Scan barcode
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
Well writen with an ending that I didn't expect. I would love to see these characters again.
jnalmon's review
3.0
Good ending to this trilogy and the mystery. I wasn't sure the landing was going to stick, but was overall happy with the love story and mystery endings.
babieghoul's review against another edition
4.5
the only time i will write a review is to say i have never felt myself feel so seen via a character than pen. kj charles had me weeping with my sweet non-binary repentance. i adored this book.
madscientistcat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Transphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide
totsfions's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
This got very slow in the middle when the protagonists were briefly separated and then got very fast toward the end when the crimes were being explained. As usual with romance novels, I found myself wanting like 50 or so more pages of domestic bliss, especially since the entire cast of this series is immaculate and we never really get to see all of them as a group. The highlight of this book though, is Pen as a character. It's rare to find trans characters at all in historicals, and one who is so determined to not be confined to gender norms is even more rare. Pen is bright and exuberant and I love him.
ashleyreadsanything's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.5
cloudyglow's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
4.0
"So what's this gender dysphoria thing anyway?" I asked at one point. "Can someone explain?"
"It's when women wish they were men and men wish they were women," someone replied, apparently not very accurately.
"Why?" I asked.
And thus began long conversations about what it means to not identify with your own gender, and looking around online for people explaining what it's like to be gender dysphoric. Honestly, nearly everything people said was so vague that it could mean anything from, "I feel like people perceiving me as the opposite sex would offer me more advantages in life", to "I like another type of fashion more", to "I feel like I'm a human being who woke up among the Wookiees, looking like a Wookiee".
Not at all understanding what the fuck being gender dysphoric *meant*, I asked a friend who's studying to be a psychiatrist about it.
"Well, you and I won't know," he said,"because we don't have it. But it's a discrepancy between the way your body is and the way you perceive it to be."
"So it's not like, "I wish I had or did not have breasts"," I said, squinting.
"No."
"More like, "I have a phantom limb and another limb grew there instead of it"?" I ventured.
"I... suppose."
I thought about it and thought about it and realized I probably won't ever really get it, for various reasons (not really giving a shit about the male/female division in the first place is one of them). And I gave up on understanding. And then came "An Unsuitable Heir", which is all about a character who lacks a limb, and a character who's gender fluid. And I'm starting to sort of understand what the hell this thing is.
It was a somewhat uncomfortable read, because the characters didn't appeal to me that much - one was somewhat of a bastard who decided to force things, instead of attempting to persuade others into doing the right thing. The other seemed somewhat selfish and passive - people are dying, he himself is in danger, and he mostly mopes about wishing he were doing something else. Luckily, the plot sorts things out for him, because otherwise he was heading towards a miserable life at full speed.
But it was also a somewhat enlightening read, even if it's not one of my favorite books by KJ Charles.
"It's when women wish they were men and men wish they were women," someone replied, apparently not very accurately.
"Why?" I asked.
And thus began long conversations about what it means to not identify with your own gender, and looking around online for people explaining what it's like to be gender dysphoric. Honestly, nearly everything people said was so vague that it could mean anything from, "I feel like people perceiving me as the opposite sex would offer me more advantages in life", to "I like another type of fashion more", to "I feel like I'm a human being who woke up among the Wookiees, looking like a Wookiee".
Not at all understanding what the fuck being gender dysphoric *meant*, I asked a friend who's studying to be a psychiatrist about it.
"Well, you and I won't know," he said,"because we don't have it. But it's a discrepancy between the way your body is and the way you perceive it to be."
"So it's not like, "I wish I had or did not have breasts"," I said, squinting.
"No."
"More like, "I have a phantom limb and another limb grew there instead of it"?" I ventured.
"I... suppose."
I thought about it and thought about it and realized I probably won't ever really get it, for various reasons (not really giving a shit about the male/female division in the first place is one of them). And I gave up on understanding. And then came "An Unsuitable Heir", which is all about a character who lacks a limb, and a character who's gender fluid. And I'm starting to sort of understand what the hell this thing is.
It was a somewhat uncomfortable read, because the characters didn't appeal to me that much - one was somewhat of a bastard who decided to force things, instead of attempting to persuade others into doing the right thing. The other seemed somewhat selfish and passive - people are dying, he himself is in danger, and he mostly mopes about wishing he were doing something else. Luckily, the plot sorts things out for him, because otherwise he was heading towards a miserable life at full speed.
But it was also a somewhat enlightening read, even if it's not one of my favorite books by KJ Charles.
tag_gregory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0