One of my biggest qualms with fantasy romance, even though it is one of my favorite genre is that often times the author doesn’t manage to walk the delicate balance of making sure there is both enough romance and world building. From this, I think it suffers a little from the lack of the latter. It was interesting though!

A good series starter, this book could have a little more world building and could flesh out the villain/love interest just a bit more. The main character is unique and has a strong voice. Definitely a series I'll continue to check out!

I love JLA's works and have read a lot by this author, so I thought I knew what to expect. I was drawn in by the premise of this story and my love for her previous fantasy works, but I found the plot of this to be lacking. Instead, this book was more spice than plot. This is not a bad thing -- just not what I was expecting from this author. I think I would've enjoyed this more had I been on the lookout for spice > plot, so be warned!
That being said, this is a series I will definitely continue, and look forward to more novels by this author.

Jennifer Armentrout’s book was a top contender for our October box and we did indeed include it. It has a lot of spice. I think at times I would have wanted more pushing of the plot instead of sex (I know, weird to say), but it’s still a great book and I’m looking forward to the next one!

Another good romantasy/new adult novel by Jennifer Armentrout. She is a master of the genre. The main character is intriguing, and the sex scenes spicy.

Even though this was just a sample, I loved it so much! I can't wait to read the rest of it, anything with Jennifer Armentrout is a winner in my book and I'm SO excited to read more!

This was an incredible fantasy read. The plot was interesting and fun to be apart of. I love how she brings the world to life. Overall, an amazing book!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

You just cant go wrong with a Jennifer A. book you truly cant. Within those first few pages I had no clue what was going on, but I was terrified. So take those first few chapters to immerse yourself in this new world. It's lethal, archaic and shrouded in mystery. There were so many moments that were impossible to stop smiling or screaming from excitement. Especially when it came to Thorne. That last page was the most perfect stopping point. Yet I am definitely counting down until the next book is released and we can be back in this world!

I will admit I’m a huge fan of JLA’s other works.

For me there was the perfect amount of “spice” along with plot. I don’t want to put in any spoilers but I love Calista. All of JLA’s main female characters give off the empowering energy but I could see thinks in Calista that I find in myself.

Diving into this world was a fun ride and I can wait for the sequel to see is any of my predictions come true.

Calista grew up with only one person she could rely on but now she and her best friend Grady have a secure place to live. But because she has done whatever she needed to do to survive it isn't an ideal situation. Following her intuition is leading her into all sorts of trouble. But it might also change her whole world.

Am I expecting a work of art? No. Am I concerned that, even if I enjoy the first book, the series as a whole will quickly nose dive into nonsense? Yes. But will I still pick it up out of sheer, self-destructive curiosity? Yeah, probably. Plus, Bramble picked up this series, and I was curious to see how Armentrout did in the hands of a large publishing house. Would they be able to wrangle in her use of ellipses? (Spoiler: no, no they could not.)

This is another tough review to write, simply because I did enjoy myself reading this book, but I also can look at it critically and see a good number of flaws. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about Armentrout’s style, or her near perfect understanding of how to best employ romance tropes, that always manages to reel me in, almost despite myself as a critical reader. So let’s start with the obvious pros, and the first one is just that: readability. I whipped through this book in no time. Partly this is because much of the world-building, characters, and magic felt very familiar from other books and didn’t require much thought from me. But the other part is that the style of writing is very approachable and sure to suck readers in. The story could be funny when it wanted, dramatic when it needed to be, and even suspenseful as the action picked up towards the ends.

I will also say that if you enjoy spicy romance, this is the book for you. Conversely, if you don’t enjoy smutty books, this is NOT the book for you. While there is a plot, if you dig around and really look, this book is definitely more focused on its characters and the steamy situations they get themselves into. Perhaps even more so than the other books I’ve read, this book leans in on these scenes, sometimes unnecessarily so, I felt. There was one moment I can remember from early in the book where the main character is having a conversation with one of her friends, and of course they can’t just talk together, they have to be messing around at the same time. This is where the spiciness was a bit much for me. This scene wasn’t part of the central romance, these two characters were actually discussing important things, but for some reason we needed to up the ante and add erotica to the situation.

I did enjoy the central romance, however. Yes, it will feel very familiar to fans of Armentrout’s other books, but it was also satisfying in a similar way. This dynamic between romantic characters clearly works, and I’m definitely a “don’t fix what’s not broken” type of person. That said, the love story, like the characters and the world-building did feel almost TOO familiar at times. As I was reading this book, there were aspects of the world and its magic that honestly felt like “cut and paste” copies of Armentrout’s “Blood and Ash” series. The types of beings that populate the world, Calista’s role as a “special person” with hints of “super specialness” being laid down heavily, even some of the supernatural threats felt like almost exact carbon copies of ones I’ve seen before from her. So, while I was having a fun time and all, I also couldn’t get over the feeling that the author had picked up scraps from her other books and cobbled them into a new story here. Not only did this all seem familiar, but I feel like I can easily see the road this series will travel and, man, does that look familiar, too.

And, alas, the ellipses. I had real hopes that the editors over at Bramble could have exerted some more copyediting control and beaten this writing tic into submission. And yet I feel like there are even more here than in other books! And the more you notice it, the worse it gets. There are, you know, words that can be used to convey hesitation, caution, uncertainty. But instead, every time, she falls back on simply inserting ellipses before, between, and after words. I know she’s a best-selling, popular author. But there’s always room for improvement and this is where professional editors are needed most, places where writers are stuck in certain habits.

So where does this leave us. Like I said, for all of its flaws, my level of enjoyment was mostly around an 8. This is the definition of a “guilty pleasure” read for me. I liked it probably more than it deserves, and I’m fully prepared to flame out on it the same way I did with her other series. On the other hand, objectively, this book felt very familiar to other books she’s written, the spice-levels were verging on ridiculous, and some of her writing bad habits were on full display. So this would probably land it around a 6. To be fair, we’re giving it a solid 7, and you can do with that what you will!

Rating 7: I enjoyed the heck out of this book and judged myself for it the entire time.

Review will go live on the Library Ladies blog on Nov 29

Thank you for the snip it of Fall of Ruin and Wrath. Like many others I started reading Jennifer Armentrout during COVID and fell in love. We have purchased all her series for our patrons and they are in love. We already bought this book and it has stayed checked out.

I enjoyed this. I am a fan of JLA, but I totally understand her writing is not for everyone. I will definitely grab the full book when it releases.

JLA always has a way of hooking the reader in from the start (eg, From Blood and Ash) with her early character framework and world building. While this was only a advance reader sample, I am excited to acquire this book and to read more to see what Calista has in store…

It's hard to get a good idea of the book by only a preview, but what I read intrigued me. Based on the author alone, my library will buy a copy. I'm looking forward to reading more of this book and series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Jennifer Armentrout for the advanced preview of this book.

Okay, so this was only a preview, only the prologue and first three chapters. But Jennifer Armentrout has a way of sucking the reader in from the very first paragraph. She has a style that is so uniquely her own with character traits that tend to jump from series to series (granted, I've only ever read her more fantastical series, but strong FMC with a penchant for daggers? It's been in every one) even while the characters themselves are wildly different.

I was counting down the hours until this book released. And now, two days after it has, I feel as if I'm counting down the unknowable hours until the next book is in my hands. Fall of Ruin and Wrath was addictive, steamy, anxiety-inducing, and compelling. The world building and history is interesting, if still a little surface level. I'll be intrigued to see how it expands in future novels. With JLA's Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire series coming to a close within the next year, I'm beyond grateful to have a new world of hers to dive into.

One of my favorite things about this novel, about all her novels, is how elaborate and well-detailed the characters are. And not just the main characters. Armentrout has a way of making me fall in love with side characters who may only speak a handful of times but I instantly care about their well being. I question their motives and whether they're loyal to our main pairing. There are just so many roads to travel in this book.

The preview is a taste, it's an appetizer. Something to whet you palate. And you'll want more. You'll want more after the final page of the final chapter, ensuring you become yet another JLA fan for life.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced sample copy of Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I just want to preface this review by stating that I do not have much experience with Armentrout's writing style and various series, but after reading this sample that will definitely change! I have heard tons of praise for her Blood and Ash series (which I'll admit has been on my TBR list for the longest), and after sampling "Fall of Ruin and Wrath" I can guarantee that I will finally take the plunge and crack open FBAA.

From page one, I was drawn into Calista's story and the world around her. The writing was imbedded with the perfect amount of suspense; enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and wanting to know more, but not so much that I found myself skimming through and rushing ahead to satiate my own curiosity. Calista's character actually felt fleshed out, and I found myself empathizing with her right away. I enjoyed the introduction to her and Grady's dynamic in the story's prologue, and I look forward to learning more about their relationship and how things progress as the story continues.

Overall, a great start to her new fantasy romance. I can't wait to pick up a copy on release day and explore more of her latest universe. Thank you again to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the advanced sample!

From the short preview provided this seems to fall in line with her other series in writing style. Based on that I think our customers will be pre ordering it and sales will be positive. Our customers enjoy her writing, more of the most recent series vs older ones but definitely has a following.

Having only a sample of the story, it’s hard to provide a review but I can say that I would keep reading if I had more to do so. The characters so far are interesting and the main character has enough of a teased back story that I’m interested in learning more. As far as fantasy romance goes, this is a good start. I’m excited for when the book comes out so I can read the rest.