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Flesh and Bone - Book One - Awakening
Max Kylas is a restless grad student of Miskatonik University, whose unusual powers mark him out from his peers. He finds himself falling for Sam DeGregoire, rising attacker for the Miskatonik Furies Lacrosse team. Together they go down a path of self discovery in a world ruled by the Gods and Fate.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2023
7 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
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September 27, 2024
I’m on BookTube now! =)
"His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my lips. The rain outside starts to pour down while the spinning world seems to come to a perfect still moment between us. Our galaxies are swirling together."
It were quotes like this one, which made this book really interesting and good for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, at parts this story was extremely confusing and the timeline seemed to be all over the place. “Flesh and Bone – Awakening” had some good parts but also some that would have needed a little bit more work or feedback from the beta readers. So I think it’s best if we start with the good things first and then work our way through the not so good parts, okay?! First I’ve to say that I really loved Sam and Max as characters. They both gave me “All For the Game” vibes and if you know me, you know that I’m obsessed with this series. So I really appreciated those two boys and that they made their way even though they had a lot of baggage they carried with them.
”Well, I give up," I mutter through gritted teeth.
Making eye contact, we both lean into the flame. The tobacco leaves light the night between us. His dimples radiate against the flame as that smirk transforms into a full-blown smile, all the while his hazel eyes never leave mine. We stay in that flame, gazing, gauging each other.
Their chemistry was very palpable and even though they didn’t want to admit it at first, it became obvious that they were drawn to each other and weren’t able to escape each other’s pull. I really wish the author wouldn’t have left us in the dark about their mysterious connection because the way it reads, you know there is something between them but you never truly find out what exactly it is. I’m pretty certain a lot of people will say it’s insta-love, but I got the distinctive feeling that the author had reasons for writing them that way. Still, even after finishing the book, I didn’t grasp those reasons and that’s a shame because I really wanted to understand their relationship.
"Caught off guard, I respond without thinking. "Absolutely, I ... I think I would go to war for you." His hand grabs mine firmly; a deep blush crossing his face.
My grip tightens but he responds in kind.
As stories go, this is a slow-paced one and there doesn’t really happen a lot. I’m honestly still trying to figure out in which kind of direction the author wanted to go with this because on the one hand we have the budding relationship of Sam and Max, then we have Max’s mysterious powers which he’s trying to hide and we also have Sam playing Lacrosse with his team. Well, and in between there are some sort of random fighting scenes and mysterious moments when I didn’t know what exactly was going on. *lol* I think you can already tell why this book was so confusing for me. XD
"I might not know you very well Sam, but I recognize strength when I see it. You're the only one who doesn't want to recognize it. I thought at first it was a fear of being hurt, but now I think it's fear of being able to hurt others."
From the blurb you can tell that mythology and gods seem to be involved in the story as well, but that aspect was highly confusing for me. We get a lot of dream sequences or parallel world sequences even (if I understood that correctly), in which Max is struggling with his fate, but we never truly find out what that fate is or entails. You might say Max is a very unreliable narrator and I think you’d be right with that assumption. Also I didn’t quite grasp which mythology the author wanted to go for. There were a couple of Greek Gods that were mentioned (Zeus, Hera, Olympus, etc.) but then we also had Max’s uncle named Horus?! And Horus is a god from ancient Egypt so this confused me immensely. Unless this was supposed to be a mash up of many different mythologies?! I think in this particular case, it would have been better not to keep the reader in the dark and to go for some tangible facts instead. That way a lot of the reader’s confusion could have been prevented.
”Just … wait, Sam. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to have someone feel that my life depended on them, I’ve never depended on anyone before, and I don’t want to start now. I didn’t want anyone mixed up with any of this! I don’t even feel like I should be here! I feel like I’m on borrowed time, but whose time, right? Whose lives are sent to replace my own? I mean, do you really want to become involved in this? In me?”
