Mallory

Fantastic

Revisado: 07-14-23

[contains spoilers] A space opera with political scheming, seamless technology integration, and a slow burn strangers to lovers romance?! Sign me the hell up, because this was fantastic. The reader was talented and definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.

For a book with lots of tropes (arranged marriage, forced proximity, saving your romantic partner from hyperthermia by getting naked and snuggling) this did not read like a tropey book. The overarching tension of the Resolution, the political dynamic, the murder mystery, and the heartbreaking behavior Jainan displayed throughout the first two thirds of the book allowed the tropes to happen successfully without completely overtaking the rest of the plot. In fact, I could have personally done with more tropey goodness, but it ain’t that kind of book.

The world building here straddled the line between hard and soft science fiction beautifully - there was enough context to set the reader up to understand and to form a complex, obviously alien society, but not so much that it burdened the story down. I loved the breadcrumbs of the Remanants and the forbidden interrogation device, especially when the device proved to be such a character-building MacGuffin later on when Kiem goes into Jainam’s memories.

The characters were incredibly enjoyable, even though some of the misunderstandings between Jainan and Kiem were a little painful to witness as a reader. Jainan’s sense of duty and his pride balanced the fact he developed all kinds of coping mechanisms to survive his abuse. Kiem as a “no one expects anything of me, so why try proving them wrong” character was wonderfully charming and totally unaware of his own value. Bell was freaking badass, and I loved the professor pretending to be a doddering academic while secretly doing whatever it took to find answers. I would have loved a few more scenes of Jainam and Kiem learning to trust one another before the crash in the mountains, but I think that’s my wishful, tropey thinking. I don’t think those extra scenes would have actually added too too much to the story.

I also loved the character concept of the Auditor, with their crazy eye screen and the moment they took it off to get real with Jainam about the consequences of not being a part of the Resolution. The integration of the media was also an interesting element that was done in a very believable way.

Was the ending a little saccharine? Absolutely. Do I mind an over the top happily ever after? Absolutely not.

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Terrible

Revisado: 02-26-23

Even had the narrator been fabulous, though, the book itself was a hot mess. The premise was so promising - queer, fae retelling of Hades and Persephone? Hell yes! Main human character fighting a terminal illness by drinking vampire blood? Hardcore! And yet, this book was all over the place.

All in all - interesting concept with lots of promise, but absolutely horrible execution. This novel was full of sloppy writing with poor characterization and low narrative payoff. The weird narration did nothing to help the quality of the story.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Well read and entertaining story

Revisado: 01-27-23

This review contains mild spoilers.

Was pretty much everything a little expected and trope-y? Oh, absolutely. Did I eat it up with a spoon and wish it was twice as long so I could enjoy more of it? Of course I did.

The concept of the Assassins guild isn’t new, nor is the the idea of controlling the members. But the blood magic, the “father and children” element, granting boons of freedom just to send your next child assassin to clean up loose ends, and the casual cruelty of calling them Hounds in a Kennel … I was totally bought in.

I also expected Julian to be a jerk with the way he was initially described, and I adored the twist to make him his brother’s champion. His self doubt about inheriting his father’s magic and not wanting to turn into him felt a little weak, but overall Julian delighted me.

Whisper was such a great character - frank about his own shortcomings, distracted by giant cats, trying to protect people even when he shouldn’t have any empathy left. His dynamic with Julian was very hot, and easy to fall in love with.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the world building. The casual mentions of creatures like dragons, wyrms and fell cats place the story into a fantasy setting without trying too hard with lengthy, ungainly backstory and exposition. The rivalries between the three countries and political machinations were complex while still being laid out in an easy-to-follow manner. I loved the two queens, and that they got children by way of a biological father without giving him a right to the offspring; that dynamic was explained well and also grounded the character behaviors without needing to use dozens of pages to ascribe importance or motivations.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

An amazing conclusion

Revisado: 01-21-23

This review contains spoilers!

Love, love, LOVE! I have read and enjoyed ten KJ Charles books, and this series - and this book - is my favorite.

The love confessions absolutely slayed me. Kim, for all of his subtleties and stormy past and hard armor, was wonderfully transparent with the dedication in the book; I knew then that it was love, even as Will (wonderful, traumatized, steadfast, obstinate) didn’t or wouldn’t see it for what it was. And when Kim actually said the words - oh, that was delicious.

Even more delicious still … when Will had to take time to process how he felt, confront what mental barriers were stopping him from accepting Kim’s love, have really tough conversations with himself and his partner, rely on his friends and ultimately find his own way to express his feelings!!! Communication and working through mental health is so sexy!!!!!!! And Kim, backing off immediately to give room for that mental work to happen, accepting Will was moving at a different pace, still acknowledging his own feelings without putting pressure on Will to do the same before he had the language and comfort to do so. It was like watching two real people work through something big and precious together, and I adored how it showed their individual growth and how they made one another better.

