Reviews - Philomena and the Seven Deaths (2024)

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Dnf 53%

I liked it so far but too old fashioned for me and I don't see myself continuing this anytime soon

I loved the idea behind this book!

The story line of being a reincarnation of Lillith but dying by each of the 7 deadly sins is such a cool idea. I really enjoyed certain parts of the book, but at times it did tend to get a little repetitive. Overall, I think this was a quick fun read if you are in the market for something light and different!

Rating: 4.25/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: oh SO steamy; deliciously captivating; ensnaring "why choose" romance; can I just bring all the monsters home with me?!; maybe just a LITTLE too long.... but that left more room for smut so no complaints here!

HUGE thanks to Kendra Moreno for sending me an ARC copy of this title! My review of this book is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by this gesture.

"I think," Henry murmurs, tracing his thumb along her jawline. "I think ultimately, we all become whoever would have saved us that time that no one did. Perhaps this is you becoming who you've always needed, Mena, but that doesn't change things. You will still be Mena. You will still be the woman who stumbled into my doorway. You will still be the same woman who is worthy of love."

This book. This journey. THESE CHARACTERS! When I picked this up, I was intrigued mostly by the blurb and the title and the fact that Kendra Moreno wrote it. What I did not expect, dear Penguins, was the sheer amount of CREATIVITY and LOVE that Kendra Moreno would pour into every single word, every single sentence, every single paragraph on every single page. This journey was BREATHTAKING....and not just because of the dying bits. Or the smut. Or the slow burn romance (romances? all the relationships?!). No, this journey was filled with powerful descriptors, SO MANY pretty quotes I had trouble choosing two to single out in my review, and a whirlwind race to save (or destroy) the world at the end.

BUT ON TOP OF THAT?!?!?! This book is steamy, spicy, and snarky to boot. We get the smallest glimpse into the types of characters sprinkled throughout these pages, but Penguins, I'm going to be honest--I was NOT expecting some of them to be who they turned out to be. I loved every unveiling, from the expected (the Reaper, obviously, he's in the blurb) to the unexpected (I won't spoil anything I promise) to the ABSOLUTELY 100,000,000% SURPRISE (seriously...taken aback is an understatement). AND THE STEAM. OH, THE STEAM. I kept having to force myself to come up for air (not a bad thing at all!)

Hu steps forward then, his face softening at the stricken look on mine. "A monster does not equal evil, Henry. Therein lies your confusion."

"What makes a monster monstrous, then?" I ask, straightening. "If not an evil nature."

Athan's face twists into a pained expression. "Being willing to burn the world for the ones you love, uncaring who else is hurt because of it."

I definitely recommend this to all my paranormal, dark romance loving girlies. Also to those who like a side of story with their smut, wildly breathtaking adventures, and magic of the most epic variations. This book will hook you from the very first word, and leave you aching, breathless, for more. It is a bit on the lengthy side, Penguins, so be warned...but don't despair. There's more to this read than death and damnation....are YOU ready to save (or destroy) the world?

Such a good start and a good idea. But it was so boring. Literally nothing happened other than her dying a couple of times. The romance was also not there all her guys were either bland or just straight up assholes. The main character was also a dumbass. “Dont do this bc something bad might happen” then literally goes and does the thing and something bad happens. It was meant to progress the plot but was just entirely too boring.

I was super excited to read Philomena and the Seven Deaths! The cover art was GORGEOUS and the overview of the book seemed right up my alley. However, I had a really hard time reading this book and here's why:

1. I felt that Mena did not act her age. She made some choices that felt very juvenile. I was under the impression that Mena was around 35 years old, but she seemed to act more like 16-19. As she develops her powers and attempts to learn more about Lilith, Mena refuses to listen to reason or warnings which ultimately lands her in near death or dangerous situations. While this does drive the plot forwards, I had a hard time believing that this FMC was her age.

2. I did not enjoy the pacing of the plot. I found myself skim reading or anticipating the next point of view too often for my liking. I realized while reading that incorporating 7 deaths on top of character introductions/development and introducing antagonists and deeper story narratives was a bit too much for this 500+ page book. Because of this, I had a hard time understanding some of the characters and how they related to the overall story.

3. The dynamic of the Why Choose was uneven. This is definitely a personal opinion, however, I felt that Athan became more of an authority figure than a lover. His relationship with Mena became so complex that it was a bit difficult to believe. Within the second half of the book, Athan spends more time away from the group and there was never a catalyst to bring him back (outside of one of the deaths). Mena spends most of her time with Hu and Otto, even having a great scene with Jekyll/Hyde, but I didn't feel like Athan ever got that same individual connection.

While Philomena and the Seven Deaths was not for me, I encourage you to read through other reviews and give it a try for yourself! I think Kendra has an amazing concept and the writing was very well done, there were just a few things that affected my reading experience that I just couldn't look past.

Thank you to Kendra Moreno for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The plot was quite unique, and I enjoyed the incorporation of the different types of fantastical beings. I read this during a time when I needed an escape, and this definitely provided the escape I was in need of.

My heat rating is based on the amount of occurrence, length of scenes, and how filthy/unconventional the scenes are. Philomena and the Seven Deaths rates about a 3/5

I received this as an ARC from Kendra, and once I started this I struggled to put it down.

The storyline was so unique. I’ve never read anything like it before.

Philomena and the Seven Deaths is a why choose, dark gothic, why choose, monster romance (tentacles and a tail come into play) set in victorian London.

We find out early on that Philomena is a reincarnation of Lilith, the Mother of Monsters, and there is a prophecy that Philomena will die 7 times and become the Destroyer of Worlds. The deaths she must go through are linked to the 7 deadly sins, (gluttony, greed, pride, wrath, lust, envy, and sloth).

With each death she becomes more powerful and obtains certain gifts.

She draws many supernatural & mythical creatures to her. These creatures either want to protect her, kill her or cage her and use her for their own gain.

To protect and guide her until the prophecy is fulfilled we meet Athan, a grim reaper, Otto, a vampire, Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde, a mad scientist and Hu (Cthulhu), a god.

While reading this I could only see Philomena as the actress Eva Green in her role as Vanessa Ives from the TV show Penny Dreadful.

This is the longest book by Kendra I have read. There are some spicy scenes but they do not overwhelm the actual story which is an amazing, must read.

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