ursula_fricke's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ebgracie77's review against another edition
I’m at the 66% mark and I would say this is about 2.5 stars so far. This book puzzles me. Slight spoilers possible below… but, since I haven’t finished the book at this point, I don’t think I want to put the spoiler mark here. I’ll continue the list after I finish reading it… though I have a feeling I’m going to skip a bit to get some of my answers.
Below is what I like, what I don’t like, and what puzzles me.
1. Love the banter and interaction between the mom and daughter. LOVE that she calls her daughter “spawnling”. It reminds me of a friend who calls her daughter “creature”.
2. It weirds me out that a 10-year old and a 14-year old are entered into a betrothal. I know that may have been a thing in the middle ages and long ago but, even in an alternate reality, this is so weird. The idea that a 14-year old is emotionally attached to the 10-year old troubles me. But it’s treated so casually.
3. It’s not a “sweet” (also called clean or chaste) romance or a “dirty” romance. It’s confusing. There is casual sex and casual mentions of sex, but absolutely no real sexual tension. Even in a lot of clean romances, there’s often some sexual tension. I don’t feel it here. I felt so awkward with the one-night stand thing. It was so confusing and off-putting. Why is this “fade to black” when it’s supposedly so “dirty”?
4. What’s up with an auction where someone can buy someone else’s sexual favors? The first auction was so problematic as the heroine is coerced into going. It’s just “lucky” that she ends up being bought by someone she likes. Though how she talks about him made me think she didn’t like him… but then we hear that she is in love with him? I wasn’t sold.
5. Everything is so easy for this woman. We hear that “this is so expensive. I can’t afford it” while she’s paying $50k for her daughter’s school and willing to spend whatever to make her daughter happy.
6. She has a flight response during her pregnancy where she just would run from folks when startled. I think there is a mention of a 5-hour run!? So confusing. What!?
7. She’s scared that her parents will take her child. Has she not communicated with them at all in 10 years? Weird? We get a few interactions with her parents in the beginning and then, they’re just gone from the story. It’s weird.
8. The guy offers her a job during their one-night stand which she refuses. And then he is gone later. He had given her a false name and she (and the auction organizers) can’t find him to let him know he has a daughter.
9. She dreams of the guy and is “in love with him” for over 10 years! This isn’t a spoiler (cause I haven’t read far enough to know if I’m right) but I’m pretty sure they are really talking in her dreams. If so, what an asshole! She tells him she wants him around and wishes he would know their daughter and he says “nah… you and our daughter don’t need me. You good”. What!? Even when she’s freaking out about how to pay for things, he’s like “you good… just use your savings”. If he is real, and I’m pretty sure he is, what a callous, uncaring response.
10. Her daughter goes to a boarding school within a day of being accepted. That seems fast.
11. She doesn’t remember the face or voice of someone she knew for 3 years so as to not recognize the man she loves’ voice when she hears it again. What? Once again, not a spoiler… I’m not sure that it’s the guy, but I’m pretty sure. I’m not great with faces or voices either… OF STRANGERS! But, it’s not like she has face blindness. She remembers folks all the time. Just not the guy that she supposedly loves.
12. Why doesn’t she just get the genetic testing and find this guy!? Also, why would he stay away until (I’m assuming here cause I haven’t gotten to this part yet) she’s entered into another auction!?
Below is what I like, what I don’t like, and what puzzles me.
1. Love the banter and interaction between the mom and daughter. LOVE that she calls her daughter “spawnling”. It reminds me of a friend who calls her daughter “creature”.
2. It weirds me out that a 10-year old and a 14-year old are entered into a betrothal. I know that may have been a thing in the middle ages and long ago but, even in an alternate reality, this is so weird. The idea that a 14-year old is emotionally attached to the 10-year old troubles me. But it’s treated so casually.
3. It’s not a “sweet” (also called clean or chaste) romance or a “dirty” romance. It’s confusing. There is casual sex and casual mentions of sex, but absolutely no real sexual tension. Even in a lot of clean romances, there’s often some sexual tension. I don’t feel it here. I felt so awkward with the one-night stand thing. It was so confusing and off-putting. Why is this “fade to black” when it’s supposedly so “dirty”?
4. What’s up with an auction where someone can buy someone else’s sexual favors? The first auction was so problematic as the heroine is coerced into going. It’s just “lucky” that she ends up being bought by someone she likes. Though how she talks about him made me think she didn’t like him… but then we hear that she is in love with him? I wasn’t sold.
5. Everything is so easy for this woman. We hear that “this is so expensive. I can’t afford it” while she’s paying $50k for her daughter’s school and willing to spend whatever to make her daughter happy.
6. She has a flight response during her pregnancy where she just would run from folks when startled. I think there is a mention of a 5-hour run!? So confusing. What!?
