Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.31k reviews by:
horrorbutch
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Finn has just moved to a new place where everything is different. He is quite excited to get to know the woods around his house. He soon makes a new friend, Ivan, whose parents own a local wolf center. After falling in love with the wolves Finn decides to work at the shelter. But he definitely feels more for Ivan than for other friends and it is similar with Adrian. After a short period of confusion he realizes that he likes them both.
The characters are very nicely written and I enjoyed Adrian being asexual. I also loved that there was a nice polyamorous relationship in this novel and how the ace character was included. The only time that anything sexual happens between the two other characters it is off page, which definitely fit the novel.
On the one hand it was very nice that nobody had a problem with Adrian being ace, with them all being gay or with them being in a polyamorous relationship. There wasn't even one bad word from any of the kids in school! It was very nice and sweet, which definitely felt good.
But on the other hand the only conflict that existed in this novel was because of some bullies. And even one of the bullies got a redemption arc... So it felt a bit too sweet for me at times.
All in all this book was quite nice and I definitely love it for portraying a sweet polyamorous relationship featuring an ace character, but it was a bit too short to really get to know the characters. There could have been a bit more going on in the story and it could have been a bit longer. I would love a novel so we could get to know the boys better!
Why I read it: a polyamorous relationship with an ace character? Uhm yes, sign me up!!! (I love nice poly relationships!! And diversity!!!)
Do I recommend it: If you're looking for a sweet and short story, this is definitely the book for you. It is written very well and the wolves are just adorable!
Finn has just moved to a new place where everything is different. He is quite excited to get to know the woods around his house. He soon makes a new friend, Ivan, whose parents own a local wolf center. After falling in love with the wolves Finn decides to work at the shelter. But he definitely feels more for Ivan than for other friends and it is similar with Adrian. After a short period of confusion he realizes that he likes them both.
The characters are very nicely written and I enjoyed Adrian being asexual. I also loved that there was a nice polyamorous relationship in this novel and how the ace character was included. The only time that anything sexual happens between the two other characters it is off page, which definitely fit the novel.
On the one hand it was very nice that nobody had a problem with Adrian being ace, with them all being gay or with them being in a polyamorous relationship. There wasn't even one bad word from any of the kids in school! It was very nice and sweet, which definitely felt good.
But on the other hand the only conflict that existed in this novel was because of some bullies. And even one of the bullies got a redemption arc... So it felt a bit too sweet for me at times.
All in all this book was quite nice and I definitely love it for portraying a sweet polyamorous relationship featuring an ace character, but it was a bit too short to really get to know the characters. There could have been a bit more going on in the story and it could have been a bit longer. I would love a novel so we could get to know the boys better!
Why I read it: a polyamorous relationship with an ace character? Uhm yes, sign me up!!! (I love nice poly relationships!! And diversity!!!)
Do I recommend it: If you're looking for a sweet and short story, this is definitely the book for you. It is written very well and the wolves are just adorable!
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kyle, Sara and Tim are on the run. They don't know where they are going exactly, but they have survived 13 years already and they plan to keep going. When their last hideout is destroyed they have to run again, taking a little girl, the sole survivor of a bunch of scientists, with them. And if all of that wasn't hard enough already, Kyle suffers from unexplained blackouts and terrible headaches and there is a monster with unimaginable power after them.
This post-apocalyptic world is filled with monsters and a few remaining humans struggling for survival. We get thrown right into the story where Kyle, Sara and Tim are hiding for the night. It is definitely an action-filled book and there is always something happening. Those poor characters could never catch a break.
Kyle is the leader of the team, but recently he's become less reliable due to unexplained flashbacks during which he looses a lot of time and could endanger all their lives. He used to travel with his girlfriend and his best friend. After their deaths he nearly went mad with grief before finding Sara. He now wants to protect his friends.
Sara suffered trough a traumatic childhood full of abuse at the hands of her church because she kissed a girl (both are only mentioned in passing and as there are no other girls Sara's age there is no romance at all in this novel). She witnessed her mum's and sister's death in a car accident when her powers appeared. She is one of the rare scanners, able to sense all monsters. This however makes her vulnerable to the most evil monster of all.
