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beccamcostello's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
Good smut and very interesting expanded (modern) parasolverse world.
The first half-ish was confusing as hell because none of the new terms were explained well: summage, quintessence, and a bunch more I don't even remember. Once the aether/Sphere explosion was revealed a lot of things clicked for me. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't read at least some parasolverse books.
Some of the main characters, especially Max, felt really off somehow. Bryan's sexual confidence and also shy queerness felt contradictory. It just seemed like a way to get them into bed ASAP (literally the first date, which was like chapter 3??)
It is VERY QUEER (❤) but I've been reading so many good books with queer characters lately.
About two thirds through I had decided to finish this book but not continue with others in the series because it seemed like 80% smut and I can get good smut from Buffy fanfiction.
But now I'm really, really interested in learning more about this modern supernatural society...so I'll keep reading!
"We, the weird and the sideways folk, have always walked the line of rejection. It’s what makes us visionaries. We who are pushed away, to the edge, can see beyond the borders of reality. We frighten the privileged with our possibilities."
Good smut and very interesting expanded (modern) parasolverse world.
The first half-ish was confusing as hell because none of the new terms were explained well: summage, quintessence, and a bunch more I don't even remember. Once the aether/Sphere explosion was revealed a lot of things clicked for me. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't read at least some parasolverse books.
Some of the main characters, especially Max, felt really off somehow. Bryan's sexual confidence and also shy queerness felt contradictory. It just seemed like a way to get them into bed ASAP (literally the first date, which was like chapter 3??)
It is VERY QUEER (❤) but I've been reading so many good books with queer characters lately.
About two thirds through I had decided to finish this book but not continue with others in the series because it seemed like 80% smut and I can get good smut from Buffy fanfiction.
But now I'm really, really interested in learning more about this modern supernatural society...so I'll keep reading!
"We, the weird and the sideways folk, have always walked the line of rejection. It’s what makes us visionaries. We who are pushed away, to the edge, can see beyond the borders of reality. We frighten the privileged with our possibilities."
abrittlebee's review
3.0
First and foremost, I enjoyed this book. It's a fairly light, fluffy romance. It's a good palette cleanser if you're coming off of reading something really intense or draining. That isn't to say there is no substance here. The novel itself is very well written and the characters are fully realized. It's a little light in terms of world-building--like the fundamentals are there but they're not really explored beyond what is immediately relevant, and the exterior conflict is a little hastily thrown together and resolved at the end. I assume this is meant to keep the focus more on the two protagonists and their internal conflicts, but I would have liked to have seen the exterior conflict laced a little more cohesively throughout the entirety of the novel.
teresab78's review
5.0
4.5 stars
I liked this complex world. Bryan was so sweet, true, and solid. I ached for him during parts of this. Max was prickly, sarcastic, and deeply hurt. I was mad at him for his treatment of Bryan but understood his motivation.
Parts of this brought me to tears and parts made me laugh out loud. I wish the next book was more of this pair as they work things out. This isn’t really a hea ending - there’s too much unfinished - and the next is about Tank. I hope we see more of Max and Bryan.
The narration was amazing; Moving and emotional. I’m sure I’ll get the next in the series.
I liked this complex world. Bryan was so sweet, true, and solid. I ached for him during parts of this. Max was prickly, sarcastic, and deeply hurt. I was mad at him for his treatment of Bryan but understood his motivation.
Parts of this brought me to tears and parts made me laugh out loud. I wish the next book was more of this pair as they work things out. This isn’t really a hea ending - there’s too much unfinished - and the next is about Tank. I hope we see more of Max and Bryan.
The narration was amazing; Moving and emotional. I’m sure I’ll get the next in the series.
clumsyvalkyrie's review
5.0
I LOVED this book (would give it 4.5 stars). Well, my review might be a little bit subjective because G. Carriger (in this case G. L. Carriger) is one of my most favorite authors.
