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A review by vrstal
False Feathers by Adara Wolf
3.0
3/5 Stars.
I find it hard to write a review for this, not because it isn't good, but just because I'm not quite sure how to describe how I feel. I do not think this is necessarily a romance, nor is it purely erotica. I guess in a way it is a fairytale, and I think most of all it is a show in character growth and the assumptions made by others.
I'll start with the fact I really enjoy Wolf's writing. The way that she writes is engaging, descriptive, and there was very few editing issues that I noticed. I felt it flowed well, and I personally enjoyed how poetry was interwoven within this book, giving it that just-a-bit-magical property to it. The only thing I felt was missing is some of the character's descriptions being a bit more descriptive. It was hard for me to imagine Cianed, for example.
Aiden as a character was rude, and bratty, especially in the beginning. However as the story is told, it continues to show there is more than just 'rich boy who doesn't give a shit'. The reasons why he acted does not justify his behavior but did make me sympathetic towards him.
There were many ways I related to Aiden, and I believe there was just so much raw hurt exposed more by the torture he had to go through. While there are certainly plenty of kinks and such here to be found for the taboo reader, I do think this is not meant to be particularly titillating (well, except the stable scenes and the end). I think you get a bigger sense of Aiden's pain, both to his body and his mind, and the raw humiliation he felt.
I think the ending is as 'happy' as it could be, and we see Aiden show compassion to the villain that he did not need to. In fact, I wish Owen had suffered more, but at the same time they both pointed out that no one was truly innocent within this story. There is a creeping sense, even in the final chapter, how this isn't a truly happy story made out of free will or anything else. The reason being for that is hinted at from the beginning: what does it mean if you were made for a person? Did he ever really have a choice for this outcome?
Most of all, this book did leave me feeling sad and a bit slumpy. Yet, I think the author wanted to leave that with you. These fairytales are not so happy, even if the one this is based off of didn't have all these cruel details the maiden had suffered from. Fairytales are certainly not as kind as we would like them to be, and especially so in a series that wants to talk about and explore that darkness.
I find it hard to write a review for this, not because it isn't good, but just because I'm not quite sure how to describe how I feel. I do not think this is necessarily a romance, nor is it purely erotica. I guess in a way it is a fairytale, and I think most of all it is a show in character growth and the assumptions made by others.
I'll start with the fact I really enjoy Wolf's writing. The way that she writes is engaging, descriptive, and there was very few editing issues that I noticed. I felt it flowed well, and I personally enjoyed how poetry was interwoven within this book, giving it that just-a-bit-magical property to it. The only thing I felt was missing is some of the character's descriptions being a bit more descriptive. It was hard for me to imagine Cianed, for example.
Aiden as a character was rude, and bratty, especially in the beginning. However as the story is told, it continues to show there is more than just 'rich boy who doesn't give a shit'. The reasons why he acted does not justify his behavior but did make me sympathetic towards him.
“If I try to be good at something, then it’s worse when I suck. But if I don’t even try, then there’s no reason to expect better.” Aiden stared at his half-eaten pear, embarrassed that he’d admitted something so personal. “Mom gave up on me being a success after a while. It was better than when she was constantly harping on my grades and pushing me to do more, more, more.”
There were many ways I related to Aiden, and I believe there was just so much raw hurt exposed more by the torture he had to go through. While there are certainly plenty of kinks and such here to be found for the taboo reader, I do think this is not meant to be particularly titillating (well, except the stable scenes and the end). I think you get a bigger sense of Aiden's pain, both to his body and his mind, and the raw humiliation he felt.
I think the ending is as 'happy' as it could be, and we see Aiden show compassion to the villain that he did not need to. In fact, I wish Owen had suffered more, but at the same time they both pointed out that no one was truly innocent within this story. There is a creeping sense, even in the final chapter, how this isn't a truly happy story made out of free will or anything else. The reason being for that is hinted at from the beginning: what does it mean if you were made for a person? Did he ever really have a choice for this outcome?
Most of all, this book did leave me feeling sad and a bit slumpy. Yet, I think the author wanted to leave that with you. These fairytales are not so happy, even if the one this is based off of didn't have all these cruel details the maiden had suffered from. Fairytales are certainly not as kind as we would like them to be, and especially so in a series that wants to talk about and explore that darkness.