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Rage and Ruin
by Jennifer L. ArmentroutSeries: The Harbinger #2
Published by Inkyard Press on June 9, 2020
SubGenres: New Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 600
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 16 Hours And 38 Minutes
Source: Library - Libby, Purchased
Audience: 18+/New Adult
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A half human, half angel and her bonded gargoyle protector must work with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming… but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.
As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led - herded - played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.
Rage and Ruin is the second book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s The Harbinger trilogy. I read the first book, Storm and Fury, years ago and wanted to finish the series, especially since my college-aged daughter, who is now a big JLA fan thanks to me introducing her to The Dark Elements series, has been asking to have my JLA books.
I didn’t reread Storm and Fury before reading Rage and Ruin, and I usually do because I like to refresh what happened in the first book. I didn’t feel like I was lost when picking up the second book years later, since JLA gives refreshers on what happened in the first book in the next book.
Here are the things I enjoyed about the book:
- I loved Trinity so much in this book. JLA definitely knows how to write a kickbutt heroine, and Trinity is one of those heroines you just can’t help but love and adore. She’s also spunky and fierce. She’s gone through a lot with dealing with Misha’s betrayal in the first book, and it’s really affecting her in this book, but she’s adapting.
- I learned more about Zayne in this book, especially his new bonded relationship with Trinity. He’s definitely the better guardian for me, but even though I learned more about him, and may have liked him in the first book. I have some issues I will address later in the review about him.
- The fantasy elements are always top-notch when it comes to JLA. The world-building and learning more about the Harbinger in this book. Which at the end of the book it’s revealed who/what the Harbinger is. There are a lot of action-packed scenes in this book, and I loved getting to read Trinity’s powers more in this book and her handling things herself.
- I loved that Roth and Layla played a role in this book. If you don’t know these two, then you need to read The Dark Elements series. Roth is definitely one of my favorite MMCs ever and still is, even after reading this book.
Things that bothered me:
- The bond between Trinity and Zayne remained complex in this book. Their unique connection lets them sense each other’s feelings, but it operates inconsistently, in my opinion. Maybe because it’s new to both characters, and they technically were meant to be bonded originally. Zayne often senses Trinity’s emotions, impacting how he interacts with her, but Trinity doesn’t always perceive Zayne’s feelings in return. This uneven bond affects their communication and makes Zayne’s intentions harder for Trinity and for me to read. The inconsistency just drove me bonkers.
- Don’t even get me started with Zayne not giving Trinity a chance at handling things, especially when he finds out she’s putting herself at risk, but she can handle herself. Even Roth knows that Trinity can handle situations that she’s put in. She’s stronger than anyone thinks.
- The ending felt kind of rushed, but it still has me wanting to pick up the last book in the trilogy. I need to know what happens next after the cliffhanger.
Overall, it’s a good installment, though it didn’t grip me like the first. I give it 3.5 stars and plan to read the next, especially after that shocking cliffhanger. Now my daughter can add this book to her collection as she grows her library.
About Jennifer L. Armentrout
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.
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