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bookpanther's review
3.0
Seige Weapons is fine in terms of enjoyment but is a mixed bag overall, albeit with lots of potential. The strongest elements of this novella are the world-building and the complex character(s) (in all honestly, only Ales showed any complexity). I really loved the tidbits about the history of the world as well as the societal context of "homosapiens" and "heterosapiens." Rey's writing is also clean and easily accessible, making it quite easy to speed through.
I think this work would have been a lot stronger as a full-length novel. I felt like I didn't really get a nuanced sense of the powers fighting against each other and their motivations. A deeper exploration into this would have solidified the "high-stakes" atmosphere. However, what was most jarring to me was
Despite some of the flaws, I am still interested in how this series will progress, and I look forward to more world-building and deeper character development, especially for the other side characters.
I think this work would have been a lot stronger as a full-length novel. I felt like I didn't really get a nuanced sense of the powers fighting against each other and their motivations. A deeper exploration into this would have solidified the "high-stakes" atmosphere. However, what was most jarring to me was
Spoiler
the "insta-love" (if you can call it that). One minute Ales and Turo are meeting at a bar for a hook-up and the next, Turo suddenly understands Ales's motivations and wants him to join his crew. This all happens in the span of 1 to 2 (short) chapters. Without any sort of development, it just felt like a huge chunk of the story arc was missing. Near the end, the way Turo suddenly sees Ales's view (to fight for freedom with peace instead of violence) seemed like a classic case of "telling" instead of "showing," reinforced by the fact that we don't really get a concrete sense of the "how" and "why" behind his change of heart.Despite some of the flaws, I am still interested in how this series will progress, and I look forward to more world-building and deeper character development, especially for the other side characters.
kmi's review
2.0
This book shifts from one subject to another, from smut and BDSM to very serious plot so fast, it's giving me backlash. I have no problem with smut without plot not smut with plot, but truly this story just wasn't very well balanced. Everything felt super rushed, from the relationship between characters who go from total strangers to telling their dark secrets and pledging themselves to each other, to the explanations/hints to a mega plot that is, too me, too jumbled to be understandable nor interesting. Loved the idea of the book, really disliked the execution...
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
2.5
Eh. Ok in some regards, icky in others. I'm just gonna start with my big one. There is exactly one black man in this book, the main character. He's possibly one of the few in the solar system. And his goal is to find a master to submit to in a master/slave sexual relationship. I am 100% squicked out by this. Honestly, I don't even feel like the sudden BDSM angle was well integrated into the plot. I also wouldn't call it a romance, even though there is sex in it.
I found the science fiction aspect a lot more palatable. Unfortunately, it's not particularly well developed, as it's not really the main thrust of the book. It's more just the setting for the rest of it.
The writing and editing are perfectly passable though. Some of the dreams didn't read as smoothly as the rest of the text. But I have no other complaints about the writing. All in all, I'd just call this ok.
Eh. Ok in some regards, icky in others. I'm just gonna start with my big one. There is exactly one black man in this book, the main character. He's possibly one of the few in the solar system. And his goal is to find a master to submit to in a master/slave sexual relationship. I am 100% squicked out by this. Honestly, I don't even feel like the sudden BDSM angle was well integrated into the plot. I also wouldn't call it a romance, even though there is sex in it.
I found the science fiction aspect a lot more palatable. Unfortunately, it's not particularly well developed, as it's not really the main thrust of the book. It's more just the setting for the rest of it.
The writing and editing are perfectly passable though. Some of the dreams didn't read as smoothly as the rest of the text. But I have no other complaints about the writing. All in all, I'd just call this ok.
cpeel's review
4.0
I should read dustcovers before blindly starting LGBTQ+ books...
The content warning at the beginning is no lie: this contains some explicit M4M material. What the content warning was lacking is that most of those encounters are of the BDSM variety. While generally not my kink (and one scene in particular was beyond my comfort zone) I enjoyed this book. It's set in an interesting universe with broken, but believable, characters that set the stage for the steamy scenes -- which is a lovely contrast to some M4M fiction which is all about the steamy scenes and end up with cardboard characters and incredibly flimsy worlds and plots.
The content warning at the beginning is no lie: this contains some explicit M4M material. What the content warning was lacking is that most of those encounters are of the BDSM variety. While generally not my kink (and one scene in particular was beyond my comfort zone) I enjoyed this book. It's set in an interesting universe with broken, but believable, characters that set the stage for the steamy scenes -- which is a lovely contrast to some M4M fiction which is all about the steamy scenes and end up with cardboard characters and incredibly flimsy worlds and plots.
jamesflint's review
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
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