Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I wanted to love this one SO much, especially with that STUNNING cover, but boy did something just fall...flat for me. I loved the setting but didn't love the character choices, and it really took me out of the story unfortunately. :(

While the premise of this novel drew me to request an ARC, the execution was lacking. It felt as if the author was not quite sure about the world and the character dynamics--the world-building needs some work and the character development was just confusing. Each sultry interaction that the supposed "sexual tension" between Sadaré and Daesra--which their entire arc seemed to hinge on--was unconvincing. The writing itself was not bad, but when the protagonist does not recall a single thing about herself from page one, it is perhaps in the author's best interest to give the readers something solid to hold onto throughout the character's journey. This book did not have that but rather, convoluting dialogue and a maze without much stake. Overall, a boring read. Again, it just felt as if the author was not convinced or confident in the world and characters they were creating on the page.

Hmmm. This was… weird.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

To begin, Sadaré, our MC, wakes up in a labyrinth having no idea who she is. With her is a daemon, Daesra, who, in classic enemies-to-lovers fashion, hates her for reasons she does not yet understand. Together, they have to find a way to survive and get out of the maze.

A great premise! I was really excited for this one, but from chapter 1, something just wasn't clicking for me. I don’t know if it was the character interactions or the writing, but I really began to drag my feet. (Hence, why it took me over a month.)

However, after the first quarter, things started looking up. I still wasn’t completely sold, but the romance was getting interesting. I enjoyed a lot of the flashbacks. I love amnesia storylines. Something about them is just so dramatic! We also got some good lines like:

“I’ve wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anything on this godsforsaken earth. I would burn down the world to find you.”
We love a villainous king, thank you very much 👏

But that ending. That ending was weird. And not a good weird. A weird weird. A that makes no sense weird. I will say no more. But that definitely dragged down the rating.

I’m sure some people will end up liking this. It's got some interesting romantic elements, some adventurous spice, and a truly bizarre twist. However, I wouldn't recommend it for most people.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me early access to Exquisite Ruin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

⚠️: sexual sadomasochism
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
Alright let’s go!! I got this on NetGalley for two reasons:
1. Amnesia
2. Labyrinth
Enough said

Interesting concept, but this one wasn't for me. I really struggled with the main character having total amnesia and being essentially controlled by her companion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

2⭐

LIKED:
-I’m a big fan of the Greek mythos of the labyrinth, so I’m always intrigued by newer retellings, etc. I think this one was a little too loosey goosey with some of its origin restructuring, but it’s not the end of the world.
- I liked how the author described the gods and how they manifest, especially in their names. Obviously, this whole story is deeply rooted in Greek mythology, that’s very clear, but relegating the Gods to just their barest foundations as names (Sky, Breath, Sea, etc.) honestly made them seem more awesome and fearsome, which was neat.
- The mirrors holding the memories was probably my favorite part of the story. I also liked how the flashbacks were formatted on the page, personally. It gave them more impact and separation from the present.
- Pogli is by far my favorite character. And that’s not usually the case for me with ‘animal’ characters in books.
- I like the cover and I like the title. Both are just very stunning.

LOATHED:
- This book is neither erotica nor romance and falls somewhere square in the middle. If it wanted to be erotica, it would need more sex. If it wanted to be a romance, it would need more character connection. And personally? The sex was pretty mid. ESPECIALLY since Daesra is a freaking minotaur. We get so little of his beastliness. Honestly, if you picked up this book at any of the more intimate scenes, you probably would just think he’s a regular guy, but maybe just kind of big. I’m not even that much of a MF romance connoisseur but…it was lacking in the monster department.
- The labyrinth felt like someone’s D&D campaign that just…didn’t really work. It just feels really segmented and the flow didn’t work. And honestly, it never really felt like a maze. That’s the number one thing a labyrinth is.
- I just really did not like her whole “magic is tied to pain” thing. As a concept, I think that’s cool. As execution, I did not enjoy reading it. It was only ever physical pain, which is very much not the only kind of pain. And she (CW: self-harm) sliced her own neck too many times for it to have any actual impact on the read besides discomfort and annoyance (in my opinion). I also…did not understand how she was a “witch”, even in the Greek sense (a la Circe). It just did not click for me.
- The writing in this book was really stilted somehow. It was both very descriptive and very not at the same time. I was never really ever able to get into the story or back the characters because of this. I mean, the banter was not bantering. And I really did not see how the characters liked each other. At any point. I don’t know, I was just left kind of always feeling like I was out of the loop.
- The ending of this book is wonky. Without spoiling anything, there’s a twist that is an interesting twist that doesn’t really seem to actually tie back into the story we just read (it seems like the twist was written first and then the rest after but it never actually fully connected). And then the final 10ish percent was just…rushed and confusing and unnecessary. It also very much did not feel like it was setting up for any kind of sequel or series and yet…this is listed as a continuing series on Storygraph and Goodreads? It felt like there wasn’t more to say, but maybe it’s different characters I guess.
- I know I said in the first bit that I like the labyrinth and everything, but the loose goosey-ness of it all with this book is also something that drove me a bit up the wall. I know some people won’t mind, but I really struggle with retellings that are in actuality more of rewrites. It didn’t seem to bolster that original mythos and just used it because it had the minotaur and he’s a fun lil monster. Again, a me thing probably, but still.

LONGED FOR:
- More or less sex. Either go full on erotica or give us more character work
- More connection and flow for the plot throughout so it didn’t feel quite as choppy
- More clarity or details as to the implications of the ending and how it was informed by everything we had read up until that point as opposed to just shock factor

Will I read the next one? : No.

The cover and premise of Exquisite Ruin drew me in, plus there’s so many of my favorite tropes, but this ended up just not being for me. Sucks cause this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

Adult | Paranormal | Detailed Open Door Spice

Based on the book description, this book should have been right up my alley—I love stories where protagonists must face trials to achieve their goals. The book opens with Sadaré whose lost her memories navigating a labyrinth alongside Daesra, a demon who knows her past, as they fight to survive and complete their quest. Along the way, there’s romance, companionship, and plenty of action.

While the premise was intriguing, I struggled with the execution. I don't have a problem with first person POV stories but something about this one made it difficult to connect with the protagonist. She obviously doesn't have memories but I wasn't able to mold her identity into something tangible for me to care about why, what, or how she did things, making it harder for me to connect with them as well. The writing had its strengths, especially in unraveling the protagonist’s backstory, but many times, it felt repetitive, and the plot didn’t progress as smoothly as I’d hoped.

The ending felt a bit odd, and the character voices seemed to blur together. I wished for more world-building and deeper character development to fully bring the story to life. There were some fascinating elements (the pain) that deserved more attention, and I found myself wanting to explore those aspects further. While this book had potential, it didn’t fully deliver for me, but I can see how it might appeal to readers who enjoy high stakes paranormal romance.

OH MY GOSH!!!! Hands down the best book I’ve read this month. I don’t know how anything I read after this is gonna top Exquisite Ruin. This book was amazing from beginning to end.

I loved the mythology reimagining of the Minotaur and the labyrinth . It was one of my favorite myths growing up and AdriAnne did an amazing job making it into her own. The romance, the plot, EVERYTHING had me absolutely FERAL. I loved it all, every single word written.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, AdriAnne, and Gallery Books for providing me with my new favorite book!!!!!! I don’t think I will ever shut up about it. Okay, bye now <3

I was very intrigued by many facets of this book. Enemies to lovers, labyrinthine setting, Minotaur / magical creatures, dark fantasy elements, to name a few.

The premise of being trapped in a labryinth with a mortal enemy that is bound to you is a very interesting concept. As well as the concept of harnessing pain to generate power — I feel like this concept has tremendous potential as I have not read many fantasies with such a magic system.
I also enjoyed the immersive way the environment and characters were described. I was able to very clearly picture the shifting labryinth with lifelike statues and characters, such as Pogli, for example, due to the detailed, descriptive language.

However, I struggled a bit to get into the storyline because although the worldbuilding / binding magic didn’t seem tremendously complex, it was somehow still a bit confusing to me.

Additionally, I could not connect with the main characters, Sadare and Daesra. They have such an oppositional relationship initially and their bickering back and forth wasn’t quite the banter that would hope for in an enemies to lovers type storyline.
A major plot point is Sadare’s amnesia and although Daesra is completely aware of the details of Sadare’s life prior to the labryinth, he is unwilling to share or willfully obfuscates the truth. This felt like an even more frustrating version of the miscommunication trope.

There are some interesting steamy scenes in this book, which include some sadomasochism, which dovetails nicely into the pain begat powers concept.

I will mention, the cover art on this book is absolutely stunning and immediately grabbed my attention.

Overall, this story has some interesting concepts and a very cool setting, but the writing and pacing fell a bit flat for me.

As I sit, trying to write this review for Exquisite Ruin, I find it harder and harder to summarise my thoughts concisely but thoroughly. Here goes attempt number four…

On one hand, I really enjoyed May’s ideas—the labyrinth had some interesting twists (pun intended) and I liked how she chose to unravel the backstory of Sadaré and Daesra’s relationship. The sentence-level writing was well-crafted and engaging without being overly flowery in most cases. The romance scenes were well written and sexy, and the action scenes were well-paced and tense. I also liked the ending; it felt satisfying without being cliche.

On the other hand, some of the writerly slights of hands were…not well done. The twist at the end was poorly executed; some character motivations seemed childish and “tacked on” at the end, rather than woven throughout implicitly. The last 25% or so is very “tell-y” rather than “show-y” and is the weakest part of the narrative.

I also would have just preferred an outright historical fantasy set in Ancient Greece, rather than one “inspired by” or “flavoured” by the implied setting—but I suppose that’s just a preference, not an outright negative.

Overall, I did enjoy Exquisite Ruin and I think there’s a lot for “romantasy” fans to enjoy here.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I received a copy from Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publishing May 25th.

I requested this book because I was intrigued by the synopsis and the lovely cover. In Exquisite Ruin, Sadaré finds herself in a dangerous labyrinth without any memories of her past. With her is Daesra, a powerful daemon who despises her for reasons she can't remember--but Sadaré will need him to escape the maze alive.

I'm not a fan of the amnesia trope (usually it involves completely misunderstanding how concussions work), but it's exquisitely deployed here. Sadaré's memory loss is more plausibly magical in origin, and it adds an interesting complication to her lovers to enemies dynamic with Daesra. It's fairly immediately obvious that the two were once involved, but both the reader and Sadaré are in the dark as to what happened and why he hates her. It's clever to pair the amnesia with the betrayal plot, because it makes it impossible for Sadaré to explain herself or clear up misunderstandings. A nice touch of mystery and drama.

The world, as you might expect from Sadaré's first person amnesia POV, is not explored much outside the maze. What we do get a strong sense of is the magic system. Here, power is earned through willing pain or submission, and Sadaré favors binding herself up tightly with the ropes she wears to induce pain (dovetailing neatly with the kinky romance). Due to the suffering-based magic system, this is a book that's defined by Sadaré's pain. She spends most of the plot either inflicting wounds on herself or dealing with some kind of injury. While Sadaré's constant vulnerability is in some ways the point of the book, I did dislike how she struggles to deal with the traps in the maze and spends most of her time helpless, injured, and begging to be saved. In contrast to Sadaré's involuntary helplessness when faced with attacking statues, the actual sex scenes are almost over-scrupulously consensual.

The plot itself is loosely based on the Theseus and the Minosaur myth, but with a graceful touch. Instead of replicating the story point by point, May subtly references it. Here, Daesra is both Theseus and the minotaur--both the bull monster and the ambitious demigod who retrieved his sword from underneath a boulder. Sadaré's role is more opaque, but in some ways she does reflect the princess and witch Ariadne. The labyrinth is very different than in any Greek myth, but I loved the statues that decorate it. As they travel deeper down into the maze, the statuary becomes more anguished and contorted, culminating in a tangle of limbs melted together.

A kinky romantasy focused on a relationship complicated by a forgotten past, with subtle references to the Labyrinth myth. Recommended for romance fans.

Thank you so much to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

-

3,5 stars - an excellent concept and world, that should have been less than a third as long as it is

Ever since I first heard about this book I was incredibly intrigued by the concept, and the more I heard about it the more my intrigue grew. Unfortunately it didn’t quite do it for me once I actually read it.

The world and concept are amazing, and really the shining stars here. I struggled to pin down the characters until past the halfway point, when I finally gained some kind of emotional investment, and the writing took past a third of the book to read smoothly for me. It felt a bit clunky and heavy to read, and I think that unfortunately also contributed to the book feeling much much longer than it needed to be. The characters themselves and the setting where they spent most of the story were also just not interesting enough not to get boring and repetitive to me after about a hundred and fifty pages.

I really enjoyed the magic system, the dynamic between the main characters and the atmosphere was amazing. I think as a novella this would have been absolutely wonderful for me.

“We are indeed fuel to each other’s fire. The question is: Who will burn out first, or be consumed?”

Vibes:
- Gods and demons
- Messy gods and mythology a la greek myths
- Enemies to lovers except make it a complicated web you will get stuck in
- Lovable pet
- Magic system based on sacrifice and pain
- A little kink in the middle of the angst as a treat

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

Once again I wish half stars were an option because while this book was better then the averageness of a 3 star read it wasn’t quite a 4 star read. This is a dark erotic romantasy and if you have triggers around certain things please make sure you know what you are getting into and that you are in the right headspace. This was a really interesting spin on the classic myth of the labyrinth it had so much potential but it just fell flat a few times. Even if interesting as I found the story I struggled to stay fully focused on it, something about the writing just felt a bit meh to me and my mind would wander while reading. The ending was also very confusing with the change in who is telling the story. If the premise sounds good to you I would recommend giving it ago because my issues were purely writing style and that is subjective.

First of all, the cover is great. I typically do not like or grab covers with humans/people on them. I find them quite cheesy, or prefer to imagine the characters myself. Yet, this cover was really intriguing. The description was quite exciting for me as a romantacy lover, I was thrilled to be approved for this arc.

Even though I was so excited for this, I really REALLY struggled to stay engaged while I read. I typically read one book at a time from start to finish then move on. While trying to read through this book I read 4 others. I honestly found myself so bored with the writing style. I can't quite put my finger on why but the banter between between characters was unbelievable enough it kept pulling me out of the story. I found myself really annoyed with the main character and their choices/thoughts. The plot was great in the description, but fell flat for me while reading. I just kept wanting to read something else and would set it down in preference for another book. That's really unlike me. I think the storyline interesting, I know there will be many people who really enjoy reading through this.

I am appreciative to have received an arc for this. Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher.

