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yohanab's review against another edition
1.0
This is my first full erotica. Thought I would like this. But it seems this is not for my taste. I think a story that is for the sake of being erotic is not something that I prefer. I was unable to push pass 40%.
sa0u0's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
megreads12's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
stellarsphyr's review against another edition
2.0
This review is supplemented with commentary on a Q&A session with the author.
Writing reviews for erotica is hard because it is so hard to determine when it is good. What does one compare a new erotica novel to? Other books read, which are often of better quality and risk-taking from being dominated by authors too ashamed to confront this particular genre? Or other erotica books, which are often blasé reformulations of plot devices wherein the only differences seem to be character names and locales?
When an author is capable of owning this genre without prejudice, bringing a high-quality of writing and successfully implementing new ideas on top of the genre’s requirement for steamy reading, the book is a delight. It means good writing has shown up in the wildest of places, and it is supremely rewarding.
Unfortunately, Night Shift is not one of those books. The writing is overall amateurish, its purpose too unwieldy for the author, and some plot points too uncomfortable for a post-2016 population.
Yet, it still merits a review because its heart is in the right place and, though its execution is poor and sometimes trauma-inducingly so, its visibility will hopefully lead to other writers following through on the promises Night Shift makes.
What is good about Night Shift is its attempt to include the marginalized sexual tastes that often cannot find quarter in mainstream erotica. One should not go as far to say that the fetishist will find Night Shift thrilling, as they will likely find the treatment of the marginalized first dull and second tokenish. However, the reader who has never experimented will likely find Night Shift “edgy” and “informative.”
Angel does make passing attempts at informative writing, which is the next best thing from the novel. Many readers at a Q&A session spoke of how much they learned, proving the unfortunate fact of where adults get their sexual education. (More on this subject below the fold*)
The feeling of tokenism regarding these marginalized interests comes in the form of Taryn, the protagonist of the book. Taryn is often confused (“What do you mean?”and “Right?” dominate her thoughts) and often unlikeable. Though many readers identified with her, this reviewer had significant trouble. She funnels the experience of others through her, almost selfishly. The book group I participated in found the beginning of Billy’s story particularly disheartening, featuring a likeable character essentially taken advantage of by the protagonist. Taryn cannot fathom a larger person wearing lingerie, almost forcing them to buy material too small for them and then demanding to see them in it before having the gall to pat herself of the back for being so welcoming to different people. This is a recurring theme for Taryn’s conquests. Taryn meets someone out of her experience, gawks at them like an animal in the zoo, and when they are able to sexually awaken her, she finally finds them worthy of her attention. Instead of coming off as an enlightened individual for these experiences, Taryn becomes an uncomfortable character to read for those concerned with the dignity of others. She disparages women who she believes are less intelligent than her, uncomfortably clings to those she believes can benefit her, and makes remarks like “that ethnic looking one.”
This last point is unsurprising coming from Angel who blasted criticism of her use of yellowface in a previous movie. Reviewers who were concerned with her view of human dignity were dismissed as “over-sensitive PC people.” Given her and Stoya’s comments at the Q&A, the feeling seems to be that racism or sexism are okay in a fantasy context because the fantasy context necessarily implies consent and there is no obligation of the author to show this consent in any form. However, Angel did not hold back when criticizing 50 Shades of Gray for its sexist connotations, so one wonders if the line of defense is actually “If I do it, it’s just a fantasy, bro.”
Because so much erotica is bad writing, it is also hard to tell when Angel is making a fun of characters or the genre or is trying to be genuine. Angel’s comedic chops are unfortunately overshadowed by the genre itself. Night Shift is the personification of Poe’s Law—it was almost impossible to know when I was laughing at Angel or because Angel meant for me to. We often commented, “This can’t be serious,” and could not determine if Taryn’s blatant naivete was supposed to be endearing or was supposed to be pointed satire. Given others’ responses and the author’s words, it seems unfortunately to be the former.
In the hands of a capable editor, Night Shift may have been able to make its premise as a ‘choose-your-own adventure’ work. The branches could have happened at slightly different points to counteract its more sexist turns and would have supported Stoya’s observation that a choose-your-own adventure is the ultimate genre of consent. For example, instead of making an unrelated-to-the-consequences choice that led to one character committing a Trump-like grab-and-smooch, the choice could have been written as “She moves in for a kiss. What do you do?” This would give readers a chance to explicitly consent, and, if they make a negative choice, would challenge Angel to write a genuinely creative strand that is challenged to keep the action steamy.
(It should be noted that this is not necessarily an endemic problem to the book. There was at least one other strand that involved a sweet moment of explicit consent between two characters, and one other offending passage of crotch-grabbing that is more due to Angel’s writing than the subject matter--an astute writer could have made it more explicit that this was a standing agreement between two people, but Angel does not provide it and it remains an awkward exchange).
Unfortunately, Cleis Press has proven itself to be more profit- than quality-driven, unable to eradicate inconsistencies or even make a passing attempt at correctly spelling words like Dewey Decimal System (Dewy) or turquoise (turquois). One character hauls furniture in his truck on one page but produce on another. Ad hoc explanations are inserted in to explain away some inconsistencies that can only be the evidence of a haphazard editor or an overwhelmed author. These missteps “wake up” the reader from the story and serve up as distractions. Angel stated at a book club that these inconsistencies don’t matter in a temporally flexible medium like “choose-your-own adventures,” but that excuse is a weak substitution for tight and effective writing and editing and shows the problem with erotica as a whole. It’s to get people off, not to be read and savored. (Admittedly, Angel could have been joking, but, once again, it was impossible to tell.)
A capable editor could have also reined Angel in on the immense amount of needless details she gives. She is painfully concerned with keeping a minute-to-minute diary of Taryn’s day and actions, reminding more experienced readers of middle school attempts at writing. A character’s playlist for an event is an immense offering but magically stops playing after three songs (likely because Angel felt it necessary to describe the actions that were happening in each of the songs and ran out of steam). Paragraphs are spent describing the process of alphabetizing. In short, Angel shows when she should tell and tell when she should show making the novel nearly unreadable after finishing just one strand.
Night Shift is a book that will feel delightfully new to some readers because of its contents but, because of maddeningly recycled tropes and poor quality control, will be an excruciating read and sound a lot like every other erotica novel written to others yearning for writers to bring something fresh to the table.
*Below the fold on adult sex education: Despite both positive feedback on its information (though inaccurate at times or omitting some essential safety practices at others) and Angel’s own admission that being informative was some of her intention in writing, both she and her entertainment peer Stoya railed against the role pornography, and by extension erotica, should play in responsibly informing consumers of these media. This is a topic for debate which this review cannot capture the scope of. Action movies are lambasted for violence. Pornography for non-safe sex practices. One notion is that these genres, in any media, serve as fantasy. This is a fine notion, but the counterargument is that these genres are in a unique position to educate. I don’t anticipate action movies being forced to show proper gun practices, and I don’t expect pornography or erotica to show proper sex practices. However, it is utterly delightful when they do, and I get a sense then that the creators of these works recognize a problem and take a responsibility in fixing it.
Writing reviews for erotica is hard because it is so hard to determine when it is good. What does one compare a new erotica novel to? Other books read, which are often of better quality and risk-taking from being dominated by authors too ashamed to confront this particular genre? Or other erotica books, which are often blasé reformulations of plot devices wherein the only differences seem to be character names and locales?
When an author is capable of owning this genre without prejudice, bringing a high-quality of writing and successfully implementing new ideas on top of the genre’s requirement for steamy reading, the book is a delight. It means good writing has shown up in the wildest of places, and it is supremely rewarding.
Unfortunately, Night Shift is not one of those books. The writing is overall amateurish, its purpose too unwieldy for the author, and some plot points too uncomfortable for a post-2016 population.
Yet, it still merits a review because its heart is in the right place and, though its execution is poor and sometimes trauma-inducingly so, its visibility will hopefully lead to other writers following through on the promises Night Shift makes.
What is good about Night Shift is its attempt to include the marginalized sexual tastes that often cannot find quarter in mainstream erotica. One should not go as far to say that the fetishist will find Night Shift thrilling, as they will likely find the treatment of the marginalized first dull and second tokenish. However, the reader who has never experimented will likely find Night Shift “edgy” and “informative.”
Angel does make passing attempts at informative writing, which is the next best thing from the novel. Many readers at a Q&A session spoke of how much they learned, proving the unfortunate fact of where adults get their sexual education. (More on this subject below the fold*)
The feeling of tokenism regarding these marginalized interests comes in the form of Taryn, the protagonist of the book. Taryn is often confused (“What do you mean?”and “Right?” dominate her thoughts) and often unlikeable. Though many readers identified with her, this reviewer had significant trouble. She funnels the experience of others through her, almost selfishly. The book group I participated in found the beginning of Billy’s story particularly disheartening, featuring a likeable character essentially taken advantage of by the protagonist. Taryn cannot fathom a larger person wearing lingerie, almost forcing them to buy material too small for them and then demanding to see them in it before having the gall to pat herself of the back for being so welcoming to different people. This is a recurring theme for Taryn’s conquests. Taryn meets someone out of her experience, gawks at them like an animal in the zoo, and when they are able to sexually awaken her, she finally finds them worthy of her attention. Instead of coming off as an enlightened individual for these experiences, Taryn becomes an uncomfortable character to read for those concerned with the dignity of others. She disparages women who she believes are less intelligent than her, uncomfortably clings to those she believes can benefit her, and makes remarks like “that ethnic looking one.”
