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A review by unlimitedhappylife
Taken By The Huntsman by Mistral Dawn
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed the story but there were a few things that kept me from loving it.
I think the worldbuilding was great and interesting. I liked the variety of faeries that the world had and how different of a system and culture it was. The side characters were unique and I felt like I got to know each one pretty well. I thought the way the Erlking was introduced was interesting and I liked how when he first appeared to Cassie was in full armor which is described as quite frightening.
One of the things that I really liked was the emphasis on consent, especially in the more spicy scenes. While the Erlking did initially kidnap Cassie, he was very focused on making sure she was happy and wanted her full consent in all other areas. When Cassie told him she needed space then he would give her space and wouldn't push it no matter how much Cassie secretly wanted him to.
I thought the Erlking was an interesting character and I liked the dichotomy of how fierce he could be with how gentle and understanding he was with Cassie and his people. His debates with Cassie on morals and discipline was surprisingly deep for a fantasy romance and I have to give it points for that.
On to some of the things I didn't like or wished were done better.
-I felt the story was a bit too wordy and the description of the world was too much of an information dump at times.
-I didn't find myself really liking Cassie, I did not dislike her but she was just kind of meh. I guess you could say she felt a little too one dimensional to me. Everything happened TO Cassie and it was her reacting to whatever happened most of the story and her reaction usually felt too blase'. Her instantly learning the language, making these great decisions for these people in this culture she knows nothing about, and having most of the staff instantly like her also felt too easy. She did spend a ton of time in the library researching so I will give her that.
-While the sex scenes were good, the actual relationship between the Erlking and Cassie felt bland to me. While there wasn't instant love, I felt like we spend a lot of time reading how the Erlking wants to gain her trust and love but I don't feel like we actually earn that declaration of love at the end. The couple spends more time apart and/or Cassie avoiding him than they do together. They don't actually spend any time together until 50% into the book and then most of the time after that Cassie is mad with him.
I did think the story was interesting and the world was so fantastical that I would be interested in reading another one of her stories to explore it further.
I think the worldbuilding was great and interesting. I liked the variety of faeries that the world had and how different of a system and culture it was. The side characters were unique and I felt like I got to know each one pretty well. I thought the way the Erlking was introduced was interesting and I liked how when he first appeared to Cassie was in full armor which is described as quite frightening.
One of the things that I really liked was the emphasis on consent, especially in the more spicy scenes. While the Erlking did initially kidnap Cassie, he was very focused on making sure she was happy and wanted her full consent in all other areas. When Cassie told him she needed space then he would give her space and wouldn't push it no matter how much Cassie secretly wanted him to.
I thought the Erlking was an interesting character and I liked the dichotomy of how fierce he could be with how gentle and understanding he was with Cassie and his people. His debates with Cassie on morals and discipline was surprisingly deep for a fantasy romance and I have to give it points for that.
On to some of the things I didn't like or wished were done better.
-I felt the story was a bit too wordy and the description of the world was too much of an information dump at times.
-I didn't find myself really liking Cassie, I did not dislike her but she was just kind of meh. I guess you could say she felt a little too one dimensional to me. Everything happened TO Cassie and it was her reacting to whatever happened most of the story and her reaction usually felt too blase'. Her instantly learning the language, making these great decisions for these people in this culture she knows nothing about, and having most of the staff instantly like her also felt too easy. She did spend a ton of time in the library researching so I will give her that.
-While the sex scenes were good, the actual relationship between the Erlking and Cassie felt bland to me. While there wasn't instant love, I felt like we spend a lot of time reading how the Erlking wants to gain her trust and love but I don't feel like we actually earn that declaration of love at the end. The couple spends more time apart and/or Cassie avoiding him than they do together. They don't actually spend any time together until 50% into the book and then most of the time after that Cassie is mad with him.
I did think the story was interesting and the world was so fantastical that I would be interested in reading another one of her stories to explore it further.