King of Ruin

This book was good till the last 5%. Decent characters, interesting word building etc. Up to this point, the romance was slow burn with both of them crushing, but nothing else. The last 5% the romance is very rushed.

Also, what happened to parts of the plot?? Caim has his uncle assasinated but literally only 1 person looks into it. And then mostly forgets about it. He’s supposed to be this very smart political guy but like… It’s mostly tell, not show. Would be a spoiler to explain why.

Also at the beginning, there is a lot of talk about how MC makes friends with Julia etc, makes Paris feel like home etc. Then she gets abducted and pretty much completely forgets about her best friend. Not once does she even think ” oh too bad Julia would have probably worried” or “maybe I should find some way to let her know I’m okay”. She literally ceases to exist in MC’s mind. So it’s really obvious it’s just a plot point. I mean, it was still an enjoyable read so I let it go but… Honestly plot wasn’t written the best.

SPOILER SECTION:

She literally decides she loves him after he get almost assasinated and jumps his bones right after. Okay but what… You still barely know this guy. There was absolutely no relationship prior to this. They haven’t kissed even. She knows him for like.. a month or couple tops. Maybe not 0 to 60, but Romance went from 20 to 90 real quick and honestly ruined the ending for me. Also, the guy gets betrayed by his general and that’s after other people he trusts tells him that the general is whack. And what does this political genius do? He ignores ite….. Yeah, sharpest tool in the shed this guy isn’t.

END SPOILER

Even though this book had problems, it was enjoyable, just know what your expectations should be. But, the ending ruined it and due to the over all lazy writing I would drop from 4 to 3.

So Mel and Cain had great world building in the land of the Sidhe. This had references to a potential back story, but we were not given a completed story of Mel’s history. So there are questions left unanswered. The references to the age of blood series are a nice tie in, however, I felt this one missed a great opportunity. There was no actual end and this story felt like it was cut off two chapters too early. I’m seeing that in most of Ms Sages books. They have a build up of relationship, then in last couple of pages there is sex scene and bam The End. And next book will be about a different person and plot so we don’t really have a complete story. Overall, good story, but no real closure

So, I was definitely looking forward to this and I enjoyed it and I want more of Mel’s story for certain. I’m very much hoping the sequel will continue to follow her and Caim as there is still much to discover about just who and what Mel really is.

My main issue is that the big revelation and only sex scene happen at the very end of the book. It actually reminded me a lot of After Darkness Falls that way. Especially since while the characters are obviously drawn to each other, there’s no hint of romance and then they’re suddenly having sex after someone has a near death experience.

Still, I do want to know what comes next.

I admit I was bored to pieces by this book right up until the hero meets the heroine, then it starts to take off although at a slower pace than what I would normally read. I liked the slower pace though with regard to the romance. Im so over insta-love that this was a nice way to add depth and emotion to the story. But just when things start to get really interesting, the book ends! I dont mind waiting a while to read the next installment but I hope it is not TOO long because I want to see how this turns out. One thing I didnt understand is the warning included the Amazon plot summary saying it is not suitable for sensitive readers…this book wasnt sexually graphic or violent. In fact there is only one love scene and it wasnt anything more than normal. And if I were to give you a quick summary of the plot, not a lot happens in large terms; its the smaller emotions and actions that help build the relationship between the two main characters that take up the majority of the story once they actually meet. I wonder if the other books in the series are planned to be harsher reads? Also, even though were told Caim is violent and ruthless, his actions and speech in this book are very gentle and restrained. If youre concerned this book might be too much for you, I can honestly say dont worry. But then again I have no insight as to what is to follow in subsequent books so read if you want, read this and then judge whether to proceed to the next on your own. But this is a pretty safe read.

A heroine with a mysterious past. A hero ruled by stoicism and his one obsession. She wants to get home and he just wants to leave his. I’m not sure what the stakes are beyond those two desires but I am willing to read more.

What I loved: Mel. How she handles the bedrock of her invincibility being crushed. Who she is with her love of books and her Paris abode and her inability to cook.

The snark. Enough said.

The Tailor. Minor character. One scene but oh do I want more.

The world building. As much as I love Sage’s raunch and romance, I also immensely enjoy her descriptions of realms beyond our own. I’d like to see more of Sidhe than the bedroom/beach… The hierarchy between the Aos Si and the fae seems ripe for conflict in a great way.

What I didn’t love: Caim drops the ball on investigating what the hell happened to his predecessor. He backburners that in a way that doesnt seem in keeping with a fae of his intelligence at all. No one is looking into it. And he trusts exactly one person to help him who could look into it. This makes the shock of what happens in the last chapter weaker than it could have been.

I also don’t believe that Caim would do a 180 on his position about Mel in the very last scene but that might be because:

This book feels too short for all the story it contains! I want and hope the promise of the series plays out well. I’ll be anxiously re-reading other Sage books in the meantime.