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A review by wealie
Tiger Eye by Marjorie Liu
5.0
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - A great first novel, with a fabulous pair of well rounded and lovable protagonists who work exceptionally well as a couple.
I really enjoyed this first novel in the Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie M. Liu. I liked it so much I’ve gone ahead and bought the rest of the series.
The story revolves around the protagonist couple - Dela Reese: celebrated artist, Dela uses her psychic affinity for metal to create the most intricate and beautiful metal sculptures and ornate weaponry and Harri - last of the tiger shifters, over two thousand years ago Harri was cursed by an evil Magi (a sort of wizard) to follow the every command of whomever frees him from the puzzle box the Magi cursed him to. When the puzzle box lands in Dela’s hands she gets a big surprise when a gorgeous warrior appears in her hotel room. Harri has suffered terribly at the hands of his previous masters and mistresses and expects nothing less from Dela, he’s hardened his heart over the centuries to all manner of pain and torture, but he wasn’t prepared for Dela’s innate kindness and selflessness.
A big theme throughout the novel is morality and responsibility. Dela struggles over whether she is responsible for the deaths of people killed by the weapons she is compelled to create and wonders what it says about her morality that there is something dark in her that requires she forge the weapons. Harri believes his soul stained by the acts of evil his previous masters and mistresses commanded him to commit.
The characters are nicely realised, with healthy depictions of male and female interactions which are still romantic and at times chivalrous, whilst acknowledging a woman’s independence and power as an individual. Liu masterfully shows how the traditional feminine aspects of kindness, caring and nurturing are not passive powers, rather these are profound and powerful attributes that drive the story and are intrical to Harri’s re-awakening and the growth of love between Dela and Harri.
Even though Harri at first sight could be classified as a typical ‘alpha male’ hero, his ability to show his vulnerabilities, accept the power of the feminine and acknowledge Dela’s powers and respect her mean he’s a cut above the average romance ‘alpha male’. Harri having lived a life of pain and torture understands the true power of love, kindness, nurturing and selflessness. That’s not to say he isn’t a product of his time, he’s intensely uncomfortable with having to rely upon Dela in the modern world, but he takes the time to listen and acknowledge Dela when she explains why it’s okay.
The central plot worked well, with just enough intrigue to keep the reader interested, without becoming convoluted or detracting from the character development. The world building was limited, but as Liu set up a fairly limited universe in this first novel it didn’t affect the enjoyment of the story. There are a nice set of supporting characters in the Dirk & Steele team and I’m looking forward to reading some of their stories. Refreshingly Liu didn’t fall into the trap of trying to set up too many follow on story arcs, rather left the characters to unfold naturally.
All in all a great read and one I’d definitely recommend to paranormal romance lovers.
I really enjoyed this first novel in the Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie M. Liu. I liked it so much I’ve gone ahead and bought the rest of the series.
The story revolves around the protagonist couple - Dela Reese: celebrated artist, Dela uses her psychic affinity for metal to create the most intricate and beautiful metal sculptures and ornate weaponry and Harri - last of the tiger shifters, over two thousand years ago Harri was cursed by an evil Magi (a sort of wizard) to follow the every command of whomever frees him from the puzzle box the Magi cursed him to. When the puzzle box lands in Dela’s hands she gets a big surprise when a gorgeous warrior appears in her hotel room. Harri has suffered terribly at the hands of his previous masters and mistresses and expects nothing less from Dela, he’s hardened his heart over the centuries to all manner of pain and torture, but he wasn’t prepared for Dela’s innate kindness and selflessness.
A big theme throughout the novel is morality and responsibility. Dela struggles over whether she is responsible for the deaths of people killed by the weapons she is compelled to create and wonders what it says about her morality that there is something dark in her that requires she forge the weapons. Harri believes his soul stained by the acts of evil his previous masters and mistresses commanded him to commit.
The characters are nicely realised, with healthy depictions of male and female interactions which are still romantic and at times chivalrous, whilst acknowledging a woman’s independence and power as an individual. Liu masterfully shows how the traditional feminine aspects of kindness, caring and nurturing are not passive powers, rather these are profound and powerful attributes that drive the story and are intrical to Harri’s re-awakening and the growth of love between Dela and Harri.
Even though Harri at first sight could be classified as a typical ‘alpha male’ hero, his ability to show his vulnerabilities, accept the power of the feminine and acknowledge Dela’s powers and respect her mean he’s a cut above the average romance ‘alpha male’. Harri having lived a life of pain and torture understands the true power of love, kindness, nurturing and selflessness. That’s not to say he isn’t a product of his time, he’s intensely uncomfortable with having to rely upon Dela in the modern world, but he takes the time to listen and acknowledge Dela when she explains why it’s okay.
The central plot worked well, with just enough intrigue to keep the reader interested, without becoming convoluted or detracting from the character development. The world building was limited, but as Liu set up a fairly limited universe in this first novel it didn’t affect the enjoyment of the story. There are a nice set of supporting characters in the Dirk & Steele team and I’m looking forward to reading some of their stories. Refreshingly Liu didn’t fall into the trap of trying to set up too many follow on story arcs, rather left the characters to unfold naturally.
All in all a great read and one I’d definitely recommend to paranormal romance lovers.