A review by melrosemeltdown
In the Eye of the Storm by Robert Thier

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

It's been a while since I read the first book and I was super excited to read the next installation, but this book was not good at all. The ml Ambrose and mc Lily are made perfectly for each other as they both share ignorant and racist mindset towards anybody other than British people. Lily's feminism sucks and Ambrose hates the working class, is misogynistic, and as pointed out racist. I understand the book is a time period piece but I expected some redeeming qualities from the characters. It's not difficult to make your characters not racist or at least have them not constantly comment negatively about cultures they are not familiar with. It's an unnecessary quality to add and makes connecting or liking the characters impossible as this is what the audience is supposed to do. We're supposed to like Lily and Ambrose and root for them as a couple but when they're actions aren't good and even as bad as the main villain of the series, the book loses all its charm. Lily's feminism completely misses the point of feminism and she has her fair share of internalized misogyny when commenting about the Egyption women's veiling. The author should have done a better job understanding what feminism is because constantly spewing "I hate men" is not feminism in any context. I also found it weird how easily she could kill people in the story and not feel any sense of guilt or remorse. Lily is a one dimensional character at best and not fleshed out as well as she could have been. I'm not sure who the audience for the series is, but I would not recommend this series at all. I was excited to read this series as it contained many tropes I enjoyed, but the writing and plot made it difficult to continue. I only finished the book because my car broke down and I had nothing else to do for several hours. Otherwise, I would have dnfed the book as soon as I could.