Reviews

Black Sea by Melissa Cassera

cottage_life_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

chzypotatogrl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i am simply just happy to be here 

rosie_morley's review against another edition

5.0

Omggg this author I can not fault the writing style it’s such a good book I honestly sped through this book and I can’t wait to read unravel I am delighted to announce I got an arc copy of it 

saintlychelle's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

madison_renee2415's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0

Oh my this was a really good book!

Effie switched schools because of bullying, only to fall into that again at Lockwood. She meets Hayden and Cy (the twins) and is trying to stay away from everyone.

Hayden has a bad reputation (due to helping his brother out) and just keeps to himself while everyone spreads rumors about him.  When he sees Effie for the first time, he knows that she is meant to be his. 

Cy is the playboy at school who has his eye on Effie (who turns him down and he is really not happy about this). 

This was a good Novella and I can’t wait until next year for the next book!!!

mal12's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

☀️received as an ARC☀️
This was captivating to me, started it during some reading sprints and just didn’t stop, it is Insta-love but wasn’t super cringy to me, and the playlist A+.
Loved diving deeper into Lockwood and the shady things that goes on!

bookwormmomof2's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

mnimismemory's review against another edition

4.0

Black Sea by Melissa Cassera is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s a Hades and Persephone Reimagining. I’ve always been a fan of mythology and I do love the Hades and Persephone take. Another selling factor for me was it’s set in the 90’s and I’m a fan of that as well. This was well written and the worldbuilding was good, it was easy to picture what you are reading. It kept me invested from the beginning chapters until the very end. I liked how the characters were written and I liked the play of names… Hayden, Cy and Effie. I liked all the mystery and intrigue that was woven throughout the book. When I did finish I still had so many questions, hopefully they get answered in the next book. But overall I really enjoyed this story and will be looking forward to more. 

Final review:

4 out of 5 stars

floofymoosereads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Black Sea by Melissa Cassera is a novella set in the same world as the Lockwood Trilogy. The novella is a Hades x Persephone x Poseidon reimagining that takes place 20 years prior to the events in Control, the first book of the Lockwood trilogy. This is a new adult paranormal romance for 18+ readers.

The Lovely: I loved the characters, main and otherwise. The plot was fairly simple But felt right for this being a novella. There was a surprising amount of scenes and development fit into the story.

The Mundane: The insta-love was a bit unbelievable to me.

The Dreadful: For this being an 18+ story with adult content, the actions of the characters still felt rather YA, which was a bit ew.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommendation: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a wild and fun novella that I enjoyed reading after Control. I would recommend reading this if you’re reading the Lockwood trilogy.

emjmo421's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a super fast read, and very enjoyable! This book had me on my toes almost the entire way through! “Black Sea” comes 20 years prior to “Control,” the first book in this series. To be honest, I hated Cy the entire way through the book. That man is something else. Heyden on the other hand, yes please! I was mad when Cy just didn’t give a crap what Heyden has done for him, and “set him free from.” Like how ungrateful can you be?! My heart felt a bit shattered about Effie, due to her past and what people are still putting her through. (Probably because it’s some of what I went through with bullying 🙄 some people just suck). Between the banter, the instalove, and the dark pasts, this one you just can’t put down! (I feel I say that a lot, but seriously, a lot of books I’ve read, I just can not for the life of me put it down!). I’m excited to see how this plays more into the series!

⚠️ Content/Trigger Warnings ⚠️

*Bullying

*Vi0lence

*SA (brief mention)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault