Book Review: "Fall of Ruin and Wrath" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: "Awakening" #1

Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Page Length: 432 pages

Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I've been reading Jennifer L. Armentrout books for over eight years now and after all this time, I can count on the fact that I'll enjoy her books. Some I love more than others, some I enjoy and then forget about, and some I become absolutely obsessed with. This was everything I expected out of a JLA adult fantasy romance and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. However, it also wasn't anything particularly revolutionary for the genre so it also didn't blow me out of the water despite my enjoyment. 

There's romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, and then fantasy romance. This book is about as far as you can get in fantasy romance and still have a plot. The whole dynamic in the book is based off of pleasure, physical attraction, sex, etc. It's very normalized in the world but it is also the basis for the developing romance in the book. If you don't like smut in books or if you like more plot over romance or more of the soft romance over the smut, this book is not for you. 

I will say, this felt a lot more developed than her other high fantasy series, From Blood and Ash. I have to imagine that the better writing and development are down to the fact that this one is traditionally published so likely went through stricter editing than that one. Now, I love what I've read of the FBAA series so far, but it's definitely not an objectively great series by any means. But I think readers who didn't like FBAA because of the editing and world building would enjoy this one more as it is a bit better in terms of actual writing. 

The plot outside of the romance was interesting, though minimal. Most of the book seemed to be spent on the romance or the main character contemplating the romance. But the actual plot regarding the kingdom politics was intriguing and I'm interested to see how it develops in the next book. The ending was also quite explosive and I'm eager to see how the events of the end influence the story in the next. However, I think what intrigues me most outside of the romance is the magic system. Our main character has really unique magic and I think it presents a lot of opportunities to drive the plot in various ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, addicting, and steamy. However, it's nothing particularly new or revolutionary for the fantasy romance genre and I do think we could have used more time getting to know the characters instead of more smut. I'm looking forward to the next one and can add this to the list of JLA books that are a hit for me. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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End of the Year Book Tag: 2023 Edition

Another year past, another end of the year wrap up to start getting into! This is my favorite time of the year on my blog where I get to wrap-up a bunch of fun things from this year and look ahead to the next year. It always kicks off with the End of the Year Book Tag. This is my fifth year doing it and it's one of the tags that I enjoy every time. Let's go ahead and dive in! 

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1. Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

I've not started and DNF-ed any books that I want to finish but there are a few series I want to continue with before the year is over. First, I want to finish my reread of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I've gotten through Queen of Shadows and I've started Empire of Storms. It's so much fun being back in this world and with these characters. It truly feels like returning home.

I also want to continue reading the Ironside Academy by Jane Washington. Jane is one of my favorite indie authors and this is her newest book series. I've read the first book and loved it. The sequel came out a few months ago and the third book just came out a few days ago. I'm so excited to continue with more in this world and I've heard nothing but great things about the second and third books. I'm hoping to binge them all in one go after I finish the Throne of Glass series. 

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2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

I always think that fantasy books are the perfect fall and winter books. There's a few on my TBR for the rest of the month but I'm pretty excited about hopefully getting to One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. I've known about this book since it came out but it seems like it hit a popularity surge this year and I've heard nothing but good things about it. I just feel like this has the perfect autumn/winter fantasy reading vibes. 

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3. Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross is probably my last confirmed release that I'm anticipating for the year. It comes out in the US in December but in the UK in January so it's technically one that I'm excited for this year and next. I might not get to read it until January but I'm very much looking forward to it. 

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4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

I want to get to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon, and Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman. I've heard great things about the first two and I absolutely love Heartstopper so I'm really excited to see how the story continues.  

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5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Any book could shock me at this point as all of my TBR for the rest of the year are ones that I'm highly anticipating. It could be The Hurricane Wars or Emily Wilde's or One Dark Window or Sauter or Foul Heart Huntsman or a random book I decide to pick up on a whim. Any one of them could surprise me and become a favorite. 

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6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2024?

You bet I have! I have some books scheduled in various months throughout the year to coincide with the releases I'm most excited for. I am very excited as a bunch of my most anticipated releases are coming in the first few months of the year. I'm not going to set a number goal for the year but I do have some goals planned around series and my backlist TBR. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Series Review: "WITSEC" by Ashley N. Rostek

Series: WITSEC

Author: Ashley N. Rostek 

Reading Order & Individual Ratings:

1. Find Me - 3.5 // 5 stars
2. Save Me - 3 // 5 stars
3. Love Me -  3 // 5 stars
4. Free Me - 3 // 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I first heard of this series on TikTok when people were talking about why choose romances that they loved. Everything about the idea of this series appealed to me: why choose, a heroine on the run, badass characters, etc. However, despite the surface level enjoyment I had in these books, I think overall they were disappointing to me. 

I'll preface this by saying that these books are addicting as hell. I read all four of them in 24 hours and couldn't put them down. The nature of these books means there's a certain thriller element where you're always wondering if the next hit is about to come. 

The first book was the most enjoyable to me, I think. It was a good start to the series, if not a bit insta-lovey. I thought we got a good idea of our characters and the situation with some pretty good pacing. I do prefer a more slow-burn romance, especially for my why-choose books, but I could overlook it because I was enjoying it nonetheless. The second book upped the suspense quite a bit. I didn't like it as much as the first as we went right into a full blown love scenario whereas I would have preferred a bit more development. 

The third and fourth books were I think where my disappointment in this series really came out. For starters, I could no longer tell the love interests apart. One of my minimum requirements for a why choose series to become an all-time favorite is good character distinction for the love interests. Basically, I don't want the love interests to be a copy-paste of each other simply for the novelty of having multiple love interests. 

For me, a good way to test this is to ask myself the following question: "If you were to take a page of dialogue and actions and remove any names or nicknames, could I tell you which love interest it is?" My favorite why choose romances, I can do that. This is not one of those cases. In the first book, it was that way. But once the romance developed, the love interests became exactly the same in how they acted and talked. And since we didn't get much background information on them besides a few sentences here and there, I felt very disconnected. 

I also think that while I liked the main character, as the series went on she became very annoying to me. I understand she's been through incredible trauma and she's not healed nor has she gotten any help dealing with it. I understand that. At the same time, I found the constant outbursts, tantrums, and blaming others to be excessive. These are men she's supposed to love, yet there was a point where every chapter was either smut or her yelling at them and storming off. If we needed these angsty moments, we also needed the soft moments that show the relationship that aren't smut scenes. 

This brings me to my next issue with the last few books. The amount of smut in these books was too much. If you are reading for smut, you'll probably like that. I don't read for smut. Smut can add to my reading experience if it's done in moderation and doesn't overtake the plot or development. But there was a point it seemed every single chapter had a smut scene. There were times we had more smut than anything else (plot, character development, romance) combined. I began skimming over them and completely skipping those scenes. 

That may put me in the minority, though. I just am indifferent to smut in books. I grew up reading fanfiction and on the early-2010s internet so I feel like I've been well desensitized to explicit content by now. Smut just for the sake of smut doesn't do it for me in books anymore because I'd much prefer other romantic moments, plot development, etc over that. 

Overall, did I read this series in less than 24 hours and was it incredibly addicting? Yes. Was it an objectively good series? No. I think the rate at which I read them and how addicting they were are the only reason I was able to give it 3 stars as otherwise I think these aren't offering that much to the why choose genre. Incredible concept, poor execution is what I think I'll leave this review with. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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