Tim's family died during the first apocalyptic week and he has been traveling alone since then until he met Kyle and Sara. Despite his young age he is quite good with a gun, but Kyle's continuous nagging makes him incredible angry.
Kaylee is a little girl whose mother was a scientist. But when they had to leave their Bunker and go out in the open all of them were killed. She is rescued by Kyle, Sara and Tim and together they try to travel to another place that might exist and might be safe.
The setting was quite interesting, but the world building was lacking. While we were told what happened at the beginning of the apocalypse it only happened in very short flashbacks and there was no real explanation for anything, not where the monsters came from nor where Sara got her powers.
It was also quite confusing to read, especially since Kyle's flashbacks kept throwing me back in time and for a long time it's not really explained who the people in the flashbacks are, which I found annoying. The chapters were split between Kyle and Sara. Kyle's chapters offered me a great insight in his character, but Sara's chapters dealt more often with her ability as a scanner and her receiving other people's feelings or reading their dreams. Because of that I could never really connect to Sara. There is also no real voice for Kaylee, which was especially disappointing as I thought since she was on the cover, she would play a more important role.
The ending gives a bit of hope but leaves a lot of things open, which kinda made sense, but also left me feeling unsatisfied.
So all in all it was a nice book with a nice idea, but the world building was lacking a lot and the characters didn't really connect to me.
Why I read it: I wanted to read some more post-apocalyptic stories and the cover looked really nice.
Do I recommend it: It might be more fun for younger audiences? But no, not really.
Kyle, Sara and Tim are on the run. They don't know where they are going exactly, but they have survived 13 years already and they plan to keep going. When their last hideout is destroyed they have to run again, taking a little girl, the sole survivor of a bunch of scientists, with them. And if all of that wasn't hard enough already, Kyle suffers from unexplained blackouts and terrible headaches and there is a monster with unimaginable power after them.
This post-apocalyptic world is filled with monsters and a few remaining humans struggling for survival. We get thrown right into the story where Kyle, Sara and Tim are hiding for the night. It is definitely an action-filled book and there is always something happening. Those poor characters could never catch a break.
Kyle is the leader of the team, but recently he's become less reliable due to unexplained flashbacks during which he looses a lot of time and could endanger all their lives. He used to travel with his girlfriend and his best friend. After their deaths he nearly went mad with grief before finding Sara. He now wants to protect his friends.
Sara suffered trough a traumatic childhood full of abuse at the hands of her church because she kissed a girl (both are only mentioned in passing and as there are no other girls Sara's age there is no romance at all in this novel). She witnessed her mum's and sister's death in a car accident when her powers appeared. She is one of the rare scanners, able to sense all monsters. This however makes her vulnerable to the most evil monster of all.
Tim's family died during the first apocalyptic week and he has been traveling alone since then until he met Kyle and Sara. Despite his young age he is quite good with a gun, but Kyle's continuous nagging makes him incredible angry.
Kaylee is a little girl whose mother was a scientist. But when they had to leave their Bunker and go out in the open all of them were killed. She is rescued by Kyle, Sara and Tim and together they try to travel to another place that might exist and might be safe.
The setting was quite interesting, but the world building was lacking. While we were told what happened at the beginning of the apocalypse it only happened in very short flashbacks and there was no real explanation for anything, not where the monsters came from nor where Sara got her powers.
It was also quite confusing to read, especially since Kyle's flashbacks kept throwing me back in time and for a long time it's not really explained who the people in the flashbacks are, which I found annoying. The chapters were split between Kyle and Sara. Kyle's chapters offered me a great insight in his character, but Sara's chapters dealt more often with her ability as a scanner and her receiving other people's feelings or reading their dreams. Because of that I could never really connect to Sara. There is also no real voice for Kaylee, which was especially disappointing as I thought since she was on the cover, she would play a more important role.
The ending gives a bit of hope but leaves a lot of things open, which kinda made sense, but also left me feeling unsatisfied.
So all in all it was a nice book with a nice idea, but the world building was lacking a lot and the characters didn't really connect to me.
