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teresab78's review against another edition
3.0
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®****
Teresa’s View:
So Karen and I decided to do a buddy read on this book, and instead of a traditional review, decided to ask each other three questions about the book. Here are my answers to Karen’s questions:
Q1. How did you feel about the magical elements in the book?
A: I thought it echoed Harry Potter in that they had Transmography, Divination, and Charms classes. Though they didn’t seem to use wands, and Potions was more accurately named Alchemy, with them going to Mage School it definitely felt like a grown up version of the other book. They even used human repelling charms on their homes.
Q2. What was the strongest part of the book for you?
A: This is a hard question. I think the strongest part of the book was the magic. They used it in practical ways and it centered the book in the fantasy genre.
Q3.Would you read other books set in this world?
A: I think I would. My issues with the book weren’t due to world building but character building. Even though I felt that certain aspects ripped off Harry Potter, I loved Harry Potter and so like stories set in that kind of world.
Karen’s View:
Q1. What did you think of Steven’s reaction to Dax’s accident? Do you think you would have reacted the same way in the same situation?
A: Because the accident happens relatively early in the book I didn’t have a particularly strong feel for Steven’s character, so I have to say initially it seemed a little odd how he reacted, once I’d read more and understood more about him it started to make more sense. Having said that, once you know what type of magic Steven is drawn to I don’t think he could have reacted in any other way. if I had been in Steven’s shoes would I have reacted in the same way, yes I think I would .
Q2. What did you think about the romance aspect of the book?
A: The romance was interesting, as we read this together it was really good to have someone to bounce questions and thoughts with – it felt like they were in their late teens, but that it was definitely love. I felt that they were used to existing more as part of a group as opposed to being alone as a couple which fit into the age group I had them in. I liked that they kind of had to start again after Dax’s accident as well, which added another dimension. I didn’t think that the romance was necessarily at the core of the book though.
Q3. How did you feel about the ending? Satisfactory, too easy, perfect?
A: For me the issue the direction the book took was going to be a neat ending. And so I did have issues with ending, personally I don’t mind loose ends and a bit of uncertainty. So the way it ended was a little too neat for me.
Bonus question: do you think the book was supposed to be funny?
A: I also do think that the book was at times funny, and in quite a macabre way, which I actually like a lot
Teresa’s View:
So Karen and I decided to do a buddy read on this book, and instead of a traditional review, decided to ask each other three questions about the book. Here are my answers to Karen’s questions:
Q1. How did you feel about the magical elements in the book?
A: I thought it echoed Harry Potter in that they had Transmography, Divination, and Charms classes. Though they didn’t seem to use wands, and Potions was more accurately named Alchemy, with them going to Mage School it definitely felt like a grown up version of the other book. They even used human repelling charms on their homes.
Q2. What was the strongest part of the book for you?
A: This is a hard question. I think the strongest part of the book was the magic. They used it in practical ways and it centered the book in the fantasy genre.
Q3.Would you read other books set in this world?
A: I think I would. My issues with the book weren’t due to world building but character building. Even though I felt that certain aspects ripped off Harry Potter, I loved Harry Potter and so like stories set in that kind of world.
Karen’s View:
Q1. What did you think of Steven’s reaction to Dax’s accident? Do you think you would have reacted the same way in the same situation?
A: Because the accident happens relatively early in the book I didn’t have a particularly strong feel for Steven’s character, so I have to say initially it seemed a little odd how he reacted, once I’d read more and understood more about him it started to make more sense. Having said that, once you know what type of magic Steven is drawn to I don’t think he could have reacted in any other way. if I had been in Steven’s shoes would I have reacted in the same way, yes I think I would .
Q2. What did you think about the romance aspect of the book?
A: The romance was interesting, as we read this together it was really good to have someone to bounce questions and thoughts with – it felt like they were in their late teens, but that it was definitely love. I felt that they were used to existing more as part of a group as opposed to being alone as a couple which fit into the age group I had them in. I liked that they kind of had to start again after Dax’s accident as well, which added another dimension. I didn’t think that the romance was necessarily at the core of the book though.
Q3. How did you feel about the ending? Satisfactory, too easy, perfect?
A: For me the issue the direction the book took was going to be a neat ending. And so I did have issues with ending, personally I don’t mind loose ends and a bit of uncertainty. So the way it ended was a little too neat for me.
Bonus question: do you think the book was supposed to be funny?
