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A review by nikitanavalkar
Ruthless Fae by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Oh my heart Fae-lure! I’m an idiot. This is not a series where you finish a book when you can’t start the next one immediately. But I did it anyway. And now I have to hang on this cliff until tomorrow, and no doubt my thoughts will be entirely consumed by this world in the meanwhile. I am the embodiment of the Michael Scott “WHAT IS HAPPENING EVERYBODY STAY CALM” meme but the thing is I’m cannot stay calm because this damn book just gave me the biggest adrenaline spike! I mean that climax was breath stealing madness. In a terrifyingly good way.
Plot wise, a crap ton of things happened in this installment but some things stand out. The twins give back as good as they get in the best way they know; the messers truly become the messees. Even as the one-upmanship game continues, these rivals start developing a strange sort of camaraderie and grudging respect for each other. It’s super fun to see the twins not losing sight of vengeance and reveling in it even as they see sympathetic sides of their tormentors. There’s also the first hints of budding romance, and things could change but I think we have a basic grasp on the romantic coding at this point. And I’m rooting for a certain forbidden relationship. I mean they’re all forbidden in a way but this one especially. There’s a missed opportunity for an unexpected gay pairing which is sacrificed in servitude of the heterosexual relationships, and that made me sad.
Orion is infuriating and weird with his Jekyll and Hyde persona, but also so stupidly adorable and hard to resist when he has his Jekyll moments. What is wrong with me? Darius is the tortured hero and all but I need to see some real balls from him to grow in my estimate. Caleb is actually kinda sweet to go with his stone cold mercenary personality. I do not care much for Max or Seth but they also have depth.
Tory is a bad bitch and I love her but she’s also gloriously self destructive and that probably makes her more lovable. Seriously what is wrong with me? Darcy is like me in that all her schemes are severely hindered by her clumsiness. Both are funny and sarcastic and I’d like to be friends with them. Whatever else changes and whatever shit hits the fan moving forward, I hope the bond between them stays the same, as that’s turning out to be one of my favorite parts of this series.
Not since Quidditch have I been so engrossed by a fictional sport as I was by Pitball, and it is leagues more brutal. They seemed to have forgotten about a few key things like their Order situation etc but it could also be because both books took place over a remarkably short time period. Overall, I’m thoroughly invested in the days of these Fae lives and I see a serious binge in my near future.
Plot wise, a crap ton of things happened in this installment but some things stand out. The twins give back as good as they get in the best way they know; the messers truly become the messees. Even as the one-upmanship game continues, these rivals start developing a strange sort of camaraderie and grudging respect for each other. It’s super fun to see the twins not losing sight of vengeance and reveling in it even as they see sympathetic sides of their tormentors. There’s also the first hints of budding romance, and things could change but I think we have a basic grasp on the romantic coding at this point. And I’m rooting for a certain forbidden relationship. I mean they’re all forbidden in a way but this one especially. There’s a missed opportunity for an unexpected gay pairing which is sacrificed in servitude of the heterosexual relationships, and that made me sad.
Orion is infuriating and weird with his Jekyll and Hyde persona, but also so stupidly adorable and hard to resist when he has his Jekyll moments. What is wrong with me? Darius is the tortured hero and all but I need to see some real balls from him to grow in my estimate. Caleb is actually kinda sweet to go with his stone cold mercenary personality. I do not care much for Max or Seth but they also have depth.
Tory is a bad bitch and I love her but she’s also gloriously self destructive and that probably makes her more lovable. Seriously what is wrong with me? Darcy is like me in that all her schemes are severely hindered by her clumsiness. Both are funny and sarcastic and I’d like to be friends with them. Whatever else changes and whatever shit hits the fan moving forward, I hope the bond between them stays the same, as that’s turning out to be one of my favorite parts of this series.
Not since Quidditch have I been so engrossed by a fictional sport as I was by Pitball, and it is leagues more brutal. They seemed to have forgotten about a few key things like their Order situation etc but it could also be because both books took place over a remarkably short time period. Overall, I’m thoroughly invested in the days of these Fae lives and I see a serious binge in my near future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Murder