| Title | : | Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781728259666 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published December 20, 2022 |
Isolde, newly coronated queen, has finally found a king worthy of her in the vampire Adrian. But their love for each other has cost Isolde her father and her homeland. With two opposing goddesses playing mortals and vampires like chess pieces against one another, Isolde is uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka.
Now, as politics in the Red Palace grow more underhanded and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, Isolde must trust in the bond she's formed with Adrian, even as she learns troubling information about his complicated past.
Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde, #2) Reviews
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this sequel suffers terribly from second book syndrome, and yet, i never wanted to stop reading this? so im conflicted.
lets just cut to the chase. there is absolutely no substance to this book. the plot has vanished and the characters have regressed to being one-dimensional. in the authors note at the end, SSC admits that writing this book in four weeks was a struggle. and sis, we can tell. i definitely think its gotten to the point where she has soooo many series at the moment that she is falling into the trap of quantity over quality.
that being said, there was never a point where i wanted to DNF this. like, yes, the poor storytelling is annoying, but im still invested? i dont know why, but i am.
so heres me hoping the next book will be better, but im also preparing myself in case it probably isnt. who knows.
↠ 2.5 stars -
“Is this how it will always be?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She pressed her head into her pillow, allowing me access to her neck. “We always fight and fuck.”
That’s it. That’s the plot of the book.
My expectations were way too high. It’s a me problem. If you go in expecting that, then maybe you’ll enjoy this more than me. I, however, did not have a good time. -
*SCREECHING* I GOT AN ARC! I GOT AN ARC! Yes, I'm being an a$$hole and rubbing it in because I GOT AN ARC!
So freaking excited for this one!!! -
I was so bored reading this I started daydreaming about potato wedges?
-
DNF at 50%
BOMBASTIC side eye🫣 this felt nothing like king of battle and blood. nobody talk to me, i am mourning.
no one can convince me JLA didn’t ghost write this😭😂 i just read the crown of gilded bones disguised as another book. -
Dnf at 44% — there’s nothing going on except Isolde and Adrian fighting ALL THE TIME and having sex afterwards.
-
so every time this bitch takes a nap, she wakes up horny what is this!!!! 🤨
-
I was so disappointed in this book. I found Adrian had lost his spark or character and has become either a tyrant or a love sick teenager. His POV was very mechanical and forced. I found a lot of his reasoning was just… lacking. Even the twist we get regarding his motivations seemed devoid of depth. Isolde irritated me - she flails around for half the book and struggles to make ANY decision. Until the last 12% of the book and suddenly she’s just accepted everything that’s happened to her. The reveals toward the end were good and it opens the world a little more, but it is undoubtably a middle book in the series, created to get the reader asking more questions rather than getting answers. On the whole, I’m so frustrated that this didn’t live up to my expectations.
-
2/5 ⭐️
Not every book needs a sequel, thats all I’m gonna say -
I’ve read it! I am glad Isolde wonders if all her and Adrian are ever going to do is fight and fuck, because I’m wondering that as well!
Reviews so far are pretty spot on and I’ll write a more thorough review over the weekend but once again, a lot of the issues I’ve had with A Touch of Ruin, A Touch of Malice, and King of Battle & Blood are repeated or even exacerbated I this one. (I loved A Touch of Darkness and the Hades saga has been a pretty solid 4 stars for me!)
So much of the first half of this book is fight then sex then fight then sex, and sometimes fight fight then sex and sometimes sex sex then fight and well … you get the picture. I am here for the smut. I want to read the most explicit of the explicit. But the repetitiveness of it just doesn’t fit in this story. Nothing is gained from it, but so much potential is taken away. It’s disappointing because there is A LOT that seems to be happening in this book or should be happening, that is completely glossed over, vaguely alluded to, or flat out skipped completely. The pacing is jarring and all out of whack at times.
They have sex (not always intercourse) 11.5 times in the main book (.5 for a hypothetical but described sex scene) and !THREE times in just the bonus scene at the end alone. And they fight at least once between almost every single one of those scenes. I can only think of one, maybe two sex scenes that felt natural for the moment and actually intriguing. It’s all just so repetitive and basic and truly overwrought.
And then it just … ends. I don’t even know if I would call it a cliffhanger, because it feels like the book simply ends mid-thought, sentence incomplete. I had to go back in my audiobook a couple minutes just to make sure because it was so abrupt. I’m still not even totally sure what was happening there at the end because so much is devoted to other things rather than actually giving us the story beyond whatever relationship drama is unfolding at the time. I’m tired y’all. So much potential with this series.
Anyway, more review coming, I have a lot of other things I want to say. But, like I said before I read this one …
I told you so. 🫢 -
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-
I DNF’d at 76%
Isolde, Isolde, Isolde… you made this series so incredibly awful.
Personality is a .5 out of 5. Isolde thinks she knows better. She jumps to conclusions. She creates problems out of thin air. All of a sudden she’s OBSESSED with her mother’s village. She’s then obsessed with her past life that she doesn’t fully remember. She’s mad that Adrian pointed out that she didn’t have magic… WHICH SHE DOESN’T. She gets mad at Adrian pretty much every other chapter and what’s the only way to make her feel better? Sex. There is never a resolution.
Adrian, on the other hand, had gotten worse because he loves Isolde so much that he lets her walk all over him. You see slimmers of anger but never times where he defends himself. He’s been the king for 200 years and has done fairly well hence the 200 years. Isolde thinks she knows better than him. Might I add, she’s gotten more people killed in the past 1.5 books than probably he ruled in those 200 years.
Just because Isolde was his soul mate in the past doesn’t mean they’re perfect for each other now.
They both have the habit of just killing people to kill then over tiny insults. Things normal people who may be vampires would just ignore.
ALSO the fact it’s mentioned 2x max about her shade shifting or actually changing is so stupid. I’m mad at Scarlett just added the most random shit to just add it.
And the politics was so, so lost on me. This book was just so random with annoying characters (ahem, Isolde). -
ARC:
I feel like this book would have been way better if it wasn’t bogged down with the absurd amount of gratuitous sex. Like I get it’s a spicy book but damn I was bored with the amount of fucking that happened.
We understand that Adrian had a relationship with Isolde in her past life, but i feel like that was used to neglect building up their relationship in this life. All they do is fight and fuck and it’s mostly fucking tbh.
The last chapter was the best because it actually built on the plot, and I’ll be reading the next one just for the plot in hope that there is one. -
2.75 ⭐️ Alright, but ultimately a disappointing romance.
This is the second book in the Adrian x Isolde series, and I was so excited to get my hands on it once I finished King of Battle and Blood. I wished I was kidding when I said that everything that could have gone wrong with this book, went wrong. This series might be based on a love story, but I'd hardly call this book a romance. Compared to the first instalment in the series, where the characters have such depth of feeling and tenderness for each other with great spice; and so many side characters were introduced and readied for their moment to shine… It seems that the author decided that, instead of shinning, they are all to be plummeted into darkness. Including the MCs.
And the book truly does grow darker with each chapter. By the end the characters are so completely different to what they were in the first book that it almost feels like an entirely different story. Those who were painted as antagonistic, kind of selfish, and entitled in the first book are now the most loyal and kind, whilst the ones appointed as the inner circle seem to grow wary, angry and tired of their position, on the prowl for the most convenient time to reveal that they were never all that loyal to begin with. And most of all, this book truly feels like the story of how two once beloved protagonists turn into villains trying to keep power for themselves, no matter how many suffer for it.
The change in Adrian in this book was so disheartening, and I really did not enjoy many of the choices and plot points that the author decided to weave into this story. Reading this from such beloved characters was so painful. All there is in this book is suffering and pain for them, they fight their enemies and each other, and they fix it and cope with s*x, instead of communicating or trusting one another. The last 35% of the book was hard to read. I also sincerely hope that this series ends in book #3, and that this isn’t stretched out any further for the sake of some easy money. We all know the economy is bad, but having a 4th or 5th book in this series would be worse (especially if they follow in line with this one).
I will read book #3 when it comes out because I’m too curious not to, but I don’t really know how the messes made in this book can be righted in the next…
⭐️⭐️.75/5
🌶️🌶️ 🌶️ / 5
.................................................................
Things I already love about this book even though I’ve only read the first three chapters because Net Galley rules, and it’s available in the Read Now section so… I’m not saying run to get them, but I sure did.
1. The Content Warning in the very beginning of the book, which includes several phone numbers to reach to if you need them. Absolutely love that idea, and I think more authors should implement it - especially in books dealing with TWs as severe as these ones.
2. This ✨energy✨ because, really, what else can you ask for?“I am thinking about how I will fashion a throne from Ravena’s bones.”
The corners of Adrian’s lips curled, and he learned closer, his breath on my lips as he spoke. “If that is your wish, I shall build it myself.”
3. The fact that three chapters have done nothing apart from making me want to re-read the entire first book (again) and devour this one the second it’s out!
I know there’s some people who hate these little teasers. But I love them. They make me so excited for what’s to come next year. Definitely one of my most anticipated reads for 2023! -
I have never read a series like this since Fever! I don’t know what to think or feel or what the hell I just read!! All I know is that Adrian & Isolde have my heart and the love they have for each other makes me weak. I went into this book thinking I had a clue only to have the script totally flipped. I don’t know anything and that is the sign of a phenomenal writer.
To quote Scarlet, the author, “Everyone in this book is suffering, and I think the hard part is trying to decide if you are really against anyone because they all have their motives—but that’s the interesting part of being morally grey, and in a lot of ways, I hope you struggle to decide.”
Mission accomplished ma’am. I’m in love with these books. Now I must wait till 2024 for the next😭 -
Dying dead deceased
-
This review is going to be hard to write because this book was one of my most anticipated books of the year *sad emoji* It's such a shame that it didn't deliver as good as the first one. King of Battle and Blood was epic, it instantly charmed me and I was so into the story I couldn't stop reading it. The writing was very nice and the flow of the story so easy to follow. There was action, romance, steam, and betrayal. Everything in a beautiful, entertaining fantasy romance! But Queen of Myth and Monsters, though it did have similar moments, felt so flat for me.
First of all, I swear I don't know how to explain this... I feel like these two books in the series are written by different people. How did the same author write two books that feel very different from each other? And you can argue that books in the same series can have different vibes; one can be more serious or emotional and another can be more action scenes with hilarious moments. And that's okay! But that's not what I'm talking about tho... Like the flow of the book felt so static, like it was flat, very surface level information. Plot that was just pushed to the story and no development to it? I was so confused why some things were introduced but nothing came out of them. It's like one chapter this was said and in the next Isolde was focusing on other new stuff. I was like "please! If this big plot is introduced, why not follow along, why not tell us how it works, why not develop it more into something that makes us feel something when eventually we get it again 200 pages later" I don't know. I wasn't feeling it :'''( I'm so sad!!!!
Even the romance, it felt so flat. The banter and bickering and love we knew of Adrian and Isolde didn't work anymore. They were constantly fighting that's one thing and they immediately were okay two seconds later. I don't wanna spoil anything because something big plot-wise is happening in this book that you're probably going to get more in the third book, but yeah like get me inside Adrian's mind, make me see how he feels, because that man is going through it. LIKE I was so intrigued by the little things St Clair gave us about what Adrian was going through??? But nothing. I bet that will be talked about in the next book tho.
There is so much trauma in this book. You found out stuff about certain characters that happened years ago and I felt like those details were just put there for shock value, I don't know. They don't contribute to the story, it just makes it more hard.
Things I like? I always love Isolde and her murder-y ways and vibes. She's an antiheroine who is very confused by her new life and is trying to find a way to adapt but stuff keep happening. I always want heroines like her where they're not afraid to dirty their hands and love doing it.
If you want to try it and keep reading this series, I say do it. It wasn't that bad, like I was able to finish it. I just hope the third book is ten times better and it returns to that place I really liked in book one. More intense things will be happening in book three, that's for sure. And it's possible that Adrian and Isolde will have more trust issues, fights, and sexy make-ups after. But they really are soulmates! So, even if the world is against them, even if the evil beings who want them dead are trying to separate them, destroy them, I believe they will always come back to each other <3 That's one aspect I love about their relationship. Adrian waited 200 years for Isolde and it's a fact he won't let her go once again. -
3.5⭐ i will do my best to overlook the
ungodly amount of unnecessary smutjust bc of that plot twist in the end that made me want to read the next book just to see what happens next💀
i found isolde irritating at times, but so far, she seems like a strong fmc that might grow on me. but i can't say the same thing about her relationship with adrian, i'm afraid it feels so unhealthy and toxic, and borderline obsessive, and not in a good way ... 😬 they don't communicate at all except fightand fuck to make upwithout actually addressing the reasons they fought 💀
but sorin? yea i saw that coming as soon as he revealed his backstory 💔 but i still like him and feel like there's more to him <3 like killian and his character arc, i also quite like him now *nods*
can everyone stop quite literally stabbing isolde? like, our girl just can't catch a break, jesus 🤣
also, the plot twist in the end changed the whole book for me bc i did not see it coming 👀 otherwise, it would've been 2 or 3⭐ bc i felt like there wasn't much happening 🤷🏼♀️ -
Do you enjoy books with Vampires?
Queen of Myth & Monsters (Adrian X Isolde #2) by Scarlett St. Clair Narrated by Lilly Drake; Curt Bonnem (audiobook review)
Since this is the second book in the series, I came into this reading blind. The plot was easy to follow even though I hadn't read the first book. There is something delicious about the love story between Adrian and Isodle. If you love spice, this audiobook definitely has plenty, but it is so much more. Scarlett St. Clair's writing is atmospheric and captivating.
Lilly Drake and Curt Bonnem are both to be commended for bringing the story to life with their excellent narration. Listeners are immediately immersed in the story through their amazing voices. Whenever I see books with vampires, I get excited and can't wait to pick them up. The audiobook did not disappoint, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of book three.
Queen of Myth & Monsters (Adrian X Isolde #2) audiobook is available on December 20th.
Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio and Recorded Books for sharing this audiobook with me. This is a story you don't want to miss.
#Queenof MythAndMonsters #ScarlettStClair #LillyDrake #CurtBonnem #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #Audiobooks #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #audiobooks -
why was there more smut than plot 😭 and it wasn’t even good smut :/
p.s. isolde doesn’t deserve adrian he was everything 🥺 -
22/3/2022
Guys I saw the art prints of Isolde and Adrian and I'm choking– send help.
December can't come soon enough!
17/1/2022
Just........ obsessed with this already!! I CANNOT WAIT.
Come back for the actual review on release day (or before if I get an early copy?!) -
Dnf
...
Divorce, babes divorce -
DNF @ 80%
Thank you so much to Bloom Books & Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This dnf absolutely break my heart. I loved book one. I thought it was angsty and fun and so damn readable. But this book was a huge bummer. I tried so hard to push through because I'm sure there's a big reveal at the end, but the repetitive nature of this was painful.
One of the things I loved about book 1 was the dynamic between the MCs. They grew up on opposites sides of a war with many layers of history. So their intense attractions and chemistry had an almost forbidden quality and left the heroine really inspecting her morals and knowledge of the world.
But after the big revelations in book 1, and the fact that our MCs are now together, I was expecting a NEW dynamic. Instead we got the same cycle and arguments for 100s of pages.
This entire 430 page book can be summed up as:
Adrian & Isolde fight, Isolde storms out, Adrian apologize, make up sex, demon encounter, repeat
Over and over and over and over again....
And it wasn't even new fights. But reworded iterations the same fights. And after awhile I was just annoyed. Rather than push through and give this a low rating, when I know I won't be continuing with the series anyways, I just decided to put it down.
I'm so sad this wasn't a win for me like I was expecting. But not every book is for every reader. Now I just wait for more Hades and Persephone 💙 -
I was given an advanced copy of the audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This story twists so much that it blurs the line between good and evil, you're not quite sure which side anyone is on. The betrayals are surprising and I actually liked this book even more than the first. It is still a lot of spice but there was a much more captivating plot and it kept me hooked throughout.
3.5 stars -
As much as I loved this I’m so pissed about all the questions it leaves us with. I understand that that’s how series work but I have no patience whatsoever so….it’s gonna be a long wait 😅
With that being said, the things that we DO find out and the twists that come along the way had me freaking the fuck out. So excited to see where this series goes! -
“Let me make love to you,” I said. “Let me worship you.”
It is 1:34 a.m.
Scarlett manages to write real, true, and devastating (the good kind) characters. I’m thankful for the spice that heals the wounds inflicted by this perfect installment of the Adrian x Isolde series. Scarlett’s words are brilliant, the story is wound and flows perfectly. Perfectly in a way you see nothing coming and you’re at the edge of your seat the whole time. Queen of Myth and Monsters brought out my white boards, red string, and conspiracy cap. Yet all my ideas were wrong 😂 Gods…it was so good. A true fantasy. A true romance. A true piece of art.
I don’t need to discuss the spice. It’s Scarlett…we know its there AND GODS IS IT THERE 🫣🥵
Now for the witches and monsters. Nothing made my dark witch heart sing more than this book. The research I know that went into it, the planning, and the love that went into presenting a supernatural world and the witches in such a true/real way is AMAZING. I felt as though I was pulled into a new reality. One wrapped in intricate magic, untrusting gods, and monsters you can’t help but fall in love with. This witch approves of what went into the details.
Also, the magic and witch elements were FANTASTIC. The whole thing felt cool and creepy and dark. Ugh…all the stars! A billion! Read this series if you like spice, amazing spice, witches, vampires, monsters, and a magical and dark world you would want to be swept to. -
When I got this I was so excited because I devoured book one. But sadly this one just wasn't as good and I found myself really just not caring about the story. It felt to me like the story took a back seat to this book being overly spicy. It seemed they were going at it every few pages and that really took me out of the plot of the story.
-
I don't DNF books but I was really considering DNF-ing this one. That's saying something.
This was all filler. My thoughts while reading: who is this person? Ooo Adrian and Isolde are fighting. and now they're fucking. wow Isolde is annoying. I don't care about your "problems". hey look, they're fucking again. and then repeat that 50 times until you get to the end of the story where a shocking reveal is made in the effort to further the plot and set up the next book.
I was bored reading this book, I couldn't care less about any of the characters or their motivations (what motivations), and I'm frustrated with FMCs that are supposed to be badass but are just directionless and petulant.
If you're going to write a 400 page book of smut with no substance, the least you can do is make the smut actually good (spoiler alert, the smut was not good. There was 0 chemistry and it all felt mechanical and perfunctory.) (Actually, I did enjoy the one scene where Adrian and Isolde drink from each other while fucking, but everything else was a snoozefest)
I'm annoyed I spent time reading this book and I hate myself because I KNOW I'm going to pick up the next one out of spite anyways. Thank goodness for the library. -
Can I say about 2.5 stars for this as I finished it even though I literally didn’t care about what was happening. I normally try to be positive in reviews however there wasn’t much positive about it all they did was fuck & fight & I literally dislike Adrian as the love interest so much. Besides from that the story was so rushed & like every chapter was a new day and something else happened.
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1.5⭐️ okropny zawód, 1 tom mi się podobał, a ten niestety był nudny i męczący. Opierał się tylko na kłótniach i seksie po kłótniach głównych bohaterów, kiedy fabuła ledwo co szła do przodu, aby na koniec spróbować załatać wszystkie luki fabularne jednocześnie. Jedno wielkie meh
