★★★★☆ · 4 Stars
#apocalypticromance #shadowmonster #monsterromance #forcedproximity #cozyapocalypse #scholarboy #gentlemonster #rubyverse #cece-recs
The world is ending, everything is going to shit, and apparently the solution is to trap a woman and a shadow monster together and hope they can stop the apocalypse from getting worse.
HAHAHAHA. SURE. ALRIGHT. 😂
And you know what? I’m listening.
Because apparently, even at the end of the world, I can still be seduced by a nerd.
A SCHOLAR.
A PROPER GENTLEMAN.
OF THE SHADOW MONSTER VARIETY.
Hehe. Cute.
꧁The World Building꧂
There is something delightful about taking an apocalyptic premise and giving it the energy of well, we’re all potentially doomed, so I suppose we’ll have to figure this out together.
This isn’t the sort of cozy fiction where nothing terrible happens. THE WORLD IS LITERALLY FALLING APART. There are actual stakes, and this couple has to remain together to keep the disaster from getting worse.
But there’s also this intimate, almost cozy quality to the setup: two people stuck together, navigating an increasingly disastrous situation, and getting to know each other while the rest of the world is busy being a complete catastrophe.
The apocalypse is apocalypsing, and I’m over here appreciating the romantic prospects.
꧁The Characters꧂
HE’S A SCHOLAR.
Do you understand how quickly this information got my attention?
A shadow monster who is also a nerd? A gentleman? A man who can bring a little refinement to the whole potentially terrifying creature situation?
Ruby Dixon, you knew what you were doing.
“You think I’ve gone through the world with claws for 28 years, and I don’t know how to wield them against delicate things? You think a monster can’t be gentle?”
SIR.
SIR, PLEASE.
The contrast between being a monster capable of violence and choosing gentleness is SO GOOD. There’s something particularly delicious about a character who doesn’t need to be harmless to be tender.
He has claws. He’s a shadow monster. He’s clearly not someone you want to piss off.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t be careful with the person he loves.
And I AM A SUCKER FOR THAT DISTINCTION.
“I’d destroy every human alive before I’d let them harm one hair on your head”
EXCUSE ME?!
That’s not a protective instinct. That’s a whole apocalyptic security policy.
The world is ending, but heaven forbid anyone inconveniences his beloved. 😭
꧁The Romance꧂
I can appreciate a dangerous man. I can appreciate a monster. I can appreciate a man who would cheerfully threaten the entire human population on my behalf.
But a dangerous man who can also be gentle?
A man who has the capacity for violence but understands that tenderness is its own kind of strength?
YES. HELLO. COME ON IN.
“There was something dark and unpleasant in his eyes when he saw I was in danger. And I’m a terrible person because I like it.”
BABE. YOU ARE AMONG FRIENDS.
You are not a terrible person. You have simply discovered that watching your monster man go from perfectly civilized scholar to WHO DARES THREATEN MY WOMAN is a very specific kind of entertainment.
And honestly? The self-awareness makes it even better.
Then Ruby gives us:
“Poetry is truly only exciting when it’s dedicated to you and your lover has written it on your behalf. The rest of the time”
A SCHOLAR WHO CAN APPRECIATE POETRY AND BE A PROPER GENTLEMAN WHILE ALSO BEING A SHADOW MONSTER?
The range.
The versatility.
The academic qualifications of this particular flavor of fictional man.
Suddenly, the apocalypse feels like a much more manageable situation.
꧁The Feelings, Because Apparently We Have Those Too꧂
“Fate is just that—fate. It happens and sometimes we’re in control of it, and sometimes we’re not.”
There’s something fitting about that sentiment in an apocalyptic romance. The characters are dealing with circumstances much bigger than themselves, and not everything is something they can control.
Sometimes the world decides to ruin your day.
Sometimes the universe hands you a disaster.
And sometimes, apparently, fate hands you a shadow monster with scholarly interests and a surprisingly tender side.
Could be worse.
Could be single during the apocalypse.
Then we get:
“Whatever waits for us on the other side”
And:
“I love you,” he whispers”
SIR. I WAS TRYING TO HAVE A NORMAL DAY.
There’s something about the quietness of that last line after all the talk of monsters, danger, and the end of the world. No grand declaration required. Just I love you.
And sometimes that’s the part that gets you.
꧁The Cece Verdict꧂
Four stars for the shadow monster. Four stars for the nerd. Four stars for the proper gentleman who is apparently prepared to commit human extinction if somebody hurts his woman.
Ruby Dixon really said, What if the apocalypse were a relationship problem?
And then gave us a shadow monster who is a scholar, a gentleman, and apparently capable of turning my attention away from the literal end of the world because I have become invested in his romantic prospects.
HAHAHAHA. FINE.
I see the vision.
I appreciate the monster.
I support the nerd.
I would like to formally acknowledge that being a proper gentleman and being a terrifying shadow creature are not mutually exclusive qualities.
Because apparently, the world can end and I will STILL find time to develop fictional-man problems.
Four stars. I loved it. And now I need to go mind my business—which, unfortunately, involves thinking about this shadow monster.
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