WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS OR OUR VIOLENT ENDS - IT CONTAINS SPOILERS. (Please read them - you won't regret it!)
I know that a lot of you have probably already seen that I have reviewed his book already and are confused to see the title coming up again, but if you were truly paying attention to my review Our Violent Ends, then you probably know what this is going to be about. I wasn't truly honest to you guys when writing the review because I avoided mention the one thing that is most important in a book: the ending.
I didn't write my thoughts on the ending in the real review because of two reasons: one, I didn't want to spoil it for you guys because the series is a truly incredible read, and two, I wasn't ready. Now that I have processed what happened, after a literal week of not being able to read or think about anything else, I am ready to talk.
The closest I got to the end, the more I filled with dread. I knew it was coming but I wasn't ready. I was filled with so much hope that Roma and Juliette would defy their fate, a face which was written in the stars (or literally written by Shakespeare). I tried so hard to convince myself that the ending wasn't going to be the same as the real Romeo and Juliet because it was a retelling and and this author wasn't going to want to write the same story. However, after talking to my sister about the book, she told me to snap back into reality and face the facts: Our Violent Ends was going to end exactly the same way as the play written by Shakespeare, which it was undeniably based on.
As I read the last few pages, it felt like those last two chapters were longer than the whole two books put together. I was gripping the book so tightly, that I had it imprinted on my hands when I finally let it go. I was staring at the words so hard, that my eyes hurt when I finished reading. It was not the ending that I wanted. I wanted Roma and Juliette to be able to have a proper life, a happy life with children, a family and I wanted to have them living in a city where there was no longer a rivalry dividing them. It didn't matter what I wanted, for the ending with out of my hands. I just had to sit there and read, completely powerless, as the two characters were taken from me.
The worst part was that I didn't get the other character's immediate reaction to what had happened and I simply got an epilogue a year later with only Alisa's view. And all they got was a grave with the wrong names engraved.
I hated it so much and when I finished I just wanted to scream and throw the book across the room. Roma and Juliette were worth so much more than that and they defied so many things to get to where they were and they had to be defeated at their own hands. I know that they died together and they died happy, knowing that they were able to defeat one last monster before they left, but Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov were supposed to be powerful and undefeatable, especially together, and they shouldn't have died. They should have gotten their happy ending after everything they went through.
The epilogue was also completely pointless. I know that its purpose was to give the readers closure, but for me everything was wrong. Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai were supposed to be unstoppable and eternal, but they were dead. Something else that felt completely out of place was that Benedikt and Marshall just left the city, after everything Roma and Juliette did to try and save the city. They just abandoned it, leaving behind Benedikt's only remaining relative. I know that they went to pursue their own happy ending, but I felt like they wouldn't actually leave and it just felt completely out of place and not all like them. I know that their plan was to leave, but that was with Roma and Juliette, not without them.
I am so glad that I finally got these feelings off my chest and I think it's finally time for me to set aside the book and move on with my life. At least, until I can get someone to read the book so that they can listen to my endless ranting about it.
If you have read the book and you feel the same way, then please leave a comment so at least I know that someone out there agrees with me. And if you have a different opinion then I'm also glad to have someone to argue with because I have kept this bottled up for far too long.
Keep reading and stay strong for there are a lot more unhappy endings to look forward to.
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