The writing was splendid as always (maybe not the best of her works style-wise, but still very good). The book was full of witty and very cute (lovey-dovey) conversations. I just love Max and Bryan as a couple. They are so adorable.
The world building might have been a little bit lacking, but I understand that it wasn't the main focus of the book and I didn't really mind it that much. Although at first, terms like a Placer, Plug, the Sphere and so on were confusing, in the end, it kinda came together.
What I really loved about this book was the relationship between Max and Biff and they themselves as characters. Recently I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy romance books. I noticed that often even though the main focus of the book is the relationship between the 2 MCs, the characters often tend to be stereotypical and very 2 dimensional. In this case, the author managed to make the characters colorful and interesting to read about. And she managed to do it in only 1 short book (well 300 or so pages). The MCs were witty, sarcastic, sometimes sassy and very cute and lovable. It would be very difficult not to fall in love with them.
So, in general, really loved the book. It might not be the best book by this author but it was still highly enjoyable. I would recommend it to people who are searching for a fluffy, a bit spicy (and steamy) gay romance book with a big softy werewolf and a sassy but still very cute mage.
The writing was splendid as always (maybe not the best of her works style-wise, but still very good). The book was full of witty and very cute (lovey-dovey) conversations. I just love Max and Bryan as a couple. They are so adorable.
The world building might have been a little bit lacking, but I understand that it wasn't the main focus of the book and I didn't really mind it that much. Although at first, terms like a Placer, Plug, the Sphere and so on were confusing, in the end, it kinda came together.
What I really loved about this book was the relationship between Max and Biff and they themselves as characters. Recently I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy romance books. I noticed that often even though the main focus of the book is the relationship between the 2 MCs, the characters often tend to be stereotypical and very 2 dimensional. In this case, the author managed to make the characters colorful and interesting to read about. And she managed to do it in only 1 short book (well 300 or so pages). The MCs were witty, sarcastic, sometimes sassy and very cute and lovable. It would be very difficult not to fall in love with them.
So, in general, really loved the book. It might not be the best book by this author but it was still highly enjoyable. I would recommend it to people who are searching for a fluffy, a bit spicy (and steamy) gay romance book with a big softy werewolf and a sassy but still very cute mage.
katewoodesmith's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eacolgan's review
I'm so sad that I just could not get into this book. It read like bad fanfic, just too over the top in a way that put me off. I can't even really put my finger on it-- I just felt awkward the whole time I was reading it. I got about a quarter of the way through before the library repo'd it, and I don't plan to re-borrow to give it another try. I'll stick to Carriger's Victorian work, as that seems pretty solidly in the "reads like good fanfic" category, and I'm always happy to find more books that fit that bill.
itsnotabear's review
4.0
i DNFed Wolfsong when i realized it had the icky age gap romance and went looking for something else, found this. it gave me A Marvellous Light vibes (a good thing). i'm not looking for the best plot or biggest twists, i just thought the world was neat and i liked the characters. so. !!! nice!
crowhala's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's a fun read. Lots of relationship drama and sexy times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
toriedawn1's review
5.0
I loved this book. I like the whole pack and cant wait to read more of them. This book focuses on Max and Biff. Biff is the Alpha's brother and like his brother he isnt what you would expect of a werewolf. Max is a snarky office worker whos early life was absoloutly awful. Together they are so cute, they arent my favourite pairing of the series but they are good. ||There is ofcourse the exciting reveal. Max turns out to be what his father wanted which is excatly the opposite of what max would want||. I have read this series a few times and if anything I loved it even more this time because I knew the characters better.
liza5326's review
4.0
One of the BEST things about this story is the sexy banter between the characters. Max and Biff are electric together and I loved their interactions. The world-building was a little confusing, I wanted to know more about sumages, magistars, and a whole bunch of other things mentioned, but I was still completely enthralled with the story! Thed secondary characters are fascinating and I hope that the author explores their stories more!