Book Review
Son of Fang and Fury by K.S Gerlt
Rating: 3.5⭐️
First, I want to thank K.S. Gerlt so much for providing me with an ARC of this book. It was a fun ride, and what immediately drew me to this book was the anime-style art and the promise of action sequences. In my opinion, there is that anime vibe to the story, so I think many anime lovers who are also readers, like myself, would enjoy this book.
This book is a retelling of both books in The Werewolf's Mask series, only from Fenn's POV instead of Serena's, the main female lead. I loved Fenn's character. He was kind, witty, slightly broody, and very well-rounded. I loved watching him grow and develop through the story. Serena, however, was not my cup of tea due to her simplicity and naivety, so I'm very glad that I read this story from Fenn's POV and not Serena's.
As mentioned previously, the book is two in one, so it is quite long. I was confused at first because the way that the story arcs flowed, and I was thinking "gosh, the 50% marker really felt like it should've been the end," and in actuality it would've had I read the other two installments. I'd suggest keeping this in mind when you read, as it flows much better knowing that this one book is a two-part installment.
I loved Fenn and enjoyed the blossoming relationship between him and Serena, but there were so many scenes that felt repetitive without anything particularly unique or engaging to make it feel fresh, which made it difficult for me to maintain interest at times (especially with the length). I probably would've given this book a solid 4 stars if the pacing was a bit more succinct/felt like more was happening, or more was cut to keep more of a momentum.
My final pet peeve is fat being associated with bad/lazy/villainous characters. I don't mind the stereotype, but the referencing to someone being a pig/obese/rotund multiple times in a negative light really bothered me, perhaps because this is a sensitive topic for me. I feel the subject matter could've been handled with more consideration, but that is my own personal preference. Nothing particularly wrong with what the author did, but word of caution to those triggered by obese negative stigmas.
I loved the world-building! The world felt so unique, diverse, and original, and was described with the perfect balance of rich description without boring the reader. This isn't easy to do, and K.S. does it seamlessly. I loved learning about the world and races and racial disparities, and K.S. really does this justice. The world also felt very consistent and believable, which I very much enjoyed.
Overall a solid read. :) Well done!