Book Review ~ Wicked Trials

5 Stars | 5 Spice

Book 2 of the Boys Of Briar Hall Series, by Elena Lawson

Wicked Trials delivers everything you want from a dark gang romance—high-stakes drama, savage trials, intense heat, and complex characters. Ava Jade faces danger at every turn, and the three Crows are more addictive than ever. With shocking twists, searing chemistry, and an ending that leaves you gasping, this book will keep you hooked from page one to the final line.

QUICK REVIEW

Wicked Trials is everything a dark gang romance should be: raw, ruthless, emotional, and addictive. This series officially has me hooked. If you’re a fan of morally grey characters, intense power dynamics, and gang-infused romance with teeth, this book is your next obsession. The trials...the relationships...that ending…just so good, so goddamn good.

FULL REVIEW

SPOILERS AHEAD     ~     SPOILERS AHEAD

Ok...so the spice in this one is spicy AF. BUT! Still, the plot reins through! Book 2 picks up right where book one left off. Ava Jade is facing her worst nightmare - having no other option (except certain death) but to join a gang. Secret are revealed and loyalties are tested at every turn. The stakes are heightened, the tension razor-sharp, and every chapter propels the story forward hat makes it impossible to stop reading.

The spice is SPICY but, I think Elena Lawson balances this well with character development and a layered plot.

The trials Ava Jade has to complete are insane but, like the badass she is, she throws herself (quite literally in trial three) into them and comes out the other side in mic drop fashion.

Corv, Rook, and Grey are dangerous, cunning, and sometimes downright cruel, yet when we get to peel back their hardened exteriors just enough to show us flickers of vulnerability and twisted affection...I love these guys. The romantic tension between each of them and Ava Jade is electric.

Something else I love is how each MMC has his own identity, purpose, and emotional arc. They each have distinct personalities and all have distinct relationships with Ava Jade, which makes the whole dynamic feel more organic (hey, that rhymed!).

Ok, I have to mention (and this is a major spoiler), I KNEW IT. Corvus is Primal Ethos!!!!! Rook was close to being my favourite but now I know Corv is also a musician and has all this emotional depth, I think he's my favourite now. But...

"Cut me. Burn me. Bleed me. I'm yours."

~ Rook

{chapter 1, page 2, Kindle.}

I MEAN, COME ON. I'm really starting to understand the why choose aspect haha.

Anyway... Can we also talk about how Ava Jade JUMPED OFF THE GODDAMN CLIFF. Diesel literally forced her to jump 75 freaking feet down in rocky water, which means, guess what? I still hate him. I can't believe she survived, well just barely. That whole scene was crazy, my heart was pounding with her as she was running through the woods with masked men shooting cross bows at her. I have to admit, I did enjoy how she was worrying about ruining the dress Becca loaned her. It's Prada, I get it, but the dress should have been the LAST thing she was worrying about in that moment haha.

I also did not see Becca's betrayal coming! But, bless her, she seemed so devastated by it herself. She was completely manipulated and you can tell she honestly had no idea this mysterious 'boyfriend' of hers was completely playing her for information. I felt really bad for her. I'm glad that Ava Jade also saw all of this and still saved Becca.

BUT MANNNN. That ending?? Emailing the cop?? I just... I don't think she'd going to go through with it. I mean, she can't right? She loves these guys now, she can't risk hurting them like that? Gosh I need to end this review now because I need to start book 3 asap.

Thanks for reading ~ Natalie x

And please, feel free to comment below! What did you think of the book? Did you love it? Like it? Hate it? Let's talk!

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