emma ⚘'s Reviews > Reckless

★★★☆☆ - 3.5 stars

i don’t think i’ve ever been so conflicted about a book. the beginning and ending were great. it was only the middle i didn’t enjoy. it was so stagnant, repetitive, and slow. i found an equal amount of good and bad things about this book. i guess that’s what 3-star-ratings are for. it just doesn’t feel right with how excited i got about this book! i’m not sure what to do.

overall, even though there were several things i wish were different, i enjoyed this!!

[some spoilers]

what i didn’t like

- the beginning was SO good and then it became stagnant in the middle.
- it should’ve been longer. 377 pages seems a bit rushed.
- they gave in to the tension too quickly!
- at points, there was too much banter. it started to give me a headache.
- the constant “i hate you” and “you’re insufferable” to imply that they’re enemies. i gave up on counting how many times Paedyn said that. they could finish complimenting each other but then Paedyn will say “i hate you” out of nowhere. it’s annoying.
- the first kiss should’ve been in chapter 46…why did they do it so early?? that was all i was looking forward to and then it wasn’t as climactic as i’d hoped. it would have been perfect if it were closer to the end.
- personal issue, but 2 scenes were copied from Tangled! first of all, the tunnel scene with the water. if you read it and then watch the movie, it will make sense. and the second one was when he cut her hair off with a dagger. that one wasn’t very similar though.
- there were typos. (pages: 146, 256) it almost feels illegal to find them in a book! Lauren please get yourself a better editor.
- no plot…it just felt like a really long buildup and things finally happened in the last 10 pages.
- Mak wasn’t in this, so what was the point of even writing Powerful?? i am actually so mad about this. why has no one mentioned it? i kept waiting for him to show up and save Paedyn or something but it looks like he just disappeared…
- Kitt’s POV was boring. all his chapters were about was him being depressed in his office. and also he literally started going insane at the end…
- it’s starting to seem like there may be a love triangle…and i know i’m gonna hate it.
- the dialogue is almost too perfect to the point where it doesn’t even seem human and natural. it’s like these characters were handed a script and forced to say these things. the conversations were lacking flow.

what i liked

- loved the fight scenes! there weren’t a lot but the longer ones were written well.
- the writing has already improved so much. i found a lot of lines that i liked.
- gorgeous cover art!
- decent character development.
- some really good romantic lines. i would not be able to come up with some of these. i need to take notes…
- the love confession was PERFECT. except it would’ve been so much better if there were an actual buildup to it instead of a ton of flirting. but it had me smacking my book, screaming, crying, throwing up. that is how you write a love confession!
- KAI. i want to say “he’s basic”, “he’s cringey”, “he’s creepy”….but he’s hot. i might be in love with him.
- Paedyn was vulnerable, sometimes funny, sometimes annoying. i’m starting to like her better than how she was in book 1. and as i said before, i saw some development!
- it wasn’t as heavy in tropes as Powerless. it almost felt relieving. the “one bed” trope was in here twice, and “tending to wounds” was reused about 3 times. it felt less overwhelming in my opinion.
- THE PLOT TWIST/ENDING. i could have predicted it if i actually thought about the plot for a second, but i was so immersed in the romance that it caught me by surprise. in my case, i think it was a great cliffhanger. i’m so ready for the finale.

i hope all that made sense! i don’t consider myself a “hater” of this series. it’s not my favorite book ever, but i had a good time. i can’t wait to read the last one!

QUOTES

“Tell me, darling, do you think of me often? Do I haunt your dreams, plague your thoughts, like you do mine?”

This girl is the very thing I can’t seem to escape. Where I am, she is. Whether it’s in the flesh or the fragments of my mind.
And where there is a flame, there is always a shadow.
She is my inevitable.

“Like hell I’m letting you sleep alone,” I mutter.
And then I’m shaking my head, wrapping an arm around her legs, and pulling them against me.
She looks at me, shocked. And then she smiles, bright and big like the night sky hanging above us.
I fear she could rival the stars.

She’s alluring in the way that most deadly things are. It’s captivating.

Kissing her is relief.
It’s a delicate sort of demand.
She pulls away, panting words between each kiss. “I hate you.”
“I know,” I murmur into her mouth.

“No”—his fingers trail up my neck to trace my jaw—“the mistake was tasting you now that you likely won’t let me do it again.”

“Jealousy looks good on you, Gray,” I murmur, my fingers still cupping her chin.
Her eyes flick between mine, full of a familiar fire. “I’m not jealous.”
My gaze lingers on her lips before traveling down the length of her. “Then you just look good.”

“…formidable. Recklessly bold. Powerful despite ability.
“I am none of those things,” I whisper.
He drops my hand to brush gentle fingers beneath my chin, raising my face up toward his. “You are much more than those things.”
“You overestimate me.”
“No. I just see you.”

My face is inches from his. “Oh, I can hate you just fine.”
“Then hate that you feel something for me.” His hand skims my thigh while the other presses me firmly against him. “Hate me for making you want this.”

“You going to kiss me, Gray, or just continue admiring what you see?” he murmurs, now running a thumb over my bottom lip.
“Still contemplating drowning you, actually.” My voice is breathy, my own fingers wandering the curve of his jaw.
“Oh, darling, I already am.” His lips inch closer to mine, teasing me. “And I’m begging you to let me breathe you in.”
I smile slyly. “I thought you never begged?”
“I’m getting used to it when it comes to you.”
And then his hand slips behind my neck to pull my lips toward his.

“Your heart is pounding.”
“That tends to happen when you touch me, yes.”

“You’re not just a mission to me. You’re not just another enemy for me to find. You’re something even more terrifying.”
Her voice is a little more than a whisper. “And what is that?”
“A need.”

“Maybe I’m fine with being a fool. So long as it’s for you.”

“The truth, then?”
“The truth, always.”

“Dont look at me like that.”
“Like what?” she asks softly.
“Like I’m worthy of being seen.”
Her lashes flutter at my words. She swallows, lifting a hand to cup my face. My eyes drift closed at the feel of her palm against my skin, the privilege to be touched by her.
“Dance with me?” she whispers.
“For however long you want, darling.”

Laughter seems to stutter in my throat, as if unsure whether it should come out of my mouth. He reaches over and gently flicks the tip of my nose, making me giggle in a way I didn’t know I could.
“Plagues, I love that sound,” he murmurs, making me fall silent. “I would tattoo it on my skin if it meant you’d laugh at me for doing it.”

He closes the distance between us, tilting my chin up so I meet his gaze. “You asked me what my favorite color was once. I’d never even pondered the answer to that question before you. And yet, I realized in that moment that it was blue.” He bends to brush a kiss to my temple, a murmur against my skin. “It is your eyes.”

He inches toward me, head shaking and eyes roaming as though overwhelmed by what he is seeing. “Oh, but you are my undoing. My deliverance. My downfall disguised as a deity.” Another slow step. “You are my ruin.”

“Call us even. Call me crazy. I don’t care. Just…” His eyes are pleading, brimming with emotion. “Just call me yours.”

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