Series Review: Ruined by Amy Tintera

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Ruined Trilogy

Synopsis for Ruined (from Goodreads):
A revenge that will consume her. A love that will ruin her.

Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Faves 2016
Series: Ruined Trilogy
Author: Amy Tintera
# of Books: 3 (Full Series Reading Order)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Action, Magic
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Date: May 2016 – May 2018
Source & Format: Public Library–Hardcover; Audiobook (#2 & #3)

**This post was originally published as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m a sucker for the romantic trope “in love with the enemy”. I just love the high stakes of it all and all the wonderful sexual tension it brings.

But this novel also promised to have a slightly darker edge to it; or at least, I hoped it would. Not that I like to have a lot of violence in my novels, but I do enjoy novels with action and the grittier scenes that happen from physical confrontations. It adds another layer of risk to the story.

I saw a lot of mixed reviews for this novel just after its release, but I still really wanted to read it. So I avoided reading too much into any other reviews so that I could go into this fresh…and I sure am glad I did!

What I Liked:

–The Pacing–

This book always kept moving! Whether it was romantic developments or character scenes or action scenes, I never had a dull moment while reading this.

I am so addicted to Ruined @amytintera right now! I really wish I didn’t have to go into work so I could read it all day ? pic.twitter.com/Rl8kE1jj7z

— Lauren (@SERIESousBooks) December 13, 2016

Honestly, if I could have stayed in bed all day to read this, I totally would have!

–The Romance–

Like I said, I’m a sucker for this trope of characters falling in love with their enemies. So this was one of my favourite aspects. These two were a perfect match in my eyes and I like the character growth that is a result of their relationship.

A lot of people will probably struggle with this trope–especially with these two and all that happens between them–but I don’t think it overshadows the story too much. You still have a lot of great plot development outside of the romance even if it is often the main focus of the plot.

–The Willingness to Take it to the Next Level–

I like books that aren’t afraid to take risks. If that means killing off a character or two, that’s ok. It makes the story that touch more unpredictable and keeps me excited to see what will happen next because there are no restraints.

I also like that there seems to be true villains here. Evil characters are often water-downed but I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s in store.

What I Didn’t Like:

–The World Building–

I’m one of those readers who likes things spelled out for her, especially when I’m starting a new series.

When it comes to the term “ruined” I honestly had no idea what that meant when I first started reading. I knew these people had “powers” but it was never clearly explained. Or if it was, I totally missed it. Sure, it was easy to understand it once I got a grasp of their abilities but I hate when things are told as if you should already know what it all means. 

I also would have loved a map of the world! While it was pretty easy to orient it, I just think it would be neat to see.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

There were so many interesting plot developments at the end of Ruined that I can’t wait to see what is in store. I’m hoping for a touch more world-building and maybe a dash more politics; but otherwise, if Avenged sticks to the same foundations as Ruined, it’ll be great!

–June 12, 2019– Book #2: Avenged

What a solid sequel! It’s been years since I read the first book but it was so easy to re-imurse myself into this story and world (even if I was getting it mixed up with Frostblood when I started it 😅).

The story was always moving and I loved how we jumped from different characters to give us that 360° view of everything. Definitely some good twists/plot progressions along the way (my wish for more politics was definitely met) but nothing shocked or overly wowed me which is why I give it a 4/5 despite enjoying the ride.

Since it had been so long since I read the first book, I decided to try the audio version and am so happy I did! It almost makes me wish I read Ruined as an audiobook. Such an entertaining listen! Everyone has their own voices and it really brought the story to life!

–June 18, 2019– Book #3: Allied

Again, I listened to the audiobook here and it was a great listen. I finished it very quickly! This story is just so engrossing and I was eager to see how it would all wrap up. I’m not sure what ending I wanted/imagined but I don’t think it was necessarily what we got. It perhaps felt a little anticlimactic. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable end to an enjoyable series.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Ruined 4.5/5 | Avenged 4/5 | Allied 4/5

While this story does borrow characteristics and tropes common to the genre, (I think many readers will draw parallels to other novels) I still had a lot of fun with this story. It still felt fresh to me and it definitely has its own unique quirks to make it stand out on its own.

Read if You Like: in love with the enemy romances
Avoid if You: want stronger world-building

• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen Series #1)
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes Series #1)
• The Broken Crown by Amryn Cross (Narrow Gate Series #1)
• Snow Like Ashes by Sarah Raasch (Snow Like Ashes Trilogy #1)

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