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medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I just could not get behind the characterization of Misery (fmmc). I found her snark and sarcasm to be so grating at times and her pov was just sometimes so jarring and incoherent (especially in this genre) that it took me out of the story so much. the writing is pretty good so it’s a shame that the narrative style and characterization is often times weak.
everyone else was more interesting that Misery and as far as the romance went I felt like there was an over-reliance on the soulmates trope to do most of the heavy lifting with the emotions and not nearly enough time spent actually writing them growing to like each other. Like ok they’re ~soulmates~ but do they actually like each other? some aspects of their relationship growth felt so rushed and almost unbelievable to me.
I also felt at times there were scenes that were just too on the nose especially concerning the mate/soulmates thing. A much more subtle approach would have made the story better and enriched the narrative with depth. The world building felt lackluster. I was thinking this was some fantasy world more or less because of everything being called “The Southwest” or “The City” only for Lowe to mention California lol. Like more grounding details would have made a huge difference.
The one thing I did enjoy was I didn’t expect who the bad guy would be at all. That was a great angle/plot point. However, super villain monologues are boring. Info-dumping things at the 11th hour feels like a deus ex machina of its own. Needless to say, I’m sure if you just want to read this to get to the vampire/werewolf sex then have at it. But if you’re looking for something with a rich narrative and better than subpar characterizations for the female main character… Oh well. Better luck next time.
everyone else was more interesting that Misery and as far as the romance went I felt like there was an over-reliance on the soulmates trope to do most of the heavy lifting with the emotions and not nearly enough time spent actually writing them growing to like each other. Like ok they’re ~soulmates~ but do they actually like each other? some aspects of their relationship growth felt so rushed and almost unbelievable to me.
I also felt at times there were scenes that were just too on the nose especially concerning the mate/soulmates thing. A much more subtle approach would have made the story better and enriched the narrative with depth. The world building felt lackluster. I was thinking this was some fantasy world more or less because of everything being called “The Southwest” or “The City” only for Lowe to mention California lol. Like more grounding details would have made a huge difference.
The one thing I did enjoy was I didn’t expect who the bad guy would be at all. That was a great angle/plot point. However, super villain monologues are boring. Info-dumping things at the 11th hour feels like a deus ex machina of its own. Needless to say, I’m sure if you just want to read this to get to the vampire/werewolf sex then have at it. But if you’re looking for something with a rich narrative and better than subpar characterizations for the female main character… Oh well. Better luck next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content