Pandora's Heart

Bound Gods #10

by Adrienne Wilder

Her Highest Honor has one last chance to save her son.
A creature who could rain destruction down on the world.
A beast all gods fear.
A Titan.
And all she needs is a god who is not a god.
A god who loves as a Doxie.
A god with a heart of fire.
It's the kind of story legends are made from.
There's only one problem.
It's all a lie.

Genres: Fantasy, BDSM, M M Romance, Dark, Paranormal, Erotica, Romance

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Georgia born and bred, I am an artist, a writer, and a general pain in the ass.
I spend most of my days working on my next book or bettering my art.
Writing is my identity and I love every minute of it. It's work, lots of work (sometimes I work 12+ hours a day and I never get a vacation) but I don't regret doing it.
I currently share my house with a myriad of dogs, a few cats, a saltwater aquarium filled with coral and fish, as well as my partner who's great at giving hugs when the day's been rough.
And of course, my editor and PA, who helps me keep life reasonably organized. At least so I won't walk out the door without wearing pants.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for me. I love this series and I know there’s a means to an end but this felt very disjointed and incomplete to me. I don’t mind a cliffhanger but I had way too many questions at the end that left me frustrated! Maybe the next book will answer some questions

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I thought this was going to be the last of the series, but evidently not? And I am NOT mad because holy shit, this was epic. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Especially given that last section with Alton & Lazarus. Did NOT expect that at all. Definitely confused as to how that ties in to the rest of the story, but eagerly anticipating the explanation because I have completely bought into this 'verse.

(My only - minor - complaint is the repeated retelling/flashbacks to the Pandora and Ishtar origin story. It was told in snippets, and then repeated as a whole. The smaller bits definitely fed into the action, helped tell the story...not sure if the longer vignette was completely necessary.)

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~]

3.5 stars

Well, neither Pandora nor the fearsome Titan Ishtar (who Pandora was sent to serve as punishment back in Reborn) were what I expected.

This book had a different feel to the others. Less, intense I think? Its focus is on Pandora and Ishtar and the men who are behind the attacks against Alton and his people, so we don't see many of the characters we have been following nor do we see what's happening in Sanctuary or Purgatory. I do believe that this story has brought all the characters' timelines to the same point.

The story unfolded a bit slower as there wasn't a lot of action and there was some disconnect from all the main players we've been following so far. I did adore Pandora and felt for what he has been through in his long, long life and was very happy for what he and Ishtar found. I am also constantly amazed by the imagination and creativity Adrienne Wilder puts into his writing.

I was left with some new questions about Pandora and Ishtar's past, about the Tide and the Veil. A big question I had is where were the goddesses in all this? Ishtar and Pandora were taken from right under their noses but there was no mention of the goddesses, especially Ishtar's mother, during the remainder of the story.

We are left here with major players in at least three separate places. I'm not sure how many books are left but there is a lot that needs to come together and happen and time is apparently running out with the coming Tide, yet with each new story new questions and possibilities arise. I'm still counting on the author to pull this all together. The tease at the end gave me a better understanding of Alton's power and his behavior and also cemented my need to read the next installment as soon as it's released.

[~nikki the recovering book addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This....this was not what I expected. Yes, it’s the epic love story between Pandora and Ishtar but...I didn’t need the retelling quite so many times. And from so many different angles and times. I just didn’t feel them, I guess. I also thought it was the end of the series?? Because this was NOT the end of the series. The last few pages was more confusing than not.

This series has always been spectacular to me, well, except for a few of the books. But they always held my interest. But this one.....I struggled, a lot. It felt like things were just moving round in circles, not really moving forward at all. Sure we see more of the characters especially the ones who have been manipulating things behind the scene but again, the storyline seems a little stagnated.

I wanted more! I wanted to understand more of the Tide and everything! I hope there’s a Book 11 because it cannot end here! 😰

[Jia ~ Nina Zenik's girlfriend ;) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ended on a really bad cliffhanger and the next book in this series can't release early enough!!! I don't know why I keep torturing myself by picking up unfinished series when I know I hate waiting, guess I'm just a masochist..🤷‍♀️

Anyways, the series is really good and grabs your attention through every page so go, go, go pick it up! I do wish it had less sex scenes and some more improvisation in the writing, but eh whatever, I had a GREAT time reading this and that's all that really matters!

The characters were fun but they won't fucking stick together, so to say they're going through a really ROUGH time would be an understatement..Also no one know what the heck is going to happen, except Alton..which reminds me — I'm working really hard over here to understand his character and his life choices(like who kills there friend cuz they just had an intuition) but if the author doesn't give me something good and give it soon? I'm gonna lose my shit here because I'm telling you this ended on a bad cliffhanger and I mean bad, like the worst!

