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A review by ihateprozac
Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
5.0
It’s been a couple years since I’ve walked the streets of Caldwell, and I am so glad to be back. I discovered the books in 2009 and powered through everything available, only to fall into book-lover-limbo as I waited for J.R Ward to release a new instalment. I turned my attention to other books - and was admittedly exhausted by the oversaturation of the vampire romance genre at the time - but found my way back recently with the help of a friend.
If you’re expecting a tale for the ages of how Payne finds her soulmate you’ll be sorely disappointed. While this book is technically Payne’s love story, it’s realistically Vishous 2.0. And I’m okay with that. Admittedly I am biased towards V - he’s hella sarcastic, great with computers, has a killer magical right hand, and a fucked up backstory that tugs at my heartstrings - but I also understand why the story had to go this way. Payne just isn’t interesting enough to carry a story on her own. Sure, she’s got enough parental issues to fill a bathtub - which is basically a requirement of this series - but she just doesn’t have the charisma or intrigue.
I know a lot of people are miffed that these books are focusing less on one Brother finding his forever love, and instead tracking the movements of several new and different minor characters. This was actually something that vaguely bugged me about previous novels - while the timelines all work spectacularly, I always found it odd that after several centuries walking this earth each Brother fell in love in 21st century Caldwell, one after the other. It makes more sense for Ward to weave together storylines and focus on outlying characters, now that our core team have all shacked up.
So yeah, this book is a mix of V and Jane working through their complex emotional issues; Payne and Manny getting together; Payne working through some of her family issues with V and the Scribe Virgin; and the introduction of the Band of Bastards. And I am here for the Band of Bastards.
With the death of Lash, I was worried how Ward was going to continue pushing the Lessers as the number 1 villain in this series. They’re strong but the Brotherhood is stronger, and while the Brotherhood will occasionally make in-roads, they’re not strategic enough to really blow a hole in the Lesser ranks. And if the audience is tiring from your external threat, why not create an internal one?
Another reason why I grew tired of the Lessers was that they’re so one-dimensional. They’re all fuckheads who want to destroy the vampire race, for no reason other than Daddy Omega wants them to. Even traitorous Lash wasn’t that interesting once you got over the initial reveal and shock of the raids. That’s why the Band of Bastards are so fantastic: they’re all rough bastards who you don’t actually want to take leadership, but they’re much more complex and interesting than the baby powder bitches down the road.
Xcor is a seemingly hate-filled asshole hellbent on destruction, but he’s only become that way as life didn’t deal him a kind blow. There are daddy issues, body issues, and who knows what else gurgling under that surface. And in the space of a few pages, I somehow became downright obsessed with Throe, and need to hear his life story and struggle in a dedicated novel.
So yeah, I am here for the Band of Bastards.
I am also here for this damn baby daddy drama with Butch and Manny! We’ve barely heard from Butch since the conclusion of his novel, but I was forever curious about how his vampire heritage came to be. While Darius had a penchant for shacking up with human women, I’m assuming that this elusive father vampire is someone we haven’t yet met, but whom must be uber significant given Butch’s role in the Dhestroyer prophecy.
Overall: Without working through the minutiae of this novel and reviewing it in depth, I loved it. I’m glad that V and Jane managed to have a breakthrough and that his emotional issues weren't instantly fixed. I’m glad that Manny was re-introduced into the storyline, because we never see how the humans on the periphery of the vampire world get caught up as collateral damage. I’m glad that Payne managed to get her ass to this side and begin to work out who she is as a person. I’m glad that Wrath is being tested by the Band of Bastards and that we have some interesting mutineers shaking things up. I’m glad that Blay and Qhuinn are gearing up to eventually fucking get together already. And I’m glad that we’re learning a bit more about how Butch came to be part-vampire, even if I feel like it’ll take us 5 more books to get the answer.
Excuse me while I power through the next few books and roll around in a ball of my feels.
If you’re expecting a tale for the ages of how Payne finds her soulmate you’ll be sorely disappointed. While this book is technically Payne’s love story, it’s realistically Vishous 2.0. And I’m okay with that. Admittedly I am biased towards V - he’s hella sarcastic, great with computers, has a killer magical right hand, and a fucked up backstory that tugs at my heartstrings - but I also understand why the story had to go this way. Payne just isn’t interesting enough to carry a story on her own. Sure, she’s got enough parental issues to fill a bathtub - which is basically a requirement of this series - but she just doesn’t have the charisma or intrigue.
I know a lot of people are miffed that these books are focusing less on one Brother finding his forever love, and instead tracking the movements of several new and different minor characters. This was actually something that vaguely bugged me about previous novels - while the timelines all work spectacularly, I always found it odd that after several centuries walking this earth each Brother fell in love in 21st century Caldwell, one after the other. It makes more sense for Ward to weave together storylines and focus on outlying characters, now that our core team have all shacked up.
So yeah, this book is a mix of V and Jane working through their complex emotional issues; Payne and Manny getting together; Payne working through some of her family issues with V and the Scribe Virgin; and the introduction of the Band of Bastards. And I am here for the Band of Bastards.
With the death of Lash, I was worried how Ward was going to continue pushing the Lessers as the number 1 villain in this series. They’re strong but the Brotherhood is stronger, and while the Brotherhood will occasionally make in-roads, they’re not strategic enough to really blow a hole in the Lesser ranks. And if the audience is tiring from your external threat, why not create an internal one?
Another reason why I grew tired of the Lessers was that they’re so one-dimensional. They’re all fuckheads who want to destroy the vampire race, for no reason other than Daddy Omega wants them to. Even traitorous Lash wasn’t that interesting once you got over the initial reveal and shock of the raids. That’s why the Band of Bastards are so fantastic: they’re all rough bastards who you don’t actually want to take leadership, but they’re much more complex and interesting than the baby powder bitches down the road.
Xcor is a seemingly hate-filled asshole hellbent on destruction, but he’s only become that way as life didn’t deal him a kind blow. There are daddy issues, body issues, and who knows what else gurgling under that surface. And in the space of a few pages, I somehow became downright obsessed with Throe, and need to hear his life story and struggle in a dedicated novel.
So yeah, I am here for the Band of Bastards.
I am also here for this damn baby daddy drama with Butch and Manny! We’ve barely heard from Butch since the conclusion of his novel, but I was forever curious about how his vampire heritage came to be. While Darius had a penchant for shacking up with human women, I’m assuming that this elusive father vampire is someone we haven’t yet met, but whom must be uber significant given Butch’s role in the Dhestroyer prophecy.
Overall: Without working through the minutiae of this novel and reviewing it in depth, I loved it. I’m glad that V and Jane managed to have a breakthrough and that his emotional issues weren't instantly fixed. I’m glad that Manny was re-introduced into the storyline, because we never see how the humans on the periphery of the vampire world get caught up as collateral damage. I’m glad that Payne managed to get her ass to this side and begin to work out who she is as a person. I’m glad that Wrath is being tested by the Band of Bastards and that we have some interesting mutineers shaking things up. I’m glad that Blay and Qhuinn are gearing up to eventually fucking get together already. And I’m glad that we’re learning a bit more about how Butch came to be part-vampire, even if I feel like it’ll take us 5 more books to get the answer.
Excuse me while I power through the next few books and roll around in a ball of my feels.