Reviews tagging 'War'

A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

14 reviews

whatkatyread87's review against another edition

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

3.0

This could’ve been an email

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yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I struggled with this. Persephone made a lot of selfish and questionable choices and it was just difficult to get through. She was also extremely jealous to the point it was kind of annoying. I also feel like she expected all of Hades’ thousand year history but it would take time to get into all of that. The side characters are so great though I love them.

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mriaberio's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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bentlerl's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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rchulin1's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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savage_book_review's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Persephone and Hades' relationship is now public knowledge, but her Divine existence remains hidden. Living in a lust-fuelled haze, can the Goddess of Spring reconcile her desire for the Lord of the Underworld with her dreams of a 'normal' life? And what happens when the Gods choose not to smile upon those she loves?

While I did enjoy the story of this one, I found there to be a lot points to unpack, none of which went into sufficient depth to have a real impact on me. The strongest thread of all is clearly the relationship between Hades and Persephone, but as with the last book there is a lot of bouncing between extremes of mood, miscommunication and a whole lot of bedroom shenanigans! The trouble is, after a while this does start to detract from the story. At one point Hades compares himself to a horny teenager, and I'd have to agree; everything seems to stir his loins! It's not badly written, but equally it does get a bit gratuitous and it ends up just not being as spicy as it should be for the sheer volume that there is. 

I think it's a shame that the stories of Leuce, Lexa and Sybil were all shoehorned into one book. They all feel a bit rushed, as do other plot points. When the resolutions come, they all happen very quickly and we just move on with the story. In this format it feels quite formulaic, and I wonder whether it might have been better to extend the series and have focused on one friend per book, or stretched the tension out over multiple books so that there could be more character and story development. 

Apollo is probably the biggest let down for me - from an a-hole to an ally in essentially one conversation, I felt this completely let down the incredibly good rivalry and potential future threat that the author was building in. 

That being said, I do like Persephone's gradual acceptance of her role as Queen of the Underworld, and her slow discovery of some of Hades' secrets and his life before her. And Hades is just a babe - he might be awful at communicating and have no idea how to be in a co-dependent relationship, but it's the mix of his 'touch her and die' attitude with his 'I'm so in love I can't think straight' vulnerability that makes him the most well rounded and fleshed out character of the series. 

Looking forward to Hades' POV on this one!

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wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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hi_im_tate's review against another edition

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funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had to deduct a star because *fuck* Persephone is so much like a college freshman. You can tell this is her first relationship. But that's what makes it so juicy. 

There is just so much to this book that I wouldn't have expected. Everything with Apollo (almost cried during his scene with his lover), meeting Leuce and learning more about her, the abduction, the proposal (s), the ending. It all intertwined beautifully for me. There were several times when I had to pull away from this book because it was just *so god damn good*. The love and passion Hades and Persephone share really, really touches my heart.

The author's note mentions learning more about Hades' life in the Upperworld and what he does. I am very excited for this because I just want to slurp up every piece of lore I can get about Hades. He loves so beautifully and fiercely, and I *need* to know what makes him tick.

There are some very prominent characters we have yet to meet. Where does Zeus stand in all of this? Poseidon? What's going on with Aphrodite? So many questions, so few answers.

Please make sure to read content warnings for this book. It'll make it easier.

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majormnkey's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

3.25

Unlike many others, it seems, I like this book better than the previous (A Touch of Darkness). 
It explores more of the main character and other characters beside the love interest, although maybe in a slightly chaotic way. Persephone’s is still whiny and frankly annoying though, and she hardly learns from her mistakes. 

Some parts were spicy when there was more need for proper conversation and exploration of each others feelings. 
Also some relationships with the characters did a 180 degree spin without proper incentive. One day they felt this way, the next they felt the total opposite. But overall I liked where they went with the story. 

The only thing that felt really off was one of the spicy scenes in the latter half of the book where a momentous event had taken place and they STILL chose to do a spicy scene almost immediately after, WHILE having a conversation about that specific event. It pulled my mind out of the book, because it felt disrespectful and like the opposite of what the main character would do in that situation.

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flaminghotchertos's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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