Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - NEVERMORE

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

NEVERMORE by Shanen Ricci

2 reviews

bookboyfriend4life's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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bribreez's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4⭐️/ 3🌶️

Imagine you were someone’s muse, their inspiration for their music, story, or maybe even for a piece of their artwork, sounds pretty cool right? Umm no. Apparently for Aurore it was the worst thing to happen to her because, one moment of her experiencing the worst day of her life, and suddenly the notoriously famous secret artist known as, Spectre as used her as the inspiration for his most famous artwork called, “The Sad Girl”. Yeah Aurore didn’t like that at all, so she did what she felt was necessary for her… she wrote an angry worded message to Spectre, and let him know EXACTLY how she felt. Suffice it to say Aurore didn’t hold back against Spectre, but then next then she knows… Spectre replied back to her message… uh oh. This story centered around a romance author lacking the inspiration to write her novel, a mysterious artist who found his muse, grumpy/sunshine, and a slow burn romance to keep us on our toes throughout the book! So many fun filled and interesting tropes and a unique take on fairy tales, Shanen took me on a journey I was more than gladly ready to dive into.

Aurore may have been a romance author, but she wasn’t exactly feeling all the love for her novel nor in her real life. I found it kind of funny and ironic that being a romance author, you’d think Aurore would embody all things of being a hopeless romantic, but due to her struggles in life, it harden her and she found being the “villain” a safer option to protect herself and especially those closest to her. I found Aurore to be fascinating and I loved her sarcasm, sass, and at times no filter personality. Aurore was constantly trying to find ways to inspire her, but it seemed like nothing was working for her until she met, Ajax.

Yup, just like his namesake, Ajax looked like a Greek God all muscular, handsome, and also broody/grumpy. Ajax didn’t do or say anything unless he wanted to, and it just so happened that Ajax wanted to talk and spend time with Aurore whenever he could. The grumpy man trope was in full effect with Ajax being generally grumpy at all times, but seemed to open up and soften around Aurore. Ajax seemed to have his own inner demons to deal with so, early on it was a question of, “what was Ajax hiding behind his impenetrable walls?”

Once Aurore and Spectre (a.k.a. Ajax) found themselves in agreement to work together for the sake of Spectre’s newest artwork that needed to be completed, Aurore was determined to mess with him at all costs, and make him regret choosing her as his muse. First off, kind of surprised that Ajax was actually Spectre like uh oh, but also it added it but more of who he really was behind his artist persona. Aurore definitely wasn’t happy when she found out that Ajax, the man she briefly met and revealed some vulnerabilities about herself was actually the artist who used her as inspiration for his work. Aurore and Ajax were at odds with one another with them being so different from each other, they sometimes clashed or in most cases, Aurore and Ajax would go back and forth in a battle of wits shall we say.

From there, it was a whole lot of snarky banter between Aurore and Ajax and despite Aurore trying to push Ajax’s button’s, he didn’t back down and went toe to toe with her. I actually really enjoyed the banter between the two and often times had me laughing especially with the way that sometimes Aurore would say something and yet Ajax would bounce back like nothing. In a way, it seemed like Aurore even became a little bit of a grump when she was around Ajax since, her normal disposition was being somewhat nice with her added sarcasm and sassy attitude. Aurore was once a super sunshine character that believed in true love, anything that over come obstacles as long as you believe, etc. Now Aurore had experienced some hardships namely with her family so, she was less inclined to believe the best in people and wasn’t quick to trust others like she once did.

Now, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I love the jealousy trope, but it must be written in a way that doesn’t come off as arrogant or basically written in a bad way. So, imagine my surprise when Ajax is at the same ball that Aurore was attending, and saw her on stage as part of the date auction?! OMG OMG I WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY LAUGHING AND GIDDY WITH THE WAY AJAX GOT OVER TRYING TO MAKE SURE NO ONE ELSE GOT A DATE WITH AURORE! And much to Aurore’s displeasure, she ended up with Ajax winning her for the auction! Haha he might have said he doesn’t get jealous, but I knew with all the ways he was acting he DEFINITELY WAS!

The illustrations in this book were a lovely touch to the story, and also a job well done bringing to life certain moments of Aurore and Ajax. This story really focused on the different elements of a fairy tale, but putting a unique twist on it, and with the illustrations it was so much more endearing to see and feel like I was being immersed in the scenes. I was able to see the characters and again it was great! I feel like the illustrations also conveyed the romance from the gazebo scene to Ajax and Aurore dancing at the ball, and seeing them dress up for the story time at the hospital, those little details really did highlight the romantic moments as well as the deeper meaning of the story which I really appreciated.

I have always loved fairytales since I was a little girl. I use to be absolutely obsessed with them and wished for my very own Prince Charming, and to ride off into the sunset, but over the course of years and growing up, I’ve learned that fairy tales aren’t always traditional and that’s ok. Shanen did a fantastic job weaving together Aurore and Ajax’s story. From the hardships, inner struggles, and the challenges they each faced, they ultimately were able to achieve their dreams, and get their happily ever after together. I really loved the idea of Aurore taking her life into her hands, and setting out to make herself the main character of her life as we all should! This story had many layers to it that spoke to the story of Aurore and Ajax. With this story having a unique twist to fairytales, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I truly did enjoy it (I knew I was going to love it regardless), and then with the spice! GIRL! There was some spice that wasn’t too much, but just right to hit the sweet spot. In other words, also be prepared to fall in love with Ajax being a protective, sometimes jealous man over Aurore, also him being very much vocal when things got steamy between them! WOO! I loved the way this book ended, and then with the epilogue! (Sigh) wish I could live in a manor like the one they bought! This story was filled with so many amazing moments from Aurore regaining her inspiration, the ability to trust others, and being open to the possibility of falling in love. Ajax also had the chance to finally experience love, but also learn about emotions, the people around him, and finally take risks instead of staying focused on his strict routine. To all my fairytale lovers, I think you’ll love the meaning behind this story and enjoy the journey that Shanen created.

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