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Can't say I enjoyed this book. It had too much Ryle in it, too many excuses for his abuse. I wish he'd have just disappeared, or at least had his ass kicked. He beat Lily and nothing changed in his life. He's still got family, friends, and his job - which involves looking after people. I wouldn't want him as my doctor.
The internal monologues from both Lily and Atlas were never ending and they usually were just repeated thoughts said a different way.
Anyway, this is not what I wanted for this sequel.
The internal monologues from both Lily and Atlas were never ending and they usually were just repeated thoughts said a different way.
Anyway, this is not what I wanted for this sequel.
This story was enjoyable and light. Which is odd considering that it was dark at times but it didn't make you think all that much. It was on the young end of YA which was actually really disappointing considering the MCs ages. Han read especially young and naive, which got real annoying real fast. Zhara was better, she seemed to act more her age. Xu was super whiny and felt like a 1 dimensional character. Honestly, aside from how "big and brainless" Han was, and how "dark-skinned" Zhara was, I've no idea what any of them look like.
I wasn't a fan of the constant reference to Han's muscles but lack of intelligence, it felt degrading and rude. Zhara's shame over her skin colour was also bothersome, but I could just be reading into it.
I did order a physical copy to go along with my ARC, since I am interested enough to read the next book, I just hope it is more fleshed out and the characters mature from middle grade-sounding to their 17-18 years of age.
The world building/mythology was fun but again, not as fleshed out as I would have liked. The ending resolved "perfectly," you know? Fast, nothing wrong, everything was what it was supposed to be (or we assume). The plot twists/reveals were unfortunately predictable and before I turned the last page into the epilogue, I had a feeling of what would happen in that last part.
Overall, I didn't love or hate it, I was just a little disappointed.
If the "Good-Looking Giggles" can just not appear in book 2, that'd be great. They were seriously annoying.
Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I wasn't a fan of the constant reference to Han's muscles but lack of intelligence, it felt degrading and rude. Zhara's shame over her skin colour was also bothersome, but I could just be reading into it.
I did order a physical copy to go along with my ARC, since I am interested enough to read the next book, I just hope it is more fleshed out and the characters mature from middle grade-sounding to their 17-18 years of age.
The world building/mythology was fun but again, not as fleshed out as I would have liked. The ending resolved "perfectly," you know? Fast, nothing wrong, everything was what it was supposed to be (or we assume). The plot twists/reveals were unfortunately predictable and before I turned the last page into the epilogue, I had a feeling of what would happen in that last part.
Overall, I didn't love or hate it, I was just a little disappointed.
If the "Good-Looking Giggles" can just not appear in book 2, that'd be great. They were seriously annoying.
Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This went beyond the weirdness of the other books and I was lost most of the time.
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“I’m waiting for your orders,” is the gravelly response. “Tell me what you want.”
The first 40% I wasn’t really loving much. Cassie had a lot of vanity issues (self-confidence issues stemming from trauma, I know, but it was a little annoying in the way it was described) or rich people issues and Tate was a dude. You know, a dude’s dude and it was a little meh. HOWEVER…
She chuckles. “Have you forgotten my most important rule of life, dear? Always leave the house dressed as if you’re going to—”
“—be murdered,” I finish, rolling my eyes. “Oh, I remember.”
After 40% I started enjoying it and read it pretty quickly! Cassie got a little more real for me and Tate started to become a book boyfriend instead of a dude’s dude. There were moments where I was smiling like a lunatic at my screen and I’d check myself and think, dang girl, you’re lucky you’re not in public, because you’re being creepy 😂 But, there were still a ton of things that annoyed me. I’m *conflicted*.
“Good girl,” he encourages when I set the phone down. “Now take your left hand and hold onto the ledge. Hold yourself steady.”
The smexy times? Hawt. Very. Their chemistry was really great so I appreciated that, even if it was very insta attraction. But, yes to the spice, it showed up ready to roll.
“You turned down a sugar mama? Oh, Tate.”
I glower at her. “I’m not for sale.”
“You’re literally putting yourself up for sale in an auction!”
I liked seeing the characters from books 1 & 2, seeing a little more of their relationships, and how the Beacon was coming along!
“Let’s hear it again,” yells Evan. “Louder this time! What are we gonna do?”
“Murder,” the two non-Hartley team members recite. Thoroughly unenthused.
“And who are we gonna murder?” shouts Cooper.
“Your girlfriends.”
“Hey, assholes,” Genevieve calls. “We’re right here, you know.”
I also loved her Grandma and I was so worried she was going to die the entire book 😅
“All good,” I lie. Because that’s what I do. I plaster on sunny smiles and pretend the attacks on my appearance, my father, my entire life have zero effect on me.
And the villain of Avalon Bay goes to none other than Victoria “Tori” Soul. GOD. She was a complete narcissistic bitch. The constant degradation and belittling of Cassie, her obsessive need for status and money, her treatment of Cassie’s dad and Nia. GAH. BITCH.
I liked her dad, Nia, and the twins! Oop, can’t forget stinky Pierre either 😂 Tate’s family was great, even if the reveal at the end threw me since I don’t like that topic, and I loved their love of boats. I dunno why, it’s not like I’m a boat person 🤷♀️ but it is what it is.
Thank you so much to the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Let's once again pretend like this review was posted before the release date 😅
He pauses, then kneels at my side again.
I knit my brows and rear back a little. “What are you doing?”
His eyes gleam in the darkness. “Getting a head start.”
And then, for the second time that day, the fucker reaches out and snaps my neck.
When I first started this book, I hadn’t read the synopsis so I knew pretty much nothing other than the basics I learned from the other 3. When I heard the main character's name, I literally wrote “That’s her name?? No wonder she can’t die” and lol’d to myself until it was revealed that she was named because she can’t die. And then I was like, hm, should have read the blurb. 😂
The beginning was great! And, you know, horrific, as you can imagine with her whole family being killed and she’s the only one who survives. But what really hooked me was when she caught up to Death and he tested to see if she could, in fact, not die.
“My will alone should kill you,” he says, ignoring my reaction. “It does not. My touch should rip your soul from your bones. It cannot. There is only one option left.” His ancient eyes seem…sad. The horseman moves shockingly fast. He grabs me by either side of the head, and with one swift jerk—Snap.
She wakes up and he’s just like, oh, wow, you can’t die and I’M DYING IN THE BACKGROUND😂
Lazarus dies so many times in this book, like, she can’t catch a break. She’s killed by Death and by humans. She’s impaled at one point for like 3 days and…eaten by scavengers – in unending agony. This poor woman. I really liked Lazarus though, after all she went through, all she goes through, she still tries to save humanity.
Death on the other hand. I wasn’t a fan of his. But don’t go feeling too bad for Lazarus, she can hold her own, which I loved as well.
“I leap. For a moment, while I’m airborne, I realize how absolutely batshit and prone to failure this idea is. But by then it’s too late. Rather than land in the saddle, as I so elegantly pictured, I clobber into the horseman. He grunts as I knock him off his horse, and the two of us tumble to the road below. The whole thing is painful and more than a little embarrassing, but before Death can react, I stab him through the neck.”
There were funny moments, which I live for.
“Did I plan on distracting Death with my tits today? No. Will I take it? Yes.”
“Death no longer needs to kill me – I think my own embarrassment will do the job just fine.”
Ben. Adorable. That’s it.
Also, it's not a trope that's done very often, but it was done well here 😏
Virgin MMC
VIRGIN DEATH
Okay, sorry. I'm done.
VIRGIN.
I’m not sure when I stopped enjoying it, I think it was near the end, maybe 75%? I can’t remember. Death started to bother me a little too much. I think it might have been when Ben was in the hospital – YOU KNOW THE DAMN SCENE IF YOU’VE READ THIS BOOK. I think it didn't help that I really liked Famine, and was just a little disappointed. Anyway, I didn’t like the fight scene at the end, it felt strange to me? I dunno.
The epilogue. You know how there are happy endings but they’re sad and your chest hurts and you kinda want to go back a chapter and leave it there? MEEE RIGHT NOW 😭😭😭
Thank you to Bloom Books and the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
“One must live before one dies,” the horseman continues. “There’s a certain order to things—even divine things—especially divine things. My brothers and I come when we do because that is the nature of our purpose—and it’s the nature of your fate.”
“Two of my brothers came before me. Death will follow.”
4.25 stars
Okay, my favourite Horsemen book! I wrote this review after reading Death, so I can say that with certainty. 😂
The beginning of this book was a first for me, and it's not a spoiler since it's on the back of the book, so…
I have never read a book where the MMC has the FMC killed. Like, for obvious reasons, that has never happened! Buuuut, this book decided to break the mould in such a spectacular and horrific way.
We’re talking mass grave horrific, so give that a thought.
That is also not the only time Ana dies in this book, and I think this series is the only one I’ve read where the MC’s are all constantly dying, although it gets worse in Death’s book.
“Hurt me? He tried, but can I tell you a little secret?” I don’t wait for the Reaper to answer before I lean in close and whisper, “You don’t fuck with someone who worked in a brothel. We can be the things of nightmares.”
Anyway, Ana’s family is killed, even though they sucked anyway so it was fine, and she heads off and becomes a prostitute. Yup, our FMC is a hooker and I was loving it.
“I’m not apologizing for me. I’m apologizing for humanity.” At that, Famine is quiet. “Does God really hate us?”
So, lots of death happens at the hands of Famine, but dudes got a good reason, which I’m not going to spoil, and the reason isn’t only his divine orders. But Ana comes back from the dead and Famine decides to drag her along with him after some convincing (and after she hunts him down after she comes back to life – it’s a lot).
I think I liked this one more because of Famine. He was more human, I guess. He felt vengeance, hurt, pain, and fear, and it made him kill more, it made him enjoy his divine job. Because of that, it was harder to hate him than the other 2 horsemen that came before him (although I didn’t really hate War).
But then he reaches for my arm, letting out a pained sound when he realizes his own is gone. In the dim moonlight, his eyes slide to mine. There’s no faking the broken hopelessness in his gaze.
Famine is shaking, and I can only imagine his pain.
The back and forth, Famine’s absolute ruthlessness, Ana’s backbone, I loved it all!
The end, the very end, was so satisfying that I just laughed. It was the perfect segue into Death’s book, and you know shit’s about to go down because of it. Ana is so badass by the end and I love her character throughout the story. Ugh, I'm not going to spoil the end, but, yes, very satisfying.
“What does he want?” I ask.
“There is only one thing Thanatos ever wants,” Famine says. “Death.”
Thank you to Bloom Books and the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
_________
WELL THEN
That ending was *so satisfying*
Rtc - I have thoughts 👀