katbenimble's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I do not even know where to begin with this š it was so bad.Ā The plot holes are big enough for Tricksy to ride through.Ā The graphic violence was almost too much for me. The MCs are both idiots. The spice started like...75% through the book. The end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Torture, Stalking, Medical content, Gore, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual content
lacrimaeignis's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-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
I've always held a certain fascination for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse so when I heard about this series, I knew I would have to eventually read them (especially when I heard that Death, book 4, is being represented by Thanatos, the name of the greek god of death, whom I've always held an unexplainable but particular fondness for). I wasn't sure what to expect going in but this book definitely wastes no time in throwing you into the Apocalypse. This novel is graphic in detail at times and definitely not for the faint of heart or those who can't stomach violence or gore.
The book brought up many interesting points on the concept of religion/faith and why the Apocalypse was happening. It was very interesting to see Pestilence as a character and how he adapted and changed throughout the novel. The Female Lead, Sara, felt very realistic in how she dealt with what she was going through, especially as a young woman in her 20s.Ā However she does come across as annoying at times, especially with some of her side comments that serve no purpose and ended up throwing me out of the story, and she fell flat towards the end of the novel. Because of her I almost DNF'd with only 20 pages left (although my interest was waning around page 200).
The book was also very repetitive at times and therefore, very predictable. Many of the chapters/events just felt too similar to each other but because most of the chapters were short, it was easy to get through them.
The only reason I continued the book was because I was so close to the end and also because I do plan on reading the rest of the series. I gave the book 4 stars because I did like the concept and I really liked Pestilence and it also kept me intrigued enough to want to continue the series.
The book brought up many interesting points on the concept of religion/faith and why the Apocalypse was happening. It was very interesting to see Pestilence as a character and how he adapted and changed throughout the novel. The Female Lead, Sara, felt very realistic in how she dealt with what she was going through, especially as a young woman in her 20s.Ā However she does come across as annoying at times, especially with some of her side comments that serve no purpose and ended up throwing me out of the story, and she fell flat towards the end of the novel. Because of her I almost DNF'd with only 20 pages left (although my interest was waning around page 200).
The book was also very repetitive at times and therefore, very predictable. Many of the chapters/events just felt too similar to each other but because most of the chapters were short, it was easy to get through them.
The only reason I continued the book was because I was so close to the end and also because I do plan on reading the rest of the series. I gave the book 4 stars because I did like the concept and I really liked Pestilence and it also kept me intrigued enough to want to continue the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Genocide, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
brindlecat's review
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
kat1105's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
the_bookworm_rabbit's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was really disappointed with this book. The initial premise was so interesting, and I was so excited to see how the romance was going to play out, but instead, I found myself literally shouting my disgust at my Kindle.Ā
Sara, at least at a couple of points in the story,Ā seems like a badass firefighter with her head screwed on right. Unfortunately, that is not the case as she seems to be content with forgiving Pestilence for abusing her in some of the worst ways possible just because he's attractive.Ā
As someone who enjoys a dark romance, I have found that there's a fine line between having a love interest whom you can understand the protagonist falling for, and someone who is basically unredeemable. The mental and physical abuse Sara is put through is vile, yet somehow she still falls for Pestilence just because he shows a few moments of regret (which is a common abuse strategy).
This was not the book for me.Ā
Sara, at least at a couple of points in the story,Ā seems like a badass firefighter with her head screwed on right. Unfortunately, that is not the case as she seems to be content with forgiving Pestilence for abusing her in some of the worst ways possible just because he's attractive.Ā
As someone who enjoys a dark romance, I have found that there's a fine line between having a love interest whom you can understand the protagonist falling for, and someone who is basically unredeemable. The mental and physical abuse Sara is put through is vile, yet somehow she still falls for Pestilence just because he shows a few moments of regret (which is a common abuse strategy).
