Nichole
This trilogy overall became a disappintment. I really loved the first book and enjoyed the second. This one however was a mess. It seemed to take forever to get to the climax but then was so anticlimatic and I didn't even care what happened. I think there was not enough loose ends to the story after the first book to require needed 2 more. I get Brigid wanted to showcase Rhen and Harper and then Grey and Lia Mara but it just didn't need 3 books to do so.
This book was a dumpster fire. I am invested in this world but each book becomes harder and harder to force myself to read. Between the terrible editing and pace, I was bored or confused for the entire book. She definitely needs to slow down and stop cranking out these books to give editors time to fix all the inconsistencies. This was very much a filler book as well which to me just proves my belief that she is just milking this series with all these books and doesn't have a true plan for the story.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Writing: 9
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 5
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8
Pros:
- Adorable characters: I loved Luc and Oliver they were such well fleshed out characters who had amazing personalities. And that isn't to mention the rest of the cast, especially Luc's band of friends, they added so much to the story and it made it so enjoyable
- Banter: Luc and Oliver are the kings of banter and there were lots of instances where I was laughing out loud at both their antics and how unbelievably ridiculous they were
Cons:
- Pacing: This book struggled in the middle in terms of pacing. I really struggled because I felt like we were at a standstill and the story was not progressing.
- Ending: I was really disappointed in the ending, it seemed very unfinished. I know there is a second book coming but I think this one would have benefited from one final chapter to do a better job of wrapping everything up.
This one was a little to0 similar to The Invitation for me. I know that is partially my fault for reading them so close together, but this one was not executed as well so I probably am more annoyed than I normally would have been.
This one also has the trope I don't like where the male love interest calls some other guy by the wrong name constantly because he is jealous. I just am not a fan of the trope and it seems overdone (clearly it is something Vi likes to do because she has done it in the last few books I've read of hers).
For me Chase was not swoon-worthy, he was just creepy at times and demeaning. There were times he was trying to be sweet but it always ended up being off-putting.
I think books like this are super important to show how ingrained racism can be in institutions, but for me, the execution was lacking. The beginning reads like a gossip girl rip-off with nothing new. Then you move on in Part 2 of the story and the inconsistencies and plot changes just give you whiplash. I also think there are some issues with how the book ends. The epilogue gave some good insight into the future, but also had added details that just seemed ridiculous to me.
Overall, this book had potential but lacked the proper execution for me.
A lot of people have been talking about the series lately and I finally decided to give it a try. I'm always super hesitant to read hyped books because they almost never live up to the hype. I kind of feel that way with this even though I am intrigued and plan to continue.
For me, this was very much a first book that was rocky and trying to figure out its place in the world. I think there were a lot of underdeveloped ideas and storylines that didn't quite work for me. Not to mention the amount of threatened abuse Auren had to deal with. I think what bothered me the most about it is how Auren seems to be strong and want to stick up for others but also kind of does nothing for herself until the last minute. We got hints about how she grew up but I honestly don't get how she ended up where she is in this book without having thicker skin and the ability to stand up for herself. She just kind of lets the threats and abuse happen to her even though we know she came from a hard life before.
For me, it was the last 50% of this book where the actual story started to come into play and I kind of understood what the point was. I think we could have skipped a lot of the introduction in this book and spent more time on the events of the 2nd half so they were not as rushed. I think we wasted a lot of time with Auren in her cage feeling sorry for herself when we could have been learning more about the world and more about her past. I still feel like we know nothing about her other than a few hints she gave to Sail.
The ending was a curveball with a reveal that just adds to my point earlier about this being a rocky book trying to figure out what it was. I think the ending is when the author started to figure out where she wanted to take these characters and what world they were living in. I'm hoping the next books are more concrete in terms of their direction. I will be continuing for now because everyone says the next book is better, but I will say the first half of this book was super dense and hard to get through.
This was going to be a 5 star read until I got to the reason for the breakup/misunderstanding that always happens about 3/4 through any romance book. It just didn't work for me.
But I loved the characters of this one. Especially those outside the main couple, they all were unique and brought so much fun to the story. It was also great seeing how Jess and River worked with Juno involved.
I was very disappointed with the first book but everyone talked about how much better this one is. But I have no idea what they are talking about. Crave was a ripoff of Twilight and this one rips off The Host. Clearly, Tracy Wolff wants to be Stephenie Meyer and copies her plot ideas in her own world. Yes this book has dragons, wolves, witches, and vampires. But there are too many similarities.
The worst part for me was breaking the mating bond just to form a new one. I was actually impressed when the mating bond was broken because I was excited to see how Grace overcame that loss and what she did when she could choose who to be with. But instead, we get a new bond. Which makes no sense. If the bond is supposed to be with your true love and the perfect person for you, how can you have two mates?
I was a little apprehensive going into this book. I knew a lot of people have enjoyed it and rave about it. But sometimes the hype ruins it for me. I'm happy to report, that I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun quick read and I loved the world and the take on Greek mythology. There are definitely some issues with the pacing, but it was enjoyable with some great characters. I'm definitely invested enough to continue.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 10
Plot: 10
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 10
I loved this book. It was so well written and I loved seeing how the women's stories intertwined. It was also fascinating to see how the past affected the future. I normally am not a fan of dual timeline books but I thought this one was so well done and added so much to the story.
2021 Reread:
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 6
Writing: 5
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 6
Enjoyment: 7
I think overall my enjoyment of this trilogy is nostalgic based and rereading them has not been the best for me. I enjoy the world, but these characters actually bother me more than I remember them doing so.
