R.L. Caulder

Insurrection

When I tell you this book disappointed me, that would be the understatement of the century.

"Insurrection (Monarchs of Yapperville #1)"

 by RL Caulder and M. Sinclair... where do I begin? Well, let's see. 

The plot of "Insurrection" struggled to progress beyond the introduction of the male love interests. The story relied heavily on telling rather than showing, which evidently leaves you as a reader wanting more substance. It's ironic, this is based in a paranormal world populated by creatures ruled by the devil and the presence of grim reapers, demons, and fallen angels.

Yet there was a lack of exploration of how powerful they can really be. Ama/Amare kept telling us she can suck one's soul by kissing them, but I'm pretty sure by the page 80 mark she'd kissed three or four of them and absolutely 

 happened!! We're told they're all dangerous, but honey, is the "dangerous" in the room with us? Honestly, the only dangerous thing was this eighteen-year-old girl's father making her go to a conference (I'll call it that because I don't know what tf else to call it) with Dreyven, whom she hates, and five other men whose families hate her even more. 

The absence of meaningful action, even in fights, left me unsatisfied. Damn, even the fights happened off-page (screen)! Or they were ended before they truly began. By the 76% mark, the focus remained on discussions about factions and the male characters' sudden infatuation with Amare, despite their recent acquaintance. God, it should've been called 

 with six male love interests sounds as exciting as finding out your two favourite artists are collaborating on a project, 

 fell short in execution. The characters often felt like archetypal stereotypes rather than fully realized individuals, hindering their ability to engage a reader. The plot suffered from a lack of development and failed to deliver on the promised paranormal elements. 

The story relied too heavily on dialogue and lacked meaningful action, leading to a disappointing reading experience. It wasn't character-based, nor was it plot-based. I don't know what the basis was but here we are. 

There's not much I can say about the protagonist, but I liked her for the first couple chapters until I just didn't give a damn anymore. So I'm here to rant on-and-on about the poorly written male love interests who fell into one-dimensional characterizations. You can literally categorise them in three groups, one they're all in and two others they range between. 

After meeting Amare, these men all seemed to seemed to blend together, as they all attempted to be her saviours. She's a damn reaper x succubus hybrid, I think she has ability to stand up for herself, thanks. 

Colt is introduced as a fallen angel with clichéd douchebag vibes. His first line to Amare, filled with innuendo, comes across as predictable and unoriginal. 

Despite being mentioned, Damien's character doesn't leave a lasting impression in my mind. I just know he's a hellhound and he growls. Literally. And she begs him to stop one time, because it sounds like he's going to eat her lol. 

They constantly complained about Amare's choices (the other guys) and were being set up to hate her. But then they somehow tell her she belongs to them?? 

He's portrayed as a brooding wraith, but little is known about his character beyond this aspect. Or at least I didn't care enough to remember. 

Dreyven, a reaper like Amare, is characterized as brooding and constantly making Amare feel inferior. His personality seems limited to being a grunting man who speaks through gritted teeth, lacking depth or distinct traits. His revelation of being in love with Amare for years and manipulating others to hate her comes across as juvenile and problematic. 

While different from his family and friends, he felt clichéd with his unwavering devotion to Amare. Even if it means being shunned or being killed. 

And this guy deserving of this award is...

Nico is presented as an incubus who's ashamed of his family and their sexual activities. However, his character fails to leave a lasting impression, as he lacks memorable traits or significant development. As a result, he becomes forgettable within the larger narrative. 

Initially, Fineas, whose character was initially my favourite, ended up letting me down. That's my fault for putting trust in a man. His actions revealed a manipulative side as he was meant to be playing with Amare's feelings to secure her vote for his house of runes. 

Even if he didn't want to, he's meant to be a trained assassin, and yet he couldn't find ways to shut Momsy and Pops up. Instead, he did their little bidding, and only when he felt bad, was he followed by emotional manipulation and seeking forgiveness from Amare with alligator tears and kisses. 

Look, Insurrection" had potential but it failed to deliver a compelling narrative with well-rounded characters and a captivating plot. If you seek a reverse harem story with depth and engaging paranormal elements, you may find this book lacking. But if you're looking for just vibes and smut, I guess this is for you.

Tali 🧸ִֶָྀི𓂃

When I tell you this book disappointed me, that would be the understatement of the century.

Rating: 2.75/5★ 

DNF @ 76% 

"Insurrection (Monarchs of Yapperville #1)" by RL Caulder and M. Sinclair... where do I begin? Well, let's see. 

Plot Analysis: 

The plot of "Insurrection" struggled to progress beyond the introduction of the male love interests. The story relied heavily on telling rather than showing, which evidently leaves you as a reader wanting more substance. It's ironic, this is based in a paranormal world populated by creatures ruled by the devil and the presence of grim reapers, demons, and fallen angels.

Yet there was a lack of exploration of how powerful they can really be. Ama/Amare kept telling us she can suck one's soul by kissing them, but I'm pretty sure by the page 80 mark she'd kissed three or four of them and absolutely nothing happened!! We're told they're all dangerous, but honey, is the "dangerous" in the room with us? Honestly, the only dangerous thing was this eighteen-year-old girl's father making her go to a conference (I'll call it that because I don't know what tf else to call it) with Dreyven, whom she hates, and five other men whose families hate her even more. 

The absence of meaningful action, even in fights, left me unsatisfied. Damn, even the fights happened off-page (screen)! Or they were ended before they truly began. By the 76% mark, the focus remained on discussions about factions and the male characters' sudden infatuation with Amare, despite their recent acquaintance. God, it should've been called "Monarchs of Yapperville." 

Overall Impression: 

While the concept of a Reverse Harem with six male love interests sounds as exciting as finding out your two favourite artists are collaborating on a project, Insurrection fell short in execution. The characters often felt like archetypal stereotypes rather than fully realized individuals, hindering their ability to engage a reader. The plot suffered from a lack of development and failed to deliver on the promised paranormal elements. 

The story relied too heavily on dialogue and lacked meaningful action, leading to a disappointing reading experience. It wasn't character-based, nor was it plot-based. I don't know what the basis was but here we are. 

Character Analysis: 

There's not much I can say about the protagonist, but I liked her for the first couple chapters until I just didn't give a damn anymore. So I'm here to rant on-and-on about the poorly written male love interests who fell into one-dimensional characterizations. You can literally categorise them in three groups, one they're all in and two others they range between. 

The Saviour 

After meeting Amare, these men all seemed to seemed to blend together, as they all attempted to be her saviours. She's a damn reaper x succubus hybrid, I think she has ability to stand up for herself, thanks. But this award goes especially to... 

--> Colt (Fallen Angel, House of Fallen) 

Colt is introduced as a fallen angel with clichéd douchebag vibes. His first line to Amare, filled with innuendo, comes across as predictable and unoriginal. 

--> Damien (Hellhound, House of Hellfire) 

Despite being mentioned, Damien's character doesn't leave a lasting impression in my mind. I just know he's a hellhound and he growls. Literally. And she begs him to stop one time, because it sounds like he's going to eat her lol. 

The Whiner 

They constantly complained about Amare's choices (the other guys) and were being set up to hate her. But then they somehow tell her she belongs to them?? And this award is dedicated to... 

-->Adrien (Wraith, House of Shadow) 

He's portrayed as a brooding wraith, but little is known about his character beyond this aspect. Or at least I didn't care enough to remember. 

--> Dreyven (Reaper, House of Death) 

Dreyven, a reaper like Amare, is characterized as brooding and constantly making Amare feel inferior. His personality seems limited to being a grunting man who speaks through gritted teeth, lacking depth or distinct traits. His revelation of being in love with Amare for years and manipulating others to hate her comes across as juvenile and problematic. 

The "Good Guy"

While different from his family and friends, he felt clichéd with his unwavering devotion to Amare. Even if it means being shunned or being killed. And this guy deserving of this award is... 

--> Nico (Incubus, House of Sin) 

Nico is presented as an incubus who's ashamed of his family and their sexual activities. However, his character fails to leave a lasting impression, as he lacks memorable traits or significant development. As a result, he becomes forgettable within the larger narrative. 

--> Fineas (Dark Elf, House of Runes) 

Initially, Fineas, whose character was initially my favourite, ended up letting me down. That's my fault for putting trust in a man. His actions revealed a manipulative side as he was meant to be playing with Amare's feelings to secure her vote for his house of runes. 

Even if he didn't want to, he's meant to be a trained assassin, and yet he couldn't find ways to shut Momsy and Pops up. Instead, he did their little bidding, and only when he felt bad, was he followed by emotional manipulation and seeking forgiveness from Amare with alligator tears and kisses. 

Conclusion 

Look, Insurrection" had potential but it failed to deliver a compelling narrative with well-rounded characters and a captivating plot. If you seek a reverse harem story with depth and engaging paranormal elements, you may find this book lacking. But if you're looking for just vibes and smut, I guess this is for you.

Maya Federman

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this gem. I love both of these authors individually, but let it be known that RL Caulder and M Sinclair together are a force to be reckoned with. 

This is a paranormal RH that takes place in Hell. After the Devil went to sleep, six houses (AKA subsets of Hell) took up ruling in his stead. Our FMC Amare (or Ama for short) is the heiress to the House of Death. So her dad is basically the Grim Reaper. Ama is half reaper and half succubus, a rare hybrid in a world that values bloodline purity above all else. So as you could probably guess, she's kind of a pariah among her peers.

Ama ends up going to a summit of all of the house leadership in her dad's place, and there she meets the five super hot heirs to the other houses of Hell. Additionally, she's accompanied to the summit by her childhood crush who rejected her and they now have a very tense relationship. 

I know that was a lot of plot but LISTEN. Ama is a virgin, has mommy issues, and has essentially shunned her succubus side all of her life because of said mommy issues. So when she starts meeting hotties left and right who also think SHE'S a hottie, homegirl starts to experience some straight up lust.

We don't get any actual full spice in this first installment, but my girl Ama was horny as shit and she did have some VERY detailed dreams. We also got some hand stuff in the bath with one of the heirs, which was fantastic. 

This does end on a cliffhanger, but I loved this! Very excited for book 2.

Insurrection

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