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greystory's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I've seen reviews use the phrase TSTL - Too Stupid To Live - and I can't help but think that Kim would probably earn the title. It feels a bit mean. I wanted to like her because she was nice but she made so many dumb decisions that it was frustrating. Kim was clearly meant to be very innocent and overly trusting but her naivete also came across as immature and a little dim-witted, which did her no favors. It was especially jarring to have a woman who has been through some terrible trauma and who is anxious about being "too old" because she's in her 30s come off like a tittering teenager. There's certainly an opportunity to explain this in some way related to her past or her trauma but that's not the case here.
That said, Nassakth wasn't necessarily the brightest of the bunch, either. He should have been able to put two and two together a few times himself. He'd say incredibly, thoughtfully observant things that were too perfect (almost as if they were written in a romance novel) and other times say or do something that clearly could have been thought out better.
There were a lot of things I let go or overlooked in the first few stories in the Risdaverse series because they were novellas. This one, When She Purrs, came in at 375 pages and does not get that excuse.
* Kim goes from being rightfully terrified of Nassakth to down to bang in like 2 days.
* Kim was constantly forgiving Nassakth for so many things and forgave him so fast! Literally at one point she has a bath and then she's over it??
* Nassakth says Kim's laugh is what got his attention initially but why does he like her after that? Much later in the book he talks about traits he likes about her after he's gotten to know her better but what drew him in when he was stalking her?
* Why did Kim like Nassakth other than the fact that he was strong and nice to her and the first alien to not treat her like shit?
* Nassakth almost came off kind of manipulative, tbh
* I could have done with less of the annoying relationship angst and more of the other interesting stuff they had going on. It was strange how there'd be lead up to something non-relationship related and then it's rapidly resolved almost off the page and we're told about it after the fact.
* It's also bugging me how little the humans on Risda are able to communicate or help each other out
* Why is Milly, Lord va'Rin's human wife, not doing anything about the murders and harassment??
There were things I did like about it:
* Bethiah. If she's never seen again the whole Ruby Dixon multiple series spanning this universe, I'm gonna be sad.
* Learning more about Praxians and Praxian culture
* The nest bed sounded comfy but preferably with fewer people in it
* Nassakth's character story was interesting
That said, Nassakth wasn't necessarily the brightest of the bunch, either. He should have been able to put two and two together a few times himself. He'd say incredibly, thoughtfully observant things that were too perfect (almost as if they were written in a romance novel) and other times say or do something that clearly could have been thought out better.
There were a lot of things I let go or overlooked in the first few stories in the Risdaverse series because they were novellas. This one, When She Purrs, came in at 375 pages and does not get that excuse.
* Kim goes from being rightfully terrified of Nassakth to down to bang in like 2 days.
* Kim was constantly forgiving Nassakth for so many things and forgave him so fast! Literally at one point she has a bath and then she's over it??
* Nassakth says Kim's laugh is what got his attention initially but why does he like her after that? Much later in the book he talks about traits he likes about her after he's gotten to know her better but what drew him in when he was stalking her?
* Why did Kim like Nassakth other than the fact that he was strong and nice to her and the first alien to not treat her like shit?
* Nassakth almost came off kind of manipulative, tbh
* I could have done with less of the annoying relationship angst and more of the other interesting stuff they had going on. It was strange how there'd be lead up to something non-relationship related and then it's rapidly resolved almost off the page and we're told about it after the fact.
* It's also bugging me how little the humans on Risda are able to communicate or help each other out
* Why is Milly, Lord va'Rin's human wife, not doing anything about the murders and harassment??
There were things I did like about it:
* Bethiah. If she's never seen again the whole Ruby Dixon multiple series spanning this universe, I'm gonna be sad.
* Learning more about Praxians and Praxian culture
* The nest bed sounded comfy but preferably with fewer people in it
* Nassakth's character story was interesting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Stalking, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, and Violence
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