A: I also do think that the book was at times funny, and in quite a macabre way, which I actually like a lot
ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
Book – My Boyfriend's Back
Author – Elliot Cooper
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 126
Cover – Love it!
POV – 3rd person, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Paranormal, Zombie, Romance, Friendship
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*Warnings: (given by author): Suitable for mature readers. Depictions of blood, gore, and cannibalism.*
Wow! So, I'll fully admit that I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to zombie/gore stuff. But, as soon as I read the blurb and saw the cover, I knew I had to read this one. And, thankfully, the gore/cannibalism stuff wasn't nearly as bad as some books I've read. It was all in perfect proportion to the story.
The main characters – Steven and Dax – were adorable right from the start. Their relationship was sweet, comfortable but also a little too comfortable and there were small signs that they took each other for granted.
Then everything changed when Dax died. I don't feel like that's a spoiler, because it's mentioned in the blurb, so I'm gladly going to say it again – Dax died! And I'll admit that I was afraid that would be the end of Dax. He's go on a murderous rampage, become some unrecognizable monster and he'd have to be destroyed or sent away.
Without giving too much away, I want to say that I loved the emotional progression of Steven and Dax's relationship, the very real ups and downs (even though it involves zombies) and the very real implications of creating a mindless zombie, who slowly begins to show signs of the person he was before.
The ending, in particular, was a stroke of genius and so cleverly revealed. It wasn't one of those unrealistic B movie films, where everything is all shiny and bright, but it wasn't all doom and gloom either. It had the perfect blend of compassion, love, romance, and the reality of zombies and witches/mages existing within the world.
~
Overall, for me, this is a story of warning. A “be careful what you wish for” combined with the very sad, but real aspect of “you don't know what you have until it's gone”. Both those things, with the creative genius of the author, the skill of writing and plot forming, the pace and craft of the story, as well as the emotive way it drew me in, made this an instant winner.
Elliot Cooper will be a must read from me, from now on.
Author – Elliot Cooper
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 126
Cover – Love it!
POV – 3rd person, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Paranormal, Zombie, Romance, Friendship
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*Warnings: (given by author): Suitable for mature readers. Depictions of blood, gore, and cannibalism.*
Wow! So, I'll fully admit that I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to zombie/gore stuff. But, as soon as I read the blurb and saw the cover, I knew I had to read this one. And, thankfully, the gore/cannibalism stuff wasn't nearly as bad as some books I've read. It was all in perfect proportion to the story.
The main characters – Steven and Dax – were adorable right from the start. Their relationship was sweet, comfortable but also a little too comfortable and there were small signs that they took each other for granted.
Then everything changed when Dax died. I don't feel like that's a spoiler, because it's mentioned in the blurb, so I'm gladly going to say it again – Dax died! And I'll admit that I was afraid that would be the end of Dax. He's go on a murderous rampage, become some unrecognizable monster and he'd have to be destroyed or sent away.
Without giving too much away, I want to say that I loved the emotional progression of Steven and Dax's relationship, the very real ups and downs (even though it involves zombies) and the very real implications of creating a mindless zombie, who slowly begins to show signs of the person he was before.
The ending, in particular, was a stroke of genius and so cleverly revealed. It wasn't one of those unrealistic B movie films, where everything is all shiny and bright, but it wasn't all doom and gloom either. It had the perfect blend of compassion, love, romance, and the reality of zombies and witches/mages existing within the world.
~
Overall, for me, this is a story of warning. A “be careful what you wish for” combined with the very sad, but real aspect of “you don't know what you have until it's gone”. Both those things, with the creative genius of the author, the skill of writing and plot forming, the pace and craft of the story, as well as the emotive way it drew me in, made this an instant winner.
Elliot Cooper will be a must read from me, from now on.
myzanm's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I expected at all!
Sure it’s a zombie story, but with some twists. I just adored Dex. Zombie or not Zombie, he was just so sweet. Steven was a bit more harder to like, but I warmed to him eventually. And Hattie.... sooo sweet!
The ending was not what I expected, (or wanted), but it fit and because of that I’m happy.
Sure it’s a zombie story, but with some twists. I just adored Dex. Zombie or not Zombie, he was just so sweet. Steven was a bit more harder to like, but I warmed to him eventually. And Hattie.... sooo sweet!
