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nyeran's review against another edition
3.0
“There was no gentle way to cut down a body dangling from a tree by yourself”
♠ Non credo di aver mai spiegato perché non mi piace il triangolo amoroso quindi lo faccio adesso. Sono una persona che ha preferenze in tutto: colori, vestiti, videogiochi, animali, musica, film, ship. E nel caso specifico il mio interesse si focalizzerà automaticamente su uno dei due cateti, senza una logica, magari per una battuta simpatica, magari per una scena figa. In questo caso l'onore è andato a Raeyn. Risultato? Mi fregava poco di Aris e della sua relazione con Damian e purtroppo, colpa mia, mi infastidiva la sua presenza nel libro. Sopratutto perché se vuoi farmi vedere una relazione che si sfalda, un amore che finisce, non puoi iniziarmi la storia con questi due che si vogliono bene per poi illudermi che Aris sparirà dalla storia se poi me lo fai ricomparire ad intermittenza ogni due o tre capitoli senza mai farmi capire perché Damian va avanti e si innamora di Raeyn e viceversa. Chiaro, fin dal loro primo incontro i due si piacciono, però il libro è un susseguirsi senza respiro di scene d'azione e momenti caotici e il momento amoroso serio, per quanto caruccio ti da un po' il colpo di frusta, inclusa la dichiarazione finale che per il mio cuoricino da shipper è stata un esplosione di cuoricini, per il mio cervello è stato un continuo eh? EH?
♠ L'azione è in definitiva ciò che fa raggiungere a questo libro le tre stelle perché è scritta abbastanza bene, a volte un po' confusionaria quando ti ritrovavi a leggere un dialogo e non veniva specificato chi stesse parlando oppure quando un personaggio che tre righe prima stava in un posto o facendo una cosa dopo si trovava in un altra posizione senza che venisse detto che si fosse spostato. A volte è ad intermittenza. Se alcune scene di sparatorie ed esplosioni alla Michael Bay durano 2/3 pagine e sono fatte bene altre vengono completamente bypassate. Alla fine di un capitolo Damian decide di dover fare un piano per entrare in un palazzo per parlare con Aris, il capitolo successivo si apre con lui nella stanza di Aris che gli sta parlando e non sapremo mai come ci è arrivato. Capisco che quella fase è rischiosa in quanto potrebbe risultare noiosa però così mi tagli blocchi interi di storia. Cioè, io devo farmi andare bene il fatto che lui da solo sabbia superato guardie e allarmi e che nessuno lo abbia visto? Meh.
♠ Che dire del worldbuilding, è un AmericaH post-apocalittica ma non sappiamo altro. Cosa sia questa voyance non è dato saperlo. Ci si nasce, come gli x-men, ma non viene mai detto se si possono avere solo abilità mentali, credo di si visto che non vediamo abilità elementali, se questa voyance esistesse anche prima dell'apocalisse o se ne è una conseguenza, considerando che Aris e Raeyn ce l'hanno direi che è una cosa genetica. Tra l'altro io a fine libro non ho ancora capito che tipo di abilità ha Damian, Aris controlla la mente(???), Raeyn assorbe il potere altrui ma lui boh. Spara onde di energia? Non ho capito.
Per quanto mi riguarda questo libro poteva benissimo essere uno stand-alone, e probabilmente per quanto mi riguarda lo sarà perché se il secondo libro si concentrerà su Aris (come temo vista la fine di questo) lo salterò senza alcun senso di colpa.
