2.3🌟
This book has been a clear example of how a book can go from being a 5 star and a possible favorite, to going down and having only 2.3 stars.
The book had a good premise, when I read the synopsis I was like; "wow, I have to read this book." It had everything I liked, a witch, mystery, paranormal world, the archangel Gabriel as a possible partner. It had everything to be my favorite book.
I'd never read a book with herem in it, but it wasn't something I cared about, and I wouldn't have until the hellhound showed up (I can't remember his name), but I'll talk about that later.
About the characters;
I really liked the characters, I really liked Lorn's personality and I found his backstory very interesting, and I think he maintained the same attitude almost throughout the book. Although when I was 70% of the way through the book, there were some scenes where I was a little like, "girl, you're not making any sense."
Titus was a character I really liked too, he also had an interesting backstory although it was a shame they didn't go into more depth, but in general I found him interesting and I loved the interactions he had with Willow.
With Gabriel? Guys, I can't be biased, I'm a fan of the archangel Gabriel, and when I started reading the book and saw him appear I jumped up and down with excitement. He's my favorite guy. I liked the fact that they already knew each other and everything, it was refreshing and you could definitely see that he really loved Lorn and wanted to take care of her. Lorn was basically telling him she didn't want to see him again, saying horrible things to him and yet he was there to protect her.
I'm not saying the others don't, but Gabriel and Lorn knew each other for years, not a few days or 24 hours, so the bond was stronger in my opinion.
Now, the hellhound, I can't remember his name, sorry. He showed up towards the end of the book, about 70% of the way through, and that's when the whole book kind of went downhill for me. But I'll go into more detail about why later. He's a character that I didn't really get into, I feel flat about him, he's a character I haven't gotten to know yet and the only thing I know about him is that within 24 hours he was dating Lorn romantically and sexually. It was kind of like; "Oh, wow,what's going on?." I just think that the character should have had more development time, that in the second book it was either that Lorn and her start falling in love or that they start dating. I just felt like he just showed up and it was all very forced.
The other characters, like Lucifer, Redemption, Lorn's aunt, etc., I found them very interesting and not at all flat. It's true that Lucifer has only been around for a microsecond, but he's already made an impact. Redemption, well, I hate the character but because he's so well written, I'd see him appear and feel like he was standing right in front of me talking to me. I felt like throwing him out the window. I never really liked him, and I was right, but that's what I liked. Still, I wouldn't like him to become part of the herem to be honest, I feel like it's a no-no.
About the story;
The story started off very well, I finished half the book in less than 24 hours. It was a light, easy and entertaining read. I loved the characters, the plot was driving me crazy with intrigue, I saw that there was a slow but steady development of love; for example, the scene in Lorn and Titus' restaurant. The drug investigation was developing very well, I liked this element of fantasy, folklore and mystery, as well as how the author explained the worldbuilding and how the agency where Lorn worked worked.
Then the hellhound showed up, and everything went out the window. From that point on, I started to have a harder time reading the book. I felt like that whole moment was very rushed, like right from the start Lorn and he seem madly in love, like Lorn says she's never felt that way in her life and that no one has ever cared that much about her, and Gabriel is right there in front of them like; 🕴🏻. It was really like; "Lorn, dude, are you blind?".
I don't mind the polyamory, I don't mind Lorn and Titus having a thing and already being a couple, because throughout the book there was already something forming, there was a development. What bothered me is that in less than 24 hours Lorn and the hellhound were already a couple and swore eternal love to each other. I didn't find it realistic, I didn't like it, it all happened so fast. The way she said she'd never felt so loved, that no one had ever cared for her, and there she had Gabriel taking care of her for years, clearly getting jealous and emotionally wrecked when he saw her with the hellhound and Titus. What Lorn was saying didn't make sense, with Titus she'd already seen the chemistry and the development, but with the hellhound... there was almost no interaction and she was already madly in love.
Not to mention that after making love, and in a rather creepy way Gabriel appeared afterwards (I can't defend him on this) and she gave Gabriel an ultimatum, after he always took care of her, showed himself vulnerable, exposed his feelings for her, it made me angry because what Lorn was reproaching her for didn't make sense. I got even angrier when he said that to be with her he would have to accept the other two. It was all very fast, I don't know. It's true that Gabriel took some time to think about it, but the next day everything was done. The whole herem was already set up, being only the first book.
My biggest problem was definitely that, it seemed like the author gave it a very quick ending on the romance level, I would have liked it more if the Herem had been added little by little. Maybe in the first book it was Titus or Gabriel, or the two, then in the second one another was added to the relationship and so on. I feel that would have been better. But without a doubt the hellhound should not have been included on a romantic level, as a couple, until the second book, because he had no previous interaction, no chemistry with Lorn and we didn't get to know him well enough. That was what made the book go downhill.
I feel like everything is chewed up now, that there is nothing more to offer on a romantic level in the plot because everything is already set up.