Community Reviews
I’m overall kind of disappointed with this one. Could have really used some trimming down for plot in the first place. I wasn’t getting the story I really wanted to read until about 30% in. It was slow and meandering until then, and there were some chapters I wanted to skip. I decided to buy the audiobook because I really wanted to know how this book would end, yet the projected 18+ hours of reading time was overwhelming for a story that didn’t hook me right away. It was easier to enjoy this book while relaxing and doing other things.
The writing was on the wall since the first book that the story was plummeting into love triangle territory, of which I am rarely a fan. However, I have to admit I would have traded Rielle simply falling in love with Brennan any day for what I actually got. The story took way too many operatic “twists” in trying to drive a wedge between Rielle and Jon and ended up putting a kind of bitter taste in my mouth by the end. Rielle is more petty than I imagined. Everything Jon does is somehow perceived as a betrayal, even under fairly forgiving circumstances or when done out of necessity. Very Ross and Rachel WE WERE ON A BREAK! levels of annoying. Plus I really don’t think Rielle had the right to judge him about some of the stuff he did based on her own past behaviors. I understand Jon was a virginal paladin only months ago so she holds him to higher standards, but she should cut the guy some slack. He’s kind of an amateur in a lot of ways. I found the whole back and forth very irritating. I know there is a way to do relationship conflict and love triangles to enhance drama, but this wasn’t doing it for me. Not even a triangle to be honest. Everyone is sleeping with everybody. Too many arbitrary relationships for the sake of drama, drama, drama.
My biggest disappointment, if you couldn’t already tell, was what the author tried to do with Jonathan throughout the book. At least he feels the same. “So what would he be called afterward? The stranger who inhabits my body.” “While Sir Jonathan Ver rolled in the grave, King Jonathan Dominic Armel Faralle was alive and well. Doing good had changed so drastically it was barely recognizable.” Agreed and agreed. All the ruination that went into building him a redemption arc was stressful to read. But I get it. I just didn’t enjoy the way the relationship of Jon and Rielle was so disrespected in the process, and Nora’s stupid entrapment scheme was sickening. I really hope nothing comes of that in the next book. Too much contrived drama, for the sake of creating conflict. Lazy, cliche, trope-y conflict, which unfortunately has less payoff.
Call me a hypocrite but I am continuing to read because I really enjoyed the first book and would really like to know how this series ends. Any series can have its rough patches and I know that. I am sad to be so critical of book 2 but feel done completely wrong by it after how much I enjoyed book 1. I read spoilers for book 4 that I am looking forward to, so I’m in it for the long haul. I just hope book 3 is more rewarding for me as this felt like a departure from the kind of story I enjoyed in book 1.
The writing was on the wall since the first book that the story was plummeting into love triangle territory, of which I am rarely a fan. However, I have to admit I would have traded Rielle simply falling in love with Brennan any day for what I actually got. The story took way too many operatic “twists” in trying to drive a wedge between Rielle and Jon and ended up putting a kind of bitter taste in my mouth by the end. Rielle is more petty than I imagined. Everything Jon does is somehow perceived as a betrayal, even under fairly forgiving circumstances or when done out of necessity. Very Ross and Rachel WE WERE ON A BREAK! levels of annoying. Plus I really don’t think Rielle had the right to judge him about some of the stuff he did based on her own past behaviors. I understand Jon was a virginal paladin only months ago so she holds him to higher standards, but she should cut the guy some slack. He’s kind of an amateur in a lot of ways. I found the whole back and forth very irritating. I know there is a way to do relationship conflict and love triangles to enhance drama, but this wasn’t doing it for me. Not even a triangle to be honest. Everyone is sleeping with everybody. Too many arbitrary relationships for the sake of drama, drama, drama.
My biggest disappointment, if you couldn’t already tell, was what the author tried to do with Jonathan throughout the book. At least he feels the same. “So what would he be called afterward? The stranger who inhabits my body.” “While Sir Jonathan Ver rolled in the grave, King Jonathan Dominic Armel Faralle was alive and well. Doing good had changed so drastically it was barely recognizable.” Agreed and agreed. All the ruination that went into building him a redemption arc was stressful to read. But I get it. I just didn’t enjoy the way the relationship of Jon and Rielle was so disrespected in the process, and Nora’s stupid entrapment scheme was sickening. I really hope nothing comes of that in the next book. Too much contrived drama, for the sake of creating conflict. Lazy, cliche, trope-y conflict, which unfortunately has less payoff.
Call me a hypocrite but I am continuing to read because I really enjoyed the first book and would really like to know how this series ends. Any series can have its rough patches and I know that. I am sad to be so critical of book 2 but feel done completely wrong by it after how much I enjoyed book 1. I read spoilers for book 4 that I am looking forward to, so I’m in it for the long haul. I just hope book 3 is more rewarding for me as this felt like a departure from the kind of story I enjoyed in book 1.
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