The ending was not what I expected, (or wanted), but it fit and because of that I’m happy.
meghanreadsmm's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the dark humor in this story and the characters were sweet in their own ways. The story-telling style was a bit simplistic but it was engaging and otherwise well-written.
tiggers_hate_acorns's review against another edition
4.0
Totally different to what I was expecting. The ending was actually quite low key but fit with the "realness" of the story. In a way a "Harry Potter" style story where the magical/paranormal lived secretly within the normal people. Parts could have been a bit gory but thankfully were nice and short on detail. Don't think I've ever read of Zombies with a conscience before!!
A new author for me and definitely one I will read again.
4 stars
A new author for me and definitely one I will read again.
4 stars
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
4.5 Stars ~ I’m not certain what I was expecting when I scanned the blurb for this book—perhaps something similar to the movie Warm Bodies, but gayer? I dunno. What I do know is My Boyfriend’s Back completely exceeded my expectations. It managed to be a deeply disturbing thriller, while at the same time, a heart-pounding love story that was—for lack of a better word—simply adorable. The genius of this piece was getting me from one extreme emotion to the next without giving me whiplash. Wow, what a ride.
Our point of view character, Steven, is an interesting choice in protagonist. He’s a student of the magical arts—a potions major of sorts—and is consumed by his work. Because he’s so busy with his experiments, he doesn’t give his boyfriend, Dax, the time of day—until Dax has a fatal accident down a staircase, and Steven is struck with the brilliant idea of turning him into a zombie, thus following in his family’s deeply perturbing legacy of necromancy.
Steven is a piece of work. Who the hell thinks about their finals project as their boyfriend is dying? Did he at least try to perform CPR or something? Or call the authorities? Or, I dunno, lay there and cry for a bit? No. No, he didn’t. He just kinda looked at Dax and was like, “Yup, he’s dead. I guess I’ll make him a zombie”. Who does that? Who are these people?
That’s a question I asked myself about twenty times while reading this book, and all things considered, I wasn’t disappointed in the answer. Steven was simply fascinating, and I’m going to throw the idea out there that he wasn’t the ultimate protagonist of the novel. In any case, he was a great choice in viewpoint character, and it was highly entertaining to witness these experiences from his perspective. Entertaining, but also really troubling.
Well, Steven comes to regret bringing his boyfriend back (duh), and, of course, Dax doesn’t come back as a normal zombie. He’s kinda brain dead at first, but then he becomes lucid enough to actually attend school again. Good news, right? What started as a horrible, horrible mistake was actually looking good, and I had a glimmer of hope for Steven and his motivations.
Alas, Dax doesn’t seem to have any emotional connection to his past, except the memories he made with Steven (who he still adores), so he becomes a dangerously clever, impulsive, and remorseless killer who delights in raw human flesh. Well, damn.
This leaves Steven in between a rock and a hard place (of his own doing), and his responses to the raised stakes explore some truly great and terrible aspects of human nature. Even if we assume Dax was the victim of circumstance and was a stand-up guy before his fatal accident, it becomes pretty clear Steven wasn’t that swell of a guy. At all. Call it a family flaw? I dunno. I mean, I love antiheroes but I’m not so sure we could call Steven that. Again, this book gets pretty dark.
Despite that darkness and Steven shattering the world around them, Dax and Steven kinda start to fall in love with each other all over again. Go figure. And it’s actually kinda sweet and romantic. Go figure.
I was expecting a Bonnie and Clyde trainwreck of epic proportions, and I’m not going to lie, this book is a wild ride, but I think you’ll be happy with the destination.
Buckle up.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
Our point of view character, Steven, is an interesting choice in protagonist. He’s a student of the magical arts—a potions major of sorts—and is consumed by his work. Because he’s so busy with his experiments, he doesn’t give his boyfriend, Dax, the time of day—until Dax has a fatal accident down a staircase, and Steven is struck with the brilliant idea of turning him into a zombie, thus following in his family’s deeply perturbing legacy of necromancy.
Steven is a piece of work. Who the hell thinks about their finals project as their boyfriend is dying? Did he at least try to perform CPR or something? Or call the authorities? Or, I dunno, lay there and cry for a bit? No. No, he didn’t. He just kinda looked at Dax and was like, “Yup, he’s dead. I guess I’ll make him a zombie”. Who does that? Who are these people?
