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___tamara___'s review
3.0
Nice idea, but even though the setting is in the future, the book isn't very futuristic and has a minimal amount of science fiction.
One of the main characters, Reji is a 20-something year old Innocent and wants to become an Adult asap, mostly I figured because of his abusive girlfriend who didn't miss a chance to subtly point out that being innocent is somehow wrong. But his problem is that he can't have sex with her because every time they start something he, if I may put it that way, loses his enthusiasm. So he figures maybe he's gay, and goes to a gay bar where he almost gets raped and then saved by a Teacher (Shen) with whom he falls in love with soon after. But no matter how ready he was to loose his innocence, he wasn't ready to be labeled as 'gay'. And that's the main issue of the book - he must come to terms with his sexuality and stop being bothered with everyone knowing he has sex with guys.
Now, the book begins with a story of how humans have 'evolved' and I got the impression from the prologue it was the kind of evolving that everyone (normal) wishes for - humans have seen the pointlessness of wars, and turned to love that is accepted in every way, shape or form. Nobody in Reji's surroundings has an issue with gays, or at least it was not pointed out in the book. So why does Reji has an issue with it? The better part of the book is about the conflict between his heart and his brain. It's almost like he's a time-traveler from our time who came to this new, evolved Earth.
And that's the thing that bothered me the most.
My advice is that you don't read about this world as futuristic but as an alternative universe. That way most things make sense and you can really enjoy it.
mrella's review
1.0
I really am at a loss what to say.
I'll try it in short sentences:
- This is NOT sci-fi. I can't really quite identify it.
The only cool idea in the whole entire book was that people developed ability to changes eye-color from green to blue after having sex for the first time (sort of like losing cat ears in [b:Loveless|30204|Loveless, Volume 1 (Loveless, #1)|Yun Kouga|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327927713s/30204.jpg|30593]).
- MC, Reji, is indeed so innocent, he might pass for a 12 year old.
- There is so much "love", combined with pining and whining and soothing and cooing and "making love" that I felt sticky and gooey, in desperate need of shower and Listerine.
- There were two sparks of promise - angst - that died all too fast.
1. An attempted rape. How could Shen, a Teacher, a "higher" being, not report rape, which is a crime, is beyond me. Rapist tried it once, clearly he'll try it again, and yet the Teacher let it slide *shrugs*
2. Reji sees Shen with another person, and returns home hurt and angry. Yet Shen manages to placate him in no time. So being gay for Reji is a problem, but being gay in a threesome relationship is fine and dandy?
- When Shen is trying to convince Reji that being gay is OK, explaining how there is nothing wrong to love a person regardless of sex or status or labels or anything else and I assume age as well, since Shen is so much older, I am sorry - he is not talking about being GAY, he is talking about being PANSEXUAL. Being gay for men means being sexually attracted to MEN and MEN only.
So much for short sentences :)
I know some actually liked the story, but I am going to use the good old "not my cup of tea" excuse.
I'll try it in short sentences:
- This is NOT sci-fi. I can't really quite identify it.
The only cool idea in the whole entire book was that people developed ability to changes eye-color from green to blue after having sex for the first time (sort of like losing cat ears in [b:Loveless|30204|Loveless, Volume 1 (Loveless, #1)|Yun Kouga|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327927713s/30204.jpg|30593]).
- MC, Reji, is indeed so innocent, he might pass for a 12 year old.
- There is so much "love", combined with pining and whining and soothing and cooing and "making love" that I felt sticky and gooey, in desperate need of shower and Listerine.
- There were two sparks of promise - angst - that died all too fast.
1. An attempted rape. How could Shen, a Teacher, a "higher" being, not report rape, which is a crime, is beyond me. Rapist tried it once, clearly he'll try it again, and yet the Teacher let it slide *shrugs*
2. Reji sees Shen with another person, and returns home hurt and angry. Yet Shen manages to placate him in no time. So being gay for Reji is a problem, but being gay in a threesome relationship is fine and dandy?
- When Shen is trying to convince Reji that being gay is OK, explaining how there is nothing wrong to love a person regardless of sex or status or labels or anything else and I assume age as well, since Shen is so much older, I am sorry - he is not talking about being GAY, he is talking about being PANSEXUAL. Being gay for men means being sexually attracted to MEN and MEN only.
So much for short sentences :)
I know some actually liked the story, but I am going to use the good old "not my cup of tea" excuse.
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