I’m still trying to figure out what Max meant with all of this and so far there’s nothing but a huge question mark hoovering over my head. XD Anyway! Ignoring all of those issues, I could still see that the author has a lot of potential. There’s this raw and intense energy to his writing that sometimes grips you and you can’t help but think: “Damn, this is written so beautifully.” The relationship between Max and Sam, once it gets out of the “I hate you but I still kinda like you” stage is written so tender that you’re happy about every single moment they spend together and I think this was the part where the author’s writing style excelled the most. In addition, the ending was quite suspenseful and many things started to make sense.
All told, I ended up liking SammaX’s story, no matter how confusing it was and I’ll watch out for book two because I hope to get some answers! Because as I already said, this story had a lot of potential and I’m curious if it will be used in the next book. =)
________________________________
This was a very interesting book but also extremely confusing at some points.
I’m not gonna lie, half of the story I had no idea what was even going on (Max is an unreliable narrator) and the timeline confused me big time. XD
Still, there’s a lot of potential and the last couple of chapters were pretty suspenseful.
This said: Full RTC soon! I need to think about this some more in order to put all my thoughts into words. Stay tuned. ;-)
________________________________
I heard about this book on IG and wanted to read “Flesh and Bone - Awakening” ever since I saw the fanart some artists made about the main ship Sammax.
So here we are! Considering there is even fanart on IG I’m surprised this doesn’t have more reviews on goodreads!? I mean the book is about sports and two boys that fall in love and apparently it also has some mythology angle?! Sounds good to me. =)
I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. xD
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"His soft hand is wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. The tears slowly come to a crawl as he breathes life between my lips. The rain outside starts to pour down while the spinning world seems to come to a perfect still moment between us. Our galaxies are swirling together."
It were quotes like this one, which made this book really interesting and good for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, at parts this story was extremely confusing and the timeline seemed to be all over the place. “Flesh and Bone – Awakening” had some good parts but also some that would have needed a little bit more work or feedback from the beta readers. So I think it’s best if we start with the good things first and then work our way through the not so good parts, okay?! First I’ve to say that I really loved Sam and Max as characters. They both gave me “All For the Game” vibes and if you know me, you know that I’m obsessed with this series. So I really appreciated those two boys and that they made their way even though they had a lot of baggage they carried with them.
”Well, I give up," I mutter through gritted teeth.
Making eye contact, we both lean into the flame. The tobacco leaves light the night between us. His dimples radiate against the flame as that smirk transforms into a full-blown smile, all the while his hazel eyes never leave mine. We stay in that flame, gazing, gauging each other.
Their chemistry was very palpable and even though they didn’t want to admit it at first, it became obvious that they were drawn to each other and weren’t able to escape each other’s pull. I really wish the author wouldn’t have left us in the dark about their mysterious connection because the way it reads, you know there is something between them but you never truly find out what exactly it is. I’m pretty certain a lot of people will say it’s insta-love, but I got the distinctive feeling that the author had reasons for writing them that way. Still, even after finishing the book, I didn’t grasp those reasons and that’s a shame because I really wanted to understand their relationship.
"Caught off guard, I respond without thinking. "Absolutely, I ... I think I would go to war for you." His hand grabs mine firmly; a deep blush crossing his face.
My grip tightens but he responds in kind.
As stories go, this is a slow-paced one and there doesn’t really happen a lot. I’m honestly still trying to figure out in which kind of direction the author wanted to go with this because on the one hand we have the budding relationship of Sam and Max, then we have Max’s mysterious powers which he’s trying to hide and we also have Sam playing Lacrosse with his team. Well, and in between there are some sort of random fighting scenes and mysterious moments when I didn’t know what exactly was going on. *lol* I think you can already tell why this book was so confusing for me. XD
"I might not know you very well Sam, but I recognize strength when I see it. You're the only one who doesn't want to recognize it. I thought at first it was a fear of being hurt, but now I think it's fear of being able to hurt others."
From the blurb you can tell that mythology and gods seem to be involved in the story as well, but that aspect was highly confusing for me. We get a lot of dream sequences or parallel world sequences even (if I understood that correctly), in which Max is struggling with his fate, but we never truly find out what that fate is or entails. You might say Max is a very unreliable narrator and I think you’d be right with that assumption. Also I didn’t quite grasp which mythology the author wanted to go for. There were a couple of Greek Gods that were mentioned (Zeus, Hera, Olympus, etc.) but then we also had Max’s uncle named Horus?! And Horus is a god from ancient Egypt so this confused me immensely. Unless this was supposed to be a mash up of many different mythologies?! I think in this particular case, it would have been better not to keep the reader in the dark and to go for some tangible facts instead. That way a lot of the reader’s confusion could have been prevented.
”Just … wait, Sam. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to have someone feel that my life depended on them, I’ve never depended on anyone before, and I don’t want to start now. I didn’t want anyone mixed up with any of this! I don’t even feel like I should be here! I feel like I’m on borrowed time, but whose time, right? Whose lives are sent to replace my own? I mean, do you really want to become involved in this? In me?”
I’m still trying to figure out what Max meant with all of this and so far there’s nothing but a huge question mark hoovering over my head. XD Anyway! Ignoring all of those issues, I could still see that the author has a lot of potential. There’s this raw and intense energy to his writing that sometimes grips you and you can’t help but think: “Damn, this is written so beautifully.” The relationship between Max and Sam, once it gets out of the “I hate you but I still kinda like you” stage is written so tender that you’re happy about every single moment they spend together and I think this was the part where the author’s writing style excelled the most. In addition, the ending was quite suspenseful and many things started to make sense.
All told, I ended up liking SammaX’s story, no matter how confusing it was and I’ll watch out for book two because I hope to get some answers! Because as I already said, this story had a lot of potential and I’m curious if it will be used in the next book. =)
________________________________
This was a very interesting book but also extremely confusing at some points.
I’m not gonna lie, half of the story I had no idea what was even going on (Max is an unreliable narrator) and the timeline confused me big time. XD
Still, there’s a lot of potential and the last couple of chapters were pretty suspenseful.
This said: Full RTC soon! I need to think about this some more in order to put all my thoughts into words. Stay tuned. ;-)
________________________________
I heard about this book on IG and wanted to read “Flesh and Bone - Awakening” ever since I saw the fanart some artists made about the main ship Sammax.
So here we are! Considering there is even fanart on IG I’m surprised this doesn’t have more reviews on goodreads!? I mean the book is about sports and two boys that fall in love and apparently it also has some mythology angle?! Sounds good to me. =)
I don’t know about you, but I’m sold. xD
Find me on:
My Blog
January 17, 2025
2025 reads: 10/300
2025 tbr: 6/111
this is my first one-star review ever. this made me really sad, because i thought this book would easily be 4-5 stars for me. i was quickly proven wrong.
now, since i’m used to enjoying the books i read, i’m used to saying positive things about the books i read. in light of that, i’ll format this book review like a compliment sandwich, with positive things at the beginning and the end, and all the negativity in the middle. now, this sandwich is not going to be like one you get from subway on a bad day, with each bite tasting more like bread (positivity in this case, stay with me) than the protein and toppings you got in the middle (negativity). this is going to be one of those sandwiches you can only find on scooby doo, with so much in the middle that shaggy and scooby would be unhinging their jaws in an ungodly manner to eat it.
so, let’s start with the first piece of bread: the first thing i liked about this book was that it didn’t take me too long to finish since it was so short.
now, time for the filling. i hope you came hungry!
i first heard about this book from a friend who heard that this is perfect for fans of all for the game, a series we love. i looked up the synopsis and was intrigued by the promise of a main character in grad school with “unusual powers” living “in a world ruled by the gods and fate.” i love all for the game, i love college settings, and i love greek mythology, so this seemed right up my alley! i added it to my wishlist, and the aforementioned friend ended up sending it to me for christmas. i have since apologized for wasting her money, but honestly, you really can’t put a price on the emotional damage i endured reading this.
…or the emotional damage i then inflicted onto two separate friend groups because i NEEDED to rant about it. sorry, y’all.
so, about that all for the game comparison…absolutely not. it didn’t even read like the author was an inspired fan, just like the author had heard about it and thought, “oh, i could do that—” (he could not) “—let me add fantasy elements!” there were similarities, sure, such as the rival team being well known “for the treatment of their own players,” leading to a player dying every couple of years due to overtraining, which of course didn’t matter “as long as they kept securing the championship”…the love interest giving the main character a key while they’re smoking on the roof…“palmetto state foxy” was even mentioned once. i’m NOT saying this book is plagiarism (i’m sure it would’ve been more enjoyable if it was), but those are just some of the similarities that seemed a bit too obvious.
the college setting aspect was lacking, too. did the characters even go to class or study? this is a genuine question, because i don’t remember half of what i read in this book. i feel like nothing would have changed had the team been a semi-pro team rather than a college team. maybe they wouldn’t have partied as much? still, the academic setting was really not present.
the greek mythology aspect was another thing i’d been excited for, but it was just messily thrown in. i wasn’t even 100% sure whether the gods were actively present in this book’s world until something pretty big was revealed at the end. i’m still confused by this whole aspect, though, especially when it comes to the powers—is there even a connection there? if so, why is there a mismatch between max’s powers and what was revealed at the end? what even were max’s powers…i’m still a bit confused over those…?
now…time for the second and final compliment: this book made me laugh. (because of how bad it was.)
and thus concludes my compliment sandwich. i hope you enjoyed. now it’s time for a palate cleanser.
2025 tbr: 6/111
this is my first one-star review ever. this made me really sad, because i thought this book would easily be 4-5 stars for me. i was quickly proven wrong.
now, since i’m used to enjoying the books i read, i’m used to saying positive things about the books i read. in light of that, i’ll format this book review like a compliment sandwich, with positive things at the beginning and the end, and all the negativity in the middle. now, this sandwich is not going to be like one you get from subway on a bad day, with each bite tasting more like bread (positivity in this case, stay with me) than the protein and toppings you got in the middle (negativity). this is going to be one of those sandwiches you can only find on scooby doo, with so much in the middle that shaggy and scooby would be unhinging their jaws in an ungodly manner to eat it.
so, let’s start with the first piece of bread: the first thing i liked about this book was that it didn’t take me too long to finish since it was so short.
now, time for the filling. i hope you came hungry!
i first heard about this book from a friend who heard that this is perfect for fans of all for the game, a series we love. i looked up the synopsis and was intrigued by the promise of a main character in grad school with “unusual powers” living “in a world ruled by the gods and fate.” i love all for the game, i love college settings, and i love greek mythology, so this seemed right up my alley! i added it to my wishlist, and the aforementioned friend ended up sending it to me for christmas. i have since apologized for wasting her money, but honestly, you really can’t put a price on the emotional damage i endured reading this.
…or the emotional damage i then inflicted onto two separate friend groups because i NEEDED to rant about it. sorry, y’all.
so, about that all for the game comparison…absolutely not. it didn’t even read like the author was an inspired fan, just like the author had heard about it and thought, “oh, i could do that—” (he could not) “—let me add fantasy elements!” there were similarities, sure, such as the rival team being well known “for the treatment of their own players,” leading to a player dying every couple of years due to overtraining, which of course didn’t matter “as long as they kept securing the championship”…the love interest giving the main character a key while they’re smoking on the roof…“palmetto state foxy” was even mentioned once. i’m NOT saying this book is plagiarism (i’m sure it would’ve been more enjoyable if it was), but those are just some of the similarities that seemed a bit too obvious.
the college setting aspect was lacking, too. did the characters even go to class or study? this is a genuine question, because i don’t remember half of what i read in this book. i feel like nothing would have changed had the team been a semi-pro team rather than a college team. maybe they wouldn’t have partied as much? still, the academic setting was really not present.
the greek mythology aspect was another thing i’d been excited for, but it was just messily thrown in. i wasn’t even 100% sure whether the gods were actively present in this book’s world until something pretty big was revealed at the end. i’m still confused by this whole aspect, though, especially when it comes to the powers—is there even a connection there? if so, why is there a mismatch between max’s powers and what was revealed at the end? what even were max’s powers…i’m still a bit confused over those…?
now…time for the second and final compliment: this book made me laugh. (because of how bad it was.)
and thus concludes my compliment sandwich. i hope you enjoyed. now it’s time for a palate cleanser.
December 12, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 (Rounded up to 5)
There are times when you read a book and it genuinely touches your heart. The characters are raw with realism, the plot claws its way into your bloodstream, and, word by word, you find the story consuming your soul. Awakening is one of those books. It feels so deeply intimate that you think you’ve discovered something special, something you want to desperately share with the world but can’t help but want to selfishly keep guarded as well. Exceptional in its exploration of grief, self-acceptance, and love, this epic series starter is one you won’t want to miss.
When you’re eager to sing a book’s praises, it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll start with what impressed me the most: character depth. When a novel’s characters leave an impression that is so real -- one where your heart beats in rhythm to their own fictional palpitations, ebbing and flowing based on a spectrum ranging from blissful happiness to oppressive despair -- magic happens. Burke crafted such vulnerable identities that I couldn't help but feel fiercely connected to them. Their emotions were authentic, honest, and faithful to not only their circumstances but also their well-designed personalities, backstories, and psyches. When these characters felt any shred of emotion, it was felt profoundly and without restraint. I’m at a lack of words to adequately describe my experience, but it was as if Max and Sam’s reactions possessed a candid weight to them. They clung to me, and I felt intricately entangled in their plight. I never wanted to leave their side.
Another noteworthy element to Awakening is its examination of grief and how it’s intensely linked to other facets of life like mental health, bleeding into our perception of self-worth and the way we navigate interpersonal relationships. Max traumatically lost his mother years ago, and it’s inevitably colored the way he lives life and allows himself to get close to other people. This invisible mass on his shoulders, one he can’t shirk, is a burden for him to carry and reflect on, and it’s hurting him. Max can’t flee from the concentrated pain or find healing, but his journey is far from over. Throughout the length of the novel, we see him learn what it means to confront his sorrow, and see that there is opportunity to grow stronger because of it, and, if he’s willing to take the next step, no longer let it negatively define his life. This journey is not an easy one to take. One wrong step and sorrow has the potential to engulf Max completely, but it has also the ability to beautifully transform his character. Whether he has the fortitude, bravery, and support system to do so is for you to find out.
Last, but not least, was the smoldering romance - an epic story all on its own that is further enriched by an explosive spark instantly ignited between Max and Sam. What is this earth-shattering pull they feel toward one another, cosmic in every sense of the word? Can it withstand Max’s hesitancy to let people in? Is Sam willing to take the time and expend the energy needed to deconstruct stone by stone the wall blocking Max’s heart, a heart that is so afraid to let the light in? The opportunity for their love to break or blossom in the face of doubt and self-destruction is there in equal measure, but the prospect of being each other’s home is not going to be given up easily. All I can say is that I hope their love goes the distance and isn’t severed by the fates.
Awakening felt like a fever dream in the best way possible. I felt engulfed in an ambitious story that’s only just begun, and if none of what I’ve said has convinced you to pick it up yet, let me make this comparison for you: a grown-up Percy Jackson meets All for the Game. This book is wholly its own and combines two of my favorite concepts: gods and lacrosse. Need I say more? Run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy of this book.
There are times when you read a book and it genuinely touches your heart. The characters are raw with realism, the plot claws its way into your bloodstream, and, word by word, you find the story consuming your soul. Awakening is one of those books. It feels so deeply intimate that you think you’ve discovered something special, something you want to desperately share with the world but can’t help but want to selfishly keep guarded as well. Exceptional in its exploration of grief, self-acceptance, and love, this epic series starter is one you won’t want to miss.
When you’re eager to sing a book’s praises, it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll start with what impressed me the most: character depth. When a novel’s characters leave an impression that is so real -- one where your heart beats in rhythm to their own fictional palpitations, ebbing and flowing based on a spectrum ranging from blissful happiness to oppressive despair -- magic happens. Burke crafted such vulnerable identities that I couldn't help but feel fiercely connected to them. Their emotions were authentic, honest, and faithful to not only their circumstances but also their well-designed personalities, backstories, and psyches. When these characters felt any shred of emotion, it was felt profoundly and without restraint. I’m at a lack of words to adequately describe my experience, but it was as if Max and Sam’s reactions possessed a candid weight to them. They clung to me, and I felt intricately entangled in their plight. I never wanted to leave their side.
