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Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book is super sweet. Despite how long it is, I don't really know what else to say about it...
I really enjoyed seeing Greid and Beryl's relationship evolve from strangers to careful roommates to friends to lovers. They were just so consistently good to each other. Kind, gentle, thoughtful, supportive and loving of each other for who they were. Loved Greid and his socially anxious, submissive, introverted self. And Beryl was a wonderful counter to him... and just the most wonderful in how she truly accepted - and defended - him.
This book is also so sexy in its consent and clear, honest communication between Gried and Beryl. The smut was also pretty good and felt like a really nice representation of kink (hydrate after those scenes, yall!). I did get a little tired of the "good boy", "you're doing so well" lines after a while, just cuz it got repetitive. The scene at the end though, is hilarious, where they're all at Greid's childhood home for Christmas where someone asksthe dog "who's a good boy" and Greid just answers automatically with "I am" and everyone just freezes 😂 Good stuff.
It was also nice to have representation of different kinds of sex, not just penetrative. And have non-PIV sex be the standard. Both because of demiurgus anatomy just not working safely with human anatomy and with Beryl having vaginismus. This book was a subtle PSA saying "this sex is valid too".
This probably was a bit long of a book, but it worked ok for me listening to the audiobook because I could listen while doing other stuff.
I really enjoyed seeing Greid and Beryl's relationship evolve from strangers to careful roommates to friends to lovers. They were just so consistently good to each other. Kind, gentle, thoughtful, supportive and loving of each other for who they were. Loved Greid and his socially anxious, submissive, introverted self. And Beryl was a wonderful counter to him... and just the most wonderful in how she truly accepted - and defended - him.
This book is also so sexy in its consent and clear, honest communication between Gried and Beryl. The smut was also pretty good and felt like a really nice representation of kink (hydrate after those scenes, yall!). I did get a little tired of the "good boy", "you're doing so well" lines after a while, just cuz it got repetitive. The scene at the end though, is hilarious, where they're all at Greid's childhood home for Christmas where someone asks
It was also nice to have representation of different kinds of sex, not just penetrative. And have non-PIV sex be the standard. Both because of demiurgus anatomy just not working safely with human anatomy and with Beryl having vaginismus. This book was a subtle PSA saying "this sex is valid too".
This probably was a bit long of a book, but it worked ok for me listening to the audiobook because I could listen while doing other stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Alcohol
Minor: Toxic relationship, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
This was a really fun blend of spice and wholesome romance. I think it would be a great sort of intro into monster romance but I'm not sure if I'm biased because I enjoy that genre haha. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading it and I was a little bored at the very beginning. But once the story picked up a few chapters in, I was really into it. The characters are so incredibly lovable and for me, they were super relatable. I'm not sure if this is a spoiler but just in case, there was a strong lack of "perfection" with the characters and I think it was my favorite part of the whole story. Greid has a lot of anxiety and can be very introverted and self-conscious. I personally haven't read a story where a character is so openly introverted and awkward. Freezing on their words, overthinking everything, and hiding away. I felt so seen by him and his fear of being judged or needing to conform. As silly as the story was, it was exactly what I needed. I loved Beryl's growth as well. She overcame a lot of fear leaving the cult and her determination to be independent but still acknowledging she wants to include other people in her life was a really refreshing take for me. The spice was definitely a bonus. It was empowering but just so *chefs kiss*. I think my only small complaint (barely though), is it might've been a tad too long. But honestly, I ended up loving all the characters so much and the pace was so steady and even that I didn't really end up minding. This was really long-winded lol but I loved this book so much and I'm so glad I read it. I'm excited to read more from this author :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness
Minor: Medical content
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I was offered an ARC copy of Berries and Greed by the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest essay of a review.
10/10. 20/5. Immediate favorite. One of my all time favorites ever. I absolutely love Lily Mayne's Monstrous series so I was very interested in this new series, Deep Earth Dating, although a tad bit nervous. Afterall, I'd grown very fond and comfortable with the world we know in Monstrous and there was always a chance I wouldn't like the world created in THIS series.
A CHANCE IN HELL! I fucking love this! This world is an alternate Earth where an intelligent, sentient race known as the demiurgus evolved deep underground and a couple generations ago decided to pop on up to the surface to make themselves known. Fast forward to today and some demiurgus have never left the underground, some have lived their whole lives above ground, and in-between. Humans are Not Allowed in Deep Earth. The book delves into a bit of learning how the demiurgus culturally, socially, and biologically differ from humans and I loved every bit of that.
The premise has our female main character, Beryl, living in a sex cult dedicated to the worship of the demiurgus but not actually buying into that whole garbage. She knows and believes they're just every day people going about their lives. Lily Mayne handled Beryl's journey so well that I found myself in the beginning thinking that Beryl seemed almost too normal. Too robust and well-rounded for her situation. It didn't make any sense! I should have trusted Lily because over time we see Beryl's confident exterior start to crack as she realizes how much she really missed out on growing up with the cult as she begins to build a life for herself and navigate the outside world.
(Important side note about the cult: All members save Beryl are grown adults who join the cult voluntarily as adults. The cult is wholly dedicated to the demiurgus, not on growing the cult leadership's power, influence, resources, etc. Anybody can leave at any time. They're like a self sustaining community with a very weird, very limited goal. There is no child abuse IN the cult nor a lot of the abuses we may tend to associate with cults. It's still a creepy sex cult with some very strict rules, though.)
Greid, our socially awkward and painfully lonely male main character, is a demiurgus who knows of the cult (who doesn't?) but has VASTLY underestimated how weird and creepy and sexual the whole thing is (oh no. oh no. oh no no no). But, well, he already trudged up all the damn stairs to get there and Beryl seems cool and he ends up landing himself a roommate in spite of the strange circumstances.
I fell in love with both characters from page 1 and it only grew from there. Greid is SUCH a dork and ya'll already know that is my jam anyway but holy shit, SUCH a doofus! Beryl is outwardly confident and so sure of herself but struggling day to day with all sorts of manner of adult life. I found myself surprised on how much I related to both of them. I'm already well aware of my lifetime status as a Certified Dork(tm) but I was a bit caught off guard on how much of Beryl's struggle I related to. I didn't grow up in a cult. I wasn't particularly sheltered or anything. I did, however, grow up without many friends, no social life, and my entire 20s were a wasteland of grief, mental illness, and chronic illness that left little room to properly handle Adult Things like I was supposed to so that I got into my 30s and found myself experiencing things for the first time that I really should have had a decade or two earlier. Beryl says something almost exactly like that and I was a little shook:
10/10. 20/5. Immediate favorite. One of my all time favorites ever. I absolutely love Lily Mayne's Monstrous series so I was very interested in this new series, Deep Earth Dating, although a tad bit nervous. Afterall, I'd grown very fond and comfortable with the world we know in Monstrous and there was always a chance I wouldn't like the world created in THIS series.
A CHANCE IN HELL! I fucking love this! This world is an alternate Earth where an intelligent, sentient race known as the demiurgus evolved deep underground and a couple generations ago decided to pop on up to the surface to make themselves known. Fast forward to today and some demiurgus have never left the underground, some have lived their whole lives above ground, and in-between. Humans are Not Allowed in Deep Earth. The book delves into a bit of learning how the demiurgus culturally, socially, and biologically differ from humans and I loved every bit of that.
The premise has our female main character, Beryl, living in a sex cult dedicated to the worship of the demiurgus but not actually buying into that whole garbage. She knows and believes they're just every day people going about their lives. Lily Mayne handled Beryl's journey so well that I found myself in the beginning thinking that Beryl seemed almost too normal. Too robust and well-rounded for her situation. It didn't make any sense! I should have trusted Lily because over time we see Beryl's confident exterior start to crack as she realizes how much she really missed out on growing up with the cult as she begins to build a life for herself and navigate the outside world.
(Important side note about the cult: All members save Beryl are grown adults who join the cult voluntarily as adults. The cult is wholly dedicated to the demiurgus, not on growing the cult leadership's power, influence, resources, etc. Anybody can leave at any time. They're like a self sustaining community with a very weird, very limited goal. There is no child abuse IN the cult nor a lot of the abuses we may tend to associate with cults. It's still a creepy sex cult with some very strict rules, though.)
Greid, our socially awkward and painfully lonely male main character, is a demiurgus who knows of the cult (who doesn't?) but has VASTLY underestimated how weird and creepy and sexual the whole thing is (oh no. oh no. oh no no no). But, well, he already trudged up all the damn stairs to get there and Beryl seems cool and he ends up landing himself a roommate in spite of the strange circumstances.
I fell in love with both characters from page 1 and it only grew from there. Greid is SUCH a dork and ya'll already know that is my jam anyway but holy shit, SUCH a doofus! Beryl is outwardly confident and so sure of herself but struggling day to day with all sorts of manner of adult life. I found myself surprised on how much I related to both of them. I'm already well aware of my lifetime status as a Certified Dork(tm) but I was a bit caught off guard on how much of Beryl's struggle I related to. I didn't grow up in a cult. I wasn't particularly sheltered or anything. I did, however, grow up without many friends, no social life, and my entire 20s were a wasteland of grief, mental illness, and chronic illness that left little room to properly handle Adult Things like I was supposed to so that I got into my 30s and found myself experiencing things for the first time that I really should have had a decade or two earlier. Beryl says something almost exactly like that and I was a little shook:
"Sometimes I felt embarrassingly juvenile. Like I was experiencing all these things for the first time in my thirties that other people went through years earlier, and it was painfully obvious to those around me how small my world had been before."
Beyond their obvious traits (and I am severely skipping over so much I love about both of them, like I could go on for ages about it), I also really enjoyed seeing both how good they were for each other as people, friends, that help the other grow and how good they were as a couple. It was SO. Good. They complement each other so well and it was so sweet, cute, and wholesome seeing them develop feelings for each other. I constantly wanted to wrap them in blanket burritos and squeeze them in a big bear hug. UGH, Lily Mayne is a master at getting me to want to bear hug her characters.
I'll let one line each speak for them and their relationship because I copied SO MANY THINGS for this review but can't include them all.
Greid: For her, I could withstand an evening out in the city. Because it was her, I wanted to.
Beryl: He was such a dork. A perfect dork. Who I was in love with.
The side characters were all great as well. Greid and his sister Kiti talk to each other how I talk to my siblings, complete with calling one another buttface despite being in their 40s, Lol. Greid's mom was great and felt realistic. Beryl's friend Corva was an absolute hoot and I hope we see more of her in the future. Beryl's coworkers seemed great and I liked that for how little we really saw them, we still get a glimpse of them having more personality and Beryl has a range of experiences with them.
Last but not least, the spice. It helps my lil gremlin demisexual heart that these two are something of a slow burn so I was very, very invested in their relationship by the time the spice hits but still, it was also very good spice. When it came to the content warning list's notes on the sex related items, it was more like a checklist of "ooh yes" interests than a warning and I was not disappointed. One thing I want to really call out is how well the BDSM was handled. Beryl is a fresh faced newbie to BDSM who literally learns about it for the first time during the events of the book and handles is SO WELL. She immediately researches, arms herself with knowledge, takes notes, and she and Greid have honest, open discussions with each other about what they want. Then. THEN she still takes things slowly to ease into everything and doesn't take that initial conversation as carte blanche consent to go hog wild on everything immediately. And they discuss again! Wow! Like you know, real people should do! It was great. Amazing. Loved it. Made everything that much better.
One final thing to mention is the content warning for recreational use of a fictional drug. It was admittedly the one thing that gave me pause on the list and it came up among ARC reviewers as well. I don't smoke cigarettes and although I believe firmly in the legalization of marijuana, I'm not that comfortable with being around it. Unlike our lovable goof goblin Greid, I think it's likely to exacerbate by anxiety. (Spoiler: Like Beryl,
That said, the fictional drug shade felt ...different. I described it as having the sweet smell I associate with vaping but the calming effects of weed and none of the consequences of either. I likened it to having a cup of tea but it happens to be an herb that's smoked rather than drank. That's what it felt like to me when reading about the use of shade. It was a complete non-issue.
Overall: I loved it, can't wait for the next one, and I want to personally give Lily Mayne a hug.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol
the drug use is by the main character and is casual and non-addictive
the drug abuse and addiction is in the past by a side character