Carrie's Reviews > How to Break an Undead Heart

Each installment of this series is better than the last! But first, a rant in three acts...

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1) I knew this would happen, but I'm still annoyed that the author is downplaying the relationship Grier and Boaz were building. By just about anyone's standards they were dating, and within the context of their shared history there was an understanding that this was heading somewhere serious. It wasn't a situationship. In fact, but the end of book 2 it was so obvious that poor Linus was carrying a torch for Grier and she would end up with Boaz. I was already primed for hopelessly shipping "team throuple."


2) I liked Boaz a lot before, and I get why taking this path of least resistance was the most logical, but he did Grier so dirty. It was never a fair fight, and he was trash for how he handled this. You have someone who's been in love with you since childhood, who has endured relentless trauma and is still trying to get her life together. A young woman with no romantic experience, who stuck her neck out for your sister and saved her, despite what she did, despite Ambrose almost killing her, and despite her dangerously tenuous position within the society. Someone who is as good as family, but better.

You don't start something with a woman like this unless you mean it. She isn't the flavor of the week. You don't move in the shadows behind her back and continue on like nothing changed. You don't make all these permanent plans with another woman while she's at home waiting for phone calls that won't come, thinking she finally gets her much-earned happily ever after with you. Thinking she's special and different from the other women you've played with.


He enjoyed the adoration and dangled hope in front of her each time he flirted without a thought. Must have been quite the ego boost. He lied and maneuvered and was slimy enough to still act affectionately to her face. He had the nerve to lecture her and try to order her around, and made snide comments about Linus and insinuate that no one would choose Linus over him, and that he trusted Grier to be faithful to him.


I'm done with Boaz. Good luck to Addie, who I hope never knows the man she's about to spend a super long life with said, "Does it matter what her name is? It doesn't matter to me as long as she gets to the Lyceum in time."


3) Amelie's involvement in this is pretty bad, too. After everything she'd done, after Grier bailing her out and saving her from Atramentous, she conspired with Boaz to act like everything is peachy while slowly pushing a knife into her back. Cherry on top, she doesn't even realize she's placing all the blame on Grier. You know, the one who actually has been victimized throughout the series. "But, but, all these awful things that happened to you were so hard on meeee!"

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Whew, I feel better!

I'm excited to see where the story and the interactions between Grier and Linus goes. I've had a theory since book 2 that Linus's mom pushed Linus's visits on Maud while he and Grier were kids because she expected an arranged marriage to take place between them. Of course, this was all derailed when Grier went to Atramentous, but if I'm right the Grand Dame's plans haven't changed. Possible drama to come? We'll see if my theory is true.

Random thought before I go: Hubert gave off strong Mr. Collins vibes.


"If there's anything I can do for you, as the excellent son of the most exalted Lady Catherine de Bourgh Grand Dame, I am your humble servant."