Scan barcode
A review by popgoesbitty
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
1.0
A couple things:
First, I want to thank this book. Truly. It taught me what erotica really is and should be, by showing me what it's not. More on that in a minute.
Second, this is the first book ever that I'm giving a rating to without finishing. I knew it would happen eventually. I knew it would take a book just this bad to make me do it. But here we are.
So why am I thanking Neon Gods? It's quite simple, really. I read erotic romance a lot, but I always assumed its overall quality directly correlated with the quality of the smut scenes and situations. This book showed me that couldn't be further from the truth. Did Neon Gods have some really good smut? Sure. But NOTHING else clicked, and therefore those smut scenes fell flatter than flat. It showed me erotic fiction as storytelling is a complex art--one that can be executed very, very poorly.
I know now that good erotic fiction is a delicate balance of A LOT of things. Tension, plot, sex positivity, character development, word choice, taboo, pacing...balance, balance, BALANCE.
I don't have the energy to go into why Neon Gods was bad. Just know I've read a lot of GOOD erotica, and this wasn't it.
P.S. Also worth mentioning, for those looking for cover-to-cover action, there's no nooky in this book for over 150 pages...
First, I want to thank this book. Truly. It taught me what erotica really is and should be, by showing me what it's not. More on that in a minute.
Second, this is the first book ever that I'm giving a rating to without finishing. I knew it would happen eventually. I knew it would take a book just this bad to make me do it. But here we are.
So why am I thanking Neon Gods? It's quite simple, really. I read erotic romance a lot, but I always assumed its overall quality directly correlated with the quality of the smut scenes and situations. This book showed me that couldn't be further from the truth. Did Neon Gods have some really good smut? Sure. But NOTHING else clicked, and therefore those smut scenes fell flatter than flat. It showed me erotic fiction as storytelling is a complex art--one that can be executed very, very poorly.
I know now that good erotic fiction is a delicate balance of A LOT of things. Tension, plot, sex positivity, character development, word choice, taboo, pacing...balance, balance, BALANCE.
I don't have the energy to go into why Neon Gods was bad. Just know I've read a lot of GOOD erotica, and this wasn't it.
P.S. Also worth mentioning, for those looking for cover-to-cover action, there's no nooky in this book for over 150 pages...