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iam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I gotta stop reading this series's blurbs, they give such a wrong impression about the books?!
Content warnings include: political machinations, humans in gernal being stupid and self-centered, attack of a wild animal that is then killed in self-defense, BDSM (mostly non-sexual D/s, light bondage), sex on-page; mentions of rape, sexual abuse and assault, sex work, respecting someone less for working as a sex worker, neglect and parent kicking out a child.
I loooooooved that this book included Ondry as a POV character! Reading from his POV was delightful, and I even enjoyed the cultural barriers that kept him from understanding what Liam was doing - and sometimes that was even hard for me to interpret - and vice versa.
The plot made me anxious at time but never truly escalated, which I appreciated. It kept just the right tension, creating suspense without ever actually making me sad about what was happening.
At times it did feel like things were going terribly convenient for Ondry and Liam, though, to the point where it almost felt unbelievable. But just almost, it never truly went past that tipping point that would have broken suspension of disbelief, and included enough drama and ups and downs to distract from it through excitement.
I loved learning more about Rownt culture, and I'm hoping to learn more about the other alien species in the next book, and that the humans .... well, that there are less humans and that those who are there cause less trouble. (Not that I think my hopes will be met. But, eh, hope dies last...)
In general I think this series excells at all the culture clash and mainly focussing on a culture and society that is so different from humans. It's truly delightful to read, but also make you question what you assumed to be normal, logical or natural while reading.
Upon rereading, this book has some of my least favourite moments of the series, but I love it for giving us Ondry's POV for the first time, and it makes a lot of necessay steps and introctions that become vital for the development of the plot of the overall series plot.
Content warnings include: political machinations, humans in gernal being stupid and self-centered, attack of a wild animal that is then killed in self-defense, BDSM (mostly non-sexual D/s, light bondage), sex on-page; mentions of rape, sexual abuse and assault, sex work, respecting someone less for working as a sex worker, neglect and parent kicking out a child.
I loooooooved that this book included Ondry as a POV character! Reading from his POV was delightful, and I even enjoyed the cultural barriers that kept him from understanding what Liam was doing - and sometimes that was even hard for me to interpret - and vice versa.
The plot made me anxious at time but never truly escalated, which I appreciated. It kept just the right tension, creating suspense without ever actually making me sad about what was happening.
At times it did feel like things were going terribly convenient for Ondry and Liam, though, to the point where it almost felt unbelievable. But just almost, it never truly went past that tipping point that would have broken suspension of disbelief, and included enough drama and ups and downs to distract from it through excitement.
I loved learning more about Rownt culture, and I'm hoping to learn more about the other alien species in the next book, and that the humans .... well, that there are less humans and that those who are there cause less trouble. (Not that I think my hopes will be met. But, eh, hope dies last...)
In general I think this series excells at all the culture clash and mainly focussing on a culture and society that is so different from humans. It's truly delightful to read, but also make you question what you assumed to be normal, logical or natural while reading.
Upon rereading, this book has some of my least favourite moments of the series, but I love it for giving us Ondry's POV for the first time, and it makes a lot of necessay steps and introctions that become vital for the development of the plot of the overall series plot.
piddlepiddle's review against another edition
4.0
Reread October 2023:
Yes I did decide to reread the whole series (or at least the books I enjoyed in the series). I just love the relationship development we see in this and I am a sucker for a book focused on an established relationship so I had no doubts I was going to enjoy rereading this.
Yes I did decide to reread the whole series (or at least the books I enjoyed in the series). I just love the relationship development we see in this and I am a sucker for a book focused on an established relationship so I had no doubts I was going to enjoy rereading this.
sleepey's review against another edition
4.0
Really solid follow-up to "Claimings", moving forward with the world & concepts established in the first book. I was gripped the whole way through & actually ended up reading it all in one long sitting.
There are some issues though - I thought their conversations about certain things went around in circles a few too many times before coming to a point (hey did you know there's no Rownt word for war??), & the last few chapters feel less like the conclusion to this story, and more like just moving pieces around the board to set up the next one.
It's all still very interesting, & I still love the characters, but after the big climactic scene (which happens earlier than you'd expect), things just sort of taper off in a weird way. It's very much a middle instalment in a series, for better or worse.
There are some issues though - I thought their conversations about certain things went around in circles a few too many times before coming to a point (hey did you know there's no Rownt word for war??), & the last few chapters feel less like the conclusion to this story, and more like just moving pieces around the board to set up the next one.
It's all still very interesting, & I still love the characters, but after the big climactic scene (which happens earlier than you'd expect), things just sort of taper off in a weird way. It's very much a middle instalment in a series, for better or worse.
myzanm's review against another edition
4.0
I love how Ondry struggles to understand humans in general and Liam in particular. I love his protective streak and his care for Liam.
Liam on the other hand is protective of Ondry on an other level. He cares only about Ondrys happiness which includes making a good profit and keeping his status.
Liam on the other hand is protective of Ondry on an other level. He cares only about Ondrys happiness which includes making a good profit and keeping his status.
indiechick21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. I love this series. It’s so unique and a breath of fresh air. I love that there’s so many layers to the story to keep me intrigued on top of the fantastic (and seriously swoony and yet subtle) romance between Ondry and Liam. Their dynamic is so unique and watching Ondry be so loving and overprotective of Liam here made my heart want to burst. I just adore them so much. And while this series is BDSM with the focus of D/s, you can count the sex scenes on one hand but when they do show up they are incredibly sensual and so gorgeously written. It’s a lot of passion and love and care between the two of them and it shows. I honestly can’t say enough good things about these books.
actaea's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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? It's complicated
3.25
dobbsthedog's review against another edition
3.0
Second book in this series. There were certain aspects of this one that I didn’t enjoy as much as I enjoyed the first book, but I did like that in this one there is a lot more explanation of linguistics between the human and Rownt languages, as well as how honourifics work.
These are really solid, fun reads, and I would totally be going on to book three right now, except that I’m getting them from hoopla and I only have one load left this month and I need to get a book for book club!
These are really solid, fun reads, and I would totally be going on to book three right now, except that I’m getting them from hoopla and I only have one load left this month and I need to get a book for book club!
bonriki's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
coconutlavender's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75