Karelia Stetz-Waters

between 3.5 and 4 stars. (i have a bit of a reader's crush on this author, but i think i remained objective.) i read most of this book in two sittings, sneaking in surreptitious pages here and there when i didn't have time to really keep going. i gulped it down like i was so hungry for it, even when i was trying to slow it down to better savor it. i didn't love everything in this book, but the writing and the characters and the pacing and the story and the message so far outshine any of the show more minor issues that i had when i was reading, that a few hours after finishing the book i am struggling to even remember what it was that didn't sit quite right with me.

i am a year or two younger than the author, and grew up across the country from her in a far different environment and situation than her main character did. i avoided the goth kids in my high school, i wasn't one of them. (i was the unpopular honors student book nerd who wasn't even thinking about sexuality or politics yet.) but this book felt so familiar and comfortable to me that it felt like it was my life even though it completely wasn't. she very much captured that time period for me; she did such an excellent job evoking that time.

her writing is stellar - she's funny, serious, moving. her characters are real (although maybe the principal is stretched just slightly past believable?). the politics are woven in perfectly. and i love the literature quoting parents. the main character is strong, but doesn't really know it because she's unsure of herself, and discovering herself. she is *so* well drawn, as are all of the characters we see much of.

on the negative side, the only real plot hiccup for me is that i wanted a little more explanation of isabel and why she wasn't angry at triinu, or at least a little fight and make up session between them. or i wanted triinu to apologize. something. that and the last couple of pages didn't ring quite true to me. and i understand what she was doing with the title but don't particularly like that aspect. these are the only things i can think of to complain about. oh and i didn't like the font, but got over it pretty quickly.

i don't believe in god or religion and frankly don't tend to prefer mention of either in the books i read, unless it's pointing out hypocrisy. god is all over this book and it never even bothered me (until one or two remarks at the very end); i am hard pressed to think of a book that treats religion and god the way this one does that didn't get on my nerves.

i am impressed.

"I wanted to finish the epic poem I had been writing about how terribly misunderstood I was. It was up to 102 rhyming couplets. I did not want to go to high school and actually be misunderstood."

"'Okay,' Ursula said cheerfully. 'But you know what I'd really like first? A Slurpee.'
A Slurpee? Oh, prosaic world! How was I to to say, 'You are the burning light of my heart,' to a girl drinking a Slurpee? And what if I felt compelled to buy a Slurpee myself? Could I say, 'Without you I am nothing,' if in my hand I held a Slurpee, the spade-shaped straw making a little wheek-wheek sound as I pushed it in and out of the lid?"

"The house was full of bookshelves. My mother's books were not simply those books she had read or would read, no more than a librarian would read her entire collection. It was a cultural trust. It was her comfort, her world."

"A streetlight flickered on and off, uncertain about the twilight."

"I was still thinking, Camilla's gay?!
That she might be gay would not have surprised a worldly person. Camilla was a strong woman in comfortable shoes, a no-trouble haircut, and a 'Famous Suffragettes' T-shirt. The founder of a feminist publishing house, she was candid, political, and outspoken. She probably had a cat named Gertrude Stein. Of course she was gay."

"Even my sorrow was a pinprick in that starry sky, and I would choose her over all others for this, my first heartbreak." show less

I went into this novel expecting shameless smut, and I vastly underestimated it.

Stetz-Waters offers humor, heartache, and a tale of true love and all its trials in this tale of a failing sex-shop, the loss of an eccentric relative, and breaking free of the labels and molds which others impose upon us. Cade and Selena's growth and self-discovery in the novel are never underplayed, and while the story possesses a confident and warm understanding of sexuality, the humor and sex do not drown out show more the meaningfulness of the novel. show less

A taut psychological thriller that delivers on all fronts--the mystery, the suspense, and surprisingly, even the romance. The setting, the characters and the happenings are suitably creepy. I like the author's insight into the minds of not just the protagonists, but also the killer and the victims, and the mental and emotional illnesses they suffer from. Her depiction of mental illness and their devastating effects on not just the victims themselves, but their loved ones as well, was show more compassionate but doesn't pull any punches. The author manages to give us all that and still maintain the tension and suspense throughout. All of the characters were believable...even their unusual 'fetishes' sounded plausible. There is a bit of a creep factor...as the author goes inside the mind of the killer that at once, shows their human as well as their monstrous side. Indeed, this would make a very nice horror movie. A perfect 5 stars. show less

In this convoluted sequel to [b:The Admirer|19360798|The Admirer|Karelia Stetz-Waters|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403794710s/19360798.jpg|43585500], Adair, the charismatic theater professor, takes center stage. She was a bit of an enigma in the first book. Here, she is laid bare--figuratively and otherwise.

Like the first book, the subject matter is equally dark--sexual slavery. Helen and Adair unwittingly get themselves caught up in the recruitment of a highly-prized target. And take it show more upon themselves to rescue said target. Misunderstandings, deceptions, betrayals, abductions, killings and conspiracies dot the book, with erotic moments (some bdsm) sprinkled throughout. Did I mention convoluted? Yep, the number of subplots going on is occasionally vertigo inducing. Fortunately, everything is tied-in together fairly well, although sometimes things feel a little too convenient or coincidental.

How does the book fare as a psychological thriller? The author hasn't lost her touch in immersing the reader in her characters' emotions--the desperation of Adair, the dread of Helen, the innocence and confusion of the victims... I was putty in her capable hands. But the complexity of the rambling plot comes at the expense of the taut suspenseful pace of the first book. It does make for a highly unpredictable storyline and ending though so no complains here. And speaking of ending, I love that unexpected twist. Not really a twist, but still, it was audacious.

As a romance, this book also shines. The whirlwind romance from the first book is severely tested here. This is like the break up and make up book. And how it's so well tied into the overall story arch is a testament to the author's skill. It's not an easy read though, as the lead characters seem to lurch from one stupid or reckless mistake to another and occasionally I had to seriously wonder however did Helen become a college president? Aah..Love, what you do to people. And the things people do in your name. :) show less