Reviews with content warning for Infertility - The Fate of Stars

Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper

11 reviews

the_lesbrarian's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

This book was so fun! Morally gray butch lesbian princess x mermaid love story.
This is a very romance-heavy romantasy. Due to my personal reading preferences, I wish it was longer and more time had been given to development of the political and magic systems.
There are some big skips in logic, plot holes, and a very simple solution to the big problem that the book ends on,

i am really not understanding why she couldn’t just live on land and then meet with her mother/undersea friends by having them swim to the cove and then hanging out with them from the land like she discussed doing with the princess but with talora underwater. this reads like the fantasy equivalent of the romance third act miscommunication to breakup trope

so don’t pick this one up if you’re someone who can’t look past that.
That being said, I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the next one. This is a wild ride and a sweet romance in a fantasy setting turn your brain off & enjoy

also how insane it it that she was able to sneak out of the castle by wearing the in-world equivalent of those spirit halloween sexy nun outfits. hysterical and fantastic

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starrysteph's review

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adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I’m really really bummed that I wasn’t head over heels for this sapphic mermaid romance.

We’re following young mermaid Tallora. She’s captured from her home by the mercurial Princess Dauriel who presents her to her mother Empress Vahla in the hopes of finally gaining her approval. Tallora is tortured, mocked, and forced to be a pet for all the kingdom to see. But after an unexpected act from the god she worships, Tallora strikes up a strange alliance with Dauriel. And as politics get messier in the wider world, the two must learn to survive together (and maybe fall in love).

It’s totally possible that it may be an “it’s not the book, it’s me” thing here; I’m really picky about the romance books I enjoy.

I generally eat up enemies to lovers, but the shift from an INTENSE power imbalance to declarations of love gave me whiplash. Dauriel views Tallora as a beast, not a person – and that cold way of thinking can’t just shatter in an instant. The hatred to adoration moved so quickly that all interesting character growth was skipped & their relationship isn’t able to even out. One supporting character actually does mention the manipulation/power imbalance, but it’s only a sentence or two.

Tallora, girl, you HAVE to do better. She accepted her fate so easily, on all fronts! In regards to romance, I think I can see the intention here of building a relationship where someone has deep trauma and depression. It just doesn’t quite work when that person (Dauriel) - amidst their journey of healing themself - captures you with the intention to be sold into slavery/sex slavery and TORTURED. And the ability for any depth was limited by cheesy dialogue that felt like it was being plucked from a bucket of classic romance lines.

And the other elements that Tallora just sort of went with? She didn’t have nearly enough questions about land - she wasn’t really a deep thinker at all. For example, she took on feelings of shame around nudity instantly when we’d previously been told that showing your body was no biggie underwater. And there were sprinkles of potential body inclusivity that were unfortunately tossed aside.

One thing that is still gnawing at me is the framing of sex workers as people that need to be rescued - or to clarify a bit further, the muddled plot lines around the difference between being sold into sex slavery and choosing sex work.

And the ending just made me laugh. No spoilers, but it was a lazy “tie-it-with-a-bow” sort of deal, and it gave me lots of questions in regards to the plot and worldbuilding leading up to that point.

Anyway - points for interesting deities, sapphic mermaid vibes, and the potential of an interesting mental health arc. But this was ultimately a bit of a mess for me.

CW: kidnapping, torture, slavery, self harm, sexual harassment, mutilation, confinement, child abuse, suicide, death of parent, mentions of rape/sexual assault, attempted suicide, infertility, fatphobia

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apersonfromflorida's review

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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zoloft_lesbian's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes

3.0

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destinyridc's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.0

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shcleveland's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the best examples of the enemies to lovers trope I've encountered. The character development, plot and pacing are excellent. The world-building is also interesting and rich. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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