Hannah Walker (2)

Ugh, one of the most disappointing books I've ever read. I had such high expectations from the first chapter, the very high rating, and others' reviews, but very early on things start to bug me, and it just continued in that manner.

Bad dialogue--especially flowery, silly crap during the sex scenes that didn't feel like it would be consistent with their rather grizzled characters, reused and recycled insults even though much ado was repeatedly made about each others' creativity with show more insults, plot twists and turns that I saw coming from the first chapter or two, a lot of telling instead of showing and talking down to the reader by over explaining and repeating so many things...

"He watched as two young children sprinted across the space, a harried young mother chasing after them as they squealed in delight. The sight made him smile. They were part of the reason he was going through with this marriage. Of course, not those children in particular, but all the children across the two empires." No sh*t. I didn't think for one second that it was because of those two random children whom Jecks didn't know, in city he'd never been to, in a country he'd never been in, that were the reason. Author, you don't have to explain it as if I were moon-touched!

...and just so many things that made me scan sections, roll my eyes, and look forward to finally being done with this read. Plus, all the grammatical errors bothered me, like the frequent use of "was" where "were" should have been. (Author, please see an example of the corrected usage above.)

Also, I wish so much that this would have been slow-burn, with the wanting and wishing building up, and with long, scorching looks and tortured longing wrenching my heart instead of them getting together so quickly [even though Jecks is engaged to someone else (major spoiler-->Dorane's own brother)] and them being totally upfront and long-winded repeatedly about how much they want...no, need each other. *rolls eyes*

I gave it three stars because of the decent world-building, that I was curious enough about how things would work out to skim/read to the end and not stop and return it early on, the insults and camaraderie between the characters were fun, and I liked their creative names.

Overall, it was a huge letdown from the time Dorane came in until the end. Not really recommended, but hey, I am in he minority. *shrugs*

P.S. Here's an example of the ridiculously overdone, flowery dialogue:

(It's from towards the end of the book, so please pay attention to the spoiler tag.)

"'Let me be the bright spark in the dark, the part you cling to. Let me take you to the stars and back. Let me love you, the only way I know how… with everything that I am. Let me into your innermost thoughts. Lean on me, use me as a support. Let me bring a smile to your face, let me hold you when things get too much. Let me give you advice, help you through the troubled times, the good and the bad. But, most importantly, let me love you, forever.'
'As long as you walk by my side, not as a prince, but as a consort, on the same level as me. Stand beside me, not behind me. I’ll need you every step of the way, there is little doubt about that. But I want to be needed too. When you’re missing your life in Tefaulst, tell me. When you want to fly with firebirds, battle with the men, tell me. Share with me your innermost thoughts, your hopes, and your dreams. I want us to be equals. This won’t work any other way. I love you, now and for an eternity.' Jecks sealed his lips to Dorane’s, a soft, gentle promise." show less

Dnf @49%

I had to give this up. It wasn't all bad though.It was a bit predictable, and so sugary it melted into caramel. That would have been fine, sometimes I crave a simple storyline and coma-inducing sweetness, however the relationship progress was too fast, almost like they're mates? And maybe they are, I just didn't wait enough to find out.

The worldbuilding left something to be desired. Let's just leave it at that. The characters are well fleshed out. I'm most curious about Matt, who to show more me is a little flamboyant, and something bad happening with his magic.

There was one scene I really enjoyed. The two MCs went for a run in their shifted form and I liked that playful side of them. show less

Seriously needed a rewrite and a whole lot of character development. I skimmed the last ten percent, namely because by that point, I just didn't care anymore.

DNF.