Sonny did not have an appearance throughout this book of the series, a fact I'm celebrating here! I just hate that guy😐
And with those golden words I end my blabbering, to sum it all up? It's a good book but it's not a standalone and its part of the bound God series (still unfinished as of now). Check out the blurb and the tw, if you don't have a problem with it all go read it! xx

~ Jia A.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, Terrifying
(As a member of the author’s Patreon site, I received an advance copy of ‘Pandora’s Heart’. However, there was no obligation attached to review the book.)

First of all, if you haven’t read the previous books in the Bound Gods series you need to do this before reading ‘Pandora’s Heart’.
Secondly, I hate spoilers so you won’t find any here.

What a journey since ‘The Chimera’ (Book 1). The incredibly detailed Bound Gods world just keeps getter richer and richer. You realize just how important each player’s role is in the ‘grand scheme’. This is world-building (set in our world) at its very best.

Pandora’s story is shared and it’s so beautiful. At the same time, unimaginable horrors are played out drawing the reader headlong into the terror before The Tide.

The author’s writing style is compelling, direct. It hits the reader in their guts leaving powerful emotions. Yes, the sexual interactions are hardcore but they are also vital to understanding the story. At the same time, they are not the whole story, far from it.

I’m desperate for the next book in the series and this one hasn’t been officially released yet!

[Silkeeeeeereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confusing

Well, until I read the list of books, I was confused. For some reason I thought this was the last book in this series, so none of it made sense to me. Now that ai know it wasn’t, it makes a lot more sense, we’ll, duh. LOL

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I LOVED Pandora and Ishtar.
The star-crossed lovers is just the kind of love story that I just looooove to read...
I hope we'll get to see them again in the next books.
Ishtar was such a brat and Pandora was a doormat at first but Once Pandora finally get his shit and start to talk back to Ishtar and they starts remembering... My heart...



There is too much winning for the bad guys here and I would like to know how much books there is in this saga because now I'm here and I'm invested and I want to know!!!



No more news about Leo, Taurus, Kaleb, Aaron...
This final scene with Alton was intriguing and I'm still conflicted about him but mainly because even after 10 books I still don't understand what the fuck is his power???

So yeah.. This saga is really cool and you get attached to the characters even if most of them are a bunch of pervert and horny assholes!

[MiaReadsMMBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series always surprises and you never quite know where you'll be taken next. Pandora's Heart is dark, so dark with these tiny flickers of light and hope driving you further along. The complexity of the characters and their association with each other is well put-together and you feel emotions for characters you don't expect. I have no idea how Adrienne does it, building this world, bringing these individual arcs into the main story and I have no idea what's going to happen next and I love it! 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now one of my favorites of this series. I love how Wilder explored the background of Ishtar and Pandora, and we see more of the machinations of the various players as the Tide approaches. Excellent storytelling as always!

Incidentally, this was my 1000th book entry on Goodreads!

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of spoilers-0.5 stars

So if you’re reading this you’re like me and frustrated enough to read in the hopes to find things out. Wrong! From Crocuta through the stone God we’re told that there are multiple stories going on at the same time and yes we see that. And it’s all suppose to come together in the “EPIC BATTLE” for the doxies. There is not epic battle, none of the stories come together, and no questions are answered. Idk maybe there is suppose to be another book? I hope so but I also hate it. Pandora’s heart is nothing but repetitive filler. When Ishtar gets his memory back you already know what happened between them but a lot of the book is those memories getting their own chapter, when actually the author could have used that time to tell us what the hell is going on in Purgatory? So Aaron finds Kaleb in Purgatory but the bull god and Malum are gearing up for a battle against Wolf that you never hear about; what ever happened to Wolf? To Purgatory? To the Sphinx and his Doxie? There’s mentioned the Stone God died; how did the Stone God die? One is only left to guess he gave his Doxie to Alton and then what, let himself die? Again no real answer? No men enter the Goddess area so how did Yeteevik get there to capture Ishtar? No answer. The best character is the Leo the Chimera, who the first 3 books are built on and Alton kills him, brings him back as the Chimera only to kill the Chimera and then hint at the fact if they pull out the arrow or whatever Leo will come back to life and you read all the books waiting for this annnndddd... NOTHING? So what’s up with the Chimera? Sonny? Where is Sonny? Every book you hear about Kalebs “trans brother”, Sonny you get to see a glimpse of what a powerful God he could be and sniffed out! No more Sonny, another character that you’re left to wonder about. Alton has a variety of formidable GODS with abilities for this battle and we end up with Pandora coming back to life on a cliff! What?? Also WTH is up with Horus? Is he good bad, going after Alton, what? And the ending you have Alton before the collapse giving idk memories his soul and his butt to Lazarus to protect a Doxie. What Doxie? Or was that a hint at saving Pandora? Because according to the end Pandora came back because it was his 500 year to die and come back. So this book is just a mess. And I feel like I can’t get my precious minuets back that I wasted getting to this book hoping my questions would be answered because after all from book 5-9 were told it all comes down to book 10. So if you read it you read it but it’s not worth it. If I could give a .5 star I would because that’s what it deserves .5. I seriously hope there is another book that’s gonna finish this since it seems to be an incomplete series. Oh! Also what the heck did they ever find with the dead mummies? What came of that? 🙄

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series and I’ll read it to the end no matter what.

