill and I could not out it down. The tension with all of her Bonds is exquisite and I am not sure who I am rooting for. Love the friendship with Sage and hope to see her saga develop further in subsequent books. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying and Kidnapping
Minor: War