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nuttkayc's review against another edition
4.0
Really great book. Way too much focus on romance and the sexy time feelings, but the rest of the book carried along great.
hollyollyoxenfree's review against another edition
3.0
I started out loving this book, convinced it would be at least 4 stars. I'm not sure exactly when, but at some point I started not loving it quite as much. And then by the end I found myself thoroughly disappointed. However, this book did have its good points, and I enjoyed reading it for the most part. One thing I will say, though, is that sometimes it was a little confusing. Either it would switch viewpoints abruptly, or something would be happening that was not quite explained, so it would take me a little while to get on board with it. For the most part, I could overlook that, but occasionally it felt like the author had skipped an explanation and just expected us to know what was being implied, or what the characters were thinking, when, in fact, we did not. Maybe that's just me, or maybe that's a science fiction thing; I don't read a lot of adult sci-fi, so perhaps I was just missing something entirely. I'm not sure. It didn't lessen my enjoyment TOO much, but at times I felt a little out of the loop. I do want to say one thing about the ending. It is not particularly spoilery, more general impressions, but it will be opinions on how I think the ending was handled, so I will hide it in case you don't want to know.
Also, a word of caution: this is a complete story. The next book, while set in the same universe, is not about Ari and Cullin, it is about different characters from this book. So you do
Spoiler
The last few chapters felt like they were being rushed toward a resolution. I liked the pacing throughout the book, and think that the ending could have benefitted from a few more chapters so that things didn't feel nearly as rushed. A lot was squished into the last few chapters, and it all felt a little too tidy, and a little too forced, in such a short span of pages. Perhaps this is just me, but it definitely ruined it a little. Oh well. Overall, I still did like it.Also, a word of caution: this is a complete story. The next book, while set in the same universe, is not about Ari and Cullin, it is about different characters from this book. So you do
lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
A cool, fast paced scifi thriller with a dash of romance, Enemy Within really drew me in!
I liked Ari, our strong, capable female lead who despite being severely psychologically damaged by her capture and torture at the hands of an enemy race, can still fend for and protect herself. I also very much liked our mysterious protagonist, Cullin Seaghdh, who is definitely hiding some secrets of his own but who also shows Ari a vulnerable side. His strong attraction and instinct to protect her made me wary at first but when he acted more like her mate than jailer his sincerity won me over.
The story was intricate with political and social issues and there was quite a bit of gore at it's climax but it was not gratuitous. The victories felt earned as Ari and Cullin fight to defeat a conspiracy before it kills them and destroys an alliance holding much of the intelligent races together.
I am definitely reading more from Marcella Burnard.
I liked Ari, our strong, capable female lead who despite being severely psychologically damaged by her capture and torture at the hands of an enemy race, can still fend for and protect herself. I also very much liked our mysterious protagonist, Cullin Seaghdh, who is definitely hiding some secrets of his own but who also shows Ari a vulnerable side. His strong attraction and instinct to protect her made me wary at first but when he acted more like her mate than jailer his sincerity won me over.
The story was intricate with political and social issues and there was quite a bit of gore at it's climax but it was not gratuitous. The victories felt earned as Ari and Cullin fight to defeat a conspiracy before it kills them and destroys an alliance holding much of the intelligent races together.
I am definitely reading more from Marcella Burnard.
mrssoule's review against another edition
5.0
I made the mistake of starting this book last night at 11pm. I read until I fell asleep reading around 2am. I woke up at 7:30 and kept reading - I did nothing of any use until I'd finished it. It's that awesome. It's got the feel of [b:Shards of Honour|61903|Shards of Honour (Vorkosigan Saga, #1)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392767899s/61903.jpg|9673658] meets [b:Games of Command|352724|Games of Command|Linnea Sinclair|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347389713s/352724.jpg|342949]. Perfect.
lbrychic's review against another edition
2.0
Can't really give it a rating. I did not finish it. I really just couldnt get into it.
jazi62's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it! It grabbed me kept me and I finished it in one sitting.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
Great characters and an interesting world. I had some trouble understanding some plot points/details (pacing issues or too complex for me?) which is why it's not 4 stars.
slc333's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this and thought the author shows a lot of promise. In the same vein as Linnea Sinclair (but not quite as good). My major issue with this this the lack of trust Cullin has in Ari. She trusts him and shows him (even though she has less reason to trust than most after what she has been through). I understand why he might not trust her at first but given that he supposedly loves her his failure to trust her at any point was a sour note. I also didn't like the way she stayed at the end as it didn't feel as if she had a choice. Giving her a real choice (in that they would have allowed her to leave) would have made her staying more worthwhile.
sans's review against another edition
3.0
*sigh* I spent a good amount of time this morning working on a coherent review of this book. And lost it when I tried to post after failing to notice the wifi failed. ~_~ I'm not going to spend another half hour trying to recreate it.
I liked this book but didn't love it. It was a compelling story, I read it one sitting and I'm glad I read it, but it didn't wow me. I liked the main characters, Ari and Cullin, but I didn't love them. I liked their romance but didn't love it and wasn't fully convinced of their feelings for each other. I liked the side characters but more could have been done with them than a few off-handed comments about their pasts.
I did NOT like the buggy bad guy (and I know I wasn't supposed to, so that's good). I got a bit squicked by the last couple of chapters and I think the way the good guys handled the situation was a bit crude. It got a bit...tawdry-feeling at the end. And the final chapter read like a film school screenwriter's attempt at showing how clever they were by showing the reader all those little clues they might have missed. Didn't fly for me. I'm not sure the matter of who hacked into the ships computers was explained, though it might have been and I skimmed right over it. It was almost 4am when I finished reading, so it's very possible I missed quite a bit.
Anyway. A good effort, good writing overall and the world building was very well done. I'll read the next book by this author, but I'm not waiting on tenterhooks for it.
I liked this book but didn't love it. It was a compelling story, I read it one sitting and I'm glad I read it, but it didn't wow me. I liked the main characters, Ari and Cullin, but I didn't love them. I liked their romance but didn't love it and wasn't fully convinced of their feelings for each other. I liked the side characters but more could have been done with them than a few off-handed comments about their pasts.
I did NOT like the buggy bad guy (and I know I wasn't supposed to, so that's good). I got a bit squicked by the last couple of chapters and I think the way the good guys handled the situation was a bit crude. It got a bit...tawdry-feeling at the end. And the final chapter read like a film school screenwriter's attempt at showing how clever they were by showing the reader all those little clues they might have missed. Didn't fly for me. I'm not sure the matter of who hacked into the ships computers was explained, though it might have been and I skimmed right over it. It was almost 4am when I finished reading, so it's very possible I missed quite a bit.
Anyway. A good effort, good writing overall and the world building was very well done. I'll read the next book by this author, but I'm not waiting on tenterhooks for it.
schomj's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Look at me, finishing another book that's been languishing on Mt. TBR for a decade.
Look at me, finishing another book that's been languishing on Mt. TBR for a decade.