Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger Series Book 2)

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020

Reading through the word ‘like’ in every single paragraph is extremely frustrated. There were times that I would have loved nothing more than to throw my phone in a lake of water so I wouldn’t finish this book.

Unfortunately, I’m persistent.

I cry at the drop of a hat, a sad infomercial, anything tragic happening to anyone and I had no remorse at all in this book. The heroine (if she can be called that) has no personality growth whatsoever. She is the epitome of a stupid teenager. She’s brash, angry and ignorant.

Don’t get me started on Zayne... he does everything for her, from fixing breakfast, to exploiting her sexual desires. She initiates not a dame thing. He’s perfect and she’s a needy, whack job that’s downright toxic.

The first book was predictable, but readable. And the story idea was really cool. Angels, demons, gargoyles, mix-breeds, I thought this was going somewhere. It was a huge disappointment. I knew twenty percent into this book that it was absolutely a waste of my time.

I don’t understand how this has so many good reviews but maybe I’m just biased. I do not recommend this book unless you truly enjoy helpless teenager girl that’s full of impulsiveness and angst.

23 people found this helpful

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D. Lilley

2nd book syndrome

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2020

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Oof. I read Storm and Fury in march and while I didn't love it I thought it was alright. I really like this world that JLA created. The first 3 original books were great. I was never a fan of Zayne because he doesn't have a strong personality. It didn't change much in this. I think the issue is that he's so strict about his emotions that we as a reader don't see them. So when he suddenly claims that he wants and loves Trinity it's almost like being blindsided. Like we know there's attraction but not much showing how he loves her. I really think if we could get some chapters from his pov it would be a game changer. As for Trinity, she was a holy heck of a mess of emotions. None of which got sorted. There was a great opportunity for Trinity and Zayne to really talk and sort through everything but they just don't. Instead they avoid each other for days and I felt the awkward. This book was extremely easy to read and get into but 600 pgs was way too long. I had to push through at pg 500. There's not much action or plot. I enjoyed seeing Roth Cayman and Layla the most. Honestly if JLA wanted to write a 600 pg book about those 3 just hanging out im in. What bothered me the most though was the Harbinger plot. Once we find out who the big bad is I was just annoyed. It's a classic inside job brought forth from..jealousy? I dont even know. What role did his son play? Why were there Instagram jokes in a pivotal scene? Why didn't he kidnap Trinity right there and then? Why was Misha ok with his plan? Overall this spinoff just feels unneccessary and lazy. Stick to the original 3 books.

12 people found this helpful

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Kelsey Griggs

How am I supposed to wait for "Grace and Glory?!"

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2020

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I had to take a few days to write this review as my emotions were way too high. This book just rocked my world. My feelings were in a whirlwind (but the right kind!).

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The characters have my heart, especially Peanut. He always has a way of bringing some light into a situation. From, "I thought it was totally bodacious of him." To, "I am not Casper, you insolent fool.” He has me chuckling at just the right moments. I have always liked Trinity, but I felt in the last book, her back and forth emotions frustrated me. However, it is also what makes her a great character in my mind. One part of me was screaming, "just make a decision," but the other half is thinking, "I would probably be doing the same thing." Zayne, Roth, Layla, and Cayman are still the same great characters from book one.

I enjoyed how I felt like I was solving the issue of "who is the Harbinger" with the characters. As a reader, I like to feel included, and I think the author does a lovely job with that. It was also not an easy guess, as some books can be. I did not see it coming when the Harbinger is revealed. In retrospect, there were little hints, which tied the plot lines together. It just made sense, which is also something I love when reading. "I should have seen this" feeling.

With this book, I laughed, I cried, I had mini heart attacks, I stayed up WAY too late, and I loved every second of it. This could be one of my favorite books I have read this year. I am not sure how I am going to make it until June 2021 as the book ends on, just the most perfect of cliffhangers.

Here is to anxiously awaiting, "Grace and Glory!"

6 people found this helpful

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Erica C

5 Emotion filled, rollercoaster of a ride stars!

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2020

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Rage and Ruin is book 2 of The Harbinger series, and it cannot be read as a standalone. You must read Storm and Fury first.

Picking up where S & F leaves off, R & R focuses on the growing (and forbidden) attraction between Zayne and Trinity, the struggle to navigate their new normal of being bonded to one another, and the quest to find the Harbinger.

Zayne, as a character, has really grown and developed since he was first introduced in White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements series). Though he claims Trin has a light and a spark inside her, his light shines even brighter. Even better? He is very much of the "Rules Were Made to Be Broken" camp. And I dig it. Roth is clearly rubbing off on him.

Zayne is also vulnerable. I wanted to wrap that Stony man in a hug and tell him how worthy he is of all the things.

Trin is still dealing with heartache from events that occurred in S & F. Full disclosure, there were times I really struggled with her character. There is a selfishness to her and a wealth of immaturity. But there is also the weight and burden of being what she is, her fears and uncertainty.

Trin's relationship with Roth is entertaining, and, much like he did for Layla, he offers her the chance to tap into her potential and shift her perspective, while also providing unsolicited (yet valuable) advice.

There is a lot of humor in this story mostly from the banter and push and pull between Zayne and Trin, but also because, well, Roth.

This book, it absolutely gutted me. The depth of emotion between Zayne and Trinity, their fears, and the twists and turns at the end? I don't even know what to do with myself. Have tissues because, to quote Zayne, there's a lot you don't know.

5 people found this helpful

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Jeanie McNeil

I. Am. Wrecked.

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020

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This book absolutely and completely wrecked me... and I mean this is the most raw sense of the word. I am still not over it and I likely won’t be until book 3 is out. In book one, Storm and Fury, I found Trinity a little difficult to connect with but as powered through I found I liked her more and more. Zayne, what can I saw about Zayne other than holy gargoyle, where do I get my own?

Rage and Ruin picks up where we left off in Storm and Fury. Trinity (half angel) and her bonded Gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working together with the help of the ever delicious Roth and his Layla to stop the apocalypse. Trinity and Zayne still have this ridiculous connection and I’m not just talking about their bond but are continuing to fight their feelings. The Harbinger is coming but they don’t know who, or what it is. All they know is that he has plans and they realize it has something to do with the local high school and someone close to both Zayne and Layla.

So much happens...SO...MANY...EMOTIONS....and that ending. JLA is the queen of cliffhangers and she did not disappoint with Rage and Ruin. So, now we wait. And then wait some more. I could not put this book down. I didn’t want to stop reading. The build up between Trinity and Zayne keeps you in your feelings bc Zayne (sigh) is so so beautiful. Yummy Roth gives us the break and friendship (though he’ll never admit it) we all need...and crave bc JLA is also the Queen of giving us the most delectable of male leads and strong females...and pointy objects.

I am so needing Grace and Glory now but I’ll just be over here binge reading Jennifer L Armentrout’s entire library and swooning over these bookish babes she creates until then.

3 people found this helpful

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Sandy Farmer

4 Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022

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I read Storm and Fury in the summer of 2019. So it's been 2.5 years. The cliffhanger ending had me dying to get my hands on Rage and Ruin. But I didn't end up getting approved for an e-galley. And while I always knew I wanted to continue the series, review books always take priority for me. So Rage and Ruin kept getting pushed back. And finally, I needed something fantasy that I could just jump into and I felt it was finally time to read this book.

Because so much time passed since I read book 1, I was lost at the beginning of Rage and Ruin. I needed a few chapters before I felt like I remembered enough of the past book. But I easily remembered how much I loved Zayne and Trinity. Their forbidden relationship made them so easy to root for. Can they overcome? Will there be consequences for breaking the rules. Obviously, I say it all the time, the relationships are my favorite part. I felt like the relationship was evenly balanced with the hunt and discovery of the big bad.

What I didn't really like is how fiction often portrays the idea of "something can't be wrong if it feels so right". Those words weren't used in the book exactly but I felt enough like the idea was pushed to mention it. And boy was I gearing up to blast JLA over the whole "I know this is wrong but my emotions are overwhelming my logic completely" direction it seemed like things were going there at the end. She worked this angle to be just different enough for me to be semi-satisfied. The character didn't quite have to follow through with the direction he/she was planning.

Of course, it wouldn't be any book but the series ender if there wasn't a cliffhanger. I'm curious to know what will happen next, but I'm afraid too much of the next book will be fighting the big bad.

Rage and Ruin was a very nice sequel to Storm and Fury. I'm intrigued with where the cliffhanger will go, but I kind of imagine it being easily worked through. I enjoyed every second of Trinity and Zayne's relationship journey. Rage and Ruin gets 4 Stars. Have you read Rage and Ruin? What did you think? Let me know!

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Stephanie Friend

On the Edge of My Seat!

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020

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*Please make sure you read Storm & Fury first* -Otherwise some of this might not make sense.

There were a few parts of this book that had me on the edge of my seat. My heart was literally pounding so hard. I was starting getting a little bit anxious (in a good way!)

Zayne is still my FAVE! I was hanging on every line of dialogue between him and Trinity. I must have yelled "JUST KISS HER" at least a dozen times. You could literally cut the sexual tension with a knife. Even though a relationship between them forbidden, I WANT THEM TOGETHER!

So much more of the story is built in the book. I'm loving the direction this series is going in. All of the Buffy and Supernatural references go straight to my heart! I'm still processing the ending. My brain and heart are both on overload. This book has a good mixture of love, lust, action, swoon worthy scenes and even some scary stuff!

I absolutely recommend this one! Please make sure you start with the Dark Elements series as some of the characters reappear in this series.

3 people found this helpful

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Fast-paced, excellent mystery and action scenes and just so much fun to read!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2020

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Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Harbinger series. I bought this as an ebook for my Kindle.

Story (5/5): This story starts out right where the last book left off. The identity of the Harbinger is a mystery that Trinity and Zayne must solve. The Harbinger has started killing Wardens much more publicly and they must turn to Roth and his demons for help. Meanwhile Zayne and Trinity are also having a difficult time controlling their feelings for each other and, although they know they are forbidden to be together, they don’t understand the true consequences of what will happen if they are.

This story is intense and full of action and very fast-paced. It also has some humor throughout and some amazing scenes between Zayne and Trinity. I was sucked right into it and couldn’t put it down.

Characters (5/5): I absolutely love Zayne and Trinity; they both try so hard and are such amazing characters. The relationship between them is both sizzling and caring all at once and I loved it. I went back and read “The Dark Elements” series featuring Roth and Layla before reading this second book in the Harbinger series and am happy I did. Reading “The Dark Elements” series helped me to understand Roth a lot better and follow some of the things Zayne is going through as well. Armentrout did an amazing job with these characters.

Setting (4/5): The book is set in DC which is fine but doesn’t really feature much in this story. This story is much more driven by the characters and the mystery of the Harbinger than anything else.

Writing (5/5): I am absolutely loving Armentrout’s writing style, her books remind me a lot of Annette Marie’s books. Her writing is fast-paced, and she does an amazing job writing action scenes. She also does a wonderful job with witty dialogue and making you really love the characters in the story. I think this series is a lot more polished than “The Dark Elements “ series which precedes this series in this world. Reading the Harbinger series makes me want to go back and check out other series by her. For a while I was getting her confused with Jennifer Armintrout (with an “i”) who wrote the Blood Ties series, which was pretty awful...don’t do that...stick with Jennifer L. Armentrout.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this addition to the Harbinger series. This is an urban fantasy with heavy romance elements and an excellent mystery. It’s a very guilty pleasure type of read. I read the whole thing in a couple sittings and struggled to put it down. If you love fast-paced urban fantasy with amazing fight scenes, an excellent mystery, and some sizzling romance I would definitely recommend this series to you. I can’t wait to read the next one!

2 people found this helpful

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tfios_fanatic

Thrilling Sequel!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2020

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What a sequel!! First of all, I felt like I knew how massive this book was but 600 pages!! Wow! While I do feel like there was some fluff, I do think that for the most part, Jennifer really does try to make use of every page she writes. There may not be a detail that seems significant right then but and there but it ends up changing the book completely and putting into a different path. For example, the little scene with the ghost around 33%, you may not think that scene is really needed and may not matter a whole lot but then you get around 60% and it changes the book and takes our characters to a different setting and raises the stakes on the overall story.

Getting into the characters, I was pleased to see more Zayne in this book. We didn't see him for a fair amount of the first book but he has a pretty dominating presence in this book. And of course, we got more Roth in this book which is ALWAYS a positive! Layla took more of a backseat in more of this book which is understandable because I feel like she had more a presence and was somewhat of an obstacle for the relationship of Zayne and Trinity to be able to progress. Also, Peanut is always a delight to read! Jennifer really knows how do write the sidekick/funny friend and Peanut is absolutely no exception!!

Getting into the plot, there are spoilers so I can't talk much on that but what I will say is that the stakes are even higher and though the setting is pretty much contained, Jennifer makes great use of the different locations throughout and how to progress the book with little geography. One of my favorite things about this book was how the sequel IMMEDIATELY picked up where the first book picked off! More times than not, there is a bit of a time jump but not giving characters not much of a time to take a breath gives more of an intensity to the story.

Getting to the finale, it definitely ups the stakes for the third [final??] book in the series and it absolutely has me excited but also makes me sad because of the year-long wait. Just another reason though to have authors during this difficult time in the world!!!

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Kindle Customer

Definitely a bridging book

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021

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I read this series after finishing the Blood and Ash series (which I loved), and was disappointed that the main character Trinity seems a poor-copy of Poppy (the main character of Blood and Ash). Except Poppy seemed to have more depth and growth. I covered that in my review of the first book of the Harbinger series, but there is my bias.

So on to this book. First, based on the end to Storm and Fury, I was expecting the plotline of the "bond" to play a much larger role in this book and the next. Instead, it seemed more like a placeholder. Which is my main criticism of most of this books - it feels like a way to bridge the beginning of the story with the end rather than deepening and developing aspects that play important roles in the first and last books. As a placeholder, it seems to be more about cantankerous interactions, emotional teens, and odd character/relationship plot threads that are "sort" of resolved to allow the third book to go forward, but not in any complex or meaningful way.

Spoilers below, but my main criticisms.
The Trinity-Zayne dynamic seems toxic at times. Trinity is emotional and, at times, obnoxious. But she also seems lost in the world, and there is no recognition by the book that she's in a totally unfamiliar place, without any friends or family, grieving and traumatized. Her entire purpose is that which is being given by her daddy/clan. This is a key part of who she is in the book, but it doesn't seem she ever actually becomes her own person. It's just more of her reacting and serving.

As for Zayne, he really isn't developed on his own. Maybe he was in the original Elementals books as a lot of stuff is referenced from there, but I haven't read those books so I can only go off what happens in the Harbingers series. With Zayne, you know he has gone through a lot and is recovering, but he reveals little in terms of emotions. He's "stone cold" and unavailable in a lot of ways. Zayne goes above and beyond to be the perfect host/partner, which seems largely unacknowledged by Trinity. They're both "just there." Training. Eating breakfast. Patrolling. Bickering.

Stacey comes across as a total catty b**ch in her interactions with Trinity, and thus her and Zayne's relationship just made me think Zayne has some serious flaws in his choice of friends.

And then there is a super random explosive fight between Zayne and Trinity... which is never really addressed? They just move on from it? When I finished the book, I had to pause and wonder if I somehow missed a chapter, or 5, where they actually tackled that fight and the horrible things Stacey and Zayne said. Maybe I'll re-read it and somehow find those lost chapters. But for now, I was just left with the impression that the characters were like "oops, said some mean stuff. Teehee!" and then they kiss.

So why three stars? Because for its genre, I'd definitely rate it as average. I don't regret reading it, and I will probably re-read it (I actually listened to the audiobooks) just as a popcorn time-killer. But I wouldn't recommend it in the same way as I would Blood and Ash series.

For the audiobook - the reader is fantastic.

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3 star		7%
2 star		1%
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Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger Series Book 2)

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