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The Crucible #2
The Things Gods Break
The games continue in the highly anticipated and thrilling follow-up to The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen.
Audible Audio
First published October 21, 2025
6143 people are currently reading
54250 people want to read
About the author
Abigail Owen
48 books5,029 followersAbigail Owen is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and International bestselling author of 30+ books that range from upper YA (18+) epic romantasy to new adult modern mythic romantasy to super spicy adult paranormal romance. She loves magical worlds with plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs!
Abbie has a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) from Texas A&M University (gig’em Ags!), and an MBA from California State University-Sacramento. Prior to becoming a published author, she spent 15+ years using the other side of her brain in various tech- and business-related roles.
Other titles include: wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, AuDHD, spreadsheet lover, Jeopardy! fanatic, organizational guru, true classic movie buff, linguaphile, wishful world traveler, and chocoholic.
Abbie currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their (mostly) angelic teenagers, and an adorable fur baby.
Abbie has a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) from Texas A&M University (gig’em Ags!), and an MBA from California State University-Sacramento. Prior to becoming a published author, she spent 15+ years using the other side of her brain in various tech- and business-related roles.
Other titles include: wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, AuDHD, spreadsheet lover, Jeopardy! fanatic, organizational guru, true classic movie buff, linguaphile, wishful world traveler, and chocoholic.
Abbie currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their (mostly) angelic teenagers, and an adorable fur baby.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,731 reviews
February 2, 2026
I’m going to try to keep this in check because my emotions are currently on overdrive. I genuinely cannot remember the last time a book upset me as much as this one did. I LOVED the first one. Waited an entire year for the second… and THIS is how she decided to take the story?! I feel like I’ve been bamboozled.
First things first, there’s ENTIRELY too much happening. Where were her editors?! I think this could have been really good if she would have stuck to one or two plot points. Not the seven there seemed to be going on at any given time.
Second, there is way too much internal dialogue and plot explanations. If you have to remind the reader of who each person is several times throughout the story, maybe you’re doing too much. This book easily could have been 100 pages shorter.
Third, I love Hades. Still do after this book. I felt like he was done DIRTY in this book. He deserved better.
Lastly, and MAYBE A SPOILER… time travel is a cop out for good storytelling when you don’t do it right. I could go on and on about this point but do not want to spoil the book.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Rant over.
First things first, there’s ENTIRELY too much happening. Where were her editors?! I think this could have been really good if she would have stuck to one or two plot points. Not the seven there seemed to be going on at any given time.
Second, there is way too much internal dialogue and plot explanations. If you have to remind the reader of who each person is several times throughout the story, maybe you’re doing too much. This book easily could have been 100 pages shorter.
Third, I love Hades. Still do after this book. I felt like he was done DIRTY in this book. He deserved better.
Lastly, and MAYBE A SPOILER… time travel is a cop out for good storytelling when you don’t do it right. I could go on and on about this point but do not want to spoil the book.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Rant over.
October 29, 2025
── ⋆˙⟡ 4.5 stars! ★
﹒⌗﹒contains spoilers﹒౨ৎ˚₊‧
“some things, no matter if they are destined to face imminent doom, are too precious not to be protected.”
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ my thoughts♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ okay first of all. this was insane. like genuinely what the hell. the concept of this book??? amazing. time travel. resets. lyra being their savior. the titans not actually being evil. it was such a fun direction and i loved it so much more than i expected. i was already kinda invested after rereading the first book, but this one took things to a whole other level. the setup was wild. the execution??? mostly worked. i had so much fun with this.
that said… yeah there were things that annoyed me. this book was long. like so long. and there was just. so. much. going. on. it got confusing at times. the lock stuff was especially repetitive. we already had trials in the first book and i wasn’t expecting to get a bunch more here. most of them were unnecessary. they just dragged things out without adding anything new. and the illusions?? don’t even wanna get into that… but i will!
also why the fuck is tiktok being mentioned in my greek mythology romantasy. i know this is set in the modern world but please don’t.
anyway… the time travel plot?? actually loved it. the resets. the fact that the titans have known her forever. the way the story slowly unraveled as lyra started figuring everything out. it was so fun. i literally had theories last book about hades and lyra already knowing each other and i was right. love when a book lets me feel smart.
i will say though… as cool as it was, the timeline stuff was also exhausting. lyra not realizing how the timeline worked was driving me insane. like girl. please catch up. it took her forever to realize that she’s seeing hades out of order and that she’s literally been showing up at all these points in his life. and her constantly being confused or asking questions about things that are obvious got old fast.
also i cannot explain how sick i am of hearing about her parents. i thought we moved on from that last book. i thought she found her own people and realized she was loved. like she had growth in the last book… why are we regressing?? same with her questioning if hades really loves her. we did that already. like he made you queen of the underworld. he gave up a lot for you. why are we doing this again.
and the way she was acting during the illusions?? especially the first lock?? she knew they weren’t real and still treated them like they were. it was so annoying. the way she got all emotional over things she explicitly knew were fake. like. please stop.
oh and the ending??? yeah i’m still a little annoyed about hades being made mortal. i don’t really like that choice. but he says he has a plan so guess we’ll see… then the stuff with zeus being glamoured and the prophecy being fake?? insane. and the deceiver epilogue?? creepy as hell. i have so many theories about that.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ characters♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ lyra was so hardheaded and genuinely frustrating sometimes. her inner monologue made me want to scream. she never stops asking questions and half of them are dumb as hell. she became kinda stupid halfway through this book and it was actually painful. the part where she asks if she’s visited earlier parts of hades’ life?? after being told she has. ma’am. please. but… i also think she’s a really interesting character and i’m excited to see where her arc goes now that she’s the goddess of time.
ৎ hades wasn’t in this book as much as i expected. or at least in the present day sense. definitely wish we got more from him in the present. but! i did really like getting to see different versions of him throughout the timeline. i liked seeing lyra pop up at all these different points in his life and realizing how long he’s known her. and how in love with her he was during them. i am a little worried about him now that he’s mortal though… don’t like that.
ৎ side characters were actually kinda great?? cronos!!!! loved him. i really loved his dynamic with lyra, which makes his death even worse. he was such an interesting character and i’m extremely upset that he’s gone. boone on the other hand… yeah he pissed me off. especially with how he treated persephone. and lyra too, honestly. both of them were so unnecessarily rude to her. and lyra saying she resented her?? over a man who was never even romantically involved with her??? that was insane. the titans were all great though. i liked seeing them act like a family. and persephone? i actually liked her a lot. she deserved so much better. and i’m excited to see more of her in the final book now that lyra’s past the weird jealousy phase.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ romance♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ i liked the romance… mostly. i loved how hades has known her for years and how it all tied back into the time travel resets. seeing the emotional moments between them throughout his life was so good. but lyra constantly questioning if he loved her? again??? girl. he made you queen of the underworld. he gave up his title. he literally fought the gods for you. and she’s still out here like “does he really love me?” shut! up! also the jealousy with persephone??? that was so weird. and kinda pathetic. he literally said he was never in love with her. and lyra still acts like persephone is some big threat. it was such a pointless conflict.
and then they kept having sex at the worst possible times??? like you’re in tartarus. there is a mission. people are depending on you. and you’re sleeping with a past version of your love interest. no wonder the titans were annoyed. i was annoyed.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ extras♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
— phoebe saying the prophecy was a glamour… i’m gonna need more info. that’s suspicious…
— the veil mystery from book 1 actually mattered!!! i was worried it’d be a throwaway line but it became a huge reveal and i’m excited to see how it plays out.
— the titans remembering her from previous resets? loved that.
