Andrew

A rough but promising start

Revisado: 12-14-23

I loved the characters, each feeling fleshed out. the conflicts certainly steamed from real character beliefs so nothing felt contrived. I felt so bad for how roughly Butcher treated his main character, but that makes said characters development so much more satisfying.

I was repeatedly frustrated with characters suddenly not knowing things they'd known earlier, particularly the main character who understands what's going on one minute, then needs it explained to him the next.

Ultimately a good read and I'll be picking up the next one, but it is a bit rough with a few moments that took me out of the story.

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Honestly, I'm surprised

Revisado: 04-22-23

TI;DR: I'd recommend it to anyone who reads his other works and isn't too insecure. Honestly (without sarcasm or and cruel intentions) if you feel any insecurity about your masculinity or gender roles and such, a lot of this book's gonna be like that bit of popcorn that gets in your teeth and drives you mad.

I read this because I'm familiar with the authors other pen names and was curious about the negative reviews.

In the end I actually enjoyed it. I'm glad I gave it a shot and muddled through the times I just wanted the main character to go all John of Arc on everyone and instead judged the book on what it is. A pervy Jane Austin novel where the women have dicks and the men give birth.

It's not a traditional male power fantasy. It can be annoying to read a man of such... low ambition when in this genre. Sometimes I felt like I didn't quite get what real world aspects of masculinity and femininity crossed over to this book and what didn't. For example I don't actually know what the standards of beauty are in this world other then women are still supposed to look somewhat be pretty and curvy even when they huge and muscular.

I'm actually a bit sadened to hear there won't be follow up books in this series and if anything that's the main reason I'd offer for why not to read it.

A few notes on the "problems" with the book:

To be frank, some of the people who hate this book are correct. Though I feel like this is closer to his usual books then many detractors would admit (impossibly appealing man wraps everyone around his fingers to achieve his goals) it's not the standard wish fulfilment usually written by this author.

The main character is weak and vulnerable almost all the time, entirely at the whims of others. He can be a touch flighty, especially at the start, and the whole concept of the "honour of duty" seems to be all that keeps him from legging it.

The matriarchy is also a tad weak. literally a gender flip, this book is basically just swapping the genitals around and using belt buckles as something pretty you by a lover rather the necklaces.

It can feel cringe inducing when the somewhat inconsistent gender roles have had him acting largely like a man only for him to suddenly act quite feminine: see any time tea is involved.

But I don't read these books for the in depth, over designed world building I'd read a Sanderson novel for. I read them because sometimes life's a drag and a bit of fun escapism can be just what I need. In that regard, I was honestly surprised how much I enjoyed this book.

The main character has more agency then some negative reviews claim. He identifies problems and addresses them. If anything his competence makes me wonder why he's not more proactive about working independent of women. In the end the main problem for most will be his goals: to be a good husband.

The romance is interesting and while I always find myself a touch stubborn when it comes to changing views on characters (I never did like the Dutchess in Fostering Foust no matter how much the author told us to) the relationships all felt like they developed well.

The main characters an interesting and mostly consisted character too and the setting could easily have made him more boring or annoying then he ended up being.

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What a blast.

Revisado: 04-14-20

A great story with characters that all feel amazingly real. I would defiantly recommend this story if you've read the last few books. If you haven't read the others, go do that.

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A fun enough story but without a lot of depth

Revisado: 01-26-20

Brilliantly narrated but otherwise mostly unremarkable. Though saying that I'm going to listed to the rest so it's defiantly not bad. A basic story that will give you a pleasant ride without too much conflict. I liked that though the world building wasn't too deep it was well built and nothing felt tacked on or out of place and the characters where fun, though like my review says, basic. Achieves everything I think it set out to do and generally a good time.

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A classic everyone should listen to.

Revisado: 09-25-19

I've put off reading this book for a long time but after finally reading it I'm kicking myself for not reading this books years ago. A brilliant book. If I had a critasism it's that a few of the earlier plot points and twists rely on the stupidity of the characters. It can be a bit annoying but other then that it was a cracking book.

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What an interesting take.

Revisado: 06-02-19

As a warning I would mention this feels a tad more a character drama then a detective mystery. that being said this was an intriguing book and well worth the listen with entertaining characters and a lovable setting. My only real critique is the ending feels a tad soft. I'd defiantly recommend.

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I've been hooked on this.

Revisado: 05-31-19

I won't spin out an overly long eeview. suffice to say I really loved this book. If you like the last two books then you had better read this one.

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From strong to even stronger

Revisado: 05-28-19

A fantastic story and a brilliant romance.

Everything great about the first of the series but with the refining and perfection needed to perfect the series. Any problems I had with the series are gone and everything I loved about the first book is even better in this instalment.

Well worth a read.

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simply wonderful

Revisado: 05-26-19

An absolute delight from start to finish. of you're looking for a good urban fantasy you have on right here. If you're looking for a strong romance you have one here. If you want a brilliant performance look no further. I cannot recommend this enough.

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Made me love characters I wanted to hate.

Revisado: 05-25-19

I have an odd quirk with romance; I really can't stand overly pushy/forceful love interests. In spite of this, the story was so enjoyable I just couldn't stop. I really thought the characterisation was incredibly well done and the overall story was fun and not as predictable as you might think. A few times I thought the foreshadowing on key points was a bit underdone but better then too in your face. A brilliant read and you'll love every one of the characters. My only real gripe is in a world of very 3d characters the love interest was a bit too 2d. A bit of a plain knight in shining armour, but that seems to have largely be intentional. I love any time a romance has a larger story that neither relies too much on or ignores the romantic relationship. Threw me off my predictions a few times. Made me love characters I had every intention of hating. Hell, the damn book made me rethink some of the times I've played it safe rather then risk getting hurt. A great read, give it a shot.

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