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lilithmoon's reviews
210 reviews
Addicted to You by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie
4.0
The characters are brilliantly written. They all are so unique and it is exciting to read about all the insane things they get up to. Lily and Loren have a very unique dilemma on their hands and it makes for a really exciting story!
I cannot stress how much I loved the comic book references.
A very Impactful ending. As much as I did enjoy this read I'm not sure if I want to continue the series. I am happy with were it ended... even if that was at a bit of a cliff hanger.
I cannot stress how much I loved the comic book references.
A very Impactful ending. As much as I did enjoy this read I'm not sure if I want to continue the series. I am happy with were it ended... even if that was at a bit of a cliff hanger.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It has pretty much all that I love about this genre in it, from a fast paced exciting plot to brilliant characters and some spicy romance.
This book was a little repetitive at the start but I had just finished the first book before reading this ome so this was probably just to remind readers who had taken a break between books. I really enjoyed the focus on relationships other than the main romance between Casteel and Penellaphe. The male comradery between mainly the wolven characters is funny and gives similar feelings of the [b:A Court of Thorns and Roses|16096824|A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406962l/16096824._SY75_.jpg|21905102] series.
There were good character motivations that make for a fast paced and exciting book with unique characters and well formed relationships. The relationship between Casteel and Penellaphe is brilliant (very smutty though, you've been warned.)
My main problem with the book is that Penellaphe is underdeveloped mainly because she starts off the series as a badass flawless character so she really had nowhere to go in terms of development. The book is also a tad cleché (especially the ending) but that is pretty much expected in the YA fantasy genre at this point.
While the book isn't perfect it is a lot better than the first in the series and I had a very good timing reading it (...so much so that I read it all in two days!) I am very excited to start reading the next book.
This book was a little repetitive at the start but I had just finished the first book before reading this ome so this was probably just to remind readers who had taken a break between books. I really enjoyed the focus on relationships other than the main romance between Casteel and Penellaphe. The male comradery between mainly the wolven characters is funny and gives similar feelings of the [b:A Court of Thorns and Roses|16096824|A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546406962l/16096824._SY75_.jpg|21905102] series.
There were good character motivations that make for a fast paced and exciting book with unique characters and well formed relationships. The relationship between Casteel and Penellaphe is brilliant (very smutty though, you've been warned.)
My main problem with the book is that Penellaphe is underdeveloped mainly because she starts off the series as a badass flawless character so she really had nowhere to go in terms of development. The book is also a tad cleché (especially the ending) but that is pretty much expected in the YA fantasy genre at this point.
While the book isn't perfect it is a lot better than the first in the series and I had a very good timing reading it (...so much so that I read it all in two days!) I am very excited to start reading the next book.
Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly
2.0
This is just a pretty average mafia forced marriage book that doesn't offer anything new that other books haven't already done. It's pretty forgettable.
I liked that the story started with their wedding day in the prequel and then went back to cover the time leading up to their wedding briefly. It meant we were straight into the drama and didn’t drag on the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, the more you read the more you realize there isn't really a plot in this story. The whole book is about the relationship between Luca and Aria but its all mainly sexual and nothing more emotional or romantic happens.
The two characters just have sex the whole book and that is the whole story. There is one interesting part where I thought the plot would come from but this lasted a few pages and then was magically fixed so it didn't matter at all. I didn't like the misinformation this book has about about the pill, tearing your hymen and other sex related things because I feel like it spreads false information to potentially uneducated readers.
I think Cora Reilly was a bit lazy at times because she would write that 'this happened' rather than explaining the thing actually happening in the story. There are pretty much no distinguished characters apart from Aria and Luca two and the other two (the main characters brother and sister) who were clearly getting a book about them in the series so had to be introduced. Because there was pretty much no development with other characters it just didn't matter at all when some were never heard of again or died and this made the book really forgettable.
Just not a great example of the 'arranged marriage', 'mafia' or 'smutty book' trope I've read recently because of how nonexistent the plot was and forgettable all the characters were.
I liked that the story started with their wedding day in the prequel and then went back to cover the time leading up to their wedding briefly. It meant we were straight into the drama and didn’t drag on the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, the more you read the more you realize there isn't really a plot in this story. The whole book is about the relationship between Luca and Aria but its all mainly sexual and nothing more emotional or romantic happens.
