sticksnstout's review
4.0
Pretty slow to start (like the first half). I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. Settled on 4 because this is definitely memorable. The Archbishop was probably my favorite (quirky). I'll have orange and black visions swimming through my head for a while.
bluehairedlibrarian's review
2.0
This isn't a bad book. It just wasn't for me. Far too graphic and uncomfortable for my taste.
Read the full review at Working for the Mandroid
From the moment Black & Orange opens, the book jumps right into action and rarely slows down. Even the Nomads, who are supposed to wait around in a cheap motel for a few days until the Hearts of the Harvest are delivered to them, manage to make a compelling story while also demonstrating their power and building three dimensional characters out of Teresa and Martin.
Ethridge handles multiple storylines, weaving them in and out of each other, deftly and without it ever seeming to bog down the pacing. Towards the end, as some storylines merged together, a few of the smaller, less important character arcs seemed to get left behind, but by the end, all the characters seemed to have a satisfying ending. The final third of the book went non-stop with a small interlude as the figurehead of the bad guys, Chaplain Cloth,
There were, of course, things that I did not like, not because they were badly written but because of my own personal preferences. There are several very long and graphic sex scenes that involve brutal violence and disturbing imagery. I didn’t feel that it was necessary for character or plot development to go as far as Ethridge did, but that’s me being squicked out, not the author being a bad writer. There’s a character who I guess can best be described as a hermaphrodite that I felt uncomfortable reading about, not because the character was a hermaphrodite but rather the attitude and manner in which the character was formed and treated.
But there are some things I really did enjoy. Chaplain Cloth – the otherworldly being in charge of opening the portal between this world and the other – has an army of pumpkin-headed demons that are incredibly creepy and funny at the same time. The supernatural powers imbued in both sides, naturally in the nomads and through the consumption of special seeds by Church members, were interesting, different and well explained, both in conception and in action. The scraps of the other world that Ethridge offers are also very creepy and interesting, though I wish I could have spent more time in this weird twisted otherworld.
Other than the few things that disturbed me on a personal left, I think I was most disappointed in the lack of explanation behind who and what these Churches were, how they connected to our world and how this all began in the first place. There’s mention that Chaplain Cloth and his followers have been working on opening the portal for thousands of years, but how did it start? How did people from the Old Domain get to our world in the first place? Who is ultimately behind the church and pulling its strings? Everyone seems to have a master, but no one really picks up that mantel on the side of the bad guys.
Read the full review at Working for the Mandroid
From the moment Black & Orange opens, the book jumps right into action and rarely slows down. Even the Nomads, who are supposed to wait around in a cheap motel for a few days until the Hearts of the Harvest are delivered to them, manage to make a compelling story while also demonstrating their power and building three dimensional characters out of Teresa and Martin.
Ethridge handles multiple storylines, weaving them in and out of each other, deftly and without it ever seeming to bog down the pacing. Towards the end, as some storylines merged together, a few of the smaller, less important character arcs seemed to get left behind, but by the end, all the characters seemed to have a satisfying ending. The final third of the book went non-stop with a small interlude as the figurehead of the bad guys, Chaplain Cloth,
There were, of course, things that I did not like, not because they were badly written but because of my own personal preferences. There are several very long and graphic sex scenes that involve brutal violence and disturbing imagery. I didn’t feel that it was necessary for character or plot development to go as far as Ethridge did, but that’s me being squicked out, not the author being a bad writer. There’s a character who I guess can best be described as a hermaphrodite that I felt uncomfortable reading about, not because the character was a hermaphrodite but rather the attitude and manner in which the character was formed and treated.
But there are some things I really did enjoy. Chaplain Cloth – the otherworldly being in charge of opening the portal between this world and the other – has an army of pumpkin-headed demons that are incredibly creepy and funny at the same time. The supernatural powers imbued in both sides, naturally in the nomads and through the consumption of special seeds by Church members, were interesting, different and well explained, both in conception and in action. The scraps of the other world that Ethridge offers are also very creepy and interesting, though I wish I could have spent more time in this weird twisted otherworld.
Other than the few things that disturbed me on a personal left, I think I was most disappointed in the lack of explanation behind who and what these Churches were, how they connected to our world and how this all began in the first place. There’s mention that Chaplain Cloth and his followers have been working on opening the portal for thousands of years, but how did it start? How did people from the Old Domain get to our world in the first place? Who is ultimately behind the church and pulling its strings? Everyone seems to have a master, but no one really picks up that mantel on the side of the bad guys.
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