I get what the author was trying to do with the part one plot twist, but it really feels like that came out of nowhere. Outside the binding, there was no build up or anything other than “this scary demon dude is so nice to me and his weird demon dog is enamored with me. That’s not really enough for me to feel invested in that twist. It’s just kind of like okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get into the drama. That’s just not good enough.
Aleja is also unnecessarily cruel to Nicolas. Sure, he’s the one that made the deal with her great great grandfather, but he’s the one that offered his own descendants. The number of “fuck you”s she’s hurled at him just in part one alone is crazy. She’s mourning her missing friend, sure, but I just don’t find her likable as a character.
Part two kinda dragged. I feel like the only reason Nicolas loves Aleja is because she used to be his wife. Like, there’s no real chemistry between the two and the new sexual nature of their relationship feels a little forced. I expected more build up to their first encounter, of whatever kind, than what we got. It was one conversation of “I feel it when you’re stupid horny, take care of it” and then the next time she was stupid horny she sought him out even though he made it clear he wouldn’t be with her until she overtly asked. For me, that means something. He’s also consistently putting half boundaries in place around their intimacy that kind of confuse me because he doesn’t really adhere to them.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I just really didn’t connect with Aleja as a character and I feel like the plot was raced through. I would have really liked more stakes building, though, I was pleased with the world building and magic system. If the book were longer, it could have been fleshed out a bit more, but for such a short novel, I think the amount we got was adequate.
“I’m not the one who’s going to have to face her.” More of that. More of that through the rest of the book. When Aleja finally owns her power and steps into herself, she’s actually kind of incredible. No more simpering, no more whining, just a woman scorned and ready to burn the world to ash. Still, the relationship between her former self and Nicolas is more believable than the relationship between him and her current self.
If the end of the book Aleja is who we get in book two rather than the Aleja we were introduced to in the beginning, I’m inclined to continue the series. The ending was more chaotic and rushed than I prefer, but it’s understandable given what it was hypothetically setting up for book two. This wasn’t my favorite book, I didn’t particularly like it, really. That being said, I think book two will be exponentially better given the growth we saw at the end of book one. Fingers crossed.
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