This review contains major spoilers - read with caution! A list of trigger warnings is available here - reader discretion is advised.
Never in my life have I felt a rage about a book ending like I felt when I was reading the final chapters of this installment. I truly feel like I was being rage-baited into thinking it was an acceptable ending when it was basically some of the laziest writing and plot development I have ever come across. Tem's character, while slightly annoying in book one, seemed to lose all common sense and reasoning. The character assassination that occurred with Caspen was like getting shot in the chest - everything that I loved about his character seemed to fly out the window as the author showed clear favoritism towards Leo. Caspen was notorious for loving Tem without reservation and all of her - he would do anything to have her and anything to keep her, and yet the author suddenly decided she was okay with him basically abandoning his feelings for her for the "good" of her? I wanted to pull my hair out.
Leo's presence in this book started off as a little bit of a forbidden love triangle yet soon became a nuisance to me the more he showed up with his lingering glances and being controlled by Evelyn. It was literally nauseating when he would come on the page because I knew it would be a chapter filled with his whining and Tem's internal monologue of how much she wanted him but could not have him. Caspen's clear distain toward the human king was so justified and I honestly wish Caspen was more brutal and straight up just took out Leo when he had the chance - so many issues would have been resolved. Sure, the humans probably would have revolted against the basilisks, but at this point, it would have been worth it. Tem was basically emotionally torturing Caspen every single time they had dinner with Leo and Evelyn, and yet she did not see anything wrong with what she was doing.
Let me tell you something - I was starting to root for a little action with Tem and Apollo solely because he was eons more intriguing than Leo. Sure, he is Caspen's brother, but good god, hsi scenes were always so alluring and he clearly was able to care for Tem in a way that Leo would not be able to, with the added benefit of having first rights to Tem. I would have supported a Tem, Caspen, and Apollo why-choose development over the actual ending of this forsaken book, Tem was running around those caves "resisitng" having sex with all these hot basilisks on the basis of her saying she only wanted Caspen, but clearly the girl's love for Leo was influencing her decision on that part. Sure, she engaged in mating season activities with other basilisks, but it was annoying to see her act righteous over refusing sex when it's literally the basis of the basilisk way.
The entire ordeal with the Senecas contesting Tem and Caspen's marriage would have been so good... if it ended up being worth it in the end. I absolutely cannot stand Rowe after everything he did in the first installment, and somehow we are supposed to accept that he would ever be considered a better choice than Caspen. And all that build up to him being more powerful now and alluding that he did something in order to achieve it, only for it to become an abandoned plot line?? So many plot were lost in the author's clear attempt to make readers want to have Leo be the chosen one for Tem instead of Caspen, and the book suffered for it.
There were a million other choices the author could have made for the ending that would have been satisfying on all fronts - instead, readers are presented with one of the most ludicrous ending imaginable. You are telling me, in the series about a girl who loves more than one person, that you could not end it as a "why not both?" and we could have lived happily ever after?? SHE LOVED THEM BOTH!! Never in my life have I ever rooted for a throuple - literally the first time ever - and yet this was the perfect opportunity make them all love each other. But no... apparently happiness cannot exist here and we have to KILL one of them?? And not even the more boring one?? I was a sobbing mess when I realized what was happening and at that point, wish I never read the book in the first place. Because why are you killing the hot, sexy Serpent King, making the Hybreed lose her basilisk side, and end up with the boring human king that could barely fight for her?? You're telling me I had to lose the man that responded to "You're not a god" with "Am I not? He should thank me for my benevolence." to the human king that cannot even stand up to a simple village girl that ran away from him for money??
One positive thing I will say - I love how unhinged these books are and how straight to the point - or smut - the book gets to the nasty within the first chapter. Mating season was absolutely crazy and honestly had some moments that had my jaw dropping - some things were not for me, but they aligned with the basilisk way so it was appropriate. Some scenes were super juicy and I ate them up but others felt so repetitive in the sense that the author would inserting them into the story to avoid addressing the plot.
Overall, I wish I could wipe my memory from ever deciding to read this sequel - at least then I would be able to live in ignorance and bliss without the knowledge of this atrocious ending. Will I read the prequel being published later this year? Probably, but I won't be happy about it. Especially considering I thought it was actually the third installment and not about other characters. If you want to send someone through the ringer, then you can make them read this series knowing they will be met with disappointment and anger. I do not even know how I will be able to move on after finishing this book.
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