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
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Rage and Ruin releases on June 9th. 
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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/