Wrath of an Exile

River Styx Heathens #1

by Monty Jay

In Ponderosa Springs, this version of Romeo and Juliet isn’t a tragedy. It’s war.

Jude Sinclair is West Trinity Falls’ favorite exiled loner.
Cocky. Insufferably hot. Family foe.
Raised across the tracks in a rival town, he reeks of trouble. Which is the one thing I’ve always had a problem avoiding and now that he’s just down the hall, it’s harder to resist the pull.
My father made one rule when Jude moved in, never trust a Sinclair.
The last thing I need is for my new foster brother to make me question my loyalty with his filthy smirks and poet tongue. But with every forbidden kiss and secret hookup, I quickly find myself faced with two options.
Betray my family? Or betray my heart?

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Dark, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Forbidden Romance

580 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2024

About the author

Monty Jay is a dark romance author with titles published in multiple countries. Their books are for hopeless romantics with wicked hearts looking for their next morally grey hero. They call the Appalachian mountains home, along with their two furry friends, Poe and Maeve. When they aren’t writing you can find them reading anything Stephen King, in a tattoo chair or binging a new true crime documentary. 

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Monty Jay does it again, I DEVOURED THIS!! This is how you do a second gen series! I don’t know what I was even expecting but this far exceeded any of my expectations. I could not stop giggling and kicking my feet!! I absolutely loved The Hollow Boys series so getting to see those characters 20 years later was everything I wanted and MORE!

There’s just something about seeing your favorite dark romance boy boyfriends all grown up that will get me EVERY GOD DAMN TIME!! The truths we burn was my favorite book in the Hollow Boys series and Rook Van Doren as a DADDY?!!! Oh my god I actually couldn’t handle it… somehow this man got even better with age and I’m not even surprised. Like of course he’s just as possessive and obsessive and has his wife’s name tattooed on his knuckles 🤭🤭🤭

Okay now getting into this book…. JUDE AND PHI HAVE MY WHOLE HEART!! Monty Jays writing never fails to blow me away with how poetic her words can be, which is rare to find in dark romance. I swear I highlighted this whole book.

JUDE SINCLAIR!! The mouth on this man, absolute filth. He is such a tortured, misunderstood, traumatized soul which I’m guilty of being a sucker for. There’s just something about the ones I’m convinced I can fix…. I fold every goddamn time. Did I mention this man writes poetry??? POETRY!!!

Seraphina Van Doren is absolutely her fathers daughter god I LOVED HER!! It was giving bad bitch who takes no shit from slimy men energy in like the absolute best way. Her energy this entire book made me wish she was real so we could be besties. Her story also absolutely broke my heart at the same time. I felt her pain on such a personal level which is why I think this book also really resonated with me.

Jude and Phi together…. I’m sweating just thinking about it. The hatred they have for eachother in the beginning had no business being so hot.

In this book you get:
- TRUE enemies to lovers
- Forbidden romance
- Forced proximity
- Foster siblings…
- Entirely unhinged FMC and MMC
- Found family

Was it perfect? No! The ending was a bit rushed and I wish it was more of a slow burn but I still absolutely loved this and had the best time! Such an easy fun vibes read for the dark romance girlies!

Thank you so so much to Monty Jay and her team for gifting me an arc copy of this book ♥️♥️

Quotes:

“But for her? I’d kneel. I’d grovel like Prometheus, chained to the rock, enduring agony every day for a stolen fire I was never meant to touch. I’d suffer, I’d bleed, I’d pray to gods I’ve long since forsaken, if only for the hope that she was okay.”

“She’s chaos and ruin, broken glass turned into art. There’s a violence to her beauty, a savage grace that makes you want to reach out, even though you know you’ll bleed for it.”

“Phi is everything I’m not, but in all the ways that count, she feels familiar, like I’ve known her all my life. A constant beat in a song that never changes, even when the rest of the world goes off-key. There’s a rhythm to our chaos, a twisted comfort in knowing that, beneath the pain, we understand each other in ways no one else could.”

“There’s something ferociously beautiful about Seraphina Van Doren. It isn’t the delicate kind of beauty that hangs in museums or graces the pages of art books, the kind that leaves you in breathless awe. No, it’s a raw, untamed beauty that makes you understand why a single face could launch a thousand ships into battle.”

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️
I AM FUCKING SPEECHLESS. This truly exceeded my expectations and more. I am a Hollow Boys stan and at this point I have a feeling that Hollow Boys ran so that The River Styx Heathens could SPRINT. 👏👏👏

Monty Jay is a freaking poet. The way that they write is mind blowing to me. I am left with chills and tears down my face from the descriptions in this book.

