The Reaper is the sequel to The Predator in Dark Verse series by RuNyx. This is not a standalone.
About "The Reaper"
Author: RuNyx
Series: Dark Verse #2
Publisher: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance
Other works from the Author: Gothikana
Page Number: 420 pages
Audible Listening Time: 10 hours and 3 mins
Goodreads Rating: 4.32/5
My Rating: 2/5
The Reaper continues the series with the story of Morana and Tristian. The complicated arrangement between them and their interconnected past brings the dark secrets of the people around them.
This plot seemed unnecessary to me. I don’t understand the need to split the story into two books. I know the next book in this series is about Dante and is a standalone. Then why can’t this book be a standalone too? Who knows!
This book loses every charm The Predator had. The Predator was not a good book by any standards but The Reaper is worse than that. The author's excessive use of phrases like "His Blue Eyes," "His Voice of Whiskey & Sin," and "Sin rolling over her in waves" becomes increasingly irksome.
I don’t know how the characters go downhill despite having two books to add depth. I didn’t love Morana & Tristian in The Predator, but I downright hated them here. Morana was brave and intelligent in the last book. Here she is brave but her intelligence flew out of the window, making her seem stupid. She is always attracting negative attention towards herself when she should have kept quiet.
Tristian, on the other hand, remains disappointingly one-dimensional. He is excessively silent and often finds himself entangled in the messes Morana creates. The few chapters in his perspective towards the end of the book are filled with internal monologues about intense emotions for Morana, which contradicts the lack of emotional development displayed in the two entire books. It feels jarring and leaves readers wanting more genuine interaction between the characters. I got bored of it so fast.
Morana, touted as a badass hacker, computer science prodigy, and tech genius, disappointingly falls short of expectations. Her skills are rarely showcased beyond glancing at security cameras and searching the dark web with a VPN. The main conflict is resolved without any meaningful contribution from her, rendering her technical prowess seemingly irrelevant.
The smut is pretty average. I didn’t like it that much but many people may like it. It is not that bad. The shallow chemistry between Tristian and Morana doesn’t help the smut at all.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend reading the first two books in the Dark Verse series. However, I must admit that The Emperor, based on my initial impressions, seems more promising. If you are determined to give this series a chance, I suggest starting from the third book and proceeding from there.
“You might have been born with another name but you are Morana. My Morana. You’re the girl I killed for and you’re the woman I’d die for. You are mine and you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. Don’t ever question that again, do you understand?”
“I’m not a victim. I’m vengeance,” she ground out. “Mark my words, Mr. Maroni. I am going to make you pay - for every single scar you’ve put on Tristan; for every little hurt you inflicted on Dante; for banishing Amara from her home. And for all the girls who went missing.”
“Brushing her thumb over the line of his jaw, feeling the scruff rasping against it, she vowed, repeating his own words. “Never again. You’ll never be alone again. No matter how bad the nightmare gets, I’m going to be right here.”
“Brushing her thumb over the line of his jaw, feeling the scruff rasping against it, she vowed, repeating his own words. “Never again. You’ll never be alone again. No matter how bad the nightmare gets, I’m going to be right here.”
“A low noise rumbled in his chest. His body twitched. “Shh,” Morana whispered, pressing soft kisses on his chest, stroking his arm over and over again. “It’s okay. You’re safe. It’s okay.”
Amazon Blurb
What happens when the untameable wind and the endless sea collide in the dark of the night?
Tristan ‘The Predator’ Caine had been unprepared for Morana Vitalio. After spending his entire life with a vow he broke on a rainy night, he finds himself torn in a battle between his painful past and an uncertain future. The only thing he knows? Her life still belongs to him.
For Morana, the line between enemies and allies has blurred. Everything she once held dear to her has disintegrated and the unknown gapes at her, leaving her with both her freedom and life on the line in enemy territory. The only thing she knows? His life has always belonged to her.
With twenty years of history tying them to each other, Tristan and Morana begin their hunt for the truth together. And they realize that the mystery of the missing girls is just the tip of the iceberg.
Skeletons are uncovered. Dominoes begin to fall.
Buy "The Reaper"
[…] The pacing of ‘The Emperor’ is fantastic. It never drags or gets boring, and I was so engrossed that I finished it in one sitting. I genuinely enjoyed ‘The Emperor’ a whole lot. In fact, it easily ranks among my top three favorite romances of the year so far. I'm so glad I didn't give up on the series after feeling let down by ‘The Predator’ and ‘The Reaper’. […]