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thanmayi's reviews
114 reviews
Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.25
Disclaimer: I love KR and have rated some of her work 5 stars before, this one just happened to be an absolute dumpster fire and there was barely anything that I liked about this book.
Hello and welcome to me trying to make sense of this shit show of a book and only sort of failing.
I'd like to start off by apologizing to my kindle that has been thrown across the room more times than I care to admit throughout my reading of this book. My heart rate was probably a little too high and not for the right reasons. So let's get right through it.
So the story follows Helen, Patroculous, and Helen. Why the KR made this book about the privileged princess who runs away and starts a war in the original story and about Briseis is a choice I will never understand, but I did go into it knowing this so I'll take the blame for that one.
We've got an Olympic level of bad communication between Achilles and Patroclus, A plot that makes as much sense as a toddler's drawing, and a very grey area of consent and respect for the people you are in a relationship with. This book had 100 problems and 99 of them would be solved if Achilles wasn't a part of it. Listen I've read KR books before and The Beast by her is one of my favorite books of all time, so it was kind of disappointing seeing how bad this was.
The book follows Helen as she's made a prize in the trial of winning the title of Ares and fed up of always being told what to do first by her father and now by her brother she decided to take her fate into her own hands and compete for the spot of Ares herself consequences be damned. Does that make her a strong MC maybe but definitely not a logical one because her winning might quite literally toss the entire political balance of Olympus upside down. But even with the fact that I kept wishing it was Briseis instead Helen was one of the more OK main characters, Achilles on the other hand had me considering homicide.
Achilles is Athena's second in command and enters the trials to become Ares along with his lover Patroclus, He is a selfish, narcissistic dick with a god complex and a savior complex. He's in an open relationship with Patroclus and basically is a shit boyfriend who gets jealous and makes Patroclus feel bad about being attracted to Helen while also being attracted to her. He then proceeds to set down a ground rule that none of them were going to fuck Helen but then..breaks it? IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!? He's got a habit of coercing his partners into frankly uncomfortable scenes and making important decisions like the use of protection for them. He also decides that they need to be a triad after 2 nights with Helen and after genuinely disliking her as a person but as soon as she proves herself to be smart and capable his entire feelings towards her change even though Helen has barely had any character development from the start of the book. There was not a single thing that I liked about this man and the plot would've been so much better without him in it.
Patroclus was undoubtedly my favorite MC in this book, he's respectful and smart and basically gives a shit about everything that's happening. He also is the most self-aware amongst the three of them and definitely deserved better. I mean he did also proceed to break the rule about not sleeping with Helen...but we just move on for now. Whether his coming off as Neurodivergent intentional or not, I did mostly enjoy seeing that being represented.
ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOING THROUGH MAZES AND OBSTACLE COURSES MAKES YOU A GOOD MILITARY READER?? BECAUSE THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER?
All the three characters need therapy to deal with their individual issues as well as group therapy to deal with this very present jealousy that they feel towards each other that simply cannot be solved by becoming a triad just because lust is involved. Honestly, this probably needed another round of editing or perhaps a rewrite where Achilles wasn't a total dick with a lack of basic human decency but maybe that's just me. I think this is my least favorite book by KR and one of the only ones I never want to pick up again.
Hello and welcome to me trying to make sense of this shit show of a book and only sort of failing.
I'd like to start off by apologizing to my kindle that has been thrown across the room more times than I care to admit throughout my reading of this book. My heart rate was probably a little too high and not for the right reasons. So let's get right through it.
So the story follows Helen, Patroculous, and Helen. Why the KR made this book about the privileged princess who runs away and starts a war in the original story and about Briseis is a choice I will never understand, but I did go into it knowing this so I'll take the blame for that one.
We've got an Olympic level of bad communication between Achilles and Patroclus, A plot that makes as much sense as a toddler's drawing, and a very grey area of consent and respect for the people you are in a relationship with. This book had 100 problems and 99 of them would be solved if Achilles wasn't a part of it. Listen I've read KR books before and The Beast by her is one of my favorite books of all time, so it was kind of disappointing seeing how bad this was.
The book follows Helen as she's made a prize in the trial of winning the title of Ares and fed up of always being told what to do first by her father and now by her brother she decided to take her fate into her own hands and compete for the spot of Ares herself consequences be damned. Does that make her a strong MC maybe but definitely not a logical one because her winning might quite literally toss the entire political balance of Olympus upside down. But even with the fact that I kept wishing it was Briseis instead Helen was one of the more OK main characters, Achilles on the other hand had me considering homicide.
