Scan barcode
mr_sosotris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hckilgour's review against another edition
3.0
It’s a solid mm romantasy. There’s enough world building to make things clear. There’s enough romance and smut to keep readers happy.
I did feel like the romance did a fast 180. Arlo randomly seemed to go from I hate you to I love you with no real gentle ease into it.
I’m also still kind of confused how the vampire blood kept Arlo alive. And about the sickness he had in general. I feel like there was a plot whole when the blood vial got smashed but he lasted like months without vampire blood, then at the end was sick.
I do like that this book stands alone but does slightly intertwine with the first in the series.
I did feel like the romance did a fast 180. Arlo randomly seemed to go from I hate you to I love you with no real gentle ease into it.
I’m also still kind of confused how the vampire blood kept Arlo alive. And about the sickness he had in general. I feel like there was a plot whole when the blood vial got smashed but he lasted like months without vampire blood, then at the end was sick.
I do like that this book stands alone but does slightly intertwine with the first in the series.
sabine_beans's review
mysterious
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
apostir's review against another edition
2.0
I am upset.
Initially, I liked this book and wanted to give it a five-star rating. However, my opinion changed drastically after reading the last hundred pages. The ending was disappointing, and it ruined the entire story for me, even upon reflection. To make matters worse, this was supposed to be a happy ending!
Until around 50%, nothing happened, a bunch of meaningless parties no one wanted to attend but still did, Arlo pulling the spotlight, grief that his parents died, and he is not able to protect his sister. They were already working towards the throne before neither of them wanted it. Arlo just decided to be a man and mingle with other families' issues. I get pissed that they treated Faenir poorly, but he did not care about him at that point.
Towards the end of the story, there is so much death and betrayal.
The author introduced a dying child (who died, lol) just to showcase Faenir's ability to handle death and comfort people. It seems out of character for him, as he had not shown such inclination before. He is portrayed as a character who is willing to ignore everyone and resort to killing if necessary (not even that; he was basically waiting for a reason to kill). I get that he had the whole thing with: "If they say I am a monster, I will become it." but he could have made it so much easier for himself. And then, when you want him to kill someone, suddenly, he holds back. It was out of character, but it was needed for the story, which I would call poor execution.
Then, a bunch of servants died for a betrayal trope. This is where it really went south for me. Faenir goes there to help and leaves Arlo behind, but then decides he actually doesn't care about them and needs to find Arlo. It makes no sense, but I guess we needed that for the story. Faenir was basically always too late for everything important.
And Charon took care of him with gloves. Why would he not cover himself up on earth so people do not have to fear him so much? I get the "be yourself", but God, what a punk. 30% of the issues in this book would have been solved if he just put some gloves on.
After that, the character death started for the characters we knew better. I mean, even Arlo died.
The kills are embarrassingly sloppy; powerful people suddenly seem to lose all their competence and power and just die with barely a fight. 80s slasher films got better kills.
Additionally, I agree with everyone else. The sex scenes are not that good, and there was so much potential. Also, the spit thing is really not that hot, and it also did not give sloppy sexy. If you know, you know.
Then, Arlo is a bit dense at times and annoys the people around him, it is good when he goes against assholes, but everyone else doesn't deserve his behaviour. When he has a deathly disease, he does not trust Faenir but a stranger who already seems suspicious. I mean, the guy can do/control death; he would have been the first one I would have told if I was dying.
Arlo wanted Faenir to be liked by the people, but Faenir did not care, fair enough. But the book kicked the whole thing off the cliff. There was so much left open. The ending was so dissatisfying. I am here for a good corruption ark; I love that. But they were in the middle; they never committed to anything, and they did not focus on murder, themselves, the land or the people. They always did what was useful to the story.
And now, unpopular opinion: His sister did not listen to Arlo when he said they are dangerous multiple times for years and instead lashed out at him (his communication is shit, but hey). Her being touched by Faenir and dying would have been: "Well, well, well… if it isn't the consequences of my own actions." I am not even sure if I hold sympathy for anyone in this book.
I will read the next book, but I am questioning if I even liked the first one. The tropes and set up was so perfect, but no. I am glad I waited with buying the hardcover. I might like this in the future, but for now, it was deeply disappointing.
Initially, I liked this book and wanted to give it a five-star rating. However, my opinion changed drastically after reading the last hundred pages. The ending was disappointing, and it ruined the entire story for me, even upon reflection. To make matters worse, this was supposed to be a happy ending!
Until around 50%, nothing happened, a bunch of meaningless parties no one wanted to attend but still did, Arlo pulling the spotlight, grief that his parents died, and he is not able to protect his sister. They were already working towards the throne before neither of them wanted it. Arlo just decided to be a man and mingle with other families' issues. I get pissed that they treated Faenir poorly, but he did not care about him at that point.
