Scan barcode
nineinchnails's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
these books are not good for my blood sugar at ALL i can't remember the last time i've felt so anxious and excited reading a book: or spent so long continuously reading a book that i missed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. the writing (specifically the prose) has improved quite a bit imo but even if it hadn't the plot manages to capture my attention so entirely that it doesn't really matter. i love angst and most of the characters were suffering so even though it's a lot of pining (i usually am not a big fan) i was obsessed!! the first half-ish was probably too slow paced but i really enjoyed it because there was a lot of character development (and suffering) and relationship development.
i think this is the first time i've felt them make progress with each other without them completely backtracking afterwards even if it is tentative and fragile progress. i am pretty much a tory girl now i think; she's so stubborn and prideful and argumentative and moody and insecure and vulnerable and loyal i would die for her!!! she feels very real and i feel more connected to her than i expected to at the start of the series. i think it might have been another case of me finding a character (ever so slightly) irritating because they remind me so much of myself that it's painful. some of her decisions and actions are questionable to say the least but it's more and more understandable the more we see of her chapters.
that goes for all the main characters if i'm honest since they get even more development + growth and even the ones i was iffy about i've kind of softened to. i'm still not obsessed with darcy and orion together (torydarius clear them any day) but i think i've come out the end of this book not hating them together so much... whatever makes darcy happy i guess! i do think the gap between them in terms of power imbalance/their dynamics is starting to close so it feels like they're closer to an even playing ground, if that makes sense, which is making me less icked out over them now. torydarius had so much development in this book and i was almost glad for the reason that they were suffering in this book because i don't think we could have got so much good without all that bad (in this context at least) but i'm hoping they get some sort of reprieve from the turmoil in the next book cause i don't know how much more i can take of it. ALSO torydarius felt very buffy x spike coded here like specifically season 6 the episode where the house falls down i'm obsessed with them.
the last half of the book made me feel sick because i was cycling through ITS JOEVERš and WE ARE SO BACKš„³ every 5 pages. honestly i don't even know what to say about the ending because it feels like there's so much going on but things just seem insanely grim. the only thing comforting me is the fact that i've finished 2 series by this duo now and if history (and the steadily increasing page count of ZA books) is reliable then i'm sure we will have a novella-sized epilogue by the time the final book comes out. i usually hate epilogues that long because they feel pointless and needlessly excessive but i think after all this suffering i will probably need it.
i think this is the first time i've felt them make progress with each other without them completely backtracking afterwards even if it is tentative and fragile progress. i am pretty much a tory girl now i think; she's so stubborn and prideful and argumentative and moody and insecure and vulnerable and loyal i would die for her!!! she feels very real and i feel more connected to her than i expected to at the start of the series. i think it might have been another case of me finding a character (ever so slightly) irritating because they remind me so much of myself that it's painful. some of her decisions and actions are questionable to say the least but it's more and more understandable the more we see of her chapters.
that goes for all the main characters if i'm honest since they get even more development + growth and even the ones i was iffy about i've kind of softened to. i'm still not obsessed with darcy and orion together (torydarius clear them any day) but i think i've come out the end of this book not hating them together so much... whatever makes darcy happy i guess! i do think the gap between them in terms of power imbalance/their dynamics is starting to close so it feels like they're closer to an even playing ground, if that makes sense, which is making me less icked out over them now. torydarius had so much development in this book and i was almost glad for the reason that they were suffering in this book because i don't think we could have got so much good without all that bad (in this context at least) but i'm hoping they get some sort of reprieve from the turmoil in the next book cause i don't know how much more i can take of it. ALSO torydarius felt very buffy x spike coded here like specifically season 6 the episode where the house falls down i'm obsessed with them.
the last half of the book made me feel sick because i was cycling through ITS JOEVERš and WE ARE SO BACKš„³ every 5 pages. honestly i don't even know what to say about the ending because it feels like there's so much going on but things just seem insanely grim. the only thing comforting me is the fact that i've finished 2 series by this duo now and if history (and the steadily increasing page count of ZA books) is reliable then i'm sure we will have a novella-sized epilogue by the time the final book comes out. i usually hate epilogues that long because they feel pointless and needlessly excessive but i think after all this suffering i will probably need it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Sexual content, Body horror, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Grief, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death of parent, War, Infidelity, and Police brutality
student/teacher relationship, incarcerationrachelg615's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, and Physical abuse
selestre's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical content, Confinement, Grief, Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Addiction
unicornofthesea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
_alyssar_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
dkgreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Holy. F*cking. Sh*t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
briochebun's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 out of 5 āās.