That’s a question I asked myself about twenty times while reading this book, and all things considered, I wasn’t disappointed in the answer. Steven was simply fascinating, and I’m going to throw the idea out there that he wasn’t the ultimate protagonist of the novel. In any case, he was a great choice in viewpoint character, and it was highly entertaining to witness these experiences from his perspective. Entertaining, but also really troubling.
Well, Steven comes to regret bringing his boyfriend back (duh), and, of course, Dax doesn’t come back as a normal zombie. He’s kinda brain dead at first, but then he becomes lucid enough to actually attend school again. Good news, right? What started as a horrible, horrible mistake was actually looking good, and I had a glimmer of hope for Steven and his motivations.
Alas, Dax doesn’t seem to have any emotional connection to his past, except the memories he made with Steven (who he still adores), so he becomes a dangerously clever, impulsive, and remorseless killer who delights in raw human flesh. Well, damn.
This leaves Steven in between a rock and a hard place (of his own doing), and his responses to the raised stakes explore some truly great and terrible aspects of human nature. Even if we assume Dax was the victim of circumstance and was a stand-up guy before his fatal accident, it becomes pretty clear Steven wasn’t that swell of a guy. At all. Call it a family flaw? I dunno. I mean, I love antiheroes but I’m not so sure we could call Steven that. Again, this book gets pretty dark.
Despite that darkness and Steven shattering the world around them, Dax and Steven kinda start to fall in love with each other all over again. Go figure. And it’s actually kinda sweet and romantic. Go figure.
I was expecting a Bonnie and Clyde trainwreck of epic proportions, and I’m not going to lie, this book is a wild ride, but I think you’ll be happy with the destination.
Buckle up.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
jaywright's review against another edition
4.0
Zombie Boyfriends
Really solid writing and good world building. Lots of fun! Will check out more from the author in the future
Really solid writing and good world building. Lots of fun! Will check out more from the author in the future
annmarief's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the author via the M/M Romance Group’s Don’t Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.
I am a little confused regarding how to review this book as it was absolutely not what I was expecting. The book tells the story of Steven & Dax, both students of magic attending college and they live together as a couple. Early in the book Dax has an accident and dies so Steven uses his skills in necromancy to bring him back to life as a zombie. The rest of the story is basically Steven trying to deal with the results of his actions.
I think my biggest issue with the book would have to be the fact that I disliked Steven and I never warmed up to him. The only thing he seemed upset about was the fact that Dax was a zombie who was not acting like his boyfriend and not about murders that occurred as a result of turning Dax into a zombie. He acted like a jerk towards zombie Dax and it was a real negative for me.
I liked the secondary characters, especially the animated doll and Steven’s aunt who is a ghost. I also enjoyed the use of magic and as other reviewers have said the call back to Harry Potter.
I am a little confused regarding how to review this book as it was absolutely not what I was expecting. The book tells the story of Steven & Dax, both students of magic attending college and they live together as a couple. Early in the book Dax has an accident and dies so Steven uses his skills in necromancy to bring him back to life as a zombie. The rest of the story is basically Steven trying to deal with the results of his actions.
I think my biggest issue with the book would have to be the fact that I disliked Steven and I never warmed up to him. The only thing he seemed upset about was the fact that Dax was a zombie who was not acting like his boyfriend and not about murders that occurred as a result of turning Dax into a zombie. He acted like a jerk towards zombie Dax and it was a real negative for me.
I liked the secondary characters, especially the animated doll and Steven’s aunt who is a ghost. I also enjoyed the use of magic and as other reviewers have said the call back to Harry Potter.
jpjackson's review
5.0
Totally enjoyable! Fantastically grim, great plot twists, and a unique perspective into 'the other side'. That's all I'm saying to preserve the story and not spoil it for others. Would like be to see more of Steve and Dax.
I honestly wasn't sure how E. Cooper was going to turn this into a Happily Ever After, but he did so with brilliance! Well done.
I honestly wasn't sure how E. Cooper was going to turn this into a Happily Ever After, but he did so with brilliance! Well done.
saoirseak's review
2.0
I was hoping that this book would be about the POV character learning to love and accept his monster boyfriend and helping him recover his memories. Unfortunately, instead the book posits that the only way they can be happy is if they’re both equally monstrous, which I personally find much less interesting. The world building seemed kind of flat, like it wanted to be Harry Potter but also wanted to exist in a world where Harry Potter was a pop-culture phenomenon and couldn’t quite balance having it both ways. By far my favourite parts of this book were the ghost girl and the creepy doll.
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