Towards the end of the story, there is so much death and betrayal.
The author introduced a dying child (who died, lol) just to showcase Faenir's ability to handle death and comfort people. It seems out of character for him, as he had not shown such inclination before. He is portrayed as a character who is willing to ignore everyone and resort to killing if necessary (not even that; he was basically waiting for a reason to kill). I get that he had the whole thing with: "If they say I am a monster, I will become it." but he could have made it so much easier for himself. And then, when you want him to kill someone, suddenly, he holds back. It was out of character, but it was needed for the story, which I would call poor execution.
Then, a bunch of servants died for a betrayal trope. This is where it really went south for me. Faenir goes there to help and leaves Arlo behind, but then decides he actually doesn't care about them and needs to find Arlo. It makes no sense, but I guess we needed that for the story. Faenir was basically always too late for everything important.
And Charon took care of him with gloves. Why would he not cover himself up on earth so people do not have to fear him so much? I get the "be yourself", but God, what a punk. 30% of the issues in this book would have been solved if he just put some gloves on.
After that, the character death started for the characters we knew better. I mean, even Arlo died.
The kills are embarrassingly sloppy; powerful people suddenly seem to lose all their competence and power and just die with barely a fight. 80s slasher films got better kills.
Additionally, I agree with everyone else. The sex scenes are not that good, and there was so much potential. Also, the spit thing is really not that hot, and it also did not give sloppy sexy. If you know, you know.
Then, Arlo is a bit dense at times and annoys the people around him, it is good when he goes against assholes, but everyone else doesn't deserve his behaviour. When he has a deathly disease, he does not trust Faenir but a stranger who already seems suspicious. I mean, the guy can do/control death; he would have been the first one I would have told if I was dying.
Arlo wanted Faenir to be liked by the people, but Faenir did not care, fair enough. But the book kicked the whole thing off the cliff. There was so much left open. The ending was so dissatisfying. I am here for a good corruption ark; I love that. But they were in the middle; they never committed to anything, and they did not focus on murder, themselves, the land or the people. They always did what was useful to the story.
And now, unpopular opinion: His sister did not listen to Arlo when he said they are dangerous multiple times for years and instead lashed out at him (his communication is shit, but hey). Her being touched by Faenir and dying would have been: "Well, well, well… if it isn't the consequences of my own actions." I am not even sure if I hold sympathy for anyone in this book.
I will read the next book, but I am questioning if I even liked the first one. The tropes and set up was so perfect, but no. I am glad I waited with buying the hardcover. I might like this in the future, but for now, it was deeply disappointing.
briannasbetterbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow!! I was waiting for this one and it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved it, binged it and now I’m sad it’s over…
foolishrogue's review against another edition
2.0
I won't lie, I was lured into this series by the pretty cover art. This book is badly in need of editing. There are many grammar and punctuation errors dotted through the book. Not to mention there are many areas of the book that desperately need fleshing out or adjusting. This reads like a first draft. No proof reading was done. The same goes for the first book in the series - and I have a feeling the next one will be much the same.
The dialogue in the first book was pretty poor. However, I feel that Alderson has improved in that regard somewhat in this book.
Interesting retelling of Hades and Persephone, but poorly executed. The concept of the vampire curse from the previous book taking over the world being the setup for the story was a very interesting idea, I liked the premise. Hera being Hades' grandmother is.... weird, but again an interesting twist. I was willing to let that go.
The setup for Faenir stealing Arlo away to the fae realm was poorly executed - Faenir unrepentantly killing Tom and his family, and Arlo barely reacting to it and then forgetting about it, felt very unrealistic. Even though Arlo did not care for Tom I feel that there should have been a bit more there.
In the pomegranate scene, Faenir touches a fruit causing it to rot, but then the discussion turns to him eating. How is Faenir able to eat if everything he touches dies? It reminded me of the philosophical question - at what point is a strawberry actually dead? No answers here I'm afraid and the cognitive dissonance of this scene stuck in my mind.
The romantic buildup was pretty bad - The jump from Arlo hating Faenir to liking him was too sudden. Realistically speaking, hearing of Faenir's tragic childhood would garner sympathy and understanding, but would NOT translate to instant love like it did here. It would have been nice to see a build up Faenir being kind/opening up more and Arlo noticing the subtle changes in behaviour. I felt there was no emotional connection there.
And it all fell apart at the ending. Saw it coming a mile away, and it was still a yikes all around.
The dialogue in the first book was pretty poor. However, I feel that Alderson has improved in that regard somewhat in this book.
Interesting retelling of Hades and Persephone, but poorly executed. The concept of the vampire curse from the previous book taking over the world being the setup for the story was a very interesting idea, I liked the premise. Hera being Hades' grandmother is.... weird, but again an interesting twist. I was willing to let that go.
