Ruined

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An excellently written story with fantastic characters, a gripping plot and forbidden love.

Opening Sentence: The wheels of the carriage creaked as they rolled across the dirt road.

The Review:

It’s been quite some time since I’ve rated an ARC five stars but Ruined managed to creep over the 4.5 line!

Let’s begin with the characters. One word: mind-blowing (is that two words?!). From the sadistic kings and queens, to fierce Emelina and kind-hearted Casimir to the stubborn but funny Aren, loyal Galo and sweet Damian; they each contributed towards making this story a brilliant reading experience. Heed my warning, though. Don’t become too attached because just like Game of Thrones, show more Tintera does not hold back when killing them off! Without revealing any spoilers, I cannot believe how many main characters died in this story. I understand that it’s centred around revenge and war but seriously, give someone a break!

“Good luck,” Galo said, then frowned. “Is that the appropriate thing to say in this situation?”
Cas lifted one shoulder. There wasn’t much to say to someone who was headed out to meet the woman he’d been ordered to marry. Try not to vomit might have been the best choice.

The romance was simultaneously adorable and heartbreaking. Prince Cas is forced to marry Em (thinking she’s Princess Mary) and although Em herself orchestrated the entire plan, she’s not too pleased about marrying her enemy. The story shows that even in the worst circumstances, if it’s meant to be it will find a way. Yes, I’m a hopeless bookish romantic but I’m a stickler for forbidden love and in this case, there could be nothing worse than Em and Cas falling in love; perfect.

She hadn’t just planned to kill Cas. She’d imagined smiling as she sank a sword into his chest.
“I don’t think this is who I want to be,” she said, her voice shaking.
“You did what you had to do,” Cas said.
“I did wat I chose to do.” Tears spilled over her cheeks, staining his shirt.
“Then choose better next time.”

I enjoyed the banter and the poor attempts to dampen their growing feelings. Some of their arguments were too funny, especially when everyone underestimates Em and she shows them up.

“Well, I’m apologizing anyway!” she yelled, making everyone turn around and stare at them.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry if I doubt the sincerity of an apology screamed at me.”
“I tried being nice. That just seemed to make you more angry.”
“When were you being nice? Was it somewhere between you taking me hostage and yelling at me?”
“I saved your life.”
He snorted. “Your bar for nice is awfully low.”

Strong female protagonists out to change the world are the best and Em is stronger than most because despite being born in a powerful family, she has no Ruined magic. Considered ‘useless’ by other Ruined, she manages to prove how powerful she really is even without magic.

Aside from Cas, one of my favourite characters was Aren. As well as Em’s bodyguard, he’s her best friend and I admired his loyalty, despite having lost almost everyone he cared about. At least Em found love, Aren didn’t have anyone apart from her and Damian. I hope something blossoms between Aren and Iria because they’d make an interesting couple.

“Anxious, then. Not everyone is as tough as they appear, you know.”
“And not everyone is as weak as they pretend.”

An excellently written story with fantastic characters, a gripping plot and a forbidden love.

Notable Scene:

Em lifted her head, fixing her gaze straight ahead.

No one feared Emelina Flores, the useless daughter of the most powerful queen Ruina had ever known.
But they would.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Ruined. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

I think my original review still sums up my thoughts on this book pretty well... Not that I actually know what it says, but I'm lazy, and have a million RTC's already, sooo... I loved it just as much this time around, therefore my options on it are exactly the same still. That logic works, right?

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WOW! I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages, and I was NOT disappointed! It’s also taken ages for me to get around to actually reviewing it. So, oops. But whatever, at least I am actually reviewing it.

I loved the plot of Ruined. Em is desperate to get revenge on the royal family of Lera, for killing her parents, and taking her sister prisoner. She disguises herself as the prince’s betrothed, so that she can get into the show more castle to spy on/kill the royal family. Then of course, she falls in love with the prince.

It’s not exactly the most original plot, but it was very well done, and I admit, it’s a plot line I love. Every. Single. Time.
Also, although it isn’t the most original concept, there was also some fairly unique aspects to the plot. And I just really liked it.

I also found it really cool how there’s two different sides to it, and yet I don’t think either side is really wrong. I can’t even decide which side I’m rooting for. And I love that.

I ADORED the characters in this! They were awesome, and wonderful, and very funny! And I just loved them so much!

OVER ALL
I WANT BOOK TWO!!! Yes, this is a valid, and completely coherent description of my feelings about this book. Don’t question this.

Trying again!

This was a wonderful book, and I desperately want the sequel. Or just to reread this one. Ideally both. Basically, I just want more about these wonderful characters. And, you know, I sort of want to know what happens. show less

3/5 stars

So I really enjoyed this story. It was fast paced, made my heart race and such a fun read. I came to really care about the characters and what would happen to them.

The plot wasn't the most original thing I've ever read, but the enjoyment factor was there - I read this in basically one sitting. The badass-ness of Em is there but then quickly gets sidestepped by romance and Em being a terrible imposter. She is really bad at trying to pretend to be someone else and not give away her entire plan..and Cas just isn't smart enough to catch on...but I still liked it. This book is like many others and follows the lines of recent popular reads..but it's been a while since I've read any of those, so while it wasn't a refreshingly new show more book, it was familiar in a good way :)

The writing was alright, but good in the sense that I cared about Em and Cas. I rooted for them and even squeed at the romance - and I am not a fan of romance in novels (being a main part of the plot). It somehow worked for me though. The way it came together was cute and fun, even if it was pretty tropetastic.

The ending just tore apart my insides though. I will definitely be reading the next book when it comes out to see what happens! show less

I didn't quite know what to expect when I started reading Ruined by Amy Tintera. I was intrigued by the book's synopsis and was hoping to enjoy it but the outcome far exceeded any expectations I had.

My first impression while reading this book? WOW! My last feeling as I finished reading this book? No, no, no ~ I have to read more!

Ruined is full of adventure, non-stop action and is based in a dystopian, fantasy setting. The story is told through alternating perspectives of Em and Cas, the main characters. Action packed? Yes! The story's action starts in the first chapter and doesn't really end as this is book 1 in a series.

The characters? Realistic and well developed allowing them to spring off the page and bloom in my imagination. show more Setting? Ms. Tintera created a world that made me feel as if it was real and one I was a part of. Excellent world building!
The plot kept me on the edge of seat and I was not bored at all during any part of this story!

I enjoyed this book and didn't have any real big dislikes other than ... it ended too soon ~ way too soon! The one very small thing I would possibly change? I would have preferred a bit less descriptive effects of one of the fight scenes. Still, the author presented those scenes tastefully and I will admit it added to the overall flavor of the story.
Needless to say, I can't wait to read book 2 in this series!

Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for the gift of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

A fantasy novel, Ruined is a novel of violence, war, strategy, betrayal, and love.

Em and her two friends, Aren and Damian, stop a coach carrying the Princess Mary to Lera where she is to marry Prince Casimir as a treaty between the two countries against Ruina, Em’s home. They kill everyone and Em takes her place. She plans to go into the heart of the kingdom who ordered her family’s deaths and plan to completely destroy every Ruina. Em’s sister was not killed but captured, so the plan is to discover where her sister is being held and then attack.

Once Em arrives, she has a hard time not killing everyone. Within two days she is married to Cas. The country with whom she is working send representatives to help her. All the pieces are show more in place. Now, Em just needs to bide her time, ask questions, and then save her people. Cas, however, is not like his father. As she gets to know Cas, her situation becomes more tenuous.

I don’t know if I was just in the mood for a good fantasy novel or what, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, telling everyone to go away so that I could read. A lot happens in the novel, so it progresses pretty quickly and, of course, doesn’t end. I’m not sure what is planned as far as a trilogy or series, but this novel is book one. If you liked The Selection, Kiss of Deception, and/or Winner’s Curse, you’ll like this novel as well. show less

I mostly enjoyed reading this. It's a bit generic in fantasy setting, but the characters are really interesting, and go through genuine self-reflection and growth. I believed in the character relationships--including the all-important and central romantic one. Up until about halfway, I was finding it pretty tight and intriguing. After about halfway, though, it got a bit saggier for me, separating some of the main elements and--I felt--padding out with action that just wasn't as compelling.

We learn a lot about Emelina, her family and Ruina in RUINED. Em is useless in the eyes of Ruina's people as she has no magic. Just because she doesn't have any magic doesn't mean she can't take care of herself and kick ass. She definitely can and proves it time and time again throughout RUINED. I found Em to be pretty fierce and I really liked her determination. Having said that, after learning all that is revealed I was shocked with Em's determination to save her people and her sister from Lera. I don't want to go much into it because learning is part of the story, but I don't know if I would be so gun-ho to fight for these people if I was in her shoes.

Prince Casimir is nothing like I was expecting. I found him to be loyal to those he show more considers worthy, caring and genuinely willing to listen to all sides of an issue before making a judgment on something—which was surprising after seeing and hearing about his mother and father. The romance between Em and Casimir is turbulent but sweet. There original relationship is built on lies, but there are true feelings and after Casimir learns the truth he still cares deeply about her. They have a lot to work through though.

RUINED is fast paced and full of action. I'm not usually a fan of multiple POVs but both characters were interesting and Tintera made the transitions nice and smooth.

I honestly can't even begin to put into words how I feel about Emelina's sister. I can't believe Em sees her as Ruina's future. I know there will be some epic issues with her and the way she handles things in book two when it comes out next year. I definitely want to see where things lead, so book two is already on my wishlist.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less