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A review by boba_n_books
How does it feel? by Jeneane O'Riley
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Spice Rating: 🌶️ 🌶️ .5
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I'm really glad I did this as a buddy read and had friends who pushed me on with this one because I think the twist is what saved the book a *little* bit for me.
Callie is a scientist living in the middle of nowhere studying luna moths and the parasite that is slowly killing them. As a small, beautiful blonde woman, Callie's life is ROUGH (cough, sarcasm, cough) because she's quirky and single. One day, Callie discovers the mushrooms that might save the luna moths from the parasite, but when she tries to harvest them (in spite of multiple warnings not to), she's swept into a portal to the underground world of the Unseelie fae. Callie lands on the Unseelie prince, who is known for his hatred of humans, leading the Unseelie to believe she is a trained assassin sent to kill the prince. In order to make her way home, Callie has to survive three trials and try not to fall for the Unseelie prince--after all, he is the bad guy... as we are repeatedly reminded.
The good: The twist at the end did have me. I was ruminating on some theories throughout my read, but I enjoyed learning what really happened.
The bad: This book heavily relied on archetypal characters, overused tropes, and cheap shock value. The writing was predictable and just... not very good. I felt the characters were underdeveloped and shallow. Though the twist was interesting, I wish the book would've focused on those revelations and background (IYKYK) instead of the "relationship" between Callie and the Unseelie prince, which was basically insta-lust.
I don't think this book was for me, but I can completely understand why people enjoy this book. It was almost like a Wish version of ACOTAR, which seems to be common in the romantasy genre.
I did, however, preorder book 2 because I'm morbidly curious to see what happens. 🤷♀️
--------------------
I'm really glad I did this as a buddy read and had friends who pushed me on with this one because I think the twist is what saved the book a *little* bit for me.
Callie is a scientist living in the middle of nowhere studying luna moths and the parasite that is slowly killing them. As a small, beautiful blonde woman, Callie's life is ROUGH (cough, sarcasm, cough) because she's quirky and single. One day, Callie discovers the mushrooms that might save the luna moths from the parasite, but when she tries to harvest them (in spite of multiple warnings not to), she's swept into a portal to the underground world of the Unseelie fae. Callie lands on the Unseelie prince, who is known for his hatred of humans, leading the Unseelie to believe she is a trained assassin sent to kill the prince. In order to make her way home, Callie has to survive three trials and try not to fall for the Unseelie prince--after all, he is the bad guy... as we are repeatedly reminded.
The good: The twist at the end did have me. I was ruminating on some theories throughout my read, but I enjoyed learning what really happened.
The bad: This book heavily relied on archetypal characters, overused tropes, and cheap shock value. The writing was predictable and just... not very good. I felt the characters were underdeveloped and shallow. Though the twist was interesting, I wish the book would've focused on those revelations and background (IYKYK) instead of the "relationship" between Callie and the Unseelie prince, which was basically insta-lust.
I don't think this book was for me, but I can completely understand why people enjoy this book. It was almost like a Wish version of ACOTAR, which seems to be common in the romantasy genre.
I did, however, preorder book 2 because I'm morbidly curious to see what happens. 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood, Torture, and Gore