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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
tallyhotel's review
4.0
This book was a complete surprise. A historical, sci-fi, romance. It was something unto its own, with unfamiliar terminology that somehow just fit in with context clues (there is a glossary, but I wasn't even looking for one until I found it at the end of the book while just flipping along). The book is somehow about the side characters, with the main characters coming in the next book or so. It starts off as an arranged marriage (second only to mail order bride as my favorite trope), and quickly just runs right off the rails. I just...really enjoyed it! There is interesting magic, creepy gothic-ness, self-rescuing types, cinnamon rolls, alpha-holes, and in general, much snark. I picked this one up to fulfill a bingo square (Title: Imperial, royal or noble rank) and Jeanette Lynn did not let me down (and hasn't ever, really).
domtheknight's review against another edition
The writing style and I did not get along
mx_manda's review
3.0
It's been a while since I've attempted a Jeanette Lynn read—I DNFed and didn't even bother logging the last couple I cracked into—and I apparently do not have enough going on my life right now. Or maybe too much and I felt itchy to write a longer review, which I know will always happen if I can make it to the end of one of this author's stories. I decided to try out this latest work, being intrigued by the premise. I'm a sucker for regency/Austin inspired works, and Bex McLynn made it work in a SFR setting fairly well a few years back.
One thing I have to give to Lynn—she always has Ideas™.
But.
Way too many. Another review of this work compared it to a random soda fountain abomination, an apt metaphor. A little more editing could have gone a long way on this one. Not every idea has to go into every story. It distracts and weakens the narrative.
What works in here, really works. Parts of it—fairly large chunks—are solid 4 star territory. Very enjoyable, once she hit her groove writing this. The best part, by far, was Kraught's species' world building. Very fun details in those parts, which left me wanting to know more about how all of that worked,.
What doesn't is cringey and sometimes awful. It's not difficult to identify where there was struggle getting the story going or trying to convey what was desired in this ambitious thought experiment.
But the largest and most noticeable fault with this work is the need to edit. More isn't always better: it can self-sabotage and distract.
-Too much of this story is filler and didn't make sense in the context of the plot—especially when there was a clear, easy solution that could have been enacted much sooner.
-Pointless angst just to eat up pages. Constant rehashing of The. Same. Shit. This could have done better as a novella which would have encouraged tighter editing.
-The point of view jumps around too much, and there's so much unnecessary retelling the same event from different characters. If written well enough, the reader doesn't need multiple POVs for every event—we should be able to figure that out based on what we know about them. A couple here and there from supporting characters are fun, and I actually enjoy this aspect of how Lynn tells a story, but trying to follow the 2 mains, 2 secondary characters who will get their own book anyway—rendering these chapters completely pointless (this does not bode well for how repetitive the second book will be)—and a full half dozen cast characters gets confusing.
-Too many specialty words. It's fun to sprinkle in a term or two that doesn't have a direct human equivalent—it is an SFR/AR trope, after all—but there's no need to have dozens of terms that just distract from the story while the reader racks their brain trying to remember what is even being described in the text. There was, I kid you not, a word in this one that just means to inflate and wiggle a little. This 100% could have been conveyed more clearly by saying just that. Keep it simple; keep your reader in the story.
- So many verbose epilogues when one per character would have sufficed. Keep them tidy and to the point if you feel the need. Filler for page count.
And.
Spell out content warnings. They're intended for people with PTSD triggers who need to know whether or not to avoid your story. It's 2022. This is not a difficult concept to understand. Link them on a web page for those who need to see them if it bothers you to put them in the book. There are some BIG ones generalized as "sensitive topics" in the opening—tells the reader nothing.
TW/CW:
Despite all of this, the story was engaging enough to keep me reading, which is more than I can say of the last few Lynn attempts I made. There is a solid story worth reading hiding in the distracting extra muck.
One thing I have to give to Lynn—she always has Ideas™.
But.
Way too many. Another review of this work compared it to a random soda fountain abomination, an apt metaphor. A little more editing could have gone a long way on this one. Not every idea has to go into every story. It distracts and weakens the narrative.
What works in here, really works. Parts of it—fairly large chunks—are solid 4 star territory. Very enjoyable, once she hit her groove writing this. The best part, by far, was Kraught's species' world building. Very fun details in those parts, which left me wanting to know more about how all of that worked,
Spoiler
especially the integration for a human like BellaWhat doesn't is cringey and sometimes awful.
Spoiler
Like. Can the whole second chapter just be jettisoned into the sun—or reworked? Holy random character and tone break, Batman. Surely that temper could have been illustrated without breaking out of the tone established in the first chapter for both the character and the work. You chose this, COMMIT to it. Even more baffling, this break never happens again. For one chapter, Bella becomes the Generic Lynn Girl—all Manic Pixie Daffy Duck energy. Why only in 1 chapter? It was extremely distracting and jarred me out of the setting. Lynn could not seem to figure out how to write her one note heroine in the established world she built for her and had to break frame to wedge it in.But the largest and most noticeable fault with this work is the need to edit. More isn't always better: it can self-sabotage and distract.
-Too much of this story is filler and didn't make sense in the context of the plot—especially when there was a clear, easy solution that could have been enacted much sooner.
Spoiler
What was the point of all the angst if the marriage contract didn't even specify which sister was to be married? There were zero issues here that required all of these words to resolve.-Pointless angst just to eat up pages. Constant rehashing of The. Same. Shit. This could have done better as a novella which would have encouraged tighter editing.
-The point of view jumps around too much, and there's so much unnecessary retelling the same event from different characters. If written well enough, the reader doesn't need multiple POVs for every event—we should be able to figure that out based on what we know about them. A couple here and there from supporting characters are fun, and I actually enjoy this aspect of how Lynn tells a story, but trying to follow the 2 mains, 2 secondary characters who will get their own book anyway—rendering these chapters completely pointless (this does not bode well for how repetitive the second book will be)—and a full half dozen cast characters gets confusing.
-Too many specialty words. It's fun to sprinkle in a term or two that doesn't have a direct human equivalent—it is an SFR/AR trope, after all—but there's no need to have dozens of terms that just distract from the story while the reader racks their brain trying to remember what is even being described in the text. There was, I kid you not, a word in this one that just means to inflate and wiggle a little. This 100% could have been conveyed more clearly by saying just that. Keep it simple; keep your reader in the story.
- So many verbose epilogues when one per character would have sufficed. Keep them tidy and to the point if you feel the need. Filler for page count.
And.
Spell out content warnings. They're intended for people with PTSD triggers who need to know whether or not to avoid your story. It's 2022. This is not a difficult concept to understand. Link them on a web page for those who need to see them if it bothers you to put them in the book. There are some BIG ones generalized as "sensitive topics" in the opening—tells the reader nothing.
TW/CW:
Spoiler
parent units with drug and alcohol addiction issues, emotional abuse from a parent, verbal abuse from a parent, physical abuse/violent attack from a parent—both on page and described past events in passing, sexual/breeding slavery, adult female ownership by parent, held hostage by parent, verbal abuse by love interest, sexual shaming by love interest, emotional manipulation/abuse by love interest, fatphobic language and themesDespite all of this, the story was engaging enough to keep me reading, which is more than I can say of the last few Lynn attempts I made. There is a solid story worth reading hiding in the distracting extra muck.
brl5189's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
3.5