This last point is unsurprising coming from Angel who blasted criticism of her use of yellowface in a previous movie. Reviewers who were concerned with her view of human dignity were dismissed as “over-sensitive PC people.” Given her and Stoya’s comments at the Q&A, the feeling seems to be that racism or sexism are okay in a fantasy context because the fantasy context necessarily implies consent and there is no obligation of the author to show this consent in any form. However, Angel did not hold back when criticizing 50 Shades of Gray for its sexist connotations, so one wonders if the line of defense is actually “If I do it, it’s just a fantasy, bro.”
Because so much erotica is bad writing, it is also hard to tell when Angel is making a fun of characters or the genre or is trying to be genuine. Angel’s comedic chops are unfortunately overshadowed by the genre itself. Night Shift is the personification of Poe’s Law—it was almost impossible to know when I was laughing at Angel or because Angel meant for me to. We often commented, “This can’t be serious,” and could not determine if Taryn’s blatant naivete was supposed to be endearing or was supposed to be pointed satire. Given others’ responses and the author’s words, it seems unfortunately to be the former.
In the hands of a capable editor, Night Shift may have been able to make its premise as a ‘choose-your-own adventure’ work. The branches could have happened at slightly different points to counteract its more sexist turns and would have supported Stoya’s observation that a choose-your-own adventure is the ultimate genre of consent. For example, instead of making an unrelated-to-the-consequences choice that led to one character committing a Trump-like grab-and-smooch, the choice could have been written as “She moves in for a kiss. What do you do?” This would give readers a chance to explicitly consent, and, if they make a negative choice, would challenge Angel to write a genuinely creative strand that is challenged to keep the action steamy.
(It should be noted that this is not necessarily an endemic problem to the book. There was at least one other strand that involved a sweet moment of explicit consent between two characters, and one other offending passage of crotch-grabbing that is more due to Angel’s writing than the subject matter--an astute writer could have made it more explicit that this was a standing agreement between two people, but Angel does not provide it and it remains an awkward exchange).
Unfortunately, Cleis Press has proven itself to be more profit- than quality-driven, unable to eradicate inconsistencies or even make a passing attempt at correctly spelling words like Dewey Decimal System (Dewy) or turquoise (turquois). One character hauls furniture in his truck on one page but produce on another. Ad hoc explanations are inserted in to explain away some inconsistencies that can only be the evidence of a haphazard editor or an overwhelmed author. These missteps “wake up” the reader from the story and serve up as distractions. Angel stated at a book club that these inconsistencies don’t matter in a temporally flexible medium like “choose-your-own adventures,” but that excuse is a weak substitution for tight and effective writing and editing and shows the problem with erotica as a whole. It’s to get people off, not to be read and savored. (Admittedly, Angel could have been joking, but, once again, it was impossible to tell.)
A capable editor could have also reined Angel in on the immense amount of needless details she gives. She is painfully concerned with keeping a minute-to-minute diary of Taryn’s day and actions, reminding more experienced readers of middle school attempts at writing. A character’s playlist for an event is an immense offering but magically stops playing after three songs (likely because Angel felt it necessary to describe the actions that were happening in each of the songs and ran out of steam). Paragraphs are spent describing the process of alphabetizing. In short, Angel shows when she should tell and tell when she should show making the novel nearly unreadable after finishing just one strand.
Night Shift is a book that will feel delightfully new to some readers because of its contents but, because of maddeningly recycled tropes and poor quality control, will be an excruciating read and sound a lot like every other erotica novel written to others yearning for writers to bring something fresh to the table.
*Below the fold on adult sex education: Despite both positive feedback on its information (though inaccurate at times or omitting some essential safety practices at others) and Angel’s own admission that being informative was some of her intention in writing, both she and her entertainment peer Stoya railed against the role pornography, and by extension erotica, should play in responsibly informing consumers of these media. This is a topic for debate which this review cannot capture the scope of. Action movies are lambasted for violence. Pornography for non-safe sex practices. One notion is that these genres, in any media, serve as fantasy. This is a fine notion, but the counterargument is that these genres are in a unique position to educate. I don’t anticipate action movies being forced to show proper gun practices, and I don’t expect pornography or erotica to show proper sex practices. However, it is utterly delightful when they do, and I get a sense then that the creators of these works recognize a problem and take a responsibility in fixing it.
lulu2121's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Great idea, not a good execution. Very vanilla, it felt like the author tried to jam EVERYTHING in here, and it's clearly meant to be a start for new readers into the genre. Not for me. It also felt very very repetitive. I found the main character very ignorant and stupid.
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
2.0
The blurb was way too intriguing to pass up. I loved choose your own adventure books as a kid so I had to try this one. It was funny and awkward and a little weird but I don’t hate that I read it.
rachaelreadsalot's review
3.0
Poorly copyedited to the point of distraction. I thought the storylines were hot, but the e book version really struggled with jumping around and often didn’t go to the right spot… I ended up reading all the different storylines more as short stories which worked for me! I think this writer has a lot of potential, this one just didn’t clinch the deal for me