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A review by mxrvch
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
dark
medium-paced
2.0
What the fuck was this book?
Although it didn’t have the strongest storyline it wasn’t the absolute worst? Maybe that’s just because my expectations were already low seeing as the only thing I really knew about this book was that it was spicy. If you’re only looking for a spicy book, be my guest.
The plot and the world-building (which I actually found both to be quite compelling) take a backseat to the romance story at one point, but if you expect differently from a ROMANCE FANTASY BOOK you’re just lying to yourself.
The whole borderline grooming thing was probably one of the worst parts of the book and the relationship between Callie and Desmond. I say borderline because, while it wasn’t technically, let’s fucking face it, they were walking a tightrope made of silk. Which is kind of wild, considering it would’ve made more sense in the story if Callie had been a little older, 17 instead of 16. Although I’ve seen some negative arguments against the flashbacks, I think they actually were really useful to see the beginning of their friendship. Which, again, should not have been between a god-knows-how-old Fae king and a 16 year old girl. Thalassa tries to mend this by repeating that Callie is of age in the supernatural world which, ehm, ok? I guess? Fair enough? Apretaíto, pero está bien. Maybe emphasize a bit more on the fact that Desmond actually wanted to leave her after he realized she fell in love with him and that they were soulmates. (Also, I’ve seen some criticism on the fact that she wished for them to be soulmates, but I don’t actually mind that. Usually soulmates are ‘destined’ and ‘chosen by gods’ to be together. In a way, they chose eachother, which at least makes their relationship a little different. And the whole soulmates thing was actually mentioned when Eli essentially proposes to her and asks her to be his mate. So, actually, as far as we know, on Earth, soulmates are chosen.)
The other worst part is the characterization of the one Black character in the entire book. A Black woman literally called Temper… What. The. Fuck? It doesn’t help the fact that her entire purpose is to, I guess, be a friend who delivers important information one time??? (Eli, the ex-boyfriend is also sort of used in this way. Although, he appeared literally twice in the book, so does he even count as a secondary character?) And the way she is written is very stereotypical. It is also hinted VARIOUS times that she is way more powerful than we think and has a destiny which she is trying to escape from, however we never actually see any of her powers or are told what she really is. Some flashbacks of their senior year in high school as Callie and Temper became best friends would have been really cool to see as it would parallel not only to Callie wanting to escape her past/Temper wanting to escape her future, but also with the flashbacks between Desmond and Callie’s friendship.
They all had the potential to become way more interesting characters, but, clearly this was not the book for character development.
Although it didn’t have the strongest storyline it wasn’t the absolute worst? Maybe that’s just because my expectations were already low seeing as the only thing I really knew about this book was that it was spicy. If you’re only looking for a spicy book, be my guest.
The plot and the world-building (which I actually found both to be quite compelling) take a backseat to the romance story at one point, but if you expect differently from a ROMANCE FANTASY BOOK you’re just lying to yourself.
The other worst part is the characterization of the one Black character in the entire book. A Black woman literally called Temper… What. The. Fuck? It doesn’t help the fact that her entire purpose is to, I guess, be a friend who delivers important information one time??? (Eli, the ex-boyfriend is also sort of used in this way. Although, he appeared literally twice in the book, so does he even count as a secondary character?) And the way she is written is very stereotypical. It is also hinted VARIOUS times that she is way more powerful than we think and has a destiny which she is trying to escape from, however we never actually see any of her powers or are told what she really is. Some flashbacks of their senior year in high school as Callie and Temper became best friends would have been really cool to see as it would parallel not only to Callie wanting to escape her past/Temper wanting to escape her future, but also with the flashbacks between Desmond and Callie’s friendship.
They all had the potential to become way more interesting characters, but, clearly this was not the book for character development.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault