reka111's reviews
262 reviews

Okay, I suffered throughout the book. I felt like nothing was happening, it was definitely a setback from the previous two books, BUT THE END. Good Lord, my jaw is on the ground.
I don't really want — and cannot — talk much about the book, but I would like to mention a few things.

My dear, only Sloane deserves better, much, much better. She fought so hard, fought so much, and in the end everything was in vain. My heart bleeds terribly for her and because of her, and I hope — I wish — that she swill find peace because she desperately needs it.

Cassie and the others were in shape, Michael scared me for a moment (and then Briggs too), but overall, I'm glad they were there and helped the best of their ability.

Okay, so let's talk about Veronica — aka Sterling — being HAUNTED by her past.

First her kidnapping and then the loss of her friend (Scarlett)

, I just can't understand that how she hasn't broken yet, I can't.

Oh Judd, my god, I sobbed for him, so infinitely that I thought I would never stop, he deserved so much, so much better than that. And this;

“Briggs saved my life.” Judd forcibly shifted his eyes away from the man in the picture and turned to look at me. “He saved me, the day he brought me Dean.”

SHATTERED ME. KILLED ME. GUTTED ME. I just can't.

The plot wasn't great, I think it was a bit long this time — unnecessarily — and boring. The pace bothered me this time because, as I said, it was very slow and only at the end did the action start. The ending is simply woah. The wording still not my favourite.

I can't even get words easily. I needed this book incredibly badly — it threw me into a slump and pulled me out of it at the same time. I liked it terribly, everything, it wasn't and wouldn't be a 5 star book for me, but I'm silently putting it out that way.  I've changed my mind. It was a five star book. 

Cassie has improved tremendously since the previous book, somehow getting stronger, taking care of much more, and doing less of what she needed so much already. She's not the kind of protagonist who wants to break out of her cage, and she's not the typical "I know everything better", she has flaws, she has bad moments, but all of these things are necessary, even for her, these makes her so human. 

Michael, Dean, Sloane, and Lia form a family around Cassie, not just a team. Each has its moments, each important in its own way, Lia with her strength, Sloane with her wit, Michael with her cheerfulness, Dean, well, he's always been important in every way. I have come to love each of them very much, and I am eager to see where the thread of fate will take them. 

Veronica (Sterling) stole my heart, really. She is full of strength, endurance and precision, which is in her is sincerely worthy of attention. She has so many wounds — still bleeding — and so many scars — already healed — that it is incredible from her past, and she has not given up for a moment. She sacrificed everything she had for them, she gave everything to give them a chance. She may have been strict, she may have surrounded herself with walls, but she genuinely cared about them.

I literally sobbed like a baby when she cried when she was captured. She had to relive the same nightmare she went through five years ago. And yet, after everything, all she wanted  was to protect Cassie, she could have given her life for her. And that Dean — my sweet Dean — had to burn that R into her flesh is downright criminal. Anyway, in the end, when she got rid of Briggs' stuff is just cheff kiss, slay queen.

My poor Briggs is so tired of them already haha. As much joy as they bring him, as much trouble they cause for him. He's always there when it's needed, listening to them — unlike some, I don't look at you, Director Sterling — and trying his best to protect them. 

I really liked the plot, it was fast-paced and unpredictable — there were parts I could foresee — full of twists and turns, I loved every minute of it. The pace was right, I think, although I'm still not really at peace with the wording. The moment before the end was well sprinkled with a burst of emotion, I was rotting from them all along. I'm glad that this is how the book ended, and they got a chance at the end.

Did I like this book? I don't know. How do I feel about it? I don't know. Even despite everything, would I sell my soul for it? Absolute. This book was terribly unique, I mean, honestly, I liked the idea itself, but not the execution. 

Cassie was a very likeable and persistent protagonist with a strong personality and big dreams, honestly I got what I expected from her. 

Dean, well, he's gives Derek vibe to me (The Summoner) and maybe the word I could use to describe him — and summarize his whole being — would be “interesting.” Either way, the genuine care and attention he showed towards Cassie was very nice of him. He has his wounds, perhaps bigger than others, but I feel like slowly and surely, they've started to heal somehow. 

Lia was one of my favourites anyway, her strong personality was something everyone needed. She may not be a saint, but she is the one who holds the team together. 

Michael irritated me for some reason, a lot, but eventually I managed to like him somewhat. However, I appreciated his joke and the way he stands up for others.

I didn't believe for a moment that he was evil, but I didn't really understand what he was doing there.

Sloane didn't feature much, but I loved her interesting facts, I'm so sorry that others find her annoying, I think she's very fascinating and lovable, you just have to pay attention to her. 

Briggs is a weary father trying to keep his hyperactive adopted children on track. The poor man has and will have plenty of grey hairs from them, but deep down he cares about them very much and trusts them sincerely. 

Locke. Ahhmm, honestly I don't know how to feel about her. Part of me feels truly sorry for her, but another despises her. I couldn't tell if I understand her or not in the end, but that's just me. 

The plot went smoothly, and it was extremely easy to follow. It was captivating and kept me interested throughout. The pace was good, at least I never felt like we were going very slow or fast. The wording was, frankly, not the best, but for a typical YA book, I don't even expect Shakespeare. The love triangle (it's more like a tent) wasn't my favourite, and I didn't really feel — thank goodness — the chemistry between them. The end was well sealed (with a nice lead-up in culture), it was fast-paced and tense, I really liked it. I can't wait to continue.

Uhmm it is a no from me. 

This one has potential. 

Honestly, there's only one word I could say about this book now that I'm done and that would be flat. Somehow I expected more, probably because of my high hopes, I was disappointed so much (or not), but somehow it wasn't on top this time.  

Diana has definitely changed, but I don't know whether she's positive or negative. She felt a bit strange — I know seven years is a long time — to me and I don't think I'm alone with that. I don't know how to express how I feel about her, but I know it's not entirely a good feeling. The willpower and desire to control her destiny is gone, 80% of the book feels like she's just drifting through events, but her real purpose — which she can name — was nowehere, just to keep her kids safe. Either way, it was exciting to see her slowly explore her lost family and the past. 

Matthew has completely sunk into a side character, you can't beautify that. He's been so marginalized (along with the kids) that it's incredible, he not the tip of my heart, but he deserves better. Anyway, it was nice to see that he was so open to Diana's past and able to accept everything that came their way, and that he was finally — I can't believe I'm saying this — starting to find peace, or at least stop at a glance occasionally. 

Gwyneth was interesting —perhaps that would be the most appropriate word for her — with her quirks, yet she grew extremely close to my heart. At first, I had a hard time getting used to her (she was new), but over time I fell in love with her, she was a real supporter and helper of Diana and the children.

Sarah, my darling Sarah, it is so dark around her right now, and I honestly can't blame her for the secrets, not really, I understand her, I understand why she did this, but somehow I feel like she's drifting further and further away. That this book tried to portray her (!) as a villain is just horrible. How could she be the bad one in this story? The one who did so much for the whole family? She, who raised Diana? She, who was always there when help and advice were needed? This is absurd, she deserves much better than that. 

Pip and Becca are my sweet babies, it's unbelievable how big they have grown! Not long ago, they had their baptism, and now they talk and walk, it's incredible how much time has flown by. Pip, my sweet Pip more of his mom with her reserved and calm nature, and Becca is her dad with her sharp statements and willpower, they are incredibly cute together. I am sorry that we received so little of them, I would have loved to have read more about them. 

To leave Ysabeau out like this is simply a crime, I waited for her throughout the book — since she still only has a big role — and we got so little of her! Why did she she to be so marginalized, but not just her, it was like the de Clermonts don't even matter any more?? 

Chris and Miriam and Janet, gods, it was so nice to see familiar faces. I was incredibly happy for them, but it was really (especially the latter) incredibly pleasant to see Matthew and her trying to connect. As for the formers — is it just me who sees something developing? I mean, obviously friendship, but something else entirely, too, seems to be starting to appear. 

Well, the plot; I am definitely disappointed in this. Quite a lot, unfortunately. In the previous books, it was spinning and something new was constantly revealed, but this time it was as if we were standing still. I didn't feel   this book ready yet. For most of the story, nothing happened that was significant or needed for real development. The pace was terribly slow — in some places it was like it stuck and didn't want to go any further. This also caused me to often put it aside and push it back and forth until I had the strength to put it on again. By the way, the composition was very nice, as usual. The ending

(I'm still trying to figure out if Satu's appears  was meant to be a twist, if it was, it was terribly predictable)

was pretty flat compared to dragging and dropping “omg the test” and everything throughout the book. I mean, nobody should have been afraid of that. Not a bit. Never mind. 

In summary, it was not what I expected, maybe the problem is only with me. Perhaps not. In any case, I'm looking forward to the next book and praying that it will bring back the characters, locations, and atmosphere I remembered. 

PS: The family trees have become beautiful, but my heart bleeds at the thought of leaving my dear Annie and the child Diana miscarried, okay they are dead, but they are part of the family too. 

I'm not in the right mood for it. 

Gods, it's finally over! Well, that was terrible, honestly, some really fucked up intersection of Hunger Games, Selection & ACOTAR. I struggled incredibly hard by the time it ended, oh my goodness.

Lor wasn't that terrible, by the way, although one would think that prison years would make a person distrustful, weak and maybe a little unpredictable, both mentally and physically, but not her. That would be fine, but the fact that she was so terribly naïve (after all of that!) is not. She keeps saying she doesn't need anyone, etc., but she's still helping others — which no sane person would do. I can't figure her out — and I honestly don't want to — but I liked that she had an animalistic rage and a willingness to act. Either way, this martyr role went terribly wrong for her. Atlas, I knew — I felt — that we were going to get another Tamlin, even with a not-so-big change lol. A red flag for everyone, another toxic alpha male that no one needs. When it comes to Nadir, I can't decide what the hell he's doing or who he's having what relationship with, to be honest. He has a goal — an infinitely vague and unnecessary goal — that he pursues like a hound, but I cannot figure out why he does it, and I honestly don't care why he (and everyone else) needs Lor so much. Of the other characters, Gabriel was surprisingly quite tolerable with his duality, but I didn't like him either. Maybe it was Halo who grew a bit close to my heart. 

The love story (can I even call it that?) was just so out of the blue that I shook my head. There was no chemistry between them, as if we were trying to put a stone and ice together — there are similarities, but not much. (And by the way, it seems okay to spread your legs the very first time after being raped and abused repeatedly for years at the first opportunity???? What the hell was that??? Who writes such a thing??)

The plot was horribly messed up. No beginning or end, everything was so tuggy and still too fast (a bit counterproductive, but I can't say it any better) all at once. The author should have spent a lot more time and energy building the world (I never thought I'd say that, lol) and leaving eroticism in the background for once in a lifetime. Otherwise, the pace was quite good - not the best, but still not so bad. The wording was fine, although I read it on my mother tongue, so I can't add much. And the end; What was that? I felt the author tried – unsuccessfully – to add a Rhysand rescue expedition (why I don't know) so that if it had fairies, it wouldn't miss the ACOTAR reference. It made no sense or any use. 

Overall, there are no gods that would make me volunteer to continue this series, that was more than enough (maybe even a lot) for a lifetime.

PS: that map was terrible. 

I don't remember anything from this book, just one feeling and that is hatred. I guess I believe that rather than read it again.

Date: 2024/07/10-2024/06/12 
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction 
Rating: ★★★★.5 
Spice rating: 🌶🌶🌶 
Age rating (I think): 17+

TIGGER WARNINGS: Death of parent, Sexual content, Panic attacks (mentioned), Verbal & emotional abuse (mentioned), Death, Alcohol abuse (mentioned), Violence, Guns

Thank you for the e-copy from the authors in exchange for an honest review.

First, what you can expect from this book:

- small town
- enemies to lovers (dislike/hate to love)
- no third-act break up
- found family
- single mother x cowboy
- he falls first
- hurt x comfort
- grumpy x sunshine
- only one bed

This book is shouting freedom, but really. Frankly, it was wonderful in its own – even with its challenging topic. It will stay with me for a long time, that's for sure.

Logan was a very strong and really persistent protagonist, full of surprise and strength. She improved tremendously over the course of the book, and honestly, she really needed that. Crew, well, let's just say he was more complex than anyone else. He had things I couldn't identify with, but I have to say that he did everything for Logan and Ash, for which I owe him so much. I truly believe that he has finally begun to heal from his past and believe in the light again.

The supporting characters all added a lot to the narrative — or necessarily took away. Either way, I really fell in love with them, each in its own way.

Their love happened a little faster for me (even faster than it should), but maybe I only felt that way because the book is so short. But their nicknames, the little moments between them, and the endless devotion and care they showed each other were just wonderful.

Well, the plot wasn't much, that's a fact, but I didn't expect much different either. It was understandable and easy to go with, there was nothing complicated or difficult to decipher. I still felt like sometimes we stayed very much afloat and it didn't move much. I think the pace was quite ok, maybe I would