mooncricketjp's review against another edition
5.0
Tore me up!
I don’t often read dark romance but I made an exception because I love Anne Malcolm. I’m so glad I did. Holy sh!t. I think I slowly died with these characters. And there’s no coming back from that death.
I don’t often read dark romance but I made an exception because I love Anne Malcolm. I’m so glad I did. Holy sh!t. I think I slowly died with these characters. And there’s no coming back from that death.
bethkayreading's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~So this book was all kinds of awesome. I am purposely going to leave this review a little vague as I think this book is best gone into blindly. Plus, I also don't want to give too many details away that could spoil anyone's reading experience. The writing in this one was AMAZING. Seriously, it was just exquisite and intelligent. It was very well paced. The plot was incredibly engaging, original, and well crafted. There were twists and turns. It was told through a dual POV format. I wouldn't say that this one was overly dark in its nature. But I read some pretty dark stuff, so do take that into account when you are deciding whether to give this one a read or not. Last, it was all wrapped up in a satisfactory ending that left "ME" feeling like maybe this couple had more story to come <-- a girl can hope!
~HERO~
HIM/OLIVER/LUKYAN...Oh, how I loved this guy. He wasn't sweet. He wasn't kind. He was a stone-cold killer, and he loved every minute of it. I fell in love with him. His character was just so well developed and multi-faceted. A textbook example of how to write an anti-hero.
~HEROINE~
ELIZABETH...I think I loved Elizabeth even MORE than I loved Lukyan. Her character was also so well crafted and multi-layered. The growth her character goes through over the course of the book was amazing to read. Your heart will shatter for her. You'll be cheering her on as she puts the pieces of her broken soul back together.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There really weren't many secondary characters in this one. A couple that plays significant, but small parts. This is a main character-centered book.
~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium. The sex scenes in this one were suitably spicy. Some knife play. Some blood. Nothing too over the top though, and the frequency felt organic to the story. This couple also had amazing on page chemistry.
~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
Medium. I didn't find this one particularly angsty relationship wise. Elizabeth has a lot of issues to deal with and well, Lukyan kills people...so (lol). There was no OW drama. The next part is a spoiler so DO NOT click on it if you don't want to be spoiled capiche?
Spoiler
Lukyan is married. He has slept with his wife in the past, but she is his father's courtesan now (and seems to have been for a while) and Lukyan has NO feelings for her AT ALL.~IN THE END~
It was amazing. The writing was phenomenal. The plot was highly entertaining and original. The characters were well developed and intriguing. The sex was hot. What more can you as for? Yours truly is HIGHLY recommending this one and in fact, this may be my favorite read so far this year.
rellwood74's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the book, hated the ending. Felt like it was a cliffhanger, but the book doesn't seem to have a sequel. Make of it what you will.
suey_library's review against another edition
5.0
***Received an Advanced Readers Copy for a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review***
Well tickle me silly comrades... this book - seriously Birds of Paradise was one of the most intense reads I have had the pleasure of diving into, and I promise you I have some top emotional reads of this year that are piling up my favorites.
What I liked most was definitely the slow build of plot, the web of twists and turns of each dynamic was beyond intriguing. There are multiple things in play with the dynamics of the characters, Lukyan and Elizabeth. One really intriguing aspect is how the romance goes from this Stockholm to this Hybristophilia, or Bonnie and Clyde, Syndrome. I don't want to give away too much before I start spoiling the plot, but it is a web of emotions.
So why does this odd dynamic happen and become this intense bubble of amazeballs? Easy...
Elizabeth is damaged goods. Emotionally, mentally and physically. I empathize and sympathize with her on such a massive level. She is such a beautiful character. After being in such a traumatic marriage that broke her to the core, then such a gut wrenching event that left her dark and yet so beautifully broken. Lukyan on the other hand is this dark, mysterious man that I wanted to dive in. He was secretive, powerful and he was just as broken and dark as Elizabeth.
