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A review by flowerpaladin
Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I wanted to like this book so badly—Achillean romance in fantasy is rarer than gold. Unfortunately, it ended up falling short in many ways.
The character personalities (or lack thereof) are probably the worst offenders. There is very little consistency in their depiction; the main character will be described as "brooding," for instance, but then a paragraph later he's grinning and laughing. By the time I've come to the end of the story, I find I don't know these people at all. If I had to fill out a personality sheet for them, even a really basic one, I'd come up blank. It's hard to fall in love with characters who are so flat.
The world-building is equally thin, though this isn't usually an issue for me. If the characters are loveable I'll go anywhere with them, no matter how derivative. And boy is this derivative... let's be honest, this is the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Again, I'm kind of okay with that, but it has to be mentioned.
The last thing that really bothered me was how the author wrote women (or maybe how he didn't write them...). About 80% of the characters are male, the women are either brainless bimbos (seriously) or meddlesome hags. The love interest even repeatedly mocks an elderly female neighbor, and the main character thinks it's funny! Really turned me off from them both.
Something that bothered me about the book's marketing: this is a self-published book. However, Amazon lists the book as being published by "Aethervale Publishing." I bought the book thinking that was a legit publisher, but it turns out it's just a name the author made up to sell his books! That really irritated me.
NOW this wasn't a one star read! There are some definite positives here. I read through this quickly, and it made me feel peaceful as I read it. It's the definition of cozy fantasy. It contains, as I noted, an Achillean romance; however, be aware, romance lovers, that the romance itself is barely there. For the first 90% of the book these guys are just pals, and then out of nowhere someone caresses someone else's face. I would say romance is definitely not this author's forte!
So, if you're looking for a story to relax with, something that basically feels like D&D fanfic, and that actually features a m/m romance (gasp, they do exist!), then give this one a try.
The character personalities (or lack thereof) are probably the worst offenders. There is very little consistency in their depiction; the main character will be described as "brooding," for instance, but then a paragraph later he's grinning and laughing. By the time I've come to the end of the story, I find I don't know these people at all. If I had to fill out a personality sheet for them, even a really basic one, I'd come up blank. It's hard to fall in love with characters who are so flat.
The world-building is equally thin, though this isn't usually an issue for me. If the characters are loveable I'll go anywhere with them, no matter how derivative. And boy is this derivative... let's be honest, this is the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Again, I'm kind of okay with that, but it has to be mentioned.
The last thing that really bothered me was how the author wrote women (or maybe how he didn't write them...). About 80% of the characters are male, the women are either brainless bimbos (seriously) or meddlesome hags. The love interest even repeatedly mocks an elderly female neighbor, and the main character thinks it's funny! Really turned me off from them both.
Something that bothered me about the book's marketing: this is a self-published book. However, Amazon lists the book as being published by "Aethervale Publishing." I bought the book thinking that was a legit publisher, but it turns out it's just a name the author made up to sell his books! That really irritated me.
NOW this wasn't a one star read! There are some definite positives here. I read through this quickly, and it made me feel peaceful as I read it. It's the definition of cozy fantasy. It contains, as I noted, an Achillean romance; however, be aware, romance lovers, that the romance itself is barely there. For the first 90% of the book these guys are just pals, and then out of nowhere someone caresses someone else's face. I would say romance is definitely not this author's forte!
So, if you're looking for a story to relax with, something that basically feels like D&D fanfic, and that actually features a m/m romance (gasp, they do exist!), then give this one a try.