1.5/5

Don’t Blame the Reckless by Maddyson Wilson is about an assassin named Ember, and a crown prince named Roman, from enemy kingdoms. By some twist of fate, their lives become irreversibly intertwined and they must work together to find some semblance of a future for themselves. Corrupt rulers and suffocating society are just but a few things that bring trouble to their lives. The question is, will they work together to survive? Or will they fight alone in fear of facing their true feelings for each other?

Oh boy. Buckle up, kiddos. You are in for a wild ride.

Let me start of by saying that I have nothing against the author. She has great potential and I’m interested to see what she does in the future. And if there will be a second book, I’d be impartial to read it.

Here goes:

First, there’s no impact of the events. There’s no urgency either. It feels like there’s no consequences. Like someone died (this isn’t a spoiler, it’s in the synopsis friends) and I just didn’t care. Events happen without much explanation or definition. Like a day would pass and I’d be like “oh okay, moving on I guess.”

Next, I guess there’s not much depth to really anything here. Not the characters, not the world, not the plot. I wish the world was explained more because it was really confusing at times. I would have read 100 extra pages if it meant more world-building. The world was interesting enough from the small snippets we got of its history so I would truly love to hear more.

Furthermore, the way the plot progressed. Wilson only really wrote scenes for their dialogue. That’s how this plot progresses, almost purely through dialogue. It kind of gets old. I feel as though this book would have played out better if the written format was like diary/journal entries.

Lastly, I also felt that there’s barely any relationship or character development. The choices each character make one after the other just don’t make sense to me. Because so much in between stuff is missing, it’s so strange and confusing when the very next chapter a character completely changes their mindset without explanation.

I’m going to stop there because whew, that’s a lot. I was honestly just confused and shocked reading this book. I can say that it was interesting enough to finish, but maybe only because of my confusion. I do hope Wilson keeps writing more. Maybe I should check out her other stuff. We’ll see.

This book was a fun read... to a point. I really like Ember and her personality. It is always fun to read a character, like her being morally grey and witty i just wish It remind the same throughout the entirety of the book and not get her to do things out of her assassin witty character. That felt off and pulled me out of the story. What also put me out was the info dumping. I've seen a lot of authors lately "telling" the readers what is happening instead of showing them and its frustrating. My other problem is that I feel like if there was a better editing perhaps this book would've been amazing, because as it is, some chapters felt too fanfiction-ish for me and i'm not saying fanfiction is bad by any means! But in this case it wasn't good.
Overall the book was good and enjoyable even with its flaws.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always appreciate the morally gray and bad ass female characters, along with a tense romance, but I sadly just couldn’t quite connect to these characters or their story. The narrative felt a little too formulaic at times for me, without the necessary exciting plot twists or good writing to make up for the places where the action and character motivations were falling flat for me. I just wanted more fleshed out characters and a more nuanced plot. But there were lots of redeeming elements, the snarky exchanges were so entertaining and I loved the fight scenes

This book has a lot of potential, but I feel like the story wasn’t fully hashed out. It’s almost like it needed to breathe more before it went to print.

The world itself I don’t feel had adequate enough building. I couldn’t get lost in it visually. The main characters Ember and Roman were okay but their relationship moved so quickly that I don’t feel like there was enough foundation building for the decision at the end.

I loved the idea and there were some good moments, but I just think that it’s not complete.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/3 stars.

I had really high hopes for this book, it had all the ingredients to be something I really loved. It had murder, mystery, enemies to lovers ect. however the delivery fell very short for me.

First off let me just add a trigger warning for this book with regards to domestic abuse, torture and drug related abuse.

There were so many inconsistencies with the plot, a lot of information given that characters somehow didn't remember despite there being no real reason for them not to (i.e there was no amnesia ect). The world building didn't feel fully fleshed out, it was confusing to try and immerse yourself fully. And the romance seemed very rushed with no substance at all, it was 0 to 100 in the space of what felt like two chapters at most.

Also, the ending. It was, I don't know. That's how abrupt it was.

I really really wanted to love this book, the idea of it was right up my alley. I loved the themes, I was just disappointed with the storytelling itself. Great potential though.

