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A review by sagittarian
Within Obsession and Lies by Harper Wylde, Stacy Jones
3.0
y’all know my kryptonite is kindle unlimited smutty romantasies.
this was fun, but fun in the same kind of way zodiac academy/ruthless boys/darkmore penitentiary is fun. it’s goofy, it’s weird, it’s completely unserious while also sort of tackling more serious topics, and also existing in that weird space that is urban fantasy. we have ducatis and night clubs and faerie cocaine, but also wings and knotted c*cks.
our FMC — arawyn — has had a life of trauma, due to bizarre and uncontrolled powers of magnetism that make everyone she comes into prolonged contact with utterly obsessed (to a terrifying, dangerous extent) with her. this has left her bereft, lonely, and entirely self-sufficient, but also clueless as to who or what she really is.
the MMCs (MULTIPLE, because this is a why choose!) are three faerie men hanging out earthside to find bad fae to feed to the faerie king — until they meet arawyn, and become so enamored that their whole feeding-people-to-the-king plot gets back-burnered.
the plot and writing here is not great, admittedly, and there’s a character who i truly couldn’t stand for the first 80% of this book because of his intentional buffoonery. if you’ve read darkmore penitentiary, this character is literally identical to sin wilder. if you’ve read ruthless boys, this character has leon’s personality with ryder’s body. it’s just too much goofiness for me to fully immerse myself in the plot.
there are a lot of questions that are danced around (thanks to our FMC’s abject refusal to ask a goddamn question), but ultimately this came together in the end to be a solidly enjoyable experience. i’m intrigued enough — and worn into the idea of viper as a character enough — to continue with the second book.
a solid 3.5, but the last star and a half didn’t show up until about 75% onward. if you’re feeling patient and are interested in magical boyfriends with fun anatomy (wings! horns! knots!), then this will probably be enjoyable for you.
this was fun, but fun in the same kind of way zodiac academy/ruthless boys/darkmore penitentiary is fun. it’s goofy, it’s weird, it’s completely unserious while also sort of tackling more serious topics, and also existing in that weird space that is urban fantasy. we have ducatis and night clubs and faerie cocaine, but also wings and knotted c*cks.
our FMC — arawyn — has had a life of trauma, due to bizarre and uncontrolled powers of magnetism that make everyone she comes into prolonged contact with utterly obsessed (to a terrifying, dangerous extent) with her. this has left her bereft, lonely, and entirely self-sufficient, but also clueless as to who or what she really is.
the MMCs (MULTIPLE, because this is a why choose!) are three faerie men hanging out earthside to find bad fae to feed to the faerie king — until they meet arawyn, and become so enamored that their whole feeding-people-to-the-king plot gets back-burnered.
the plot and writing here is not great, admittedly, and there’s a character who i truly couldn’t stand for the first 80% of this book because of his intentional buffoonery. if you’ve read darkmore penitentiary, this character is literally identical to sin wilder. if you’ve read ruthless boys, this character has leon’s personality with ryder’s body. it’s just too much goofiness for me to fully immerse myself in the plot.
there are a lot of questions that are danced around (thanks to our FMC’s abject refusal to ask a goddamn question), but ultimately this came together in the end to be a solidly enjoyable experience. i’m intrigued enough — and worn into the idea of viper as a character enough — to continue with the second book.
a solid 3.5, but the last star and a half didn’t show up until about 75% onward. if you’re feeling patient and are interested in magical boyfriends with fun anatomy (wings! horns! knots!), then this will probably be enjoyable for you.