“Rogue Heart” by Axie Oh
❣️“Rogue Heart” (translated into Bulgarian by “Peppermill Books” ❤️) concludes a gripping duology about the conflict between the old and the new, between reason and heart, these not only intertwined but also building a story of love, hope and war. The bittersweet ending warmed and chilled my heart at the same time, and yet I don’t know if I wouldn’t rather wish I could have continued reading about these characters and their confused and complicated world. However, after the story has been resting and dwelling in my mind for a few days now, I admit to myself that this is probably the best possible ending. Because isn’t it necessary (even right) for the ending to be exactly as it is - in a world where good emotions struggle to reach the surface, taking a short breath only to be submerged again by destruction, wars and Divine machines?
🤖A certain sense of betrayal makes it difficult for me, but I still have to admit that this second part touched me more than “Rebel Seoul” - in the same emotional niche, but also somehow very different and more intense. I owe it to a large extent to 🖤Ama and Alex🖤 (which probably won't surprise anyone who has read the book.) Tera and Ama are similar as inventions of the same project, but they are also very different - like all the other Teras and Amas that are presented to us. As the two themselves say: Tera and Jaewon look fragile on the outside, but are actually very strong; while Ama and Alex look strong, but are much more vulnerable. And Alex... I don't know how and why I became so attached to him🖤. It seems like two personalities live inside him, literally and figuratively. Maybe that's why everything he does and feels is so understandable and explainable to me. Alex has become one of my favorite male archetypes ever not so much because of what he is, but mostly because of what he is not…🙌🏻 I also really liked Su - he unexpectedly aroused interest and sympathy in me. (P.P. The characters in many books from “Peppermill Books” have remained permanently in my thoughts and are have become my favorites - Siona from “Blood over Bright Harbor”, Double 8 from “Calculations”, etc.)
❣️Despite the destruction, war, the Alliance and the rebels who fight back, I think that in “Rogue Heart” love and hope find more fertile ground to flourish. The sensuality between Alex and Ama is so strong… I love their relationship - with everything that pulls one towards and away from the other, with their actions and emotions for and against themselves and the other person. All this makes the book extremely quick to read. If you read "Rebel Seoul" quickly, you will read this one twice (or at least 1.5 times😉) faster.
A big thank you to “Peppermill books” and Geri for another amazing book they so kindly sent me!🥺❤️
