Rain of Shadows and Endings Read Along Week 2 | Fantasy Romance Reactions
Welcome back to week two of our read along for Rain of Shadows and Endings by Melissa K. Roehrich. And things are heating up, as are my anger levels.
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Theon Is Testing My Patience
Because I hate Theon right now. I mean to be fair, I was warned. And I know it won’t stay that way, but I absolutely loathe this man.
He’s selfish, arrogant, oppressive, abusive. Especially at that dinner with Felicity, who I am not a fan of right now, and I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse with her.
I mean, why else position another woman so soon, when things are still unsettled, with everything so tense, with them pushing and pulling. She creates a definite push.
Let’s get serious, Tessa just underwent something traumatic, and he makes her sit there for four hours, being his damn pet. I’d slit someone’s throat in their sleep. But I get these violent tendencies when my freedoms are impinged on. When someone is actively oppressing me.
Not a fan. And at least, Tessa isn’t simply buckling down under the pressure. I respect the hell out of that behavior.
But in that vein, Theon keeps getting frustrated and then won’t talk to her. Always wanting to deal with things later like a spoiled little bitch boy. So, they keep having the same argument again and again, even the same line in the same disagreement. I mean, come on.
Thoughts on the Pacing
This is usually my problem with bigger books. The fluff wasn’t cut out. And that’s what this is. It’s not prolonging or pushing things forward, it’s just getting in the way.
We don’t need the repetition for growth to happen slowly, we simply need to see the slow process of it. The problem is that Theon’s not growing. He’s only expecting her to change, and I hate it.
They’re also always going to discuss things later. Just fucking talk already. Let her have emotions. Stop treating her like property. The fact that she is actual property with papers and everything else rankles the woman in me who will never let someone own me.
And that seems to be what this is meant to make me feel, I’m sure.
Tessa, Power, and Oppression
The dad’s play, his positioning for more power, the fact that she has so much power, the test she goes through and how much she has to suffer for it, and what all of this means about who she is—what she is—is screaming in my face.
What is she? Is she like them? Or is she something more?
I like the fate of all of this, but I still think we should be moving along faster. Less internal meandering and more action. More figuring things out and less the work that goes into it.
I’m also not a fan of the wife/mate thing. I kind of wish they find a way to have Tessa be both of these things for him, but ya know, wishful thinking. They might find a way. With the her being so powerful thread.
Why This Fantasy Romance Is So Frustrating
I have a lot of hate this week, but again, I was warned by the author that this would be a thing. But everything is a constant punishment for Tessa. And again, the food thing. Especially the broth.
It hits hard for her because of her previous trauma, and he’s oblivious. Those aren’t the kind of tortures he endured. And she hasn’t told him.
But this loops us back around to how the Legacy talk about the fae, like property, like slaves. Keep the well so that they can work because it’s too costly to have to take care of a sick one, right?
Can you see my steam bubbling from my ears?
We’re told at the beginning that the fae were made to balance the Legacy. Oh, how the truth gets twisted over time as some take power for themselves and subjugate others.
Now, I have the song “Labour” running in my head.
Week Two Final Thoughts
I’m going to leave us here before I break my damn keyboard in frustration and go back to this damningly addictive book.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and I will see you next week as we read up to Chapter 34.
Looking for your next fantasy romance obsession? Check out our current Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter box before June ends.
Until then, happy reading!
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