Review: The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean
I think the first 3/4 of this book are perfect and the end is a touch rushed. But overall I just really love King and Sophie.
I in no way think the end of the book was bad, I just think it needed a bit of room to breathe. The reader (or at least this reader) needed a little bit more time to wallow in the sadness of everyone being mad at each other before everything was concluded. This book was so high action that I just wanted some time at the end to really marinate in the angst before happiness arrived.
But I did truly have the most fabulous time reading this book. I cried a touch, which is always great. But I spent a huge amount of time reading this book laughing. The banter in The Rogue Not Taken is absolutely riveting.
I genuinely like it when characters' motivations lean into "I am punishing you because that will hurt me and I do not deserve happiness" I am not sure what this tendency says about me but this is King and I loved it. I also happen to love a heroine who both lacks confidence and is reckless. I just think this combination works weirdly well. Also, Sophie can shame spiral with the best of them and that is incredibly relatable and heartbreaking.
Throughout this book, MacLean writes many apologies and that is my very favorite thing to read. There are little ones in the beginning, and as the fights and occasional misunderstandings (and purposeful misunderstanding due to wishes to punish one's self) get bigger then apologies follow suit. There is also a two-page argument that I loved reading.
I was a tad unsure what to rate this book, but ratings are for computers/algorithms and I think I laid out my feelings well enough here. I am fine with the computer having an unambiguous five, even if I wanted a touch more from the end.
I am so excited to continue this series and MacLean's books in general. I am excited about the seemingly fat hero in the next book, and I am excited to have my heart raked over the coals in Seraphina's book.
