A review by kfriend
Reparation of Sin by Natasha Knight, A. Zavarelli
5.0
THIS is why these two authors are my dark romance literary dream team. Betrayal and vengeance, complicated characters, emotional turbulence, secrets and suspense, and all the plot twists- everything I love about dark romantic suspense. And Requiem takes everything I loved about book one and amplifies it- everything is more intense, more passionate, more emotional, and more deliciously dark. From the riveting for chapter to the jaw dropping last, my heart was in my throat.
I was floored by the finale of Requiem, and Reparation dives right back into this intriguing, intoxicating, and twisted Society world as we try to figure out just what happened at the party, and WHO is responsible. All signs point to our embattled heroine, who just was starting to find some emotional footing with our malicious and manipulative anti-hero. But, all the chemistry is now poisoned by mistrust and deception. And let’s just say things get messy real fast. Tons of emotional turbulence, and so much suspense. Book one introduced us to all the key players, and how all the players interact with each other. But in this book we’re digging deeper- the pieces are the board, and now it’s time to figure out the players motivations. Who is playing whom...and why?
If you thought Santiago was cold and cruel in book one, you better brace yourself. This is a man who’s spent year’s hardening his heart, building armored walls to keep him from letting others in. And nothing ires him more than the inch he gave Ivy, and the fact that it hurts that she potentially betrayed him. So he UNLEASHES- we see the best and worst of this man, his vitriolic bitterness and his obstinate blindness as well as his woundedness, his tender heart. Somehow AZ and NK make a man whose actions are truly deplorable, a man who enrages me, and they make him empathetic. Reparation treats us to the careful dismantling of this man’s walls- we get inside his heart. And, while we don’t find softness, we do find emotion, and we find dark beauty. We find his humanity - and now he just has to figure out how to lean into without losing his dark essence. And Ivy- Ivy seems to be the key, she somehow inspires the best in him, somehow unlocks parts of his being that others can't, but she also inspires the worst in him, too. There were a few scenes where I thought Santi was crossing a line I could never forgive- but like Ivy, I can’t make my heart stop beating for him.
Poor Ivy. I said that so many times in this book. Good lord does this woman go through it- I felt my heartbreak for her so often. She’s completely powerless, desperate and close to irreparable broken in so many places. At times she made me want to shake her, but mostly I just wanted to hug her. Because her heart never stops trying to find good in others- and she never stops trying. She finds small ways to find power in the most powerless of places, and
The chemistry is this story- OH LAWD. I feel like I have a concussion from the emotional whiplash. These two are so hot and cold, so much push and pull. Everytime these two start to find any sort of stability with each other, any sort of emotional trust or vulnerability, new obstacles or new truths come to light, and the fragile hold they have on each other crumbles and has to be rebuilt. This is romantic chaos- beautifully done. Individually they are both emotional powderkegs just waiting to combust. They are both so painfully lonely, isolated in their own worlds, and both vibrating with tensions that come from years of pain, emotional repression, distrust, and resentment towards others in their world. Santiago has been consumed by hate and revenge, and Ivy has suffered within the patriarchal confines of their corrupt world. They are so carefully knitted up, until each other- both inspiring emotional, need, and conflicting feelings in one another neither was expected. And now, in book 2, we get to dig even deeper into their dynamics. And my goodness is it transfixing. Together, they are somehow both toxic and volatile while also being restorative and sweet. Having never experienced intense and complicated emotions like these before, they both make misguided mistakes to protect themselves or hurt the other- leaving us broken and bruised and desperate.
Of course, just when we find hope, things run way off course. Huge revelations, huge twists, and a heart stopping cliffhanger leave us twisted and broken over these two. And so we wait- for what I know will be an epic finale to this dark and wickedly entertaining trilogy. I AM HOOKED! AND I DESPERATELY NEED THE CONCLUSION!
Merged review:
THIS is why these two authors are my dark romance literary dream team. Betrayal and vengeance, complicated characters, emotional turbulence, secrets and suspense, and all the plot twists- everything I love about dark romantic suspense. And Requiem takes everything I loved about book one and amplifies it- everything is more intense, more passionate, more emotional, and more deliciously dark. From the riveting for chapter to the jaw dropping last, my heart was in my throat.
I was floored by the finale of Requiem, and Reparation dives right back into this intriguing, intoxicating, and twisted Society world as we try to figure out just what happened at the party, and WHO is responsible. All signs point to our embattled heroine, who just was starting to find some emotional footing with our malicious and manipulative anti-hero. But, all the chemistry is now poisoned by mistrust and deception. And let’s just say things get messy real fast. Tons of emotional turbulence, and so much suspense. Book one introduced us to all the key players, and how all the players interact with each other. But in this book we’re digging deeper- the pieces are the board, and now it’s time to figure out the players motivations. Who is playing whom...and why?
If you thought Santiago was cold and cruel in book one, you better brace yourself. This is a man who’s spent year’s hardening his heart, building armored walls to keep him from letting others in. And nothing ires him more than the inch he gave Ivy, and the fact that it hurts that she potentially betrayed him. So he UNLEASHES- we see the best and worst of this man, his vitriolic bitterness and his obstinate blindness as well as his woundedness, his tender heart. Somehow AZ and NK make a man whose actions are truly deplorable, a man who enrages me, and they make him empathetic. Reparation treats us to the careful dismantling of this man’s walls- we get inside his heart. And, while we don’t find softness, we do find emotion, and we find dark beauty. We find his humanity - and now he just has to figure out how to lean into without losing his dark essence. And Ivy- Ivy seems to be the key, she somehow inspires the best in him, somehow unlocks parts of his being that others can't, but she also inspires the worst in him, too. There were a few scenes where I thought Santi was crossing a line I could never forgive- but like Ivy, I can’t make my heart stop beating for him.
Poor Ivy. I said that so many times in this book. Good lord does this woman go through it- I felt my heartbreak for her so often. She’s completely powerless, desperate and close to irreparable broken in so many places. At times she made me want to shake her, but mostly I just wanted to hug her. Because her heart never stops trying to find good in others- and she never stops trying. She finds small ways to find power in the most powerless of places, and
The chemistry is this story- OH LAWD. I feel like I have a concussion from the emotional whiplash. These two are so hot and cold, so much push and pull. Everytime these two start to find any sort of stability with each other, any sort of emotional trust or vulnerability, new obstacles or new truths come to light, and the fragile hold they have on each other crumbles and has to be rebuilt. This is romantic chaos- beautifully done. Individually they are both emotional powderkegs just waiting to combust. They are both so painfully lonely, isolated in their own worlds, and both vibrating with tensions that come from years of pain, emotional repression, distrust, and resentment towards others in their world. Santiago has been consumed by hate and revenge, and Ivy has suffered within the patriarchal confines of their corrupt world. They are so carefully knitted up, until each other- both inspiring emotional, need, and conflicting feelings in one another neither was expected. And now, in book 2, we get to dig even deeper into their dynamics. And my goodness is it transfixing. Together, they are somehow both toxic and volatile while also being restorative and sweet. Having never experienced intense and complicated emotions like these before, they both make misguided mistakes to protect themselves or hurt the other- leaving us broken and bruised and desperate.
Of course, just when we find hope, things run way off course. Huge revelations, huge twists, and a heart stopping cliffhanger leave us twisted and broken over these two. And so we wait- for what I know will be an epic finale to this dark and wickedly entertaining trilogy. I AM HOOKED! AND I DESPERATELY NEED THE CONCLUSION!
I was floored by the finale of Requiem, and Reparation dives right back into this intriguing, intoxicating, and twisted Society world as we try to figure out just what happened at the party, and WHO is responsible. All signs point to our embattled heroine, who just was starting to find some emotional footing with our malicious and manipulative anti-hero. But, all the chemistry is now poisoned by mistrust and deception. And let’s just say things get messy real fast. Tons of emotional turbulence, and so much suspense. Book one introduced us to all the key players, and how all the players interact with each other. But in this book we’re digging deeper- the pieces are the board, and now it’s time to figure out the players motivations. Who is playing whom...and why?
If you thought Santiago was cold and cruel in book one, you better brace yourself. This is a man who’s spent year’s hardening his heart, building armored walls to keep him from letting others in. And nothing ires him more than the inch he gave Ivy, and the fact that it hurts that she potentially betrayed him. So he UNLEASHES- we see the best and worst of this man, his vitriolic bitterness and his obstinate blindness as well as his woundedness, his tender heart. Somehow AZ and NK make a man whose actions are truly deplorable, a man who enrages me, and they make him empathetic. Reparation treats us to the careful dismantling of this man’s walls- we get inside his heart. And, while we don’t find softness, we do find emotion, and we find dark beauty. We find his humanity - and now he just has to figure out how to lean into without losing his dark essence. And Ivy- Ivy seems to be the key, she somehow inspires the best in him, somehow unlocks parts of his being that others can't, but she also inspires the worst in him, too. There were a few scenes where I thought Santi was crossing a line I could never forgive- but like Ivy, I can’t make my heart stop beating for him.
Poor Ivy. I said that so many times in this book. Good lord does this woman go through it- I felt my heartbreak for her so often. She’s completely powerless, desperate and close to irreparable broken in so many places. At times she made me want to shake her, but mostly I just wanted to hug her. Because her heart never stops trying to find good in others- and she never stops trying. She finds small ways to find power in the most powerless of places, and
The chemistry is this story- OH LAWD. I feel like I have a concussion from the emotional whiplash. These two are so hot and cold, so much push and pull. Everytime these two start to find any sort of stability with each other, any sort of emotional trust or vulnerability, new obstacles or new truths come to light, and the fragile hold they have on each other crumbles and has to be rebuilt. This is romantic chaos- beautifully done. Individually they are both emotional powderkegs just waiting to combust. They are both so painfully lonely, isolated in their own worlds, and both vibrating with tensions that come from years of pain, emotional repression, distrust, and resentment towards others in their world. Santiago has been consumed by hate and revenge, and Ivy has suffered within the patriarchal confines of their corrupt world. They are so carefully knitted up, until each other- both inspiring emotional, need, and conflicting feelings in one another neither was expected. And now, in book 2, we get to dig even deeper into their dynamics. And my goodness is it transfixing. Together, they are somehow both toxic and volatile while also being restorative and sweet. Having never experienced intense and complicated emotions like these before, they both make misguided mistakes to protect themselves or hurt the other- leaving us broken and bruised and desperate.
Of course, just when we find hope, things run way off course. Huge revelations, huge twists, and a heart stopping cliffhanger leave us twisted and broken over these two. And so we wait- for what I know will be an epic finale to this dark and wickedly entertaining trilogy. I AM HOOKED! AND I DESPERATELY NEED THE CONCLUSION!
Merged review:
THIS is why these two authors are my dark romance literary dream team. Betrayal and vengeance, complicated characters, emotional turbulence, secrets and suspense, and all the plot twists- everything I love about dark romantic suspense. And Requiem takes everything I loved about book one and amplifies it- everything is more intense, more passionate, more emotional, and more deliciously dark. From the riveting for chapter to the jaw dropping last, my heart was in my throat.
I was floored by the finale of Requiem, and Reparation dives right back into this intriguing, intoxicating, and twisted Society world as we try to figure out just what happened at the party, and WHO is responsible. All signs point to our embattled heroine, who just was starting to find some emotional footing with our malicious and manipulative anti-hero. But, all the chemistry is now poisoned by mistrust and deception. And let’s just say things get messy real fast. Tons of emotional turbulence, and so much suspense. Book one introduced us to all the key players, and how all the players interact with each other. But in this book we’re digging deeper- the pieces are the board, and now it’s time to figure out the players motivations. Who is playing whom...and why?
If you thought Santiago was cold and cruel in book one, you better brace yourself. This is a man who’s spent year’s hardening his heart, building armored walls to keep him from letting others in. And nothing ires him more than the inch he gave Ivy, and the fact that it hurts that she potentially betrayed him. So he UNLEASHES- we see the best and worst of this man, his vitriolic bitterness and his obstinate blindness as well as his woundedness, his tender heart. Somehow AZ and NK make a man whose actions are truly deplorable, a man who enrages me, and they make him empathetic. Reparation treats us to the careful dismantling of this man’s walls- we get inside his heart. And, while we don’t find softness, we do find emotion, and we find dark beauty. We find his humanity - and now he just has to figure out how to lean into without losing his dark essence. And Ivy- Ivy seems to be the key, she somehow inspires the best in him, somehow unlocks parts of his being that others can't, but she also inspires the worst in him, too. There were a few scenes where I thought Santi was crossing a line I could never forgive- but like Ivy, I can’t make my heart stop beating for him.
Poor Ivy. I said that so many times in this book. Good lord does this woman go through it- I felt my heartbreak for her so often. She’s completely powerless, desperate and close to irreparable broken in so many places. At times she made me want to shake her, but mostly I just wanted to hug her. Because her heart never stops trying to find good in others- and she never stops trying. She finds small ways to find power in the most powerless of places, and
The chemistry is this story- OH LAWD. I feel like I have a concussion from the emotional whiplash. These two are so hot and cold, so much push and pull. Everytime these two start to find any sort of stability with each other, any sort of emotional trust or vulnerability, new obstacles or new truths come to light, and the fragile hold they have on each other crumbles and has to be rebuilt. This is romantic chaos- beautifully done. Individually they are both emotional powderkegs just waiting to combust. They are both so painfully lonely, isolated in their own worlds, and both vibrating with tensions that come from years of pain, emotional repression, distrust, and resentment towards others in their world. Santiago has been consumed by hate and revenge, and Ivy has suffered within the patriarchal confines of their corrupt world. They are so carefully knitted up, until each other- both inspiring emotional, need, and conflicting feelings in one another neither was expected. And now, in book 2, we get to dig even deeper into their dynamics. And my goodness is it transfixing. Together, they are somehow both toxic and volatile while also being restorative and sweet. Having never experienced intense and complicated emotions like these before, they both make misguided mistakes to protect themselves or hurt the other- leaving us broken and bruised and desperate.
Of course, just when we find hope, things run way off course. Huge revelations, huge twists, and a heart stopping cliffhanger leave us twisted and broken over these two. And so we wait- for what I know will be an epic finale to this dark and wickedly entertaining trilogy. I AM HOOKED! AND I DESPERATELY NEED THE CONCLUSION!