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A review by torilovesheas
Where We Ended by Ashley Munoz
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
3.0
I’ve been anticipating this book since Ashley started teasing it and I’m supremely sad that it’s over but what a ride it has been!
For the most part, I loved this book. Natty and Silas have been teased for three books and I knew it was going to be an angst fest extraordinaire. And they DELIVERED on that front. It’s heartbreaking to see them try to protect each other by inevitably making choices that hurt themselves in the process. But Munoz doesn’t inject angst for angsts sake which I loved! We still have plenty of angsty moments but there’s never a doubt that Silas and Natty are *it* for each other. Silas is so broody and intense and Natty is, for all her sunshine attitude, ready to bend their story to her will and I was living.
Something I’ve loved about this series is that it’s not as much focused on the club politics as it is the romance (which is my struggle with most MC romances). But even though there’s more violence and darkness in this one, it’s majority flashback scenes that highlight it and that really gives us time to spend with our MCs in the present while they navigate complicated emotions, complicated history, and whether or not they can move forward as they are. It was just angsty enough for me (a literal cry baby) without feeling like I was being sucker punched over and over. Seeing all the side plots come full circle was lovely and I enjoyed seeing everyone get their happy ending. Including check ins with the previous books’ MCs! Did I wish things hadn’t been wrapped up so easily? Sure! Especially for a villain as terrible as Fable has been made out to be.
But…and this is a very minor spoiler but I’m warning you now. I have a caveat and it’s killing me to not be able to love this book in its entirety because this one thing bothered me so bad that I couldn’t fully love this story or give it a glowing rating. Natty is sexually assaulted in this book by Silas’ brother who she has always considered a friend but has honestly always been terrible and creepily obsessed with Natty. I didn’t need to see him forgiven and I really didn’t need to see Natty and Silas name their child after him. It gave me a full body reaction when I read it and has bothered me enough that I changed my knee jerk initial “I LOVED THIS” reaction to a “why was this necessary” reaction. I’m all for villain redemption but I don’t need a sexual assaulter redemption like…ever. And I’m sad this was part of the story because otherwise I loved the book. But whew. That was a hard pill for me to try and swallow.
For the most part, I loved this book. Natty and Silas have been teased for three books and I knew it was going to be an angst fest extraordinaire. And they DELIVERED on that front. It’s heartbreaking to see them try to protect each other by inevitably making choices that hurt themselves in the process. But Munoz doesn’t inject angst for angsts sake which I loved! We still have plenty of angsty moments but there’s never a doubt that Silas and Natty are *it* for each other. Silas is so broody and intense and Natty is, for all her sunshine attitude, ready to bend their story to her will and I was living.
Something I’ve loved about this series is that it’s not as much focused on the club politics as it is the romance (which is my struggle with most MC romances). But even though there’s more violence and darkness in this one, it’s majority flashback scenes that highlight it and that really gives us time to spend with our MCs in the present while they navigate complicated emotions, complicated history, and whether or not they can move forward as they are. It was just angsty enough for me (a literal cry baby) without feeling like I was being sucker punched over and over. Seeing all the side plots come full circle was lovely and I enjoyed seeing everyone get their happy ending. Including check ins with the previous books’ MCs! Did I wish things hadn’t been wrapped up so easily? Sure! Especially for a villain as terrible as Fable has been made out to be.
But…and this is a very minor spoiler but I’m warning you now. I have a caveat and it’s killing me to not be able to love this book in its entirety because this one thing bothered me so bad that I couldn’t fully love this story or give it a glowing rating. Natty is sexually assaulted in this book by Silas’ brother who she has always considered a friend but has honestly always been terrible and creepily obsessed with Natty. I didn’t need to see him forgiven and I really didn’t need to see Natty and Silas name their child after him. It gave me a full body reaction when I read it and has bothered me enough that I changed my knee jerk initial “I LOVED THIS” reaction to a “why was this necessary” reaction. I’m all for villain redemption but I don’t need a sexual assaulter redemption like…ever. And I’m sad this was part of the story because otherwise I loved the book. But whew. That was a hard pill for me to try and swallow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Terminal illness