That being said, this installment didn’t thrill me like the others. Pandora’s love is epic. There is no doubt about it. But this strayed too far from the meat of the story for me. It felt like a separate stand alone.

I’ve been waiting to see what’s been happening to all the characters. And there are a lot. There is so much happening simultaneously and this part just stalls out.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I’m seriously going nuts waiting for the next one. This series has been an amazing ride and I fell in love and became addicted with the first book.

Adrienne has literally created a world that I love to escape to. The storyline is so complex and intertwined that I have to re-read books to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

If you haven’t read the Bound Gods series, you are missing out!! You will fall in love with the sexy doxies and most of the gods, won’t say all because a few are turds.

Pandora has been a favorite of mine since he was introduced in the series, his story is beautifully tragic and so spot on for his personality. This is a MUST read, you won’t be disappointed.

[Li Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This leaves you breathless, it’s so amazing. It’s a very dark series and I love every single book in it. It’s a must read if you like your tales dark and full of intrigue and horror . Can’t wait for more. An absolute must read

[Wendy Woolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for Pandoras book and wasn't disappointed. Part of the bound gods series make sure you have read the rest.
I loved it.
There were tears but I knew there would be.
I love the whole series so much it's a much darker view of mythology that you may have heard of before but set in a whole new world...kind off lol
Definitely a must read.

[Aguita de coco lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace tiempo que no daba 5⭐ a un libro, pero hoy siento que he leído una historia que realmente se las merece.

Me sorprendió encontrarme con un TITÁN que, en realidad, es un dragón. ¡¿Cómo?! No me esperaba para nada a este animal gigantesco (que me encantaaaaa) ni su particular forma de relacionarse con Pandora "el Dios que no es un Dios",.

No es el típico amor a primera vista ni nada empalagoso. Istar ha vivido siempre solo y enjaulado, y muestra una clara falta de empatía por ese Dios a quien considera más útil como tentempié que como un esclavo a su servicio. ¿Se lo comió? Spoiler: yo creo que sí 😈😂.

Debo decir que esta autora es una genio; todos sus libros poseen una complejidad cautivadora. Nos desvela mundos fantásticos, distópicos y contemporáneos que te atrapan y te vuelan la cabeza con su originalidad. Leer a Adrienne es tener la certeza de que vas a sorprenderte, a vivir la historia y a descubrir un nuevo universo. En este libro lo ha vuelto a hacer, y con creces.

Sobre la saga en general
Dado que este es uno de los últimos volúmenes de la serie, aprovecho para dejaros mi opinión sobre el resto. El mundo que se revela en esta saga crece a medida que avanzan las entregas. Es cierto que los primeros libros son más eróticos que otra cosa; por mi parte, me enganché de verdad a la trama sobre el quinto o sexto libro.

No es que los anteriores no fueran interesantes (y muy hot), es que a partir del cuarto o quinto volumen la historia deja de ser puro erotismo para dar protagonismo al desarrollo de la trama y al worldbuilding.

A ver, me gusta la erótica y entiendo que, por la temática, es normal que tengan un nivel elevado, pero al final puedes llegar a empalagarte. De hecho, tardé meses en leer los primeros, mientras que del sexto en adelante me los devoré "a millón por segundo". Creo que, en la época en la que se escribieron los inicios de la saga, ese estilo era lo más demandado.

De todas formas, no me arrepiento de haber pasado por ahí, porque eso me permitió llegar a los últimos libros. Sin duda, las historias de Marú (9) e Istar (10) han sido mis favoritas.

En fin, espero seguir descubriendo escritoras como Adrienne, que saben cómo traducir lo complejo y convertirlo en algo fascinante. ¡Muchas gracias, Adrienne Wilder, por todas las historias que has dado al mundo!

