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A review by yourwordsmyink
Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton
1.0
DNF @ 17% and here's why:
At first, I thought I wasn't going to read this book. I've had it on Netgalley for a while now, but it didn't really appeal to me. Then I saw a bunch of booktubers recommend it, and I thought I would give it a try. I didn't get very far into it before it became impossible for me to read.
I will start off by saying that Sutton is not a bad writer. In fact, I really enjoyed her writing style, and if the story played out differently I really would have liked this book. The writing is easy to read and really pulls you into the story.
Unfortunately, there are just one too many "fantasy romance" tropes that I could not ignore.
First off, I loathe the whole "main character is a virgin, only swoons when the love interest touches her/sexual awakening thanks to a broody boy" thing. If that's your thing, cool. It just makes my skin crawl. Especially the sort of "idolisation" (it might be a too strong word, but I couldn't think of a better one) of the maiden/virgin woman. It's just a societal construct I do not buy into, and I do not think we should be giving it that much room in our stories.
Once again, if that's your thing, cool. This review is a reflection of my personal opinion. If you loved this book, that's awesome!
Secondly, the broody bad boy love interest. I love a good bad boy, but it's becoming hard to stomach love interests whose only personality traits are that they're slightly nefarious but with good intentions that they have to hide from the protag because "reasons". I'm tired.
Thirdly, there are some seriously blurred lines of consent here, regarding a dream boyfriend that may or may not be real. (He's most likely real and that makes my skin crawl).
I get that this is a fantasy romance, so the focus might not be on the fantasy part of the story. But I have a hard time jumping into stories with sex scenes in the first 50 pages, zero world-building and barely any character building. She kisses him once and she's ready to jump his bones? It might just be my asexual self having a hard time believing it.
It just goes to show that a lot of things influence the way we review books. This is my personal opinion, seen through the lens of my worldviews and sexuality. It's wonderful if you love this book, and I'm glad you've found something you enjoy. It's just not for me.
At first, I thought I wasn't going to read this book. I've had it on Netgalley for a while now, but it didn't really appeal to me. Then I saw a bunch of booktubers recommend it, and I thought I would give it a try. I didn't get very far into it before it became impossible for me to read.
I will start off by saying that Sutton is not a bad writer. In fact, I really enjoyed her writing style, and if the story played out differently I really would have liked this book. The writing is easy to read and really pulls you into the story.
Unfortunately, there are just one too many "fantasy romance" tropes that I could not ignore.
First off, I loathe the whole "main character is a virgin, only swoons when the love interest touches her/sexual awakening thanks to a broody boy" thing. If that's your thing, cool. It just makes my skin crawl. Especially the sort of "idolisation" (it might be a too strong word, but I couldn't think of a better one) of the maiden/virgin woman. It's just a societal construct I do not buy into, and I do not think we should be giving it that much room in our stories.
Once again, if that's your thing, cool. This review is a reflection of my personal opinion. If you loved this book, that's awesome!
Secondly, the broody bad boy love interest. I love a good bad boy, but it's becoming hard to stomach love interests whose only personality traits are that they're slightly nefarious but with good intentions that they have to hide from the protag because "reasons". I'm tired.
Thirdly, there are some seriously blurred lines of consent here, regarding a dream boyfriend that may or may not be real. (He's most likely real and that makes my skin crawl).
I get that this is a fantasy romance, so the focus might not be on the fantasy part of the story. But I have a hard time jumping into stories with sex scenes in the first 50 pages, zero world-building and barely any character building. She kisses him once and she's ready to jump his bones? It might just be my asexual self having a hard time believing it.
It just goes to show that a lot of things influence the way we review books. This is my personal opinion, seen through the lens of my worldviews and sexuality. It's wonderful if you love this book, and I'm glad you've found something you enjoy. It's just not for me.