ARC Review: Ruined by Jus Accardo

Ruined is the first book that I have read by Jus Accardo and even though I had read the blurb, I didn't really have any idea what I was in for with this one. For some reason, it completely escaped me that this was the first book in a series, so the ending completely caught me by surprise. This book was good, and it was completely different than anything else I've ever read. There were some things that I really liked, but there were also a few other things that I didn't like. I am definitely interested in seeing where this series goes though, and can't wait to see what Jus Accardo has in store for these characters next.

When Jax's uncle gets sick with cancer, he heads home to spend time with him. The last thing he expects to do is come face to face with the two reasons he left three years ago, his brother Chase and the girl he has always loved Samantha. Jax is a descendant of Caine, the world's first murderer who killed his brother Abel. Caine's descendants are cursed to repeat their history and each new generation has the unfortunate possibility of having a demon attached to their soul. Jax was born "Tainted" with a demon from the curse and the demon wants nothing more than to repeat history by killing Chase. Jax plans to leave town as soon as possible and put as much space between him and Chase and Samantha as he can. But when someone keeps attacking Samantha, Jax knows that he needs to help protect Sam before he can leave. Just as it looks like Sam and Jax will figure out who is behind the attacks, everything they thought they knew changes. Can Jax save Sam and have a chance with the girl he has always loved? Or will history repeat itself and change the entire world as they know it?

I really liked Jax. I thought that he was really interesting and he had a lot of depth of character. It was interesting seeing him as himself and also seeing the demon side of himself. I really liked the growth and changes to himself as he started to accept his fate and the demon and went from being two separate entities to one. I loved how he cared about Sam and was honest with her after everything that had happened rather than trying to hide it from her any longer. You could tell that even though he would try and push Sam away and alienate her, he was doing what he thought was best for her. I liked Sam. She was honest and up-front and I thought that it was great how she wasn't just a typical girly girl. She didn't run or hide when she found out the truth, she accepted it pretty quickly and tried to make the best of things. I loved how she just accepted Jax despite everything and really supported him while encouraging him to be the best he could be. She wasn't afraid to stand up for him and sacrifice herself in order to do what needed to be done. Sam and Jax had a ton of chemistry and tension. I thought that they were great together and I liked how accepting they were of the fact that it wasn't just Sam and Jax together, but that the demon was also a part of everything because he was a part of Jax.

There were a few things that didn't work for me though. I thought that there were times that the story seemed to almost jump from one scene to the next with little to no explanation. It would really mess up the flow for me because I would have to go back and see if I had missed anything, and most times I hadn't. I think that if there would have been better transitions, this book would have really drawn me in more than it did. Because of the disjointed feeling, I found myself being less invested and would have to set the book down and walk away for awhile. The other thing that I didn't really care for was that although there was a lot of tension between Jax and Sam, it took a really long time for anything to really happen between them. It seemed like a ton of build-up with not very much pay-off, which made the ending for me unsatisfying. By the time that we really got any steam or action, it was over and we were left sort of hanging. Part of the problem for me I think was that I wasn't expecting this to be a series, and thought that this was a standalone. I think if I had gone into this one knowing that it was a series, that I would have been better prepared for it to be unresolved. I just hope that we get more resolution as the series continues and that Sam and Jax both get the ending they deserve. Overall though, this book was a good start to a series and I liked how different and unique it was. I think this story is unlike anything else out there, and that is hard to come by. I will be curious to see where Jus Accardo goes with these characters in the future, and I will definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future. If you are looking for a Fantasy/Paranormal read unlike any other, you should definitely check this one out.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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