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melirryd's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
alexandra_ninelives's review against another edition
4.0
OK wow. I’m in love with this book.
SPOILER
The only reason I gave this 4 ⭐️ instead of 5 is that the author built up a great friendship between them, it could have been a beautiful friends to lovers but NO THEY HAD TO BE SOULMATES.
My Sunday will be spent reading the other two books of this trilogy.
SPOILER
The only reason I gave this 4 ⭐️ instead of 5 is that the author built up a great friendship between them, it could have been a beautiful friends to lovers but NO THEY HAD TO BE SOULMATES.
My Sunday will be spent reading the other two books of this trilogy.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like, maybe, if I hadn't just read the Steel & Stone books, I would have enjoyed this just a little more, maybe. Maybe. However, as it stands, this felt a little "done" to me. I had a lot of fun with this, but it wasn't nearly as dopamine-heavy for me as other such urban fantasies I've read.
The only reason I knew this existed was, after reading The Grisha Trilogy and falling in (very troubling) love with The Darkling and then reading The Shatter Me Series and falling in (far less troubling) love with Warner, I've been on the search for another book series with a love interest even just a little bit like either of them. I stumbled upon a list here on Goodreads that was titled something like, "Villain Gets the Girl" and this was really close to the top, right near Ignite Me, and, since I really dig urban fantasy, this really seemed like something I would love.
Unfortunately, the titular Bargainer of this book isn't really a villain. In fact, he's a pretty nice guy in the grand scheme of things, even if he's a bit of a bruiser and an antihero. I can appreciate the trope where the tough guy has a soft spot for the main character girl, but even comparing Desmond to the most recent example of that I read, Ash in Steel & Stone, Ash (and I actually can't believe I'm saying this, honestly) has way more depth to him than Desmond does. There are layers to why he does the things he does and, even if he isn't the most interesting character in the books he's in, he still has a well of depth to him and it's engaging.
I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Desmond was this Thief of Souls they were in search of. That would have been a fucking rad twist. Instead, we got a reveal that the "normal for the paranormal world" main character is actually secretly more powerful than we were initially led to believe (just like in Steel & Stone) and Desmond is not the Thief of Souls, it's just some other guy with seemingly no ties to either Callie or Desmond.
All in all, I was kind of disappointed and wanted a little more out of this than I got. I may read the sequel someday, perhaps once the third book is out, but for now, I'm definitely going to busy myself elsewhere.
The only reason I knew this existed was, after reading The Grisha Trilogy and falling in (very troubling) love with The Darkling and then reading The Shatter Me Series and falling in (far less troubling) love with Warner, I've been on the search for another book series with a love interest even just a little bit like either of them. I stumbled upon a list here on Goodreads that was titled something like, "Villain Gets the Girl" and this was really close to the top, right near Ignite Me, and, since I really dig urban fantasy, this really seemed like something I would love.
Unfortunately, the titular Bargainer of this book isn't really a villain. In fact, he's a pretty nice guy in the grand scheme of things, even if he's a bit of a bruiser and an antihero. I can appreciate the trope where the tough guy has a soft spot for the main character girl, but even comparing Desmond to the most recent example of that I read, Ash in Steel & Stone, Ash (and I actually can't believe I'm saying this, honestly) has way more depth to him than Desmond does. There are layers to why he does the things he does and, even if he isn't the most interesting character in the books he's in, he still has a well of depth to him and it's engaging.
I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Desmond was this Thief of Souls they were in search of. That would have been a fucking rad twist. Instead, we got a reveal that the "normal for the paranormal world" main character is actually secretly more powerful than we were initially led to believe (just like in Steel & Stone) and Desmond is not the Thief of Souls, it's just some other guy with seemingly no ties to either Callie or Desmond.
All in all, I was kind of disappointed and wanted a little more out of this than I got. I may read the sequel someday, perhaps once the third book is out, but for now, I'm definitely going to busy myself elsewhere.
ninajt's review
slow-paced
2.5
The book was decent. It took forever to get to the main plot though and I had to push through.
mantnam's review
Hated the age thing. Dnf'd when it became clear that he was into her when she was a teenager.
emilyfallon's review against another edition
5.0
this was SO good!! I love the romance and banter between the main characters, but I also love that the author had a very intricate plot and many hints etc in the earlier chapters that made sense in the later ones
vivizinha's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars!
I really ejoyed this book but there are concepts and aspects I've encountered before - mainly in Romance Fantasy. I really liked the characters and the main portagonist (that is the 1st person narrator as well) and I liked some of the dialogues, it was good. However, I feel like this book lacked a little bit on the plot and worldbuilding. Also, some the part of the dialogue that I didn't like was because it was hard to read (lol). Also, I would have been appreaciated if this book had been revised thoroughly beforehand. I found a few uncompleted sentences...
Overall, it was good fast-read.
I really ejoyed this book but there are concepts and aspects I've encountered before - mainly in Romance Fantasy. I really liked the characters and the main portagonist (that is the 1st person narrator as well) and I liked some of the dialogues, it was good. However, I feel like this book lacked a little bit on the plot and worldbuilding. Also, some the part of the dialogue that I didn't like was because it was hard to read (lol). Also, I would have been appreaciated if this book had been revised thoroughly beforehand. I found a few uncompleted sentences...
Overall, it was good fast-read.