♠ Non credo di aver mai spiegato perché non mi piace il triangolo amoroso quindi lo faccio adesso. Sono una persona che ha preferenze in tutto: colori, vestiti, videogiochi, animali, musica, film, ship. E nel caso specifico il mio interesse si focalizzerà automaticamente su uno dei due cateti, senza una logica, magari per una battuta simpatica, magari per una scena figa. In questo caso l'onore è andato a Raeyn. Risultato? Mi fregava poco di Aris e della sua relazione con Damian e purtroppo, colpa mia, mi infastidiva la sua presenza nel libro. Sopratutto perché se vuoi farmi vedere una relazione che si sfalda, un amore che finisce, non puoi iniziarmi la storia con questi due che si vogliono bene per poi illudermi che Aris sparirà dalla storia se poi me lo fai ricomparire ad intermittenza ogni due o tre capitoli senza mai farmi capire perché Damian va avanti e si innamora di Raeyn e viceversa. Chiaro, fin dal loro primo incontro i due si piacciono, però il libro è un susseguirsi senza respiro di scene d'azione e momenti caotici e il momento amoroso serio, per quanto caruccio ti da un po' il colpo di frusta, inclusa la dichiarazione finale che per il mio cuoricino da shipper è stata un esplosione di cuoricini, per il mio cervello è stato un continuo eh? EH?
♠ L'azione è in definitiva ciò che fa raggiungere a questo libro le tre stelle perché è scritta abbastanza bene, a volte un po' confusionaria quando ti ritrovavi a leggere un dialogo e non veniva specificato chi stesse parlando oppure quando un personaggio che tre righe prima stava in un posto o facendo una cosa dopo si trovava in un altra posizione senza che venisse detto che si fosse spostato. A volte è ad intermittenza. Se alcune scene di sparatorie ed esplosioni alla Michael Bay durano 2/3 pagine e sono fatte bene altre vengono completamente bypassate. Alla fine di un capitolo Damian decide di dover fare un piano per entrare in un palazzo per parlare con Aris, il capitolo successivo si apre con lui nella stanza di Aris che gli sta parlando e non sapremo mai come ci è arrivato. Capisco che quella fase è rischiosa in quanto potrebbe risultare noiosa però così mi tagli blocchi interi di storia. Cioè, io devo farmi andare bene il fatto che lui da solo sabbia superato guardie e allarmi e che nessuno lo abbia visto? Meh.
♠ Che dire del worldbuilding, è un AmericaH post-apocalittica ma non sappiamo altro. Cosa sia questa voyance non è dato saperlo. Ci si nasce, come gli x-men, ma non viene mai detto se si possono avere solo abilità mentali, credo di si visto che non vediamo abilità elementali, se questa voyance esistesse anche prima dell'apocalisse o se ne è una conseguenza, considerando che Aris e Raeyn ce l'hanno direi che è una cosa genetica. Tra l'altro io a fine libro non ho ancora capito che tipo di abilità ha Damian, Aris controlla la mente(???), Raeyn assorbe il potere altrui ma lui boh. Spara onde di energia? Non ho capito.
Per quanto mi riguarda questo libro poteva benissimo essere uno stand-alone, e probabilmente per quanto mi riguarda lo sarà perché se il secondo libro si concentrerà su Aris (come temo vista la fine di questo) lo salterò senza alcun senso di colpa.
bryanhoardsbooks's review
3.0
3.5 STARS.
This was an okay book for me for the most part. I was drawn to this book because of an LGBTQ theme, but the story offers more than that. It's a fast-paced book that offer the readers a distinct taste of a dystopian scfi-fi fantasy. Lines may blur but the book's theme is what sets it apart from other books.
I couldn't wait to read the next books in the series. I hope that the next ones will be better than the first one, but Empire of Light definitely set the tone on what the plot of the series would take.
I'd recommend this for lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian with a dash of queer!
This was an okay book for me for the most part. I was drawn to this book because of an LGBTQ theme, but the story offers more than that. It's a fast-paced book that offer the readers a distinct taste of a dystopian scfi-fi fantasy. Lines may blur but the book's theme is what sets it apart from other books.
I couldn't wait to read the next books in the series. I hope that the next ones will be better than the first one, but Empire of Light definitely set the tone on what the plot of the series would take.
I'd recommend this for lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian with a dash of queer!
veeraptor's review
4.0
Couldn’t put this down. It has everything: magic, gay men, a love triangle, dystopian conflict, stupid men, a himbo protagonist, melodrama, people acting on their emotions because of love and lust, supervillains, secrets, and basically everybody is LGBTQ+.
kappareads's review against another edition
3.0
**I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange from an honest review. All thoughts are my own*
12/19/19:
Real rating: 3.5 stars
READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
3/30/19: I'm putting this book to the side at 22%. Two weeks ago I read a sex scene in the book that really squicked me out (MC didn't seem all too consenting about it and then he got triggered at the end which !!!) and it's killed a lot of my will to read it right now.
If it weren't for the fact that this is an ARC copy the author gave me, I may even DNF. But for right now, I need it to just not be staring at me.
12/19/19:
Real rating: 3.5 stars
READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE
3/30/19: I'm putting this book to the side at 22%. Two weeks ago I read a sex scene in the book that really squicked me out (MC didn't seem all too consenting about it and then he got triggered at the end which !!!) and it's killed a lot of my will to read it right now.
If it weren't for the fact that this is an ARC copy the author gave me, I may even DNF. But for right now, I need it to just not be staring at me.
sarahjonewt's review against another edition
3.0
AAAGH. This book had SUCH potential, and yet it failed so hard. If I had the ability, I would give it 2.5 stars, but I can't, so I decided--generously--to round up rather than down.
I'll get into the (many) weaknesses in a moment, but I do want to mention that, at a line level, the writing was strong, which is probably the only reason I (mostly) finished it. Also, it had demisexual representation (and another character at the end who is notorious for wearing purple and who, in-scene, ordered cake, which was about as wink wink nudge nudge as you can get). Actually, representation across the spectrum was well done, and I really did like how casual and don't-bat-an-eye gender and sexual orientation were treated in-story.
As far as weaknesses go...hoo boy.
1. One of the earliest issues I noticed was that the descriptions of characters' movements in regards to their scene/surroundings was jarringly hard to follow and often made no sense. I've never read anything like it, but the best way I can describe it is that a scene would play out in my mind only to have a character make a movement that, logistically, made no sense. For example, a heavily-injured character would take a couple of steps towards the POV character and then stumble and have to brace themselves on the wall, but that made no sense because they were now a couple of steps away? And the way the room was laid out, it wouldn't make sense for them to be in arm's reach of the wall parallel to them. If this had only happened once or twice, I would happily blame myself, but it happened all the time, and I can't help but think that this should've been beta-read a couple more times to catch these continuity errors.
2. The plot. Holy fuck. It felt like the author was treating his characters in the same way a toddler plays with their dolls. It was obvious the author wanted to get to Point B, and that they had beats they wanted to hit, but they never earned those plot developments or beats because they never made the plot solid enough to support that journey. This story was one of the most egregious examples of "character-driven" that I've ever seen. I usually prefer stories that are more character-driven, but this had almost no plot outside of the MC's tangled love-life. Half the time, I couldn't tell anyone's motivations, and the other half, those motivations made no sense. If I were to summarize the plot, it would be something like: the entire dystopian world in which the story takes place was put there just to challenge the MC's love life. Put another way, the author treated the story like fanfiction: they expected us to already know and love the MCs and understand all the intricate details that make for rich world-building. They obviously wanted to write fic featuring these characters, and that made for the world and the gears that make it run feel as as thin as the paper the story is told on.
3. Okay. I love me some well-deserved whump. I'm a sucker for h/c. But the main characters got the shit kicked out of them (or shot or even fucking) on almost every page. I got bored and unimpressed with the physical damage the characters suffered well before the half-way mark because I knew there'd be no long-lasting consequences and that the author would breeze past the recovery period. And that's what makes for bad h/c. You don't need to cripple your characters, but you need to space-out/limit the damage you inflict on them and take time to let the other characters worry and care for the injured one (eg, the ratio of "hurt" to "comfort" here was way too heavily skewed towards the former). If you throw too much whump at all of your characters in a short span of time, it loses significance.
4. The main character I literally rolled my eyes at this one.
5. And, on that note, what the fuck is the problem with
6. The revolving door of betrayals. Oh my god it was endless and, as with over-used whump, it got boring and predictable fast.
7. I never really empathized with anyone's motives or situation, and I think this was because the author moved the story along too quickly. This was a rare instance in which "fast-paced" is an understatement, and the story could've benefitted by being allowed to breathe. What should've been poignant plot developments ended up feeling like melodramatic soap opera tripe, and I honestly didn't really find myself caring about anyone, I think the other reason all the characters felt flat and like paper dolls is because there was no show to their development. We only learned about them from the MC's POV, and all he did was tell us how awesome they were and how much he loved them.
8. What was everyone's hang-up about
9. There were plot twists that I saw coming from a mile away and I was often annoyed at how long it took the MC to catch on to the hints.
10. Way too many adverbs.
11. I actually didn't finish the last chapter because I got so fed up with the melodrama between the MC and his two love interests. And I was bored AF.
11. The dialogue was mostly solid, though I felt that Raeyn's dialogue was way too over the top. Like, I get what the author was going for there, but it was too much. Also, there were a couple of times in which the banter felt completely unrealistic when considered within the context of the scene. In high stakes moments--eg, with a knife to one's throat or in the middle of a shoot-off--there might be a short quip, but a character doesn't usually have time or mental wherewithal to say two whole, syntactically complex sentences. Like whump and betrayal, I love banter within a story, but it often felt unnatural and most of the time wasn't as clever as the author probably thought.
In conclusion, I have a theory that the author was trying to write the next THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA what with the found-family, heists, fast plot, and (attempt at) witty banter. And, kudos for trying, but they did not succeed. It doesn't look like there's a sequel out (yet?), but I doubt I'll ever read anything else within this universe.
I'll get into the (many) weaknesses in a moment, but I do want to mention that, at a line level, the writing was strong, which is probably the only reason I (mostly) finished it. Also, it had demisexual representation (and another character at the end who is notorious for wearing purple and who, in-scene, ordered cake, which was about as wink wink nudge nudge as you can get). Actually, representation across the spectrum was well done, and I really did like how casual and don't-bat-an-eye gender and sexual orientation were treated in-story.
As far as weaknesses go...hoo boy.
1. One of the earliest issues I noticed was that the descriptions of characters' movements in regards to their scene/surroundings was jarringly hard to follow and often made no sense. I've never read anything like it, but the best way I can describe it is that a scene would play out in my mind only to have a character make a movement that, logistically, made no sense. For example, a heavily-injured character would take a couple of steps towards the POV character and then stumble and have to brace themselves on the wall, but that made no sense because they were now a couple of steps away? And the way the room was laid out, it wouldn't make sense for them to be in arm's reach of the wall parallel to them. If this had only happened once or twice, I would happily blame myself, but it happened all the time, and I can't help but think that this should've been beta-read a couple more times to catch these continuity errors.
2. The plot. Holy fuck. It felt like the author was treating his characters in the same way a toddler plays with their dolls. It was obvious the author wanted to get to Point B, and that they had beats they wanted to hit, but they never earned those plot developments or beats because they never made the plot solid enough to support that journey. This story was one of the most egregious examples of "character-driven" that I've ever seen. I usually prefer stories that are more character-driven, but this had almost no plot outside of the MC's tangled love-life. Half the time, I couldn't tell anyone's motivations, and the other half, those motivations made no sense. If I were to summarize the plot, it would be something like: the entire dystopian world in which the story takes place was put there just to challenge the MC's love life. Put another way, the author treated the story like fanfiction: they expected us to already know and love the MCs and understand all the intricate details that make for rich world-building. They obviously wanted to write fic featuring these characters, and that made for the world and the gears that make it run feel as as thin as the paper the story is told on.
3. Okay. I love me some well-deserved whump. I'm a sucker for h/c. But the main characters got the shit kicked out of them (or shot or even fucking
Spoiler
killed4. The main character
Spoiler
ended up being a Voyant???5. And, on that note, what the fuck is the problem with
Spoiler
being a Voyant? I would've liked to see a bit more exposition about Voyant = Wizard and why it is that it takes such a toll on the Voyant's body. And how could the president be one with no ill-effects? To me, this felt like a weak plot device that the author developed just to manufacture even more whump. And, okay, sure, it makes the Raeyn-is-a-magic-eating-vampire a bit more dramatic, but still. That whole concept was never really developed.6. The revolving door of betrayals. Oh my god it was endless and, as with over-used whump, it got boring and predictable fast.
7. I never really empathized with anyone's motives or situation, and I think this was because the author moved the story along too quickly. This was a rare instance in which "fast-paced" is an understatement, and the story could've benefitted by being allowed to breathe. What should've been poignant plot developments ended up feeling like melodramatic soap opera tripe, and I honestly didn't really find myself caring about anyone,
Spoiler
even Jay. Which sucks, because I generally adore characters like her and killing her should've been like a punch to the gut. But I never got to know her.8. What was everyone's hang-up about
Spoiler
Aris going to the Temple? I mean, it sounded like making the choice to live there was dangerous for Aris or had some other never-described risk to it, and then, three months later, he's just chilling and flirting with the bad guy? And it was right in the MC's backyard? So he could've visited at any time? Fuck, after that scene, he visited the Temple all the time. So their estrangement was completely manufactured and unnecessary? And what about Damian taking the job to kill the head of the Reds? He failed to assassinate her or the man she had originally paid him to kill and...there were never any ramifications after he failed to complete both jobs? Or a scramble to figure it out? In fact, three months passed with just...nothing? And sure, both of his hiring parties were working together behind the scene, but shouldn't the lack of retribution have made Damian more suspicious? These are just two of the many examples of things that really drove the tension in the story, only to completely fizzle out. It made the story feel cheap and like there were no ramifications to anything the MC did.9. There were plot twists that I saw coming from a mile away and I was often annoyed at how long it took the MC to catch on to the hints.
10. Way too many adverbs.
11. I actually didn't finish the last chapter because I got so fed up with the melodrama between the MC and his two love interests. And I was bored AF.
11. The dialogue was mostly solid, though I felt that Raeyn's dialogue was way too over the top. Like, I get what the author was going for there, but it was too much. Also, there were a couple of times in which the banter felt completely unrealistic when considered within the context of the scene. In high stakes moments--eg, with a knife to one's throat or in the middle of a shoot-off--there might be a short quip, but a character doesn't usually have time or mental wherewithal to say two whole, syntactically complex sentences. Like whump and betrayal, I love banter within a story, but it often felt unnatural and most of the time wasn't as clever as the author probably thought.
In conclusion, I have a theory that the author was trying to write the next THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA what with the found-family, heists, fast plot, and (attempt at) witty banter. And, kudos for trying, but they did not succeed. It doesn't look like there's a sequel out (yet?), but I doubt I'll ever read anything else within this universe.
ckcombsdotcom's review
5.0
This was fun. A wild queer ride full of spins and sharp turns. Strap in, put on your helmet and grab a towel. It’s gonna get messy.
saraannasofia's review
3.0
To start off, huge kudos to the author for making the trigger warnings really clear in this book!
Trigger warnings: graphic violence (including shootings, beatings, tasing, mild gore, depictions of a hanging, and an execution by burning), explicit sexual content (including mentions of sex work, a sexual relationship that begins in a negotiated contract for sexual services, and on- and off-page descriptions of explicit sexual situations involving bondage, control, mild pain play, and Dominant/submissive dynamics), trauma (including allusion to past physical and sexual abuse, and a depiction of a panic attack), deaths of supporting characters (including a young teen, mentions and depiction of assisted suicide, and one queer character who is a person of color), as well as substance abuse (alcohol, smoking, drugs, and a mention of an overdose).
To those who enjoy a more calm and sedate pace through the galaxy look elsewhere, because this wild ride gallops through scenes in a blur. Whilst it's certainly not boring, I sometimes would have liked a little more time in scenes before the characters rushed off to do something else.
It certainly never had a chance to get boring, but I would have appreciated more time with some of the reveals before hurrying on to the next problem. The main characters were generally likable, though many of the side characters didn't have the same sense of realism. It may be due to the pacing not giving them enough time to do anything, though.
Empire of Light is the kind of book that doesn't let you breathe. In spite of that, it manages to not become soulless like too many plot-driven, action-packed books do, because the main relationships are developed, dynamic and interesting.
The main character we get to follow is fun, but there is more simmering beneath the surface of the light-hearted Damian. He is an assassin for hire and as he grows apart from Aris, his unstable magical lover, and gets closer to the mysterious man named Raeyn, One thing I have to mention was that I found the development between Damian and Aris' relationship very fascinating to read about. Many books that I have read have an interesting and intriguing storyline following two characters who get together, but very few times have I read a story about a relationship falling apart that felt both real and very compelling.
This is one colorful ride with queer characters, demisexual and pansexual characters and I LOVE IT.
The reason as to why I knocked this down to a 3.5 is because of the pacing itself. The story would've really benefited from slowing down. There was little to no chance in getting to know the side characters of this story, which later only made me care very little about what actually happened to them as the story progressed.
ARC provided by NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: graphic violence (including shootings, beatings, tasing, mild gore, depictions of a hanging, and an execution by burning), explicit sexual content (including mentions of sex work, a sexual relationship that begins in a negotiated contract for sexual services, and on- and off-page descriptions of explicit sexual situations involving bondage, control, mild pain play, and Dominant/submissive dynamics), trauma (including allusion to past physical and sexual abuse, and a depiction of a panic attack), deaths of supporting characters (including a young teen, mentions and depiction of assisted suicide, and one queer character who is a person of color), as well as substance abuse (alcohol, smoking, drugs, and a mention of an overdose).
To those who enjoy a more calm and sedate pace through the galaxy look elsewhere, because this wild ride gallops through scenes in a blur. Whilst it's certainly not boring, I sometimes would have liked a little more time in scenes before the characters rushed off to do something else.
It certainly never had a chance to get boring, but I would have appreciated more time with some of the reveals before hurrying on to the next problem. The main characters were generally likable, though many of the side characters didn't have the same sense of realism. It may be due to the pacing not giving them enough time to do anything, though.
Empire of Light is the kind of book that doesn't let you breathe. In spite of that, it manages to not become soulless like too many plot-driven, action-packed books do, because the main relationships are developed, dynamic and interesting.
The main character we get to follow is fun, but there is more simmering beneath the surface of the light-hearted Damian. He is an assassin for hire and as he grows apart from Aris, his unstable magical lover, and gets closer to the mysterious man named Raeyn, One thing I have to mention was that I found the development between Damian and Aris' relationship very fascinating to read about. Many books that I have read have an interesting and intriguing storyline following two characters who get together, but very few times have I read a story about a relationship falling apart that felt both real and very compelling.
This is one colorful ride with queer characters, demisexual and pansexual characters and I LOVE IT.
The reason as to why I knocked this down to a 3.5 is because of the pacing itself. The story would've really benefited from slowing down. There was little to no chance in getting to know the side characters of this story, which later only made me care very little about what actually happened to them as the story progressed.
ARC provided by NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
earlronove's review
4.0
Though the plot felt a little jerky at times (it had a very predictable: shit happens, okay we're good, NO WAIT MORE SHIT HAPPENS), the characters definitely made me stay. The world building was very neat and I'd definitely love to read more in the setting.
Definitely a worthwhile read!
Spoiler
Even if my favorite character, Jay, died. And I while I felt like I had a good handle on her character, the blind character that died with her seemed like wasted potential. She didn't really do anything or make an impression.Definitely a worthwhile read!
kiiouex's review
3.0
Spoiler review:
I can't get worked up enough to two star this book, it is too obviously a debut and someone's baby. Things I liked: characters with 'they' pronouns where it wasn't a big deal and everyone used/respected them, the original setup with Aris burning himself out and BF worry was good. I do not like constant Snark and Sass but it's so inescapable I guess other people must be into it. But the plot....
this book kept trying to have Twists and Reveals and Betrayals but it also only had like eight characters so if you look too hard at any individual event it becomes completely nonsensical. "We had to check you were the right man for the job" they literally shot him to death and he died (and got to come back) 'we knew all along he was the president's son' weren't you blackmailing him into sex for safety "he was working for me all along" ok but who IS he, and why, and he's pointing a gun at you now
also if you're going to refer to the LI by surname for most of the book, maybe don't also exclusively refer to the major villain by that same surname
also uhhh just because of how Books work, I am going to stop believing in the relationship with the original LI once you introduce the Obvious New Love Interest
also did the 'voyance kills you' thing get dropped completely, MC was never worried about it
also why did they not just......... go somewhere else.
OH and this is not sci-fi, it's urban fantasy dystopia, deeply confused why it's been put on the sci-fi shelf.
I can't get worked up enough to two star this book, it is too obviously a debut and someone's baby. Things I liked: characters with 'they' pronouns where it wasn't a big deal and everyone used/respected them, the original setup with Aris burning himself out and BF worry was good. I do not like constant Snark and Sass but it's so inescapable I guess other people must be into it. But the plot....
this book kept trying to have Twists and Reveals and Betrayals but it also only had like eight characters so if you look too hard at any individual event it becomes completely nonsensical. "We had to check you were the right man for the job" they literally shot him to death and he died (and got to come back) 'we knew all along he was the president's son' weren't you blackmailing him into sex for safety "he was working for me all along" ok but who IS he, and why, and he's pointing a gun at you now
also if you're going to refer to the LI by surname for most of the book, maybe don't also exclusively refer to the major villain by that same surname
also uhhh just because of how Books work, I am going to stop believing in the relationship with the original LI once you introduce the Obvious New Love Interest
also did the 'voyance kills you' thing get dropped completely, MC was never worried about it
also why did they not just......... go somewhere else.
OH and this is not sci-fi, it's urban fantasy dystopia, deeply confused why it's been put on the sci-fi shelf.
moonlightmoths's review
2.0
Rep: gay, brown mc, pansexual li, gay li, lesbian sc,
I wasn't a huge fan of this mainly because of the weird pacing and odd lack of character development. The story felt choppy at best, with uneven transitions between the action scenes. The character relationships were underdeveloped, so any emotional scenes lacked the gravity necessary to make me feel them. Damian and Raeyn's relationship was fun until it was revealed that [redacted] and suddenly there's all these weird undertones of jealousy and comparisons. Which made this story super awkward and I honestly never got over that revelation. I'm honestly over love triangles as a source of drama in stories and that was a major part of this one. Also taking the whole "found family" trope and slowly killing it was pretty disheartening, I'm not gonna lie.
What I will give this story credit for is an interesting plot and an AMAZING world. As a reader, I wish I could have had more information about the world this story takes place in. The premise of the story was uniquely told and had a lot of promise up until some of the bigger reveals happened that made it harder for me to read.
I wasn't a huge fan of this mainly because of the weird pacing and odd lack of character development. The story felt choppy at best, with uneven transitions between the action scenes. The character relationships were underdeveloped, so any emotional scenes lacked the gravity necessary to make me feel them. Damian and Raeyn's relationship was fun until it was revealed that [redacted] and suddenly there's all these weird undertones of jealousy and comparisons. Which made this story super awkward and I honestly never got over that revelation. I'm honestly over love triangles as a source of drama in stories and that was a major part of this one. Also taking the whole "found family" trope and slowly killing it was pretty disheartening, I'm not gonna lie.
What I will give this story credit for is an interesting plot and an AMAZING world. As a reader, I wish I could have had more information about the world this story takes place in. The premise of the story was uniquely told and had a lot of promise up until some of the bigger reveals happened that made it harder for me to read.