— boone and the demeter lock… that theory from lyra was insanely stupid??
— i’m glad they didn’t kill zeus. i wouldn’t have liked that twist.
— hades becoming mortal was a choice… not a fan.
— boone being a dick to persephone ruined him for me a little.
— the epilogue… i don’t trust anyone. boone better behave.
— bring back cronos challenge !!!!
— tiktok… still not over it.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ overall♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ this was a lot. kinda confusing. kinda repetitive. definitely too long. and yet?? i had so much fun. the concept was just so cool. i loved the titans. i loved the time travel. i loved watching everything click together. lyra drove me insane and some of the plot choices annoyed the shit out of me, but i’m still obsessed. can’t wait for book 3. and if boone starts acting shady, i will turn on him.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ entry 0362 ❞
☆ 🖇️ pre-read 𖥻 ＜꒱
my reread actually went well which! is already a win but after how that book ended?? yeah i need answers immediately. i’ve been waiting for this one and i’m hoping it delivers.
𓏲 ⟡ the crucible ⊹◞
⌗﹒ 01 the games gods play — 5 ☆
⌗﹒ 02 the things gods break — 4.5 ☆
⌗﹒ 03 the wrath gods reap — ?? ☆
﹒⌗﹒contains spoilers﹒౨ৎ˚₊‧
“some things, no matter if they are destined to face imminent doom, are too precious not to be protected.”
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ my thoughts♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ okay first of all. this was insane. like genuinely what the hell. the concept of this book??? amazing. time travel. resets. lyra being their savior. the titans not actually being evil. it was such a fun direction and i loved it so much more than i expected. i was already kinda invested after rereading the first book, but this one took things to a whole other level. the setup was wild. the execution??? mostly worked. i had so much fun with this.
that said… yeah there were things that annoyed me. this book was long. like so long. and there was just. so. much. going. on. it got confusing at times. the lock stuff was especially repetitive. we already had trials in the first book and i wasn’t expecting to get a bunch more here. most of them were unnecessary. they just dragged things out without adding anything new. and the illusions?? don’t even wanna get into that… but i will!
also why the fuck is tiktok being mentioned in my greek mythology romantasy. i know this is set in the modern world but please don’t.
anyway… the time travel plot?? actually loved it. the resets. the fact that the titans have known her forever. the way the story slowly unraveled as lyra started figuring everything out. it was so fun. i literally had theories last book about hades and lyra already knowing each other and i was right. love when a book lets me feel smart.
i will say though… as cool as it was, the timeline stuff was also exhausting. lyra not realizing how the timeline worked was driving me insane. like girl. please catch up. it took her forever to realize that she’s seeing hades out of order and that she’s literally been showing up at all these points in his life. and her constantly being confused or asking questions about things that are obvious got old fast.
also i cannot explain how sick i am of hearing about her parents. i thought we moved on from that last book. i thought she found her own people and realized she was loved. like she had growth in the last book… why are we regressing?? same with her questioning if hades really loves her. we did that already. like he made you queen of the underworld. he gave up a lot for you. why are we doing this again.
and the way she was acting during the illusions?? especially the first lock?? she knew they weren’t real and still treated them like they were. it was so annoying. the way she got all emotional over things she explicitly knew were fake. like. please stop.
oh and the ending??? yeah i’m still a little annoyed about hades being made mortal. i don’t really like that choice. but he says he has a plan so guess we’ll see… then the stuff with zeus being glamoured and the prophecy being fake?? insane. and the deceiver epilogue?? creepy as hell. i have so many theories about that.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ characters♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ lyra was so hardheaded and genuinely frustrating sometimes. her inner monologue made me want to scream. she never stops asking questions and half of them are dumb as hell. she became kinda stupid halfway through this book and it was actually painful. the part where she asks if she’s visited earlier parts of hades’ life?? after being told she has. ma’am. please. but… i also think she’s a really interesting character and i’m excited to see where her arc goes now that she’s the goddess of time.
ৎ hades wasn’t in this book as much as i expected. or at least in the present day sense. definitely wish we got more from him in the present. but! i did really like getting to see different versions of him throughout the timeline. i liked seeing lyra pop up at all these different points in his life and realizing how long he’s known her. and how in love with her he was during them. i am a little worried about him now that he’s mortal though… don’t like that.
ৎ side characters were actually kinda great?? cronos!!!! loved him. i really loved his dynamic with lyra, which makes his death even worse. he was such an interesting character and i’m extremely upset that he’s gone. boone on the other hand… yeah he pissed me off. especially with how he treated persephone. and lyra too, honestly. both of them were so unnecessarily rude to her. and lyra saying she resented her?? over a man who was never even romantically involved with her??? that was insane. the titans were all great though. i liked seeing them act like a family. and persephone? i actually liked her a lot. she deserved so much better. and i’m excited to see more of her in the final book now that lyra’s past the weird jealousy phase.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ romance♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ i liked the romance… mostly. i loved how hades has known her for years and how it all tied back into the time travel resets. seeing the emotional moments between them throughout his life was so good. but lyra constantly questioning if he loved her? again??? girl. he made you queen of the underworld. he gave up his title. he literally fought the gods for you. and she’s still out here like “does he really love me?” shut! up! also the jealousy with persephone??? that was so weird. and kinda pathetic. he literally said he was never in love with her. and lyra still acts like persephone is some big threat. it was such a pointless conflict.
and then they kept having sex at the worst possible times??? like you’re in tartarus. there is a mission. people are depending on you. and you’re sleeping with a past version of your love interest. no wonder the titans were annoyed. i was annoyed.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ extras♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
— phoebe saying the prophecy was a glamour… i’m gonna need more info. that’s suspicious…
— the veil mystery from book 1 actually mattered!!! i was worried it’d be a throwaway line but it became a huge reveal and i’m excited to see how it plays out.
— the titans remembering her from previous resets? loved that.
— boone and the demeter lock… that theory from lyra was insanely stupid??
— i’m glad they didn’t kill zeus. i wouldn’t have liked that twist.
— hades becoming mortal was a choice… not a fan.
— boone being a dick to persephone ruined him for me a little.
— the epilogue… i don’t trust anyone. boone better behave.
— bring back cronos challenge !!!!
— tiktok… still not over it.
﹒ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ 𓂃 ₊ ⊹
⟢ ⌗ ⋮ overall♟️ ིܳ ﹾ ⸝⸝
ৎ this was a lot. kinda confusing. kinda repetitive. definitely too long. and yet?? i had so much fun. the concept was just so cool. i loved the titans. i loved the time travel. i loved watching everything click together. lyra drove me insane and some of the plot choices annoyed the shit out of me, but i’m still obsessed. can’t wait for book 3. and if boone starts acting shady, i will turn on him.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ entry 0362 ❞
☆ 🖇️ pre-read 𖥻 ＜꒱
my reread actually went well which! is already a win but after how that book ended?? yeah i need answers immediately. i’ve been waiting for this one and i’m hoping it delivers.
𓏲 ⟡ the crucible ⊹◞
⌗﹒ 01 the games gods play — 5 ☆
⌗﹒ 02 the things gods break — 4.5 ☆
⌗﹒ 03 the wrath gods reap — ?? ☆
November 21, 2025
“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.”
