Wow! That was a roller coaster if I've ever seen one.
I just finished the book and I'm still a bit dizzy. It was heart-warming and insane, sweet and romantic but packed with action, light and tender and then dark and soul crushing.
It was heaven, then hell, then heaven again, then the worst of hells, then a bit better and almost heaven, then back to the fire pit and so forth. An amazing experience, all in all.
One of the darkest I've read in a while (and I chase dark), so definitely not for the faint-hearted, but well written and and carefully balanced with lighter moments, so your heart doesn't burst.
I think the key word here is "unexpected". Whether you're pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised, the truth is, you got to admit it, you did not see that coming. Well, some of it you might have...
So if dark, thrilling and surprising is your go-to, then this book is a must.
The book is not perfect. There is stuff that doesn't fit, events or behavior that didn't quite add up or perhaps just needed a bit more explaining (like having an entire room torn to pieces while Jason was in his bed sleeping - with no security around - and did not hear a thing, or involving the police in the kidnapping and then keeping them in the dark, or waiting and seemingly doing nothing to rescue Colton although apparently he knew who had him and suspected where, when he had hard proof that every second he waited meant one more second of excruciating pain for his brother).
However, there are two main reasons for the missing star: one is that I was a tiny bit disappointed with Jason's reaction to the news of his brother's kidnapping, or rather to the videos of his brutal torture. Ok, he's a tough guy, but seeing that should have gotten more emotion from him. There were other parts where his feelings were so skilfully described that I felt a knot in my chest, yet this incredibly dramatic moment felt a bit... removed, cold. So there's that.
And the other reason is the inconsistencies throughout the book. Math may not be my strong point but I did pause a few times to count on my fingers: in the first couple of chapters (Jason's POV) we learn that the brothers' parents died when Jason was 18 and Colton "barely 10". Then in the next chapter, we find that when Colton was 12, he was found by his parents after a self-harm episode. Then we are told of an experience the brothers had when Colton was 14 while their (apparently not so dead?) parents were at a party or away for the weekend. (raises one eyebrow). And, the tip of the iceberg, a few chapters later, we are told how a 6 year old Jason had enjoyed a vacation at some cottage with his brother who, according to my calculations had to be around... minus 2!
Anyway, tiny spelling mishaps and the age thing aside, the book was really good. I especially appreciated how it ended, practically mid-action, and how it did not have one of those "X years later" epilogues that are supposed to give you some sort of closure and tie up loose ends, but instead (in most cases anyway) all they do is break the rhythm of the story and alienate you from the characters.
I should probably specify that the review is for both books, not only for Book 2, because, as I see it, they are not two books, it's actually one split into two volumes. There's no way the end of book one could be interpreted as a cliffhanger, it's a to be continued...