Achilles is Athena's second in command and enters the trials to become Ares along with his lover Patroclus, He is a selfish, narcissistic dick with a god complex and a savior complex. He's in an open relationship with Patroclus and basically is a shit boyfriend who gets jealous and makes Patroclus feel bad about being attracted to Helen while also being attracted to her. He then proceeds to set down a ground rule that none of them were going to fuck Helen but then..breaks it? IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!? He's got a habit of coercing his partners into frankly uncomfortable scenes and making important decisions like the use of protection for them. He also decides that they need to be a triad after 2 nights with Helen and after genuinely disliking her as a person but as soon as she proves herself to be smart and capable his entire feelings towards her change even though Helen has barely had any character development from the start of the book. There was not a single thing that I liked about this man and the plot would've been so much better without him in it.
Patroclus was undoubtedly my favorite MC in this book, he's respectful and smart and basically gives a shit about everything that's happening. He also is the most self-aware amongst the three of them and definitely deserved better. I mean he did also proceed to break the rule about not sleeping with Helen...but we just move on for now. Whether his coming off as Neurodivergent intentional or not, I did mostly enjoy seeing that being represented.
ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOING THROUGH MAZES AND OBSTACLE COURSES MAKES YOU A GOOD MILITARY READER?? BECAUSE THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER?
All the three characters need therapy to deal with their individual issues as well as group therapy to deal with this very present jealousy that they feel towards each other that simply cannot be solved by becoming a triad just because lust is involved. Honestly, this probably needed another round of editing or perhaps a rewrite where Achilles wasn't a total dick with a lack of basic human decency but maybe that's just me. I think this is my least favorite book by KR and one of the only ones I never want to pick up again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Always Human, Season 2 by Ari North
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely love everything about this
Always Human by Ari North
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sapphics in love, beautiful art, and gorgeous storytelling! My new favorite graphic novel!
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
You know the kind of book you finish and want to start over again instantly? This book is exactly that for me. I loved every single thing about this book.
CHARACTERS
Simone (Mona)
A lot of criticism that I've seen around Simone's character is that she's annoying or that she's the reason people DNF'd the book but I actually adore her. Sure she's a flawed character and says the wrong things but she's also self-aware to a fault and makes it a point to call herself out. She's one of the most real characters that I've come across and I love her.
Ray
Ray by design is a very lovable character, I really loved following them through this journey of coming out in a new workplace, having top surgery, and falling for Simone. They've got this well-rounded personality that has layers to it which is pretty hard to see in a book written in first person. Ray just like their name is a Ray of Sunshine and it's really hard not to fall in love with them.
The Side characters
I loved the fact that we have side characters that are very much their own people and aren't there just to serve as a moral compass to the main leads or push the plot along. I especially really love Luna's character and how she quickly established boundaries and called Simone out on her bullshit without thinking twice.
THE PLOT
I flew through this book in a day, the writing style makes the plot incredibly easy to follow through and I loved the flow of things. I usually hate time skips of a few months in a book but this was so well done that I really didn't mind it. As much as this book is a romance it is also very much a story about Ray and their journey which makes the slow burn slightly more bearable.
CONCLUSION
Read it! Read it right now!! This is delightfully queer and is a book about joy that everyone needs to read at least once!!
CHARACTERS
Simone (Mona)
A lot of criticism that I've seen around Simone's character is that she's annoying or that she's the reason people DNF'd the book but I actually adore her. Sure she's a flawed character and says the wrong things but she's also self-aware to a fault and makes it a point to call herself out. She's one of the most real characters that I've come across and I love her.
Ray
Ray by design is a very lovable character, I really loved following them through this journey of coming out in a new workplace, having top surgery, and falling for Simone. They've got this well-rounded personality that has layers to it which is pretty hard to see in a book written in first person. Ray just like their name is a Ray of Sunshine and it's really hard not to fall in love with them.
The Side characters
I loved the fact that we have side characters that are very much their own people and aren't there just to serve as a moral compass to the main leads or push the plot along. I especially really love Luna's character and how she quickly established boundaries and called Simone out on her bullshit without thinking twice.
THE PLOT
I flew through this book in a day, the writing style makes the plot incredibly easy to follow through and I loved the flow of things. I usually hate time skips of a few months in a book but this was so well done that I really didn't mind it. As much as this book is a romance it is also very much a story about Ray and their journey which makes the slow burn slightly more bearable.
CONCLUSION
Read it! Read it right now!! This is delightfully queer and is a book about joy that everyone needs to read at least once!!