Review by its_tat - Will It Hurt?

its_tat 's review for:

Will It Hurt? by Lily X

3.5

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you to the author (@lilyxbooks on Instagram) for providing me with a copy of Will It Hurt? Thank you to @theberryagency for providing the ARC sign-up. All opinions stated are entirely my own.

Initial thoughts

Initially this book has a great hook to entice the reader to continue exploring this world. I think the author does a wonderful job of introducing characters that we all know quite well (wytches and vampyres), whilst also adding new ideas and perspectives into the fantasy space. The idea of a wytch whose job is to administer voluntary neutralisation to vampyres had me intrigued from the beginning. It is a fresh idea that added depth and interest to an already known character basis. Then, with adding in the inner turmoil of feeling bound by duty and obligation, it had me wanting to continue to learn more of this main character.

Characters

I personally liked Aisla from the beginning, but found Jinn initially quite dry and difficult to connect to as a reader. I think this did work in the authors favour, to display the disconnect of a Victorian vampyre working with a modern day wytch, but due to this I found the book to start off a little slow. This also did grow on me though, as the story progressed and the characters developed. Due to the compressed timeline I did find the book a little insta-lovey, but I think having the internal monologue of Aisla showing her mental battle between logic and lust really helped to gain understanding from the reader.

I LOVE the representation in this book and how the author is not afraid to explore some complex themes such as racism, grief and mental health. I also think the author does a wonderful job of having side characters that hold substance rather than simply being plot devices. I look forward to reading more of these characters in the future, to see how they develop further. I would particularly love to learn more about Aisla’s past, and mostly more about Maia and Brodie.

Plot

With the compressed timeline, I found this book to have a medium pace overall. It felt like it fluctuated between having slow- and fast-paced moments, which brought the reader along with the action. I liked the alternation of POV’s as it allowed the plot to constantly be developing between the characters, especially in their times apart. The gradual build-up of conflict to the climax of the book was well-paced, although I did feel like the final resolution was reached a touch too soon. I like how the author concluded this story in a way that left very few questions. The plot questions and main motivators were all resolved, with only some small questions about individual characters remaining. I would’ve liked more interaction between Indira and Aisla, and perhaps some more insight into their wytchy connection/bloodline. However, these loose ends that have been left are a great opening to further explore in future books.

Final thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed “Will it Hurt?”. This book is a lovely, easy read and a very fun, enjoyable plot. I think anyone who wants a fresh take on a vampyre/wytch romance with a good smattering of spice, will very much enjoy reading this book. I look forward to reading more from Lily X!

Content Warnings