Reviews with content warning for Violence - Hunt on Dark Waters

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert

24 reviews

albyatross's review against another edition

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

*For ref, I have the barnes and noble edition with author notes, and honestly I think that brings the score up since it was nice checking the notes verse the pages.

The writing is fine, the plot is fine, Evelyn and Bowen are good ... separately, not as a couple. Dia is cool, Lizzie was fun. Miles and nearly everyone else was very cardboard prop for plot purposes.

Lots of later plot points happen I think just because they need to happen, certain things seem overly convenient.

The world building had so much potential! And somehow fell so flat! Like the islands move! Your boat is full of people and species from across the multiverse! Where is ANY discussion on culture!? That could have been SO FUN?

Also, I think this book is slightly mismarked bc Bowen isn't a pirate ... he's more like something in the realm of a privateer, since he reports to a council / government, and does not seem to generally engage with the act of theft or plunder (unless we get into, uh, theft of people falling into Threshold maybe, but that seems like a topic beyond what this series could reasonably handle in a thoughtful way). So like if someone actually wanted pirates, plz pick a different book, there are NOT pirates here!!

+ on the spice;

The sex scenes were very insta-attraction and shallow, tbh. Fine if you want sex for sexs sake as both charas have plenty of energy an experience, but overall feels more like horny one night stand energy than anything leading to long-term attachment.

I will probably not read the sequel unless I find it in a LFL for free or something.

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abrielleemory's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

There were a lot of things I disliked about this book, unfortunately. I had high hopes after Neon Gods.

The overuse of the word “paladin” was annoying. The whole plotline with Lizzie was weird.

It almost set up for another book too much. There were too many holes that needed to be filled for things to make sense.

The neopronouns were cool, but really distracting. I’ve never seen pronouns used so heavily for a character in one paragraph. It felt like trying to prove a point rather than just incorporating neopronouns.

Sooooo many characters for no reason. Hedd, Dia, meeting people in the first crew. It was all too much.

I’m glad to be done with this. I won’t be recommending it to anyone.

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dwarrowdams's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really fun! I wish we’d gotten a little more development from (and insight into) Evelyn, but this was still a delightful read.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

So, I've been low key making my way through Robert's Dark Olympus series... I haven't officially shared reviews for this series on my blog yet, because I was going to kinda of just speak to them all together in one big post when I finish the series. That's how I found out about this new one from her. I wouldn't normally start another series like this while simultaneously mid-another one, BUT the end of the year, cold weather vibes made this pirate/vampire/witch magical fantasy romance situation exactly what I was looking for. And it was available at the library, so, I went for it.

Evelyn is a witch, and even though she knows it's a bad idea, she's dating a vampire. A very powerful, scary one. When their relationship takes a turn for the...not good, she steals some important jewels from her (now) ex on the way out, barely escaping through a portal to another realm: Threshold. Rescued from the water by Bowen, a noble captain of the Cŵn Annwn, tasked with protecting the world(s) from monsters. He remembers nothing from his life before the Cŵn Annwn and, following their laws, offers Evelyn a choice: join the crew or die. Obviously, Evelyn isn't here for those options and wants to get back home, while her many attempts to do so (and her questioning of everything about the Cŵn Annwn in the process), are deeply antagonizing to Bowen. But where there is tension...there is also tension. And Evelyn and Bowen's attraction to each other, against both their better judgements, is going to change everything for them both.

Look, this was exceptionally cheesy, hitting on all the notes of magic and witches and vampires and portals and the Wild Hunt and pirates and romance tropes. (Plus, the reference to Supernatural dropped in there in an #iykyk way gave me full on "I love when nerds write books!" feels.) Normally, I’m not even sorry about reading cheesy books like this. And I'm not sorry I picked this one up with that goal in mind. But, unfortunately, this one just wasn't it for me. It definitely doesn't hold a candle (at least so far) to the Dark Olympus series. And while it had so much promise, the quality of the writing and execution of the plot and character development just didn't deliver. Also, if I'm being honest, I was just not impressed with the steamy scenes (which sucks, as they are a primary aspect/pull of this book). They were really stereotype-y and fell into the "orgasming so many times and no need for breaks” trap. I mean, both participants are supernatural so mayyybe you could look past it if the general writing of them worked for you. But that wasn't the case for me. They just seemed uninspired (especially, again, compared to what I've read in Dark Olympus, which has been fire) and for real, the way Bowen's telekinetic power is used creeped me out more than anything.

One of the primary themes of this story, monsters and what makes them, is a common one as well (nature and survival instinct of animals versus purposeful violence/power-grabbing of humans/higher brain species). Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But this was pretty par for the course as far as the related "lessons" to the reader. However, I do want to give a nod to the way Bowen was written. He was faced with mounting evidence of his own "evil," compliance with a governing body that is not, in fact, as pure in intentions as advertised; usually (naturally - as no one wants to think of themselves as the bad guy, especially if that was not your intent) that causes a person to react with defensiveness and entrenchment. Bowen chooses instead to face down the cognitive dissonance and learn and grow from it. Faster than is, in all likelihood realistic, but still...a pervasive and incredibly important character theme throughout the novel.

I'd also like to recognize how much I appreciated the casual inclusion of myriad pronoun options. I love the way fantasy can be used as a driver for those kinds of accustomizations. And there was element-based magic and that's always a favorite of mine as well.

Look, I didn't hate this read, and the “unlikely compatriots” turn the ending took (small spoiler: when Evelyn's ex shows back up) was actually quite entertaining (and it set up a "what comes next" for the series that has potential). But overall, I don't think it was quite different or intriguing enough to make me want to actually keep reading. I'll keep it on the back burner though, I suppose...

“I won’t pretend there aren’t monsters lurking in plenty of shadows, but a lot of people look at something Other and decide it's monstrous simply because they don't see themselves reflected back.”

“Anytime there’s power to be had, there's power to be misused. [...] Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and all that.”

“I never wanted to hurt anyone. I only wanted to protect them. But what the fuck do my intentions matter when I'm serving and unjust system?”

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phlipsie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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flyingryndeer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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beecomet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lots of sex.

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allingoodtime's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I haven’t read a lot by this author yet, but I’ve always intended to. After reading this book I’ll be bumping them up on my priority list. In the past, I have read some of their short stories and an older book of theirs that isn’t really a subgenre I read a lot of (mob/mafia), but I’ve had their Neon Gods book for a while and haven’t gotten to it yet. Here’s the thing; I follow the author on social media because I love their candid commentary on the world and Romanclandia. They share a lot of the same morals and principles I do. I get excited when she talks about upcoming books she is publishing yet never get around to reading them. It’s strange. Anyway…

I consumed this story in audiobook format and the narrators were phenomenal. Especially Will Watt. I was leery because I hadn’t read any true fantasy books this way yet and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep the world building straight in my mind. No worries, I was fully immersed in this world from the very beginning.

Evelyn is a fun character. She has this wonderful integrity when it comes to the underdog, but she cannot seem to help her sticky fingers. She also cannot help but speak her mind and that is not always safe to do, especially in Threshold where she is trapped out of her world for now. Bowen is such a rule follower he doesn’t tend to see shades of gray. Being drawn to Evelyn opens his eyes to some of the injustices that are being done around him. Sometimes you don’t know there’s a different way until you are shown what’s behind the curtain. These two are fantastic together. He keeps her grounded and she helps him to open his mind and they both protect each other. In many ways, their magic is complementary.

There are so many secrets each character holds, some are revealed to the reader and some are not. At least not yet. Although Evelyn and Bowen have an HFN in this book, I know it’s not the last we’ll see of them. This is a story about revolution, and revolutions start small and build; they don’t happen overnight. Bowen and Evelyn have their goals and objectives for now, but there is still more to Bowen’s past to be revealed. From what I can tell, some of the wonderful side characters in this story will be getting their own books as more of this world is revealed.

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ka_ke's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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kleinepanda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A story worth being told, and read, for numerous reasons. Told in a duel POV: a golden retriever MMC that has deep dedication and loyalty to a system that he follows without question and a black cat FMC that questions absolutely everything, even direct orders meant to keep her safe. The underlying narratives of attachment and creating your found family are there while the open door bedroom scenes are spicy, but also very true to the characters. Intimacy and sexual tension not just to have it but because it makes sense to their nature.

Highly recommend this book both because it's otherworldly and I could feel the salt water on my face but also because it's well grounded and easy to connect with.

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