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tani 's review for:
The Leopard King
by Ann Aguirre
I'm always kind of leery of romance novels, but I really enjoyed Grimspace by Ann Aguirre, especially the romance, so I thought that this new series might be a good one for me. Shifters are also my favorite in paranormal fantasy, so there's that. I was a bit nervous when I read some of the reviews, but this ended up working really well for me.
The first thing that drew me into this novel was Pru, the main female character. Her determination mixed with her feelings of inferiority made me feel a lot of empathy for her. That attachment was enough to draw me past my doubts about the set-up, which is not something that I thought I would have gone for. Although the challenge that brings Dom and Pru together is one that's fun in theory, I was a bit worried about the execution of it. I don't want to give much away, so I'm going to be deliberately vague, but I felt like a lot of Dom's actions and reactions in the beginning of the book were pretty terrible, and I wasn't sure that the romance was actually going to work for me. In retrospect, I understand all the reasons behind them, and I mostly did at the time as well, but I was definitely worried that he would end up being an unlikable love interest. He didn't, at least for me, but it was a legitimate worry at first.
I will say that the first 40% or so was a bit slow. There was a lot of time spent establishing the characters and their emotional state. There is some action, but it's fairly scattered. It does end up being really important though, which was a welcome surprise. And then we get into the meat of the book, and things picked up significantly for me. In other words, here comes the politics and action.
Now, don't get me wrong. The romance is still a very strong component. Ann Aguirre neglects neither the physical nor the emotional connection, but she also immerses the reader in the politics of the situation, which are incredibly important, both to this book, and to the set-up of the series as a whole. And let's be honest. I really love shifter politics. So, this is my bread and butter. There's something about the barely veiled violence and tension that really draws me in. As in, I sat down this afternoon and inhaled the second half of the book. Things moved at a fast clip, and although I wouldn't say things are terribly complicated, I appreciated the twists that show up. The action scenes are also quite good, which is another strength I remember from Grimspace.
Most importantly, though, the romance really did work for me. I won't say that Pru and Dom were my favorite couple ever, but they didn't really fall into any of the traps that I truly hate in romance. They have their misunderstandings and moments where they could communicate better, but they resolve those moments. They are honest with each other. They acknowledge each other's strengths and weaknesses. And they work through their issues. Basically, I thought they did pretty great. I also thought that the sex was very well-done. It's frequent, but it's less formulaic than a lot of the sex that I've read in other romances, and it stems from moments of emotional connection, which is what I prefer.
I also liked the fact that this is not going to be a series of self-contained books. Although each book will focus on a different couple, it seems like there will be a continuing plot underlying the romances, which is an idea that makes me really happy. As an epic fantasy fan, I really love having a huge conflict to draw a series together, and this seems like it will fulfill that need in me. Also, this first book introduces pretty much all of the characters that will be main characters in the later books, and I am incredibly excited for the second book now! I think this is my new favorite paranormal romance series!
The first thing that drew me into this novel was Pru, the main female character. Her determination mixed with her feelings of inferiority made me feel a lot of empathy for her. That attachment was enough to draw me past my doubts about the set-up, which is not something that I thought I would have gone for. Although the challenge that brings Dom and Pru together is one that's fun in theory, I was a bit worried about the execution of it. I don't want to give much away, so I'm going to be deliberately vague, but I felt like a lot of Dom's actions and reactions in the beginning of the book were pretty terrible, and I wasn't sure that the romance was actually going to work for me. In retrospect, I understand all the reasons behind them, and I mostly did at the time as well, but I was definitely worried that he would end up being an unlikable love interest. He didn't, at least for me, but it was a legitimate worry at first.
I will say that the first 40% or so was a bit slow. There was a lot of time spent establishing the characters and their emotional state. There is some action, but it's fairly scattered. It does end up being really important though, which was a welcome surprise. And then we get into the meat of the book, and things picked up significantly for me. In other words, here comes the politics and action.
Now, don't get me wrong. The romance is still a very strong component. Ann Aguirre neglects neither the physical nor the emotional connection, but she also immerses the reader in the politics of the situation, which are incredibly important, both to this book, and to the set-up of the series as a whole. And let's be honest. I really love shifter politics. So, this is my bread and butter. There's something about the barely veiled violence and tension that really draws me in. As in, I sat down this afternoon and inhaled the second half of the book. Things moved at a fast clip, and although I wouldn't say things are terribly complicated, I appreciated the twists that show up. The action scenes are also quite good, which is another strength I remember from Grimspace.
Most importantly, though, the romance really did work for me. I won't say that Pru and Dom were my favorite couple ever, but they didn't really fall into any of the traps that I truly hate in romance. They have their misunderstandings and moments where they could communicate better, but they resolve those moments. They are honest with each other. They acknowledge each other's strengths and weaknesses. And they work through their issues. Basically, I thought they did pretty great. I also thought that the sex was very well-done. It's frequent, but it's less formulaic than a lot of the sex that I've read in other romances, and it stems from moments of emotional connection, which is what I prefer.
I also liked the fact that this is not going to be a series of self-contained books. Although each book will focus on a different couple, it seems like there will be a continuing plot underlying the romances, which is an idea that makes me really happy. As an epic fantasy fan, I really love having a huge conflict to draw a series together, and this seems like it will fulfill that need in me. Also, this first book introduces pretty much all of the characters that will be main characters in the later books, and I am incredibly excited for the second book now! I think this is my new favorite paranormal romance series!