3.5/5 Stars

I started reading this book that has been on my shelf for years because of #dicksoapgate and #litsyafterdark. And in the end, I did enjoy it. Is it the best book ever written? Not by any means. Is it one I think will still be popular and have a lasting heartbeat in our future world? Do I think this would be one of the special books saved if there was a pending apocalypse? Probably not. What makes me think this? The way Twilight (Meyer) has fallen by the wayside and isn’t still on everyone’s lips like Harry Potter.

To this reader, this is just this generation's Twilight. Or heck, not even “this generation” but the same generation, only older. Twilight was about death do us part love and so is Court. The difference is, Twilight, like its Mormon author, is relatively clean. There were kisses here and there, but no more until marriage. And even then, things were relatively glossed over. This tale, while not the hard core erotica I was lead to believe, is definitely older and more mature in it’s sexuality. Think paperback romances by authors like Kelypas, Coulter, Michaels, etc. Being that the soap was “Illyrian” I am assuming that the books get more graphic throughout the series, as there was not much Illyrian or blue fae in this novel.

During one break in my reading I mentioned that I was ashamed that I purchased this novel for my YA collection. Now I wouldn’t say so much ashamed, after all, I’m not ashamed to have purchased Twilight, but I do have quite a few problems with this novel. In fact it’s those problems that make me think this book could lead to some excellent discussions among teens and adult alike.

Warning: Spoilers Start HERE!

Let’s start with toxic masculinity. It is all over this book. Tamlin is in Spring Court and they have a rejuvenation rite to welcome the planting season. One thing that is mentioned often is that Fayrah is to stay locked in her room and not come out till morning no matter who comes to the door. Turns out this rite fills Tamlin with lust where is driven to mate to let his magic drain to the earth. And if given a chance he would go after who he wants. Most women want him. They line up to be the eager one chosen. But Fayrah is not filled in on what is going on until she comes to close to tempting fate. My problem with this section is that characters express that Tamlin can not help himself. Bull!!! There are girls and guys I know as young as 12 and 13 reading this. To say that it is OKAY for a person not to be able to help their actions, is not only incorrect, but dangerous. It teaches these impressionable teens that rape culture is okay when it is decidedly not.

How about how much Fayrah actually wants it to happen? Her body is buzzing, and she is hot and bothered, and if Tamlin couldn’t have controlled himself, she would have not only been game but probably having a grand time. Dom/Sub culture does not bother me, but this is not that, this is RAPE CULTURE and we shouldn’t be writing that it is not only okay, but sexy, wanted, and deserved for one person to want to rape another.

Let’s not forget about Rhysand. You know from the first time you meet him that trouble will brew. But soon, you hate him. You hate him for his words, his actions, his very existence. In the end, I still hate him, but also feel put in the same ethical dilemmas as he. His bargain with Fayrah for a week every month. Just so he will heal her broken arm, take away the infection, and give her a fighting chance to live. It reeks of sexual slavery. Especially as the novel progresses and he dresses her in flimsy cloths, paints her like a tart, and gets her drunk night after night. Uggghhhh. So many people say he redeems himself in the other books, but man…..

Rhysand makes Fayrah drink almost every night. It’s an instant drunk. She dances and sits in laps, and pretty much tarts it up, except that she remembers very little of it. She doesn’t want to remember it. So now we are teaching impressionable young readers to deal with their feeling with mind altering substances. Hide the pain away. I know there are some that will say, it was the best recourse because she was in a life or death situation, but still, it’s my prerogative to not like it.

As I said earlier, overall I like the story. Beware, it SCREAMS YA. That’s not a bad thing, but yeah, it is YA, and not just because of the age of the characters. You see this in the wordiness that is prevalent through most of the story. The concentration on the inner thoughts of Fayrah, and the “will she, won’t she” written on every page. It’s another retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while I really enjoyed some of the story changes, some were not necessary, or so drawn out that they muddle the characters and story. There are better YA and erotic retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but at the same time, I can see and understand why this story resonates with so many readers. For some it will just be the limited selection in their past reading lives, but for others it’s the chance to escape. To discover a new world that looks like ours, but looks better, but also worse. You can see today’s problems wrapped in the story line, where a heroine will conquer all for love, and right the topsy turvy world around her.

And while I have only given this book a 3.5/5 stars, I actually think I want to read the next book. Do I need to jump out and go buy it this minute, no. But the next time I need a brainless read to pass a few hours, I might again enter the world of Prythian.