āIād been born to rule. And I was going to claim my place in blood.ā
ą©ā©ā§āĖ
Iām going to keep this one short and sweet because I just finished āCursed Fatesā and am not okay at allā¦
ą©ā©ā§āĖ
I LOVED getting to see the Darcy + Tory bond a bit with the Heirs in this novel ā it was a refreshing change in dynamic.
I also enjoyed seeing Xavier + Darius bond with their mother more in this novel as well!
The rest of the novel was painful thoughā¦I having nothing else to say about that (I am currently trying to wipe everything bad that happened from my memory).
ą©ā©ā§āĖ
P.S. BlueLance better reunite in the next book. ā”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Gun violence, and Bullying
nikitanavalkar's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Really I donāt think I have enough of my heart or soul or any body parts left to give to this series. As this series progresses into more and more unhinged territory, it seems to be taking me right along with it, and Iām at least 87% sure to need intense therapy once I actually finish it. RIP my mental health, but at least Iāll be unhinged and happy? Or miserable, Idk thereās a 50-50 chance at this point.
We are back again right where we left off, in the pits of abject misery. Okay JK, but we are certainly back to swinging between the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, between immeasurable pain and uncontrollable laughter and budding friendships and found family and epic romance and stupid hope and once again an ending thatāll leave you gasping, wondering if you were sucker punched. Right in the soul-ar plexus. I might be running out of emotional superlatives, but for this series I shall keep trying. And itās impossible to get into it without some spoilers, so proceed with caution.
Yes, we finally get Romance with a capital R, between Darius and Tory too thank all the fucking stars. Or donāt, because theyāve been a Bitch most of this book. And it is exactly the kind of epic I wanted yāall. Star crossed. Lives ruined. Bloodshed. Epic. With the steam dialed even hotter. Itās our favorite dragon boy and Phoenix twin (both twins are my fave ssh) after all. Yet theyāre also more wholesome somehow? So. Much. Pining. Darius showed up yāall, all the promise I knew he had, all that damaged brokenness, everything coalesces into a beautiful dragon man, who will quite literally defy the stars for his love. Every single gesture, grand or tiny, pulled at my heartstrings. Just, swoon okay. Tory isnāt far behind either, taking responsibility for her own fuckups and going all in at last. And sheās of course, always up for rattling the stars. Until that thing at the end of course. Because we obviously arenāt done with the pain yet.
Darcy and Orion remain the thing we must protect at all costs. Darcy with her special brand of soft but unyielding strength, Lance with his weird nerdy psychotic professor whoās only soft for his girl (and his bff š) bit. However, same as Darcy, Iām very into his psychotic hardass professor version. More heart eyes and swoon, yes. Together theyāre couple goals, fuck that forbidden nonsense. But no, even with all they went through at the end of the last book, they donāt get a break for long. BECAUSE WE CANāT HAVE NICE THINGS REMEMBER? DAMMIT LANCE š
Geraldine is the light of my whole existence and she and Max are one of the things keeping the darkness at bay for me. Seth is finally, finally putting a pin in his jerk ways to give us the friendly puppy dog we need to see. Him and Caleb, I just need it okay? Please for the love of stars. Caleb was always a good friend and this book showed just how good, that poor vampire baby.
The relationships in these books are a key element, and they flourish in this book, especially all the deeply complex friendships that go from budding saplings born of respect even when theyāre at odds to full blown soul bonds in this one. The platonic connections developing between Orion and Tory and now Darcy and Darius are the gift that keep on giving. I already admired how the twins and the heirs are able to compartmentalize their feelings, challenging each other and trading barbs as needed and protecting each other when prudent. Them matchmaking? Trying to fight the literal stars for their friends? The heirs always having each otherās backs and expanding that to include the Vegas? It gave me life. Iām a lifelong A. S. S. + H. O. R. E. S member now. #squadgoals Iāve said before if they all worked together, they could change their messed up world, and we see a preview of that, and it is glorious. Their bonds are literally forged in fire (or all the elements really) and are stronger for it. Thereās so much POWER in them standing with instead of against each other and I need more of that please. Because they gon need it. Of course Iād be remiss if I didnāt give a shout-out to my twins and their phenomenal bond in every single review, because thatās what makes this series worth all the pain Iām going through as I read it. Every single sister moment between them is a balm to my cynical soul. I love their love, but I also love how very real they are with each other.
The horrors at the end are again triggered by a single stupid, if well meaning decision, but our girl is nothing if not self aware and readily owns when she messes up. Doesnāt make it any less harrowing and doesnāt mean I wasnāt enraged by the consequences. Another 3 books worth of plot happens in this book, and I still felt like some storylines havenāt even begun yet, let alone reached their potential. But we know thereās at least 3 more books to come, so pray for me I guess.
We are back again right where we left off, in the pits of abject misery. Okay JK, but we are certainly back to swinging between the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, between immeasurable pain and uncontrollable laughter and budding friendships and found family and epic romance and stupid hope and once again an ending thatāll leave you gasping, wondering if you were sucker punched. Right in the soul-ar plexus. I might be running out of emotional superlatives, but for this series I shall keep trying. And itās impossible to get into it without some spoilers, so proceed with caution.
Darcy and Orion remain the thing we must protect at all costs. Darcy with her special brand of soft but unyielding strength, Lance with his weird nerdy psychotic professor whoās only soft for his girl (and his bff š) bit. However, same as Darcy, Iām very into his psychotic hardass professor version. More heart eyes and swoon, yes. Together theyāre couple goals, fuck that forbidden nonsense. But no, even with all they went through at the end of the last book, they donāt get a break for long. BECAUSE WE CANāT HAVE NICE THINGS REMEMBER? DAMMIT LANCE š
Geraldine is the light of my whole existence and she and Max are one of the things keeping the darkness at bay for me. Seth is finally, finally putting a pin in his jerk ways to give us the friendly puppy dog we need to see. Him and Caleb, I just need it okay? Please for the love of stars. Caleb was always a good friend and this book showed just how good, that poor vampire baby.
The relationships in these books are a key element, and they flourish in this book, especially all the deeply complex friendships that go from budding saplings born of respect even when theyāre at odds to full blown soul bonds in this one. The platonic connections developing between Orion and Tory and now Darcy and Darius are the gift that keep on giving. I already admired how the twins and the heirs are able to compartmentalize their feelings, challenging each other and trading barbs as needed and protecting each other when prudent. Them matchmaking? Trying to fight the literal stars for their friends? The heirs always having each otherās backs and expanding that to include the Vegas? It gave me life. Iām a lifelong A. S. S. + H. O. R. E. S member now. #squadgoals Iāve said before if they all worked together, they could change their messed up world, and we see a preview of that, and it is glorious. Their bonds are literally forged in fire (or all the elements really) and are stronger for it. Thereās so much POWER in them standing with instead of against each other and I need more of that please. Because they gon need it. Of course Iād be remiss if I didnāt give a shout-out to my twins and their phenomenal bond in every single review, because thatās what makes this series worth all the pain Iām going through as I read it. Every single sister moment between them is a balm to my cynical soul. I love their love, but I also love how very real they are with each other.
The horrors at the end are again triggered by a single stupid, if well meaning decision, but our girl is nothing if not self aware and readily owns when she messes up. Doesnāt make it any less harrowing and doesnāt mean I wasnāt enraged by the consequences. Another 3 books worth of plot happens in this book, and I still felt like some storylines havenāt even begun yet, let alone reached their potential. But we know thereās at least 3 more books to come, so pray for me I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence
_savannahreads_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Torture, and War
kat1105's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Addiction, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual content, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Kidnapping