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schomj's review
4.0
Kind of a crazy mash-up of Gothic PNR and bdsm erotica featuring Mayan gods and demons.
The worldbuilding was much easier to follow than in the first book, and sometimes made me laugh (zombie conquistadors!). The characters very dramaticly emoted in a way that would probably annoy me in another story but made sense here. The erotic elements were blended into the worldbuilding and plotting in a way that made sense to me (but of course some may find that it's too much or too little, depending on your expectations). There is quite a bit of bloodplay and capture & bondage, but it's all consensual.
The one thing that I had a problem with was the diary technique of telling the story. That style doesn't work for me when it includes a lot of dialog and fight scenes, etc., so I mostly just tried to ignore it.
Overall, a fun story. I think I still prefer Burkhart's contemporaries but I'd be happy to read more in this series.
The worldbuilding was much easier to follow than in the first book, and sometimes made me laugh (zombie conquistadors!). The characters very dramaticly emoted in a way that would probably annoy me in another story but made sense here. The erotic elements were blended into the worldbuilding and plotting in a way that made sense to me (but of course some may find that it's too much or too little, depending on your expectations). There is quite a bit of bloodplay and capture & bondage, but it's all consensual.
The one thing that I had a problem with was the diary technique of telling the story. That style doesn't work for me when it includes a lot of dialog and fight scenes, etc., so I mostly just tried to ignore it.
Overall, a fun story. I think I still prefer Burkhart's contemporaries but I'd be happy to read more in this series.
bookwyrmknits's review
4.0
I haven't read either the full story that came before (The Bloodgate Guardian) or the short piece that she released in preparation for this book to come out (Bloodgate). I know. Shame on me. I haven't read them for the simple reason that I fell off the blog reader radar for a while, and missed the release of the first novel. Then I figured I'd wait for this one before reading either of the two. And, having read The Bloodgate Warrior, I can tell you that I will be reading the other two stories.
This book, even though it's a sequel, doesn't seem to have much in the way of spoilers for the first book. The one thing that I did pick out as potential spoiler material is that the main characters from The Bloodgate Guardian survive and get together at the end. But you know what? It's a romance. And it's a Joely book. Happy Endings (even if they're just Happy For Now endings) are a given.
One thing that this book (likely the series) makes me want to do is research Mayan history and legends. I read the blog Joely posted on Carina Press about the similarities between Mayan legend and the Arthurian legend. I love that kind of story, and so this one was a joy for me. I especially loved finding out after the fact that this was a real Mayan legend, and not just something Joely made up.
To balance the love I had for the similarities to the Arthurian legend, I'm going to point out the part I liked the least. Some of the sex scenes (which I've come to learn Joely writes really well) also involve blood. I'm not a fan of mixing blood and sex, personally. I understand that it's part of the magic system Joely has created for this world. Do note that it's not done in a way that makes me squeamish at all. It's just not my cup of tea.
Long story short? This is a really good read. It's got strong characters (including a heroine who comes into her own by the end) and a solid plot. The supporting characters are nicely developed as well, even if they don't get nearly as much screen time as the main characters. This is definitely worth picking up and reading, especially since Amazon makes it so easy to purchase.
This book, even though it's a sequel, doesn't seem to have much in the way of spoilers for the first book. The one thing that I did pick out as potential spoiler material is that the main characters from The Bloodgate Guardian survive and get together at the end. But you know what? It's a romance. And it's a Joely book. Happy Endings (even if they're just Happy For Now endings) are a given.
One thing that this book (likely the series) makes me want to do is research Mayan history and legends. I read the blog Joely posted on Carina Press about the similarities between Mayan legend and the Arthurian legend. I love that kind of story, and so this one was a joy for me. I especially loved finding out after the fact that this was a real Mayan legend, and not just something Joely made up.
To balance the love I had for the similarities to the Arthurian legend, I'm going to point out the part I liked the least. Some of the sex scenes (which I've come to learn Joely writes really well) also involve blood. I'm not a fan of mixing blood and sex, personally. I understand that it's part of the magic system Joely has created for this world. Do note that it's not done in a way that makes me squeamish at all. It's just not my cup of tea.
Long story short? This is a really good read. It's got strong characters (including a heroine who comes into her own by the end) and a solid plot. The supporting characters are nicely developed as well, even if they don't get nearly as much screen time as the main characters. This is definitely worth picking up and reading, especially since Amazon makes it so easy to purchase.
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