Alright, besties, let’s talk about Dark Restraint by Katee Robert. I’ve been living for the Dark Olympus series, but this one? It was… okay. Not bad, but definitely not the all consuming, can’t put it down obsession I’ve come to expect from earlier books.

Ariadne? I wanted to root for her so bad. She’s in a mess of her own making, and her marriage to Dionysus has potential for intrigue and drama. But their dynamic felt more like a convenient partnership than a sizzling romance. And let’s talk about the Minotaur—he was hyped up to be this dangerous, unrelenting force, but his intensity felt more surface-level than gut-wrenching. I wanted more layers, more tension, more oomph.

The spice is there (of course, it’s Katee), but without that emotional connection and deep chemistry, it didn’t hit the way it should. The fiery passion between Ariadne and the Minotaur has its moments, but the “burn it all down” energy didn’t burn quite hot enough for me.

And let’s not forget the plot—Olympus’s dangerous politics and power plays are usually a huge selling point for me, but this one felt more like background noise. I missed the edge of your seat stakes and tight pacing that earlier books like Neon Gods brought to the table.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 — A decent addition to the series, but it’s not the one I’ll be screaming about. The spice is good, the story is okay, but it doesn’t live up to the gold standard set by the early books. If you’re a die hard fan, it’s worth reading—but I wouldn’t go in with sky high expectations.