The two characters just have sex the whole book and that is the whole story. There is one interesting part where I thought the plot would come from but this lasted a few pages and then was magically fixed so it didn't matter at all. I didn't like the misinformation this book has about about the pill, tearing your hymen and other sex related things because I feel like it spreads false information to potentially uneducated readers.
I think Cora Reilly was a bit lazy at times because she would write that 'this happened' rather than explaining the thing actually happening in the story. There are pretty much no distinguished characters apart from Aria and Luca two and the other two (the main characters brother and sister) who were clearly getting a book about them in the series so had to be introduced. Because there was pretty much no development with other characters it just didn't matter at all when some were never heard of again or died and this made the book really forgettable.
Just not a great example of the 'arranged marriage', 'mafia' or 'smutty book' trope I've read recently because of how nonexistent the plot was and forgettable all the characters were.
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
4.0
I think that the summary of this book doesn't do it justice. It made the book seem like a normal romance but it was so much more impactful than that and I think that this is a brilliant book for young women to read. It made me contemplate what it is really like in domestically violent situations where you love the person who is hurting you.
It is only towards the end of the book that I realised how meaningful the story is and it’s nice that a story about domestic violence, a very important topic, is told from a non-judge mental point of view.
It tackles the question that we all have thought at one point about 'why doesn't she/didn't she just leave?' The author tells a very honest story with realistic characters who deal with the situation in a realistic way. You end the book with a really sad understanding of the pain that comes with being in love with the one abusing you and the difficulty that comes with the decision to leaving them or staying with them.
The smut was somewhat hot yet very undescriptive. The letters are an interesting way of recapping the past between Atlas and Lily in theory but, in reality, I found them kind of boring. In the beginning, the Atlas storyline just feels very disconnected from the story between Lily and Ryle which seems to be the main plot. It also got to a point where there was a bit too much of Ryle being perfect and subpar smut before it gets to the real purpose of the book and this got a bit boring.
Atlas and Lily's relationship is a nice addition to the book but it isn’t very important in terms of what made this book impactful and an important read. I'm glad that I read this book.
It is only towards the end of the book that I realised how meaningful the story is and it’s nice that a story about domestic violence, a very important topic, is told from a non-judge mental point of view.
It tackles the question that we all have thought at one point about 'why doesn't she/didn't she just leave?' The author tells a very honest story with realistic characters who deal with the situation in a realistic way. You end the book with a really sad understanding of the pain that comes with being in love with the one abusing you and the difficulty that comes with the decision to leaving them or staying with them.
The smut was somewhat hot yet very undescriptive. The letters are an interesting way of recapping the past between Atlas and Lily in theory but, in reality, I found them kind of boring. In the beginning, the Atlas storyline just feels very disconnected from the story between Lily and Ryle which seems to be the main plot. It also got to a point where there was a bit too much of Ryle being perfect and subpar smut before it gets to the real purpose of the book and this got a bit boring.
Atlas and Lily's relationship is a nice addition to the book but it isn’t very important in terms of what made this book impactful and an important read. I'm glad that I read this book.
Sweet Home by Tillie Cole
2.0
Nope, not a good book. It sounded okay in the summary and it started out okay but the more I read the worse it got. I got more and more annoyed as the book continued to the point where I nearly didn't finish it and I never do that. The writing is understandable English but it makes no sense in terms of the characters and their actions. I didn't enjoy this book, it made me uncomfortable and very little of it was good or even okay.
I initially thought this book was going to be more PG than it was because there was a heavy Christian (religious) implication in the prequel but there was lots of smut and mature content in this book including
There were lots of pacing/timing issues within the book because the characters were apparently deeply in love by about chapter 2 which meant there was no suspense and they just dealt with random over the top plot devices being thrown at them every second. Molly and Romeo's romance moves way too fast with no real explanation for the lack of development.
My opinions on the issues I had with this book are below so this is a spoiler warning. Note that some of these points are more important than others but this is more of an information dump of all the things I don't like so there are some random and rather specific thoughts thrown in.
The book has a section at the start where it changed tense and all the text was italic but only did this once and it was unnecessary and made the book seem unprofessional because of how random it was.
IT IS NOT OKAY THAT MOLLY SLAPPED ROMEO. End of. She knew that he has a history of physical abuse and it gives such a bad impression to potentially young readers. Women can't abuse men and I would have just as much of an issue if a book glossed over the male lead hitting the female lead. Would readers have been okay with him hitting her? I hope not.
