laurenjodi's review against another edition
2.0
Willing Sacrifice
2.5 Stars
Months after recovering from his paralysis and losing the woman he loves in the process, Torr Maston is barely coping. When summoned to Temprocia by Brenya, the powerful woman who took Grace for healing, he is devastated to learn that Grace has no memories of her previous life. Sworn to keep silent about their past, Torr must set aside his instincts and desires to help Grace protect her new home before it is discovered and destroyed by the Solarc.
Series note: This series has an ongoing story arc and must be read in order.
Unfortunately, this installment in the series is very disappointing. To begin with, it is set in Temprocia, and as such, there are no appearances by former couples nor is there character development for any of the unmated Theronai warriors. While there is some interesting information on the Solarc, Brenya and Tori (which is the most compelling element), it fails to sufficiently compensate for the filler feeling of this book.
The plot is a series of repetitive excursions as Grace and Torr work together to destroy the. They leave the village, encounter a foe, are terribly wounded, return and recover - rinse and repeat.
In terms of the romance, Grace is a sweet heroine but she has so many TSTL moments, that I stopped counting. While Torr is a wonderful hero and his love for Grace is absolute, their relationship lacks the energy and intensity of the other pairings. Finally, the story comes to a very abrupt end with a Deus ex Machina solution to Grace's incompatibility with Torr's magic, and no information on their return to Earth.
Overall, this is not the best example of Butcher's storytelling. Hopefully, the next one will be better.
2.5 Stars
Months after recovering from his paralysis and losing the woman he loves in the process, Torr Maston is barely coping. When summoned to Temprocia by Brenya, the powerful woman who took Grace for healing, he is devastated to learn that Grace has no memories of her previous life. Sworn to keep silent about their past, Torr must set aside his instincts and desires to help Grace protect her new home before it is discovered and destroyed by the Solarc.
Series note: This series has an ongoing story arc and must be read in order.
Unfortunately, this installment in the series is very disappointing. To begin with, it is set in Temprocia, and as such, there are no appearances by former couples nor is there character development for any of the unmated Theronai warriors. While there is some interesting information on the Solarc, Brenya and Tori (which is the most compelling element), it fails to sufficiently compensate for the filler feeling of this book.
The plot is a series of repetitive excursions as Grace and Torr work together to destroy the
Spoiler
Sentinel StoneIn terms of the romance, Grace is a sweet heroine but she has so many TSTL moments, that I stopped counting. While Torr is a wonderful hero and his love for Grace is absolute, their relationship lacks the energy and intensity of the other pairings. Finally, the story comes to a very abrupt end with a Deus ex Machina solution to Grace's incompatibility with Torr's magic, and no information on their return to Earth.
Overall, this is not the best example of Butcher's storytelling. Hopefully, the next one will be better.
spiringvenus's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. No peaks at what the rest of the crew is doing at Dabyr, but I loved the story. Also glad that SKB is back to more hot scenes and less rapey feeling stuff.
jynx66's review against another edition
5.0
Soon To Be Posted At: Riverina Romantics
My Rating: 5 out of 5 *
Heat Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
I almost cried.
Legit.
I have been wanting Torr and Grace’s story since the very beginning. Each book has snippets of their developing relationship and it was beyond teasing. It was torture. I have absolutely loved these two, and every little taste throughout the series buried them deeper in my heart. And the last time we get them together nearly tore me apart. I was lucky to get an ARC of this book, and I’m so glad I did. I was so captivated by their story, it was raw and angsty and full of love and pain and torturous pleasure. I am just amazed and truly touched by it.
Torr nearly broke my heart. Throughout the series, it was obvious how much Grace meant to him. She had been the only light in his life for so long. To finally find her again, only to realize she had no memory of who he was or what they had been through, was a brand new kind of torture for him. I have to admit, he handled it well. I could see how much it hurt him, be he was determined not to give up on her. He protected her and cherished her as if she still knew who he was, he always did everything in his power to keep her safe, and other times he wanted to go caveman on her and tie her to his bed. He was very passionate and very humbled, because of his past. After everything she did for him, he was willing to do anything for her. The depth of his love and dedication to her was incredibly touching.
Grace was such an amazing woman. Despite everything she had been through in her life, including the loss of her memory, she still had the purest heart of anyone. She saw herself as weak, knew the pains and limitation of being human, but that never stopped her from protecting those she cared about—sometimes to an insane degree. She was completely selfless and tender-hearted, but she was equally as determined and quick-thinking. She continued to prove time and time again that she was better than what she and others thought of her. She couldn’t resist Torr. She was constantly being drawn to him, always thinking about him. She fell in love with him all over again, and gave herself to him in a way that was nothing short of perfect. Their connection was pure love. And it really showed.
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and it has been a favorite of mine for just as long. And although I have loved almost every book in this series, none of them touched me like this one did. It’s hard to describe. I can really only say that Torr and Grace’s story of rediscovery was perfect. It was pure. It was deeply heartfelt. And it was a long time coming. I am completely satisfied and then some.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 *
Heat Rating: 4 out of 5 <3
I almost cried.
Legit.
I have been wanting Torr and Grace’s story since the very beginning. Each book has snippets of their developing relationship and it was beyond teasing. It was torture. I have absolutely loved these two, and every little taste throughout the series buried them deeper in my heart. And the last time we get them together nearly tore me apart. I was lucky to get an ARC of this book, and I’m so glad I did. I was so captivated by their story, it was raw and angsty and full of love and pain and torturous pleasure. I am just amazed and truly touched by it.
Torr nearly broke my heart. Throughout the series, it was obvious how much Grace meant to him. She had been the only light in his life for so long. To finally find her again, only to realize she had no memory of who he was or what they had been through, was a brand new kind of torture for him. I have to admit, he handled it well. I could see how much it hurt him, be he was determined not to give up on her. He protected her and cherished her as if she still knew who he was, he always did everything in his power to keep her safe, and other times he wanted to go caveman on her and tie her to his bed. He was very passionate and very humbled, because of his past. After everything she did for him, he was willing to do anything for her. The depth of his love and dedication to her was incredibly touching.
Grace was such an amazing woman. Despite everything she had been through in her life, including the loss of her memory, she still had the purest heart of anyone. She saw herself as weak, knew the pains and limitation of being human, but that never stopped her from protecting those she cared about—sometimes to an insane degree. She was completely selfless and tender-hearted, but she was equally as determined and quick-thinking. She continued to prove time and time again that she was better than what she and others thought of her. She couldn’t resist Torr. She was constantly being drawn to him, always thinking about him. She fell in love with him all over again, and gave herself to him in a way that was nothing short of perfect. Their connection was pure love. And it really showed.
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and it has been a favorite of mine for just as long. And although I have loved almost every book in this series, none of them touched me like this one did. It’s hard to describe. I can really only say that Torr and Grace’s story of rediscovery was perfect. It was pure. It was deeply heartfelt. And it was a long time coming. I am completely satisfied and then some.
nikkisreadingx's review against another edition
5.0
Freaking. Loved. This. Book.
Favorite of the series. Absolute favorite. Probably tied for my favorite couple, but the way this book was written and everything, it's like Butcher just knew this was what I needed in my life. Let me break it down so I can try to have some semblance of order in my thoughts.
1. I loved that this story followed Grace and Torr. Absolutely loved it. A few consistent struggles I've had with previous books is that right when the climax is being built, the POV jumps to something completely different. And while I loved it anyway and enjoyed the book, it felt so freaking satisfying to dig in with these two and stick with them throughout the entire book. Wonderful.
2. It wasn't about healing the man. Oh boy, I've hit a rut with reading books all about healing the guy and helping him deal and terrible backstory for the hero and blah blah blah. I've been looking for one that focused on helping the girl and this. was. it. Torr had a good ways to go before he had to start worrying about his lifemark, so the entire thing was about Grace and her lack of memories. And about them growing together. And about keeping her safe. I loved this turn of events, this ability to focus on her in a new way that previous books hadn't been able to. It was a breath of fresh air.
3. Speaking of breaths of fresh air, the complete change of scenery was one! An entire new world to explore with new enemies and new allies. Learning more about Brenya and the efforts to thwart the Solarc and save Athanasia was seriously interesting. I mean, I couldn't trust Brenya an inch throughout the entire book, but it fit. Everything fit so well.
I don't have enough words to use on how much I love this book. It's revived my love for the series completely and just in time with the short story coming out in a week and the next book coming out in a month. Everything about me reading this book was perfect.
Favorite of the series. Absolute favorite. Probably tied for my favorite couple, but the way this book was written and everything, it's like Butcher just knew this was what I needed in my life. Let me break it down so I can try to have some semblance of order in my thoughts.
1. I loved that this story followed Grace and Torr. Absolutely loved it. A few consistent struggles I've had with previous books is that right when the climax is being built, the POV jumps to something completely different. And while I loved it anyway and enjoyed the book, it felt so freaking satisfying to dig in with these two and stick with them throughout the entire book. Wonderful.
2. It wasn't about healing the man. Oh boy, I've hit a rut with reading books all about healing the guy and helping him deal and terrible backstory for the hero and blah blah blah. I've been looking for one that focused on helping the girl and this. was. it. Torr had a good ways to go before he had to start worrying about his lifemark, so the entire thing was about Grace and her lack of memories. And about them growing together. And about keeping her safe. I loved this turn of events, this ability to focus on her in a new way that previous books hadn't been able to. It was a breath of fresh air.
3. Speaking of breaths of fresh air, the complete change of scenery was one! An entire new world to explore with new enemies and new allies. Learning more about Brenya and the efforts to thwart the Solarc and save Athanasia was seriously interesting. I mean, I couldn't trust Brenya an inch throughout the entire book, but it fit. Everything fit so well.
I don't have enough words to use on how much I love this book. It's revived my love for the series completely and just in time with the short story coming out in a week and the next book coming out in a month. Everything about me reading this book was perfect.
whiskeyinthejar's review against another edition
3.0
Other books in this series I have complained about how there was too much story and not enough focus on the romantic relationship/aspect and now I'm going to say this book had too much romantic relationship/aspect.
Derp.
I missed the fast paced story over here!, story over there!, this series has been delivering. I guess this one could be looked at as a nice slow down and catch your bearings addition.
Anyway, Grace and Torr get their highly anticipated time together (lots of time together) on the planet Brenya whisked Grace and Tori off to. Grace doesn't remember Torr, due to consequences of her accepting the disks she placed on her and Torr's back to heal him, and Torr is forbidden by Brenya to tell Grace anything about their past.
This leads to a buddy adventure of Grace and Torr trekking around the planet fighting beasts, looking for crystals to protect the women on the planet, longing looks from Torr, and battling desires. Like I said, there isn't any real addition to the overall story arc, just some down home lovin' happening.
I missed Dabyr :( This book was good and soothing but had a dash of boring to it. I'm looking forward to the next installment (ugh will probably be a year away, CRUEL) and having things ramp up again.
I'm all a tingle wondering if it will be Sanguinar, Slayer (paired with Joseph ;), or Nicholas/Tori next.
*If you couldn't tell by my review, you must read the other books in the series to have any earthly or Theroni idea what is going on.
Derp.
I missed the fast paced story over here!, story over there!, this series has been delivering. I guess this one could be looked at as a nice slow down and catch your bearings addition.
Anyway, Grace and Torr get their highly anticipated time together (lots of time together) on the planet Brenya whisked Grace and Tori off to. Grace doesn't remember Torr, due to consequences of her accepting the disks she placed on her and Torr's back to heal him, and Torr is forbidden by Brenya to tell Grace anything about their past.
This leads to a buddy adventure of Grace and Torr trekking around the planet fighting beasts, looking for crystals to protect the women on the planet, longing looks from Torr, and battling desires. Like I said, there isn't any real addition to the overall story arc, just some down home lovin' happening.
I missed Dabyr :( This book was good and soothing but had a dash of boring to it. I'm looking forward to the next installment (ugh will probably be a year away, CRUEL) and having things ramp up again.
I'm all a tingle wondering if it will be Sanguinar, Slayer (paired with Joseph ;), or Nicholas/Tori next.
*If you couldn't tell by my review, you must read the other books in the series to have any earthly or Theroni idea what is going on.
nelsonseye's review
3.0
Good but I wish there had been more of the multiple story lines that I've become accustomed to. Yes we got some information on Tori, but what about all of the other narrative threads? Also wondering if Brenya will be OK.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
3.0
I find this series to be readable but not compelling.
laprofedelengua's review
3.0
A diferencia de los anteriores, no había leído este libro antes. No sé si ya me cansé, si es porque transcurre en otro planeta, porque no hay alternancia con otras historias o porque el romance de Thor y Grace no me resultó tan atrayente...sea por lo que sea, la historia me resultó un plomo. Le pongo igual tres estrellas porque no estoy segura de que la novela sea mala. Por ahi se aplica el típico "no sos vos soy yo".
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