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A review by monadh
The Krinar Exposé by Anna Zaires, Hettie Ivers
5.0
What starts out as a night of otherworldly passion turns into more
The Krinar Exposé combines two stories that have been published previously; The X-Club by Anna Zaires, a short story (or novelette) set in Zaires’ Krinar World, and Vair: Beyond the X-Club by Hettie Ivers, a continuation and expansion of Zaire's story.
I have to confess that I am a big fan of Anna Zaires and her Krinar books. But inn general I don’t like spinoffs or sequels written by other authors, because in the majority of (if not all) cases they are invariably disappointing. One of the most important things that attracts me to an author’s writing is voice. Voice is a concept that isn’t easy to define, but for me it is the distinctive style in which a writer deploys language to create a world before our inner eyes, the way they enhance their characters with personality, and how they imbue everything with a certain mood. With all the discussion about ghostwriters and famous authors not really writing their own books (anymore) there is some controversy about whether voice can imitated. I have to admit that I belong to the faction that believes that voice is very hard, if not impossible, to imitate. I also think that I am able to recognize the voice of my favorite authors and would notice if they weren’t writing their books themselves.
That being said, I really loved The X-Club but was dissatisfied with the brevity and very open ending of the story. Amy Myers is an aspiring journalist and she is tired of getting all the fluff assignments. So she decides to find and visit one of the infamous x-clubs, where humans go to have sex with the otherwordly Krinar. It is said that such encounters are addictive. Amy only wants to go there to observe, but she ends up spending a night of night numbing passion with the club’s owner, Vair. The next morning she wakes up in her bed alone, with her recollection somewhat fuzzy on what exactly took place (beyond the pleasure) and how she ended up at home. The end.
And that’s where Hettie Ivers Vair: Beyond the X-Club picks up again. Amy writes her disclosure story but makes it appear like she interviewed sources to get the information. She fears reprisals by the Krinar Council but for several weeks nothing happens. And then all of a sudden she is shown film material on her computer of her night with Vair. She assumes she is being blackmailed to retract her story, so she decides to go back to the club to confront Vair, but things are not what they seem at all.
Initially I was a bit irritated by the change from third person narrative to first person narrative, but I soon got reconciled to it since it seemed to me that Ivers nailed Amy’s inner thoughts pretty well. I also liked how smoothly she managed to interweave background details of the Krinar world and the way she expanded on Amy’s relationship with Jay and how she fleshed out Amy’s family. And last, but not least, I loved how she brought Amy and Vair back together; the sex between these two is really hot and spectacular. Not quite sure about the guinea pig angle, though you should read it yourself to find out more. If you love Anna Zaires’ Krinar World as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed by Amy and Vairs story. So go grab it!
4.75 stars for this scorching hot read!
The Krinar Exposé combines two stories that have been published previously; The X-Club by Anna Zaires, a short story (or novelette) set in Zaires’ Krinar World, and Vair: Beyond the X-Club by Hettie Ivers, a continuation and expansion of Zaire's story.
I have to confess that I am a big fan of Anna Zaires and her Krinar books. But inn general I don’t like spinoffs or sequels written by other authors, because in the majority of (if not all) cases they are invariably disappointing. One of the most important things that attracts me to an author’s writing is voice. Voice is a concept that isn’t easy to define, but for me it is the distinctive style in which a writer deploys language to create a world before our inner eyes, the way they enhance their characters with personality, and how they imbue everything with a certain mood. With all the discussion about ghostwriters and famous authors not really writing their own books (anymore) there is some controversy about whether voice can imitated. I have to admit that I belong to the faction that believes that voice is very hard, if not impossible, to imitate. I also think that I am able to recognize the voice of my favorite authors and would notice if they weren’t writing their books themselves.
That being said, I really loved The X-Club but was dissatisfied with the brevity and very open ending of the story. Amy Myers is an aspiring journalist and she is tired of getting all the fluff assignments. So she decides to find and visit one of the infamous x-clubs, where humans go to have sex with the otherwordly Krinar. It is said that such encounters are addictive. Amy only wants to go there to observe, but she ends up spending a night of night numbing passion with the club’s owner, Vair. The next morning she wakes up in her bed alone, with her recollection somewhat fuzzy on what exactly took place (beyond the pleasure) and how she ended up at home. The end.
And that’s where Hettie Ivers Vair: Beyond the X-Club picks up again. Amy writes her disclosure story but makes it appear like she interviewed sources to get the information. She fears reprisals by the Krinar Council but for several weeks nothing happens. And then all of a sudden she is shown film material on her computer of her night with Vair. She assumes she is being blackmailed to retract her story, so she decides to go back to the club to confront Vair, but things are not what they seem at all.
Initially I was a bit irritated by the change from third person narrative to first person narrative, but I soon got reconciled to it since it seemed to me that Ivers nailed Amy’s inner thoughts pretty well. I also liked how smoothly she managed to interweave background details of the Krinar world and the way she expanded on Amy’s relationship with Jay and how she fleshed out Amy’s family. And last, but not least, I loved how she brought Amy and Vair back together; the sex between these two is really hot and spectacular. Not quite sure about the guinea pig angle, though you should read it yourself to find out more. If you love Anna Zaires’ Krinar World as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed by Amy and Vairs story. So go grab it!
4.75 stars for this scorching hot read!