OYENTE

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It made me really, really sad

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
1 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-12-24

Alright, it's a book. It's not real. A fantasy. Maybe perfect if you have fantasies involving humiliation by overpowering men, dubious consent, a rapey hero. Good for you, own it! But it wasn't for me.

An 18 year old girl kidnapped by a bunch of entitled rich and handsome lords, humiliated, ruined, ogled, touched and finally seduced by one of them. Couldn't read past chapter 4, where she saves him from drowning - only the drowning was a ruse, The hero is absolutely despicable IMO. I understand he falls in love with her and marries her in the end, but won't read the rest to find out.

The heroine is believable, taking into account the period. The saddest part is that during those times, when women were property, at the mercy of the men in their lives, and were raised to fit that role, Godrick, - kidnapper, rake, seducer, is her best option for happiness in life. What other options had she really? The unscrupulous uncle? The horrible villain? A mythical husband that she dreamed to find, ruined as she was? Escaping and living on the streets? Why fight Godrick?

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Still confused

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-03-24

I come from a society that is very traditional and where religion-based unacceptance of LGBTQIA+ people is the norm. I recently heard about multiple genders actually being scientifically proven and enthusiastically searching books about this, I found this book. I feel somewhat deflated now that it seems it isn't actually "proven". As it's the first book I read on this subject, it would be too soon for me to form an opinion one way or the other, though.

Two points I want to ellaborate on:

I didn't realise that in Western society, being merely gay or lesbian was so passè and that gender as a spectrum theory, radical feminism and trans activism were so mainstream as this book seems to suggest. I feel so medieval now...

Being somewhat outside of this debate, I have this inkling of an idea that maybe the author and the "gender as a spectrum" proponents aren't talking about the same concept when talking about "gender". Maybe I'm wrong, but multiple gender advocates seem to refer to what the author of this book calls "gender (non)conformity" - of which she agrees that it presents on a spectrum. Terms should be more clearly defined and maybe then a consensus can be reached?

I will continue my researches on this subject and I am very, very curious how this debate will look like in 10 years.

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And now I have Book hangover...

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-11-24

Wow! What a culmination to this amazing series! Intelligently written, nuanced, superb plot. Characters have so many shades. Will is a hero like in all the classical detective stories - the strong, capable and handsome detective, returned to the police to fight crime. It's a wonder how a 30-year old police detective can still believe that the world is divided into "good guys" and "bad guys", and that he knows which is which. But he is forced to lose his innocence - his convictions about the world are inexorably demolished, chapter by chapter, to reveal lies, infuriating smugness, manipulation, and so much ugliness.
It's not the obvious villains that are the worst (all the villains from the two previous books make a comeback, and Eve Kelly is more fascinating and hair-raising than ever! And, strangely, she's with the good guys here. Almost.)
Everything is spiralling down the drain for poor Will - last, but not least, his love life. But he and his brother-in-arms James go to war like two knights of old and he finally gets his boy back (although the boy actually never left - the phrase "idiots in love" says it all - and the boy rescues himself, again, and he rescues the valiant hero, again, in an ironic reversal of roles).
It doesn't matter in the end who rescued whom, the hero has his boy beside him, and everything is right with the world. Not all the bad guys are vanquished - food for a 4th book in the series? or maybe Will and James are just human heroes and not superheroes, "and that's life". Thank you, Dal Maclean, for this fabulous story!

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It's open season for beautiful Tom

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-11-24


Almost everybody in this book is exceptionally beautiful, and most of all adorable, self-aware and smart Tom, the object of everyone's obsession. Again, very nuanced characters, except maybe for Will, who has the excuse that, because he needs to appear cool, calm and collected in front of Tom, manages to become totally impenetrable (he's actually a complete mess - but you'll have to read the 3rd book for his perspective). Beautiful Tom is a model, so he must be shallow, obsessed with designer clothes and parties, and a narcissist, right? As the book unfolds, we realize it's just a persona he cultivates. He wears his shallow model mask as an armor, because the alternative would be total vulnerability, something he's not prepared to show, especially to Will. I loved how he regards himself with a clinical - and cynical - eye. His (self-)ironic musings about how in a model, blankness and a sort of a "bewildered" look is confused with character is, I think, a very good commentary about the entire book, just like Ben's photos were for the first book in this series. He is aware he's beautiful, of course, but it's just a facet of him, and he's convinced that the people nearest to him see it that way, too - which is endearingly naive. Or, in his fear of his deep feelings for Will, he made himself numb to everything and so, became a victim of manipulation and gaslighting? Hmmm... In any case, he's incredulous at the level of obsession his person engenders in the people around him. But in the end, he snaps out of it and he's the one that figures out the killer's motives, saves himself and Will, too - funny, right, with all the big bad police detectives around. And so funny that the detectives fall prey to the gaslighting more than him! (Not that anybody feels the urge to laugh at the time). Also a great food for thought - how manipulative the police is during interrogations.
Again, brilliant murder plot, perfectly paced, another book that got my thoughts churning.

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A revelation!

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-10-24

A new author for me, and what a revelation! This is one of those series that gives you a massive book hangover.

It starts slowly and rather conventionally, with a crime and an apparently run-of-the-mill police detective. But then, everything starts to unfold...

Characters are complex and revealed to the listener in layers. At first, they seem generic - a detective, a playboy, some police officers, the usual suspects. Then, more is revealed, and they become completely incongruous. Then you start to see motivations and reasons and background, and the puzzle becomes a complete image.

There's a bit of a controversy, and here's my 2 cents: is James a doormat or not? At first glance, yes - so much so, that one can't fail to draw parallels between him and Eve Kelly's slavish accolytes. Anyone's knee jerk reaction is to wish James packed his bags and hightailed it out of there. But the situation is more nuanced than that - I think he recognizes something in Ben that doesn't go with Ben's playboy persona, something that could be a game changer.

It's also a book that raises a lot of big questions and makes you think: are criminals, and people in general, redeemable? (except for Eve Kelly, who is on a separate shelf, all by herself)? The old controversy about "nature vs. nurture". Physical beauty, and how it really means nothing and how it hides the rot beneath (Ben's photos come to mind!). What a big hand pure chance and the decisions of others have in people's lives. Yeah, it's one of those books.

The actual murder plot was brilliant and left me in tears at the conclusion.

5 very well deserved stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 from me.

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