I enjoyed this one as a continuation of the series, but didn't think it was the best as a final installment for this couple -- I'm not3.5 rounded down
I enjoyed this one as a continuation of the series, but didn't think it was the best as a final installment for this couple -- I'm not certain that it is, but the ending makes me think it could be. Interesting to finally meet the Imshee and to continue to get more world-building and more of Ondry and Liam's relationship, but the author mentioned struggling to get back into this series after the previous book, and I do think that showed a little here. Felt a bit rushed, but still enjoyable....more
Thank you to Peppermint Vixen for gifting this to me during the 2024 Secret Santa Book Exchange! === Still quite enjoying this universe. I appreciated tThank you to Peppermint Vixen for gifting this to me during the 2024 Secret Santa Book Exchange! === Still quite enjoying this universe. I appreciated the continued world-building and getting to see more interactions between the Rownt and humans. And super curious to see where the next book goes and it seems to be the final book with this couple....more
Thank you to Peppermint Vixen for gifting this to me during the 2024 Secret Santa Book Exchange! === I enjoyed this one even more than the first! Very mThank you to Peppermint Vixen for gifting this to me during the 2024 Secret Santa Book Exchange! === I enjoyed this one even more than the first! Very much requires having read that one previously (and I'm glad I made time for a reread right before jumping into this one) and I appreciated the expanded world-building and character development. The world-building here continues to be quite interesting, and I really like the linguistic slant. We also get both Liam and Ondry's POV here, and it was lovley seeing their relationship and understanding of one another, and one another's cultures, grow. Looking forward to the next!...more
My quest for a good MM romance robot book remains :/
The writing here was fine, and I appreciated the author's thoughtful approach, and the vaDNF ~61%
My quest for a good MM romance robot book remains :/
The writing here was fine, and I appreciated the author's thoughtful approach, and the various trope subversions, but sometimes you don't *want* a trope to be subverted... I didn't really feel any sexual chemistry between the two MCs, and Quincy's enthusiasm felt a little too child-like for my personal tastes. The kink also really felt shoe-horned in and was not at all what I was feeling from them. Sadly, this one didn't work for me....more
My original review and rating were lost in the great GR free book purge, alas.
Enjoyable short in the same vein as the rest of this series. The twist aMy original review and rating were lost in the great GR free book purge, alas.
Enjoyable short in the same vein as the rest of this series. The twist at the end with the Master trying to make the relationship have less of a power imbalance felt weirdly out of place, but it was fine....more
I thought this was a lovely sci-fi Cinderella retelling, with a really fascinating bit of world-building and some lovely characters. The world was intI thought this was a lovely sci-fi Cinderella retelling, with a really fascinating bit of world-building and some lovely characters. The world was interesting enough that I wish we'd had more time in it to learn more, but it was quite a satisfying snack all on its own....more
Interesting concept, and I think I'd have enjoyed this if it just focused on the sci-fi plot and didn't have any romance. Which is a weird thiDNF ~51%
Interesting concept, and I think I'd have enjoyed this if it just focused on the sci-fi plot and didn't have any romance. Which is a weird thing for me to say, but the romance here genuinely skeeved me out a bit. I have no problems with age gaps, but the way it was approached here felt creepy--you can't have the older character think of the younger one as a child for the first part of the book and then just go "oh yeah, but I mean, obviously he isn't *really* a child"... I have no idea why the author made that choice in the first place. The MC is also grieving his dead spouse who, for him, died very recently, and I just didn't buy the emotional connection or nuances here at ALL. Very odd choice all around....more
I probably could have finished this one, but I'm just so uninterested. I was excited about this one, as we have a disabled MC and a trans MC, DNF ~68%
I probably could have finished this one, but I'm just so uninterested. I was excited about this one, as we have a disabled MC and a trans MC, but the characters are so utterly dull and have zero chemistry. The plot feels very flimsy and phoned in, including an utterly unbelievable 'oh wow, we've been anonymous corresponding via an anon book club for years, so I guess we're not strangers afterall' trope, which is one I pretty universally loathe. I've found this author's writing to be really variable, and this just lacked any depth....more
I've generally quite enjoyed this series but I thought this was an absolute miss. The characterizations and actions taken by the chara1.5 rounded down
I've generally quite enjoyed this series but I thought this was an absolute miss. The characterizations and actions taken by the characters didn't really make sense to me at all which left me scratching my head for most of the book. Vassily's mother is a total asshole but somehow that doesn't seem to be what the author thinks they wrote? The way Vassily speaks just felt very weird to me, and the connection was super insta-love and did nothing for me. I'm too tired to list the ways in which this was disappointing, but I didn't really feel like I was reading a book in the same 'verse as the others I've read....more
Short, brutal, with a hopeful ending. I did think the conclusion was a little underwhelming though, and didn't quite provide the emotional satisfactioShort, brutal, with a hopeful ending. I did think the conclusion was a little underwhelming though, and didn't quite provide the emotional satisfactionI wanted after such a dark read. Intrigued by this universe for sure, and I thought the writing was great....more
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. I think because it takes place in the ~other world~ the shoddy world-building was a lot more apparent. II didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. I think because it takes place in the ~other world~ the shoddy world-building was a lot more apparent. I wasn't really sold on the build of emotions between the MCs, and the solution just felt... icky. IDK, it lacked all nuanced and I was not sold that all mages were so terrible that they needed to be stripped of their abilities. It's the type of solution that needed to be handled with a lot more care and nuance, none of which was afforded here, and it contributed to the overall feeling of a sort of shallow plot and worldbuilding....more
I seem to be in the minority here, but I was unimpressed by this series. Possibly I expected too much, but the world building is jusEh. 2.5 rounded up
I seem to be in the minority here, but I was unimpressed by this series. Possibly I expected too much, but the world building is just... not good, the characters lack depth, and the relationship just did not feel balanced for me in a way that tends to be the kiss of death for me personally. Once again, this book is all about Zander, and even when Felix raises legitimate reasons why he doesn't personally feel the need to get married, of course he changes his tune because what Zander wants, Zander gets.
I probably expected too much from this series, having recently read quite a lot of excellent non-romance sci-fi, but I couldn't ignore the issues here....more
I enjoyed this more than the last book, as I felt like we got better Felix content, but once again, somehow the authors and Zander manag2.5 rounded up
I enjoyed this more than the last book, as I felt like we got better Felix content, but once again, somehow the authors and Zander manage to make it all about him. The worldbuilding only gets flimsier the more I read on. I will finish this, but I can't say I really recommend the series....more
Okay, this one worked slightly better for me in that Felix finally had some of his issues addressed, but then it was done in such an unsatisfying way,Okay, this one worked slightly better for me in that Felix finally had some of his issues addressed, but then it was done in such an unsatisfying way, and with a plot that *still* managed to entirely center Zander, that it ultimately was super disappointing. Felix has trauma and is clearly depressed, and that doesn't excuse him hurting people, but maybe if all of his friend's were such fucking assholes who just yell at him when he's in pain, or the supposed love of his life who takes three fucking books to notice that maybe Felix isn't doing great... I'm going to keep reading because I'm invested now, but the balance of this relationship is really not for me....more
Enjoyable continuation--still wishing there was stronger world-building, and if the authors were going to write a book series about Zander, I wish theEnjoyable continuation--still wishing there was stronger world-building, and if the authors were going to write a book series about Zander, I wish they'd have committed to that and maybe even just only given us his POV. We get Flick's POV but the entire plot is focused on Zander in a way that feels really unbalanced for me and prevents me from totally being able to enjoy this book....more
I enjoyed this one, and thought it was a decent start to the series!
I'm on a bit of a sci-fi kick and this has been on my TBR for ages, and it more orI enjoyed this one, and thought it was a decent start to the series!
I'm on a bit of a sci-fi kick and this has been on my TBR for ages, and it more or less hit the spot. The world-building is a little weaker than I prefer, and while I enjoyed the concept and the idea of the characters, I did find them to be a little flatter than entirely ideal. Elias (one of the side characters) felt a little confusing to me. I'm also a little on the fence about the dynamic between Zed and Flick--everything seems so heavily skewed towards Zed and his problems etc. when Flick also has a lot of trauma, and something about the balance here wasn't *quite* off, but I could see it veering that way for my personal tastes.
Still, it scratched my sci-fi itch, and I'm interested enough to keep reading--knowing that there are four more books in this series following this same character is giving me some hope that some of the issues I had in this one will be smoothed out as we build on each book... or it could get worse! LOL, time will tell, but I've got the next book on my kindle. :D...more