What do you think?
Rate this book
Quarter Life #1
Unbound
Manipulating a powerful witch isn’t as easy as Faye hoped.
She infiltrates Molly the witch's mysterious house under the guise of needing help. And the guise of being harmless. Totally not a vampire at all. Unfortunately, Molly's secrets are difficult to discover. She's almost as good at hiding things as Faye herself.
Molly's staff are as weird as they are distrustful, but Faye begins to win Molly over. Then A mob boss discovers what Faye's after. Faye finds herself putting her life in Molly's hands.
Will secrets doom their relationship, or will they form a powerful team?
She infiltrates Molly the witch's mysterious house under the guise of needing help. And the guise of being harmless. Totally not a vampire at all. Unfortunately, Molly's secrets are difficult to discover. She's almost as good at hiding things as Faye herself.
Molly's staff are as weird as they are distrustful, but Faye begins to win Molly over. Then A mob boss discovers what Faye's after. Faye finds herself putting her life in Molly's hands.
Will secrets doom their relationship, or will they form a powerful team?
- GenresFantasy
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Adrian J. Smith
78 books429 followersAdrian J. Smith has been publishing since 2013 but has been writing nearly her entire life. With a focus on women loving women fiction, AJ jumps genres from action-packed police procedurals to the seedier life of vampires and witches to sweet romances with a May-December twist. She loves writing and reading about women in the midst of the ordinariness of life. Two of her novels, For by Grace and Memoir in the Making, received honorable mentions with the Rainbow Awards.
AJ currently lives in Cheyenne, WY, although she moves often and has lived all over the United States. She loves to travel to different countries and places. She currently plays the roles of author, wife, and mother to two rambunctious kids, occasional handy-woman. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.
AJ currently lives in Cheyenne, WY, although she moves often and has lived all over the United States. She loves to travel to different countries and places. She currently plays the roles of author, wife, and mother to two rambunctious kids, occasional handy-woman. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 27, 2024
TW// murder (including of children, husbands, fathers, mothers), intentional drug overdose, heroin use, gun violence, drugging, brief mentions of child abuse, brief mention of war, brief sexism
This is the worst book I’ve read so far this year and I’m honestly really disappointed. I heard “sapphic witch x vampire romance” and I got my hopes high, but Unbound has so many problems. The characters in this book are bland and the plot is all over the place, but my biggest issues with this book are the inconsistencies and the spicy scenes.
The inconsistency problem starts really early on in the book. Faye breaks a leg, but being a vampire, it doesn’t stay broken. In some scenes she pretends that she has a broken leg to convince people she’s not a vampire while in other scenes, the story fully forgets she is pretending to have a broken leg so she’ll go sprinting around as if everyone knows she can heal herself. It’s like she only had to fake having a broken leg when it was convenient for the story, but in reality she would’ve had to pretend that she had a broken leg any time she was near someone. It’s bizarre, too, that none of the characters connected the dots that she was supernatural for such a long time despite her running around with a fully healed leg only days after she broke her leg. Then there’s the pneumonia issue. After she breaks her leg “cliff diving” (she jumped off a building so “building diving?”), the doctor runs some tests and finds out she has pneumonia. However, after the story casually mentions she has pneumonia, it doesn’t bring up the pneumonia again until the end of the book. It’s like the story forgets she has pneumonia for 85% of the book. It’s not consistent with her health conditions at all. Then there’s the issue of one of the boys who Faye is trying to find as part of a child protective services case. He’s important for the first half of the book but he randomly disappears somewhere in the middle of the book. He’s only brought up again at the very end of the story, but since he was a huge pawn in the main conflict of the story, that large section where he’s not mentioned at all felt very inconsistent and weird. There’s some other inconsistencies throughout the book but these were the biggest ones that irked me the most.
Before I address the spicy scenes (since not everyone feels comfortable reading about those), I’ve gotta address a few other things.
I didn’t like the vampire part of this story at all. I’m normally a huge fan of anything vampire, but Faye is only really a vampire when it’s important for the story. The rest of the time she’s a normal human. Her vampiric features aren’t what I typically associate with vampires either besides the very rare occasion when she needs to drink blood. While you could say it’s a unique take on vampires, it really didn’t work for me and I would’ve preferred a more traditional vampire depiction even if it was very stereotypical.
There’s a very graphic section where a character dissects (and kills) a mythological creature. I’m not sure why the author included this section in the book as it felt very disjointed and will make many people like myself feel extremely queasy. It didn’t flow with the rest of the story at all.
I also feel like this book had the potential to explore the fantasy world a lot more than it did. There’s trolls, giants, and mythological creatures that are dumped into this story without being explored much. It felt really disappointing whenever a new creature was added but never explored in any depth.
I noticed that this book briefly tried to say that Hitler targeted supernatural people first before he targeted Jewish people. It’s not explicitly antisemitic, but it feels really insensitive to include that as part of the worldbuilding in the book.
Now onto the spicy scenes since there’s no avoiding this topic when it comes to Unbound. Only read the rest of my review if you’re okay reading discussions of adult content and if you’re okay with seeing brief spoilers.
The book starts to get steamy really quickly with Molly getting feely with a complete stranger who has a broken leg and is laying in a hospital bed. Even though Molly isn’t the main doctor in the story, it still starts off seeming like Molly is being inapropriate to a patient. It feels wrong, so I knew that the spice in this book would be bad from the hospital bed scenes alone.
Then it’s revealed that Molly is having threesomes with two men. That’s fine. We love a good threesome, but wait… one of the men is a boy who Molly has raised since he was a teenager. That’s wrong on so many levels.
A masturbation scene is next, but what is Molly masturbating to? She’s masturbating to a call where Faye tells her about the current child protective services case she’s working on, and yes, Molly finishes it to completion. It’s giving inapropriate and potentially a predator.
Then there’s a scene where Faye masturbates in front of a stone troll as a form of payment. I’m too uncomfortable to even describe the troll scene further, but it's a lot worse than I'm describing.
Back to the issue of Molly having intercourse with a man she’s raised since a teen. Molly says that she should’ve taken Faye in when she was a kid to raise her and that even if she did that, they still would’ve ended up making love nonstop. It’s giving grooming and pedophilia.
There’s also the whole plot twist of discovering that Molly has been intimate with two people who are very closely related. Again I’m so uncomfortable that I can’t even comment on this more, but I'm being vague to hide what the exact plot twist is.
I can’t with this book. I don’t know how Unbound fumbled such a promising story idea, but it just did not work at all and I probably won’t be reading from this author again.
I received a free eArc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the worst book I’ve read so far this year and I’m honestly really disappointed. I heard “sapphic witch x vampire romance” and I got my hopes high, but Unbound has so many problems. The characters in this book are bland and the plot is all over the place, but my biggest issues with this book are the inconsistencies and the spicy scenes.
The inconsistency problem starts really early on in the book. Faye breaks a leg, but being a vampire, it doesn’t stay broken. In some scenes she pretends that she has a broken leg to convince people she’s not a vampire while in other scenes, the story fully forgets she is pretending to have a broken leg so she’ll go sprinting around as if everyone knows she can heal herself. It’s like she only had to fake having a broken leg when it was convenient for the story, but in reality she would’ve had to pretend that she had a broken leg any time she was near someone. It’s bizarre, too, that none of the characters connected the dots that she was supernatural for such a long time despite her running around with a fully healed leg only days after she broke her leg. Then there’s the pneumonia issue. After she breaks her leg “cliff diving” (she jumped off a building so “building diving?”), the doctor runs some tests and finds out she has pneumonia. However, after the story casually mentions she has pneumonia, it doesn’t bring up the pneumonia again until the end of the book. It’s like the story forgets she has pneumonia for 85% of the book. It’s not consistent with her health conditions at all. Then there’s the issue of one of the boys who Faye is trying to find as part of a child protective services case. He’s important for the first half of the book but he randomly disappears somewhere in the middle of the book. He’s only brought up again at the very end of the story, but since he was a huge pawn in the main conflict of the story, that large section where he’s not mentioned at all felt very inconsistent and weird. There’s some other inconsistencies throughout the book but these were the biggest ones that irked me the most.
Before I address the spicy scenes (since not everyone feels comfortable reading about those), I’ve gotta address a few other things.
I didn’t like the vampire part of this story at all. I’m normally a huge fan of anything vampire, but Faye is only really a vampire when it’s important for the story. The rest of the time she’s a normal human. Her vampiric features aren’t what I typically associate with vampires either besides the very rare occasion when she needs to drink blood. While you could say it’s a unique take on vampires, it really didn’t work for me and I would’ve preferred a more traditional vampire depiction even if it was very stereotypical.
There’s a very graphic section where a character dissects (and kills) a mythological creature. I’m not sure why the author included this section in the book as it felt very disjointed and will make many people like myself feel extremely queasy. It didn’t flow with the rest of the story at all.
I also feel like this book had the potential to explore the fantasy world a lot more than it did. There’s trolls, giants, and mythological creatures that are dumped into this story without being explored much. It felt really disappointing whenever a new creature was added but never explored in any depth.
I noticed that this book briefly tried to say that Hitler targeted supernatural people first before he targeted Jewish people. It’s not explicitly antisemitic, but it feels really insensitive to include that as part of the worldbuilding in the book.
Now onto the spicy scenes since there’s no avoiding this topic when it comes to Unbound. Only read the rest of my review if you’re okay reading discussions of adult content and if you’re okay with seeing brief spoilers.
The book starts to get steamy really quickly with Molly getting feely with a complete stranger who has a broken leg and is laying in a hospital bed. Even though Molly isn’t the main doctor in the story, it still starts off seeming like Molly is being inapropriate to a patient. It feels wrong, so I knew that the spice in this book would be bad from the hospital bed scenes alone.
Then it’s revealed that Molly is having threesomes with two men. That’s fine. We love a good threesome, but wait… one of the men is a boy who Molly has raised since he was a teenager. That’s wrong on so many levels.
A masturbation scene is next, but what is Molly masturbating to? She’s masturbating to a call where Faye tells her about the current child protective services case she’s working on, and yes, Molly finishes it to completion. It’s giving inapropriate and potentially a predator.
Then there’s a scene where Faye masturbates in front of a stone troll as a form of payment. I’m too uncomfortable to even describe the troll scene further, but it's a lot worse than I'm describing.
Back to the issue of Molly having intercourse with a man she’s raised since a teen. Molly says that she should’ve taken Faye in when she was a kid to raise her and that even if she did that, they still would’ve ended up making love nonstop. It’s giving grooming and pedophilia.
There’s also the whole plot twist of discovering that Molly has been intimate with two people who are very closely related. Again I’m so uncomfortable that I can’t even comment on this more, but I'm being vague to hide what the exact plot twist is.
I can’t with this book. I don’t know how Unbound fumbled such a promising story idea, but it just did not work at all and I probably won’t be reading from this author again.
I received a free eArc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 19, 2021
A unique urban fantasy story. With a mystery interwoven and a lot of sex. It was $3 on amazon, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Faye is a deeply 'Tainted' human, some kind of ancient vampire that is technically immortal. Molly is an ancient Witch, who is also immortal, and runs a sort of sanctuary, a secret research and medical lab in the heart of the city, that investigates and researches rare and unusual creatures, and also helps the human 'tainted' variants disappear, so as not to be used by nefarious gangs who want to utilize their abilities for their own gains. If you remember that series with Amanda Tapping called Sanctuary, it's basically like that.
The chemistry between Faye and Molly is off the charts, right from the get go! Both showing care for each other, but there's an undercurrent of distrust, due to Faye infact lying about who she is, first going by the name Ryan, then Caroline. We know she is after information, especially about her own origins and her father's whereabouts, and seems to specifically know about Molly and has been searching her out, and wants something from her. But she is also worried about becoming a science experiment and entrapped in Molly's 'Zoo'. So she is pretending to be wholly human.
Over the 6 hours of the story we get only the tiniest glimpses as to what Faye really wants, and why she's using Molly, and the inner turmoil she is feeling because she clearly has feelings for Molly... But I personally thought it was far too drawn out where a simply conversation and learning to trust would have solved a hell of a lot - but the fact that both women tip-toe around each other, and allow each other to lie and manipulate - all knowing there is more going on, so it ultimately frustrated me. It felt dragged out for the sake of drama, in my mind. Plus when the full truth does finally come out, the reveal simply made me go "is that all?". So much angst for something so contrived.
As I said this is a very sexualize story, I felt sometimes it seemed gratuitous and voyeuristic. Both women like to masturbate at odd times, (like during a normal conversation on the phone about missing children WTF?) and Faye infact has sex with a man after injecting heroin so she can get high and feed off his blood. Faye also essentially has sex with a troll under a bridge. I kid you not. However, I can see that this is used to paint Faye as willing to do anything it takes to reach her goals, and doesn't really care about herself. She's desperate, it seems, and doesn't particularly care about consequences or what happens to herself... So perhaps that works to makes us sympathize? But I was in two minds about it and how it was presented.
It's presented that Molly herself has casual sex with some of her male employees, and they share kisses and offers but Molly is shying away because of the fear of loss with them aging faster than she.
There was a sort of mob-boss story, who was after some children with special abilities, but again unfortunately he was made out to be so strong and villainous, but then in the end seemed easily defeated, which was a bit anticlimactic.
Now don't get me wrong I did enjoy the story and characters overall, I just felt that some editing down and felt the dragging out details to make it suspenseful didn't really work. But I would actually read book 2 and would recommend it to people, just know what you're in for.
It's not wholly FF romance, although I didn't find the 'straight' scenes too nauseating (lol) and there is drug use, personal demons, sex. The relationship has that whole "I love you but I don't do relationships, I'm better on my own and should be a loner, I'm awful, but I just can't quit you." Taint. But again, there's something about it that drew me in and kept me there, and has me wanting to continue.
Faye is a deeply 'Tainted' human, some kind of ancient vampire that is technically immortal. Molly is an ancient Witch, who is also immortal, and runs a sort of sanctuary, a secret research and medical lab in the heart of the city, that investigates and researches rare and unusual creatures, and also helps the human 'tainted' variants disappear, so as not to be used by nefarious gangs who want to utilize their abilities for their own gains. If you remember that series with Amanda Tapping called Sanctuary, it's basically like that.
The chemistry between Faye and Molly is off the charts, right from the get go! Both showing care for each other, but there's an undercurrent of distrust, due to Faye infact lying about who she is, first going by the name Ryan, then Caroline. We know she is after information, especially about her own origins and her father's whereabouts, and seems to specifically know about Molly and has been searching her out, and wants something from her. But she is also worried about becoming a science experiment and entrapped in Molly's 'Zoo'. So she is pretending to be wholly human.
Over the 6 hours of the story we get only the tiniest glimpses as to what Faye really wants, and why she's using Molly, and the inner turmoil she is feeling because she clearly has feelings for Molly... But I personally thought it was far too drawn out where a simply conversation and learning to trust would have solved a hell of a lot - but the fact that both women tip-toe around each other, and allow each other to lie and manipulate - all knowing there is more going on, so it ultimately frustrated me. It felt dragged out for the sake of drama, in my mind. Plus when the full truth does finally come out, the reveal simply made me go "is that all?". So much angst for something so contrived.
As I said this is a very sexualize story, I felt sometimes it seemed gratuitous and voyeuristic. Both women like to masturbate at odd times, (like during a normal conversation on the phone about missing children WTF?) and Faye infact has sex with a man after injecting heroin so she can get high and feed off his blood. Faye also essentially has sex with a troll under a bridge. I kid you not. However, I can see that this is used to paint Faye as willing to do anything it takes to reach her goals, and doesn't really care about herself. She's desperate, it seems, and doesn't particularly care about consequences or what happens to herself... So perhaps that works to makes us sympathize? But I was in two minds about it and how it was presented.
It's presented that Molly herself has casual sex with some of her male employees, and they share kisses and offers but Molly is shying away because of the fear of loss with them aging faster than she.
There was a sort of mob-boss story, who was after some children with special abilities, but again unfortunately he was made out to be so strong and villainous, but then in the end seemed easily defeated, which was a bit anticlimactic.
Now don't get me wrong I did enjoy the story and characters overall, I just felt that some editing down and felt the dragging out details to make it suspenseful didn't really work. But I would actually read book 2 and would recommend it to people, just know what you're in for.
It's not wholly FF romance, although I didn't find the 'straight' scenes too nauseating (lol) and there is drug use, personal demons, sex. The relationship has that whole "I love you but I don't do relationships, I'm better on my own and should be a loner, I'm awful, but I just can't quit you." Taint. But again, there's something about it that drew me in and kept me there, and has me wanting to continue.
June 19, 2021
I don't really know what to say about this book... I have such a duality about it, it left me kind of doubting that I'll give a fair review and grade.
I really liked the plot of it, the idea was great, and I'm a big fan of supernatural novels. However, I found myself wanting to skip pages because the book was dragging along and, in my opinion, was poorly edited. Also, many things in it weren't really believable (like Faye hiding who she was while being with an empath and a witch all the time)...
At the end, from initial giddiness, it sort of left me feeling "meh, I might even stop reading it", because I didn't really care what will happen until the end.
I really liked the plot of it, the idea was great, and I'm a big fan of supernatural novels. However, I found myself wanting to skip pages because the book was dragging along and, in my opinion, was poorly edited. Also, many things in it weren't really believable (like Faye hiding who she was while being with an empath and a witch all the time)...
At the end, from initial giddiness, it sort of left me feeling "meh, I might even stop reading it", because I didn't really care what will happen until the end.
October 5, 2021
I really hate admitting this but I was really disappointed with this book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I went into it wanting it to be awesome.
What I did like was the authors descriptions. They planted a good image in my head.
But the story didn't flow very well.
As for the sex scenes they kind of popped up at the most unsuspecting moments. It was weird.
For me the book didn't flow. The writing was a little confusing at times. But if you like supernatural books you should give this a go. You may love it. For me it was just ok.
What I did like was the authors descriptions. They planted a good image in my head.
But the story didn't flow very well.
As for the sex scenes they kind of popped up at the most unsuspecting moments. It was weird.
For me the book didn't flow. The writing was a little confusing at times. But if you like supernatural books you should give this a go. You may love it. For me it was just ok.
October 5, 2015
This is another good read by A.J. Smith! I am never disappointed when I get to review his books. He has a way of
going into the supernatural world that sucks you right in! He keeps you guessing, but also gives you enough answers
to keep you intrigued till the very end.
I joined Faye on the rooftop as she was getting ready for that fateful flight that would take her to the house she had
been seeing in her dreams and in her every waking moment. I was there with her as she sorted out her feelings and
joined her as she stood up for all she believes in.
I felt Molly's desire to help those in her care, to find sanctuary for the troubled ones. She only wants to be left alone
to do her work, and to possibly find someone to spend eternity with. And for a witch, eternity is a very long time. When
Faye literally drops into her life, bells ring, and memories return.
Faye and Molly make a formidable duo, and I can't wait to read the continuation of their adventures!
going into the supernatural world that sucks you right in! He keeps you guessing, but also gives you enough answers
to keep you intrigued till the very end.
I joined Faye on the rooftop as she was getting ready for that fateful flight that would take her to the house she had
been seeing in her dreams and in her every waking moment. I was there with her as she sorted out her feelings and
joined her as she stood up for all she believes in.
I felt Molly's desire to help those in her care, to find sanctuary for the troubled ones. She only wants to be left alone
to do her work, and to possibly find someone to spend eternity with. And for a witch, eternity is a very long time. When
Faye literally drops into her life, bells ring, and memories return.
Faye and Molly make a formidable duo, and I can't wait to read the continuation of their adventures!
July 14, 2021
I was given a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning: Drug Addiction, Drug Dealing, Murder, Torture, Car Crashs, Death, Attempted Murder, Unsafe Sex
2.5/5 Stars
I picked this up, because it had two things I like: WlW and vampires. I got both and yet I can't help but feel split about this book.
One thing that bothered me is the fact that, this book was dealing with a lot of heavy stuff, but couldn't bother to include a Trigger/Content Warning list. Especially since - and I'll talk about this in a second - some of the stuff it tackeld was done really poorly. And I'm not talking about the sex scenes - even though one of them was ... something else. I'm talking about the whole drug part of the book. Taking drugs was completly romanticized!! Faye claims she isn't an addict, but honey, that's not how this works. It's implied that she's been taking Heroin for years. You can't just stop and go cold turkey and walk something like that off. Addiction is a mental thing as much as it is a physical one. But not once do we see her face the aftermath. She has not a single withdrawal symptom. At least none that are directly implied to have a connection with/to her addiction. What this shows and implies is, that it's just this 'feel good' thing, just this 'making it easier' thing.
It's completly ignoring all the damage drugs inflicts on those that fall victim to it. And I hated that. A lot.
I heard that there would be a lot of sex scenes and yeah, but also no. They weren't as bad as I feared them to be. The placement of the masturbation scene was kinda questionable though. And the sex scene with the org under the bride was ... something else. I was warned about it beforhand - which I'm thankfull for - but it was still making me uncomfortable. Especially since there was no real reason for the scene to be in there. Hell, a lot of the sex Faye has doesn't need to be there. But I guess my asexual ass just couldn't understand the importance of random smut. But eyyy, you know, maybe people actually want to read plot-irrelevant sex scenes nowadays?
I did like the worldbuilding in general, but I still felt like we could have learned more about it. I understand that Faye doesn't really care and that the other characters don't need to be told those things, since they already know about them, but some more information about what Molly was actually doing and what "Tainted" people were and where they came from (and how they are tied into the human world) would have been cool.
On a side note, as a croatian speaking person, I had to smile the second the Sismis appeared on page, because ... hihi :D. They are a made up species and are apparently related to vampires and boy oh boy do I wonder what the croatian word for 'bat' is. xD (Spoiler, it's šišmiš) This isn't a critic, I just wanted to let you know, because I couldn't stop smiling everytime they talked about them.
For all the stuff that I didn't like, I have to say that the story still kept me hooked. It was weirdly exciting and hypnotic. Probably because of the characters. They were all unique and interesting and you just wanted to read more about them. Not only because of the romance, but because they just felt so human. And that, although not a single one of them is.
The (sassy) conversations were really nice to read and their relationships felt genuine. Funny thing is, I even felt like they started to give me some 'found-family' trope vibes.
The plot in itself was good. Faye's motive was pretty simpel and although I felt like some steps she took to get to the end weren't needed, I still enjoyed reading about her. She's absolutly flawed and yet - in her own way - an interesting and good character.
I had feared, that her relationship with Molly would be hella toxic, but it wasn't even that bad. They have both a lot of issues that they need to deal with and a lot of baggage that needs to be unpacked, but their base dyniamic and relationship was fine. I'm not denying the manipulation that took place. But to pretend that they weren't both trying to out-manipulate the other would be taking away a lot of the books appeal.
Look, I'm not saying that they are the most healthy couple out there, but I also think that they could totally make it work. Don't expect sunshine and rainbows. This book is heavy and the characters are too.
Just a few words towards the rep. We have - from my understanding - 4 bisexuals. Who end up in one sapphic and one achillean relationship. The achillean one was really cute by the way. I wish we would have gotten more from them. I also liked the accepting and LGBT friendly handling of the rep. Yes, Character A didn't like and trust our MC, but not because she's bi. But rather, because she's a manipulative liar. There's a difference. :P
This book was ... an interesting read. Not what I usually tend to consume, but in it's basis an ok book. Had it not mistreated the drug part, I could have maybe even seen myself giving this 4 stars.
Content Warning: Drug Addiction, Drug Dealing, Murder, Torture, Car Crashs, Death, Attempted Murder, Unsafe Sex
2.5/5 Stars
I picked this up, because it had two things I like: WlW and vampires. I got both and yet I can't help but feel split about this book.
One thing that bothered me is the fact that, this book was dealing with a lot of heavy stuff, but couldn't bother to include a Trigger/Content Warning list. Especially since - and I'll talk about this in a second - some of the stuff it tackeld was done really poorly. And I'm not talking about the sex scenes - even though one of them was ... something else. I'm talking about the whole drug part of the book. Taking drugs was completly romanticized!! Faye claims she isn't an addict, but honey, that's not how this works. It's implied that she's been taking Heroin for years. You can't just stop and go cold turkey and walk something like that off. Addiction is a mental thing as much as it is a physical one. But not once do we see her face the aftermath. She has not a single withdrawal symptom. At least none that are directly implied to have a connection with/to her addiction. What this shows and implies is, that it's just this 'feel good' thing, just this 'making it easier' thing.
It's completly ignoring all the damage drugs inflicts on those that fall victim to it. And I hated that. A lot.
I heard that there would be a lot of sex scenes and yeah, but also no. They weren't as bad as I feared them to be. The placement of the masturbation scene was kinda questionable though. And the sex scene with the org under the bride was ... something else. I was warned about it beforhand - which I'm thankfull for - but it was still making me uncomfortable. Especially since there was no real reason for the scene to be in there. Hell, a lot of the sex Faye has doesn't need to be there. But I guess my asexual ass just couldn't understand the importance of random smut. But eyyy, you know, maybe people actually want to read plot-irrelevant sex scenes nowadays?
I did like the worldbuilding in general, but I still felt like we could have learned more about it. I understand that Faye doesn't really care and that the other characters don't need to be told those things, since they already know about them, but some more information about what Molly was actually doing and what "Tainted" people were and where they came from (and how they are tied into the human world) would have been cool.
On a side note, as a croatian speaking person, I had to smile the second the Sismis appeared on page, because ... hihi :D. They are a made up species and are apparently related to vampires and boy oh boy do I wonder what the croatian word for 'bat' is. xD (Spoiler, it's šišmiš) This isn't a critic, I just wanted to let you know, because I couldn't stop smiling everytime they talked about them.
For all the stuff that I didn't like, I have to say that the story still kept me hooked. It was weirdly exciting and hypnotic. Probably because of the characters. They were all unique and interesting and you just wanted to read more about them. Not only because of the romance, but because they just felt so human. And that, although not a single one of them is.
The (sassy) conversations were really nice to read and their relationships felt genuine. Funny thing is, I even felt like they started to give me some 'found-family' trope vibes.
The plot in itself was good. Faye's motive was pretty simpel and although I felt like some steps she took to get to the end weren't needed, I still enjoyed reading about her. She's absolutly flawed and yet - in her own way - an interesting and good character.
I had feared, that her relationship with Molly would be hella toxic, but it wasn't even that bad. They have both a lot of issues that they need to deal with and a lot of baggage that needs to be unpacked, but their base dyniamic and relationship was fine. I'm not denying the manipulation that took place. But to pretend that they weren't both trying to out-manipulate the other would be taking away a lot of the books appeal.
Look, I'm not saying that they are the most healthy couple out there, but I also think that they could totally make it work. Don't expect sunshine and rainbows. This book is heavy and the characters are too.
Just a few words towards the rep. We have - from my understanding - 4 bisexuals. Who end up in one sapphic and one achillean relationship. The achillean one was really cute by the way. I wish we would have gotten more from them. I also liked the accepting and LGBT friendly handling of the rep. Yes, Character A didn't like and trust our MC, but not because she's bi. But rather, because she's a manipulative liar. There's a difference. :P
This book was ... an interesting read. Not what I usually tend to consume, but in it's basis an ok book. Had it not mistreated the drug part, I could have maybe even seen myself giving this 4 stars.
September 16, 2015
3.5 Stars
Being a lover of paranormal romance I found this book interesting but confusing.
Faye sometimes known as Ryan throughout this story has been watching a building for a while now and wants to know what goes on inside.
She tries to jump from a tree and ends up being hurt and being cared for by the people inside. One person in particular takes an interest in Faye and that's Molly.
Molly is a scientist, studying very weird and unusual creatures. She has a team to help her, all very unique individuals having certain gifts that help them through life and the job that they do.
So many secrets and complications keep you from finding out what is really going on in this book.
Just when you start to get some information and start putting the pieces together, something else happens and you seem no further forward.
Faye is looking for something and the others believe she is up to no good but Molly wants her around. What she is looking for remains a mystery till near the end.
Faye and Molly are attracted to each other and don't waste anytime in getting up close and personal.
There are some likeable characters in this book and the story had me intrigued.
The three main things that come to mind when thinking about this book are manipulation, Vampires and witches.
Being a lover of paranormal romance I found this book interesting but confusing.
Faye sometimes known as Ryan throughout this story has been watching a building for a while now and wants to know what goes on inside.
She tries to jump from a tree and ends up being hurt and being cared for by the people inside. One person in particular takes an interest in Faye and that's Molly.
Molly is a scientist, studying very weird and unusual creatures. She has a team to help her, all very unique individuals having certain gifts that help them through life and the job that they do.
So many secrets and complications keep you from finding out what is really going on in this book.
Just when you start to get some information and start putting the pieces together, something else happens and you seem no further forward.
Faye is looking for something and the others believe she is up to no good but Molly wants her around. What she is looking for remains a mystery till near the end.
Faye and Molly are attracted to each other and don't waste anytime in getting up close and personal.
There are some likeable characters in this book and the story had me intrigued.
The three main things that come to mind when thinking about this book are manipulation, Vampires and witches.
October 7, 2015
Faye hoped she could get the help of a powerful witch. You would think she would walk right up to the front door of the mysterious door and knock. Unfortunately, Molly is not that kind of witch and Faye is not your average person. When Faye literally drops in on Molly and her staff, she has to earn their trust while being deceitful herself. Faye is looking for one very important thing and she knows Molly has the means to get it for her. Along the way, the local, and very bad for your health, mob boss discovers what Faye and Molly are hiding. And he'll do anything to get it.
The story starts out slow and takes time to build. But one thing the reader knows straight out of the gate...Faye is hiding something big and she will do absolutely anything to find the answers she seeks. As the story picks up momentum, the relationship between Faye, Molly, and Molly's staff undergo a change. Molly trusts Faye more and more and the distrust among the staff grows. The story if filled with danger, intrigue, and learning powerful lessons about how you perceive other people and how they perceive you.
The story starts out slow and takes time to build. But one thing the reader knows straight out of the gate...Faye is hiding something big and she will do absolutely anything to find the answers she seeks. As the story picks up momentum, the relationship between Faye, Molly, and Molly's staff undergo a change. Molly trusts Faye more and more and the distrust among the staff grows. The story if filled with danger, intrigue, and learning powerful lessons about how you perceive other people and how they perceive you.
June 8, 2021
I was given a kindle copy of this book via Netgalley.
"Unbound" is a run-of-the-mill urban fantasy novel that includes supernatural and super powered elements. I know that sounds like a rough assessment, but bear with me. This novel fits squarely in one of my favorite categories: Readable TV.
The author's gratuitous descriptions of the people and locations in "Unbound" only lend to creating a clear picture in your mind and make up for the somewhat disrupted flow in some spots. Where this book loses me however is just how over the top the sexual scenes are. They spring up at odd and unsuspecting moments, including during a mundane phone conversation about work. Overall the chemistry between Molly and Faye is like moths to a flame, as is Molly's chemistry with most of her team.
This book is a stand-out beach read, but overall a weak introduction to a series.
"Unbound" is a run-of-the-mill urban fantasy novel that includes supernatural and super powered elements. I know that sounds like a rough assessment, but bear with me. This novel fits squarely in one of my favorite categories: Readable TV.
The author's gratuitous descriptions of the people and locations in "Unbound" only lend to creating a clear picture in your mind and make up for the somewhat disrupted flow in some spots. Where this book loses me however is just how over the top the sexual scenes are. They spring up at odd and unsuspecting moments, including during a mundane phone conversation about work. Overall the chemistry between Molly and Faye is like moths to a flame, as is Molly's chemistry with most of her team.
This book is a stand-out beach read, but overall a weak introduction to a series.
June 8, 2021
I was given a kindle copy of this book via Netgalley.
"Unbound" is a run-of-the-mill urban fantasy novel that includes supernatural and super powered elements. I know that sounds like a rough assessment, but bear with me. This novel fits squarely in one of my favorite categories: Readable TV.
The author's gratuitous descriptions of the people and locations in "Unbound" only lend to creating a clear picture in your mind and make up for the somewhat disrupted flow in some spots. Where this book loses me however is just how over the top the sexual scenes are. They spring up at odd and unsuspecting moments, including during a mundane phone conversation about work. Overall the chemistry between Molly and Faye is like moths to a flame, as is Molly's chemistry with most of her team.
This book is a stand-out beach read, but overall a weak introduction to a series.
"Unbound" is a run-of-the-mill urban fantasy novel that includes supernatural and super powered elements. I know that sounds like a rough assessment, but bear with me. This novel fits squarely in one of my favorite categories: Readable TV.
The author's gratuitous descriptions of the people and locations in "Unbound" only lend to creating a clear picture in your mind and make up for the somewhat disrupted flow in some spots. Where this book loses me however is just how over the top the sexual scenes are. They spring up at odd and unsuspecting moments, including during a mundane phone conversation about work. Overall the chemistry between Molly and Faye is like moths to a flame, as is Molly's chemistry with most of her team.
This book is a stand-out beach read, but overall a weak introduction to a series.
October 18, 2015
Nice change of pace
Starts a little slow but once things starts happening I couldn't put it down. Unbound is very different from the Grace series so if that's what you are looking for wait for the next Grace book. Very good book. Some steamy sex scenes but not enough to be offensive. Not a story full of soul mates at first sight. There is a definite attraction between Faye and Molly from the start but not the OMG can't live without you part. Great beginning for a new series. I'll definitely be looking for book 2.
Starts a little slow but once things starts happening I couldn't put it down. Unbound is very different from the Grace series so if that's what you are looking for wait for the next Grace book. Very good book. Some steamy sex scenes but not enough to be offensive. Not a story full of soul mates at first sight. There is a definite attraction between Faye and Molly from the start but not the OMG can't live without you part. Great beginning for a new series. I'll definitely be looking for book 2.
January 31, 2021
What a great listen, the narrator does a great job at voicing the characters... Wait a second, it was an ebook that I read, not an audiobook. I got so involved in the book, that the character's voices just spoke to me. The author does a great job at differentiating between character narrations that there is no confusion when the perspective changes, kudos to the author.
The characters are engaging, and their motives and intents are fed to you in a way that made me wanting more, so a definite page turner.
The characters are engaging, and their motives and intents are fed to you in a way that made me wanting more, so a definite page turner.
December 17, 2020
Sucked in right from the start! Faye had the best intro for any character I’ve been introduced to. It was a unique and beautiful start to an intense relationship. And it was awesome to watch it grow as the two struggled to figure each other out.
I loved the insight I got into Molly’s world—her work as well as the other things she does. But Faye is such Interesting character to learn about as the book goes on.
Adrian does a fantastic job hooking me in and keeping me sucked in! Definitely can’t wait to read the next book for Faye as well as the other works written by Adrian!
I loved the insight I got into Molly’s world—her work as well as the other things she does. But Faye is such Interesting character to learn about as the book goes on.
Adrian does a fantastic job hooking me in and keeping me sucked in! Definitely can’t wait to read the next book for Faye as well as the other works written by Adrian!
May 16, 2024
An excellent beginning to a catching story. This is a well paced read with main characters snagging your attention and the supporting cast is just as neat. Surprised how quickly the end came and then realized it was 3:30am. Grab this read and settle in for a bing reading session. Four stars means this is well worth the time to read.
January 21, 2023
I really struggled with reading this book. The writing is honestly so poor that it was impossible to get into the story. The pacing was also fairly off. I genuinely did not enjoy this book.
February 4, 2024
Slow going but worth it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews