This steamy adult fantasy novel is for those who enjoy complex fantasy and intense scenes of a sexual nature as Jennifer L. Armentrout leaves little room to breath throughout this intense novel.
From the blurb;
'She survives on her intuition. He thrives on her pleasure.
'Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by a vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is not ruled by a guardian - royals who feed on mortal pleasure.
'Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows hr talents are valuable to the powerful of her world, so she lives hidden as the Baron of Archwood's courtesan. In exchange for protection, she gives him information. However, when her intuition saves a prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning - and promise. Today he'll bring her joy. But one day he'll be her doom.
'When the Baron taken an interest in the prince - and the prince takes an interest in Calista - she becomes his temporary companion. However, her city simmers with rebellion. With knights and monsters at the city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, even her powerful instincts may not be enough to keep her safe. Calista must choose: follow her intuition to safety or her heart to her downfall.'
The thing we love about Calista as a main character is that she is not weak. She knows how to fight, isn't afraid of speaking her mind, and shows a level of bravery and kindness throughout the book which immediately makes her lovable.
Surviving with her dear friend Grady, Calista is torn from the relative safety of her life into a brutal reality, which once she has entered shows her no reprieve. Forcing her to ask questions she's shied away from her whole life, and it is through this curiosity that the reader begins to piece together the structure and history of this fantasy epic.
While the fantasy elements of this novel are interesting and well designed, we must collect them in drips and drabs between chapter long scenes of a very steamy sexual nature, in which Armentrout shows she is not shy of intense description that may make a humbler reader very pink in the face.
Although the sex in the book is explicit and frequent, the fantasy elements are the real drive to this story, drawing us deeper into this complex dystopia, and leaving us desperate for more information.
The Fall of Ruin and Wrath will certainly be a top read for many this year and is worth a gander for readers comfortable with sex and with a love of complex fantasy. We look forward to the next book in this series.
We give The Fall of Ruin and Wrath Four Stars
ISBN - 978-103527378 Hardback Cover Price - £20.00 First published in the UK 2023 by Tor an imprint of Pan Macmillan