reka111's reviews
263 reviews

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

I swear I TRIED. I really, but I just can't right now matter how hard I pushed it. 

Maybe another time.

The amount of time I wanted to DNF this book almost killed me, but really. It took me an incredible amount of mental strength (not because of the difficult topic, but because of the terrible wording) to finish it—if for no other reason because it was disproportionately expensive, and I wouldn't let my money go nowhere (now I know it might be a better idea to leave it). 

Anyway, the characters were all flat and colorless, weird and terribly annoying. I don't know, but I feel like all the male characters were sick, why all of them wanted to get all Mariana (whose name I read Marina in the whole book, thanks dyslexia lol), especially with her gray mouse personality it is a mystery. Theo gets some credit because he at least seemed normal. 

For most of the plot, nothing or very little happened. There was a lot of storytelling, but very little showing. Why Greek mythology (especially Persephone and Demeter) fits here is a huge question (speaking of the god of death, Thanatos would be a better choice), and the author (or translator) refers to her as the virgin goddess several times in the book, which is stupid because she wasn't (neither Persephone nor Demeter) The writing was incredibly horrible (I also don't know whether it's the author's or translator's fault), but really. The twist (if I can call it that?) gets a minimum credit because although I foresaw who the killer was, I didn't know who its partner was (?). The ending was closed so quickly that I didn't even know what had happened suddenly. I haven't read — only my sister — the silent patient yet, but I suspect the redhead patient was highlighted so much because she is the FMC in it (?) it's just a theory, I have no idea whether it's real or not, but I guess it doesn't matter any more. 

In conclusion, it is not worth your time. At all.

Once upon a time, when I saw the movie, I fell in love with this universe only to forget about it for years. Not that I wasn't interested in Ruby's fate, there just weren't any more movies, and it never occurred to me that it might be just as magical an experience in a book. So I started and honestly I wasn't disappointed, I liked it even more. 

Ruby was a very lovable heroine, she felt like she had spent most of her life locked away, terrified and alone, there were things that were inside her all along, but she didn't give up. She wanted to protect her friends all along, which was so incredible of her. She has evolved tremendously in just one book; she learned to trust, to love and to live, to heal. Liam was extremely persistent and likeable right from the start. He was the leader - some would say - he looked after everyone and took care of them even at the cost of his life. I loved his relationship with Zu, pure big brother and little sister energy. And their tweaks with Charles gave a lot of funny scenes. Cancly has always been weird, I wouldn't say she's completely evil, he's just trying to achieve his goals differently than anyone else, and that's okay. It's horrible that he took advantage of Ruby and the others like that, but deep down, I think deep down he's just trying to survive like everyone else. Zu and Charles were the corner of my heart, perfect side characters, horrible what they had to survive at such a young age, but I hope they both get the peace they need. 

The plot was detailed and well described, the author introduced the readers well to the whole world, which frankly is the typical dystopian world. Every moment was interesting, full of action and rush. Although I admit that things got off to a bit of a difficult start in the beginning. The pace sometimes felt very slow and the chapters were too long. The phrasing was nice, the presentation of the inner world and the outer world was well arranged. Time jumps sometimes confused me a little, I didn't always see their meaning. The ending — the ending I didn't like —ended overnight, perhaps too quickly and illogically, with an unnecessary amount of drama. 

Nevertheless, I would definitely like to continue in the future, because it has potential.

It wasn't for me

Overall, this book could be forgotten perhaps that’s the best words to describe it. Honetly. I'm not saying it's not creative and it's not unique, because it is - it really is, but it just doesn't have as much impact as other dystopian books.

Thomas was a bit annoying and sometimes a lost protagonist, but his heart and perseverance magnified it in my eyes. I know, even though he's the main character, I often felt like I wasn't interested in him — and his struggles — but in the other side characters. Teresa can get my heart, with her input and the spiritual strength she possesses, remarkable to say the least. I'd be terrified to death if I was locked up with 40+ boys for one night and I know most of my female peers would feel the same way. Minho, my dear Minho. So many times he gets on the verge of madness and giving up that it's incredible - and he had so many reasons - but he managed to get over it. His determination and loyalty were wonderful. Newt is a true leader, he should have always been the leader, not Alby. 