Their chemistry was a slow build. It was slow and it was powerful. I keep saying this because their connection was just incredibly emotional. It was bad, it was a wreck, it was toxic but then there was sweet moments. Lukyan was the anti-hero who fixed the un-fixable. They really melded into one another which is what made the romance such an amazing build. That is what this romance was in a nutshell. Flawlessly perfect.
Bottom line, pick this up! If you like complicated, catastrophically emotional reads that are heart pounding and I do mean a read that clenches your throat as the whirlwind of a plot unwinds this is up your alley. Just phenomenal. The combination of personalities between Elizabeth and Lukyan plus their chemistry was just breath taking. I loved every minute of this read because I devoured it - I need more. More of this author, more of this writing style.
Well tickle me silly comrades... this book - seriously Birds of Paradise was one of the most intense reads I have had the pleasure of diving into, and I promise you I have some top emotional reads of this year that are piling up my favorites.
What I liked most was definitely the slow build of plot, the web of twists and turns of each dynamic was beyond intriguing. There are multiple things in play with the dynamics of the characters, Lukyan and Elizabeth. One really intriguing aspect is how the romance goes from this Stockholm to this Hybristophilia, or Bonnie and Clyde, Syndrome. I don't want to give away too much before I start spoiling the plot, but it is a web of emotions.
So why does this odd dynamic happen and become this intense bubble of amazeballs? Easy...
Elizabeth is damaged goods. Emotionally, mentally and physically. I empathize and sympathize with her on such a massive level. She is such a beautiful character. After being in such a traumatic marriage that broke her to the core, then such a gut wrenching event that left her dark and yet so beautifully broken. Lukyan on the other hand is this dark, mysterious man that I wanted to dive in. He was secretive, powerful and he was just as broken and dark as Elizabeth.
Their chemistry was a slow build. It was slow and it was powerful. I keep saying this because their connection was just incredibly emotional. It was bad, it was a wreck, it was toxic but then there was sweet moments. Lukyan was the anti-hero who fixed the un-fixable. They really melded into one another which is what made the romance such an amazing build. That is what this romance was in a nutshell. Flawlessly perfect.
Bottom line, pick this up! If you like complicated, catastrophically emotional reads that are heart pounding and I do mean a read that clenches your throat as the whirlwind of a plot unwinds this is up your alley. Just phenomenal. The combination of personalities between Elizabeth and Lukyan plus their chemistry was just breath taking. I loved every minute of this read because I devoured it - I need more. More of this author, more of this writing style.
stephaniek219's review against another edition
5.0
When an author gives you a Hero who is anything but a Hero, and a wounded broken heroine, you'd expect to not like them. How could they have a story worth reading, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. The most unlikely Hero, the broken but survivor of a heroine captured me. Totally and completely captured me.
Birds of Paradise is poetic. And even though this is completely different than anything Anne has written before, her style shows through exquisitely. The imagery, the brutality, the emotion... and ultimately the hope and the love.
Birds of Paradise is poetic. And even though this is completely different than anything Anne has written before, her style shows through exquisitely. The imagery, the brutality, the emotion... and ultimately the hope and the love.
talonvictoria's review against another edition
2.0
"Life was my penance, my sentence. The price I was paying. And I deserved to live through every second of misery. I needed more of it to pay for my sins."
Okay, so- this book was not terrible. It truly wasn't. I actually read it all in one day. The cover is stunningly beautiful and I highlighted so many powerful lines all through out the book. Like- a lot a lot. So, what gives?
THE PLOT. That's what gives. Meaning, where was the plot? And if you can locate the plot, can you please tell me what it is? I cannot for the life of me figure it out and that is a huge pet peeve of mine. Will the real plot please stand up?
In all seriousness and lack of plot aside, the read was good. Elizabeth is a dark character but I feel like we never really got to explore that darkness any further because all we get is a couple of flashbacks here and there. I think within the entire book there was three or four flashbacks. That just wasn't enough in my honest opinion. I feel like with this type of story, the readers should have been able to see the past and her life with Christopher a little more than we actually did. Once we got those flashbacks, I feel like we could really determine what the author meant for this plot to be and the kind of woman the author wanted Elizabeth to wind up being.
"You chose life for me. And that's about as permanent as death right now, and for the foreseeable future."
