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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
Unexpectedly great little novella with interesting world building and character development.
2.5 Stars
The old title was more accurate. He's not really a "merman" given that he lives on dry land and has cyborg legs.
If you are averse to dubcon, definitely stay away, as what he does in the beginning really edges more on non-con, in my opinion. His reasoning for it is justified in his mind, given the situation and reality of where they live--a planet where women don't hold equal rights and any man could rape the widow to force her hand in marriage and gain rights to her land and property, etc. With rumors about someone planning to do just that, he decides to step in.
This comes across as a practical decision rather than a sexually motivated one; he isn't even sure he will be able to get it up since he's never been with a woman or even had an erection before. He manipulates her mind so that she will feel happiness/pleasure and be accepting of him the first time, though she still rebels and is mighty unpleased after the act. However, she comes around pretty quickly, glad for his abilities to distract her from her pain in whatever way.
The storyline was interesting/unusual, but with only 17k words you aren't going to get much in the way of major development and obviously it's going to be rushed.
The old title was more accurate. He's not really a "merman" given that he lives on dry land and has cyborg legs.
If you are averse to dubcon, definitely stay away, as what he does in the beginning really edges more on non-con, in my opinion. His reasoning for it is justified in his mind, given the situation and reality of where they live--a planet where women don't hold equal rights and any man could rape the widow to force her hand in marriage and gain rights to her land and property, etc. With rumors about someone planning to do just that, he decides to step in.
This comes across as a practical decision rather than a sexually motivated one; he isn't even sure he will be able to get it up since he's never been with a woman or even had an erection before. He manipulates her mind so that she will feel happiness/pleasure and be accepting of him the first time, though she still rebels and is mighty unpleased after the act. However, she comes around pretty quickly, glad for his abilities to distract her from her pain in whatever way.
The storyline was interesting/unusual, but with only 17k words you aren't going to get much in the way of major development and obviously it's going to be rushed.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Very cute but also very short.
Recognizing this is perhaps just a trope that isn't for me, the rape wasn't handled well. It wasn't written in such a way that it was wholly necessary, it was doubly bad with the nonconsensual mind manipulation, and he refers to it as what "we" did (that's not how rape works). Even assuming his analytical brain believed he raped her out of necessity and not fully understanding how damaging the experience can be, no one ever touches on it as more than a bump in the road. We never have a conversation about wrongness or trust and there is no apparent remorse or apology ever, not even briefly.
And it's not bothersome at all that he has his sexual awakening while taking his best friends grieving wife against her will?! Just me? Apparently, because it's highly rated with hundreds of reviews.
The only reason I didn't DNF this read is because it's so short and I thought surely something's going to happen that'll make this more palatable, some conversation or revelation; nope.
And it's not bothersome at all that he has his sexual awakening while taking his best friends grieving wife against her will?! Just me? Apparently, because it's highly rated with hundreds of reviews.
The only reason I didn't DNF this read is because it's so short and I thought surely something's going to happen that'll make this more palatable, some conversation or revelation; nope.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Ooooooo I was NOT a fan of the male lead raping the main character. Huge miss here.
This starts with a straight up no question rape, which is never dealt with. This forces the FMC into marriage and then when she wants to be free of the despair, he trades fucking her for holding her so she feels less alone.
Then they just... Have sex until they're in love now I guess? The MMC proves he's actually a nice guy by murdering dudes who were... Committing the sin of thinking about sexual violence? Well at least he raped her for her own good? Fuck that
I get that Milo likes to explore these themes but "contains triggery material" is truly insufficient as a content note for a completely shrugged off rapist
Then they just... Have sex until they're in love now I guess? The MMC proves he's actually a nice guy by murdering dudes who were... Committing the sin of thinking about sexual violence? Well at least he raped her for her own good? Fuck that
I get that Milo likes to explore these themes but "contains triggery material" is truly insufficient as a content note for a completely shrugged off rapist
Unexpected
I’m definitely an Amanda Milo fan and so far I’m never disappointed. This story was sort of a Sci-Fi take on a Western. Without giving too much away, I will say that the beginning of the story is definitely rough and in a sort of consensual/no consensual gray area. If that makes you uncomfortable, this is definitely not the read for you.
It is actually a really quick read and does have an HEA. I think it would have been nice to have a little more world building and character development, but I don’t know how realistic it would have been for such a short story. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because I felt like there was more in the story to be told, but otherwise I would recommend it.
I’m definitely an Amanda Milo fan and so far I’m never disappointed. This story was sort of a Sci-Fi take on a Western. Without giving too much away, I will say that the beginning of the story is definitely rough and in a sort of consensual/no consensual gray area. If that makes you uncomfortable, this is definitely not the read for you.
It is actually a really quick read and does have an HEA. I think it would have been nice to have a little more world building and character development, but I don’t know how realistic it would have been for such a short story. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was because I felt like there was more in the story to be told, but otherwise I would recommend it.
Didn't really like this one too much. The way he married her was non-consenual.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Grief
Minor: Blood, Murder