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jennkei's review against another edition
2.0
Parts of this were so ridiculous I could not suspend my disbelief. ^^" Nonetheless, it may be the book for some?! Just not for me!
llamalluv's review against another edition
5.0
This is a much darker PNR than I typically read. I tend to stay away from anything that involves mafia or other organized crime. This one is set in an alternate universe that diverges immediately after the 2016 election was called. Remember all the jokes about if aliens were real, we'd all know as soon as Trump started getting presidential briefs? Suleikha took that concept and ran with it.
I like that Neha and Joe have an HEA that doesn't require either marriage or children. That's my personal HEA, but it's definitely not one that would work for these characters as written.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books of the series. I'd really like to read more about Neha's shifting cousins.
I like that Neha and Joe have an HEA that doesn't require either marriage or children. That's my personal HEA, but it's definitely not one that would work for these characters as written.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books of the series. I'd really like to read more about Neha's shifting cousins.
bisonprints's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
cm_evans's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
whatshawnareads's review against another edition
I absolutely loved the world in this book where paranormal creatures lived out in the open in NYC. However, the third person narration that switches between the MCs and side characters is one of my pet peeves, especially when there is a secondary romance that plays out. I'm still excited to see where this series goes.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my copy to review.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for my copy to review.
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Edelweiss and Sourcebooks for the review copy.
I’ve been looking for a good paranormal series and was really hoping this would be the start of a keeper series. Unfortunately I only made it about 35% in before suspension of belief kicked in.
One the plus side, this is a plausible look at post Trump America only with shifters and other supernatural forces. Of course, there would be surveillance, detention camps, and sanctuary cities. There are a rather dizzying number of secondary characters representing the diversity of America.
But.
The world building comes through in this stream of consciousness from all the characters as an enormous info-dump and it’s just not fun to read. The POVs are from too many characters and transitions are abrupt. I kept moving back trying to figure out whose head we were in now.
The main female character was appealing until she went into some sort of haze and decided as an officer of the court to go on the run with an escaped prisoner because the sex was good. Whaaat?
And like I said, I really wanted to like this book but the big, bad, wolf-Joe-just made me cringe.
I would try the author again but think I might like her contemporaries better.
2.5 for the attempt to do post 2016 as a dystopian paranormal romance.
I’ve been looking for a good paranormal series and was really hoping this would be the start of a keeper series. Unfortunately I only made it about 35% in before suspension of belief kicked in.
One the plus side, this is a plausible look at post Trump America only with shifters and other supernatural forces. Of course, there would be surveillance, detention camps, and sanctuary cities. There are a rather dizzying number of secondary characters representing the diversity of America.
But.
The world building comes through in this stream of consciousness from all the characters as an enormous info-dump and it’s just not fun to read. The POVs are from too many characters and transitions are abrupt. I kept moving back trying to figure out whose head we were in now.
The main female character was appealing until she went into some sort of haze and decided as an officer of the court to go on the run with an escaped prisoner because the sex was good. Whaaat?
And like I said, I really wanted to like this book but the big, bad, wolf-Joe-just made me cringe.
I would try the author again but think I might like her contemporaries better.
2.5 for the attempt to do post 2016 as a dystopian paranormal romance.
nickcarravay's review against another edition
3.0
Review Copy generously provided by #Netgalley and the publisher. (Thank you!)
I came to Suleikha Snyder from reading Tikka Chance on Me. I liked her voice and her very "take no shits" leading lady. So I was stoked to find out that she was writing a full-length paranormal novel with a killer cover. (Shout out to the Graphic Artist on that!).
The book is an interesting mix of politics, romance, supernatural intrigue, and Russian Mafia. There is a lot to unpack here, and ultimately not all the things worked for me.
The Russian Mafia - the well-developed infrastructure of this world, the nuanced research into the Little Odessa underbelly, are very well executed. I loved the addition of the Bear-Shifter into the mix of how scary these people can be.
The current politics as presented in this magical world - almost X-Men-esque expulsion policies, side-by-side with the actual bans and caged children that the administration was doing in real life, were shockingly believable, mostly because it is not a stretch to imagine this kind of oppression.
The Apex Initiative and Third Shift - Extremely fun and engaging. I need a second book about these people (there is a hint in the afterword that this is happening, squeeee!). These side characters stole the show for me. This could be an episodic show or a movie about supe-spies or just more and more books in this world. I NEED the Nate-Clare-Finn thruple story!
Neha and Joe - the central love story, was the least effective for me. Their insta-lust was somewhat believable, but the insta-love that followed did not hold water for me. He just kept repeating the same self-loathing mantra over and over while she kept telling him that she needs him inside her. It just didn't work and I am usually all about the sex.
I am definitely going to be on the lookout for book two in hopes that it is about the other operatives of Third Shift.
I came to Suleikha Snyder from reading Tikka Chance on Me. I liked her voice and her very "take no shits" leading lady. So I was stoked to find out that she was writing a full-length paranormal novel with a killer cover. (Shout out to the Graphic Artist on that!).
The book is an interesting mix of politics, romance, supernatural intrigue, and Russian Mafia. There is a lot to unpack here, and ultimately not all the things worked for me.
The Russian Mafia - the well-developed infrastructure of this world, the nuanced research into the Little Odessa underbelly, are very well executed. I loved the addition of the Bear-Shifter into the mix of how scary these people can be.
The current politics as presented in this magical world - almost X-Men-esque expulsion policies, side-by-side with the actual bans and caged children that the administration was doing in real life, were shockingly believable, mostly because it is not a stretch to imagine this kind of oppression.
The Apex Initiative and Third Shift - Extremely fun and engaging. I need a second book about these people (there is a hint in the afterword that this is happening, squeeee!). These side characters stole the show for me. This could be an episodic show or a movie about supe-spies or just more and more books in this world. I NEED the Nate-Clare-Finn thruple story!
Neha and Joe - the central love story, was the least effective for me. Their insta-lust was somewhat believable, but the insta-love that followed did not hold water for me. He just kept repeating the same self-loathing mantra over and over while she kept telling him that she needs him inside her. It just didn't work and I am usually all about the sex.
I am definitely going to be on the lookout for book two in hopes that it is about the other operatives of Third Shift.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Maybe would have liked more “romance” in between the danger-banging between Neha and Joe (although given Joe’s life, he probably has to learn that so might be a toss up). I love how effortlessly diverse Suliekha’s characters are, even the side characters. She just slips in little bits into description or dialog that fleshes them out without stopping the narrative. This is also one of the rare books to nail the nail-bitingly, unstable, and nauseating reality of the political situation of the last four years....only this just has supernatural creatures doing romantic suspense in it too.
kristen_joele's review against another edition
DNF. I have never skipped over so much useless chunks to try to find the "good" parts. 100 pages in and gave up.
nelsonseye's review
3.0
My rating for Big Bad Wolf is hovering between three and four stars, and I might upgrade later. I was very invested in the characters of Neha and Joe; they were competent, flawed, made mistakes, apologized, etc., but I also liked that they were older — a lot of paranormal romances feature characters in their late twenties, so seeing leads in their mid-thirties and early forties was refreshing. I also thought the world building was very good though the world itself was not. I liked the varying points of view, though some were a bit stressful, and the secondary romances were also intriguing. But, I have to admit that I was worried about