3.5 Stars
I finished this book relatively quickly (in one day), and I really want to say it was an enjoyable read, but it wasn't quite there yet. First reading the description, I was pulled in and loved the plot idea. An assassin pushed into the world of royalty to help her sector but upon reading it, I loved and disliked many aspects of this novel.

Ember Levin. An assassin looking for justice in her sector. She tries to kill the Empress but gets caught in the midst of it. On her execution day, however, the Empress tasks her to do what Ember claims "a suicide mission" instead of getting executed. She takes on that task in hopes that the Empress would help fix her society in the East Sector. Ember disguises herself as a cousin of Ivelisse, a member of the court and future queen, to find and free the prisoners from the Angeles Prison.

I honestly love Ember as a character. She is witty, cunning, morally grey (my favorite), and doesn't care what others think; however, that only lasts for a few chapters, and throughout the book I find her doubting herself and not at all acting like the murderess she is.

Roman Stone. The crown prince of Angeles that has baggage. His relationship with his father--the king--is strained after losing his mother, and him being pushed to be the perfect prince and future leader in the eyes of his father. Roman meets Ember (Helene at the time) at his brother Ian's gala. Roman brings her on a tour around the palace, and Ember tries killing him, but she gets caught and gets sent to prison. Roman can't help but pity her, so he helps her try to escape. As they continue through the story, Roman battles feelings for Ember whilst dealing with his father.

I don't have much to say for Roman except how Maddyson was able to write the trauma of Roman so wonderfully. I could tell how his childhood experiences affected Roman's ability to make relationships and how he always pushes people away. As for the romance in this book, I couldn't exactly tell what trope it was aiming for due to the lack of growth between Roman and Ember. To me, it felt like one moment Roman has no feelings for her, then the second moment they're kissing because their relationship did not go in deep and was overall very shallow.

I felt like the setting was slightly confusing and very vague. I thought it was set in an older era until random technology and the mention of countries we know today popped out. I wish there were more world-building in this world because it would've made this book much more enjoyable; however, it was not a major issue for me.

I don't have much to comment about Maddyson's writing style other than the consistency was somewhat off. The book wasn't choppy, per se, but at some points, the book moved very slowly, and in other points, it felt rushed. I also noticed that both POVs were written with the same voice, and I got confused many times at who's POV I was on especially when they were together.

Overall I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I enjoyed the plot of this book, and I wish I could've been able to give it a higher rating, but I think there were so many ideas in this book that the main ones couldn't be properly conveyed. It almost read like fanfiction. I think this book was good, and I can't wait to see what else Maddyson has in store for us.

*Courtesy of Gen Z Publishing via NetGalley
*All opinions are my own

**Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-book in exchange for an honest review**
"Don't Blame the Reckless" by Maddyson Wilson is a dystopian novel about Ember, an assassin, and what happens when she's sent to an enemy country to rescue a prisoner, in exchange for not getting executed.
The thing I liked about this novel is that it got straight to the point and the writing is great, descriptive, but it doesn't feel like that of a finished piece, it needs a little editing still.
The setting is vague, you don't really know where you are until quite far in. Is this futuristic? Fantasy? I had no idea until I was several chapters in, which made it really hard to picture the world. The main characters are both annoying and they had no chemistry whatsoever. I never believed they were in love even though I knew that was where the author wanted to take the story. And the exposition! There is so much! And still, I had no idea what was happening.
In the end, I decided to DNF the book since I had no interest in the story and it was marketed as LGBT+, but no such representation was present. I might read from the author in the future, because like I said, their writing was very good, but this book just wasn't for me.
DNF at 75%

I loved the representation in this book and thought that the pacing was very well done. I loved the world that the author created and couldn't get enough of this story.

I got to say that this one was a bit hard to like. The pacing of the story doesn't sit right with me. It felt off at some point which could have been executed greatly without much information dump. The characters were okay, to say the least. Both Ember and Roman were morally grey to some extent. They did some things recklessly here and there. They got me rooted during the climax. I did not expect what happened at all. It was such a cliffhanger.