I will say, there are some tough topics for me because of personal reasons but the way Monty poured their entire soul into this SHOWS and it was done so beautifully. The parts that made me emotional hurt so bad but also healed me all at the same time. 😭😭

Ok, so... Phi and Jade. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? How were they even more perfect than I envisioned. I am IN LOVE with both characters. They are absolutely perfect.. to the point that I need more of them.

I know this is said to be a standalone but I totally recommend reading Hollow Boys Series first to get the FULL experience!!! The way I was giggling and so happy with all of the Hollow Boys in this and all the sibling relationships. My heart simply couldn't handle it all.

Lastly, I am so excited for the next book. I can already tell - It will be another emotional one for me.

Some random notes:
-Phi and the Rubik Cube. YESSSS QUEEN. I love her
-Jade spitting {blood} into Phi's mouth and saying "now, swallow" I AM DEAD. GOODNIGHT
-The coffin talk about Lyra. HAHAHA
-19% in & have full blown tears over the descriptions
-THE NICKNAME GEEKS!!
-"when there's smoke, there's fire" 🥹🥹
-"get your girl" "GOT HER"!!!!! stfu!

173 highlights but here are some of my favorites:
"How long do you think it'll take before you give in and let me fuck those pretty little lies out of your mouth, sweetheart?"

"I'm the only one allowed to hate you."

"Give me all your pain, all your hurt, every ounce of that rage in your vicious fucking heart. I can take it."

"Our universe, Loner."
"Our universe, Geeks."

"There she is. There is my sun. Now my morning can start."

-dark romance
-college
-second gen
-enemies to lovers
-foster siblings
-forbidden
-forced proximity
-possessive mmc
-feisty / badass fmc
**character driven!

[Uswah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed at 26%

Yeahhh… I think I’m getting into a slump 😭😭

I really wanted to love this book—like, I was so hyped for it—but it just didn’t hit the way I thought it would.

And can we please stop using SA as a plot device 😭 like pleaseeeee I’m begging. I was obsessed with The Hollow Boys series and got so excited when I found out there was a second gen story 🤭 but there was literally no need for that storyline 😭

Also… Jude, respectfully, never write poetry again 🥰

I’m honestly so disappointed rn. I wanted to keep going with the series but… idk. We’ll see.

No energy for a full review so this is it. 😭

————————————
Pre-Read

I’m soooo ready 🙂‍↕️♥️

[annie]

• EzraAndy will be having book 2 omg 😭 i thought we'll have to wait sm for his book because he was giving MAJOR psychotic/dark vibes ksbsjsjs

"Dad, what are you doing—"
"Calling your uncles." OH THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD!! 🤭

so when I mentioned in The Truths We Burn that Rook burned the side of Sage's shitty ex-fiancé's face, never once did I think about the day Rook's daughter would fall in love with the shitty fiancé's son! 😭

It's childhood enemies to lovers, so hear me screaming! 🤾🏌️‍♀️🤾

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god I inhaled this, Saturday came and Saturday went in a flash of an eye, I was so absorbed in this I didn’t even notice.

Once started
I couldn’t put it down..

This has definitely made me want to go back and read the hollow boys all over again..

[Soph · Rating 1 out of 5]

This will have spoilers. Read at your own risk!

I really don’t know what happened with this one. I loved all of the Hollow Boys. Silascoraline and Rooksage are my favorites. I loved the found family and everything. HOWEVER, this book ruined so much. We have unwanted trauma, victim blaming and sympathizing with an assaulter.

Both characters have trauma from their past. Jude was physically abused by Easton (the same Easton who attempted to rape Sage and made a joke saying he wanted to rape Rosie). Yet he continued to blame rooksage for everything Easton did. Sage (my sweet girl) wanted to help Jude for Easton because of the friend Easton once was. Now here’s my issue. Did Monty forget their characters? Sage never liked Easton. NEVER. She always thought he was gross and was only with him to protect Rosie. So why are you writing A VICTIM OF EASTON to sympathize with him because of how he never was?

Seraphina. Her past I felt bad for. However, I don’t understand the fixation I guess with giving another female main character trauma of rape. It was not needed one bit. You can write second generation characters with no trauma it’s possible. Here’s my main issue. Seraphina thought Jude knew about her rape yet in chapter 4 they were sleeping together but she still hated him and thought he knew? Where was that thought process? Seraphina also being completely disrespectful to Rook when all he did was love and protect her is gross, I’m sorry. I know we saw her feel bad about that yet there was no need for it.

This was all over the place and you can tell the author was trying to do something different which is fine but you also are adding trauma to every other second generation character when again IT IS NOT NEEDED. Nora is a ballerina and has been one for 22 years yet now she’s not anymore. Ezra is a drug addict. Like why are we adding this in?

The complete disregard for a victim of rape or attempted rape isn’t the move and that’s all I felt while reading and talking about this. I understand bringing light to child abuse and how that affects a person yet completely shifting that blame onto someone else and not the abuser is wild to me. I don’t know if I’ll read the others. I still love the hollow boys, but it just didn’t feel like this book was edited properly.

[giulsxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

➼ 4★

”We’re not made for soft endings. We’re made for catastrophe, for the kind of connection that leaves scars, the kind that haunts you long after the final page is turned. I know that. And yet, I stay.”

read this if you like:
⤷ enemies to lovers
⤷ forbidden romance
⤷ forced proximity
⤷ found family
⤷ foster siblings

this was my first book by monty jay and i’ll definitely read more!
NB: this is second gen!!! i’m an idiot and didn’t know the hollow boys series was the first gen. i suggest to read the 1st gen before diving into this, so you can understand better the family background.

monty’s writing is beautiful🤌🏻 i underlined the whole book, and that says a lot about a dark romance. however, i found the pace very slow after the first 50%, and the ending was a bit rushed. but did i enjoy it nonetheless? hell yeah!

”Jude Sinclair and I were born with hatred for each other in our DNA. Our existence is a continuation of a decades-old rivalry. An invisible string the color of blood coiled our souls in familiar resentment.”

seraphina van doren❤️‍🔥💋
she’s the best kind of a badass bitch👹 i love her attitude and the i-take-no-shit-from-men vibe!! i love the fact that she’s a nerd and love science, and that she loves cars and bikes. she’s so cool!!
my heart aches for her backstory. it’s truly heartbreaking and i hit me right in the chest where my heart lives. i wish i could hug her and tell her it’s okay, that she’s strong and resilient and she’s not alone.
⤷

”From Ponderosa Springs to West Trinity Falls, Seraphina Van Doren is folklore. Hair red as crimson, tongue sharp as knives, and a heart made of ice. Ponderosa Springs’s infamous Queen of Disaster.”

jude sinclair🖤📝
this man is a fucking poet, and that alone is my undoing. he’s straight from the tortured poet department. he’s been misunderstood his whole life, never protected, never helped. he’s black soul is my kryptonite!! i want a jude sinclair for myself, please and thank you.
⤷

”Jude Sinclair is a fucking poet. Poetry is chaos. It’s the universe before the Big Bang, a mess of atoms colliding in ways that can’t be predicted.”

jude and phi together were one of the best enemies to lovers i’ve ever had the pleasure to read in a dark romance. they almost killed each other (so hot), but eventually they fell in love (so cute).🫠

The beauty, I found, was not in understanding our world but the sense of wonder and curiosity it fed. That gift of acceptance that no matter how terrible moments may seem, it is all minuscule compared to the never-ending galaxies.

Right now, as I watch the world spin while I remain wholly still, I can admit that I miss the feeling of belonging. Belonging to someone, something, anything.

Tonight, the Queen of Ponderosa Spring was my exile.

It’s just me and my thoughts, the only witness to the fury and pain that has simmered inside me for so long. I enjoy being alone. In silence, I can be whoever I want. I’m both the creator and observer, the architect of my own thoughts. It’s a refuge where I can breathe freely and exist without the weight of the world pressing down on me. It’s the only time I find peace.

Her pain, it isn’t loud. It’s not the kind that screams for attention. It’s the quiet kind, the kind that gnaws at you in the middle of the night when the world goes silent and there’s no one left to distract you from it. It’s a slow, suffocating ache, a weight that carves itself into bone. It’s the kind I know and know well. It leaves scars you can’t see.

The world notices when she’s absent. And unfortunately, so do I.

“What if there’s another version of us out there? You think we hate each other in all of them?”

Jude gave me a universe where I could be me.

“There’s my girl,” I murmur, pressing my forehead to hers, “How’s our universe?”

But for her? I’d kneel. I’d grovel like Prometheus, chained to the rock, enduring agony every day for a stolen fire I was never meant to touch. I’d suffer, I’d bleed, I’d pray to gods I’ve long since forsaken if only for the hope that she was okay.

“Jude, J, my loner poet, the star-crossed love of my life…”

[ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

this wasn’t a good book tbh but do i care? no. all four stars for rook 🗣️

[Vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I wanted to be that. A flame, a blaze, an inferno.I guess it doesn’t matter if they put the fire out now.It wasn’t the building I wanted to roast, anyway.”See this is how you write a prologue! It’s not that I specifically need arson or murderous tendencies, but I prefer books that grab my attention from the offset, causing me to have an all-consuming need to find out more. I had an all-consuming need with this one…

When I first started the book I thought it might be about a homicidal pyromaniac and I wasn’t mad about it…FYI it isn’t and it isn’t particularly dark, but check triggers before reading.

I could definitely see how this was inspired by Romeo and Juliet, but it didn’t necessarily read as a retelling. There were too many differences. This is a forbidden romance, but they were mortal enemies, who were forced to cohabitate and they were from rival ‘houses’, but more so in a Mafia crime family kind of way.

The main characters both had deep-rooted trauma that shaped who they were and how they behaved towards each other.

Phi was self-destructive. She was in pain, so she closed herself off to a degree from people she loved and became a person with sharp edges. You can probably guess what transpired from the prologue, but it was heartbreaking to see how this ‘event’ affected her relationships.

Jude kept his cards closer to his chest and always seemed to be on the outskirts. This was due to family feuds, but also the fact he was seen as ‘guilt by association’ a lot of the time. I didn’t particularly want his POV to begin with as I enjoyed reading the absolute powerhouse that was Phi, but it was needed. We needed to hear how his feelings grew and what he thought when revelations were revealed. Spoiler alert: He wanted to burn the world to the ground for her.

(Also, I didn’t know I found writing poetry extremely attractive until I read this book 🫠. I might go to a poetry slam thing or something now.)

I mean the poetry was great, but the writing was also just 🙌 …

“We are a tragedy.
Like Heathcliff and Catherine, forever locked in a brutal dance of passion and destruction, tearing each other apart because they don't know how to love without bleeding.”

Agggghhhh my heart 💔

Overall great book !! A little heavy at points, but that heartbreak was necessary ♥️

[steph ⋅˚₊ 𐙚 ྀི (on hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ★ (SOME SPOILERS)

oh boy I have a lot of thoughts, bare with me guys😅

main thoughts:
So I was very excited for this book, but I got a bit nervous because I didn't realize that jude would end up being her foster brother technically during this book and I was scared, but after finishing I can tell you guys that while that is not a trope I enjoy I kinda just ignored it in this book because to me I don’t even think it should have happened. I think it was used more to have a different vibe or something new than her other books. I’m not really sure cause it didn’t make sense to me. I had to not get a ick because of it sometimes, but most of the book I was able to stomach it and it didn’t even register that he was suppose to be her foster brother especially cause it didn’t even happen right away, it happened way later In the book. I promise I’m not sick guys I just think it could have been written worse and I’m glad I was still able to tolerate it. Although I won’t be trying to come across another book with this trope if I don’t have to.

⇩
That rant aside this book was actually really entertaining even though it was all vibes and not really any plot, definitely more character based than anything. I loved getting some hollow boys crumbs because I missed my babies so so much🥹 It was wild to imagine them being older but it was also so cute seeing them be parents and I loved the little bit of scenes we did get with them because if was iconic af.

I do think there were a couple flaws with this book as a whole which might either cause people to rate this book lower or hate it idk🥲 First off being that I don’t remember Sage loving Easton as much as she did in this book. Unless I just forgot what happened during the hollow boy series, someone correct me if I’m wrong,but it was not my favorite thing ever. What really annoyed me though which made me lower my rating a bit cause I was going to give this four stars. Was the fact that the ending felt way too rushed and I felt like we didn’t get any questions answered or a good conclusion. Like what do you mean only rook and alistair know about jude and phi and no one else? We also didn’t even get to see their reactions to it at all. Not to mention the whole main problem of jude and phi not being able to hook up was because it would be betrayal to her parents, but somehow that went completely out the window. Same with phi’s very sad secret about her being raped like I was expecting her to confess that it happened so that she can start healing and being herself, but only Jude knows so no one else knows and rook himself doesn’t even know which makes me sad😔 like sis I get you don't want to hurt him with that burden, but he's your father and he should know, especially when he's ending up hurt regardless. But besides that I didn’t really have too much other problems these were just the main ones.

characters:
Seraphina (phi): I think she was a badass and really brave, but sometimes she irritated me (a little) most of all I just felt sad for her because her backstory is pretty heart wrenching and she deserves way better. I’m glad she got to be more real around Jude but I wish she would fully release herself from the mask she has on especially around her family. I do have a soft spot for her in my heart and I do want to give her the biggest hug ever🫂

Jude: I never thought I would become a softie for a sinclair, but here we are😭🤭 I loved him idc what you say. His backstory was also heart wrenching and I felt for him too. He's definitely complicated but so is phi. I liked seeing him start to improve at the end though, he was everything and the writer in me loves that he was poet.

romance:
The love between jude and phi is very very messy and yet I was caught in it like a net😭 For some reason I couldn’t stop reading about the train wreck of their relationship especially when they hated each other at the beginning. I loved witnessing the hate for each other dissolve and them finding each other and how connected they were. I do wish that there were more soft and sweeter moments between them because I know that we missed a lot and I feel like it would have been beneficial for us readers to see that. Their relationship definitely felt more like lust at times, but I could see the raw connection flowing through. I just think some sweet moments would have helped instead of smut during certain chapters. Although I do love them as messy and crazy as they are, they definitely are perfect for each other imo🫶

quotes I love:🖤

”I’m lost.
Lost in the shattered pieces of her, in the jagged edges she tries to hide, in the chaos that lives just beneath her skin. And I want to drown in it. I want to feel every bit of that pain that comes with touching her.”

”Yeah.” Phi gives a little nod. “Our universe, Loner.”
“Our universe, Geeks.”

“I think our love is like that. It’s not poetic; it’s cosmic. We are messy, raw, like a collision that should’ve destroyed us both. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe love isn’t meant to be easy. Maybe it’s meant to be this—two people desperately trying to find each other across the chaos, across the darkness, across everything that should’ve kept us apart. So, I am not a poet, Jude. But I am yours. For however long our particles keep dancing”

“I’m always fucking seeing you, Phi. In every room, no matter how much I want to ignore you, you burn too fucking bright. You’re the goddamn sun, and I hate that I can’t stop looking at you”

”Dad, what are you doing?”
“Calling your uncles.”

ˋ°•*⁀➷

extra:
I love my girl monty jay I do and her writing is beautiful I just wish she could have gave us those things we’re missing. I would have enjoyed this book even more then. But regardless I was still entertained and had fun. But please remember guys to search up tws before reading cause this book is not for everyone that’s for sure.

and yes I will be reading the next book ofc😭

pre review:
umm I may have enjoyed this more then I was expecting but there's also some flaws I need to talk about😅 rtc

pre read:
So for some reason I didn’t realize that the male love interest is her foster brother😭 but I was so excited to read this so hopefully I don’t hate it because of that, but I need crumbs from my favorite hollow boys couples🤭

also pls don't hate cause I know its controversial and I'm not even sure if it's my cup of tea, but I wanna give it a chance still

[nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monty Jay, you are a poet. This book was so good I devoured it in one sitting. This is how you write a second generation book.

Jude my poet, tortured, misunderstood, traumatised angel. I felt so bad for him. Seeing what his childhood was like had me crying so hard; I wanted to hug him 😭. Him carrying the weight of his parents’ mistakes despite not even being born yet was heartbreaking. Still, he’s the one paying for choices that were never his to deal with. You can see how deeply he was struggling under the burden of his family’s past.

Seraphina Van Doren, aka Phina, is truly her parents’ daughter but especially her father’s. She’s strong and brave like her mother, and sassy and fiery like her father. Her backstory is heart wrenching, and watching her distance herself from her family so they wouldn’t be hurt by the trauma and guilt she carries made me cry for her. She deserves so much better.

Phi and Jude. Geeks and loners. My star crossed lovers. Watching their relationship unfold was pure emotional chaos in the best way. They started off hating each other, and every sharp word and clash only made the eventual heartbreak hit harder. I laughed with them, cried for them, and felt my heart completely shatter only to be slowly, beautifully repaired again. Watching their hatred soften into love was deeply moving, but what truly stayed with me was how they found each other when they needed it most. They didn’t just fall in love; they helped heal one another. Their journey was messy, painful, tender, and forever etched into my heart.

“Our universe, Loner.”
“Our universe, Geeks.”

[nara · Rating 3 out of 5]

i hope authors know sometimes not writing second gen is okay

[becs ౨ৎ⋆.˚ (semi-ia + comment restriction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come, hopefully! 🫣

[Poppy Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woww WOW

This was everything I needed and MORE 😮‍💨

I absolutely loved how the Hollow Boys characters didn’t feel like they were just cameos but full on characters throughout this 🥹 watching all their interactions literally felt like coming home after a long day, I love & miss them all so much!

Monty Jays writing is impeccable yet again in this, the way she describes Jude and Phi’s thoughts and feelings is unmatched. She’s such a bloody good writer ❤️

Onto Jude & Seraphina, I mean where do I even start. Their romance has elements of forbidden love, forced proximity ‘foster siblings’ rivals etc it was SO good. I love their personalities the poet & the science geek and how the pacing of their relationship develops perfectly throughout the story. I loved Seraphina from the start, I find her so funny & relatable, Jude is one of those characters that once you fall in love with him there’s no going back 🫶🏽 I love how he handled himself through the story, in fact every single interaction between them had me giggling and squealing

I also love meeting all the other second gen kids, and already getting a glimpse into their relationships and personalities ❤️

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not to be dramatic, but this was infinity stars. ♾️

[alexleasins · Rating 5 out of 5]

my star crossed lovers | “A tragic ending we can’t rewrite. Two reckless souls drawn together, not in spite of the danger, but because of it. The poison we know is killing us, yet tastes too sweet to stop drinking”

[Medollga · Rating 2 out of 5]

No one wanted to love this book more than I did. But the whole process of reading it was like a battlefield or like pulling teeth. It took me ages to finish it and I constantly battled with myself: do I finish it or do I dnf it?😭🙈💀


Disclaimer: I loved the Hollow Boys series to death, so I know that the author is talented and can write an engaging story. This review is in no way to criticize the author's talent, but simply to explain why the story was such a disappointment, and why it's so different from their original series.

The main thing missing for me here was a strong plot line. Nothing was really happening, there was no mystery, and there were no characters' motivations that propelled them forward. Nothing exciting and nothing to look forward to. The main characters exist in a vacuum separate from other characters and rarely interact with other people. Actually, now that I think about it even the main characters interact with each other very sparsely at first. They could have a short conversation, a two-liner exchange, and not communicate with each other for months on end but they would think about these interactions for months. 🤡🤡🤷🏼‍♀️ This especially concerns the heroine as we spend the majority of the book in her head, such a nerve-wracking, irritating, and frankly depressing place to be. 👉👈🆘

If I were to compare this book to the previous series, The Hollow Boys was filled with a lot of action and plot lines that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the romance. Those characters had their problems and they solved those problems amidst an investigation, the whole town hating on them, not having any family support, they tried to solve some mysteries along the way and fought the bad guys... They put down a trafficking rain for god's sake! Those characters had some depths and development whereas in this book the second generation with their chaos and love for anarchy and all things rebellious just seem like spoiled rich kids with nothing behind their silly little facades. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE AUDACITY OF THEM USING CHARON'S OBOL AND SWEARING ON THE STYX!!!! 🤡🤡🤡 Those little fuckers have nothing truly challenging in their lives and with them all having great families, support systems, town's favour etc.... What are they uniting against? The Hollow Boys had NOTHING BUT EACH OTHER. That's why their friendship and loyalty to each other was so compelling. The second gen are truly just clownish and stupid, trying to replicate that bond. All their interactions with each other are deciding if they're going to the next party🤡🤡🤡 They are chaotic for the sake of being chaotic, there's no justification for why Ezra is a drug addict or why Seraphina chose to be such a bitch towards her family.

And while we are on the topic of Seraphina, the heroine of the story, I hated her. 🤬🤬🤬I'm not ashamed to say it, she irritated me to no end. Her actions were so illogical for someone who the author claimed relied solely on logic and didn't understand emotions. The way she chose to handle the aftermath of her trauma can be understandable because everyone has a right to grieve in their own way. But to choose to alienate her family, to hurt them all on purpose to try and push them away for 4 years long in some hopes that they will just forget about her and leave her be? This seems stupid and illogical and something that gets no sympathy from me. The scenes where she broke her father's heart were so infuriating. 🤯💀🙈 She could have kept the secret about her assault without turning into a raging bitch towards her family. And I will die on that hill.🤷🏼‍♀️😭

The heroine's descriptions are full of contradictions. Before her assault, she's described as this full-of-life charismatic person who is the center of attention, like she comes into the room and everyone's looking at her. And then in the next chapter, it's told that she was shy and unsure of herself and she always held back and was timid and that Oakley took advantage of her and made it seem like he was the first person to see her. So what is it exactly? Was she shy or the center of attention?

Also first we are told she used to be this overachieving academic and got an acceptance letter to MIT. Usually, it means that she spent a lot of time and effort into learning and preparing for university. Then we are told that she used to be the homebody that loved watching TV shows and eating junk food and that's the way she spent all of her free time. At the same time, she's this car girl that spends all her time in the garage, repairs her car and her motorcycle, and then goes racing and partying and getting in all sorts of trouble. What is it? Can we pick a lane and stick to it? Because, frankly, she seems to have multiple personality disorder at this point.

And don't even get me started on the way her entire personality is simply an aesthetic🤡 There's so much time wasted on descriptions of her hair, or clothes, or her smoking pot all of the time and having munchies, or her loving cars and motorcycles... As if this makes her cool, or interesting, or unique. She gives off major "not like other girls" vibes and it's so offputting. Meanwhile, behind all those pages upon pages of her looks and hobbies, we don't know her at all. She's this wobbly caricature of a real person that changes from chapter to chapter.

Now onto the hero, Jude. I hate the fact that we don't get to see Jude interact with the Van Dorens. He's living with them for months now, and we've never seen him interact with anyone except for Seraphina. Some measly scenes are told about but never shown. There is not a single conversation between him and Rook, or him and Sage, Andromeda or Reign. We are only told that he helped Andromeda or that Rook smirked at his joke.🤷🏼‍♀️🤔🧐

And also for a book that is supposedly about them being foster siblings, none of the important conversations are shown in the book. The conversation between Rook and Sage where they decide to take Jude in? it's absent. The discussion between the parents and the kids about letting Jude stay at their house? it's not existent. The scene where they invite Jude to come live with them or his first day at the house, any of the conversations are a mystery to us readers. We don't see the kids reaction to Jude's first day at the house. We are only given some sorry-ass scene between Reign and Seraphina God knows how many days after the fact about them not being comfortable around Jude but trying to play nice for the sake of their parents. 👀💀

Also, there's this conflict throughout the book of the heroes being on opposite sides of the family drama. And both of them constantly thought about the impossibility of being with each other. Seraphina thought it to be treacherous to be with Jude. And Jude was fully on board with thinking they don't have any future together and that Seraphina would choose a family over him. He made his peace with that. We were prepared for some big reveal of their relationship, maybe some explanations, maybe some conversations, heart-to-hearts, but we got nothing.🤯🤬🆘😂

We have some weird ass kidnapping at the end that furthers Seraphina's trauma, unnecessarily cruel might I add. Then of course we have a deus ex machina resolution that is so unrealistic and unbelievable, but oh well. At least finally we saw some interactions between Rook and Jude and it's honestly the best thing in this entire book alongside Jude's scene was Alistair.❤❤❤😍😍😍👑👑👑🔥🔥🔥

And of course at that point no one cared that Jude and Serafina were together. There was no big drama, no big reveal, nothing! I feel cheated, I feel fooled. 😂😂😂 The whole premise of the story promised us some big explosion at the end and we got nothing.

[a. · Rating 1 out of 5]

jude sinclair needs to put that pen down, omg.

[Irida · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars🌟 “Our pain feels a lot like distant twin flames.  Our scars might be different, etched by different hands, but they burn the same”

Monty Jay really said let me drop a second gen series that’s gonna be just as DAMN GOOD as the first one. As soon as it was over I was missing this world and these characters.

Phi and Jude give you that soulmate feeling, they balance each other perfectly. It was like they were polar opposites but also a mirror of each other.

The enemies to lovers was nailed here. If I could show the perfect example of “hate to love” tension it would this. The spice was absolutely immaculate, I had to physically put the book down and slap a hand to my mouth. The mouth on Jude was POETIC FILTH and I was addicted.

Phi such a badass fmc, she could be completely falling apart on the inside but on the outside she would be swinging fists like it was nobody’s business.

Also, the hollow boys featuring in this was EVERYTHING. The way I fancied Rook Van Doren all over again reading this was unhealthy.

As soon as the next book in this series drops I’ll be turning the world on DND.

[Hayo ౨ৎ (semi-ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ugh jude sinclair. thats it. thats the review.

[m&gs · Rating 2 out of 5]

despise whenever authors use sa as a storyline esp when it feels like it's done as punishment for the parents. hb & co brought down a sex trafficking ring, in turn rooksages daughter is assaulted in the prologue? no one other than jude found out as well feels so cheap, the ending in general was but it seems as tho phi was sa'ed for shock value only.

moving forward.... liked the kids and all their relationships, it was super cute. but i am staying skeptical bc 2nd gens always end up declining with that, i did love 1st gens involvement in the story a lot as well.

the van dorens 🫂🫂 love me a messy dysfunctional family. rooksage as parents were so cute, how they managed to have those 3 all around the same time idddk.

nora reign & atlas were my favs as expected and seated for them in book2...as intriguing as andyezra seemed, ny expectations are low considering there's yet to be a 2nd gen inner group couple that i've liked.

serial killer selling houses okay 😭😭 and everyone calling rook "the judge" very unserious.

jude put the pen down, it's not for you. and no reaction to judephi's relationship is crazy, mind you the whole book judephi call phi a traitor for sleeping with jude so.....(?)

also i know this is set in oregon but please put the pot down.

[vitoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I found Seraphina annoying as fuck, a true SPOILED brat in every sense of the word. Rook always did EVERYTHING for her and she had THE COURAGE to tell him if “he wanted a reward” for adopting her. Exactly that.
Well, I think RookSage should have left her in an abandoned dump. “Oh, but her trauma” I’m sorry about her trauma, but her being an insufferable annoying BITCH has nothing to do with trauma. She had no fucking right to be mean with the man who raised her with all love in the world. UNGRATEFUL BITCH!!!!!!!
Reign (my golden baby) was absolutely right in everything he said about her and he should’ve said more.
And Jude, quite the opposite, is WONDERFUL!!! He’s a total sweetheart!!!! I cried a lot with his childhood memories and my hatred for that motherfucker Easton only increased. I just need to protect Jude from all the evil in the world (Seraphina). I loved the way he was written and I really liked his personality. I loved everything about him. He’s perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
About RookSage: MY BABIES!!!! Sage, increasingly beautiful, smart, incredible, didn't give up on helping Jude even though he did everything he could trying to stop her. And Rook comforting Jude after he said he had no one? BROKE me, teared me into pieces, I cried a fucking river. Their relationship will definitely only get better and I hope MJ writes more about it. It’s a need, really. 😭
About Allistair trying to help Jude since he was a child, it didn't surprise me at all, I knew he would try to help, it's a shame that that fucker Easton didn't let him (apart from the monetary help).
Anyway, I hope Jude has all the happiness in the world and that his relationship with the HB continues to improve because he deserves to have a family that loves and cherishes him!!!! I love you Jude!!!!!! My precious boy 🩷🩷🫶🏻🫶🏻😭😭😭💕💕

PS: AND ROOK AS A DAD???? OMG 🥵🥵 MY FAVORITE DILF!!!!!
PS2: ANDYEZRA!!!! OH MY GOOOOOOOODNESS!!!!!!! THEY WILL SERVEEEEEEE

Three stars because of Jude, RookSage and the other characters. Seraphina who?

[Carla]

DNF 15%
I’m tired of this story.
Unfortunately!

[Liz Kondik · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️⭐️ LITERAL POETRY PERFECTION!! Montagues vs the capulets vibes. I loved all of the hollow boys grown up and how Monty Jay wrote them to becoming the most amazing fathers 🥺😭 so good and so well done! I absolutely cannot wait to see how the rest of their kids evolve and what their stories are in this series! Absolutely phenomenal - I loved the writing in this, and omg the enemies to lovers trope in this has got to be one of my all time favorites 😭 Phi + Jude =♥️

VERY sad to be done with this, Monty Jay please hurry up and finish this series 🙏🏼

Also, anyone else notice how all the names are biblical in some form or another? Wondering if we’ll get some meaning behind that, gahhhhh I love the hollow boys 😭

[cara ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

my family ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

[v.e.e.r.e.a.d.s · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was dark romance poetry.
I couldn’t put it down!!

What a way to start the next gen series.
Seeing the originals as fathers and mothers was honestly the biggest treat. Like, as if I could love Rook any more!!

Phi and Jude, have their own traumas they are living with, the last thing they count on is finding a peace in each other. The enemy.

4.5⭐️
3.75🌶️

[Ash✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ending the year with a bangggerrr 🤧🤧🤧

[Oana · Rating 4 out of 5]

GIVE THIS TO ME RIGHT NOW

THE CRUMBS THO UGHHHHHHHHHHH IM FERAL

[Sue Sylvester · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have more chemistry with my left toe
1 star for andyezranorareign

[lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So starting off, this took me almost 4 months to finish because after I read the hollow boys I was in the biggest slump of my life from that universe 😭 I missed it so much already and immediately started this and then the slump kinda kicked in so it took me a while longer to finish it but this last month in a half I locked in and got so into it, I was absolutely obsessed once again. Phi and Jude’s story was everthing I needed and it was so beautiful in its very own way and that’s what I love about Monty Jay’s writing, it’s so unique and I love being pulled into the universe and characters they create.

I really loved how Phi didn’t just need to strictly be a badass and was able to be one while also letting herself fall in love and feel deeper things that she didn’t usually like to show even after all she had been through, showing how strong she is overall (I hope that makes sense how I want it to). Jude’s story also really broke my heart and seeing what he had to go through and how he never let it break him, similar to Phi and how they connected on those deeper levels where they could just be in each others company and show the ugly sides they didn’t usually show on the outside.

Oakley’s death was so deserved and I’m so glad Phi finally got her revenge.

Getting to meet all the other kids was so exciting too and I cannot wait for all their books 😆
- Andy was so cute I loved her so much and I feel like her book is gonna break me
- Atlas was hilarious 😭
- Reign was also hilarious and I love a good playboy falling in love story so I’m hyped for that (assuming it’s gonna be like that but we’ll see, those are just the vibes I got)
- I just know Ezra’s story is gonna be sad because idk I could just feel it in this one
- We didn’t see Nora too much but from what we do see I love her already

Seeing everyone in the hollow boys all grown up made me so happy 🙂‍↕️ they all got to live the lives they wanted and we know how hard they fought for that.

Once again this was another 6 stars from Monty Jay and I cannot wait for Whisper of a Shadow 😚 I know it’s gonna break me in two

Also the poem Jude wrote Phi at the end gave me goosebumps 🤭 I didn’t know I’d love a poet this much until Jude Sinclair. Speaking of him, I did NOT expect to love a Sinclair ever so once again WELL DONE 😆

One of my many favorite things at the end was this

“Alistair Caldwell once told me that the medallion around my neck could buy my way back home. And when the reaper comes to claim my soul, there will be no hesitation, no second thoughts. I'll pay my way straight back to her. To the fire in her eyes and the love that feels like fate. Because home isn't a place; it's right here, in her arms, where even fate can't keep me away.”

LIKE SHUT UP RN I LOVE YOU JUDE 🥹🤍 (when is it my turn fr)