Why I read it: I wanted to read some more post-apocalyptic stories and the cover looked really nice.
Do I recommend it: It might be more fun for younger audiences? But no, not really.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a collection of stories by Native American writers most of them identifying as LGBT+ or two-spirit, all of them featuring a story about love. Romantic
The book begins with three introductions, one written by Hope Nicholson, the editor, the other two are from Grace L. Dillon and Niigaan Sinclair, describing what Two-Spirit people are and explaining why this anthology is so incredible important.
I probably missed a lot of things considering I’m a white european cis woman, but these stories were wonderful and even though I didn’t understand everything, I admire these stories and the writers.
Aliens – Richard Van Camp. The story is told by a nameless man and he tells us the love story of his niece Shandra and Jimmy. Jimmy is probably an intersex man. The story was quite hard to read as it was in passive voice and the alien subplot didn’t really make sense to me, I would have loved something more about them. I think that this is one of the slower stories of this book and sadly I didn't really feel anything about it. 1/5
Legends are made, not born – Cherie Dimaline. After his mother died, the narrator of the story lives with Auntie Dave, a two-spirit person. They live in a reservoir and the story features some lovely mythology. 3/5
Perfectly You - David A. Robertson. Emma has met Cassie in a coffee shop, but even though she has her number she doesn’t dare to call her. When she agrees to undergo a scientific experiment to test a machine which can form a virtual relatity. This experience definitely serves as a big eye-opener for Emma. It’s a very sweet love story. 4/5
The Boys Who Became The Hummingbirds – Daniel Heath Justice. A boy who lives in a grey world where all colour has long ago been dimmed, dares to be different. Stranger Boy faces abuse and beatings but still he decides to show his true colours and with the help of Shadow Boy colour slowly returns to the world. The writing of this story is truly magical. 4/5
NÉ ŁE! – Darcie Little Badger. A Sci-Fi story set in Space. Dottie is on her way to Mars, where she will open an animal clinic. Normally she would sleep all nine months of the journey, but as there are problems with the dogs aboard, she gets woken and soon becomes friends with pilot Cora, who also happens to be a lesbian Native. It’s a wonderful Slow-Burn Romance, and it’s probably one of my favorite short stories. Also loads of dogs!!! 5/5
Transitions – Gwen Benaway. This story features a mixed-race trans woman, who tries to pass but doesn’t manage just yet. She decides to try some new hormone pills, offering herself as a human test subject, hoping they can help her. But then weird things start to happen. This story was truly amazing and wonderful to read. 5/5
Impostor Syndrome – Mari Kurisato. Aanji is a machine, wanting to pass as human. She is forced to present as man during work, but with the help of a comatose woman, she finds a way to live her life. The story is very action filled and fast paced and I’ll probably have to read it again to fully understand it, as there are loads of flash backs, but it was definitely interesting to read. 4/5
Valediction at the Star View Motel – Nathan Adler. Eadie has been raised by Native Americans before her mother died. For a long time she was forced to live in Foster Families, but now she returned to Ghost Lake. On a party she meets Mushkeg and immediately feels fascinated by the girl. The story has some references to Charlotte’s Web and Peter Pan. The lesbian romance is very nice. 4/5
Parallax – Cleo Keahna. The last part of this analogy is a poem and it’s a lovely ending to this story. 5/5
I am thankful for the Editor for putting this all together, this is truly any amazing analogy and I enjoyed it a lot! Reading native #ownvoices was an amazing experience and I can just advise everybody to read this book.
This book is a collection of stories by Native American writers most of them identifying as LGBT+ or two-spirit, all of them featuring a story about love. Romantic
The book begins with three introductions, one written by Hope Nicholson, the editor, the other two are from Grace L. Dillon and Niigaan Sinclair, describing what Two-Spirit people are and explaining why this anthology is so incredible important.
I probably missed a lot of things considering I’m a white european cis woman, but these stories were wonderful and even though I didn’t understand everything, I admire these stories and the writers.
Aliens – Richard Van Camp. The story is told by a nameless man and he tells us the love story of his niece Shandra and Jimmy. Jimmy is probably an intersex man. The story was quite hard to read as it was in passive voice and the alien subplot didn’t really make sense to me, I would have loved something more about them. I think that this is one of the slower stories of this book and sadly I didn't really feel anything about it. 1/5
Legends are made, not born – Cherie Dimaline. After his mother died, the narrator of the story lives with Auntie Dave, a two-spirit person. They live in a reservoir and the story features some lovely mythology. 3/5
Perfectly You - David A. Robertson. Emma has met Cassie in a coffee shop, but even though she has her number she doesn’t dare to call her. When she agrees to undergo a scientific experiment to test a machine which can form a virtual relatity. This experience definitely serves as a big eye-opener for Emma. It’s a very sweet love story. 4/5
The Boys Who Became The Hummingbirds – Daniel Heath Justice. A boy who lives in a grey world where all colour has long ago been dimmed, dares to be different. Stranger Boy faces abuse and beatings but still he decides to show his true colours and with the help of Shadow Boy colour slowly returns to the world. The writing of this story is truly magical. 4/5
NÉ ŁE! – Darcie Little Badger. A Sci-Fi story set in Space. Dottie is on her way to Mars, where she will open an animal clinic. Normally she would sleep all nine months of the journey, but as there are problems with the dogs aboard, she gets woken and soon becomes friends with pilot Cora, who also happens to be a lesbian Native. It’s a wonderful Slow-Burn Romance, and it’s probably one of my favorite short stories. Also loads of dogs!!! 5/5
Transitions – Gwen Benaway. This story features a mixed-race trans woman, who tries to pass but doesn’t manage just yet. She decides to try some new hormone pills, offering herself as a human test subject, hoping they can help her. But then weird things start to happen. This story was truly amazing and wonderful to read. 5/5
Impostor Syndrome – Mari Kurisato. Aanji is a machine, wanting to pass as human. She is forced to present as man during work, but with the help of a comatose woman, she finds a way to live her life. The story is very action filled and fast paced and I’ll probably have to read it again to fully understand it, as there are loads of flash backs, but it was definitely interesting to read. 4/5
Valediction at the Star View Motel – Nathan Adler. Eadie has been raised by Native Americans before her mother died. For a long time she was forced to live in Foster Families, but now she returned to Ghost Lake. On a party she meets Mushkeg and immediately feels fascinated by the girl. The story has some references to Charlotte’s Web and Peter Pan. The lesbian romance is very nice. 4/5
Parallax – Cleo Keahna. The last part of this analogy is a poem and it’s a lovely ending to this story. 5/5
I am thankful for the Editor for putting this all together, this is truly any amazing analogy and I enjoyed it a lot! Reading native #ownvoices was an amazing experience and I can just advise everybody to read this book.
Due to mermaid attacks that prevent the people of Eriana Kwai from fishing in the ocean the whole island is suffering from poverty. Every ship they send out to fish got destroyed and it's crew killed. Even the annual Massacres, where 18-year-old boys trained to kill as many mermaids as possible get send out on a ship, can't stop the mermaids and many youths are lost to the Sea. As a last resort they decide to train girls, who can resist mermaid magic. Meela now has to stop thinking about her past and fight for her future. But when the past suddenly catches up on her, it all gets even more complicated.
Meela is a fascinating main character and I enjoyed the flashback into her childhood, it gave way more depth into her character, even though I would have preferred to have the book start with her childhood and only then show us what happened afterwards because with the sudden (really long, definitely a bit too long) flashback I was a bit confused. She formed a wonderful friendship as a child, her trust was one of her defining features. But that trust was betrayed and so she learned to harden her heart, which should help her survive the Massacre.
The book is incredible fast paced and full of action. Mermaids are flesh-eating monsters, waylaying fishing boats and stealing kids from the beach (and they can look seriously monstrous, true stuff right from a nightmare, I love terrifying mermaids!!!). There are amazing fight scenes and while I didn't necessarily like all the girls, I enjoyed reading about them anyway. (even though it was hard keeping twenty girls straight at the beginning) I would however have loved some more insight into Dani's mindset, but I'm pretty sure that's something that will happen in the second book.
I thought I would enjoy this book for its amazing diversity - it's set on an island which is mostly inhabited by dark-haired people with brown skin (there are a few residents with pale skin and blonde hair who can trace their heritage back to the mainland) features a LGBT romance and the MC is an amazing kick-ass girl, she's neither a Damsel in Distress nor a Mary Sue - but it definitely still blew me away. The plot is well thought out and it features so many more amazing things. A predominately non-white female cast, amazing battle scenes and wonderful friendships.
The ending is left open, but thankfully the sequel is out already and I'll buy it as soon as I can.
All in all I adored that book, but there were some points I didn't enjoy as much. The too long flashback nearly turned me off the book and some of the girls acted more like walking stereotypes than real girls or warriors, which took a bit of my enjoyment. The rest of the book however was truly amazing.
Why I read it: It's a book about mermaids featuring a diverse cast and have I mentioned the amazing deadly terrifying mermaids!! The setting is truly amazing.
Do I recommend it: Definitely. This was an incredible enjoyable read with a wonderful romance and I can definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a LGBT book which doesn't focus on the romance with amazing fantasy.
Meela is a fascinating main character and I enjoyed the flashback into her childhood, it gave way more depth into her character, even though I would have preferred to have the book start with her childhood and only then show us what happened afterwards because with the sudden (really long, definitely a bit too long) flashback I was a bit confused. She formed a wonderful friendship as a child, her trust was one of her defining features. But that trust was betrayed and so she learned to harden her heart, which should help her survive the Massacre.
The book is incredible fast paced and full of action. Mermaids are flesh-eating monsters, waylaying fishing boats and stealing kids from the beach (and they can look seriously monstrous, true stuff right from a nightmare, I love terrifying mermaids!!!). There are amazing fight scenes and while I didn't necessarily like all the girls, I enjoyed reading about them anyway. (even though it was hard keeping twenty girls straight at the beginning) I would however have loved some more insight into Dani's mindset, but I'm pretty sure that's something that will happen in the second book.
I thought I would enjoy this book for its amazing diversity - it's set on an island which is mostly inhabited by dark-haired people with brown skin (there are a few residents with pale skin and blonde hair who can trace their heritage back to the mainland) features a LGBT romance and the MC is an amazing kick-ass girl, she's neither a Damsel in Distress nor a Mary Sue - but it definitely still blew me away. The plot is well thought out and it features so many more amazing things. A predominately non-white female cast, amazing battle scenes and wonderful friendships.
The ending is left open, but thankfully the sequel is out already and I'll buy it as soon as I can.
All in all I adored that book, but there were some points I didn't enjoy as much. The too long flashback nearly turned me off the book and some of the girls acted more like walking stereotypes than real girls or warriors, which took a bit of my enjoyment. The rest of the book however was truly amazing.
Why I read it: It's a book about mermaids featuring a diverse cast and have I mentioned the amazing deadly terrifying mermaids!! The setting is truly amazing.
Do I recommend it: Definitely. This was an incredible enjoyable read with a wonderful romance and I can definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a LGBT book which doesn't focus on the romance with amazing fantasy.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Levi's sister just died while on deployment in the Middle East. To deal with his grief Levi, a former reality TV star, decides to hike the Appalachian Trail by himself. It's not easy and at first every second reminds him of his sister, as they had planned to do this trip together. One night he meets the mysterious stranger Thad staring at the moon. For some reason Thad decides to continue hiking with Levi and slowly the two men grow closer.
Levi used to be the star of the Reality TV Show "Trip League". Despite how they portrayed him there, he is not that stereotypical gay man. Mostly he doesn't want to be Levi Garber, the celebrity, anymore, he just wants to be Levi. He is hurt from his recent loss and you can see how much he loved his sister. His relationship with his mother is also amazing. He is a funny and sweet character. Sadly he has some moments where he truly acts TSTL (like not looking where you're going in the middle of a swamp and ups stumbling into a hole...) which really annoyed me.
Thad is a broody loner. He is very closed off and doesn't really talk much. At first he seems like kind of a douche bag, but when he and Levi get closer he slowly starts to open up more. But after their first shared night Thad shuts down completely again and pushes Levi away. The hurt he faced in the past is too painful for him to bear.
