I got through this boxset in less than a week, it took a little bit to get sucked in but once I was I was hooked! I fell for Aspen right away. She is someone I would want as a bestie. She is so resilient and strong, even when she thought she was being weak. I loved her fire and spunk, she was feisty with Q from the beginning, pushing back when no one else had the cajones to haha.
Q took a bit to grow on me, he was pretty bad in the first book but he redeemed himself at the end and a lot in book 2. He risks his life for Aspen multiple times (she saves his life too though!) and falls for her despite their Romeo and Juliet situation. I loved how protective he got, even if he put cameras in her room without telling and there was never any resolution/confrontation about it haha. I felt bad for him based on what happened to one of his sisters. He did a lot of growing in this story arc, he finally stopped jumping to conclusions and listened and gave Aspen a chance to talk. So much miscommunication in book 1 and 2 that could have made this first trilogy in this world a cluster, but the authors did a good job to navigate that.
I thought the plot was intricate, hit us in the feels so much. One thing after another, I won’t spoil anything but Aspen has to go through some really horrible situations and keep battling back. Like I mentioned in my book 3 review loved seeing her take her life in her hands for once, not letting others dictate her life. I thought how the story ended and the epilogue was amazing, couldnt stop smiling while listening! I mentioned a couple things in previous reviews that had me not giving the story an overall 5 stars: making Aspen super weak weeks after her incident and have separation anxiety and mental health concerns when she wasnt talking to Q or know where he is going. Some of the interaction between her and Q felt repetitive with saying they couldnt be together/lying to her about what was going on. Also, the way the guys kept mentioned how strong she was was annoying and some sounded condescending, which I know what’s the plan.
Loved so many of the side characters (Brittany, Lucas, and Scarlett were my favs) and happy to see Lucas gets his own story but was kinda hoping Wren and Scarlett would get together haha since she likes older men haha). So many twists really kept me as a reader on the edge of my seat. Needed to know what happened next and see how Q and Aspen could handle it together. Overall series 4.5/5 stars. Narration was done well, felt the different emotions that they bombarded us with with all the intense scenes haha. I wasnt a fan when they had to do the opposite sex, mainly when the male narrator had to talk as the female MC since he made Aspen sound whiny and not someone I wanted to listen to haha. Besides that, narration helped me connect with the story and characters ❤️
Definitely will be checking out more of the Corium world, especially with the next 2 books about my new favorite side character (I totally swooned and wanted to know more!).
🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer – Flock Team 🎧