I wish I could say that I saw Elizabeth's growth as a character but she was very two dimensional to me. As time goes by we see her still stuck in the same place, only now we know she is sparring and apparently shooting guns in her free time but yet, we never see that part. It's just like all of the sudden she's a trained assassin. She's also in love? Before we even know anything about this guy? Does she know something we as readers don't know? Very unbelievable to me, unfortunately.
This was my first book by this author so I didn't really have anything to compare it to. The writing was dark and eerie and the imagery and setting of the story was vibrant and very visual thanks to said writing. The ease of the writing also helped create such a dynamic world but unfortunately I kept wanting more. I wanted more for the characters and I wanted for the story line. A book with fantastic writing and no plot or story line is just...meh.
Okay, so- this book was not terrible. It truly wasn't. I actually read it all in one day. The cover is stunningly beautiful and I highlighted so many powerful lines all through out the book. Like- a lot a lot. So, what gives?
THE PLOT. That's what gives. Meaning, where was the plot? And if you can locate the plot, can you please tell me what it is? I cannot for the life of me figure it out and that is a huge pet peeve of mine. Will the real plot please stand up?
In all seriousness and lack of plot aside, the read was good. Elizabeth is a dark character but I feel like we never really got to explore that darkness any further because all we get is a couple of flashbacks here and there. I think within the entire book there was three or four flashbacks. That just wasn't enough in my honest opinion. I feel like with this type of story, the readers should have been able to see the past and her life with Christopher a little more than we actually did. Once we got those flashbacks, I feel like we could really determine what the author meant for this plot to be and the kind of woman the author wanted Elizabeth to wind up being.
"You chose life for me. And that's about as permanent as death right now, and for the foreseeable future."
I wish I could say that I saw Elizabeth's growth as a character but she was very two dimensional to me. As time goes by we see her still stuck in the same place, only now we know she is sparring and apparently shooting guns in her free time but yet, we never see that part. It's just like all of the sudden she's a trained assassin. She's also in love? Before we even know anything about this guy? Does she know something we as readers don't know? Very unbelievable to me, unfortunately.
This was my first book by this author so I didn't really have anything to compare it to. The writing was dark and eerie and the imagery and setting of the story was vibrant and very visual thanks to said writing. The ease of the writing also helped create such a dynamic world but unfortunately I kept wanting more. I wanted more for the characters and I wanted for the story line. A book with fantastic writing and no plot or story line is just...meh.
picky_book_b1tch's review against another edition
3.0
I'm going to be in the minority with this book. With all the rave reviews, I have to wonder if we all read the same book or if I'm just really abnormal in my tastes. Obviously, I missed something that the other readers got.
I was drawn in by the synopsis, the rave reviews and the gorgeous cover. So, by all accounts, I should have loved this book and I will give credit where credit is due. The writing--the way the words are put together, is gorgeous, thought provoking and at times, very compelling. I highlighted many passages. So I can fault the writing in that respect.
But......
The story it's self is lacking. The pace is painfully slow. The plot is unclear and the characters are flat. The male MC had the most potential but the air of mystery he was cloaked in, kept him out of reach and the female MC's internal monologue (which takes up most of the book) is meandering, repetitive and depressing. I'm normally a reader that finds my happy place inside a character's mind, so for me to hate being there, was very telling on how the book was going to go for me.
This story didn't live up to the beauty of the words.
I was drawn in by the synopsis, the rave reviews and the gorgeous cover. So, by all accounts, I should have loved this book and I will give credit where credit is due. The writing--the way the words are put together, is gorgeous, thought provoking and at times, very compelling. I highlighted many passages. So I can fault the writing in that respect.
But......
The story it's self is lacking. The pace is painfully slow. The plot is unclear and the characters are flat. The male MC had the most potential but the air of mystery he was cloaked in, kept him out of reach and the female MC's internal monologue (which takes up most of the book) is meandering, repetitive and depressing. I'm normally a reader that finds my happy place inside a character's mind, so for me to hate being there, was very telling on how the book was going to go for me.
This story didn't live up to the beauty of the words.