The plot, as I said, is unique, but the execution is no longer the best. Probably because we haven't gotten the whole picture yet — but the builiding of the world itself is pretty confusing. The story line often got boring to me and I wasn't particularly impressed, even with the action. Frankly, this book was probably the weakest of the big three (THG, TD & TMR). I really couldn't identify with the wording, I could have scratched my eyes in some places - this could be the translator's fault. The pace was unceasingly slow at the beginning and too fast at the end, as if it had to close all the threads suddenly. The ending, as I said, was very abrupt - which perhaps fits the inner world of the main characters - but it wasn't necessarily necessary. In fact, at all. 

In summary, it was not a great experience, it did not impress me as I expected. Somehow, that's okay; Not every book is for everyone. 

This does not hold my attention now, but I would like to start again in the future because it has potential.

Date: 2022.11.23
STOPPED AT 13%
Somehow it doesn't engage me as much as I expected
———————————————————
Date: 2024.07.01

How am I supposed to act like a normal person now? How should I live again?? Someone show it to me. This book was incredible. It's wonderful, real and endlessly magical. That was all I needed now. Perfect (even with its noticeable flaws), there are simply no better words. I needed time to fall in love with it, but in the end I succeeded.

Jude, she has been on such a long and bumpy road so far, yet she has never strayed from her path for a moment. She has such infinite endurance and strength that it is remarkable. I don't know where she has such a compulsion to continue on her journey, I don't know what moves her, what is the goal that floats before her like a beacon. I can't understand how, after all the horrors, she is able to believe in the light. But I do know that she is the grace her world needs, the understanding light that has led the way to the lost. Uriah, the other sure point, the other cornerstone, who moves until justice is obtained. There's a kind of openness, a kind of naivety, if you want, but it never really blinds him. While Jude slowly begins to open up to the world, he closes in, but that's okay, he needs it. Honestly, Elliot has never been my favorite, it has always annoyed me somehow, but after finding out he was

Jude's brother

, I start to give in to him. Suddenly, he did a lot for Jude — good and bad — but they both need time to process the situation they're in. The little Boy — Michael, Ira, Leroy, Cicus, whatever his name is — became the corner of my heart.  He deserves so much happiness and peace that he hasn't had before that it hurts physically. He had to endure so many horrors and endured so bravely. I sobbed so heartbreakingly inside for him that it was heartbreaking, even though I don't like children.

Now that it's been revealed that he is Jude's younger brother — which makes it even cuter that she adopted him —

I feel like he can really start on the road to recovery. Her relationship with Jude was so cute, absolutely pure and genuine. I'm glad Ava and Octavia have embarked on the road to recovery, it will be long for them, but they will do it together.

Jude and Uriah's relationship has evolved tremendously over the course of the books. It was a long time ago when I read about them in the first book, maybe even lives ago, I don't really know how anymore, but I do know that fate brought them together for a reason. The two of them work so well together. Not against each other, but with each other. They have reached such a level that they can tell what the other person is thinking based on their body language, there is such trust between them that it is incredible. Both are there for the other when needed, not only at work but also in private life, and somehow a silly - but hopeful part of me - sees them together in the future. They both have wounds, deeper and more painful than anything else, but I believe - and know - that they have slowly begun to heal. Jude is already letting him touch her, and sometimes even she needs it, like a weight that chains her to the ground, just as Uriah begins to get over his wife's death. 

Huh this plot was full of twist, shocks, a bunch of rough and brutal stuff, yet this book was the one I liked the most in the trilogy. I was able to pick up the thread very quickly and easily, and it didn't let me go for a minute until the end. Although, truth be told, I endured a couple of heart attacks during the last few chapters and had to put myself on an infusion seven times because I cried so much, in short, it was a real rollercoaster. I wouldn't call the phrasing outstanding - it could be the translator's fault after reading the book in my native language - but it was tolerable, there were quite nice descriptions and quotes. The pace was a bit slow for me at the beginning and I admit that at first it bothered me a lot - mainly because I didn't understand - that there was so much POV in it, but then I understood the necessity. The end (the last chapter) was a fever dream. But really. Everything was so calm, almost strangely peaceful, that suddenly I didn't even know what had happened. It was perfect, every single moment of it.