Reviews

Something Human by A.J. Demas

gillianw's review against another edition

4.0

4 solid stars

I think I have a new (to me) favourite author. This was a fantastic story that kept me turning the pages long after my bedtime. I absolutely loved the characters, and could have kept reading about them long after the book ended. Truly delightful.

codysmovingcastle's review against another edition

 DNF @ 35%. I gave it 100 pages, but I just don't really care for either character...which is a problem because this was 100 pages of dialogue. 

ditten's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

4.5

The kiss Adares offered was gentle, tender in a way that surprised even him. It was received like rain falling on parched earth.

Something Human is tender, and soft, and beautiful, with great worldbuilding and the most gentle, wonderful romance between two men who should've been enemies

It's set in an ancient Greek-inspired world where Adares and Rus meet in the aftermath of a battle between their two tribes, when Rus rescues Adares from where he's trapped, and Adares returns the favour by nursing Rus back to life after serious injury. They hole up in the storeroom of an abandoned temple to heal where they talk, learn about each other's cultures, become friends, and fall in love. Rus is a priest in a land where wanting another man is unthinkable which adds another layer of complication on top of their tribes being caught in a conflict with seemingly no end in sight

Though the book is fairly short, the worldbuilding is excellent, as is the writing, and you could *feel* the connection between the characters. There's this tenderness and honesty to it, the whole book feels intimate and quiet, and while part of it seems Captive Prince coded, it's done in a much softer way that's no less compelling

There was something a little, well, off about petitioning the chaste goddess with an invocation of her earthly friendship, given the way he knew he had started to feel about Rus. But he forged ahead. Friendship was— undeniably— what they had, and it felt miraculous, and he was grateful for it.

“I thank you for granting him to me, divine Anaxe. I never looked to have a friend like this— I didn’t know what my life was lacking. And I’m not a fool, divine Anaxe— I know that he will have to go back to his people, as I will go back to mine, and we may never meet again after we leave here— and he will probably forget me. But please, holy goddess, let him go back, not to the funeral pyre, not with the men of his kin that I killed, but alive— please, even if it means he must ride against my people again in another battle.”

I'm so glad Tig recced this book to me, it was such a wonderful read.

graciatoent's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.25

drfoolish's review

adventurous emotional 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? N/A

5.0

marlobo's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars

platoniclume's review against another edition

adventurous 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? N/A

4.75

relly's review against another edition

3.5

3.5 stars

Thank you KreacherTheFlamingNorthPoleDancingElf

I've had this one for a couple of years waiting to be in the mood for it. Not sure I was in the right mood but it took me a while to get into it. There were parts I really enjoyed and these parts I powered through, but there were also parts I struggled with, so found this one really hard to rate.

I like the guys together and individually, although Adares annoyed me at times with some of the things he did near the end. I felt like there should have been some more animosity between the two at the start. Regardless if Rus didn't want to be there, they were on opposing sides and I'd was expecting a bit more of the enemies to lovers theme.

Rus I liked. He did what he did and had his own morals and values he kept to. I felt for him at the end as his friend's reaction made him feel bad and kind of cemented what he believed of the tribe and his place in it. I'm glad they talked things out and patched things up. 

Adares was also a good character, and I did work out his secret at the start. I just felt like his narration slowed the story down for me. I seemed to prefer it when Rus was narrating. I wasn't keen on the way he treated Rus near the end, it was very pressuring, but at least he apologised. 

While parts of the story were good, it seemed to be missing something for me.

willa's review against another edition

3.0

There could have been a happy ending without it being wrapped up quite so neatly. Some of the anachronistic dialogue - like a character saying "gosh" in a pantheistic culture - was distracting. Otherwise, really nice, and especially one big conversation our MCs have on the nature of their relationship was really well done.

tansy's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted sad

4.0

I put off reading this for ages, despite having enjoyed all of AJ Demas's other books, because the blurb didn't grab me. (The blurb made me think it was going to be focused on one of the heroes struggling with his attraction to men, but this isn't the case at all.) Anyway, having run out of other books to read, and having a voucher to use, I picked this up and was sorry I hadn't read it earlier, although I'm not convinced that Adares and Rus would work as a couple in the long-term, (I feel like their cultural differences would be too big ultimately).