“You are my home … It’s taken all of this for me to remember that.”
~~~~
This was a very interesting and enjoyable book! Really enjoyed the banter and the characters in this book. And the Gods dynamic and everything was interesting too, I will admit it was a tick confusing, but only for moment.
Absolutely loved the spice scenes-were so good! And I love the twist at the end, really made me think!
Make sure yall got this book on your TBR for 3/25/25!
Thank you @netgalley @adriannemaystrickland @gallerybooks for allowing me to read an eARC!

Overall this was a unique and detailed story! Daesre, a demigod turned daemon, and Sadare, a mortal witch, find themselves in a precarious situation involving a maze. As the story progresses, we learn much more about them both and how intertwined they are.

Personally, I felt as though there wasn't a lot of depth in the story or the characters. The story felt a bit forced and unorganized, and just didn't *grab* me. I did read it all - it's a good story, but the dialogue bounces back and forth between being more modern versus an older style.

<SPOILER>
I also wasn't a huge fan of Sadare's connection to the aether being related to pain. Self-inflicted injuries are hard to read, especially for those who have a history of self-harm. This was a pretty poignant part of the book, and while I understand the context within the story, the descriptions did pull me out of the story quite a bit.

eek i fear it is time to dnf. by no fault of the book itself(?), i’m just not in the right headspace to read this and i have tried so so many times to fully engage with this book but there’s just a disconnect. for now, i would recommend it for romantasy lovers if that’s your cup of tea!!

I loved the monster Romantasy. The plot was really good and I wonder if this is a standalone or going to be apart of a series.

First, I have to say that the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. It’s one of my favorites, absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t quite resonate with me. I struggled to connect with the characters, and the overall plot felt somewhat repetitive, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged. However, I do believe this book will find its audience, and for someone else, it could be exactly what they’re looking for. For me, though, at this point in my reading journey, it simply wasn’t the right fit.

One of the aspects the book did well was the use of flashbacks. They were thoughtfully executed and added intriguing layers to the narrative, deepening the mystery and keeping me interested in the unfolding events.

That said, I couldn’t fully get behind the romance in this one, and it ultimately lost me. I hadn’t quite realized what I was signing up for, and there were moments where I felt the need to skip over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy. This review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.

ARC Review: ⭐⭐⭐/5

Exquisite Ruin by AdriAnne May offers an intriguing premise that blends enemies-to-lovers romance, magical conflict, and a dark, mysterious setting. The story follows Sadaré, a sorceress with amnesia, and Daesra, a hooved-and-horned demon who despises her. Forced into close quarters in a constantly shifting maze, the two must rely on each other to survive while navigating betrayal, pain magic, and secrets from their pasts.

While the book promises a captivating fantasy adventure, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. Sadaré’s amnesia felt more like a plot device than a meaningful obstacle, and Daesra’s intense hatred toward her never evolved in a way that resonated emotionally. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic should have added depth to their relationship, but the betrayal between them lacked the emotional weight necessary for their eventual reconciliation to feel satisfying. While the characters were complex on paper, I never truly sympathized with them, which left me detached from their fates.

One element that stood out was the labyrinth itself. It was a compelling, almost character-like presence—shifting and ever-changing, creating an atmosphere of tension. As Sadaré and Daesra venture deeper, Sadaré begins questioning everything she thought she knew, even whether the true monster is Daesra, the labyrinth, or herself. Unfortunately, despite the potential for high-stakes danger, the plot twists never quite landed, and I never felt the urgency that the story seemed to demand. This lack of emotional investment in the peril left the twists feeling underwhelming.

Despite its promising concept, Exquisite Ruin ultimately felt forgettable. The world-building and magic were interesting, but the characters didn’t fully engage me, and the outcome didn’t leave me feeling fulfilled. I found myself wishing for more development, particularly with Daesra, whose internal struggles were only briefly touched upon. With a deeper exploration of his pain and transformation, I think the connection to his character could have been much stronger. Sadaré also came across as a bit juvenile in her dialogue, which, while perhaps fitting for her circumstances, made it difficult for me to connect with her on a more mature level.

The plot did keep me engaged, and I appreciated the unexpected twists, but the overall experience didn’t quite live up to its potential. Exquisite Ruin has all the ingredients of a gripping fantasy, but its execution left me wanting more, especially when it came to character development and emotional depth.

I’m curious to see what more this author has to offer, but unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver the immersive experience I had hoped for.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review