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A review by kellysavagebooks
Trick by Natalia Jaster
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m not a romantasy girly but this one hit a sweet spot for me. I love a peacock of a man, and I appreciate a romantasy that balances its fantasy and romance well. This one’s definitely more romance than fantasy, but the fantasy of it, while being immersive and interesting enough to enjoy spending time in, isn’t trying to be super complex or involved, which means it doesn’t feel like things are sacrificed for the sake of the romance.
Due to my job, I read a LOT of romance, fantasy or otherwise, and whenever they try to introduce any kind of heavy topic, I cringe, because in my experience these books almost never handle said topics well. It ends up coming across like a really serious issue—be it SA, prejudice, grief, etc.—is being used as either a prop or an obstacle to the romance, and it makes me feel icky. So I was pleasantly surprised when this book introduced a topic of this kind and then handled it with, I thought, a good amount of care and nuance.
This still isn’t really my kind of book, but it seems the right book caught me in the right mood. I’d call it a guilty pleasure if I felt guilty about pleasure.
Due to my job, I read a LOT of romance, fantasy or otherwise, and whenever they try to introduce any kind of heavy topic, I cringe, because in my experience these books almost never handle said topics well. It ends up coming across like a really serious issue—be it SA, prejudice, grief, etc.—is being used as either a prop or an obstacle to the romance, and it makes me feel icky. So I was pleasantly surprised when this book introduced a topic of this kind and then handled it with, I thought, a good amount of care and nuance.
This still isn’t really my kind of book, but it seems the right book caught me in the right mood. I’d call it a guilty pleasure if I felt guilty about pleasure.