Review: Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

RAGE AND RUIN
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication date: June 9, 2020
Series: The Harbinger #2
Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Format: eARC
Source: Inkyard Press and Edelweiss
4.5 Stars
 ADD TO GOODREADS
 
Rage and Ruin releases on June 9th. 
Pre-order your copy now!



S Y N O P S I S
Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all. 

M Y   T H O U G H T S


Wow. What a wild ride this was! Jennifer Armentrout totally kicked up the action and the intensity in Rage and Ruin. Half-angel Trinity is teamed up with her Warden (gargoyle) protector Zayne in an effort to find and destroy the Harbinger. The only problem: they don’t know who or what the Harbinger is; only that it is killing demons and Wardens alike. With so much on the line (just the fate of the whole world), Trinity and Zayne pull out all the stops to find the Harbinger before it’s too late while also fighting their growing feelings for each other.


Rage and ruin had not corrupted me. They powered me. 

Rage and Ruin picked up right where Storm and Fury left off. Trinity is dealing with the aftermath of those events – or rather, she’s trying to carry on while not really dealing with what happened. Her father’s vague warnings about the Harbinger weren’t exactly helpful and she and Zayne are basically feeling around blindly in the dark trying to catch an unknown entity. Like a needle in a haystack. Enter Roth, the Crown Prince of Hell himself. I loved that Roth played such a big role in this entry and he was right there in all his uber-hot, snarky, less-than-humble glory.



Complicating matters was the serious attraction between Trinity and Zayne that was growing into something a whole lot deeper. Which was, unfortunately, also something that was a whole lot forbidden. I’ll admit I was never really on the Zayne Train in the original Dark Elements trilogy (100% #TeamRoth, baby), but here in this series, with Trinity, I can totally see Zayne’s appeal. This guy is an absolute rock (gargoyle… rock… see what I did there?) in his support of Trinity. He is protective without ever holding her back, he’s in awe of her strength without ever being threatened by it, and he works around her eyesight issues with care and concern and not pity. There was so much tension and chemistry between these two and the push and pull going on was delicious torture.



There was a fantastic build-up going on throughout the book and Armentrout did an amazing job amping up the stakes and providing plenty of action leading up to the final climax. And what an ending it was! People, when I say I was shocked by the final showdown, I mean I was floored. I reread the same scene over and over, thinking I had to be misunderstanding something. I had to be missing something. This couldn’t be happening. I’ll say it: I cried buckets. And then yet another twist in the final chapter left me reeling once more. My mind was blown. I was not okay. I can’t decide if Jennifer Armentrout is an evil sadist who obviously feeds on the tears of her readers (sorry Jennifer, nothing but love… really) or a plotting genius who knows how to write one epic cliffhanger. Because like I said, I am not okay.

If you love Jennifer Armentrout, if you love paranormal/urban fantasy, if you love kick-ass heroines who are still totally vulnerable, if you love swoony heroes, and lots of action, and plenty of humor, and plot twists that will blow your little mind… do yourself a favor and read this series. Grab Storm and Fury and then dive right into Rage and Ruin. And then you can join me in the tortuous wait for the final book. 

Disclosure: I received a a complimentary copy of this book for review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo, six judgemental alpacas, two rude goats, and five fluffy sheep. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications.  Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.



Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_l_armentrout/





24 comments

  1. Wow excellent review Tanya! You have me even more excited and eager to read Rage and Ruin! JLA is one of my favorite authors, and I'm so excited that she didn't disappoint! You have me curious about the tcrazy plot twis,t and what made you cry buckets. Thanks for sharing :)

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. Thanks Lindy! JLA is one of my faves, too, and she just rarely disappoints. This one had the un-put-downable quality and was so good!

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  2. Wow, everything about this makes me want to read it!

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  3. The suspense in this one sounds fantastic!

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  4. You absolutely nailed that review Tanya! I am gobsmacked!!! Honest to god! But I will wait for the last one to be publish. Sorry, not keeping you company in your misery LOL

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    1. Thanks Sophie! And you're probably wise to wait... the next year is going to kill me waiting to get the final book in my hands!

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  5. Any books that makes me cry, makes me feel, was worth my time. Glad to hear the series held up, because we all know how it goes with those second books sometimes.

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  6. Great review! I'm glad it was such a hit for you. It's been a while since I read one of her books. I generally lean toward her non-mythical ones.

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    1. JLA is one of my faves but for some reason I just couldn't connect with her Covenant series (Greek God mysthology). But the Dark Elements series and this one have been big hits for me.

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  7. Lovely review you have here. I have been anticipating your review for this one. I just love this author so I am going to be picking up this one for sure. Especially in seeing your thoughts on it.

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  8. I am just so super excited to read this!!! I'm thinking I might want to quickly do a reread of Storm and Fury. So super happy that you loved it!!! Can't wait!!!

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    1. I can't wait until you read it so I can see what you think! :)

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  9. You liked the first book more than I did! I don't plan on continuing the series, but I'm happy too see it's still bringing you joy! I dislike how the first book ended, too. (Those poor characters!) ;)

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. JLA definitely knows how to put her characters through the wringer. :)

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  10. I really need to give this series a try. It does sound like something I would like. Great review!

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    1. I definitely recommend it, Carole. It's such an action-packed series.

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  11. I've only read one of JLA's books so far but I loved it, so I definitely want to try this series, especially based on this review. It sounds amazing!

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    1. I hope you'll find time for it at some point, Suzanne. It's such a fun series.

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  12. Yep. #TeamRoth all the way. I've never liked Zane. However, your review almost has me liking him, lol. I'm definitely going to read this series but your tears and comments about the ending do not fill me with "must read now vibes"... More like, I'll read it when book three releases so I won't die, vibes. :)

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    1. I was surprised at how much Zayne grew on me in this second book. I'll always be Team Roth (when it came to Layla) but Zayne and Trinity are such a great fit. Good plan on waiting for the third book. LOL

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