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katerina_l's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
In this second installment in the series, we return to Thea and Julian. The banter and the spice are both elevated from the first book. Thea also starts to have more agency and to assert herself more, so she becomes more interesting. The plot also introduces one of my least favorite tropes - pregnancy. Nobody is pregnant yet but it becomes a larger part of the plot. I guess I should not be surprised given that the rites are about matching breeding partners, and yet, here we are.
The plot of the book brings Thea and Julian back together fairly quickly and the plot mostly centers on external threats to their relationship from Julian’s family and the vampire council. . We miss out on the comedy of the first book as Julian seems mostly acclimated to the 21st century now. The plot takes some twists and turns, though I am disappointed to say that I guessed a few of the big plot points long before they were revealed. The final chapter is a bit weird. It goes into detail about things that were already described in detail in the previous chapter. It was extreme enough that it while I was reading I was wondering if it was bonus material that had been incorporated into an update of the ebook. Turns out it is the prologue to the third book. People must have been angry about the ending of the previous chapter, which would have left the book ending on a cliffhanger.
We see the return of some beloved (and some not) secondary characters as well as the introduction of Thea’s mom, Kelly. Unfortunately a character I really liked from book 1 did not return but it was nice to see Thea develop another friendship.
I think there might actually be less diversity than the first book in this one?
There were many swoony moments that made me grin and blush like an idiot. And finally some spice as well! It’s not the spiciest of all spice but it is more than book one. 🌶️🌶️1/2
Overall this book sets up the story well for book 3, which I will definitely read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 and 🌶️🌶️1/2.
We see the return of some beloved (and some not) secondary characters as well as the introduction of Thea’s mom, Kelly. Unfortunately a character I really liked from book 1 did not return but it was nice to see Thea develop another friendship.
I think there might actually be less diversity than the first book in this one?
There were many swoony moments that made me grin and blush like an idiot. And finally some spice as well! It’s not the spiciest of all spice but it is more than book one. 🌶️🌶️1/2
Overall this book sets up the story well for book 3, which I will definitely read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 and 🌶️🌶️1/2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Car accident, and Pregnancy