"Sometimes when life kicks you in the ass, you have to kick it back.

In the nuts.

With steel-toed boots."

•••

After reading this book, I've realized that I can't really judge a character based off my likes and dislikes.

Yes, I do prefer reading books with strong and fierce female characters, but they get tired too sometimes. They can't always be strong. Or fierce. They can't always be happy. Or brave. They're just a manifestation of human beings who also become tired sometimes. Tired of life. Tired of people. Tired of themselves. And who also lose hope sometimes. Hope in life. Hope in people. Hope in themselves.
Isis Blake, Jack Hunter, Sophia, Avery, Wren... Every single character in that book is different. They have different backgrounds that have shaped them into the people they have become. They have different reasons to be who they are. And maybe they don't know those reasons. Maybe they do. But I feel like I can't quite judge any of them for the way they reacted to every single thing that has happened in the three books. I can't really call them out for their mistakes, for their recklessness, or for anything that I thought was not the right thing to do.

The books made me laugh and then cry in a matter of seconds. They made me think way too deeply about things. They made me see life in a different perspective. They made me see people in a different perspective.

•••

"And when he comes back. I will behead him," I announce.
"You'll greet him," Kayla says sternly. "With a hug."
"I will greet him with a hug. To his torso. Which will be missing a head."

•••

Some of you may think that I'm looking way too deeply into it but I'm honestly just voicing out what I felt.

I liked the books. The plot had all sorts of twists. Some of which I saw coming. But I mostly just enjoyed getting to know all the characters, who were genuinely a mess. They all had their share of problems. They all made bad choices that cost them a lot. They all had a dark past. They all had dark secrets. Secrets that kept haunting them for years.

I think such bookish characters highlight the importance of trying to understand people by not judging them too quickly. Everyone has untold stories of pain and sadness that make them live and love a little differently. It's hard to fit in and feel like we belong. It's hard to accept and love ourselves. It's all just so hard. But it's not impossible. It takes time. Especially with a dark past like Isis' and Jack's, for instance. So understanding others and not wishing them pain is really the best thing we could do.

Overall, the book made me feel all sorts of emotions. And I like books that make me feel like I'm on a rollercoaster ride. I honestly haven't laughed as much as I have or felt my heart melt as much as it had in any other book. I even cried a little. Thank you Isis Blake. Thank you Jack Hunter.
And thank you Sara Wolf for portraying how messed up life and people can be. And how any solution to any problem always comes from within.

This may not be your typical kind of review but I honestly felt like writing this somewhere. If you end up reading it, thank you.

•••

"A single flame from Isis's lips and I'm reminded of our war, our words, our bond. I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her as she turns me to ash."