A review by kfriend
Ruined Castles by Amo Jones
5.0
OH MY HEART. How does Amo Jones so perfectly marry the dark and twisted with the sweet intensity of unconditional love? No one quite writes it quite like she does, and in her most lauded series with her most iconic pairing, she delivers an astounding heartbreaking and heart healing finale for a world that has mesmerized me for so long. Ruined Castles is an impassioned, revelatory, and bittersweet swan song to the EKC dark magic, but most importantly, for the infamous MADSHIP. And it was so much more than the closure I needed. It was an emotionally chaotic and cathartic emotional gauntlet, and I am all in my Madship loving feelings.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but Amo intensified my love for them both, while also helping me see them in a whole new light. Understanding decisions and choices, and narratively, Amo brilliantly structures the story in a way that ensures we see their world from both of their eyes. But even then, Amo guts us over and over- because even when we know what’s coming, it somehow hurts even more when we experience their pain. There is so much to discover, and it’s an Amo story, after all, so buckle up!
Theirs is a love that has been tinged with heartbreak and suffering from the very beginning. They’ve basically reinvented drama, with Amo creating her own reshaping her own breed of tormented dark angst. They’ve ruined each other and their love time and time over with their toxicity and mind games- but their chemistry and love never wanes, never falters. And in Ruined Castles we get to watch them break and heal, often all at once. But that’s what I love most about this world, and Amo’s writing- she marries the dark, twisted, and traumatic with the optimism of soulmate and familial love. She creates stories where trauma and pain become a source of strength and power- one that catalyzes healing. And Madship certainly had the longest journey to take, but what a rewarding and rich one. And the HEA they get, wow, I tear up just marveling in the beauty of it. Simply perfect.
Ruined Castles wasn’t the finale expected, but it was the finale Madship deserved. And i found myself emotional more than once, squeezed by the heartbreak and touched by their emotional resolve. I’m so thankful Amo announced the second generation stories to come, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to my favorite Amo Jones world.
EDITTED TO ADD: Some fans may not like what Madship endures and how they're story plays out. Is this what I wanted for them to experience? Well, no. But this isn't an epilogue- it's a finale, so while I hurt for the things that happened, I also can't deny it's befitting this couple- the seemingly unnecessary ways they are harmed, and also how they harm each other, is what MADSHIp is all about. Theirs is a love story about what love (or their version of it) can endure- so Amo tests them. And us. Just know, parts of this story are hard, really hard.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but Amo intensified my love for them both, while also helping me see them in a whole new light. Understanding decisions and choices, and narratively, Amo brilliantly structures the story in a way that ensures we see their world from both of their eyes. But even then, Amo guts us over and over- because even when we know what’s coming, it somehow hurts even more when we experience their pain. There is so much to discover, and it’s an Amo story, after all, so buckle up!
Theirs is a love that has been tinged with heartbreak and suffering from the very beginning. They’ve basically reinvented drama, with Amo creating her own reshaping her own breed of tormented dark angst. They’ve ruined each other and their love time and time over with their toxicity and mind games- but their chemistry and love never wanes, never falters. And in Ruined Castles we get to watch them break and heal, often all at once. But that’s what I love most about this world, and Amo’s writing- she marries the dark, twisted, and traumatic with the optimism of soulmate and familial love. She creates stories where trauma and pain become a source of strength and power- one that catalyzes healing. And Madship certainly had the longest journey to take, but what a rewarding and rich one. And the HEA they get, wow, I tear up just marveling in the beauty of it. Simply perfect.
Ruined Castles wasn’t the finale expected, but it was the finale Madship deserved. And i found myself emotional more than once, squeezed by the heartbreak and touched by their emotional resolve. I’m so thankful Amo announced the second generation stories to come, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to my favorite Amo Jones world.
EDITTED TO ADD: Some fans may not like what Madship endures and how they're story plays out. Is this what I wanted for them to experience? Well, no. But this isn't an epilogue- it's a finale, so while I hurt for the things that happened, I also can't deny it's befitting this couple- the seemingly unnecessary ways they are harmed, and also how they harm each other, is what MADSHIp is all about. Theirs is a love story about what love (or their version of it) can endure- so Amo tests them. And us. Just know, parts of this story are hard, really hard.