7. She’s scared that her parents will take her child. Has she not communicated with them at all in 10 years? Weird? We get a few interactions with her parents in the beginning and then, they’re just gone from the story. It’s weird.
8. The guy offers her a job during their one-night stand which she refuses. And then he is gone later. He had given her a false name and she (and the auction organizers) can’t find him to let him know he has a daughter.
9. She dreams of the guy and is “in love with him” for over 10 years! This isn’t a spoiler (cause I haven’t read far enough to know if I’m right) but I’m pretty sure they are really talking in her dreams. If so, what an asshole! She tells him she wants him around and wishes he would know their daughter and he says “nah… you and our daughter don’t need me. You good”. What!? Even when she’s freaking out about how to pay for things, he’s like “you good… just use your savings”. If he is real, and I’m pretty sure he is, what a callous, uncaring response.
10. Her daughter goes to a boarding school within a day of being accepted. That seems fast.
11. She doesn’t remember the face or voice of someone she knew for 3 years so as to not recognize the man she loves’ voice when she hears it again. What? Once again, not a spoiler… I’m not sure that it’s the guy, but I’m pretty sure. I’m not great with faces or voices either… OF STRANGERS! But, it’s not like she has face blindness. She remembers folks all the time. Just not the guy that she supposedly loves.
12. Why doesn’t she just get the genetic testing and find this guy!? Also, why would he stay away until (I’m assuming here cause I haven’t gotten to this part yet) she’s entered into another auction!?
bertturtel's review against another edition
4.0
fun yet poignant tale. Plenty of humor, but the situation is sad. Nice narration.
Listened using Chirpbooks.com.
Listened using Chirpbooks.com.
slc333's review
3.0
It was interesting and I liked the world with US states as kingdoms ruled by magic users. I did felt it dragged a bit and was quite drawn out. It also annoyed me how long it took for her to figure out who he was and I didn’t like the way he and her daughter where conspiring behind her back. I have no problem with them building a relationship –it was just the sneaky manipulative behaviour that went with this that made me uncomfortable. And speaking of uncomfortable there was that whole relationship between Mireya and Adam. I found it both creepy and unbelievable that a 15yr old boy would be obsessed with and crushing on a 10yr old girl. What is worse - both sets of parents encouraged it. I get in fantasy books we often revert to the medieval early marriage thing but the different between 10 & 15 in terms of development and maturity was just not right. Sure the marriage wasn’t til she was 15 but throwing them together as a couple from such a young age – just no.
Interestingly the author’s note goes into why she chose to do this and notes that the subject is raised again in the other books in the series. It was to draw attention to the fact that child marriage is still happens today, and indeed is still legal in many places that would surprise you. They certainly surprised and disturbed me.
Interestingly the author’s note goes into why she chose to do this and notes that the subject is raised again in the other books in the series. It was to draw attention to the fact that child marriage is still happens today, and indeed is still legal in many places that would surprise you. They certainly surprised and disturbed me.
actrs02's review
3.0
3.5
Aside from the obvious child bride issue which the author addresses on the afterward as well as in later novels I am told...the continuity errors hurt this book a lot. I know book #1 was written later on, but the changes regarding Pat and Jessica from earlier on in their history were glaring and obnoxious.
The discovery of why the Montana king was obsessed with Makenzie was glaringly obvious, but...it was fun to watch her be oblivious.
Overall, it was a cute, fun novel as most of her stories are.
Aside from the obvious child bride issue which the author addresses on the afterward as well as in later novels I am told...the continuity errors hurt this book a lot. I know book #1 was written later on, but the changes regarding Pat and Jessica from earlier on in their history were glaring and obnoxious.
The discovery of why the Montana king was obsessed with Makenzie was glaringly obvious, but...it was fun to watch her be oblivious.
Overall, it was a cute, fun novel as most of her stories are.
mousegoddess's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
3.0
The first 10% of the book almost made me give up but then I found out there would be violence somewhere later on so I kept going. It wasn't bad, helped along by world building I found interesting and friendships all over the place. The school costs were wince worthy for a broke grad student to read but about right for what I've read about elite institutions IRL. The afterword was... something. I do not think she succeeded as well in portraying what she wanted as she might have thought.
Edited years later to add that apparently that afterword that seemed awkwardly placed was that way because it was not initially a part of the book. The author had to add it because people are fucking jackasses who don't understand the concept of "fiction" and accused her of being a pedo. Also, I maintain that while I don't like this series (pretty sure I never managed to finish another book) it is the author's best.
Edited years later to add that apparently that afterword that seemed awkwardly placed was that way because it was not initially a part of the book. The author had to add it because people are fucking jackasses who don't understand the concept of "fiction" and accused her of being a pedo. Also, I maintain that while I don't like this series (pretty sure I never managed to finish another book) it is the author's best.
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