This was not the book for me.Ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
bookedupchick's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
āWhen you ignore me, I burn with restlessness; it feels as though the sun has turned its back on the world. And when you smile at meāwhen you gaze at me like you can see my soulāI feel ā¦ I feel like I am lit on fire, like you have been called by God to raze my world.ā š¤š¤š¤
Sara is a firefighter who drew the short straw and was sent on a mission ā to kill the horseman. Pestilence is an immortal horseman sent by god to infect the human race with the plague. When their worlds collide and turn upside down, what they thought was their purpose completely changesā¦š¤“š
I thought it was interesting, but I was enamored by it. The spice was okay, but not really what I was thinking. š¤·š¼āāļø
š¦ Post ApocalypticĀ
āļø Enemies To LoversĀ
š āI was sent to kill youā Vibes
š¹ Beauty & the Beast Vibes
š„ Forced ProximityĀ
š® RomantasyĀ
āļøāļøāļø.5/5
š¶ļøš¶ļø/5
Sara is a firefighter who drew the short straw and was sent on a mission ā to kill the horseman. Pestilence is an immortal horseman sent by god to infect the human race with the plague. When their worlds collide and turn upside down, what they thought was their purpose completely changesā¦š¤“š
I thought it was interesting, but I was enamored by it. The spice was okay, but not really what I was thinking. š¤·š¼āāļø
š¦ Post ApocalypticĀ
āļø Enemies To LoversĀ
š āI was sent to kill youā Vibes
š¹ Beauty & the Beast Vibes
š„ Forced ProximityĀ
š® RomantasyĀ
āļøāļøāļø.5/5
š¶ļøš¶ļø/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Gore, Torture, Sexual content, Gun violence, Child death, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, Cursing, Alcohol, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
bangiebangs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh this book was something else...Ā
You get dropped into the story, and the first third of the book is savage - not to spoil, but it's not easy to like either of the characters then. Understand their motivation? Yes. But not like.Ā
I really enjoyed the setup here, and also the twists that really went against what I was expecting the story to be. Yes, tropes and the ending are as expected, but how we get there was particularly enjoyable here. I also liked the pacing (even if at times it went slower than others), but this worked well for me.Ā
I've since read the second book and am on the third, and I love that (so far) the journey is always different, and there is some food for thought in there as well (humanity and how we treat each other).Ā
Slight warning to heed the CNs, because this is brutal at times.Ā
You get dropped into the story, and the first third of the book is savage - not to spoil, but it's not easy to like either of the characters then. Understand their motivation? Yes. But not like.Ā
I really enjoyed the setup here, and also the twists that really went against what I was expecting the story to be. Yes, tropes and the ending are as expected, but how we get there was particularly enjoyable here. I also liked the pacing (even if at times it went slower than others), but this worked well for me.Ā
I've since read the second book and am on the third, and I love that (so far) the journey is always different, and there is some food for thought in there as well (humanity and how we treat each other).Ā
Slight warning to heed the CNs, because this is brutal at times.Ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Child death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death
whitney427's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child death, Violence, Death, Body horror, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Torture
sarrie's review
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ā
Pestilence by Laura Thalassa is everywhere if you spend a lot of time on the Fantasy Romance part of the bookish internet - or it was at one point and now it has just seeped into the collective consciousness there. Itās getting itās traditional release this year and I grabbed a copy to try out (both an eArc and the physical edition at my local Barnes & Noble). And I canāt quite get my head around it.Ā
The premise is simple enough. The four Horseman arrived on Earth some years ago, announcing our demise, then disappeared. The first of the Horseman has awoken, and itās Pestilence who is slowly riding around the world and sickening and destroying the populace. Sara Burns (a hilarious name considering sheās a firefighter) takes it upon herself to attempt to kill Pestilence. Then ends up paying the price.Ā
So here is where my first BIG problem with this comes. Sara does indeed manage to kill him, burns him to death in fact and when he gets back up (heās a Horseman of the Apocalypse, of course you canāt kill him) heās very angry. In an interesting twist, he can feel all the pain and agony of death and all that it does to his body but he never truly dies. So he decides to keep her captive and punish her. From there he does many things to her. Shoots her, drags her by the wrists behind his horse, verbally abuses her, etc. As this is a romance eventually he comes around and she ābrings out his humanity and gives him hopeā - the usual. But the things he does prior to this, itās a LOT.Ā
There is also the weirdly added chunk of travel in which Sara constantly tends to those who are dying from his plague he spreads just by being somewhere. We read about these people dying, including small children, and his simple refusal to do anything. If the ultimate end game was for us to like Pestilence it didnāt happen for me. The man or whatever he is because at one point he tells her heās is just what his name says - a walking cloud of disease? Is simply not appealing. It missed me. No thank you.Ā
And yet I finished it. I cannot tell you why. I donāt think I recommend this one, but the writing just kept me going and I am just so convinced there has to be something more in the later books. I want the twist to be that these men are not what they seem. Or they are but in a way that makes sense for them to feel the pain they do?Ā
I genuinely donāt know who Iād recommend this too. Itās not romantic, itās sad then funny then so melodramatic. It has the Happily Ever After all romances do. She ends up sleeping with the personification of a cloud of disease and itās implied they have children by the end when War appears - but I also canāt tell you Iām not going to read the next one.Ā
If you do pick it upā¦ just donāt think to hard about it. Like the boils his plague leaves behind itās peppered with red flags and holes but it was fun and bingeable.Ā
2 warm baths with a disease cloud watching you (and yes. that line felt like kink shaming in the book)Ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child death, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, and Kidnapping
Minor: Stalking
gcruz30's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture