REREAD BEFORE I CRACK OPEN BOOK 2. Still EPIC, onto Iron Flame now.
***
Wow, wow, wow. This totally lives up to the hype. It's like if HP, Divergent, anREREAD BEFORE I CRACK OPEN BOOK 2. Still EPIC, onto Iron Flame now.
***
Wow, wow, wow. This totally lives up to the hype. It's like if HP, Divergent, and The Hunger Games had a baby. I also got some Blood & Ash vibes from aspects of the plot. That said, it was uniquely its own story. Loved Violet and Xaden and the cast of secondary characters were great and they had substance and a part to play.
Liam. Liam. Liam.
Gah.
Fantastic worldbuilding and while I did guess where it was going, it didn't take away from my enjoyment in the slightest. That twist at the very end was brilliant and it has me salivating for book 2 already.
Loved the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance and the steamy scenes were worth waiting for.
I am dying for the next installment and I'm glad we don't have to wait too long.
It's refreshing to see a book that lives up to the hype and deserves all the accolades and success it is achieving.
I am struggling on how to rate this book. I hated it, but it was brilliant at the same time. We are supposed to hate Stephen and struggle to find compI am struggling on how to rate this book. I hated it, but it was brilliant at the same time. We are supposed to hate Stephen and struggle to find compassion for Lucy. I felt both those things while reading and I was constantly screaming at my kindle and wanting to throw it at the wall. Yet it was compulsively addictive and I had to keep reading. I wanted more from the ending. I wanted her to cop on way sooner and for her to go to the police or the family. I wanted her to confront the poor fiancee and to tell Stephen a few home truths.
I liked the writing style and will definitely check out more of this author's books.
One of my biggest issues is how this is marketed on Amazon. It's in the new adult college romance category which is completely misleading. It's also referred to as a "love story" multiple times on the product page. It is neither of these things and should only be in the women's fiction and psychological categories. I went into this thinking the H was going to be like other aholes in the NA romance books I read. That is, a jerk who is still redeemable. But he's a sociopath with no empathy and no remorse and there is no redemption (nor could there be. He's incapable of feeling normal human emotions.) My experience would have been different had I known it was not a romance. This isn't the author's fault of course. It is the publisher's.
I might watch the show if I can find it here in Ireland, purely to see how they handle it. However, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to watch it as the level of frustration I feel right now is extremely high. Kudos to the author for invoking such strong emotions in me....more
This book had a profound effect on me. So emotional and heart-wrenching. I had all the feels reading this one, and this is what CoHo does best: make yThis book had a profound effect on me. So emotional and heart-wrenching. I had all the feels reading this one, and this is what CoHo does best: make you feel everything, twist your stomach into knots, tug on your heartstrings and bring you through the whole gamut of emotions before leaving you in a happy place. This is definitely one of my fave books of hers.
I loved Graham so much, even if I was disappointed in him at times. I see what he did as a cry for help, and I believe he was depressed too, but I was still so shocked he did it because of how they met, and there is never an excuse for this. It was so wrong. She should have made him grovel more. Her watching him out the window, while he was in his car, about killed me.
You could really feel the love they had - it shined from the pages - so it was incredibly difficult to watch them spiralling, but very realistic.
I loved the back and forth, between the present and the past, and it was the perfect way to execute their story.
I know some readers hate plots where the couple don't communicate or there is miscommunication, but that is real life. It is not always easy to talk about what is on your mind and in your heart, especially with loved ones when voicing those feelings has the potential to hurt them. Add in the fact they were both depressed and it makes it more realistic, imo. I was in pain reading this because neither of them could open up to the other and it only compounded the situation, but it was so authentic to me.
Poor Quinn. My heart bled for her. She carried so much guilt and self-loathing and instead of leaning on him, she internalized it and withdrew, pushing him away in the process. Both of them were depressed and did things they shouldn't have done and it only made it more tragic. I could empathize with both of them and see why they reacted as they did. Doesn't make it right, but I understood it.
I truly loved the underlying messages in this book, and that quote about shining a light on flaws and not seeing all the perfects was so apt, so beautiful and a compelling, powerful statement.
I do wish more care and attention had been given to the mental health aspect and I didn't like the statements about therapy. I know it is a divisive subject, but I firmly believe their marriage needed counselling to help them to communicate and reconnect and to deal with their loss and the resulting change in the direction of their lives. We weren't shown how Quinn's acceptance came about, at the end, and I would have liked to see her deal with that with him by her side. Even a chapter would have added a lot. That said, I was able to put it aside to enjoy the story.
This is one book I will never forget and that is my favorite kind of read - characters, story, and a romance that is so well written it feels like I'm living it and it stays with me long after I have turned the last page.
Absolutely superb and highly recommended. (Caution - it may be triggering to some readers. I'm not going to spoil it by mentioning it, but I'm sure if you check out other reviews you will see why.)...more
Spoiler - Don't read if you don't want to know. * * * * * * * I freaking LOVED this book, but OMFG - what the hell was that ending? I'm still pissed and consuSpoiler - Don't read if you don't want to know. * * * * * * * I freaking LOVED this book, but OMFG - what the hell was that ending? I'm still pissed and consumed by this story a day later. But I need more. I need a conclusion. I need to know more about Hayes's family background and what the hell is up with him and Oliver? And what exactly was the story with Penelope? Most of all, I need to know they find their way back to one another, because this ended way too abruptly and with no satisfactory conclusion and I need that for Solene and Hayes SO FUCKING BADLY. This gave me all the feels and Hayes is on my fave book boyfriend list for sure, but you can't leave it like this, gah! Please say there is another book coming or I might be tempted to write a fan fic ending to it myself!!!!!!!...more
Loading...