The story is told from Levi's perspective and since Thad is very quite about his actual feelings he is a mystery for the readers for a long time. I absolutely enjoyed this
Levi's and Thad's relationship starts very slow, but develops nicely. Despite the story being not a fluffy one, the loss never overwhelms the narrative. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the hike. The character development in this novel was also an amazing one.
Personally I found the Texts from M to be quite annoying. M's part in the story for me didn't really feel right and it just took me out of the story.
The ending is definitely a nice one, with lots of hope for the future. However I didn't enjoy the epilogue, with random pairings from the other books appearing. I could have done well without it.
All in all the story and characters were great, but there were some parts that I didn't really enjoy.
Levi's sister just died while on deployment in the Middle East. To deal with his grief Levi, a former reality TV star, decides to hike the Appalachian Trail by himself. It's not easy and at first every second reminds him of his sister, as they had planned to do this trip together. One night he meets the mysterious stranger Thad staring at the moon. For some reason Thad decides to continue hiking with Levi and slowly the two men grow closer.
Levi used to be the star of the Reality TV Show "Trip League". Despite how they portrayed him there, he is not that stereotypical gay man. Mostly he doesn't want to be Levi Garber, the celebrity, anymore, he just wants to be Levi. He is hurt from his recent loss and you can see how much he loved his sister. His relationship with his mother is also amazing. He is a funny and sweet character. Sadly he has some moments where he truly acts TSTL (like not looking where you're going in the middle of a swamp and ups stumbling into a hole...) which really annoyed me.
Thad is a broody loner. He is very closed off and doesn't really talk much. At first he seems like kind of a douche bag, but when he and Levi get closer he slowly starts to open up more. But after their first shared night Thad shuts down completely again and pushes Levi away. The hurt he faced in the past is too painful for him to bear.
The story is told from Levi's perspective and since Thad is very quite about his actual feelings he is a mystery for the readers for a long time. I absolutely enjoyed this
Levi's and Thad's relationship starts very slow, but develops nicely. Despite the story being not a fluffy one, the loss never overwhelms the narrative. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the hike. The character development in this novel was also an amazing one.
Personally I found the Texts from M to be quite annoying. M's part in the story for me didn't really feel right and it just took me out of the story.
The ending is definitely a nice one, with lots of hope for the future. However I didn't enjoy the epilogue, with random pairings from the other books appearing. I could have done well without it.
All in all the story and characters were great, but there were some parts that I didn't really enjoy.
Rusty's wife Jenny has just died in an accident. The cops who bring him the bad news are Jason and his partner George. For some reason Jason feels immediately drawn to Rusty and decides to visit her burial. When Rusty calls him a month later to invite him to a beer, Jason agrees, wanting to get to know Rusty better. When his feelings grow stronger than just friendship he feels trapped, afraid to get hurt. But George tells him that Rusty feels something for him to. On a holiday in Las Vegas secrets will be revealed.
I enjoyed Jason's character, especially in the beginning where he talked about his job and we got to know him. He takes his job as a cop very seriously, he has a great partner, who is also his best friend and he's been out and proud since his teens.
Rusty however is a bit more closed off, unsure of what he is feeling for Jason and struggling with the loss of his wife.
Thankfully both of them have great friends who are always by their sides, Jason has George, Rusty has Emmy and both of them are well fleshed out characters, who also get quite a bit of spotlight, they enhance the story wonderfully.
At times however the story didn't really flow in my opinion, dialogue didn't really fit and since the book is quite long (or at least it felt really long) the plot dragged along for quite a while. and while the writing at the beginning and in the ending is very good, it kind of drops during the middle of the book, which is quite disappointing. I also found the constant changes of perspective, often in the middle of chapters to be really confusing.
Something that really bothered me was the non-use of the word bisexual. Despite Rusty affirming that he loved Jenny, his former wife, and people constantly saying that he would have probably stayed with her and truly loved her if she hadn't died, everybody, Rusty included, is quick to label him as gay. Former Straight turned Gay. The worst thing was probably said by Emmy when she first said that sexuality is not a black-and-white issue and that many people are not 100% straight and 100% gay. But of course a "true" bisexual is attracted 50/50. Everything else (like more attraction to man than woman) means Not-Bisexual. (People can lean more towards one gender and they are still bi!)
*deep breath* Apart from this and the writing issues the story was nice. I enjoyed the characters and it was an interesting setting. The ending is really great though.
I enjoyed Jason's character, especially in the beginning where he talked about his job and we got to know him. He takes his job as a cop very seriously, he has a great partner, who is also his best friend and he's been out and proud since his teens.
Rusty however is a bit more closed off, unsure of what he is feeling for Jason and struggling with the loss of his wife.
Thankfully both of them have great friends who are always by their sides, Jason has George, Rusty has Emmy and both of them are well fleshed out characters, who also get quite a bit of spotlight, they enhance the story wonderfully.
At times however the story didn't really flow in my opinion, dialogue didn't really fit and since the book is quite long (or at least it felt really long) the plot dragged along for quite a while. and while the writing at the beginning and in the ending is very good, it kind of drops during the middle of the book, which is quite disappointing. I also found the constant changes of perspective, often in the middle of chapters to be really confusing.
Something that really bothered me was the non-use of the word bisexual. Despite Rusty affirming that he loved Jenny, his former wife, and people constantly saying that he would have probably stayed with her and truly loved her if she hadn't died, everybody, Rusty included, is quick to label him as gay. Former Straight turned Gay. The worst thing was probably said by Emmy when she first said that sexuality is not a black-and-white issue and that many people are not 100% straight and 100% gay. But of course a "true" bisexual is attracted 50/50. Everything else (like more attraction to man than woman) means Not-Bisexual. (People can lean more towards one gender and they are still bi!)
*deep breath* Apart from this and the writing issues the story was nice. I enjoyed the characters and it was an interesting setting. The ending is really great though.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ash and Hayvn love each other, but as the society they live in despises their love, they have to keep it a secret. Unlike humans elves accept same-gender love, but they do not accept an elf loving a human, as it will only cause pain when the human dies and the immortal elf lives on. But then Ash and Hayvn are chosen to save the world. On their journey they can finally express their feelings for each other without having to hide all the time. But the journey is dangerous and the strain of it could easily separate them.
I enjoyed the world building, it was a nice high-fantasy setting and I got a bit of a Lord of The Rings feeling from it. There are gods and one's role in live (knight, mage etc) corresponds with them. The gods also communicated with them and the struggle between good and evil was nicely explained.
However at points the writing didn't really flow and thoughts weren't well described. Sometimes I was completely lost, for example with Ash' armor. (In one battle he receives a cut to his arm, which bleeds and later on he thinks that his armor is in good shape except for that cut. Which parts of his body does the armor cover?) There were also a couple of grammar mistakes, but as I'm reading an ARC I'll assume that they will be fixed before the book is released.
The ending is really nice though and I loved it! All in all, it was a quick and lovely read.
Ash and Hayvn love each other, but as the society they live in despises their love, they have to keep it a secret. Unlike humans elves accept same-gender love, but they do not accept an elf loving a human, as it will only cause pain when the human dies and the immortal elf lives on. But then Ash and Hayvn are chosen to save the world. On their journey they can finally express their feelings for each other without having to hide all the time. But the journey is dangerous and the strain of it could easily separate them.
I enjoyed the world building, it was a nice high-fantasy setting and I got a bit of a Lord of The Rings feeling from it. There are gods and one's role in live (knight, mage etc) corresponds with them. The gods also communicated with them and the struggle between good and evil was nicely explained.
However at points the writing didn't really flow and thoughts weren't well described. Sometimes I was completely lost, for example with Ash' armor. (In one battle he receives a cut to his arm, which bleeds and later on he thinks that his armor is in good shape except for that cut. Which parts of his body does the armor cover?) There were also a couple of grammar mistakes, but as I'm reading an ARC I'll assume that they will be fixed before the book is released.
The ending is really nice though and I loved it! All in all, it was a quick and lovely read.