I read it! I really liked Ros and Arkady the best, and how they actually connected -- Ros's apology to him was lovely, and they had a lot more in common with each other than Jones. Jones was kinda a little shadowy for me, but I still liked him, especially the hints of his background -- two mothers, hard life mining, etc. I LOVED the awful circus and the clockwork horse, I really wanted more of that. I think you're right, that Ros's big arc wasn't "rebellious heroine doesn't fit in" but "heroine doesn't realize she doesn't fit in, then decides not to fit in," sort of -- I liked that because she wasn't a premade Feisty Righteous type. I liked that she was calculating, and often bitchy and selfish herself. And poor Arkady, talk about self-hating gay dudes, and Jones is just like, noooo, I can't deal with this setup where it's all about your shame.
I also liked, altho it might be more personal, that the end wasn't a big physical 3some or her getting the Magical Peen for the First Time (what is it with me and capitals today) but witnessing their pleasure, and then getting some of her own, too. That was pretty unusual. (Also maybe a tiny nod to women reading slash, which would've been cute.)
I thought the story was longer than it was, because the back half of the ebook is taken up with previews for other books by the same author.
This was my main beef, I was like WAIT I WANT MORE, but it works as a kind of origin story -- now they're going to be together and have adventures, right?! So I guess a "but wait why is it OVER" reaction is a good review itself.
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winterfish
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Date: 2016-03-12 11:16 pm (UTC)I read it! I really liked Ros and Arkady the best, and how they actually connected -- Ros's apology to him was lovely, and they had a lot more in common with each other than Jones. Jones was kinda a little shadowy for me, but I still liked him, especially the hints of his background -- two mothers, hard life mining, etc. I LOVED the awful circus and the clockwork horse, I really wanted more of that. I think you're right, that Ros's big arc wasn't "rebellious heroine doesn't fit in" but "heroine doesn't realize she doesn't fit in, then decides not to fit in," sort of -- I liked that because she wasn't a premade Feisty Righteous type. I liked that she was calculating, and often bitchy and selfish herself. And poor Arkady, talk about self-hating gay dudes, and Jones is just like, noooo, I can't deal with this setup where it's all about your shame.
I also liked, altho it might be more personal, that the end wasn't a big physical 3some or her getting the Magical Peen for the First Time (what is it with me and capitals today) but witnessing their pleasure, and then getting some of her own, too. That was pretty unusual. (Also maybe a tiny nod to women reading slash, which would've been cute.)
I thought the story was longer than it was, because the back half of the ebook is taken up with previews for other books by the same author.
This was my main beef, I was like WAIT I WANT MORE, but it works as a kind of origin story -- now they're going to be together and have adventures, right?! So I guess a "but wait why is it OVER" reaction is a good review itself.