Scan barcode
A review by mspilesofpaper
Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies by R. Raeta
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to the author for granting me an eARC.
The following review will likely contain spoilers. Be aware of the possibility.
Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies is the second book of the duology that started with Peaches & Honey: These Immortal Truths and you need to read the first book to understand the second book! It is not a standalone.
Whereas Peaches & Honey is a slow-burn romance in a historical fictional setting that borderlines on magical realism that deals with forbidden love, grief and trauma, and how to find your place in the world, Pits & Poison is the slow-paced conclusion that deals with the question "How long can you run until your past catches up with you?" and "What would you do for the love of your life?. For the majority of the book, Anna and Khiran are hiding and on the run from The First and his followers who seek them to punish them for what Khiran did in the past but also for the fact that they shouldn't be together.
When I say slow-paced, I mean slow-paced. For the majority of the book, nothing truly happens. Anna takes in another boy (though older than Piers back then) and a part is dedicated to her, Khiran and Jiro living together and becoming a family (in a way) but otherwise, not much happens. The plot starts moving when they (finally) have to flee from their home in California to avoid the First and his followers who want them punished/dead. Here, tragedy happens but also meeting Cassius who's quite funny. Somehow, I always thought that he would be Ares when the author published tidbits on her Instagram but he isn't. Instead, he is/was Eros (though the author uses Cupid) and somehow it makes also sense? He's a bit of a wildcard tbh. The true action of the book happens - similar to the first one - within the last 20%.
Whereas I loved the slow-paced development of the first book as it made sense with Anna finding herself, working through her trauma and grief, and growing into love with Khiran, I wished the second book would have been a bit faster in pace. It's likely a "it's me, not you" thing but my thoughts drifted away so often while reading the first ~60% of the book because it was too slow and nothing truly happens. Still, four stars because it's still very beautiful to read and some of the quotes are tear-inducing.
TWs & CWs (from the author's website)
some explicit language, open door sex scene (not graphic), sexual assault (kiss), violence, loss of limb, depression, grieving, infertility, off-page war/famine, racism, sexism, character death, alcohol
The following review will likely contain spoilers. Be aware of the possibility.
Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies is the second book of the duology that started with Peaches & Honey: These Immortal Truths and you need to read the first book to understand the second book! It is not a standalone.
Whereas Peaches & Honey is a slow-burn romance in a historical fictional setting that borderlines on magical realism that deals with forbidden love, grief and trauma, and how to find your place in the world, Pits & Poison is the slow-paced conclusion that deals with the question "How long can you run until your past catches up with you?" and "What would you do for the love of your life?. For the majority of the book, Anna and Khiran are hiding and on the run from The First and his followers who seek them to punish them for what Khiran did in the past but also for the fact that they shouldn't be together.
When I say slow-paced, I mean slow-paced. For the majority of the book, nothing truly happens. Anna takes in another boy (though older than Piers back then) and a part is dedicated to her, Khiran and Jiro living together and becoming a family (in a way) but otherwise, not much happens. The plot starts moving when they (finally) have to flee from their home in California to avoid the First and his followers who want them punished/dead. Here, tragedy happens but also meeting Cassius who's quite funny. Somehow, I always thought that he would be Ares when the author published tidbits on her Instagram but he isn't. Instead, he is/was Eros (though the author uses Cupid) and somehow it makes also sense? He's a bit of a wildcard tbh. The true action of the book happens - similar to the first one - within the last 20%.
Whereas I loved the slow-paced development of the first book as it made sense with Anna finding herself, working through her trauma and grief, and growing into love with Khiran, I wished the second book would have been a bit faster in pace. It's likely a "it's me, not you" thing but my thoughts drifted away so often while reading the first ~60% of the book because it was too slow and nothing truly happens. Still, four stars because it's still very beautiful to read and some of the quotes are tear-inducing.
TWs & CWs (from the author's website)
some explicit language, open door sex scene (not graphic), sexual assault (kiss), violence, loss of limb, depression, grieving, infertility, off-page war/famine, racism, sexism, character death, alcohol