Another noteworthy element to Awakening is its examination of grief and how it’s intensely linked to other facets of life like mental health, bleeding into our perception of self-worth and the way we navigate interpersonal relationships. Max traumatically lost his mother years ago, and it’s inevitably colored the way he lives life and allows himself to get close to other people. This invisible mass on his shoulders, one he can’t shirk, is a burden for him to carry and reflect on, and it’s hurting him. Max can’t flee from the concentrated pain or find healing, but his journey is far from over. Throughout the length of the novel, we see him learn what it means to confront his sorrow, and see that there is opportunity to grow stronger because of it, and, if he’s willing to take the next step, no longer let it negatively define his life. This journey is not an easy one to take. One wrong step and sorrow has the potential to engulf Max completely, but it has also the ability to beautifully transform his character. Whether he has the fortitude, bravery, and support system to do so is for you to find out.
Last, but not least, was the smoldering romance - an epic story all on its own that is further enriched by an explosive spark instantly ignited between Max and Sam. What is this earth-shattering pull they feel toward one another, cosmic in every sense of the word? Can it withstand Max’s hesitancy to let people in? Is Sam willing to take the time and expend the energy needed to deconstruct stone by stone the wall blocking Max’s heart, a heart that is so afraid to let the light in? The opportunity for their love to break or blossom in the face of doubt and self-destruction is there in equal measure, but the prospect of being each other’s home is not going to be given up easily. All I can say is that I hope their love goes the distance and isn’t severed by the fates.
Awakening felt like a fever dream in the best way possible. I felt engulfed in an ambitious story that’s only just begun, and if none of what I’ve said has convinced you to pick it up yet, let me make this comparison for you: a grown-up Percy Jackson meets All for the Game. This book is wholly its own and combines two of my favorite concepts: gods and lacrosse. Need I say more? Run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy of this book.
June 23, 2024
did i kind of enjoy it??? yea. was the writing abysmal?? absolutely.
the plot is confusing and the dialogue is unreal but their relationship i feel is the most developed thing of the entire book. though. not really. it’s an instalove situation but also we kind of are fighting?? and then two seconds later we’re kissing?? like the author was like “gonna write a gay couple!” and then last minute was like “well i should probably figure out a plot.” i was confused for the first 75% of the book, and then we have an infodump in the form of pages of expositional dialogue. at times, it felt like when you think something to yourself and continue the thought out loud, leaving the other person perplexed and unable to grasp where such a thought emerged. i would be reading and it felt like there were inside jokes between characters that i wasn’t allowed in on. which is weird. because the book is in first person.
grammar. the grammar! i am. i’m just. i don’t know if the author finished the first draft and then was like “oh kindle unlimited is gonna love this one,” and pressed publish, but there are sentences with no periods. there is punctuation missing ,” and .” and so many exclamation points, and at one point, a character’s name wasn’t capitalized. and if i read the words “war cry” one more time i’m gonna lose my shit, locate it, and lose it again.
so the romance aspect was fine. despite the painful grammatical errors and vague plot, i find myself endeared to these gays. i find them to be incredibly tender to one another, once we get over the weird, forced, ‘lovers to enemies for half a second to lovers to enemies for half a second, and finally, to lovers’ thing. i’m also just so fucking easy in the way where you give me a traumatized queer and give them a partner that shows them a companionship and love they’ve never experienced before, especially when our traumatized queer is like “i don’t deserve nice things!” and the partner with glowing eyes and purple and black hair that falls over his forehead and i smooth it back and then his purple and black hair falls back over his forehead is like, “yes u fucking do and i am making it my life mission to force feed u such information!!!” and i’m panting like a dog.
like. a. fucking. dog.
and to top it all off. we have the “you didn’t deserve it, you were just a kid,” thing. remember when i said i was panting like a fucking dog? yea. zoomies. zoomies until i wear myself out and collapse on the floor, tongue rolling out of my mouth and drooling all fucking over the place. the carpet is soaked. you’re on the phone with the cleaners. you’re calling the vet, asking them, “is this dog having a heat stroke?” the answer is yes. the dog (me) is having a heat stroke. hyperventilating on the living room floor.
anyway. in the last 15% of the book, it comes together. kind of. would have been nice to have max kind of let me in on some of his own thoughts rather than pushing them all away, but i suppose that was the deal. there’s just a way to write the “character omits information from the reader because it’s too painful to think about” thing without leaving the reader completely bereft and unable to even hypothesize.
the plot is confusing and the dialogue is unreal but their relationship i feel is the most developed thing of the entire book. though. not really. it’s an instalove situation but also we kind of are fighting?? and then two seconds later we’re kissing?? like the author was like “gonna write a gay couple!” and then last minute was like “well i should probably figure out a plot.” i was confused for the first 75% of the book, and then we have an infodump in the form of pages of expositional dialogue. at times, it felt like when you think something to yourself and continue the thought out loud, leaving the other person perplexed and unable to grasp where such a thought emerged. i would be reading and it felt like there were inside jokes between characters that i wasn’t allowed in on. which is weird. because the book is in first person.
grammar. the grammar! i am. i’m just. i don’t know if the author finished the first draft and then was like “oh kindle unlimited is gonna love this one,” and pressed publish, but there are sentences with no periods. there is punctuation missing ,” and .” and so many exclamation points, and at one point, a character’s name wasn’t capitalized. and if i read the words “war cry” one more time i’m gonna lose my shit, locate it, and lose it again.
so the romance aspect was fine. despite the painful grammatical errors and vague plot, i find myself endeared to these gays. i find them to be incredibly tender to one another, once we get over the weird, forced, ‘lovers to enemies for half a second to lovers to enemies for half a second, and finally, to lovers’ thing. i’m also just so fucking easy in the way where you give me a traumatized queer and give them a partner that shows them a companionship and love they’ve never experienced before, especially when our traumatized queer is like “i don’t deserve nice things!” and the partner with glowing eyes and purple and black hair that falls over his forehead and i smooth it back and then his purple and black hair falls back over his forehead is like, “yes u fucking do and i am making it my life mission to force feed u such information!!!” and i’m panting like a dog.
like. a. fucking. dog.
and to top it all off. we have the “you didn’t deserve it, you were just a kid,” thing. remember when i said i was panting like a fucking dog? yea. zoomies. zoomies until i wear myself out and collapse on the floor, tongue rolling out of my mouth and drooling all fucking over the place. the carpet is soaked. you’re on the phone with the cleaners. you’re calling the vet, asking them, “is this dog having a heat stroke?” the answer is yes. the dog (me) is having a heat stroke. hyperventilating on the living room floor.
anyway. in the last 15% of the book, it comes together. kind of. would have been nice to have max kind of let me in on some of his own thoughts rather than pushing them all away, but i suppose that was the deal. there’s just a way to write the “character omits information from the reader because it’s too painful to think about” thing without leaving the reader completely bereft and unable to even hypothesize.
July 13, 2024
Vincent Burke is amazing, and I really like his writing. I received this book from him and couldn't wait to start reading it.
The characters are raw and full of their own flaws but together they're so good. The story itself has such potential and I cannot wait for the next part of it.
I actually learned some things about Lacrosse from this, and I think I might like it?
Other than that, most of the plot becomes clearest in the final 15% of the book, where secrets are revealed and you really want to just keep reading.
I love these boys and recommend this read :))
The characters are raw and full of their own flaws but together they're so good. The story itself has such potential and I cannot wait for the next part of it.
I actually learned some things about Lacrosse from this, and I think I might like it?
Other than that, most of the plot becomes clearest in the final 15% of the book, where secrets are revealed and you really want to just keep reading.
I love these boys and recommend this read :))
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