Since this is book 2, I won’t dive too deep into the story because that would basically be spoilers 👀 I will say that personally, I found the first book better in terms of plot tracking. The huge concept in this book is time jumps (it says it in the blurb, so not a spoiler), and going back and forth was a bit messy for me to keep up with via audiobook 😵💫
One thing that didn’t change is my adoration for HADES AND LYRA. I still think she a baddie and he a hottie 😮💨🔥, so I was absolutely not disappointed whatsoever. You start right where book 1 ended, which I LOVE, and you begin putting pieces together that you didn’t even realize were missing until you read them❗️✨
I think the author did an amazing job continuing the streak of character development for both characters and introducing new ones AND ONE NEW CHARACTER LEFT ME CRYING THANK YOU VERY MUCH 😭🖤
The audiobook for me was a fun time 🎧💫 and I do think that because it was an audiobook, the concept of time felt a bit messy on my end, so please don’t let that discourage you. You still get all the elements you loved in the first book, and I dare say you fall in love with them even more 🥹🖤
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my next audiobook because ya girl loved the first one so... let's see
Since this is book 2, I won’t dive too deep into the story because that would basically be spoilers 👀 I will say that personally, I found the first book better in terms of plot tracking. The huge concept in this book is time jumps (it says it in the blurb, so not a spoiler), and going back and forth was a bit messy for me to keep up with via audiobook 😵💫
One thing that didn’t change is my adoration for HADES AND LYRA. I still think she a baddie and he a hottie 😮💨🔥, so I was absolutely not disappointed whatsoever. You start right where book 1 ended, which I LOVE, and you begin putting pieces together that you didn’t even realize were missing until you read them❗️✨
I think the author did an amazing job continuing the streak of character development for both characters and introducing new ones AND ONE NEW CHARACTER LEFT ME CRYING THANK YOU VERY MUCH 😭🖤
The audiobook for me was a fun time 🎧💫 and I do think that because it was an audiobook, the concept of time felt a bit messy on my end, so please don’t let that discourage you. You still get all the elements you loved in the first book, and I dare say you fall in love with them even more 🥹🖤
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my next audiobook because ya girl loved the first one so... let's see
November 7, 2025
Considering my experience and review of book 1, am I a masochist or a hopeless optimist?
--------------
Marginally better than book 1! and yet...
Boone is now a main character.
Hades gained some points for sure.
Lira is... trying? I'll give her that.
The loop thing was cool, but it got old fast.
--------------
Marginally better than book 1! and yet...
Boone is now a main character.
Hades gained some points for sure.
Lira is... trying? I'll give her that.
The loop thing was cool, but it got old fast.
November 2, 2025
3.5 rounded up
December 16, 2025
3.5 ☆
”Fuck, Lyra. You ask the world.”
“Only because I know you can give it.”
even though i’m giving this the same rating as the first book, i want to clarify that i prefer this one. there isn’t much i can say that wouldn’t be a spoiler but i thought the romance was so much better and more believable this time around. my only real issue is that when you have a plot that completely revolves around time travel, it’s hard for the story to not become repetitive and that’s what happened here. i loved all the different friendship and romance dynamics though, especially the one between Lyra and someone she starts to consider as a father figure. the emotional bits actually did come across strong for me which i wasn’t expecting. the ending was absolutely CRIMINAL!! i will be running to get my answers when book 3 releases next year.
”Fuck, Lyra. You ask the world.”
“Only because I know you can give it.”
even though i’m giving this the same rating as the first book, i want to clarify that i prefer this one. there isn’t much i can say that wouldn’t be a spoiler but i thought the romance was so much better and more believable this time around. my only real issue is that when you have a plot that completely revolves around time travel, it’s hard for the story to not become repetitive and that’s what happened here. i loved all the different friendship and romance dynamics though, especially the one between Lyra and someone she starts to consider as a father figure. the emotional bits actually did come across strong for me which i wasn’t expecting. the ending was absolutely CRIMINAL!! i will be running to get my answers when book 3 releases next year.
November 14, 2025
to everyone who disliked this book because of the race against time that it introduced, i hear you, i see you, you are valid. but dare i say, i think you just don't get what the author was trying to do. which is ok because i get it. like i get it so much, it's not even funny.
this book carried on so well from The Games Gods Play, it felt like there was no pause in between the books. the writing, the characters, and the plot development were all very consistent with what was in the first book. speaking of that plot development!! oh my god?? the entire race against time aspect had me on my knees with my heart in my throat at some points. contrary to what seems to be a popular opinion about this book, i had no issue following the twists and turns and timelines. in fact, i thought it was all laid out very well and made a whole lot of sense. if anything, the most confusing part of the converging timelines were the callbacks to the first book and my goldfish memory brain not remembering every little thing. the character development was another thing i thought was very well done. everyone i loved from the last book grew and changed and made decisions that felt very in character, but also showed a natural progression that i would expect from a sequel. also, the Titans!! i can't say a whole lot about them because that would be an incredible spoiler but just know, they are such a good addition to this universe.
now, this was not a perfect read for me. Lyra being the only hope for literally everything gets old pretty fast (which she does make fun of, so the book gets a point for being self-aware). also, i am begging authors to stop throwing in random sex or intense makeout scenes when characters are on a time crunch. it's sexy, it shows connection and tension, it's a way for relationships to develop, i get it. i also hate it. i'm also taking half a star off because the author killed off a character i loved and i will be mad about that forever actually.
but if you have been on the fence about continuing this series because of all the negative reviews, let this be the review to tell you it's ok! just read it and go on the insane adventure that is within the pages. you'll thank me after you're done.
this book carried on so well from The Games Gods Play, it felt like there was no pause in between the books. the writing, the characters, and the plot development were all very consistent with what was in the first book. speaking of that plot development!! oh my god?? the entire race against time aspect had me on my knees with my heart in my throat at some points. contrary to what seems to be a popular opinion about this book, i had no issue following the twists and turns and timelines. in fact, i thought it was all laid out very well and made a whole lot of sense. if anything, the most confusing part of the converging timelines were the callbacks to the first book and my goldfish memory brain not remembering every little thing. the character development was another thing i thought was very well done. everyone i loved from the last book grew and changed and made decisions that felt very in character, but also showed a natural progression that i would expect from a sequel. also, the Titans!! i can't say a whole lot about them because that would be an incredible spoiler but just know, they are such a good addition to this universe.
now, this was not a perfect read for me. Lyra being the only hope for literally everything gets old pretty fast (which she does make fun of, so the book gets a point for being self-aware). also, i am begging authors to stop throwing in random sex or intense makeout scenes when characters are on a time crunch. it's sexy, it shows connection and tension, it's a way for relationships to develop, i get it. i also hate it. i'm also taking half a star off because the author killed off a character i loved and i will be mad about that forever actually.
but if you have been on the fence about continuing this series because of all the negative reviews, let this be the review to tell you it's ok! just read it and go on the insane adventure that is within the pages. you'll thank me after you're done.
February 5, 2026
Maybe that's why I love her so much. Because she reflects my kingdom--heavens and hells--and my kingdom reflects me.
4.5 stars
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
That's my summary of this book.
There is such a gut punch in this book, and I should have been prepared for it, but it was written so well I never stood a chance.
This was such an awesome sequel. We get a bunch of new characters, a ton of action, a ton of raw emotional moments, and ANSWERS. My main issue with the last book was the inconsistent take on her curse and how she seemed to be cursed at certain times and then not at others. Not to mention a ton of plot holes, or just a lot of strange things happening that never get expained.
WELL, BUCKLE IN! This book answers all those questions and then some. There is still some outstanding issues, but they're all related to what I'm hoping is the final showdown.
I was just hoping for a little more Hades here. There is a dual POV this time, but it's one of those where he doesn't get nearly as much as her, so it's a little lopsided, but I love how their separation is handled and how it helped produce a really great storyline.
But this was so crazy, so entertaining, and I'm so excited for the next one, maybe/definitely nervous because of how it ended. But I think I know who is behind everything, it hasn't changed since the first book and I think this one solidified it for me, but I think there are other people involved and I don't know who those might be yet.
Now to wait a year 😣
4.5 stars
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
That's my summary of this book.
There is such a gut punch in this book, and I should have been prepared for it, but it was written so well I never stood a chance.
This was such an awesome sequel. We get a bunch of new characters, a ton of action, a ton of raw emotional moments, and ANSWERS. My main issue with the last book was the inconsistent take on her curse and how she seemed to be cursed at certain times and then not at others. Not to mention a ton of plot holes, or just a lot of strange things happening that never get expained.
WELL, BUCKLE IN! This book answers all those questions and then some. There is still some outstanding issues, but they're all related to what I'm hoping is the final showdown.
I was just hoping for a little more Hades here. There is a dual POV this time, but it's one of those where he doesn't get nearly as much as her, so it's a little lopsided, but I love how their separation is handled and how it helped produce a really great storyline.
But this was so crazy, so entertaining, and I'm so excited for the next one, maybe/definitely nervous because of how it ended. But I think I know who is behind everything, it hasn't changed since the first book and I think this one solidified it for me, but I think there are other people involved and I don't know who those might be yet.
Now to wait a year 😣
November 22, 2025
”Some things, no matter if they are destined to face imminent doom, are too precious not to be protected”
4.25 💫
i’m going to start off by saying this book had me so confused the entire first 40% of the book. i felt like so much was happening and i had no idea what was going on as it was not being explained. that was partly the point of the first half as our main character Lyra also didn’t know what was going on, but there gets to be a point where it was too much and ultimately had me so unmotivated to pick this book up. i’m glad i stuck it out because when things started to make sense, i got pretty invested! 🤭
this book introduced a lot of new characters, which was cool but hard to keep track of at first. one character in particular really grows on you and actually even made me cry!! 😭🥹 i expected the worst about these people and they really changed my opinion. i am excited to see if they make it into the third book.
i needed more Lyra and Hades in this book, but I’ll take what I can get! i loved their little moments and how they took advantage of it, as well as loved getting some back story for them.
SPOILER ALERT!!
DONT READ AHEAD IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE POTENTIALLY SPOILED.
i don’t care much for the trope of time travel unless it’s done right, and i think it was done in a good way here! a little confusing but still pretty cool. the resets of time when things got messed up by Lyra, Boone or the titans was also an interesting twist. such fun concepts!! i thought the trials were done after the first book, but they were back again in this book with a slight change, but i liked it!!
i absolutely loved the first book in the series, but i was a tad disappointed with this book as it was not as good as The Games Gods Play. the confusion of the first 40% made me lower the rating. i think Hades was done kind of dirty in this book… but i still enjoyed myself and absolutely will be reading the third book!!!
Read this series if you like:
🏹trials
🏹 greek mythology/gods/titans
🏹 hades as a love interest
🏹 time travel
🏹 percy jackson x hunger games
4.25 💫
i’m going to start off by saying this book had me so confused the entire first 40% of the book. i felt like so much was happening and i had no idea what was going on as it was not being explained. that was partly the point of the first half as our main character Lyra also didn’t know what was going on, but there gets to be a point where it was too much and ultimately had me so unmotivated to pick this book up. i’m glad i stuck it out because when things started to make sense, i got pretty invested! 🤭
this book introduced a lot of new characters, which was cool but hard to keep track of at first. one character in particular really grows on you and actually even made me cry!! 😭🥹 i expected the worst about these people and they really changed my opinion. i am excited to see if they make it into the third book.
i needed more Lyra and Hades in this book, but I’ll take what I can get! i loved their little moments and how they took advantage of it, as well as loved getting some back story for them.
SPOILER ALERT!!
DONT READ AHEAD IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE POTENTIALLY SPOILED.
i don’t care much for the trope of time travel unless it’s done right, and i think it was done in a good way here! a little confusing but still pretty cool. the resets of time when things got messed up by Lyra, Boone or the titans was also an interesting twist. such fun concepts!! i thought the trials were done after the first book, but they were back again in this book with a slight change, but i liked it!!
i absolutely loved the first book in the series, but i was a tad disappointed with this book as it was not as good as The Games Gods Play. the confusion of the first 40% made me lower the rating. i think Hades was done kind of dirty in this book… but i still enjoyed myself and absolutely will be reading the third book!!!
Read this series if you like:
🏹trials
🏹 greek mythology/gods/titans
🏹 hades as a love interest
🏹 time travel
🏹 percy jackson x hunger games
November 22, 2025
Originally rated this a 3⭐️ and have changed my mind and now settled on a 2.5⭐️.
The Games Gods Play was a very fun and different take on the Ancient Greek gods story. It featured really fun and unique trials, the Greek gods were interesting characters in the story, a love story developes between Hades and Lyra. It felt like a whole complete story almost but ended on a cliffhanger. I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait for book #2 to come out.
I’m confused and overall disappointed as to why this was the direction the author decided to take with the story. First of all there are more trials in this. But they were nowhere near as interesting or gripping as the first book. The story progression was very slow and sluggish especially the first 50%. I came close to a DNF because I just felt frustrated. I don’t want to say why as it’s a MAJOR part of the plot but I was just not loving where she decided to take the story and how that impacted the WHOLE first book. Also everything felt too convenient as to why Lyra can’t know what’s happening and in turn we as the readers couldn’t know. It just felt like let’s drag this out for the sake of it.
However, after 50% it picked up. It started to make more sense and the story felt like finally it was making headway. I am kind of ok with the ending, it is a cliffhanger, not as insane of a cliffhanger as book #1 but it’s very open ended and I have no idea what the hell is going to happen next. I just think with the whole direction she took the book to end it that way felt weak.
I definitely am still keen to see where she takes it because I do still like the characters a lot. I think it was just too convoluted and also too long. The first 50% should’ve been condensed down to maybe 30% instead.
I’m just somewhere in the middle on this book. It wasn’t a bad book by any means. It was written well and still felt like a solid read and I wanted to know what was happening. I think just wasn’t where I was expecting it to go.
The Games Gods Play was a very fun and different take on the Ancient Greek gods story. It featured really fun and unique trials, the Greek gods were interesting characters in the story, a love story developes between Hades and Lyra. It felt like a whole complete story almost but ended on a cliffhanger. I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait for book #2 to come out.
I’m confused and overall disappointed as to why this was the direction the author decided to take with the story. First of all there are more trials in this. But they were nowhere near as interesting or gripping as the first book. The story progression was very slow and sluggish especially the first 50%. I came close to a DNF because I just felt frustrated. I don’t want to say why as it’s a MAJOR part of the plot but I was just not loving where she decided to take the story and how that impacted the WHOLE first book. Also everything felt too convenient as to why Lyra can’t know what’s happening and in turn we as the readers couldn’t know. It just felt like let’s drag this out for the sake of it.
However, after 50% it picked up. It started to make more sense and the story felt like finally it was making headway. I am kind of ok with the ending, it is a cliffhanger, not as insane of a cliffhanger as book #1 but it’s very open ended and I have no idea what the hell is going to happen next. I just think with the whole direction she took the book to end it that way felt weak.
I definitely am still keen to see where she takes it because I do still like the characters a lot. I think it was just too convoluted and also too long. The first 50% should’ve been condensed down to maybe 30% instead.
I’m just somewhere in the middle on this book. It wasn’t a bad book by any means. It was written well and still felt like a solid read and I wanted to know what was happening. I think just wasn’t where I was expecting it to go.
October 1, 2025
lowkey disappointed
October 29, 2025
I am so impressed by this book! It was cohesive and blended well with the first one. There is no filler book in sight. This one was full of action, lovable characters, romance, and kept me on the edge of my seat every single page.
This book also had an aspect of trials and I was afraid that it would become repetitive and overdone but I loved them. Like in the last book, the author knew the perfect amount of time to spend on them. I was never bored, I was actually excitedly anticipating what was next.
I was obsessed with the timeline here. It was honestly so impressive how seamlessly it worked. The geek in me loved it. So many pieces were clicking into place but still so many new questions left unanswered. I would recommend rereading the first book before jumping into this one for the full experience.
Now the romance. I love these two. I honestly don’t even have words to say. Mainly because I don’t want to spoil anything but also because it was just so perfect but gut wrenching. We learn a lot about their dynamic here and I loved it.
I’m emotionally vulnerable right now and I’m going to say that was the reason but I was SOBBING. This one part absolutely broke me. I am not okay. The title “The Things Gods Break” is referring to me, us, the readers. I am broken and I want to say thank you for it.
I don’t know when the next book is coming out but I’m ready. Like right now. After that ending I NEED to know what is going to happen next. I swear I didn’t take a deep breath the entire time I was reading this and waiting for the next one to come out, I’m now holding my breath. This is not good for my asthma.
This book also had an aspect of trials and I was afraid that it would become repetitive and overdone but I loved them. Like in the last book, the author knew the perfect amount of time to spend on them. I was never bored, I was actually excitedly anticipating what was next.
I was obsessed with the timeline here. It was honestly so impressive how seamlessly it worked. The geek in me loved it. So many pieces were clicking into place but still so many new questions left unanswered. I would recommend rereading the first book before jumping into this one for the full experience.
Now the romance. I love these two. I honestly don’t even have words to say. Mainly because I don’t want to spoil anything but also because it was just so perfect but gut wrenching. We learn a lot about their dynamic here and I loved it.
I’m emotionally vulnerable right now and I’m going to say that was the reason but I was SOBBING. This one part absolutely broke me. I am not okay. The title “The Things Gods Break” is referring to me, us, the readers. I am broken and I want to say thank you for it.
I don’t know when the next book is coming out but I’m ready. Like right now. After that ending I NEED to know what is going to happen next. I swear I didn’t take a deep breath the entire time I was reading this and waiting for the next one to come out, I’m now holding my breath. This is not good for my asthma.
December 15, 2025
I wanted to enjoy it more, but I hate time travel / loop plots. And it was the whoooooole book. In terms of depth in plot, also no huge progression. I was disappointed in this book.
October 24, 2025
Am I the only one out there disappointed with this?
February 12, 2026
⥼~-✰-~⥽ ☽ ˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊☾ ⥼~-✰-~⥽
.𖥔 ݁ ˖༘⋆𐦍⊹₊.𖥔.𖥔 ݁. ˖༘⋆𐦍⊹₊.𖥔 ݁
ৎ this book was truly something else I legit could not put this one down at all even if I wanted to play my game this weekend this series had me in a chokehold literally I kinda get why people struggle with this series there are some highs and lows about this series but once you get into the story it’s so worth it. You have so many twists and turns like in the first book
but we have time travel??! I loved that aspect element of Lyra how she used the time travel how her powers worked even if she didn’t want them she was still so bad ass in every battle curve she was going through! Even though there was at times when it came to time travel especially she didn’t know how that worked like girl 😭
Lyra - Lyra was much more badass in this book than the first one for sure she literally came out her shyness spell. I get people found her annoying with her attitude at times when it came out the wrong timing. I do feel like her love for Boone and hades were messy but it’s what kept her alive honestly she definitely got more air time in this book we learnt more about her curse.
Lyra had so much on her plate aswell being queen of the underworld so many people are after her aswell for the power so much responsibility that she doesn’t want which can be overwhelming too
Hades-
I am sad how he didn’t get much opportunity in his POVs side as much like book 1 we definitely got more information about his past when Lyra when time travelling to find out to save the world from hades. I loved the cocky arrogant side of him in this one especially when it came to Lyra around Boone when he knows it’s just friendship I loved his jealousy side reminds me off Ross and Rachel Ross being intimated by mark 🤣🤣.
˚┊✦ Romance - Epilogue
Good Lord the romance in this was just so epic. I get people have mixed feelings toward these two but even in ridiculous times when they have sex when the world is literally ending like come on now you two 🤣🤣 couldn’t of done it at a better time??! The fact there’s so many ups and downs towards this series definitely down with it being so much of a slow burn especially there was so many uncessary heated arguments at times too like that wasn’t necessary 😭😭
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING THOUGH!!! I don’t wanna give away too many info due to spoilers it had me sobbing emotionally on my way to work too 🤣🤣people thought I was crazy lmfao there was also sense of like HOW DID THIS HAPPEN HOW IS HE GOING TO SURVIVE IN THE NEXT BOOK!!? definitely Lyra has to keep tabs on him now 😭😭😭💀
I really need book 3 of this one so bad like how can they do this to me?! This honestly has to be my favourite Greek mythology series by far I need more of this I cannot believe that happened in the last few chapters why it took me so long to finish as I know it was gonna be a heartbreaker for me.
╭ ✦ • ⥼~-✰-~⥽ ☽ ˚𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 & 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐✩•̩̩͙˚＊☾ ⥼~-✰-~⥽
│ ⊹ ⭐️4.5 │ ⊹ 🌶3.2
╰ ✦ •⥼~-✰-~⥽ ☽ ˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊☾ ⥼~-✰-~⥽
💘⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.💘⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.💘⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒
‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹.𖥔 ݁ ⟡ ݁₊ .˖𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐‧⟡ ݁₊ ..𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚♪ 𝄞
-torture
-death
-Imprisonment
-Death
-grief
-hallucinogns
-graphic language
-sexual activity (including domination and choking)
- Blood and gore
- Vomiiting
- Heights
𓏲ּ𝄢⋆˙⟡⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆Side characters⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆𓏲ּ𝄢⋆˙
˚┊✦ cronos -
He actually surprised me more in this book literally became my book daddy 🤣🤣🤭🤭 which is rare for me to find in books I loved his relationship towards Lyra how charming he was the way he wanted to protect Lyra away from hades dark charm. ﹏﹒✦﹒✶﹏﹒✦﹒﹏✦﹒
Pre read: ✂️😈🫂🤍😘🥷
I cannot wait for this second book last onee left me sobbing !! im honestly scared. how this one is going to turn out worse emtionally!!!
.𖥔 ݁ ˖༘⋆𐦍⊹₊.𖥔.𖥔 ݁. ˖༘⋆𐦍⊹₊.𖥔 ݁
ৎ this book was truly something else I legit could not put this one down at all even if I wanted to play my game this weekend this series had me in a chokehold literally I kinda get why people struggle with this series there are some highs and lows about this series but once you get into the story it’s so worth it. You have so many twists and turns like in the first book
but we have time travel??! I loved that aspect element of Lyra how she used the time travel how her powers worked even if she didn’t want them she was still so bad ass in every battle curve she was going through! Even though there was at times when it came to time travel especially she didn’t know how that worked like girl 😭
Lyra - Lyra was much more badass in this book than the first one for sure she literally came out her shyness spell. I get people found her annoying with her attitude at times when it came out the wrong timing. I do feel like her love for Boone and hades were messy but it’s what kept her alive honestly she definitely got more air time in this book we learnt more about her curse.
Lyra had so much on her plate aswell being queen of the underworld so many people are after her aswell for the power so much responsibility that she doesn’t want which can be overwhelming too
Hades-
I am sad how he didn’t get much opportunity in his POVs side as much like book 1 we definitely got more information about his past when Lyra when time travelling to find out to save the world from hades. I loved the cocky arrogant side of him in this one especially when it came to Lyra around Boone when he knows it’s just friendship I loved his jealousy side reminds me off Ross and Rachel Ross being intimated by mark 🤣🤣.
˚┊✦ Romance - Epilogue
Good Lord the romance in this was just so epic. I get people have mixed feelings toward these two but even in ridiculous times when they have sex when the world is literally ending like come on now you two 🤣🤣 couldn’t of done it at a better time??! The fact there’s so many ups and downs towards this series definitely down with it being so much of a slow burn especially there was so many uncessary heated arguments at times too like that wasn’t necessary 😭😭
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING THOUGH!!! I don’t wanna give away too many info due to spoilers it had me sobbing emotionally on my way to work too 🤣🤣people thought I was crazy lmfao there was also sense of like HOW DID THIS HAPPEN HOW IS HE GOING TO SURVIVE IN THE NEXT BOOK!!? definitely Lyra has to keep tabs on him now 😭😭😭💀
I really need book 3 of this one so bad like how can they do this to me?! This honestly has to be my favourite Greek mythology series by far I need more of this I cannot believe that happened in the last few chapters why it took me so long to finish as I know it was gonna be a heartbreaker for me.
╭ ✦ • ⥼~-✰-~⥽ ☽ ˚𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 & 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐✩•̩̩͙˚＊☾ ⥼~-✰-~⥽
│ ⊹ ⭐️4.5 │ ⊹ 🌶3.2
╰ ✦ •⥼~-✰-~⥽ ☽ ˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊☾ ⥼~-✰-~⥽
💘⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.💘⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘 ⋆⭒˚.⋆⋆⭒˚.💘⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒˚.⋆ 💘⋆⭒
‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹.𖥔 ݁ ⟡ ݁₊ .˖𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐‧⟡ ݁₊ ..𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚♪ 𝄞
-torture
-death
-Imprisonment
-Death
-grief
-hallucinogns
-graphic language
-sexual activity (including domination and choking)
- Blood and gore
- Vomiiting
- Heights
𓏲ּ𝄢⋆˙⟡⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆Side characters⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆𓏲ּ𝄢⋆˙
˚┊✦ cronos -
He actually surprised me more in this book literally became my book daddy 🤣🤣🤭🤭 which is rare for me to find in books I loved his relationship towards Lyra how charming he was the way he wanted to protect Lyra away from hades dark charm. ﹏﹒✦﹒✶﹏﹒✦﹒﹏✦﹒
Pre read: ✂️😈🫂🤍😘🥷
I cannot wait for this second book last onee left me sobbing !! im honestly scared. how this one is going to turn out worse emtionally!!!
November 11, 2025
Gods dammit I have to wait a year for the next one?!
ohhh a name, and a gorgeous first edition?
i am so unreasonably excited for this
ohhh a name, and a gorgeous first edition?
i am so unreasonably excited for this
on-pause
October 23, 2025I really enjoyed book one, and with how it ended, I’m excited to jump into the next one!✨🫨🏛️
January 27, 2026
Ich habe mich sehr auf diesen Band gefreut und größtenteils hat er mich auch nicht enttäuscht. Vor allem die Charaktere sind erneut ein großes Highlight. Lyra liebe ich einfach mit ihrer bissigen, kämpferischen Art, ihrem Humor und ihren frechen Gedanken, die die doch recht düstere Handlung immer wieder auflockern. Sie ist stark, ohne unsympathisch zu wirken, und genau das mag ich so an ihr. Boone ist ebenfalls ein absoluter Herzenscharakter. Ein loyaler bester Freund, der immer an ihrer Seite steht und dem man einfach vertrauen möchte.
Auch die Titanen haben mich im Verlauf der Geschichte immer mehr für sich gewonnen. Gerade die Grauzonen, das Hinterfragen von „Wahrheit“ und „Lüge“ und die Erkenntnis, dass nicht alles so ist, wie es erzählt wurde, fand ich richtig gut gemacht. Und Kronos… puh, er war klasse und hat mir, genauso wie Lyra, echt das Herz gebrochen.
Die Handlung an sich ist spannend, aber ich brauchte diesmal etwas länger, um richtig reinzukommen. Außerdem habe ich die gemeinsame Zeit mit Hades und Lyra vermisst. Ihre Treffen waren oft sehr kurz, durch die Zeitsprünge gefühlt gehetzt und für mich emotional manchmal nicht so intensiv, wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Diese Zeitreise-Elemente haben mich stellenweise ehrlich gesagt etwas verwirrt, irgendwann hatte ich nur noch einen Knoten im Kopf und habe mich gefragt, was jetzt eigentlich zuerst da war… die Henne oder das Ei? Ihr wisst schon, oder? 😅 Zeitreisen sind einfach nicht ganz mein Trope.
Das Ende war zwar ein absoluter Knaller, hat mich aber auch ziemlich frustriert zurückgelassen. Insgesamt ist das Buch sehr intensiv, emotional und fast durchgehend von Kämpfen, Rätsel und Schmerz geprägt. Ich hätte mir zwischendurch etwas mehr Leichtigkeit und „schöne“ Momente gewünscht, einfach mehr Atempausen für Herz und Seele. ❤
Trotzdem habe ich immer mitgefiebert und gehofft. Vor allem Hades tut mir unendlich leid. Dieser Mann hat so viel durchgemacht, mein Herz hat wirklich für ihn geblutet. Nun habe ich große Angst vor Band 3, weil die beiden so sehr ein Happy End verdient hätten… und gleichzeitig ahne ich, dass noch mehr Schmerz auf sie wartet. Und wenn mein Verdacht stimmt, wer im Hintergrund die Fäden zieht, wird mir das wahrscheinlich endgültig das Herz brechen. Richtig fieses Ende, so ein böser Cliffhanger, aber ich habe dennoch meinen Verdacht.
Insgesamt starke 4 von 5 Sternen für ein spannendes, emotionales und vor allem character-driven Buch, das mich trotz kleiner Kritikpunkte nicht losgelassen hat. 💔✨
Auch die Titanen haben mich im Verlauf der Geschichte immer mehr für sich gewonnen. Gerade die Grauzonen, das Hinterfragen von „Wahrheit“ und „Lüge“ und die Erkenntnis, dass nicht alles so ist, wie es erzählt wurde, fand ich richtig gut gemacht. Und Kronos… puh, er war klasse und hat mir, genauso wie Lyra, echt das Herz gebrochen.
Die Handlung an sich ist spannend, aber ich brauchte diesmal etwas länger, um richtig reinzukommen. Außerdem habe ich die gemeinsame Zeit mit Hades und Lyra vermisst. Ihre Treffen waren oft sehr kurz, durch die Zeitsprünge gefühlt gehetzt und für mich emotional manchmal nicht so intensiv, wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Diese Zeitreise-Elemente haben mich stellenweise ehrlich gesagt etwas verwirrt, irgendwann hatte ich nur noch einen Knoten im Kopf und habe mich gefragt, was jetzt eigentlich zuerst da war… die Henne oder das Ei? Ihr wisst schon, oder? 😅 Zeitreisen sind einfach nicht ganz mein Trope.
Das Ende war zwar ein absoluter Knaller, hat mich aber auch ziemlich frustriert zurückgelassen. Insgesamt ist das Buch sehr intensiv, emotional und fast durchgehend von Kämpfen, Rätsel und Schmerz geprägt. Ich hätte mir zwischendurch etwas mehr Leichtigkeit und „schöne“ Momente gewünscht, einfach mehr Atempausen für Herz und Seele. ❤
Trotzdem habe ich immer mitgefiebert und gehofft. Vor allem Hades tut mir unendlich leid. Dieser Mann hat so viel durchgemacht, mein Herz hat wirklich für ihn geblutet. Nun habe ich große Angst vor Band 3, weil die beiden so sehr ein Happy End verdient hätten… und gleichzeitig ahne ich, dass noch mehr Schmerz auf sie wartet. Und wenn mein Verdacht stimmt, wer im Hintergrund die Fäden zieht, wird mir das wahrscheinlich endgültig das Herz brechen. Richtig fieses Ende, so ein böser Cliffhanger, aber ich habe dennoch meinen Verdacht.
Insgesamt starke 4 von 5 Sternen für ein spannendes, emotionales und vor allem character-driven Buch, das mich trotz kleiner Kritikpunkte nicht losgelassen hat. 💔✨
October 22, 2025
3.5⭐️ You know that gif of the confused woman with the math equations floating in the air? That’s how I felt for 70% of this book. I wasn’t having a good time for quite a while. There were wayyy too many time jumps and characters to keep up with. Also, I’m over trials. I thought we wrapped that up in Book 1. The ending bumped my rating up, but honestly I don’t think I care enough for the last book.
November 3, 2025
5/5
I’m in awe of this novel. I can’t even say a lot in my review without giving away the main component of the plot but just know it’s executed to perfection. I literally could not stop flipping the pages of this book. The dual POV was literally a gut punch. This was 528 pages of straight pain. The way this novel flips the first one on its head and the way every detail from book 1 now takes on a new light is insane. Everything that happened has an explanation.
I am in awe of Lyra and Hades love. I won’t say much but their devotion to each other is heartbreaking. The things they go through to be with each other…..I literally am on the verge of tears as I type this out. A love like theirs spans time, reason, and death. It’s essential to the fabric of the universe. Their love is the only thing keeping the world together in a way. I was dying literally every time we got a Hades POV. Because the PAIN. ‘You tell me things I don’t want to do and like a fool I listen’ ‘I’ve dreamed of her eyes all my life’ ‘my guardian angel’ ‘I’ve scoured the records for her’ ‘he waits for you in the water gardens’ ‘what if the only reason it never works I because I don’t have him’ ‘no matter when, no matter how, I love you’ ‘after this long, he deserves happiness. He deserves me. I deserve him’ and I’ll stop there before I go insane because I can’t formulate concisely how much they mean to me. Their love is star crossed, and I just cannot get over the full story now that we have it. The LAYERS. The EXPLANATIONS. 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 find me sobbing in a corner actually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The plot is insanity. I just cannot get over how well plotted it is and how well everything fits with book 1. IT ALL MAKES SENSE BUT ALSO THE END. I fear I know who the villain is and my heart breaks 🥲🥲 I am just shocked at how gorgeous this story is. The love that exudes from everyone for the people they know. Like. The pain of this novel comes from how fierce the love is.
Every side character has my heart. I am just unable to name them all but trust that I was devastated more times than once with some of the outcomes in this novel.
Lyra Keres I adore and love you beyond words. What she has to do is more difficult than I could’ve imagined. Her strength and love and resilience is inspiring. Hades. Oh my gosh. THE PAIN HE HAS GONE THROUGH. I can’t even explain how I feel about his character without spoiling this whole book but his strength and love and trust had me basically sobbing.
BUT MY THEORIES FOR SOME LITTLE THINGS AS WELL. I swear there’s some reason behind Lyra’s habit of humming that will probably break my heart let’s be honest.
The love that is in this novel is one I can only dream of experiencing. Lyra and Hades have etched themselves onto my soul 🥹🌌
I’m in awe of this novel. I can’t even say a lot in my review without giving away the main component of the plot but just know it’s executed to perfection. I literally could not stop flipping the pages of this book. The dual POV was literally a gut punch. This was 528 pages of straight pain. The way this novel flips the first one on its head and the way every detail from book 1 now takes on a new light is insane. Everything that happened has an explanation.
I am in awe of Lyra and Hades love. I won’t say much but their devotion to each other is heartbreaking. The things they go through to be with each other…..I literally am on the verge of tears as I type this out. A love like theirs spans time, reason, and death. It’s essential to the fabric of the universe. Their love is the only thing keeping the world together in a way. I was dying literally every time we got a Hades POV. Because the PAIN. ‘You tell me things I don’t want to do and like a fool I listen’ ‘I’ve dreamed of her eyes all my life’ ‘my guardian angel’ ‘I’ve scoured the records for her’ ‘he waits for you in the water gardens’ ‘what if the only reason it never works I because I don’t have him’ ‘no matter when, no matter how, I love you’ ‘after this long, he deserves happiness. He deserves me. I deserve him’ and I’ll stop there before I go insane because I can’t formulate concisely how much they mean to me. Their love is star crossed, and I just cannot get over the full story now that we have it. The LAYERS. The EXPLANATIONS. 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 find me sobbing in a corner actually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The plot is insanity. I just cannot get over how well plotted it is and how well everything fits with book 1. IT ALL MAKES SENSE BUT ALSO THE END. I fear I know who the villain is and my heart breaks 🥲🥲 I am just shocked at how gorgeous this story is. The love that exudes from everyone for the people they know. Like. The pain of this novel comes from how fierce the love is.
Every side character has my heart. I am just unable to name them all but trust that I was devastated more times than once with some of the outcomes in this novel.
Lyra Keres I adore and love you beyond words. What she has to do is more difficult than I could’ve imagined. Her strength and love and resilience is inspiring. Hades. Oh my gosh. THE PAIN HE HAS GONE THROUGH. I can’t even explain how I feel about his character without spoiling this whole book but his strength and love and trust had me basically sobbing.
BUT MY THEORIES FOR SOME LITTLE THINGS AS WELL. I swear there’s some reason behind Lyra’s habit of humming that will probably break my heart let’s be honest.
The love that is in this novel is one I can only dream of experiencing. Lyra and Hades have etched themselves onto my soul 🥹🌌
November 2, 2025
Abigail. Owen. Why would you do this to me? I cannot possibly wait until next August for the third book in this series to come out. It is basically impossible for me to write a spoiler-free review of this while telling you what I loved, because basically everything in this book is essential to the plot and keeps the story moving at a crazy pace. What I can say: if you had the same millennial childhood/teen obsessions as I did, then you have to read it.
Red Tower, please have mercy on me and put me on your book 3 ARC list!!
Red Tower, please have mercy on me and put me on your book 3 ARC list!!
October 15, 2025
I actually don’t remember the first book being this cringe- like what is up with the Tik Tok reference and Ai?? I also couldn’t stand how every second word was practically an F bomb. So sad, this was another anticipated release that just didn’t do it for me 😢
October 24, 2025
Wtf happened here. It’s like it turned into a completely different story. Book 1 was so strong and this was such a mess. DNF at 30% and asked perplexity to summarize what happens and wow— glad I stopped.
October 26, 2025
I am free from the chains of this book finally. If I would’ve known the story would take a ‘time traveling’ route I would’ve stayed so far away. I unfortunately cannot get behind past-present-future troupe. I hate that I don’t like it because it was really good but I just can’t do the traveling it annoys the shit out of me. Great book other than basically the whole plot. 🫣
October 24, 2025
holy CRAP at that ending!!! I have so many theories! This one had me glued to the edge of my seat, I loved every minute of it! it was action-packed af, and I loved getting to know the Titans💞
October 26, 2025
DNF at page 337.
This is sad because I actually gave 5 stars to book 1 but one of my all time most hated tropes is time travel/memory loss.
