Review: Destroyed by Cari Quinn

9:59:00 AM

Lost in Oblivion

Destroyed by Cari Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5★

“On a night that was supposed to be about fucking, she looked like a cool, elegant dream.”

Destroyed started out as a reading task to be reviewed for me and ended up something I actually loved and fascinated about. There are too many factors that amazes me that I’ve realized only half way into the story, but it’s been there all along.

“Simon Kagan, golf cart thief, tops off his night with a little stolen sex.”

Simon Kagan is the lead singer of the band Oblivion. I can describe him as a manwhore, cocky, arrogant, but within lies a broken man and who sought out affection and attention. He feels and act like a front man should be and yet deep inside hides vulnerabilities that he is afraid to show. He’s been called Pretty Boy by his band mates and he stands by it. Although, one thing from his personality that didn’t endear to me, was of every singer or artist’s character, prideful. They know and feel something’s wrong and yet they’re too prideful to admit it, and ask for help. Jealousy is also a petty thing.

“I’ve always been yours, Violin Girl. I’ve just been hoping you would take me.”

Margo Reece is a frigid girl and acts like there’s a stick up her ass. With all the elegance and beauty that she possess lies within a wild sexual creature that she was afraid to show because of what was ingrained to her while she was growing up. She’s into classical and yes, like any other, she have that personality of having an air about her and yet when she took the chance with Oblivion, she embodied the woman that she is.

I had a hard time getting on the connection with the characters at the beginning, and I had hard time following at first. They’ve been mentioning that time about a year ago at the booth, that sexual encounter that had their intense feel for each other, which I didn’t understand at first. Because yeah, it would have been nice if there’s something about that time, to read the first meeting, the first spark of interest and lust, the forging of something indescribable and yet, somehow turned into a feeling of longing, heartaches and disappointments.

But as I get along into my way through the story, I am utterly impressed and amazed. As I’ve said, I was half way into the story before I recognized that myself. The band had some collaboration with Margo, rock music meshing up classical, and then that Korean drama I’ve loved popped into my head. They had that concert where they meshed the classical with the rock band, and they created something amazing that made you breathless and speechless. At that point, I’ve heard the song in my head, of that audition piece in Asia's Got Talent, a classical music or more like traditional one using the traditional instruments meshing up with rock music and creating something beautiful. And somehow, the story has created that for me, making me listen to a music in my head that is beautiful and yet something that only few tries because it’s not always a success and yet this novel in some way created it and made it believable. Owned it. And I am wowed and just focused on the story. It’s like a movie or something, a world maybe, where I am in the front seat, like being a member or the crew, the roadie maybe or part of the band. The manager, perhaps.

I felt being part of something exciting and this book has brought it to me. Amazing, I say. It makes me excited of their interviews, the chart ratings, the rehearsals and preparations for the tour. It covered all aspect of being in a band rising to fame, everything, the good and the bad. Especially the good.

Although I had a problem with the characters at the start, I’ve felt the connection between them. The chemistry, the lust, that indescribable need for each other. And there’s also like something with all the sex they had against the wall, in the hallway, somewhere in the dark that the one time in the bedroom was a turning point in their relationship. But my most loved was actually during performances at the stage. Sexual tension was palpable, plus the head rush after the performance and the high and lust that you only get when you perform. Believe me, I know how that feels when you get into a performance and experience all of that and I felt it, the story conveyed it to me.

I love the character development in the story. There’s growth and it’s actually so little that if you happen to don’t look for it, you might miss it. Of course, I don’t. It’s what I look for in the characters. The biggest was the sexual awakening of Margo. Owning her sexuality and being confident in her skin. She didn’t have to say it, it was how Simon sees her.

I think it’s safe to say that the major turning point in the main character’s relationship is also a turning point of the band. It was something I expected but the events, not really. I’m just excited to read the next book and see where everything goes.

This book is part in Lost in Oblivion series. Book 1 of Simon and Margo’s story. Although I recommend reading the book in order to better enjoy the reading experience and get to know how the band came up and get to know the other characters which were as lovable as these, two, you can also read this book without reading the first one, like me.

Reading order: