millah's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
First of all: It's hard for me to rate this book, because the writing, the love reunion story and the magic deserve all the stars, at the same time that a scene or two made it really hard to read (spoiler below). Another note: It's been a long while since I read the Magpies series, so that might have influenced how I reacted to this book. I suspect that time made it a lot easier for me to accept Jonah's redemption storyline, for instance. Then again, I've never been a fan of righteous rage and revenge between love interests. Annnd this brings me to the dub-con scene that was a bit too much for my taste, I'm afraid,
especially when Ben's main drive was to hurt and humiliate Jonah. That's rape. Jonah's self-hate during other intimate scenes also troubled me, mainly because it's a squick of mine, and others might love it. These scenes made it hard for me to accept Ben's redemption arc, to be honest. Still, I was invested in this story, and I couldn't help feeling that the author knew what they were doing, and that the troubling scenes were meant to be uncomfortable. To make us think. So. My mind decided to go with the flow and read the whole book, and I'm glad to say that it was worth it. The resolve wasn't too bad, and the climax of the story was very satisfying. So. All in all, I enjoyed this story, fell hard for the characters and it was refreshing to get a new point of view in this universe. I have no idea how to rate the book, though.
Spoiler
especially when Ben's main drive was to hurt and humiliate Jonah. That's rape. Jonah's self-hate during other intimate scenes also troubled me, mainly because it's a squick of mine, and others might love it. These scenes made it hard for me to accept Ben's redemption arc, to be honest. Still, I was invested in this story, and I couldn't help feeling that the author knew what they were doing, and that the troubling scenes were meant to be uncomfortable. To make us think. So. My mind decided to go with the flow and read the whole book, and I'm glad to say that it was worth it. The resolve wasn't too bad, and the climax of the story was very satisfying. So. All in all, I enjoyed this story, fell hard for the characters and it was refreshing to get a new point of view in this universe. I have no idea how to rate the book, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
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