With this, I'm going to have to give this a three out of five stars. I'm sure there is more room for improvement in the next installment and I'm all in to see it happen.

Worth a read. There are lots of the usual young adult themes but the book is well written and the plot is well placed.

Don't Blame the Reckless by Maddyson Wilson is a book that shows great potential, but feels halfway polished. In general, the first 50% of the book felt much more finished and fine-tuned than the second 50%. The writing in the first half had a much better flow and the voices of the two main characters, Ember & Roman, felt more distinct and recognizable. The plot also felt much more tight and controlled for the first half of the story, which allowed me to become invested in the characters and in the world building Wilson was doing. The world building itself was nice and never felt overly explanatory. The characters referenced the world around them in an organic way that allowed the reader to infer and piece together a picture of their own. I very much enjoyed the first 50% of the book and overall I found the general plot and story to be quite fun.

However, after the halfway point, the quality of the book began to decline. First, things began to feel rushed. It became increasingly difficult to get a grasp on the timeline. It was often hard for me to tell how much time had passed without a character directly stating how many days or weeks had gone by. And even then, those statements often left me confused. I could not give a reliable estimate of how much time passed during the events of the book. Second, the characters and their motivations began to feel muddled and wishy-washy. Roman and Ember's voices began to feel much more similar. In the first half of the book, I could have been dropped in the middle of a chapter and easily figured out which character POV I was reading. I can't say the same for the second half of the story. The characters' motivations also gave me whip lash near the end of the story. Ember, Roman, and the King were constantly changing their mind on what path to take, why they wanted to take it, and whether or not it was a good idea. I don't want to include too many details as that would spoil the plot, but in general this made it hard to follow the plot because I couldn't get a firm grasp on anyone's purpose. Lastly, there were some typos and inconsistencies in the second half of the book. The typos were minor and I don't mind them, especially in any sort of ARC. However, the inconsistencies definitely confused me. For example, at one point in the story I believe Roman is driving a car, but later on he tells Ember he can't drive and never has? It was little things like that which made the book feel unpolished and rushed.

I have a few more minor gripes about this book that did not influence my overall rating. This is mostly because of my previous reading history and other books I enjoy, but the cover and the synopsis definitely gave me the impression that the story would take place in a more old-timey fantasy setting. There was little to indicate that this was a post-apocalyptic fantasy set in what used to be the United States. Maybe if the cover featured a gun instead of a dagger there would be a cue that this is more modern? My last little gripe is that the book was tagged by Net Galley as LGBTQIA. I know there were very small hints at this in the text, but the main story featured a heteronormative romance. I'm not sure if Net Galley supplied this tag or if the publisher did, but it felt a little like false advertisement.

This was fun, and the concept was intriguing, but the execution was poor. It was enjoyable enough to keep me reading up to the end, but it was lacking in many qualities.

I read through 50% of this before finally putting it down. I was never drawn in like I usually am with a story. There were some shocking plot twists and moments but the writing overall wasn't helping me want to turn the page. Perhaps a younger person might enjoy this more.

I was really excited to read this book because this is right up my alley. But the book started to confuse me. Roman and Ember were great characters and I loved their personalities and Ms. Wilson had everything to keep the reader intrigued, murder, mystery and adventure. But was this a fictional place or was this somewhere in America? Also, what time period was the author intending here. On one page, we have a fictional world and then on the next page someone is going into an elevator. I was so confused and that made the book less enjoyable for me

An assassin, a prince, a betrayl, and a lot of heart ache.

Rating: 4/5

Don't Blame the Reckless is a fantastic story of what happens when one powerful, strong willed woman is pushed to her limits and when one unsteady man lets a strong woman into his life. Wilson was able to craft explicitly strong, willfull characters that stormed through their world and tried, seriously tried, to make a change. Reading this book in the wake of the 2020 election was a treat (it left me really hopeful that regardless the outcome, there is such a strong will for change that anything is possible) and helped block out some of the craziness in the world around me for a few days.

