A review by nixter
Vicious Bonds by Shanora Williams
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
I wanted to enjoy this book so badly but had to DNF it at 58%. I had a lot of issues with this book, and will try and concisely share why. Firstly, the main character was supposed to be snarky, I believe, but she just came off as whiny. We are supposed to care about her and her life, but she doesn’t do a great job of making us root for her. Also, the way she speaks and thinks is natural for a 21st century Black woman. However, it does not make for a great writing style in a book, and I found myself cringing a lot. For example, the FMC at one point says “I’m considered ‘thick’ on earth” and I had to close the book for a few hours after that.
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the author’s intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The “love” stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they don’t want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldn’t picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term “darkie” is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I don’t think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the author’s intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The “love” stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they don’t want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldn’t picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term “darkie” is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I don’t think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism