Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. After betraying her father, fleeing the Upper Scott, and throwing herself on the mercy of Hades and Hera, her life is flipped upside down in the midst of the coming war.

Asterion - or the Minotaur, as he’s better known - wants the prize Minos has promised to him. Ariadne. When he’s near her, when his hands are on her, sparks fly between them, but now nothing is going according to plan.

To be honest, I was nervous reading this one because I was really underwhelmed by Midnight Ruin, but within the first four pages I just knew this was going to be great! There’s a burning tension between Ariadne and Asterion, and while I thought that the relationship could have been fleshed out better and given a bit more oomph, the heat and the spice were spot on.

We get a lot more of the overarching plot in this book, and omg was I ever here for it! The stakes are high, the deception is higher, and you never quite know who’s actually going to end up on the right side of this conflict.

One of my favourites of the series so far, and I cannot WAIT for the next book - that Icarus set up was 🥵

Major thanks to NetGalley and Katee Robert for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Katee Robert could write a book about literally anything, and I would read it.

This is a continuation of the Dark Olympus series. After the last chapter teaser in Midnight Ruin, I knew this was going to be good! Ariadne went through some hard things in the last book, and this picked up from that while also giving insight into her and the Minotaur’s past. I really felt for both main characters throughout the story. They grew up in unfortunate circumstances and everyone around them continually used them as pawns for personal gain. Seeing them learn to communicate with each other and take charge of their lives was refreshing. They experienced a large amount of personal growth. I hope we get an update on Ariadne and the Minotaur in the next installment.

Icarus and Daddy Poseidon’s story can’t come soon enough! The plot continuation was captivating as always, and I can't wait to see what’s going to happen after that last major event!

Alright so, overall I love this series. And it has to be hard to keep the overarching plot moving while also giving an entirely new subplot to each set of characters at every turn, so for that KR is a mastermind. I will always pick these books up because I NEED to know what happens!

That said, this one didn’t hit for me the same way some of the others have. I don’t have any sort of connection to the Aeaea crew, like at all, and really don’t care about what happens with them. Which is a bummer, but I do think my mind can be changed.

I needed more reason to like Asterion - this whole time he’s been a side character or a huge asshole so I don’t know how I was meant to be on his side at all. And maybe that doesn’t matter, because he’s not meant to be lovable or redeemable! But it just wasn’t a relationship I could get into.

Let’s be very honest - I’m waiting for Zeus and Hera’s story, and then Hermes and whoever the hell, so until we get there, I think I’m here for the overall plot lines and not the individual relationships.

I downloaded this earlier today and let me tell you…. I devoured this the moment it showed up on my Kindle. This is by far my favorite Katee Robert series. Each book just keeps getting better and better.
I love Araidne and the Minotaur’s dynamic/relationship and am OBSESSED with their sexual chemistry. Best believe that spice was SPICY!!!!