Scan barcode
cheddartreets's review
5.0
Riveting, Gritty, and Surprisingly Wholesome
This book is so intense, it took me a little longer to read than I thought it would. First and foremost, the depth of the characters and their emotions was captivating. The way they struggled with themselves and with changing circumstances was awesome. I LOVE a round villain. He was so pitiful and small but vicious. I felt so many feelings for him. I was right there with Seth as he worked through Grace’s passing and discovered humanity’s intrinsic value for the first time ever. I was scared and even somewhat confused (in a good way) alongside Drew as he fought through his mental illness. Second, the descriptions of art throughout, and even things that weren’t art but were made to feel like art, were glorious. The horror of the truth behind the mysteries in this book was truly horrible in the best most eerie way possible. The only negative thing that mattered to me was that I didn’t know it was a HFN ending. But honestly the way that whole thing was written was twisty good. *spoilers ahead*
I don’t think I’ve ever read a vampire/human romance where the human doesn’t get turned by the end, and I kind of love that Seth saved Drew’s humanity and honored that wish despite now knowing how painful the grief would be when Drew dies. And I love Tiffany for talking some sense into Seth in his darkest hour. I look forward to seeing little peeks of Seth and Drew in future books. This was a delightfully (romantically) horrific experience! Heed the trigger warnings, but I very much recommend reading Crimson Halo!
This book is so intense, it took me a little longer to read than I thought it would. First and foremost, the depth of the characters and their emotions was captivating. The way they struggled with themselves and with changing circumstances was awesome. I LOVE a round villain. He was so pitiful and small but vicious. I felt so many feelings for him. I was right there with Seth as he worked through Grace’s passing and discovered humanity’s intrinsic value for the first time ever. I was scared and even somewhat confused (in a good way) alongside Drew as he fought through his mental illness. Second, the descriptions of art throughout, and even things that weren’t art but were made to feel like art, were glorious. The horror of the truth behind the mysteries in this book was truly horrible in the best most eerie way possible. The only negative thing that mattered to me was that I didn’t know it was a HFN ending. But honestly the way that whole thing was written was twisty good. *spoilers ahead*
I don’t think I’ve ever read a vampire/human romance where the human doesn’t get turned by the end, and I kind of love that Seth saved Drew’s humanity and honored that wish despite now knowing how painful the grief would be when Drew dies. And I love Tiffany for talking some sense into Seth in his darkest hour. I look forward to seeing little peeks of Seth and Drew in future books. This was a delightfully (romantically) horrific experience! Heed the trigger warnings, but I very much recommend reading Crimson Halo!
hellishlyawkward's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Such a strange story!
The author writes so beautifully I would read anything he’s written, but I couldn’t help feeling sad at the end of this story.
I liked Seth more when he was away from Drew than when they were together. His naïveté was sweet and hilarious and I could have read about his reactions to modern life alone for hours, but did find his blankness around Drew made me feel cold towards him. His love didn’t feel like the love humans have for each other - which makes perfect sense as he hasn’t been human for a long time, but my soft romantic heart was left wishing for the usual emotions/reactions to be expressed.
The turns the story took were unexpected and odd. It started out so light and funny and ended with quite a grim feeling despite Seth and Drew getting a HEA of sorts. Sad hangover from this, hope the author's other books are…easier?
The author writes so beautifully I would read anything he’s written, but I couldn’t help feeling sad at the end of this story.
I liked Seth more when he was away from Drew than when they were together. His naïveté was sweet and hilarious and I could have read about his reactions to modern life alone for hours, but did find his blankness around Drew made me feel cold towards him. His love didn’t feel like the love humans have for each other - which makes perfect sense as he hasn’t been human for a long time, but my soft romantic heart was left wishing for the usual emotions/reactions to be expressed.
The turns the story took were unexpected and odd. It started out so light and funny and ended with quite a grim feeling despite Seth and Drew getting a HEA of sorts. Sad hangover from this, hope the author's other books are…easier?
gatun's review
5.0
Crimsom Halo was an enjoyable book. I enjoyed the fact that the Paranormal world was hidden from normal people. That extra pressure of secrecy adds something to the story. As someone who has my own demons, I truly appreciate how right Daniel May got the character of drew. Seth was adorable. Seth was awkward. And just like my daughter at a young age, Seth bit. He was a very fascinating vampire. I also enjoyed the side characters. I would like to see more from Seth and Drew and possibly Bruce and Francisco. A great book for the season.
angisnowflake's review
Not my first book by the author and I was looking forward to this but somehow the writing wasn’t working for me this time. Maybe I will give this another try someday.
n0s4a2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
5.0
k_gauna's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Definitely a different kind of vampire story and very refreshing. Actually felt sorry for Blonde and there were a few times I shed a few tears for Seth and Drew.
error_'s review against another edition
4.0
This book was honestly incredible. The writing was so metaphorical, compelling and vivid and hauntingly beautiful, it was what drew me in and made me continue reading. The romance was interesting - a vampire struggling to find meaning after living for thousands of years, and an artist, brilliant in his talent yet battling a sever mental illness. I almost gave a five star but bumped down a star because
- the instalove (and the lube-less sex)
- the killer was obvious from the start
- Grace's history with Seth could have been explored more to further amplify her importance to Seth
- the atmosphere switched from 'dark and terrifying' to 'sweet and romantic' very quickly in some scenes and it was rather jarring
- the MC's backstories were quite vague (and Seth's history was important to the development of his character especially but it wasn't mentioned much except to show how many years he lived more than other people)
also personally I wanted an epilogue because I wanted to see how the dynamics changed in Seth's household (since after
pulpfan's review against another edition
I struggled to finish this one, and started and stopped several times before formally DNFing. There are interesting things here, but ultimately the story felt disjointed and tonally inconsistent. There are a handful of secondary characters that sort of blur together and don't really contribute to the story or offer much of interest. The sex scene was confusingly written and I actually had to reread it to understand what was going on. I liked Blondie and Drew, and I liked some of the things May did with Seth, but Seth didn't feel consistent or interesting to me. This one is very much a YMMV. It seems to be intentionally written to go against the grain, but ultimately it's a miss for me. I like the second book in the series a lot better, and I'm glad I read it first.