Lucie V.'s Reviews > Savage Bonds

✅✅ Addictiveness
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Sassy and resilient MC
✅ Love interests are becoming more interesting and lovable (well, most of them)
✅ Reverse harem to be
✅ Some smut
✅ Some angst
✅ Powers
✅ Secrets and action
✅ Pace and plot
✅ Building of a found family
❗️❗️Cliffhanger
❗️❗️Trigger warning: kidnapping, mentions of murder and past torture, controlling behavior from future love interests (but not as bad as in the first book), death of loved ones (in the past)

He shakes his head slowly and as I walk away from them, calling Brutus back over to my side, I hear Kieran mutter to Gryphon, “You’re in so far over your head, she’s going to eat you all alive and I’m going to enjoy the show.”

After the shitty and dire situation that Oli finds herself in at the end of the first book, she has no choice but to use her powers, and now everyone knows what she is capable of. Even if a part of her secret is out, Oli still can’t bond, else she will put all of her Bonds in mortal danger because the Resistance is still searching for her, and they will stop at nothing to get her back, and use her Bonds as leverage to force her to cooperate.

This book focuses more on how Oli’s relationships with her Bonds change now that they know more about her and her past, and the angst and slow-burn are delicious.

He murmurs quietly to me, “You make me proud to be your Bond. Even when you hate us, your backbone, endurance, and integrity is unmatched.”

Oli is still a sassy badass in this second book, and while she changed, she remained as awesome and likable as in the first book. She kept her spunk and wits, but she was also able to be open-minded when faced with new facts that shed light on some of her Bonds’ controlling behaviors. She is slowly realizing that they are not all that bad and that they have reasons for their controlling behavior other than just for the sake of being jerks. I loved that she was mature enough to put herself in their shoes, and while she didn’t automatically forget them because she understood them a little more, she was level-headed enough to realize that there might have been some miscommunication and that she could compromise for the sake of their Bond and sanity.

Also, her loyalty to her friends and her Bonds (even those who have been nothing but jerks to her) is awe-inspiring. Again, she does not hesitate to put herself at risk and even “sacrifice” herself to help them, and she is slowly proving to the guys that she is not a spoiled brat. They have no choice but to see that if she can be that brave and selfless, surely she had a reason to flee 5 years ago, besides being immature and stupid, and not wanting her Bonds.

That being said, her savior complex will definitely get her into trouble sooner rather than later, and her Bonds deserve to have the option to help her if they want to, instead of being forced to deal with the aftermath of her decisions. She is a great character, but she is only 19 and has her super powerful Bonds ready to help her if she would only give them a chance. I think the time for secrets needs to come to an end soon because the whole “miscommunication drama” will get old if it continues for too long, and while Oli is pretty mature overall, refusing to allow her Bonds to know what is happening and help seems immature at times.

Don’t get emotional over this shit, Oli. Don’t look at your Bonds all coming to blows over you because two of them hate you, two of them like you, and the fifth one is a constant mind-fuck of changing opinions.

North is still acting like a control freak, but he also gives off this confident alpha energy that I can’t help but find hot. He still has work to do to earn Oli’s forgiveness, but when he decided to be kind to her or care for her (those were fleeting moments, but they were there), I was smiling like a mad woman and my toes curled. He just has this older, reassuring, and protective aura beneath all the controlling assholeness that I can’t resist.

Nox is still a complex fucker, but it’s clear that his mean words and assholey attitude hide some past trauma and emotional wounds. He is trying to protect himself, and I can’t wait for Oli to be able to destroy his defenses and win him over. He will be a grade 1 protective Bond once he decides to give into his instincts, I just know it. I know it will take time, and probably will not happen for a few books, but in the meantime, I am enjoying the angst he adds to the mix.

Gryphon is the definition of brooding and mixed signals in this book, but I loved the tension it created between Oli and him. I am really intrigued by him, and even though he is a central character in this book, I feel that we don’t know much about him… And while I like him and his intensity, he is not my favorite of Oli’s Bonds, he kind of fades into the background when compared to North’s intensity or Gabe and Atlas’ sweetness.

Gabe won a lot of points in this book. From the very beginning, he showed Oli that he would support her from now on, and he stood by her, even when it meant arguing with North’s orders or being in the crossfire of one of her arguments with the other guys. He stopped just fleeing the scene at the first sign of confrontation and is now firmly in Oli’s camp, and it was great to see her being able to form a real friendship with him, and also having another person she could rely on. I knew when I read the first book that he had the potential to be a sweetheart, and he showed it in this book.

Atlas is still being so supportive and awesome, his kindness, understanding, and support is what endeared me to him in the first book, and he continues the good work in this sequel. He is always there to help and defend Oli, even (and maybe especially) against her other Bonds, but he also does not act jealous and possessive of her when she decides to slowly open up to some of her Bonds and spend more time with them. (view spoiler)[But that cliffhanger makes me worried about his future with Oli and the other Bonds. (hide spoiler)]

I need to give a special mention to Brutus and August, the shadow puppies. I am in love with them, and it’s cute to see Oli being so excited about having them with her. I need to see more of them because they are the best.

Oli and Sage’s friendship is still precious, and I love that they brought Sawyer and Felix into their group too. I love that Oli has interactions with other humans besides her Bonds and that she is able to cultivate healthy friendships with boys and girls. It seems important that she continues to have a life outside of her Bonds, and I am glad that the author took the time to develop those relationships and those secondary characters.

Again, this book is not perfect, and some things in it annoyed me, but I inhaled it, just like I did the first book, and I am already halfway through the third book so there is no denying the addictive power of this series. I just can’t seem to stop, and I don’t want to either because it’s just so entertaining and easy to read, and I love it!

1. Broken Bonds ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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