D
Very few things make me really mad. Religious brainwashing ruining people's lives for no good reason is one of them. I am not against religion in general. Strike that, I am. I am not against belief is more accurate. I get the social meaning it serves, the purpose it gives to those who need it, the reassurance, the feeling of belonging.
But making other people flagellate themselves because they're not up to your standarts? Who the fuck do you think you are, religion?
It's a five stars book. Because of reasons.
Because it managed to surprise me. Repeatedly.
To amuse me.
To engage me.
To enrage me and (somewhat) appease me.
Because we're talking fanfic.
Because the ending was worth the journey. Few things lately live up to my expectations. This one exceeds them. It kept surprising me till the end. Even the last sentence was a surprise, like ‘wait, there's no more? Whyyyy?'
Because of this:
If you exist, please help. If you don't, I'll do it on my own.
Brilliant.
More like 4.5 stars, but either way I am impressed.
My biggest problem was how accepting everyone was once Howie manned up and told them he was gay and seeing someone. I know we live in a modern society, but even nowadays there's more struggle to accept the different. But hey, maybe they live in an alternate universe in which there are no homophobes - which would be nice, but then Howie's reluctance to tell them makes much less sense.
Not so important for me, just noticeable.
On the other side, I haven't read ya in a while and this one (it's ya, right, I'm not mistaken?) is so, so good.
To be reread.
It fell short for me a couple of times. It felt like it was dragging me somewhere but not convincing me this is the right way.
I don't know, maybe I should reread the second half for better judgement, but for me it was not convincing or believable. Both the plot and the love story - which, of course, were intertwined.
Credit where credit's due - it was crazy hot, and if there are scenes I'll be rereading, these will be the ones.
3.5 stars
It didn't really grab me, but it didn't bore me to death either. I didn't feel connected to the characters and Michael is a spineless idiot for me.
I'll be reading more of this series but it's doubtful if I'm ever coming back for Jason and Michael. Chances are, I might be coming back for Seth, though. :D
2.5 Nice.
Not perfect, not unforgettable, not something I'd choose to reread, but not that bad either. I guess that, albeit not very flattering, is the best I can say about it.
For a while now I've been catching myself finding most stories lacking of something. I'm getting rather spoiled where m/m is concerned and need stories with more bite to them. Not sure if it's a good thing or not. :X
May 4 2014 I'd like to revise the “not unfrorgettable” part since I don't remember reading this. :D Although two stars in 2012, when I was very much in love with m/m and my ratings reflect that, means it was lacking A LOT. I have the same problem these days, too, with stories lacking bite.
The last couple of pages made me up a star. The twenty before them made me deduce two. I liked it better than the first one [b:Coming Home 13406459 Coming Home (Rock Bay, #1) M.J. O'Shea http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330910330s/13406459.jpg 18638593]... mostly. But there were lots of eye-rolling moments and lots of me wanting to give up and just read something else. Way too sugary and way too awkward. Am I sorry that I've read it? No. Will I reread it? Probably not.
A bit spoilery, I think.
It's a difficult book to rate. There are parts that are good, and then there are some which are just meh.
My biggest problem - so very little of Colin and Nigel. Nigel shows up, what two or three times? Colin is only mentioned? Very disappointing. (Perhaps I need to add that they are the reason why I read the book in the first place. Well, they and Eddie.)
So, Lassiter will probably show up at some time to wreak some havoc. Who cares? Not me.
What I care about is: Is Ad's condition permanent? The most probable answer is: As permanent as Eddie's. Meaning - at the Maker's whim.
This universe (FA-verse) makes me so mad. Free will? I call bullshit.
And then there is this:
LRb: As always, Blay was the anchor who kept him from being swept away.
Rapture: He didn't feel like an angel. Never had, really—and Eddie's death had taken away any small sense of responsibility to live up to the name. That dead SOB had been the standard to measure himself against. The one who was good and true. The compass... (My 52% status update, spoiler tagged because I decided not to edit it here for greater impact.)
Maybe it's just me, but something there clicks. And I'm not so sure I like the correlations. Because, couldn't Ad and Eddie just be their own people, you know? Not an AU version of other characters. Because, for that fanfiction exists and will take care of it. Even if there is no AU Qhuay fic atm - and since I don't count the m/f Qhuinn ones, there most likely isn't - at some point there will be. So I'd like Eddie and Ad to be just Eddie and Ad, tyvm.
What's next isn't going to be very flattering. The best thing about this book is... that it's out. So now we (I) can concentrate on what is really important - the next BDB book. Which I've been waiting for since... forever.
Gold Digger is a fascinating story, with interesting characters and sizzling sex (and dirty talk that took me totally by surprise).
While the developing relationship between Nikolai and Henri interested me, the most poignant moments in the book, the ones that made it most memorable, are the moments with Vadim. So alive, so touching, so real.
Having read quite a lot of reviews of this book in the past few days, I knew in general what to expect. Basically I got what I went in for, which is always a great experience for me. The surprising emotional impact of Vadim's presence and his conversations with Nikolai was a definite plus.
Finally, I need to show my appreciation of Nikolai being called Kolya. Because it enhances the Slavic impression and I'm a sucker for those.
3.5 stars
5 stars for the science, which was enthralling and well explained if not entirely realistic
2 stars for the brutalities. These horrors are real for some women somewhere, I just know it. Incubators.shudder
+ for sexual tension
- for the rushed ending. I would have loved to have read about how the Guild was taken down.
+ for showing humanity in villains
- for the arch-villains being the women
Some characters and events made me cringe and want to go into a killing spree. Again. That happens more often these days, which is... not good for humanity.
