Dude...LITERALLY, I don't KNOW how I feel. This is gonna be a hard one to rate...
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Cause here's the thing: Book 1? FabHmm...I don't know, y'all.
Dude...LITERALLY, I don't KNOW how I feel. This is gonna be a hard one to rate...
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Cause here's the thing: Book 1? Fabulous. Amazing. Wouldn't change a word of it. And you would THINK the vibes and energy of Book 1 would flow into Book 2...but they don't, really. SOMETHING is off and I think I'm having trouble pinning it down because it's more than just one thing.
The book starts strong af; right where Silk & Sand left off. And I was even excited because Seth and Raider IMMEDIATELY communicated any and all misunderstandings which was a FUCKIN' RELIEF cause if that carried through the whole book, I would've literally died. But then that conversation seems to just happen over and over and over again throughout the book? As in, they have small disagreements/arguments but talk and come back together. Which, like, DUH, that's the definition of a relationship, but it felt like EVERYTHING ELSE in the book took a back seat to those conversations? And also their make-up sex?
Like even Seth and Raider as characters seemed to take a backseat to all the fucking and crying and FEELINGS.
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DO NOT GET ME WRONG, I still love those two with my whole fucking heart and I love a good Soft Dom/Brat Sub sex scene (more than you know) but there were SO MANY OF THEM that it overshadowed everything else. There is a reason why this book is on my "cliterature" shelf and Silk & Sand was not.
Guys. Girls. Gays. If I, Sarah the Smut Slut™, am saying there are too many sex scenes!? That means something.
And where that gets difficult is that all of these scenes are STILL SO SO SOOO GOOD. But the quantity and timing of them all makes for a book that lacks...finesse.
Though, what I'm truly most upset about is Raider (my fav character, obvs). I know that he goes through a lot more because he's confronting his past for most of the book but it made me sad that a lot of his vibrancy and sassiness was lost in this one. Again, after all the trauma he's been through, I can understand some of a difference in behavior and personality but he almost seemed like a different person. Because of that, we hardly get any of the banter and humor between him and Seth that we got in the first book.
Everything outside of their relationship (i.e. the plot lol) was still REALLY good - I liked the things that happened but because of the PACING of those things and how it all became background noise(?), it didn't quite reach the potential that was outlined in Book 1. Things happened fast and the ending, especially, felt SUPERRR rushed.
UGHGH, I'm on the verge of rambling but BASICALLY, if I had to summarize it, Silk & Sand contained and promised a lot of depth that Silver & Gold just didn't quite deliver.
BUT AGAIN, I still very much love these books and these characters which is why I'm so torn between ratings. I might end up changing my rating after letting it settle more but for now...
Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4!
✧While I received a free e-arc from GRR, all thoughts are my own.✧...more
Just two hot ass men in a hot ass desert makin' me hot 'n bothered.
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I FUCKIN' LOVED THIS, lemme tell ya. I loved the world-building, I loved theJust two hot ass men in a hot ass desert makin' me hot 'n bothered.
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I FUCKIN' LOVED THIS, lemme tell ya. I loved the world-building, I loved the magic, I loved the characters, I loved the writing, and I would straight-up die for Jasmine the boy dog with the flowery name.
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The verbiage was a lot more informal and casual than you usually get with books written in this type of setting but yoooo, I was vibin' with it. Especially cause, if the entire book is written like that, it makes it a-ok to say things like
"Who the fuck cares what's normal? I like your aggression. I like your dick. Give me both of them."
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And don't even get me started on the BDSM-lite stuff. Just...*chef's kiss*. The attraction between Seth and Raider starts from the moment they lock eyes and it's all just fire and heat and BURNY BURNY GOODNESS from there.
"This is mine now. Hold the railing."
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LIKE, GUYS. HEAR ME OUT: KINKY. ARCANE. HANDCUFFS.
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I love that Seth and Raider are complete opposites and yet seem to complement each other so perfectly. Seth sees the world in black & white, Raider sees a world bursting with color. Seth is quick to scowl, Raider is quick to grin. Seth has a stick up his ass, Raider likes Seth's stick up his ass. It's all about balance, really.
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I could say more but I think you get it & really, I just wanna go read Silver & Gold, byeeeeeee.
P.S. not that it needs it by any means, but this book gets my horny brown girl stamp of approval.
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P.P.S. I literally loved this arc so much, I went and bought physical copies of both Book 1 & 2 before I even finished this one - so that should tell you how much I loved it.
✧While I received a free e-arc from GRR, all thoughts are my own.✧...more
In her stunning debut novel, Chelsea Abdullah transports us to an enchanting and mystical world filled witAlexa, play Arabian Nights on max volume...
In her stunning debut novel, Chelsea Abdullah transports us to an enchanting and mystical world filled with magical relics and even more magical characters. Seriously, the imagery in this book is so remarkable - you can feel the sun's heat radiating off the sand and smell the spices in the market's air. As a brown gal myself, so many lines in this book sparked memories of walking through narrow, dusty alleys and painting my hands with henna.
While it was familiar and nostalgic, it was also mysterious and otherworldly - primarily due to the existence of jinn, the shapeshifting beings that, in this story, are hunted and killed by humans. But, of course, not all humans are anti-jinn - which leads us to our main character Loulie, whose best friend and closest confidant, Qadir, is a powerful jinn himself. Oh, Qadir... Daddy!?...Sorry...Daddy!?...Not sorry.
The kinship between Loulie and Qadir is probably one of my favorite parts of the book. There's so much mutual respect and trust; my heart wanted to burst just from reading scenes between them! The best part of their relationship is that it's not definable. It's not romantic, it's not father-daughter, it's not brother-sister, it's not even really best-friends - there are no words that can describe what they have, and I think Chelsea's ability to write their relationship so enigmatically is a triumph that adds to the mystical quality of the story.
The other two narrators in our story are Mazen, our adorably naive prince, and Aisha, the baddest bitch there ever was. These two could not be more different, and having them narrate parts of the story added so much flavor to the dialogue! If Loulie & Qadir are our resident Aladdin & Genie, then Mazen is Princess Jasmine. Lol He's just so stinkin' cute and precious and must be protected at all costs! He has all the naivete of a sheltered prince, but he thirsts for adventure and is surprisingly adaptable in the face of danger. I guess that would make Aisha Iago, which I think applies very well (especially with the whole playing-both-sides thing) but also very badly at the same time (in that he is a bird and she is a badass warrior) - but it's a fun metaphor, so I'm rolling with it.
Together, these four go on a journey across the desert dunes and meet with all sorts of trouble (magical and otherwise) along the way! The scenes that play out are epic!! The only criticism I might provide is that the book sometimes felt unnecessarily lengthy? Granted, this is what you expect from an epic adventure, but it felt like some parts/scenes weren't necessary to develop the plot. There were also some parts that felt younger than others? I literally don't even know how to explain that critique when I barely understand it myself lol. I know it's a YA, so it's obviously going to read as young, but it felt like the characters would react maturely in one scene but a little bit less so in another? But again, it's YA, so that's not an issue that holds a lot of weight, in my opinion.
I can't wait for the second book! I have so many questions (in a good way), and I can't wait to see how the story continues!
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!...more