Fall of ruin and wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Calista spent her childhood struggling to survive, an orphan who was always hungry and always in danger. Now, at twenty two years old, she is ensconced in a very different world. Part courtesan, part advisor and part spy to the powerful Baron of Archwood, Calista spends her time trying to comprehend both the future and other people’s secrets because Calista has a gift that sets her apart from other mortals. She calls it her intuition and it allows her to read thoughts and glimpse the future. Her powers only have two constraints, she cannot divine her own fate and she cannot read those of the immortal Hyhborn beings that rule the land. Protected from the harshness of the world outside the baron’s estates, Calista is content to live her life proving her usefulness. That is until one night when she inadvertently stumbles across Thorne, a highborn prince close to death and finds herself entangled in a plot that will have repercussions for the realm. Calista intuits that their fates are irrevocably intertwined, and she will not be able to untangle herself from him, despite the danger she is now in.

Fall of Ruin and Wrath is a typical story by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the seasoned author of many fantasy romance novels. Big, brawny and bossy alpha males and self-effacing and submissive female leads generally typify her books, and this one is no different. While the plot and characters are interesting enough, most of the book seems constructed solely for the purpose of creating increasingly laboured circumstances to throw Calista and Thorne together. Nevertheless, Fall of Ruin and Wrath will likely satisfy fans of Armentrout’s particular style of dramatic writing. However, any potential reader must consider the extremely explicit language and themes that make this novel suitable for adult audiences only.

Themes: Fantasy, Romance, Mortals, Immortals, Secrets, Monsters.

Rose Tabeni