Reviewing AdriAnne May's "Exquisite Ruin"

Hello, dear friends. Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a professional literary critic, nor do I play one on TV. As with every book I read, however, Exquisite Ruin left me with several thought-provoking inclinations that I'd like to share. Just in case anyone else - like me - happens to be perusing a bookstore one day, and it catches their eye. Perhaps if you find yourself in this situation, looking at this novel, this brief, unofficial review can help you decide if you think it's worth picking up. I will try my best to avoid spoilers as much as I can.

Admittedly, what drew me to the book was the design of it. From a young age, we're told not to judge books by their covers, but this one like its title is exquisite. The artwork on the front is absolutely stunning, and the shimmering gold leaf and black, zig-zagging maze pattern painted on the edges of the pages definitely caught my eye.

If there was one word to describe AdriAnne May's Exquisite Ruin... no, I don't think there is just one word to describe it. I will, however, give it two: Dark Romantasy. That being said, this definitely ain't your mama's kind of romance. The main plot follows a witch named Sadaré and her reluctant companion - a half-man half-bull "daemon" dubbed Daesra - who both wake up in a strange labyrinth with no memory of how they got there.

In Sadaré's case, she is a complete amnesiac, relying on the daemon to guide her through it and help recover her memories. Either as a twist of fate or due to his nature as an immortal being, Daesra has more of his memory in-tact than her, divulging the goal of their strange quest: reach the center of the maze and kill the monster that resides there. While acting as her guide, though, Daesra makes his contempt and resentment toward Sadaré quite plain, antagonizing her at every turn. They quickly learn, however, that the maze - like each other - is more than what it seems.

Now, given that information, I realize what some of you may be thinking: a story about a maze, featuring a bull-like creature, and a monster that needs to be killed. For those familiar with Greek myth, these themes may ring a bell. At its core, Exquisite Ruin is modeled somewhat on the tale of Daedalus' infamous Labyrinth and the Minotaur that lurked within it. Mays' retelling, however, turns the entire myth on its head in more ways than one.

At its core, Exquisite Ruin is a love story, but it so much more than that. The narrative twists and turns much like the maze it takes place in. It's a dark, gritty tale that explores every aspect of romantic love, both good and bad. It's about rebuilding a trust that was broken, conquering one's inner demons, and accepting one's romantic partner warts and all. Most importantly, it's about learning to forgive. Not just another person who has wronged you, but also yourself.

Most reviews I've seen online for this book describe it as a "slow-burning" romance. Honestly, they're not wrong. Slow doesn't begin to describe some parts of this story. I would go so far as to say the pacing in these areas is a little too slow. Agonizingly slow, in fact. I won't lie, dear reader: this book was a difficult one to get through. A 375-page novel is not that long in retrospect; Sara J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is nearly five hundred pages, and I read it cover to cover in roughly two days. Unlike Maas' work, which I couldn't put down, this book was a slog at times. It took me over a month to finish, which for me is never a good thing. It was just hard to read, between the pace that dragged its feet unnecessarily at times and Mays' long-winded writing style.

Now, I know very well I have no right to throw shade here, and that's not what I'm trying to do. After all, Mays is published and I am not. If you're at all familiar with my work, long-windedness and verbosity are both oft-used tools in my kit. I would say, however, that there is a balancing act to this type of style: knowing when to take your time and let the reader soak in the scene, and when to be dynamic and quick to keep them hooked on the action. Mays is a master at the first part, but a little shaky at the second. After a while, all those run-on sentences and SAT words become a little hard to swallow, resulting in me needing to put the book down for a while purely out of exhaustion. That being said, I did reach the end of this novel... and it was without a doubt worth the fight to get there.

Although difficult to follow at times, the story itself is very touching and deep. The more you learn about Sadaré and Daesra and the history between them, the better the story gets. In the end, I was rooting for them both all the way, which is definitely mission accomplished from a writer's standpoint. Long-winded as it may be, this story avoids many of the commonly overused tropes that a lot of romance novels tend to fall back on. The biggest twist near the climax of the story, for instance, was insanely creative and one I never saw coming at all. Dare I even say, expertly crafted.

For those of you considering grabbing up this book next time you see it, and I can't recommend enough that you do, I feel it fair to add one final word of caution. As mentioned earlier, this ain't your mama's kind of Romance novel. While the sexual tension between the two main characters is the best kind of scintillating, the parts where they actually "do the deed" might not be everyone's cup of tea. A big theme throughout the whole book leans heavily toward BDSM culture: i.e., pain being transformed into power and/or pleasure, and one partner acting as a willing submissive to the dominant other. Mays doesn't hit the reader over the head with these themes, but there's definitely enough of it sprinkled throughout to raise eyebrows. I'm not here to yuck someone else's yum, though: if that's your thing, great; if not, that's fine, too.

On the subject of the actual "romance" part of this novel, it also isn't for the faint of heart. While not overly graphic, some of the steamier scenes had me blushing like a schoolgirl and murmuring, "oh, my" out loud. I would not call it straight-up smut, but there are times where it toes or even pushes the line of smutty to a dangerous degree. Again, no judgement about that if that's what you enjoy from a romance book. If your constitution is on the more delicate side, however, or if you're a younger reader, I would advise you to pass this one by. If you're a parent of a younger reader and they ask you to buy this book for them in the store, politely decline and steer them toward the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books instead. Please.

Overall, I would recommend this title to those unfamiliar with it. Mays is coming out with a sequel to Exquisite Ruin next spring, Divine Descent, which supposedly picks up where the first book ended. While I am definitely curious about the second book in this growing series, I'm not sure I'll pick it up, though. Book one was definitely worth the read, but I'm not sure I'm invested in the story and these characters enough to continue pursuing it. Especially not after the satisfying conclusion I was given to that first story. There are a few small plot threads left dangling in the end, but surprisingly I don't mind too much that they were left so. I suppose I'll wait to make my decision next March, when Divine Descent comes out. If it looks as pretty as the first book, I might just be tempted enough to pick it up, and see what predicaments Sadaré and Daesra find themselves in next.