This is sad because I actually gave 5 stars to book 1 but one of my all time most hated tropes is time travel/memory loss.
November 14, 2025
2⭐️/5
Idk guys.. I enjoyed enough book 1 for what it was, but this was a disaster to be frank. This was a MESS, once again the results of Red Towers inability to edit whatsoever. The only reason I pushed through and did not DNF is for the Hades's POV chapters.
I have to say I got the ick really fast because the entirety of book 2 felt like the author forced book 1 (that should have been a standalone imo) into a series, then took what made book 1 popular aka the trials, found a way to rebuild tension between the MMCs and bam book 2. The entire thing felt forced to me, I cannot pinpoint why or where exactly.
I am a SUCKER for trials, I grew up with Hunger Games ya'll.. it is embedded within me. This book became the exception to me, omg those trials were boring. They felt like a thrown in side quest, with very little stakes (even though they were supposed to be the way out???).
I grew NO attachment whatsoever to any of the Titans and that whole crew, at all. The only chapters I enjoyed were of the time travel (if I shut down my logic obviously, since clearly no true thoughts were put in to logically make them work 100%). I enjoyed seeing the shaping of Hades, why and how he became who he is. I enjoyed enough the ties in we got in scenes from book 1, even though, once again, I feel for some reason that the author found a way to conveniently tie them in and weren't thought out from the start.
DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE TIKTOK, AI AND STAR WARS REFERENCES. I get it is an urban fantasy, but absolutely not. I really doubt I will be reading book 3 (why is there even a book 3 ? let's be fr...)
Idk guys.. I enjoyed enough book 1 for what it was, but this was a disaster to be frank. This was a MESS, once again the results of Red Towers inability to edit whatsoever. The only reason I pushed through and did not DNF is for the Hades's POV chapters.
I have to say I got the ick really fast because the entirety of book 2 felt like the author forced book 1 (that should have been a standalone imo) into a series, then took what made book 1 popular aka the trials, found a way to rebuild tension between the MMCs and bam book 2. The entire thing felt forced to me, I cannot pinpoint why or where exactly.
I am a SUCKER for trials, I grew up with Hunger Games ya'll.. it is embedded within me. This book became the exception to me, omg those trials were boring. They felt like a thrown in side quest, with very little stakes (even though they were supposed to be the way out???).
I grew NO attachment whatsoever to any of the Titans and that whole crew, at all. The only chapters I enjoyed were of the time travel (if I shut down my logic obviously, since clearly no true thoughts were put in to logically make them work 100%). I enjoyed seeing the shaping of Hades, why and how he became who he is. I enjoyed enough the ties in we got in scenes from book 1, even though, once again, I feel for some reason that the author found a way to conveniently tie them in and weren't thought out from the start.
DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE TIKTOK, AI AND STAR WARS REFERENCES. I get it is an urban fantasy, but absolutely not. I really doubt I will be reading book 3 (why is there even a book 3 ? let's be fr...)
October 22, 2025
I stayed up until 1am to finish this and I have no regrets.
I marked this with spoilers BUT HELLO MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD OK
I was skeptical going into this one bc usually when book 1 has trials I’m a bit less invested in book 2, and this kind of fell into that category. There are also trials in this one, but the reason why is different - to get out of Tartarus. Bc I know that Lyra can’t die and neither can Boone bc obviously time travel, it just felt tedious at some points.
I did love the time travel aspect of this, which was relatively new to me. I haven’t read many time travel book before so I don’t have a lot to compare this too.
I’ve seen some reviews that said the time travel “undid” everything from book 1, but I disagree. I think it made in insta-lust from book 1 make more sense to me bc HADES HAS LOVED HER SINCE HE WAS 19. I thought that was incredibly juicy.
The first 50% I truly had no idea what was going on. But the latter half picked up and I was excited to see where it was going.
The ending, to some degree was predictable. But I did NOT see Hades losing his powers. I thought that was a great twist.
I do wish there was less modern vernacular in this. The cursing didn’t really bother me but the amount of times Hades just said “Fuck.” after Lyra said something like…do you not have a more intelligent reply my guy?
Predictions for book 3!!
Boone is the one glamouring the gods. He trapped Persephone in Tartarus. There will be trials for the underworld and Hades will compete and Lyra will be the one helping him.
I marked this with spoilers BUT HELLO MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD OK
I was skeptical going into this one bc usually when book 1 has trials I’m a bit less invested in book 2, and this kind of fell into that category. There are also trials in this one, but the reason why is different - to get out of Tartarus. Bc I know that Lyra can’t die and neither can Boone bc obviously time travel, it just felt tedious at some points.
I did love the time travel aspect of this, which was relatively new to me. I haven’t read many time travel book before so I don’t have a lot to compare this too.
I’ve seen some reviews that said the time travel “undid” everything from book 1, but I disagree. I think it made in insta-lust from book 1 make more sense to me bc HADES HAS LOVED HER SINCE HE WAS 19. I thought that was incredibly juicy.
The first 50% I truly had no idea what was going on. But the latter half picked up and I was excited to see where it was going.
The ending, to some degree was predictable. But I did NOT see Hades losing his powers. I thought that was a great twist.
I do wish there was less modern vernacular in this. The cursing didn’t really bother me but the amount of times Hades just said “Fuck.” after Lyra said something like…do you not have a more intelligent reply my guy?
Predictions for book 3!!
Boone is the one glamouring the gods. He trapped Persephone in Tartarus. There will be trials for the underworld and Hades will compete and Lyra will be the one helping him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2025
I didn’t think it was possible for a book to be so bad that it made me start to think the book before this was worse and worse. It was literally complete nonsense the whole time, which is weird because I loved book 1. The whole “and then, and then” with more and more power was complete crap. Plus, this back and forth was so convoluted and hard to follow, I never knew where we were. And how it tied into book 1, I was starting to think book 1 was bad. I mean seriously, what was this?!
September 1, 2025
I was waiting for this one for sooooo long!!! I ate up book one, and the end obliterated me, so I was so grossly excited when I received a copy of this book (shout out to Riki from Entangled!). This book did not by any means disappoint.
I’ve been looking for a book to emotionally destroy me, and this one totally did in the best of ways. It was a rollercoaster all the way through. I love love love that this book keeps the trials theme from the first book too. I’m a sucker for trials, and when I found out this book would have them too, I could not put it down. The concept was so cool and the trials were so unique. I love when I get to see my favorite trope really shine and be entirely unique.
Oh, and the romance is romancing.
I also didn’t knew this was a trilogy. Thought for sure it was a duology. The wait for the third is just as agonizing as the wait for the second.
I’m trying to be vague because I would be so mad if someone spoiled this for me, but just know that I want to scream about this book at the top of my lungs. I will be insufferable until this book is released and I can finally talk about it with my book peeps.
AHHHH I NEED THE NEXT ONE!!!!
Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been looking for a book to emotionally destroy me, and this one totally did in the best of ways. It was a rollercoaster all the way through. I love love love that this book keeps the trials theme from the first book too. I’m a sucker for trials, and when I found out this book would have them too, I could not put it down. The concept was so cool and the trials were so unique. I love when I get to see my favorite trope really shine and be entirely unique.
Oh, and the romance is romancing.
I also didn’t knew this was a trilogy. Thought for sure it was a duology. The wait for the third is just as agonizing as the wait for the second.
I’m trying to be vague because I would be so mad if someone spoiled this for me, but just know that I want to scream about this book at the top of my lungs. I will be insufferable until this book is released and I can finally talk about it with my book peeps.
AHHHH I NEED THE NEXT ONE!!!!
Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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