Also, all the ridiculous things Kim and Will are willing to do for one another … it’s a treat. I was so delighted by every development between them all series long.

I also appreciated the acknowledgement of Will’s PTSD. The first two books certainly demonstrated he was suffering, but this book was even more demonstrative in a way that capitalized naturally onto the foundation the series had built. The detail about Will experiencing phantom smells of mud, gas and blood was chilling, and I noticed throughout the series how his opponents were quickly labeled “the enemy” in a touch of dehumanization that was really explored in the final book.

I literally fist pumped for Phoebe and Maisie. Called it, am delighted about it, want another three books about them being deliciously queer and running the fashion scene in Paris. I also loved how Maisie’s intelligence - emotional and logical - were given such a lovely spotlight here. Her reflections on fitting into boxes and how doing the unexpected is both challenging and freeing was lovely.

And the MYSTERY. Chingford and Lord Flitby were the actual worst, and though I never really believed Chingford was the murderer, I was kept guessing about literally everything else. At one point, I thought we must be getting to the climax of the story and then realized we were only halfway through! There was a moment of “oh wow, something else?!” towards the second-to-last twist, but I was immediately drawn back into the plot and decided I didn’t give a darn anyways.

As always, this narrator is one of the best and gave a beautiful performance.

I’m so glad I read this, and so sad there aren’t any more books to read in the series!

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Fabulous sequel

Revisado: 01-17-23

When the sequel is just as nearly satisfying as the first novel in a series, it’s an unmitigated treat - and that is exactly what this was! The audiobook was narrated brilliantly once again by Cornell Collins, and KJ Charles delivered another tightly-plotted game of intrigue with heartbreakingly human characters living out the best and worst of their natures.

KJ Charles has a knack for writing well-rounded characters. Their motivations make sense, and their behaviors are brilliantly in-character. Kim, Will, Maisie and Phoebe are all developed in a way where they feel like real people, and their actions throughout this novel and the first build onto my understanding of who they are. The supporting cast are just as well-grounded in the shorter amounts of time we as readers spend with them.

The plot here felt a little more snarled than in the first novel, in part because there were lots of names to keep track of. That said, there were breadcrumbs along the way that set up the conclusion perfectly, and a few “aha!” moments that I hadn’t worked out on my own.

From the characters and relationship perspective: It’s important too that they (mainly Will and Kim) continue to make the same mistakes even as they’re learning and striving to do better. They have undeniable chemistry, represent for one another a part of their lives they were missing, and they STILL keep hurting one another for one reason or the other.

I am really looking forward to the final part of the trilogy!

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Twists and turns!

Revisado: 01-15-23

How many times am I going to start a review with “KJ Charles did it again?” Well, at least one more time, because this novel was scrumptious. The narrator is one of the best I’ve heard, giving every character a little something all their own. The plot was full of great twists, and the element of romance was heart wrenching in its fallout, delicious in its execution, and very beautifully human.

KJ Charles does such a lovely job of making an interesting plot aside from the romance, and then using the romance to heighten everything: the tension, the yearning, the stakes and the conclusion.

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Good world building - bad everything else

Revisado: 01-12-23

This review contains spoilers!

I’m really mad that I paid for this book. It was … not great.

Though the world building had potential, it was completely usurped by rotten pacing, extraneous detail, flat characters, inconsistent language, and general disorganization. I’ll also admit that the narrator was monotonous; a talented reader could have done this book so many favors, but even with the best voice actor in the world this would have been rough.

The entire book felt like a first draft. The plot points were there - again, interesting world building! - but there were so many elements that distracted from all the ways the novel could have succeeded:

- the romance felt trite and unbelievable. A long-undead prince and the reincarnation of his lover? Could have been super interesting, exploring insecurities and identity and building something deep based on who two people can be together … or, it can be glazed over and used as a cheap way to go zero to sixty romantically in under two chapters.

- a trans person as a main character, with societal pressures and acceptances. I just read several fantasy books in a row that included trans characters, a few of which had their own language to describe the trans identity - the main difference between the trans people in this book versus other fantasy novels was that this felt like it was being shoved into the story to win points versus being a rich part of the world building and culture. Characters were outing one another; the concept of being kinji was at once very significant and then glossed over in the next moment; and the family dynamics that orphaned the trans character were tied up in a happy little bow in one chapter of “woke grandma saves the day” without having any meaningful conversations about the bigotry that severely impacted the trans person’s childhood.

- literal deus ex machinas. Left right and center. Lazy writing.

- the language swapped from formal, fantasy language to awkwardly modern.

- the dialogue was almost always awkward and stilted.

All in all, the only reason I’m giving this book any stars at all is because the plot had the potential to be compelling. It was imaginative, and used the vampire trope in a cool way. Unfortunately, no one went over this with a good red pen before it got published.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas