e_flah's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really enjoyed the concepts and non-romance portions of An Unconditional Freedom but wanted more from the romance itself. The story is largely about Janeta and Daniel's mission for the Loyal League to meet a British official in Mississippi who may be supportive of the Union cause. The romance is a slow burn that I would've loved to see more of before the story wrapped up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Racial slurs
Spoiler
PTSDamibo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
naika's review
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.25
I quickly became engrossed with this story; I thoroughly enjoy books where there is a deep exploration of each character's thoughts, motives, desires, etc.
Daniel has gone through it - being born free to ultimately being thrown into enslavement by some nefarious individuals pretending to be abolitionists. He had hopes and dreams (to be a lawyer, to be married) that were fractured as a result. Daniel manages to escape his enslavement, but his once charming and warm demeanor changed to a colder, distant, more brooding persona. But who could blame him for feeling angered and jaded when the country he is fighting for has continuously fought against him.
It makes sense as to why he was suspicious of and none too pleased to be assigned to work with Janeta, a new Loyal League agent. Janeta is of Cuban descent, having grown up enslaved herself, but ultimately freed when her father (the plantation owner) marries her mother. Janet has some skewed understandings of race, class, justice, and freedom. She enters the Loyal League service with heavy secrets that threaten not just her and Daniel's missions an safety, but everything she knew about herself. For a significant amount of time, I found myself utterly annoyed by Janeta. But she was supposed to be flawed and grating. She is the type of character that forces you to check your own biases.
There was so much character development and inner monologuing that there were times I forgot I was reading a romance, and not a general historical fiction. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; I liked the storyline, enjoyed the history lessons, and felt the action scenes were well done. But the slow burn may have been stretched out a bit too much for me. And this is saying a lot as I tend to prefer slow burn romances. So as much as I liked their individual character work, I was not completely sold on the idea of a romance between Daniel and Janeta.
Despite this, An Unconditional Freedom was yet another well-crafted book by Alyssa Cole. There is a reason why I keep coming back for more.
Daniel has gone through it - being born free to ultimately being thrown into enslavement by some nefarious individuals pretending to be abolitionists. He had hopes and dreams (to be a lawyer, to be married) that were fractured as a result. Daniel manages to escape his enslavement, but his once charming and warm demeanor changed to a colder, distant, more brooding persona. But who could blame him for feeling angered and jaded when the country he is fighting for has continuously fought against him.
It makes sense as to why he was suspicious of and none too pleased to be assigned to work with Janeta, a new Loyal League agent. Janeta is of Cuban descent, having grown up enslaved herself, but ultimately freed when her father (the plantation owner) marries her mother. Janet has some skewed understandings of race, class, justice, and freedom. She enters the Loyal League service with heavy secrets that threaten not just her and Daniel's missions an safety, but everything she knew about herself. For a significant amount of time, I found myself utterly annoyed by Janeta. But she was supposed to be flawed and grating. She is the type of character that forces you to check your own biases.
There was so much character development and inner monologuing that there were times I forgot I was reading a romance, and not a general historical fiction. That isn't necessarily a bad thing; I liked the storyline, enjoyed the history lessons, and felt the action scenes were well done. But the slow burn may have been stretched out a bit too much for me. And this is saying a lot as I tend to prefer slow burn romances. So as much as I liked their individual character work, I was not completely sold on the idea of a romance between Daniel and Janeta.
Despite this, An Unconditional Freedom was yet another well-crafted book by Alyssa Cole. There is a reason why I keep coming back for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Death and Grief
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