I don’t like the vocabulary used in the smut. Romeo seems to want to fuck at really emotional inappropriate times like right after Molly offers to let him read her father's suicide note. WTF, it's like having emotional whiplash. He also just demands she cums which isn't something I find hot to read because of how unrealistic it is.
Romeo was really manipulative basically saying things like, 'Don’t go do what you want with your dreams. You have to be here to do support my dreams so you have to kiss be before football games.' Molly is also unlikeable as she blatantly ignores Romeo's wishes, and his cousin's advice, to not meet his abusive and manipulative family but she convinces herself that it is in his best interests and makes her seem very unlikable. She says, “I have to try, for him” and shows just how selfish and unlikable her character is. Neither main character is likable and thus I don't care about them being in love.
There is the biological issue of her somehow ending up pregnant on the pill which she states she has been taking correctly. I get that she may have gotten pregnant but how is she late and on the pill?
It seems like the author writes all all these extreme plots points like abuse, pregnancy and a miscarriage because they are unable to write a simple plot with good characters so it's replaced with an extreme plot with average characters and relatively poor writing.
Romeo demanding that Molly get over her grief is just annoying and made me like him even less and I didn't like him by this point in the book anyway.
The quote “Pussy taster” summarises how much I hate this book.
This book was similar to [b:Beautiful Disaster|11505797|Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)|Jamie McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358259032l/11505797._SY75_.jpg|16441531] but that book was slightly better than this one. I didn't like the characters in this book of the soap opera like plot. I don't recommend reading it.
I initially thought this book was going to be more PG than it was because there was a heavy Christian (religious) implication in the prequel but there was lots of smut and mature content in this book including
Spoiler
physical abuse, emotional and verbal abuse, sexual content, a miscarriage, suicide and other things. I personally felt that none of these serious issues were dealt with in a responsible or realistic way as the characters just have sex and don't grow as people to deal with their issues.There were lots of pacing/timing issues within the book because the characters were apparently deeply in love by about chapter 2 which meant there was no suspense and they just dealt with random over the top plot devices being thrown at them every second. Molly and Romeo's romance moves way too fast with no real explanation for the lack of development.
My opinions on the issues I had with this book are below so this is a spoiler warning. Note that some of these points are more important than others but this is more of an information dump of all the things I don't like so there are some random and rather specific thoughts thrown in.
Spoiler
I pose you the question, what straight 'manly' man calls their father ‘daddy’? Is this some American thing I don't understand?The book has a section at the start where it changed tense and all the text was italic but only did this once and it was unnecessary and made the book seem unprofessional because of how random it was.
IT IS NOT OKAY THAT MOLLY SLAPPED ROMEO. End of. She knew that he has a history of physical abuse and it gives such a bad impression to potentially young readers. Women can't abuse men and I would have just as much of an issue if a book glossed over the male lead hitting the female lead. Would readers have been okay with him hitting her? I hope not.
I don’t like the vocabulary used in the smut. Romeo seems to want to fuck at really emotional inappropriate times like right after Molly offers to let him read her father's suicide note. WTF, it's like having emotional whiplash. He also just demands she cums which isn't something I find hot to read because of how unrealistic it is.
Romeo was really manipulative basically saying things like, 'Don’t go do what you want with your dreams. You have to be here to do support my dreams so you have to kiss be before football games.' Molly is also unlikeable as she blatantly ignores Romeo's wishes, and his cousin's advice, to not meet his abusive and manipulative family but she convinces herself that it is in his best interests and makes her seem very unlikable. She says, “I have to try, for him” and shows just how selfish and unlikable her character is. Neither main character is likable and thus I don't care about them being in love.
There is the biological issue of her somehow ending up pregnant on the pill which she states she has been taking correctly. I get that she may have gotten pregnant but how is she late and on the pill?
It seems like the author writes all all these extreme plots points like abuse, pregnancy and a miscarriage because they are unable to write a simple plot with good characters so it's replaced with an extreme plot with average characters and relatively poor writing.
Romeo demanding that Molly get over her grief is just annoying and made me like him even less and I didn't like him by this point in the book anyway.
The quote “Pussy taster” summarises how much I hate this book.
This book was similar to [b:Beautiful Disaster|11505797|Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)|Jamie McGuire|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358259032l/11505797._SY75_.jpg|16441531] but that book was slightly better than this one. I didn't like the characters in this book of the soap opera like plot. I don't recommend reading it.
The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan
3.0
A reasonably decent young adult smutty college story. It was pretty predictable but that characters were decent and the story had good minor characters and plot points. There were a few over exaggerations at parts, especially in the beginning but the last quarter of the book had a decent plot.
Anna's best friend, Iris and her twin, having romance problems and individual issues that didn't have anything to do with the main plot made the book feel more realistic and therefore enjoyable. Grey was a good supporting character for Drew but didn't have as much of an individual story (he did get the whole next book about him though.) The main character is a little bit of a 'pick me' type girl who is 'just so different from normal bitchy girls' but it wasn't too condescending so it wasn't too bad.
I couldn't get over the amount of time the smut scenes spent discussing Anna's nipples. It was a lot. Drew seriously put a lot of thought into the colour of Anna's nipples. It’s seems like the writer has a really big thing for nipples and it's a little distracting in the smut sections.
The book has decent humour but it had some flawed writing too. There was a bit of an overall theme of being condescending to women who work as strippers/sex workers or women with fake boobs and women who are just overall more sexual were shamed or treated as just bitchy. It was a bit too stereotypical.
The main plot point of... was just boring and way too predictable. This part of the book drags on for too long and Drew’s plot was much better better, but was relatively short.
It was a predictable but okay book with a nice HEA. Nothing groundbreaking but what did we expect from a quarterback college romance novel.
Anna's best friend, Iris and her twin, having romance problems and individual issues that didn't have anything to do with the main plot made the book feel more realistic and therefore enjoyable. Grey was a good supporting character for Drew but didn't have as much of an individual story (he did get the whole next book about him though.) The main character is a little bit of a 'pick me' type girl who is 'just so different from normal bitchy girls' but it wasn't too condescending so it wasn't too bad.
I couldn't get over the amount of time the smut scenes spent discussing Anna's nipples. It was a lot. Drew seriously put a lot of thought into the colour of Anna's nipples. It’s seems like the writer has a really big thing for nipples and it's a little distracting in the smut sections.
The book has decent humour but it had some flawed writing too. There was a bit of an overall theme of being condescending to women who work as strippers/sex workers or women with fake boobs and women who are just overall more sexual were shamed or treated as just bitchy. It was a bit too stereotypical.
The main plot point of...
Spoiler
Anna breaking up with Drew because she was insecureSpoiler
about being injured,It was a predictable but okay book with a nice HEA. Nothing groundbreaking but what did we expect from a quarterback college romance novel.
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
4.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (I have really mixed feelings on this one...)
I had so many mixed feelings while reading this book. During the start I would have given it 2-3 stars (I wanted to DNF) then midway through I wanted to give it 5, so I’ve settled on 4.
Like the author acknowledges, Ryen is hard to like in the first few chapters and so is Misha but they do get better, you just have to really persevere with this book. I read one chapter, then decided I wouldn’t read this book but after seeing another review come up on instagram praising it I gave it another chance and I am glad that I did.
I feel like I was sucked into loving this book even though there were so many things I didn’t like about it. I have a special hatred for playlists at the start of books and I hate song lyrics in books so I really didn’t think I would end up enjoying this book as much as I did. It is also really stuck in the time warp of 2016 but somehow I couldn’t stop thinking about how this book would end and I didn’t want to stop reading.
There were some bigger problems (other than just superficial things I personally don’t like) such as some of the character interactions being laughably unrealistic and some plot points becoming very obvious pretty quickly. In fact, lots of this book lacks logical explanation and yet I can’t bring myself to give it less than 4 stars because I really enjoyed it.
Something I didn’t expect was how deep this book delved into dealing with grief and our need to fit in with people even when we don’t particularly like those people. I liked that the characters were very flawed and that your opinion of them changes throughout the book. I really loved the drama and the romance.
Was this book technically perfect? No. Am I glad I read it? YES. I didn’t mind the ending but I did not like the epilogue. Seriously, they would be like 23 at the end.
I had so many mixed feelings while reading this book. During the start I would have given it 2-3 stars (I wanted to DNF) then midway through I wanted to give it 5, so I’ve settled on 4.
Like the author acknowledges, Ryen is hard to like in the first few chapters and so is Misha but they do get better, you just have to really persevere with this book. I read one chapter, then decided I wouldn’t read this book but after seeing another review come up on instagram praising it I gave it another chance and I am glad that I did.
I feel like I was sucked into loving this book even though there were so many things I didn’t like about it. I have a special hatred for playlists at the start of books and I hate song lyrics in books so I really didn’t think I would end up enjoying this book as much as I did. It is also really stuck in the time warp of 2016 but somehow I couldn’t stop thinking about how this book would end and I didn’t want to stop reading.
There were some bigger problems (other than just superficial things I personally don’t like) such as some of the character interactions being laughably unrealistic and some plot points becoming very obvious pretty quickly. In fact, lots of this book lacks logical explanation and yet I can’t bring myself to give it less than 4 stars because I really enjoyed it.
Something I didn’t expect was how deep this book delved into dealing with grief and our need to fit in with people even when we don’t particularly like those people. I liked that the characters were very flawed and that your opinion of them changes throughout the book. I really loved the drama and the romance.
Was this book technically perfect? No. Am I glad I read it? YES. I didn’t mind the ending but I did not like the epilogue. Seriously, they would be like 23 at the end.
Radiance by Grace Draven
3.0
...It just wasn't that great in my opinion. I can see why so many people loved the story but I feel like there were lots of big issues I just couldn't get past enough to look back and say that I think this was a good book. I had lots of thoughts and feelings while reading so this is quote long...
Starting with things I did like...
They are spare heirs which makes them both different to the stereotypical royal couple and this isn't as often explored in books so I did appreciate this unique take. It tells the story of characters who are forced to uphold their roles and marry to form an alliance but they aren't entirely dictated by the societal expectations thrust upon them so they act pretty independently. Demonstrated by...
I did enjoy the fact that they weren't attracted to each other because they are different races. It wasn't something I had read lots of before in young adult fantasy books and it was refreshing not to have they constantly describe how attractive the other is. It allowed for their relationship to form because of mental attractiveness rather than just superficial beauty. This was later undermined by
They are honest to each other from the start and this was both a good and bad thing in my opinion. On the one hand, it's always good to see a relationship based on honesty in young adult books but on the other hand it also seemed out of place for members of royal families to immediately be so honest with each other. It seemed to be counter intuitive for them to start insulting each other as they were both brought up in settings where emphasis was placed on social decorum. I would have appreciated it a lot more if this honesty had developed over time rather than just being so immediate for no real explainable reason.
Another thing I liked was the detailed explanations of the differences between the Kai and Gauri people, both cultural and physical. This led to a more detail story and the unique idea of two drastically difference races being in an arranged marriage was a unique storyline that I haven't come across before.
The issues I just couldn't get over...
Very early on we learn Idako's parents have been dead since she was young and the way it is initially brought up made me think it was going to be a substantial part of her character development or something important to the story but it is never mentioned again... leaving me wonder what happened there, does it come up in a later book in the series? Brishen also has problems like this in his characterisation. His brothers are mentioned maybe twice in the whole story and we learn very little about his past making him lack depth as well. Neither of them ever discuss any or contemplate any meaningful issue going on in their lives.
Idako also leaves the court of Gauri and pretty much doesn't care at all. The given reason for this is that she doesn't like the court but Idako seems almost instantly connected to people yet we are supposed to believe she just had no friends or anyone she liked enough to even think about once after leaving. I think it would have added depth to her character if she had missed parts of her old life so it seems like a missed opportunity that this wasn't brought up more. What I didn't like about Idako's character in general, was that she was fine with everything in her life completely changing. I understand that she was raised to expect to be married off but she had no bad emotional responses to having to adapt to the Kai world which was compared as being the literal night vs day to her culture. I wanted her to have a more realistic and relatable reaction to such a significant change in her life but sadly we didn't get that. Some longing for something she can't have anymore would have made this a less 'squeaky clean' story. (The most we got was her not liking on of the meals the Kai ate.)
We are told initially that they find each-other hideous but from the second they meet, Brishen is constantly touching Idako, wanting to be with her and thinking about how amazing she is and this just annoyed me. I would have loved if their relationship had been much more of a slow build as that would have left me feeling like their loving relationship was deserved but everything (relationship wise) went right for them the whole time.
This story went from dealing with no dark themes, choosing instead to look at everything in a positive light, to suddenly having some really messed up stuff happen...
My final thoughts...
I don't feel motivated to continue reading this series because of the issues I found in the first book.
It is a good book to read if you are looking for something short and easy which will give the enjoyment of a predictable love story. However, I feel that continuing reading won't convince me to love this series any more than I do at the moment.
Starting with things I did like...
They are spare heirs which makes them both different to the stereotypical royal couple and this isn't as often explored in books so I did appreciate this unique take. It tells the story of characters who are forced to uphold their roles and marry to form an alliance but they aren't entirely dictated by the societal expectations thrust upon them so they act pretty independently. Demonstrated by...
Spoiler
the fact she isn't a maiden before her wedding night or displayed by they way they live away from the royal court and aren't expected to have kids because the Kai royalty already have a secured family line.I did enjoy the fact that they weren't attracted to each other because they are different races. It wasn't something I had read lots of before in young adult fantasy books and it was refreshing not to have they constantly describe how attractive the other is. It allowed for their relationship to form because of mental attractiveness rather than just superficial beauty. This was later undermined by
Spoiler
the part when she first sees him undressed because she just magically realises he is actually gorgeous which doesn't make all that much sense because it's implied she just suddenly likes him because she realises he is fit. She also makes lots of references to understanding that Kai women would find him attractive implying she sort of finds him attractive the whole time.They are honest to each other from the start and this was both a good and bad thing in my opinion. On the one hand, it's always good to see a relationship based on honesty in young adult books but on the other hand it also seemed out of place for members of royal families to immediately be so honest with each other. It seemed to be counter intuitive for them to start insulting each other as they were both brought up in settings where emphasis was placed on social decorum. I would have appreciated it a lot more if this honesty had developed over time rather than just being so immediate for no real explainable reason.
Another thing I liked was the detailed explanations of the differences between the Kai and Gauri people, both cultural and physical. This led to a more detail story and the unique idea of two drastically difference races being in an arranged marriage was a unique storyline that I haven't come across before.
The issues I just couldn't get over...
Very early on we learn Idako's parents have been dead since she was young and the way it is initially brought up made me think it was going to be a substantial part of her character development or something important to the story but it is never mentioned again... leaving me wonder what happened there, does it come up in a later book in the series? Brishen also has problems like this in his characterisation. His brothers are mentioned maybe twice in the whole story and we learn very little about his past making him lack depth as well. Neither of them ever discuss any or contemplate any meaningful issue going on in their lives.
Idako also leaves the court of Gauri and pretty much doesn't care at all. The given reason for this is that she doesn't like the court but Idako seems almost instantly connected to people yet we are supposed to believe she just had no friends or anyone she liked enough to even think about once after leaving. I think it would have added depth to her character if she had missed parts of her old life so it seems like a missed opportunity that this wasn't brought up more. What I didn't like about Idako's character in general, was that she was fine with everything in her life completely changing. I understand that she was raised to expect to be married off but she had no bad emotional responses to having to adapt to the Kai world which was compared as being the literal night vs day to her culture. I wanted her to have a more realistic and relatable reaction to such a significant change in her life but sadly we didn't get that. Some longing for something she can't have anymore would have made this a less 'squeaky clean' story. (The most we got was her not liking on of the meals the Kai ate.)
We are told initially that they find each-other hideous but from the second they meet, Brishen is constantly touching Idako, wanting to be with her and thinking about how amazing she is and this just annoyed me. I would have loved if their relationship had been much more of a slow build as that would have left me feeling like their loving relationship was deserved but everything (relationship wise) went right for them the whole time.
Spoiler
Not a single fight fight the entire story which isn't expected of normal healthy relationships, let alone arranged marriages between different races!This story went from dealing with no dark themes, choosing instead to look at everything in a positive light, to suddenly having some really messed up stuff happen...
Spoiler
Brishen being tortured was not a direction I saw this book taking at all. It came completely out of left field and what was even more unexpected was how he dealt with this traumatic event... by not caring at all. He had his eye and claws removed and didn't have a hint of PTSD, not a single detrimental psychological effect, even when his mother brought him his severed eye to him in a box. Seems unrealistic...My final thoughts...
I don't feel motivated to continue reading this series because of the issues I found in the first book.
It is a good book to read if you are looking for something short and easy which will give the enjoyment of a predictable love story. However, I feel that continuing reading won't convince me to love this series any more than I do at the moment.