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livinthebubble's review
dark
medium-paced
2.0
When I saw this on Netgalley, I decided to request it for two reasons: a) I recognised the author probably from the 300 screenshots I have from Tiktok book recommendations, and b) the plot sounded like a fun time and I never say no to some spice.
The smut is probably one of, if not the only, reason I got some enjoyment out of reading this. Even though they never got very far *wink wink*, the tension...you should've seen me blushing. I didn't care about their romance though (if we exclude the smut). I felt like they were making some progress but then Memnon decided it was time to pull an uno reverse and delete all of that. Also, I hate when characters call each other mate as a pet name. The whole time, I read it in an Australian accent and just couldn't take it seriously.
Selene's whole character is based on her not remembering anything, which annoyed me at times since it felt convenient to not have to explain things because "she forgot". She's gullible and (this time on purpose) forgets about things Memnon has done because he's hot. A key example was when she went to the ball, where she immediately forgot her entire purpose because "OMG he looks hot". Like ok, I get it, he has tattoos, and is tall and muscular, but get a grip, you're in your 20s.
As for Memnon. I kind of hate his name but that's beside the point. He was a little nonexistent, character-wise. I've read some pretty dark romances, where male characters did abhorrent stuff, so a lot of what Memnon did was pretty basicthat sounds absolutely horrifying, as in it didn't particularly shock me. However, when he almost killed someone because he's possessive, and not in a good way...a little too extra in my opinion.
Apart from that, the ending was kind of annoying, all cliffhangers are, but this one was right in the middle of a climactic scene.
Was this worth the read? Not necessarily. But the spice was exceptional so I don't entirely regret reading this. Would I continue reading this series? I have too much other shit to read, so probably not.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The smut is probably one of, if not the only, reason I got some enjoyment out of reading this. Even though they never got very far *wink wink*, the tension...you should've seen me blushing. I didn't care about their romance though (if we exclude the smut). I felt like they were making some progress but then Memnon decided it was time to pull an uno reverse and delete all of that. Also, I hate when characters call each other mate as a pet name. The whole time, I read it in an Australian accent and just couldn't take it seriously.
Selene's whole character is based on her not remembering anything, which annoyed me at times since it felt convenient to not have to explain things because "she forgot". She's gullible and (this time on purpose) forgets about things Memnon has done because he's hot. A key example was when she went to the ball, where she immediately forgot her entire purpose because "OMG he looks hot". Like ok, I get it, he has tattoos, and is tall and muscular, but get a grip, you're in your 20s.
As for Memnon. I kind of hate his name but that's beside the point. He was a little nonexistent, character-wise. I've read some pretty dark romances, where male characters did abhorrent stuff, so a lot of what Memnon did was pretty basic
Apart from that, the ending was kind of annoying, all cliffhangers are, but this one was right in the middle of a climactic scene.
Was this worth the read? Not necessarily. But the spice was exceptional so I don't entirely regret reading this. Would I continue reading this series? I have too much other shit to read, so probably not.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gore
jamiebrito's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I decided to give Laura Thalassa another chance when I requested this(I loved The Bargainer series, but bailed Pestilence). Unfortunately, while I enjoyed the writing and found it intriguing, I didn't like how Memnon treated her. I get he was betrayed by his wife, who he thinks is fmc, but I still thought if they were soulmates and he loved her as much as he said he'd be a bit nicer, especially since even if she's who he thinks she is she has memory loss(cost of using her magic). We definitely got moments of nice, but there were definitely moments of him being a dick to negate the nice. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for an earc of this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death
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