Overall Rating 3/5
Book four of this series has not yet been released, so this review will only encompass my thoughts up through Hell Fae Commander.
Stock Disclaimer: I tend to rate Reverse Harem/Why Choose books more generously than I would other genres of fiction, but that’s only because they fill a different need and require a different scale. I’d never say that Reverse Harem/Why Choose genre books CAN’T be well-written with fleshed-out characters, brilliant plotting, and deeply satisfying love stories, but I keep my expectations realistic.
What matters: Am I engaged? Do I want to ignore real life and dive into the next book immediately upon finishing one? Is it fun and sexy? Is the harem balanced, with no obvious favoritism?
What this book/series provided:
I did find myself engaged throughout this series, and read one right after the other.
****SPOILERS BELOW***
The Female Main Character 4/5
What matters: Do I actually enjoy spending time with her? Do her motivations make sense? Is she proactive or reactive? Does she have a backbone and self-respect? Can I root for her?
What this book/series provided
I really enjoyed Cami as a character. She was smart, resourceful, and pragmatic. She owned her sexuality, never wallowed in self-pity, and worked with the tools she was given. She's definitely a character I can root for and want to spend more time with.
The Guys 2/5
What matters: Is there a range of distinct personalities, or does the author rely on generic props to distinguish them? Does each seem to serve a purpose? Is the harem balanced, or is there an obvious author favorite?
What this book/series provided:
All of the male characters have distinct personalities and motivations. The series isn't complete, but as of the end of book three, the harem isn't even close to being balanced.
Ajax: As of this point, he's the only one she has an actual relationship with, and the only one who deserves her time. He started out as an apathetic asshole, but he's the only who put in the work to become a better man, and the only one who chose Cami over Lucifer.
Az: Despite learning a bit about his backstory, he's still a mystery to me. Who is he really, as a person? He's remorseful over the cage incident because he now understands how deeply Ajax was affected by being put in the same position as he was in the Midnight Fae book, but I'm not seeing a lot of remorse over how Cami was affected by the incident. On the other hand, he doesn't come across as very bright, and he's definitely paying his dues in groveling.
Melek: Intuitive, insightful, decisive. I love a chessmaster character, and in any other book, he would be my favorite. But so far, he's been a disappointment. With the other four being satisfied with their pre-book status quo, it's Malek who set them all on the path to a five-person circle with Cami as queen. Yet he's done almost nothing to achieve his aims. His entire contribution to making his endgame happen: one kiss, two pieces of paper (a spell and a contract) and a bunch of glitter. Cami and Ajax were inevitable from the start and didn't need his manipulation. Az was all in sexually, and only needed to experience losing them in order to get his priorities in order, and Lucifer went from being apathetic over Cami to outright wanting to murder her. So again, what has Malek accomplished?
Lucifer: I HATE this asshole, and all I can say is he'd better take a master class on groveling. So he was unfairly betrayed by a woman. It was a thousand years ago. Get over it you pathetic man-baby! Hell has no women. The source refuses to accept most women. The source is literally Lucifer. How stupid and blind do you have to be to not make the connection? He claims to care about his people, yet his own misogyny is causing them to go extinct. I don't care that he's the king, this man NEEDS to grovel.
The Love Story 2/5
What matters: Is it slow-burn or fast? Does each relationship feel earned? Does the heroine get a choice or does the author rely on body betrayal syndrome? Is the groveling satisfyingly sufficient (if necessary)? Are romantic conflicts organic to the characters/plot?
What this book/series provided:
Cami and Ajax might have only bonded out of a sense of dread (we're going to die, so we might as well live), but they show all the signs of genuine love, and I believe in them as a couple. Az, the man, lusts after them both, but, despite his claims that it's just physical, I sense that he's desperately in love with Ajax. I don't believe that Ajax feels the same way, but he's closed off his heart for the past decade. Now that Cami has helped him lower his guard and experience love again, I don't think it'll take much for him to fall for Az. Especially while Az is in grovel mode. Az's phoenix might feel this magical connection to Cami, but I don't buy that Az (the man) is in love with her. While he does show signs of guilt over how Cami felt during the cage incident, his deepest regret seems to center around how he forced Ajax to relive his past trauma. Still the chemistry between Az and Cami is strong, and think his love for Ajax is strong enough that he will WANT to love the woman that Ajax loves. These three should be able to balance out, eventually.
Malek and Lucifer are undoubtedly, absolutely in love with each other, but I don't know how the full harem can possibly work. For Malek, Cami isn't a woman to love, she's a solution to a problem. A way to ease Lucifer's burden. And while this is great for the Hell Realm, it's bad for a reverse harem story. While I think he's perfectly willing to sleep with her for the greater good, I don't sense that he's genuinely attracted to her, I don't think he loves her even a little, or that he's invested in wanting to love her. She's just a beautiful, convenient, tool to him.
As for Lucifer, fuck that guy. He's not worthy of even kissing Cami's toe, let alone earning her love and devotion. Learn. To. Grovel. Dude.
Storyline and Worldbuilding 3/5
What matters: Is the world-building interesting? Does the magic system make sense (if applicable)? Do I understand the overall villain’s motivation, or are they cartoonishly evil?
What this book/series provided:
The Bride Trials are terrible. As in any book of this type, the situation becomes less reprehensible the more we learn about it. Turns out, that any mating bond must be a mutual decision, and if a woman is unclaimed and not evil, she'll be returned to the human realm. So I guess it's all good in the end. I mean...what woman wouldn't want to throw away all their education and hard work in order to compete for a man in hell? Lucifer's actually doing them a favor, and it's not like it's his fault their parents trafficked them sold them to the devil for their own benefit. 🙄🙄🙄
Despite all that, I do find the world building and the different nightmare species to be interesting. I believe that Lucifer genuinely cares for his people and wants the best for them. After all, they're all males. Not sure what to say about the villain's motivation. Have we even met the villain yet? It's Cami's parents, right? Her father trained her all her life in order to carry out his evil plan, and her mother will turn out to be not human, but Vivaxia. Ugh.
Female Side Characters 1/5
What matters: how does the author write female side characters? Does the FMC have any female friends? Are romantic rivals treated as characters or the stereotypical Fatal Attraction caricature? Is there internalized misogyny?
What this book/series provided:
What female side characters? Cami has no female friends. She's assisted a couple of her co-competitors, but nobody's reached out to her in friendship. The only other female character of note is the cartoon villain, Vivaxia, who is completely to blame for Lucifer's millennium of misogyny and the sorry state of the hell realm.
Closing thoughts
If mid-series, am I excited to dive into the next book? If completed, am I satisfied with how this wrapped up? Does this make me want to read more from this author?
I kind of hated this series, yet, I couldn't put it down. I'll attribute that to Cami being a fantastic FMC. Despite all the shortcomings and misogyny, I'm too invested in her story and future happiness to stop now. I'll bitch and complain, yet I'll still probably pick up the next book as soon as it's released.
Also, fuck Lucifer.