[Nori H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I just finished the Pandora’s Heart, the last of Adrienne Wilder’s published series, Bound Gods. Once again I’m left with a sense of distress and sadness as Adrienne’s world catches me up in the pain, the ecstasy, the suffering, and the despair her Doxies, gods, the Titan, Pandora, and the humans all wreak upon one another. Greed and the lust for power continue to drive evil actions and no one except the gentle Doxies and a smattering of other beings are willing to just live and let live. Betrayal, violence, and grief continue to be an overarching theme, along with the siren call of love, loyalty, and kindness that occasionally peeks out from behind Adrienne’s stormy dark stories. And what the heck was going on at the very end with Alton and Lazarus 10 years before the Economic Collapse? I’m still mad at Adrienne for killing Leo and the Chimera thus causing Kaleb the most excruciating grief and pain possible in a Doxie’s life. Adrienne Wilder possesses the story teller’s gift of being able to capture a reader’s interest to the point of feeling emotionally engaged in what happens to the characters and what’s going to happen next. And it’s been 4 years since Pandora’s Heart! Adrienne, please publish the next book(s)! Oh, wait a minute…. Adrienne calls that “edging”.

[Millie SK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing

I thought I was obsessed with Kaleb and Leo, I didn’t know what I was missing until I read this book about Pandora and Ishtar. I think I have fallen in love with them more. Their chemistry was so palpable and electric, I thought I was there with them. I felt all kinds of emotion reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I was sad, I was angry and finally I was happy for the MCs. Ishtar is the most hilarious character i’ve read by this writer. As much as he’s a titan, he’s so in-tuned with his emotion. I hurt for these two people “guys”. They overcame so much to be together, and in the end people where still trying to use them against each other. I know we don’t always get what we want, but I have so many many things that I would love to do Yeetavik and Horus. But I’m gonna have to trust Ishtar or the Chimera to take care of them for me. The end was so sad I’m finally trying to understand Alton. I don’t think I hate him anymore, he does care about the doxies. Can’t wait for the next book. This timeline is definitely my favorite.

[Sarah Nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Ive enjoyed this series, clearly since I've read 10 books of it lol and I thought this was the last book but it's not. Unfortunately as the series has progressed the plot has gotten complex and difficult to follow, I find myself skimming through a lot especially because we are being introduced to SO MANY new characters each book and there are so many different subplots that I can't even imagine how the author will be able to wrap them all up.

I'm in too deep now and I'm interested in how all these overarching storylines will all come together so I'll continue with the series but I've been enjoying each book less and less, and I just find myself wanting to get back to my favourite characters and the more characters I'm introduced too, the less invested I am in their arcs.

Just now realizing that this book was published 6 years ago so perhaps I'll never get the ending :(

[addicted reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series

I think what bothered me the most was what a whiny bi%$h Ishtar was. He is a titan! Controlled by a collar? I didn't like it. I love this series, but this book was such a letdown. I read it first when it came out in May of 2019; I gave it another try in 2020. Still unhappy. Why is Ishtar so powerless? He is a titan! I also don't get why it is over a year later, and there is no next book? Sicari would have been better received if the author had finished bound gods. Sicari felt like a throw away. I didn't even read book 3 of sicari because I kept thinking about bound gods. Why you trying to throw this bs in there? I really think you did pandora wrong. Ishtar was a spoiled brat. Not likeable at all.

[AGandyGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an absolute mess!!!!

Good lord. Where does Adrienne come up with this? This world and story has expanded into one hell of a beautiful series. My heavens. I cannot wait for more.

So many characters I loved and many I want to know what the hell happened to them. My heart breaks with the prospects.

[Shu Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should probably go back and give all of these books a five star rating, since I reread all the previous nine, just to be fully ready to enjoy this one when it came out. And....liked them even better the second time around. So maybe I'll read all ten again when the 11th book comes out, who knows!?

[Margie Tooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken!

The best Bound God's yet. This broke me in so many ways. Adrienne knows how to kill a piece of your soul and bring it back to life in the same sentence. He is a master storyteller. Bravo . A must read.

[Marcia Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg

I've been waiting for Pandora' s story and it was a great love story. Really unexpected twists and turns but I was really hoping to hear about Leo and Kaleb. Hoping for another book to find out what's happening.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've binge read the whole series in like a week and a half. I saw on your website that there might be 2 more books after this. I can't wait to read those as well, hopefully soon? So good I can't stop thinking about em lol

[Davina Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all 10 Books

I liked all the books. Each following the characters through. My only puzzlement is why write so much about Kaleb, build him up to be such an integral part then send him to Purgatory never to be heard of again? He should have been a part of the finale with Leo.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relationship between Pandora and Ishtar, just so unexpected. I went into this series for smut and came out with a broken heart about 2 dozen times. I need the last two books, I will sell my soul, just give me the PO box address, please.

[Elliott Warrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite yet...

These books just keep getting better and better and I can't wait for the next. Beautiful storytelling by a truly unique writer. As addictive as ambrosia.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragons and Phoenixes

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again I was hooked

Once I start reading these stories I can't stop.
I just wish they were longer. Can't wait for the next book.