One of the hardest things for me in writing reviews is preparing one for a book, which received so many rave reviews. (I wonder what can I say what has not already been said.) What is even harder is writing a review for said book when it does not in your opinion live up to the hype.
I struggled with the story and I took a while to get to the end. For me it was the longest and slowest journey in a fictional world.
What I liked
World building: I enjoyed the world the author created from a fictional perspective. Living in constant fear and oppression, no freedom of speech and risk going to jail for the simplest of things is are some of what the inhabitants of this world faced.
Characters
Tess: Her loyalty, selflessness and inner strength were her most endearing qualities. Her experiences growing up shaped her into the person she is today. She has no wish for the orphans and her friends to experience the same horrors she did and so she would do anything to protect them.
Shade: Exudes confidence, is observant and have an awesome sense of humour.
The secondary characters proved an interesting bunch. From Tess’s crew members to evil Overseer.
The Not So Much
The Story: It began on a high note and I had expectations of grandeur for this one. This however was shot to the ground after the first ten percent of the story. I believe there was a lot of unnecessary information and the story lost its engagement factor as a result
I could not fathom the lack of tension and fearful anticipation by Tessa and her crew. They are on the run, granted they knew nothing about the bounty on her head, but they acted as if all was well.
I expected there would be lots of action. This was not the case. The action scenes appeared at around the seventy percent mark. At this point, the story felt rushed and the appeal this aspect was to emit was lost on me.
Romance: I understand her being attracted to Shade and yes, she has not been with a man for seven years. We all have wants, but how do you find time to be thinking about sexual gratification with the threat of recapture hanging over your head. She keeps putting herself out there and he rejects her every attempt at seduction. Her actions reeked of desperation. Eventually, they got together, but I had a hard time accepting their relationship, especially knowing they were both deceiving each other.
Shade’s deception did not go down well with me. He had ample time to make Tess aware of the situation, but he failed to warn her.
The ending, although not a cliffhanger indicated that the story will continue. Despite my disappointment with how this installment developed, I am curious to know how upcoming events will unfold.
Conclusion/Recommendations
I know there many readers who raved about this installment, but for me it was just ok. Although it was not a favourite, I would recommend it because there are others who may enjoy it more than I did. Readers who enjoy sci-fi romance can pick up this latest offering by Amanda Bouchet
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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That bothers me when the authors do that ): I hate when everything is rushed at 70-90% it makes me feel a little cheated
I did not care for her previous series so I doubt this would work.
LOL, why do they always think of that when trouble is coming!?
No two people read the same book is very true. Good review and I have been wanting to try this author too
I was one of the few that didn’t click with Bouchet’s other series. The heroine was so frustrating I read the first book and didn’t continue, so I can understand your feelings. I think fantasy needs to keep a good pace especially when introducing new world concepts. I don’t like deception between characters either, especially if they have numerous times to be honest. Great honest review, Nadene! 🙂
hmm…I think I would also be annoyed by the romance in this one.
Yeah, I had issues with it and did not find it believable.
I read her fantasy trio and found the first book was amazing, but then the story just lost steam for me. I confess that even the promise of a SFR adventure like this did not tempt me. Maybe I’ll pick it up someday, but sounds like this one wouldn’t be more than moderately likeable with those issues. Thanks, Nadene!
I hate it when I don’t like a book quite as much as everyone else seems to. I can understand all of your points even though I did like this one a bit more. I hope you enjoy your next book a bit more.
Gah! It is always hard to read a book that’s been hyped so much and have it fall short of your expectations. You did a wonderful job with your review, Nadene, explaining what you liked and what you didn’t. I’ll probably read this but I’ll wait awhile so I can forget the hype. 😉
Thanks Brandee. If you get the chance to read I hope it works better for you.
Yeah that is a big struggle with me too, is writing a review for a book that I didn’t quite enjoy as others rave about it. Devil’s Daughter by Kleypas was like that for me and boy it was so HARD to write that review.
Well, I will definitely lower my expectations for Devil’s Daughter.
I loved her debut and then for some reason, I haven’t liked her others as much, not sure why. Sorry this didn’t quite work for you.
Thanks, kindlemom. It was disappointing especially as this was the first time I was reading her book.
I don’t have this one but I have the first book of her other series so I need to try one day
Ok. This is the first one I am reading for her.
Well this doesn’t sound great but I haven’t read this author before. Maybe one day.
This was my first time reading her work.
I will be listening to this and have lowered my expectations. Great review!
Thanks Kim. I hope it fares out better for you.