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A review by icaruss_silly
The Teras Trials by Lucien Burr
4.0
3.5 rounded to 4 / 5
Look, this is by no means a bad book. Also, it is self published, which makes it all the better. I read it in one sitting and if I had a physical copy I'd have tabbed all the pretty quotes, but since I read an ebook, I can't do that. The writing is very pretty and I was eating up the way Cassius's religious guilt occurs and reoccurs, even after he's committed things he calls 'sins' repeatedly. He is the embodiment of "...and I'll do it again" and I really like that he doesn't shy away from being basically a little bastard (positively) also bonus points for the portrayal of religious trauma because Cassius my guy I feel ya with the guilt
I know I am petty and a bastard myself for this, specifically because I knew this would have what we now call 'spice', which I skipped because I made my peace with sex scenes in books, straight or queer, and I just skip them and shrug and continue enjoying the story. Yes i know that I mention being asexual in every single review where I discuss the horizontal past times in books, but it is a matter of person taste, a part of my identity that shapes my opinions on things.
This didn't really affect my rating, though, I just felt like mentioning it. So now you wonder, why only 3.5 stars? Well. What DID affect my rating is that this didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe because I read it in a grand total of two hours (yes I read fast) in one morning and I wasn't bothered by anything else so I didn't have time to let it grow on me.
I feel like I didn't know to get to know most characters by the end of it, even though a lot of them die, though, so I couldn't really get attached to anyone else other than Leo and Cassius.
A thing I particularly enjoyed here was the description of Leo through Cassius's eyes in the non-sexual scenes. In the scenes where they long and yearn and look at each other like they're not men to each other but gods. I do in fact eat that shit up in general. I like my gays when they're a) evil b) overwhelmed with the want to know one person but in the worshipping emotionally affective way and this also had that which is a big plus.
I also liked the way the University was portrayed and the world building and I already have my predictions for the next book. What if the University created the Teras on the first place / offered a hand in the tearing apart of the world what then
That was fun, goodbye
Also go follow the author's Instagram, they're very silly /pos
Also i headcanon that Cassius has magic and he conjures cigarettes from thin air but can conjure nothing else than cigarettes /j
Look, this is by no means a bad book. Also, it is self published, which makes it all the better. I read it in one sitting and if I had a physical copy I'd have tabbed all the pretty quotes, but since I read an ebook, I can't do that. The writing is very pretty and I was eating up the way Cassius's religious guilt occurs and reoccurs, even after he's committed things he calls 'sins' repeatedly. He is the embodiment of "...and I'll do it again" and I really like that he doesn't shy away from being basically a little bastard (positively) also bonus points for the portrayal of religious trauma because Cassius my guy I feel ya with the guilt
I know I am petty and a bastard myself for this, specifically because I knew this would have what we now call 'spice', which I skipped because I made my peace with sex scenes in books, straight or queer, and I just skip them and shrug and continue enjoying the story. Yes i know that I mention being asexual in every single review where I discuss the horizontal past times in books, but it is a matter of person taste, a part of my identity that shapes my opinions on things.
This didn't really affect my rating, though, I just felt like mentioning it. So now you wonder, why only 3.5 stars? Well. What DID affect my rating is that this didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe because I read it in a grand total of two hours (yes I read fast) in one morning and I wasn't bothered by anything else so I didn't have time to let it grow on me.
I feel like I didn't know to get to know most characters by the end of it, even though a lot of them die, though, so I couldn't really get attached to anyone else other than Leo and Cassius.
A thing I particularly enjoyed here was the description of Leo through Cassius's eyes in the non-sexual scenes. In the scenes where they long and yearn and look at each other like they're not men to each other but gods. I do in fact eat that shit up in general. I like my gays when they're a) evil b) overwhelmed with the want to know one person but in the worshipping emotionally affective way and this also had that which is a big plus.
I also liked the way the University was portrayed and the world building and I already have my predictions for the next book. What if the University created the Teras on the first place / offered a hand in the tearing apart of the world what then
That was fun, goodbye
Also go follow the author's Instagram, they're very silly /pos
Also i headcanon that Cassius has magic and he conjures cigarettes from thin air but can conjure nothing else than cigarettes /j