Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Rage And Ruin by Jennifer L Armentrout ~ Review

Dangerous secrets and forbidden desires lead to shocking consequences… Don’t miss book two of the fantastical Harbinger trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.



Now Available from Inkyard Press



First, I loved this book.  Can't wait for the next one.  And let me clear up the issues I had with Storm and Fury.  I have always loved Zayne.  From the first book in the Dark Elements Series, he was my choice.  I had a lot of feeling tied up in the team Zayne, team Roth choice.  I was in the minority of those who were not team Roth and I cried hard tears for Zayne at the end of that series.  Those feeling came to an ugly head in the reading of Storm And Fury because I felt like he was being put right back in the same position he'd been in then.  As a result, I didn't like that book, at all.  But I have since re-read it after the purge of emotions that happened with the first reading.  I now enjoy that book and am excited for this Zayne to have his happy.  Of course, that's not certain at this point, not with the Harbinger in the way.

This book is the second book in the Harbinger series and shouldn't be read stand alone.  The author does a good job of recapping Storm and Fury with a ghost conversation but I'd still read Storm and Fury first.  Rage and Ruin picks up where the first one left off.  Trinity and Zayne are forbidden to be together as they try to stop the apocalypse. 

My favorite genre is urban fantasy, or whatever they are calling it these days.  I have always enjoyed the action between the kisses.  And I enjoy the parallels between our world and the fiction.  So many things can be seen clearly by looking at in a new light.  I feel like this author does a good job of pointing out issues in our world but letting them play out in an urban fantasy setting.  That was one of things that drew me to the her first series, Covenant.  She does it here too highlighting disabilities and how people should be allowed to be who they want to be.  I admire her ability to do that.

This author has a way of creating strong female characters.  Trinity has insecurities and struggles that make her so real but at the same time, she dives right in when the badies come around.  She reminds me so much of Alex from the covenant series.  It may be the fighting skills they have in common and the lack of a filter between their brains and their mouths.  I just love them both.  I may have gotten frustrated with Trinity a few times but I love her determination and willingness to get things done.

Zayne is not the perfect gargoyle that he was in the Dark Elements Series.  Following the rules hasn't got him anywhere in the past, so why continue?  That's Zayne's point.  I adore the banter between Zayne and Trinity.  I love that he stops something (which I will not tell you what) at a critical point because it wasn't right for him.  He doesn't need his heart smashed to pieces again like it was in the first series.  I was so happy with him.  He's grown and learned to be the man he is.  I've watched that through both series' and I love him all the more for it.  He is a good guy that will always be there for Trinity, no matter what.

I so love Zayne and Trinity together.  They have amazing chemistry and truly belong together.  There is so much to overcome and I don't have clue how that's going to work out but I do trust this author to find a happy for these two.

As for the Roth appearances?  Yeah, I know a lot of team Roth fans that was just so excited for every tidbit of him that they got but there was only one scene he was in that made me happy.  I guess I haven't really gotten over my issues with him.  But I was happy about Bambi.

As for the story, I was much happier with this book than I was with book one.  In the first book, I saw a lot of what was coming but that wasn't the case with this book.  Small things, I figured out but the big stuff?  No way.  And the ending?  Oh my, can I have book three NOW.  

I have questions and wondering that I wish I could go visit this author and pry out of her.  I wonder about Trinity's dad.  There's a moment where Trinity talks to him, not in person.  And I feel like it had something to do with how things played out.  I want to understand that relationship better.  I feel like the whole world has been put on it's axis and I wonder how things are going to change.  It's going to be an exciting ride and I just can't wait.  

Of course you need to read this one.  If you are a JLA fan, that's a no brainer.  But for those of you who haven't read her books, it's time to jump on the bandwagon.  Storm and Fury and then Rage and Ruin is a great place to start.  It's some of the best urban fantasy I know.  It's a mix between mature YA and NA with a whole lot of story around the kissing.  Check it out.




                                             










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