Posted by Okie dokie, I decided to keep listening since I’ve got all three on audible despite the first book not totally working for me… I had enjoyed the world and the story enough to give it another go.
I was surprised when this book focused on two totally different characters than the first book. I’m not sure I enjoyed it any more than the first because the story was…. very samey. Two characters start out in a prison… they are on opposite sides of a conflict and should be enemies, and end up falling for each other.
I’m getting kind of tired of seeing “see this guy isn’t a rapist isn’t that awesome” trend this book has going. The looming threat of rape is sort of ever-present, and a few times where the romantic interest of the ladies gets some alone time with them and doesn’t molest them, this is somehow chivalrous. At least, that’s how I feel it was portrayed. It’s just really… odd. Like yeah, clearly I’m less bothered by that then the woman getting raped and STILL falling for him, I’ve seen that depicted as well and that’s when I throw my kindle across the room. However, if ‘not being a rapist so they’re good’ could just… stop being a thing, that’d be great.
Despite this story focusing on two different people, the original characters still play a role and are in the background of the story. Cass is a member of Zarkander’s squad, while Tolemek is a pirate. Now, the pirates are the enemies of both Zarkander and Cass, so Tolemek should be an enemy… but naturally, this is where Tolemek and Cass fall in love. It happens really quickly, which again, was a complaint I had for the first book. And again, I do not understand the appeal of these ‘bad boys gone good’ because the bad shit they’ve done just overpowers any redemption arc I was shown. This guy made weapons of mass destruction, caused the deaths of hundreds, and…. ya. I don’t get the appeal. There are several instances where both of these characters think to themselves “why do I care this much about X, it’s only been a few days since I met X”, and I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t make much sense.
I’ve decided this is too far outside of my wheelhouse for me to continue on, despite enjoying the world building and writing style.
Ratings:
- Plot: 10/15
- Characters: 8/15
- World Building: 12/15
- Writing: 12/15
- Pacing: 12/15
- Originality: 10/15
- Personal Enjoyment: 3/10
Final Score: 67/100 or 3.35/5 stars on GR