geminimarsss's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Confinement, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed the evolution of Seb's character throughout this series. You see him go from an outsider in his own family, to the one in charge. In each book, you get snippets of who Seb is becoming. In this book you see him come to embrace his role in the family.
Yelena was controled by her father, she was a pawn in his schemes against the Gallos. She put all of her faith in her brother to have her back, but she was ultimately betrayed by the one person she trusted the most. You could see how she truly loved Seb, but she could have told him the truth at any point, maybe then his family would have been better prepared at the wedding.
That scene in the dungeon... He said she could saystop at any point, but he made it very clear that to earn back his trust she had to allow him to do whatever he wanted to her. That was messed up. She was psychologically and emotionally abused her whole life, and he basically did to her what every other man has. What he did was emotional blackmail and, really, could be considered rape.
I LOVE seeing the other characters come back through this book and being able to see how their relationships have progressed. BUT you also get the sense that the family is fractured and the damaged suffered will forever keep the family members on seperate paths. This is solidified in the epilogue when you have no mention of Aida, Dante, or Nero. It insinuates that Dante has remained estranged from his family, Aida and Cal have gone clean, and Nero is probably running his garage.
Tropes: Mafia, instalove, revenge, waring families
Spoiler
At first Seb comes off as selfish and it leads to irrevocable damage to his family. Throughout most of the book he puts his family in danger, first due to infatuation and then his desire for revenge.Yelena was controled by her father, she was a pawn in his schemes against the Gallos. She put all of her faith in her brother to have her back, but she was ultimately betrayed by the one person she trusted the most. You could see how she truly loved Seb, but she could have told him the truth at any point, maybe then his family would have been better prepared at the wedding.
That scene in the dungeon... He said she could saystop at any point, but he made it very clear that to earn back his trust she had to allow him to do whatever he wanted to her. That was messed up. She was psychologically and emotionally abused her whole life, and he basically did to her what every other man has. What he did was emotional blackmail and, really, could be considered rape.
I LOVE seeing the other characters come back through this book and being able to see how their relationships have progressed. BUT you also get the sense that the family is fractured and the damaged suffered will forever keep the family members on seperate paths. This is solidified in the epilogue when you have no mention of Aida, Dante, or Nero. It insinuates that Dante has remained estranged from his family, Aida and Cal have gone clean, and Nero is probably running his garage.
Spoiler
Tropes: Mafia, instalove, revenge, waring families
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexism, Confinement, Death, Murder, and Violence
weelasswithabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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? No
4.5
CW, gun violence, death of a loved one, dismemberment, torture, misogyny, abusive parental relationship, historical DV, SA
⭐ Hidden motive
⭐ Mafia romance
Ooh this had me full of anxiety. So much happened in this book 👀 character deaths that broke my little heart, betrayal, sadness, a hero with such responsibility he didn't want nor need thrust on him, a heroine made to choose between her family (tbh they were dicks so I'd have bounced) and someone she loved.
Uggghhhhh this was just the perfect end to the series and Kingmakers (which I read first for some reason 🤣) is such a natural progression which just flows from Heavy Crown to The Heir.
10/10 would read again.
⭐ Hidden motive
⭐ Mafia romance
Ooh this had me full of anxiety. So much happened in this book 👀 character deaths that broke my little heart, betrayal, sadness, a hero with such responsibility he didn't want nor need thrust on him, a heroine made to choose between her family (tbh they were dicks so I'd have bounced) and someone she loved.
Uggghhhhh this was just the perfect end to the series and Kingmakers (which I read first for some reason 🤣) is such a natural progression which just flows from Heavy Crown to The Heir.
10/10 would read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Terminal illness
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