Reviews with content warning for Violence - Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

51 reviews

intensej's review against another edition

5.0

This book was pure trash (in a good way), and I loved every second of it. The smut in this book was absolutely filthy. It's basically erotica with fantasy worldbuilding. Calista has this ability to sense the thoughts and emotions of others. She can also use her intuition to see future events. After escaping a dangerous childhood in an orphanage, she and her foster brother Grady now serve on Baron Claude's court. Calista is part of Claude's harem, and he uses her abilities for political gain. Calista's powers keep drawing her to Thorne, and she

realizes that he is the same Hyhborn (I know the spelling is annoying, but you get used to it) that she met when she was a young girl who protected her

. Calista learns that Thorne

is actually the dangerous Prince of Vytrus

, and he wants her to serve as his companion while he stays at Claude's court. Calista's plans to live a safe life is disrupted by the arrival of Thorne and a rebellion that threatens to spill into Claude's territory.

Although this series is not explicitly linked to the world of From Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire, I believe that Thorne is one of the Ancients described in Armentrout's other series. Calista's abilities reminded me of Meg Corbyn's powers in Anne Bishop's The Others series. Thorne's inability to understand humans and feel emotions reminded me of the horsemen in Laura Thalassa's books. The world that Armentrout has created is extremely sexual, and the Hyhborn apparently feed on pleasure? Also, Thorne's origin story is that he was simply created and grew underneath a tree? Things got a little fuzzy...I tended to skim over the details of how the Hyhborn came into power and the significance of starborn, but I was fully invested in Calista and Thorne's relationship. I was super bummed to learn that the sequel (if there is going to be a sequel) is not out yet, so be prepared to wait a bit for the next book.

Content: sexual content, violence, death, questionable consent in sexual scenes (Calista's role as part of Claude's harem was icky, especially when he sent her to spy on Thorne), gore

Content Warnings

etymoye's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

Fall of Ruin & Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

1st in the Awakening series

★★★★★

Genres: Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Paranormal / Supernatural

Tropes: Age Gap,

Fated Mates,

Forced Proximity, Possessive Hero, Magic

Moods: Adventurous, Dark, Mysterious

Ugh, the double-edged sword of book hangovers. I loved this book, but I wish I’d realized that not only is the next book not out yet, the author currently has two other series she’s writing that she wants to finish before releasing book 2. As much as I loved this book, if I’d realized that, I’d have waited, because this is a plot-heavy book, and God knows I’m going to forget everything that happened by the time book 2 rolls around.

All that being said, I was surprised how much I liked this book. Armentrout’s writing is very hit or miss for me. I’m not sure why, but the quality of her writing really fluctuates from book to book. Maybe it has to do with editing?

I was really impressed by the characterization in this book. Nobody is a stereotype even when you can see how easy it would have been to make them one. Lis’s childhood friend, Grady, is a friend to her, like a brother, and not a romantic rival for Thorne. Claude, the baron whose protection Lis is under, is a weak and selfish person, but he also genuinely cares about Lis and his other “paramours” as he calls them. The characters in this book are a breath of fresh air, and I can’t wait to get to know Thorne’s friends better. We didn’t see them much, but when we did, they were a hoot.

Safety Stats:

Ages:

Lis is 22, Thorn is basically some ancient god-like creature. So he’s somewhere in the hundreds of years old though his exact age isn’t stated.

Cheating:

None.

Other Man/Other Woman:

There are 2 scenes where Lis, our heroine, is involved in some sexual activity with OW & OM on page. She doesn’t have romantic feelings for either, but casual sexual activity is part of the household where she lives under the Baron’s protection.

Separation:

Lis is separated from Thorne in the 3rd act and basically kidnapped. Cliffhanger.

Triggers:

Graphic descriptions of violence and death.

HEA/HFN?:

Cliffhanger, first book in a series.

Content Warnings

faemh's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

2.75

she may have finally got an editor but the plot was as non existent as the chemistry between thorne and lis

Content Warnings

straybutterfly's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

klaudiao's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

carsons1996's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

This was yet another great launching point for a wonderful new Jennifer Armentrout series. Great suspense and tension and just an overall good style of writing. It follows a similar blueprint to her other series, but I literally do not care because it's just such a unique and interesting take on all the typical fantasy tropes.

Content Warnings

muffin_mouse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

ari_wolffs's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

itmakessenseincontext's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

2.0

This is just a disappointing book tbh. If you are here for smut sure its fine, but if you are here for plot or character development look somehere else. Could not tell you a single thing about the MMC other than he had magic aphrodesiac sperm that undermines the frequent conversations about consent.

Content Warnings

jaedee09's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I couldn’t put this story down, but I also couldn’t quite give it 4 stars. I wish the plot had fleshed itself out a little more, and I also wish our FMC had more insight and wasn’t so oblivious. Felt like the ending was rushed, and though I appreciate a good cliffhanger, our questions were left with only half answers. I do love the way JLA writes romance and spice! It was *hot* and I appreciated the dynamic between the FMC and the side characters.

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