The setup for Faenir stealing Arlo away to the fae realm was poorly executed - Faenir unrepentantly killing Tom and his family, and Arlo barely reacting to it and then forgetting about it, felt very unrealistic. Even though Arlo did not care for Tom I feel that there should have been a bit more there.
In the pomegranate scene, Faenir touches a fruit causing it to rot, but then the discussion turns to him eating. How is Faenir able to eat if everything he touches dies? It reminded me of the philosophical question - at what point is a strawberry actually dead? No answers here I'm afraid and the cognitive dissonance of this scene stuck in my mind.
The romantic buildup was pretty bad - The jump from Arlo hating Faenir to liking him was too sudden. Realistically speaking, hearing of Faenir's tragic childhood would garner sympathy and understanding, but would NOT translate to instant love like it did here. It would have been nice to see a build up Faenir being kind/opening up more and Arlo noticing the subtle changes in behaviour. I felt there was no emotional connection there.
And it all fell apart at the ending. Saw it coming a mile away, and it was still a yikes all around.
smugsnail's review against another edition
4.0
Really into this series of unhinged fantasy queers being horny and in love and also screwing over people who dare try to hurt them/stop them/get in their way. My one detractor is that this book states multiple times that this is standalone, but the last chapter and lore mentioned in the exposition only really makes sense after reading the first book so I definitely suggest reading this series in order.
neylane's review against another edition
5.0
Esse é o livro 2 da trilogia Darkmourn, mas pode ser lido isoladamente também. O que eu não indico, porque o livro 1 é sensacional.
Em Tithe os humanos são mantidos seguros dos vampiros, mas precisam pagar o dízimo para os elfos, seus protetores, entregando pessoas. É assim que Arlo vai parar nas mãos de Faenir, um elfo das trevas que possui a maldição de matar tudo que toca. Tudo, menos Arlo. Porém, ele esconde do elfo que está mortalmente doente, e isso poderá trazer a destruição do mundo dos elfos e dos humanos.
A história é um reconto gay do mito de Hades e Perséfone e eu adorei! Tanto que quando acabou eu já estava com saudade dos personagens e da ambientação. Uma ótima parte da trama é a corrida pelo trono do mundo dos elfos já que Faenir é o herdeiro por direito, mas é odiado pela sua família por causa da maldição que possui. Isso leva a muitas intrigas familiares, traições, batalhas e mortes. O livro é bem sangrento, apesar de não ser gráfico. O romance também é um ponto chave da trama, já que temos um enemies to lovers que é muito bom. Arlo odeia Faenir e tudo que ele deseja é poder voltar para o seu mundo, mas os sentimentos vão mudando quando certas revelações vão sendo feitas.
Gostei demais, estava com altas expectativas por ter amado o livro 1, e elas foram alcançadas! Essa trilogia tem tudo pra ser uma das minhas favoritas do gênero, e é maravilhoso que esteja disponível no kindle unlimited. Ansiosa para o livro 3. Leitura +16.
“You have lost so much,” I replied. “Even more has been taken from you.”
“In this moment I feel like I have everything.”
Em Tithe os humanos são mantidos seguros dos vampiros, mas precisam pagar o dízimo para os elfos, seus protetores, entregando pessoas. É assim que Arlo vai parar nas mãos de Faenir, um elfo das trevas que possui a maldição de matar tudo que toca. Tudo, menos Arlo. Porém, ele esconde do elfo que está mortalmente doente, e isso poderá trazer a destruição do mundo dos elfos e dos humanos.
A história é um reconto gay do mito de Hades e Perséfone e eu adorei! Tanto que quando acabou eu já estava com saudade dos personagens e da ambientação. Uma ótima parte da trama é a corrida pelo trono do mundo dos elfos já que Faenir é o herdeiro por direito, mas é odiado pela sua família por causa da maldição que possui. Isso leva a muitas intrigas familiares, traições, batalhas e mortes. O livro é bem sangrento, apesar de não ser gráfico. O romance também é um ponto chave da trama, já que temos um enemies to lovers que é muito bom. Arlo odeia Faenir e tudo que ele deseja é poder voltar para o seu mundo, mas os sentimentos vão mudando quando certas revelações vão sendo feitas.
Gostei demais, estava com altas expectativas por ter amado o livro 1, e elas foram alcançadas! Essa trilogia tem tudo pra ser uma das minhas favoritas do gênero, e é maravilhoso que esteja disponível no kindle unlimited. Ansiosa para o livro 3. Leitura +16.
“You have lost so much,” I replied. “Even more has been taken from you.”
“In this moment I feel like I have everything.”