I loved Ember. The attitude, the confidence, the ability to do what needed to be done, all of it was extremely refreshing. And to have such a strong female MC, one who has little time for romance (despite the fact that she and Roman totally vibe) was also extremely inspiring. While the beginning is a little hard to sift through, and I really do believe that Wilson should have put a little more work into letting us know that despite it's more aged undertones that the book was a modern dystopian fairytale, the ending was phenomenal. I am very hopeful that the book will lead to a series, because I would love to see how Ember continues to rock the world around her.

There were some consistency issues throughout the book, including some moments where I felt that there were a few words, or even paragraphs, missing. Overall, though, this is a book that I would recommend for anyone looking for a touch of modern dystopian fiction.

Thank you to the publishers, GenZ Publishing, and the author for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Wow is all I can say this book took me on an emotional roller coaster. I do wish there was an epilogue to the story. I want to know what happens to Ty. I do wonder if people corrupt power or if power corrupts people. I would recommend this book lots of action and heart wrenching moments. Thanks netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Don’t Blame The Reckless by Maddyson Wilson

What?!?? I say again what??? This book was very intriguing but it had so many different plot lines that it seems like it could have been a very great series but the author didn’t want to take the time and threw everything together. If she would have broke all the stories up and took on a plot at a time it would have been great, now we have no answers and so many questions! What happen to ky, why did Ivelissa set them up like that what happen afterwards! She could have started with a book about ember and the stories why she killed all them people in one book then book on Roman and how they met in the second one and went on with their story on the run in the next then killing the king then what happen at the end!!!

I think this book could have been absolutely awesome. The first two chapters and the prolouge were incredible and I really wanted to like this book.
Ember seemed to be just the character I could start liking and Roman... I liked Roman from the very beginning.
Like I said, this book sounded like something I could really love - if I would have been able to get my head around the correct setting of this book. It started our as something set in a fantasy world - and next thing I know there is an elevator. It kept going back and forth; I could never quite focus on the characters because the setting was putting me off.
While I really liked Roman at the beginning, he sadly became a pretty stereotypical character And Ember... Well, Ember was a character I could't get a grasp on after the third or fourth chapter. and I really didn't care for her anymore. The side characters were annoying, especially Ky. I felt like I knew nothing about him or any of the other side characters. They didn't feel like "people" to me. Just like Side characters and this is something that shouldn't be happening in a book.
Also, like I already said, the setting simply wasn't for me.

Don’t Blame the Reckless is an interesting book. It isn’t something I really have read before.

Throughout you read from either Ember’s perspective or Roman’s perspective. I really enjoyed this as it set up what was happening really well.

In the opening chapter you see where Ember has landed herself from all the killing she has done. It is here where you learn of a mission she is to achieve to allow her to gain her freedom and change her sector the way she wants to.

The chapter it is from Roman’s perspective. Roman is a prince who is trying to figure out what he really wants and how he wants to be as King. This chapter really shows Roman as a human being and one who doesn’t want to be above anyone.

The plot of Don’t Blame the Reckless I felt was a little over the place. In the first chapters it is about getting the prisoner to then becoming queen then nothing at all. It was the way in which it happened out of nowhere and I didn’t understand how it really came about. I wished there was more chapters in between so it wasn’t so fast paced. I did like the fact there was blackmail, secrets and assassins in the story.

The characters of Ember and Roman I really did enjoy. I loved how strong Ember was and how she wanted the best for her sector and would do anything to see change. Roman had a beautiful arc I felt and loved to see him grow into himself more. I loved the change in relationship between the two but was annoyed how the story ended.

Overall Don’t Blame the Reckless is a fast paced book that did have interesting characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the book

Thank you me and the publisher for an e-copy of this book!!!

Ember is an assassin who has been sent into enemy territory to release a political enemy. If she is successful in for mission, then she will be exonerated and free to live her life.

This book had everything I love. Assassins, royalty, betrayal. I liked Maddyson’s writing style and I wanted to love this book, but something about it just didn’t click for me. I was more interested in Embers backstory than the one that was being told. Roman was kind of boring, but I really liked Ky as a character. I don’t have an major complaints. Hopefully Maddyson writes more because I would be interested in reading more of her work in the future