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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
to quote rupaul: "meh."
i love cat sebastian with my whole heart, but this was not the one for me. i've been avoiding it for a while because the concept of highwaymen/thieves isn't super interesting to me unless it's done in a very unique way, but i thought i'd give it a try because it has pretty high ratings.
i'll start with the positives. first, kit: he has this one line where he's looking at posh-percy in the coffee shop and wonders if he (percy) has sex with his powdered wig on, and that's all it took to sell me on kit. he's grouchy and horny and really cares about his people, which i loved. second, the representation: not only do we get disabled representation, and not only do we get bisexual disabled representation, we get grumpy-vers bisexual disabled representation. and i think that's beautiful. last, the eat-the-rich vibes: kit lives by this in more ways than one.
okay, so the negatives. i was not completely sold on kit and percy's relationship, which is sad because i think that's one of cat sebastian's biggest strengths. they start off rocky with percy acting so unlikeably arrogant and manipulative and stalker-y, but their mutual sexual attraction seems to bypass any red flags. once they open up to each other, it feels like we're being spoon-fed the story that they are falling in love: the protectiveness, the 'watching the other look for you in a crowded room' thing, the desire to be close, etc. in a different pair, this would be really sweet, but it just felt really forced. i was sorely wishing for more banter at times.
percy's swordfighting hobby/side hustle was uninteresting to me in the extreme. i skipped through those chapters because imo they did not add anything meaningful to the plot, not to the romance with kit or the heist with his father. sorry to this man, but keep that to yourself.
marian was so main character coded for no reason. every time she's in a scene, the chapter ends with her jumping out of windows or walking off mysteriously into the night or something equally dramatic. this aint her book.
and lastly, the timing ofrob's reappearance was absolutely bonkers, in a bad way. pls give these poor man one gosh darn minute of aftercare before revealing surprising information about other characters, ESPECIALLY considering kit's lack of experience. not cute. and this also applies to percy's big emotional return to his childhood home?? one second we're having a huge emotional moment and the next we're begging kit to help us desecrate the entire house with our freaky gay sex ?? i don't think so! that was a weird choice! ESPECIALLY considering kit's lack of experience!!
so yea, i finished it. and yea, the ending was cute. but i don't think i'd reread it or recommend it over my other cat sebastian faves.
i love cat sebastian with my whole heart, but this was not the one for me. i've been avoiding it for a while because the concept of highwaymen/thieves isn't super interesting to me unless it's done in a very unique way, but i thought i'd give it a try because it has pretty high ratings.
i'll start with the positives. first, kit: he has this one line where he's looking at posh-percy in the coffee shop and wonders if he (percy) has sex with his powdered wig on, and that's all it took to sell me on kit. he's grouchy and horny and really cares about his people, which i loved. second, the representation: not only do we get disabled representation, and not only do we get bisexual disabled representation, we get grumpy-vers bisexual disabled representation. and i think that's beautiful. last, the eat-the-rich vibes: kit lives by this in more ways than one.
okay, so the negatives. i was not completely sold on kit and percy's relationship, which is sad because i think that's one of cat sebastian's biggest strengths. they start off rocky with percy acting so unlikeably arrogant and manipulative and stalker-y, but their mutual sexual attraction seems to bypass any red flags. once they open up to each other, it feels like we're being spoon-fed the story that they are falling in love: the protectiveness, the 'watching the other look for you in a crowded room' thing, the desire to be close, etc. in a different pair, this would be really sweet, but it just felt really forced. i was sorely wishing for more banter at times.
percy's swordfighting hobby/side hustle was uninteresting to me in the extreme. i skipped through those chapters because imo they did not add anything meaningful to the plot, not to the romance with kit or the heist with his father. sorry to this man, but keep that to yourself.
marian was so main character coded for no reason. every time she's in a scene, the chapter ends with her jumping out of windows or walking off mysteriously into the night or something equally dramatic. this aint her book.
and lastly, the timing of
so yea, i finished it. and yea, the ending was cute. but i don't think i'd reread it or recommend it over my other cat sebastian faves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, Classism
Minor: Slavery
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fabulous queer historical excellence. enjoyed this romp greatly and excited to read the next one <3