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A review by intensej
Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5.0
This book was pure trash (in a good way), and I loved every second of it. The smut in this book was absolutely filthy. It's basically erotica with fantasy worldbuilding. Calista has this ability to sense the thoughts and emotions of others. She can also use her intuition to see future events. After escaping a dangerous childhood in an orphanage, she and her foster brother Grady now serve on Baron Claude's court. Calista is part of Claude's harem, and he uses her abilities for political gain. Calista's powers keep drawing her to Thorne, and she realizes that he is the same Hyhborn (I know the spelling is annoying, but you get used to it) that she met when she was a young girl who protected her . Calista learns that Thorne is actually the dangerous Prince of Vytrus , and he wants her to serve as his companion while he stays at Claude's court. Calista's plans to live a safe life is disrupted by the arrival of Thorne and a rebellion that threatens to spill into Claude's territory.
Although this series is not explicitly linked to the world of From Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire, I believe that Thorne is one of the Ancients described in Armentrout's other series. Calista's abilities reminded me of Meg Corbyn's powers in Anne Bishop's The Others series. Thorne's inability to understand humans and feel emotions reminded me of the horsemen in Laura Thalassa's books. The world that Armentrout has created is extremely sexual, and the Hyhborn apparently feed on pleasure? Also, Thorne's origin story is that he was simply created and grew underneath a tree? Things got a little fuzzy...I tended to skim over the details of how the Hyhborn came into power and the significance of starborn, but I was fully invested in Calista and Thorne's relationship. I was super bummed to learn that the sequel (if there is going to be a sequel) is not out yet, so be prepared to wait a bit for the next book.
Content: sexual content, violence, death, questionable consent in sexual scenes (Calista's role as part of Claude's harem was icky, especially when he sent her to spy on Thorne), gore
Although this series is not explicitly linked to the world of From Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire, I believe that Thorne is one of the Ancients described in Armentrout's other series. Calista's abilities reminded me of Meg Corbyn's powers in Anne Bishop's The Others series. Thorne's inability to understand humans and feel emotions reminded me of the horsemen in Laura Thalassa's books. The world that Armentrout has created is extremely sexual, and the Hyhborn apparently feed on pleasure? Also, Thorne's origin story is that he was simply created and grew underneath a tree? Things got a little fuzzy...I tended to skim over the details of how the Hyhborn came into power and the significance of starborn, but I was fully invested in Calista and Thorne's relationship. I was super bummed to learn that the sequel (if there is going to be a sequel) is not out yet, so be prepared to wait a bit for the next book.
Content: sexual content, violence, death, questionable consent in sexual scenes (Calista's role as part of Claude's harem was icky, especially when he sent her to spy on Thorne), gore
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence