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Aspects #1
Love/Hate
A hero's life means death.
Claire never wanted to be a hero.
The Aspect Guardians protect the last cities of Earth from the creatures that were left there by their alien ancestors.
Remnants of a forgotten civil war.
Claire is all too familiar with the alien creatures. They killed her mother, leaving her all alone.
But those chosen can't refuse. The Aspect powers embody emotions, and those most in tune with those emotions are called to take the mantle.
And they're lucky to survive more than two years.
Some Aspects aren't even that lucky, however, and the Aspect of Love is notorious for only having a few months at best.
So, when the Aspect of Love dies and Claire is chosen as her successor, all of her nightmares are made real.
She must face the monsters of her childhood. And they will likely kill her.
But strength comes in unlikely places, and finding the means to survive may mean Love turning to Hate.
You'll love this F/F YA sci-fi superhero book because the fast-paced writing will keep you hooked until the end.
Get it now!
Claire never wanted to be a hero.
The Aspect Guardians protect the last cities of Earth from the creatures that were left there by their alien ancestors.
Remnants of a forgotten civil war.
Claire is all too familiar with the alien creatures. They killed her mother, leaving her all alone.
But those chosen can't refuse. The Aspect powers embody emotions, and those most in tune with those emotions are called to take the mantle.
And they're lucky to survive more than two years.
Some Aspects aren't even that lucky, however, and the Aspect of Love is notorious for only having a few months at best.
So, when the Aspect of Love dies and Claire is chosen as her successor, all of her nightmares are made real.
She must face the monsters of her childhood. And they will likely kill her.
But strength comes in unlikely places, and finding the means to survive may mean Love turning to Hate.
You'll love this F/F YA sci-fi superhero book because the fast-paced writing will keep you hooked until the end.
Get it now!
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2017
63 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
L.C. Mawson
100 books247 followersSome say she's an ancient creature of nightmare that was unleashed from beneath the ocean, come to devour the souls of men. Others say that she's a cosmic being from the beyond the stars that has taken corporeal form to learn our ways for some unknown end...
In truth, L.C. Mawson lives in a tower in the middle of a haunted forest, far from civilisation and is definitely not a witch who curses those who trespass upon her land. And she definitely cannot turn into a dragon that flies over cities in the dead of night and whose cries are often mistaken for an approaching storm. Where did you hear that? That's absurd...
The only contact she has with humanity is publishing books every so often, which is definitely just for fun and not part of an ancient contract with a trickster god.
In truth, L.C. Mawson lives in a tower in the middle of a haunted forest, far from civilisation and is definitely not a witch who curses those who trespass upon her land. And she definitely cannot turn into a dragon that flies over cities in the dead of night and whose cries are often mistaken for an approaching storm. Where did you hear that? That's absurd...
The only contact she has with humanity is publishing books every so often, which is definitely just for fun and not part of an ancient contract with a trickster god.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 8, 2017
I really liked it.
For some reason I have never really gotten into futuristic/post-apocalyptic stories. Its just never been my cup of tea but boy did I like this one and can't wait to read the next one.
This book takes place somewhere around 2200 something...200 years after an event called "The Fall." Basically Rena aliens (who of course look human) dropped genetically engineered monsters to test as weapons on Earth. A rebel group (Aspects) saw this as inhumane or wrong and tried to stop them. I'm over simplifying it but thats the gist of it. I found it exciting and well written. The characters are all young but seem much, much older for their ages. The storynis basically told from Claire's aka Love's point of view and I am really glad for that as jumping veiws with several characters always tends to confuse me.
Anyway...if you are looking for a book with monsters, young heroes, AI, and anything along those lines then this might just be the book for you. Free on kindleUnlimited so give it a go
For some reason I have never really gotten into futuristic/post-apocalyptic stories. Its just never been my cup of tea but boy did I like this one and can't wait to read the next one.
This book takes place somewhere around 2200 something...200 years after an event called "The Fall." Basically Rena aliens (who of course look human) dropped genetically engineered monsters to test as weapons on Earth. A rebel group (Aspects) saw this as inhumane or wrong and tried to stop them. I'm over simplifying it but thats the gist of it. I found it exciting and well written. The characters are all young but seem much, much older for their ages. The storynis basically told from Claire's aka Love's point of view and I am really glad for that as jumping veiws with several characters always tends to confuse me.
Anyway...if you are looking for a book with monsters, young heroes, AI, and anything along those lines then this might just be the book for you. Free on kindleUnlimited so give it a go
May 20, 2021
*I am voluntarily leaving this review after having received a free copy of this book.*
I feel very 'meh' about this book. My initial problem was that I could never totally buy into the concept of the Aspects--why are they specifically emotion-based? And wouldn't a military operation--or well-armed civilians, for that matter--be able to take down monsters much faster? Claire shows us at the very beginning of the book that they're susceptible to normal weapons. I also came away with the impression that Hate could probably take down all the monsters on her own, as she is way overpowered compared to the other Aspects.
The thing about the specific Rena bloodline confused me too, as well as the 'remnant' AI systems. I don't wanna get into spoilers but the whole mission at the end of the book seemed way too easy and was super underwhelming to read about.
There are a couple of other nitpicky things I didn't like, but I'll just point out the one that irked me the most. The air we breathe is not 100% oxygen. You would not pass out in a room where the oxygen concentration is 50-something percent. That is way above the oxygen content of normal air.
All that being said, I liked the diversity of the cast, with different races, genders, and orientations present, as well as having an autistic protagonist. But in the end, this book just wasn't for me.
I feel very 'meh' about this book. My initial problem was that I could never totally buy into the concept of the Aspects--why are they specifically emotion-based? And wouldn't a military operation--or well-armed civilians, for that matter--be able to take down monsters much faster? Claire shows us at the very beginning of the book that they're susceptible to normal weapons. I also came away with the impression that Hate could probably take down all the monsters on her own, as she is way overpowered compared to the other Aspects.
The thing about the specific Rena bloodline confused me too, as well as the 'remnant' AI systems. I don't wanna get into spoilers but the whole mission at the end of the book seemed way too easy and was super underwhelming to read about.
There are a couple of other nitpicky things I didn't like, but I'll just point out the one that irked me the most. The air we breathe is not 100% oxygen. You would not pass out in a room where the oxygen concentration is 50-something percent. That is way above the oxygen content of normal air.
All that being said, I liked the diversity of the cast, with different races, genders, and orientations present, as well as having an autistic protagonist. But in the end, this book just wasn't for me.
February 1, 2021
Love/Hate is a book about a group of superheroes, for lack of a better term, called Aspects. They all have abilities that they can control with their emotions, based on whichever Aspect they become. They are stronger when feeling that emotion, and can channel that into powers that they use to take down monsters. The book is set in a future where aliens called the Rena came to Earth. Some came to conquer, while others came to aid Earth's population in this war. Eventually, the Rena who aided Earth in the battle settle down and find lives, creating half-human, half-rena offspring. These offspring are the ones who are possess the ability to become Aspects.
Our protagonist, Claire, is part Rena. She is enrolled in what seems to be a sort of boarding school, apparently following the wishes of her mother after she was killed by one of the monsters. She doesn't remember much from before her mother's death, she just knows her life after it. When her class is on a field trip, they get attacked by one of the monsters. A few of the Aspects come to defeat the monster, and Claire winds up attacking the monster in order to help. After the fight, she meets Hate a bit more closely. Claire and Hate start to spend more time together, going on coffee dates and video calling each other. A few days later, Claire is selected to be the next Aspect of Love.
It was nice to read a book with a wlw main couple, and I actually picked this book up because of that, however I was not in love with the hot and cold game Hate seemed to be playing. Everything between them was fine until Claire became the next Love. It is explained that Hate being with Claire/Love will make her abilities weaker, which makes it a conflict of interest because if they are weaker, there is a higher chance of another Aspect dying. Fine, understandable, but then when the two of them are alone they both seem to want to be in this relationship together. Hate makes the comment "I hate the way you [Claire/Love] make me feel." which in all honesty left me feeling a little gross.
The diversity in this book is refreshing, without making it a huge deal. These characters live with their neurodiversity without being a token "this is my only personality trait" which I respect. Claire is Autistic, and also has Dyscalculia. Hate has ADHD. As someone with ADHD, I would have loved to see more traits and signs of her ADHD. One of the few I can remember is a brief mention of a hyperfixation, but if the author had not told me that Hate has ADHD, I don't know if I would have been able to come to that conclusion. However, ADHD comes in many forms and doesn't present the same in everyone. Things I may have overlooked because they aren't something I personally experience may be something someone else with ADHD relates to.
The amount of times people in this book know something but withhold that information from Claire is downright frustrating. They act like they are trying to help her become the best Aspect she can be, but then they don't tell her that she can activate her staff to make it more powerful and more helpful against these monsters they are constantly fighting? Who does that help?
THIS IS WHERE WE GET INTO SPOILER TERRITORY.
I found Love/Hate enjoyable, but I also found it extremely predictable. You could tell that Claire was going to become the next Love, fine, it moved the story along and it would be difficult to tell the story Mawson was trying to tell without that. But even later twists like Empathy being Claire's sister, or being part of the Rena royal lineage didn't really feel like it needed to be there? It felt like another way of separating Claire as different or special, which isn't a fault of the author themselves, but moreso YA fiction as a whole. I think I would have been more surprised if Claire wasn't a part of the royal line.
And now, the final battle. Claire and Hate get to the enemy they have been chasing in order to find out why the monsters seem to attack a certain target and then leave. They have their revelations, the villain monologues a bit, and then Hate just... Fries him with lightning? It was a very quick way to wrap up the book. Honestly trying not to get separated in a ship with a damaged AI was a more interesting conflict to me.
Summary
While I enjoyed the book overall, I'm not sure I will be reading the rest of the series. It was nice to see a wlw couple as the main love interests in the book, and the diversity feels like it was written by someone who actually understands what it is like to be neurodiverse. However, I found the twists rather predictable and felt like I could see everything in this book coming from a mile away with my eyes closed. It is a good read if you are just looking for something to kill time, or something that isn't going to be as heavy of a read, but if you are looking for something that will surprise you at every turn this isn't the book for you.
Our protagonist, Claire, is part Rena. She is enrolled in what seems to be a sort of boarding school, apparently following the wishes of her mother after she was killed by one of the monsters. She doesn't remember much from before her mother's death, she just knows her life after it. When her class is on a field trip, they get attacked by one of the monsters. A few of the Aspects come to defeat the monster, and Claire winds up attacking the monster in order to help. After the fight, she meets Hate a bit more closely. Claire and Hate start to spend more time together, going on coffee dates and video calling each other. A few days later, Claire is selected to be the next Aspect of Love.
It was nice to read a book with a wlw main couple, and I actually picked this book up because of that, however I was not in love with the hot and cold game Hate seemed to be playing. Everything between them was fine until Claire became the next Love. It is explained that Hate being with Claire/Love will make her abilities weaker, which makes it a conflict of interest because if they are weaker, there is a higher chance of another Aspect dying. Fine, understandable, but then when the two of them are alone they both seem to want to be in this relationship together. Hate makes the comment "I hate the way you [Claire/Love] make me feel." which in all honesty left me feeling a little gross.
The diversity in this book is refreshing, without making it a huge deal. These characters live with their neurodiversity without being a token "this is my only personality trait" which I respect. Claire is Autistic, and also has Dyscalculia. Hate has ADHD. As someone with ADHD, I would have loved to see more traits and signs of her ADHD. One of the few I can remember is a brief mention of a hyperfixation, but if the author had not told me that Hate has ADHD, I don't know if I would have been able to come to that conclusion. However, ADHD comes in many forms and doesn't present the same in everyone. Things I may have overlooked because they aren't something I personally experience may be something someone else with ADHD relates to.
The amount of times people in this book know something but withhold that information from Claire is downright frustrating. They act like they are trying to help her become the best Aspect she can be, but then they don't tell her that she can activate her staff to make it more powerful and more helpful against these monsters they are constantly fighting? Who does that help?
THIS IS WHERE WE GET INTO SPOILER TERRITORY.
I found Love/Hate enjoyable, but I also found it extremely predictable. You could tell that Claire was going to become the next Love, fine, it moved the story along and it would be difficult to tell the story Mawson was trying to tell without that. But even later twists like Empathy being Claire's sister, or being part of the Rena royal lineage didn't really feel like it needed to be there? It felt like another way of separating Claire as different or special, which isn't a fault of the author themselves, but moreso YA fiction as a whole. I think I would have been more surprised if Claire wasn't a part of the royal line.
And now, the final battle. Claire and Hate get to the enemy they have been chasing in order to find out why the monsters seem to attack a certain target and then leave. They have their revelations, the villain monologues a bit, and then Hate just... Fries him with lightning? It was a very quick way to wrap up the book. Honestly trying not to get separated in a ship with a damaged AI was a more interesting conflict to me.
Summary
While I enjoyed the book overall, I'm not sure I will be reading the rest of the series. It was nice to see a wlw couple as the main love interests in the book, and the diversity feels like it was written by someone who actually understands what it is like to be neurodiverse. However, I found the twists rather predictable and felt like I could see everything in this book coming from a mile away with my eyes closed. It is a good read if you are just looking for something to kill time, or something that isn't going to be as heavy of a read, but if you are looking for something that will surprise you at every turn this isn't the book for you.
October 15, 2017
The book is already diverse without making a big, huge deal out of it, and yet this diversity still somehow is a huge part of the plot.
I freaking loooooveee this paradox. I mean, adding on the Love-Hate relationship (literally) was just icing on the cake here.
Most romance novels I end up running into, even in the YA section end up turning into lust-based "romances" rather than actual...you know...romances with the actual feelings and the work that goes behind it. I don't know anything about dating but if I know life in general everything takes a TON of work and for a neurodivergent who is placed in a world where neurnormative standards are not of their own neurotype, and the same should apply to dating/romance/etc.
It's going to sound weird saying this, but the reason I HATE the Hunger Games is because it romanticizes....romance. And then convolutes the idea too badly for me to read without my eyes burning that the series relies on a too-fast-moving-and-reckless pacing that I don't think is realistic even if the Hunger Games was a real thing. :/
This book doesn't do that.
I mean, yeah, sure, there are moments when there is a more physical-feeling than an emotional-feeling but it doesn't entirely center on this.
And then--it adds actual Neurodiverse culture! I come from a small, ableist town in the US state of Iowa for those who don't know, so I had no idea what neuro-cousins were when Hate and Love had talked about it, and now I have to say it an amazing concept that adds an entirely new level to how we should be reading disability and neurotypes.
I absolutely adore how L. C. Mawson describes Love's meltdowns and everyone's reactions to them as she tries to put all of the words together and everyone thinks it's from her injury and maybe that was part of it but Love is overwhelmed and goes freaking non-verbal and even has a weighted blanket to help her with sensory issues.
I mean, the only thing I wished I could have seen was how Love emotionally reacted to the battles with the monsters? Like, I see it but it seems to focus a lot on the sweet battle moves and then sort of her feelings about Hate but it's sort of vague and unclear to me I guess. I mean every Autsitic person is different but I think that a giant dragon coming to knock over my town and snap my head off would make me a little more than unclear and brain-foggy?
I don't know, could someone help me with that last part please?
I freaking loooooveee this paradox. I mean, adding on the Love-Hate relationship (literally) was just icing on the cake here.
Most romance novels I end up running into, even in the YA section end up turning into lust-based "romances" rather than actual...you know...romances with the actual feelings and the work that goes behind it. I don't know anything about dating but if I know life in general everything takes a TON of work and for a neurodivergent who is placed in a world where neurnormative standards are not of their own neurotype, and the same should apply to dating/romance/etc.
It's going to sound weird saying this, but the reason I HATE the Hunger Games is because it romanticizes....romance. And then convolutes the idea too badly for me to read without my eyes burning that the series relies on a too-fast-moving-and-reckless pacing that I don't think is realistic even if the Hunger Games was a real thing. :/
This book doesn't do that.
I mean, yeah, sure, there are moments when there is a more physical-feeling than an emotional-feeling but it doesn't entirely center on this.
And then--it adds actual Neurodiverse culture! I come from a small, ableist town in the US state of Iowa for those who don't know, so I had no idea what neuro-cousins were when Hate and Love had talked about it, and now I have to say it an amazing concept that adds an entirely new level to how we should be reading disability and neurotypes.
I absolutely adore how L. C. Mawson describes Love's meltdowns and everyone's reactions to them as she tries to put all of the words together and everyone thinks it's from her injury and maybe that was part of it but Love is overwhelmed and goes freaking non-verbal and even has a weighted blanket to help her with sensory issues.
I mean, the only thing I wished I could have seen was how Love emotionally reacted to the battles with the monsters? Like, I see it but it seems to focus a lot on the sweet battle moves and then sort of her feelings about Hate but it's sort of vague and unclear to me I guess. I mean every Autsitic person is different but I think that a giant dragon coming to knock over my town and snap my head off would make me a little more than unclear and brain-foggy?
I don't know, could someone help me with that last part please?
January 24, 2021
Wow! I have been on a fantastic voyage into yet another masterful world created by L.C. Mawson. I praise Mawson a lot and Mawson earns it with every book I read.
The “Aspects'' series came out three years ago and I do not know how I missed it. I don’t know when the latest cover design came out for Love/Hate, but I love the old one which I feel describes the story better than the current one. I love how it shows the two emotions dancing around each other and Hate being wary.
I thought Mawson creating a dynamic and diverse book and series was a one-time adventure with “The Ember Academy for Witches.” I can see that I am wrong by reading Love/Hate. Our central character is Indian and African, autistic, and a lesbian or bisexual. The other members of the cast range from Asian to white and from lesbian to nonbinary to aromantic. Half of the characters are autistic and all are fighters for the human race. Diversity at its best.
Love/Hate focuses on family, identity, and the battle for life and why they choose to fight. Let me clarify the last word in that sentence, they are unwillingly drafted to become an Aspect, but they could choose to not fight. Keep a block up and your powers won’t come through and you can’t be used to battle.
What I find fascinating is that Mawson has Claire battling monsters with just her own sense of self and an innate need to protect others. Claire is strong even though she has personal battles to overcome.
Love/Hate is filled with battles and I should warn you that people die. BUT, the story is also filled with family. Family is what we make it and this book showcases this brilliantly. There are surprises and twists in this story which makes me hesitate on how to tag this book because the tags would be spoilers (laugh). So I wait to book two before adding the spoiler tags.
I cannot wait to read the next story because I am literally jonesing for it. Mawson creates a world that I would not want to live, but would watch over and over again. (laugh) Ummm...dragons that eat people...yeah I’ll just read about it. (smile)
If you haven’t started this series then you should. There is action, romance, and family drama. Put a bunch of kids living together in one place, what else can you expect?! You can expect an awesome ride with Love/Hate.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
The “Aspects'' series came out three years ago and I do not know how I missed it. I don’t know when the latest cover design came out for Love/Hate, but I love the old one which I feel describes the story better than the current one. I love how it shows the two emotions dancing around each other and Hate being wary.
I thought Mawson creating a dynamic and diverse book and series was a one-time adventure with “The Ember Academy for Witches.” I can see that I am wrong by reading Love/Hate. Our central character is Indian and African, autistic, and a lesbian or bisexual. The other members of the cast range from Asian to white and from lesbian to nonbinary to aromantic. Half of the characters are autistic and all are fighters for the human race. Diversity at its best.
Love/Hate focuses on family, identity, and the battle for life and why they choose to fight. Let me clarify the last word in that sentence, they are unwillingly drafted to become an Aspect, but they could choose to not fight. Keep a block up and your powers won’t come through and you can’t be used to battle.
What I find fascinating is that Mawson has Claire battling monsters with just her own sense of self and an innate need to protect others. Claire is strong even though she has personal battles to overcome.
Love/Hate is filled with battles and I should warn you that people die. BUT, the story is also filled with family. Family is what we make it and this book showcases this brilliantly. There are surprises and twists in this story which makes me hesitate on how to tag this book because the tags would be spoilers (laugh). So I wait to book two before adding the spoiler tags.
I cannot wait to read the next story because I am literally jonesing for it. Mawson creates a world that I would not want to live, but would watch over and over again. (laugh) Ummm...dragons that eat people...yeah I’ll just read about it. (smile)
If you haven’t started this series then you should. There is action, romance, and family drama. Put a bunch of kids living together in one place, what else can you expect?! You can expect an awesome ride with Love/Hate.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
November 2, 2022
Earth had been turned into a test lab for an alien species, but when their civil war was over, they just left. They left some equipment, ships, and their genetically altered monsters. They left the humans to fend for themselves, so they built walls around their surviving population, and there had been peace for a time, but now, those monsters are breaking into the cities to wreak havoc. Clair knew just how much devastation was caused as her mother was killed in one of those incursions into the city, and now, one of the aspects had died. Love had died. The Love’s of the aspects had the shortest lifespan of all the aspects, and now it was Clair’s turn to be Love.
An interesting but not unique idea, but its implementation is very unique. We have all heard from various sources that the character’s emotion affects the power of the character, and you, Mrs. Mawson, have a unique view on that and have done a wonderful job of putting it to paper. Then the world-building had me imagining utopian and postapocalyptic settings with a dystopian society, and the relationships between the aspects felt natural.
If you look at the major sources for book reviews, you will find a mismatch of genres to describe the contents of this book. If you like sci-fi and fantasy, a bit of a mystery, a bit of LGBT, and a bit of dystopian society, then you may like this book. I give this telling five stars out of five stars.
An interesting but not unique idea, but its implementation is very unique. We have all heard from various sources that the character’s emotion affects the power of the character, and you, Mrs. Mawson, have a unique view on that and have done a wonderful job of putting it to paper. Then the world-building had me imagining utopian and postapocalyptic settings with a dystopian society, and the relationships between the aspects felt natural.
If you look at the major sources for book reviews, you will find a mismatch of genres to describe the contents of this book. If you like sci-fi and fantasy, a bit of a mystery, a bit of LGBT, and a bit of dystopian society, then you may like this book. I give this telling five stars out of five stars.
November 21, 2017
This book is set in a very far distant future where aliens called Rena have visited earth, billions have died from illness, and after the aliens left there were monsters left behind that were experiments made by them. The remaining humans live in walled cities while the creatures have the rest of the 'wastelands', and the humans are protected from the monsters by Aspects - special girls and boys with some Rena blood in their DNA who each represent some aspect of character (eg love, hate, serenity, justice, vengeance, loneliness etc) and manipulate that power to fight any creatures that are a danger to the humans.
This story tells of the recruitment of a new Aspect of Love following the death in battle of the previous one, her life before and what happens after. It's well-written and the characters really draw you into the action, even when they're just at the Tower, not fighting monsters. It's an excellent book and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy books, though with F/F love themes it wouldn't be suitable for the younger readers. I can't wait to read more of the series!
This story tells of the recruitment of a new Aspect of Love following the death in battle of the previous one, her life before and what happens after. It's well-written and the characters really draw you into the action, even when they're just at the Tower, not fighting monsters. It's an excellent book and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy books, though with F/F love themes it wouldn't be suitable for the younger readers. I can't wait to read more of the series!
May 16, 2021
The story was absolutely enchanting, and it transported me to this futuristic world with Rena and monsters, with Aspects and their dazzling powers...
The relationships in this were marvelous as well. Although the beginning felt a bit rushed, especially between Claire and Hate, it was an absolute delight to read and watch them figure out their relationship. But outside of Claire and Hate, I really enjoyed all the relationships that were developed. Whether with Empathy (what a reveal that was!) or with Justice, Serenity, Jealousy or anyone else, I felt Claire becoming grounded in this place.
The ending was wonderful, with just enough opening to be interested in a following book, but a good resolution that allows for a reader to be happy with the ending.
But I will have to say, I think my very favorite interaction is in the last chapter, between Love and Vengeance, is this one:
The relationships in this were marvelous as well. Although the beginning felt a bit rushed, especially between Claire and Hate, it was an absolute delight to read and watch them figure out their relationship. But outside of Claire and Hate, I really enjoyed all the relationships that were developed. Whether with Empathy (what a reveal that was!) or with Justice, Serenity, Jealousy or anyone else, I felt Claire becoming grounded in this place.
The ending was wonderful, with just enough opening to be interested in a following book, but a good resolution that allows for a reader to be happy with the ending.
But I will have to say, I think my very favorite interaction is in the last chapter, between Love and Vengeance, is this one:
"Exactly!" Love chipped in. "I have a much easier time finding words and I'm less likely to melt down. Sleepy is practically a service animal."
"It's a giant monster!" Vengeance exclaimed.
"So?"
"So, giant monsters can't be service animals!"
"Says who?"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2017
I loved finding another book by LC Mawson but with a different Aspect and characters to learn about
The main character has been orphaned at an early age and is still in her teens living in a home and enjoying ballet lessons as we first find her
Her bad dreams come to follow her into her waking hours as she is attacked along with her classmates in a school trip to the ice rink
Her she gets a glimpse of the Aspects - heroes with their faces covered - who help keep the city safe from the monsters she has only seen on news reports
The Aspects are just kids, recruited sometimes at a very young age, to help keep the city safe from these monsters - with names such as Love, Hate, Pain, Jealousy, Empathy, Vengeance, etc who are trained to use this Aspect of emotion to work to fight off the monsters together
Lots of main character development and action involving these monsters. The book moves along at a great pace
Just now waiting for the next in series - well worth reading !
The main character has been orphaned at an early age and is still in her teens living in a home and enjoying ballet lessons as we first find her
Her bad dreams come to follow her into her waking hours as she is attacked along with her classmates in a school trip to the ice rink
Her she gets a glimpse of the Aspects - heroes with their faces covered - who help keep the city safe from the monsters she has only seen on news reports
The Aspects are just kids, recruited sometimes at a very young age, to help keep the city safe from these monsters - with names such as Love, Hate, Pain, Jealousy, Empathy, Vengeance, etc who are trained to use this Aspect of emotion to work to fight off the monsters together
Lots of main character development and action involving these monsters. The book moves along at a great pace
Just now waiting for the next in series - well worth reading !
August 28, 2020
Love/Hate -a review by Rosemary Kenny
Claire has a fairly normal life as a 17 year old ballet fanatic and scholar, though being autistic she finds forming close relationships more difficult than most.
Sadly orphaned as a young child in a fatal accident that also, (she's later told) killed her younger sister Emily, she was unable to remember anything, quietly accepting her Mom's arrangements for her to study at an exclusive boarding school for girls.
Whom does she meet first at the school?
Why does an unusual visitor to the school change Claire's life completely?
Where does she meet Empathy, Hate and other special youngsters?
A riveting opener to the Aspects series by the amazing L.C. Mawson, Love/Hate is one of the most excitingly different F/F YA novels you'll read all year - get your copy today and prepare for a wild ride on a very unusual mode of transport!
Claire has a fairly normal life as a 17 year old ballet fanatic and scholar, though being autistic she finds forming close relationships more difficult than most.
Sadly orphaned as a young child in a fatal accident that also, (she's later told) killed her younger sister Emily, she was unable to remember anything, quietly accepting her Mom's arrangements for her to study at an exclusive boarding school for girls.
Whom does she meet first at the school?
Why does an unusual visitor to the school change Claire's life completely?
Where does she meet Empathy, Hate and other special youngsters?
A riveting opener to the Aspects series by the amazing L.C. Mawson, Love/Hate is one of the most excitingly different F/F YA novels you'll read all year - get your copy today and prepare for a wild ride on a very unusual mode of transport!
January 2, 2018
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
Claire has been on her own for a long time, and she has been happy that way. She doesn’t expect to find love or become the new Aspect of Love after the old one dies, but this is exactly what happens.
First, she falls in love with the Aspect of Hate, then she is recruited as the Aspect of love. Aspects fight the monsters from the wastes, and their names are the emotions that give them the power to fight. Therefore, since Claire is now an Aspect of Love and needs to feel love in order to have her powers, she must break up with Hate. Hate is the one who initiates it, but it still really hurts Claire. Now in a strange harsh place where she has to face the monsters who killed her mother daily, she must bond with the other grief-stricken team members, and fight for humanity.
Another amazing book with an autistic bi female main character. I love how LC Mawson includes everyone in her stories, people of different mental abilities, and people from different backgrounds. She even had a character in the story who would suffer from severe menstrual cramps, but still acted as a hero. All of this really makes anyone who reads this novel feel included.
My favorite part of this novel was seeing Claire’s relationship with the other Aspects grow. Even though Serenity lost the love of her life when the former Love passed away, she never took it out on Claire/the current Love. Everyone was accepting and supportive of each other, which I really appreciated.
Claire has been on her own for a long time, and she has been happy that way. She doesn’t expect to find love or become the new Aspect of Love after the old one dies, but this is exactly what happens.
First, she falls in love with the Aspect of Hate, then she is recruited as the Aspect of love. Aspects fight the monsters from the wastes, and their names are the emotions that give them the power to fight. Therefore, since Claire is now an Aspect of Love and needs to feel love in order to have her powers, she must break up with Hate. Hate is the one who initiates it, but it still really hurts Claire. Now in a strange harsh place where she has to face the monsters who killed her mother daily, she must bond with the other grief-stricken team members, and fight for humanity.
Another amazing book with an autistic bi female main character. I love how LC Mawson includes everyone in her stories, people of different mental abilities, and people from different backgrounds. She even had a character in the story who would suffer from severe menstrual cramps, but still acted as a hero. All of this really makes anyone who reads this novel feel included.
My favorite part of this novel was seeing Claire’s relationship with the other Aspects grow. Even though Serenity lost the love of her life when the former Love passed away, she never took it out on Claire/the current Love. Everyone was accepting and supportive of each other, which I really appreciated.
January 19, 2018
This is an interesting take on the "magical person" trope. I enjoyed it for the most part, and thought that the characters had enough time to fill out as people. I was worried that they were the embodiment of their "aspects" so they would be stuck into those archetypes, but it didn't happen. Hate was definitely on the broody side, but there was enough depth to her that made her a nice foil for our main character, Love/Claire. Empathy is a shape-shifter who changes into the person she's connected to.
The only downfall is that there wasn't a lot for them to do, an the world was not as well developed as I would have liked. Hopefully the author can really dig into it in the second book.
The only downfall is that there wasn't a lot for them to do, an the world was not as well developed as I would have liked. Hopefully the author can really dig into it in the second book.
August 30, 2020
An innovative and inclusive author!
I continue to be amazed at L.C. Mawson’s imagination! I LOVED the Ember Academy series and this is another unexpected surprise. What some would consider “atypical” becomes typical in this world. There is no “normal”. The characters are richly drawn, complex, and relatable. Our main powerful character is Claire, who is an unexpected Aspect and needs to transform into a warrior and protector. There is even a bit of humor thrown in to keep you engaged. The worldbuilding is intense and will keep you guessing. If you’re up to a challenge, this is the series for you!
I continue to be amazed at L.C. Mawson’s imagination! I LOVED the Ember Academy series and this is another unexpected surprise. What some would consider “atypical” becomes typical in this world. There is no “normal”. The characters are richly drawn, complex, and relatable. Our main powerful character is Claire, who is an unexpected Aspect and needs to transform into a warrior and protector. There is even a bit of humor thrown in to keep you engaged. The worldbuilding is intense and will keep you guessing. If you’re up to a challenge, this is the series for you!
October 9, 2017
I picked this one up on a whim, and I definitely didn't regret it. With highly original world-building and loads of diverse characters, this sci-fi action romance really made me smile and kept me reading.
My only criticism is that, with a large team of characters, the level of development was somewhat uneven, making some of the less important cast members fairly forgettable. However, the story made up for that with really strong development for the main character, whose growth over the story was well-paced and believable.
I'm definitely going to be checking out the sequel.
My only criticism is that, with a large team of characters, the level of development was somewhat uneven, making some of the less important cast members fairly forgettable. However, the story made up for that with really strong development for the main character, whose growth over the story was well-paced and believable.
I'm definitely going to be checking out the sequel.
August 2, 2018
Story-wise, I really liked this book. I loved the diversity of the characters, and the way their powers work was fascinating. There was a good balance between the relationship between Love and Hate, and the monster problem. That said, there were some confusing sentences, and parts that weren't written very clearly. I also found the ending to be a bit unsatisfying. The end battle resolved too quickly, so it felt like something was missing. But overall, it's a good read, especially for anyone who's sick of reading about straight couples in dystopian fiction.
December 20, 2018
I liked the story, but it seems odd to me that so many of the characters are autistic. Is there something about being on the spectrum that makes a person more prone to be an Aspect? Or maybe this alien species is more prone to autistic type characteristics. Maybe this is something that will be addressed later in the series, but I don't think I enjoyed Love/Hate enough to read the next book. The story was too disjointed, and there wasn't enough world building. I ended the book no clue if the aliens were good guys or bad guys. I just need more information to lure me into the sequel.
June 29, 2021
I got this as a free ebook from Amazon as I have read a few of the authors FF stories and... well... it was free. Not normally a book I would buy as I am not a fan of dystopian novels. Just to say I was prepared to not like it but I was pleasantly surprised. Interesting storyline and a cute little backstory between Love and Hate.
Maybe I will read #2 in the future, I enjoyed the book but not enough that I will rush out and buy the sequel. I have too many to read on my list before this one - including some of the authors.
Maybe I will read #2 in the future, I enjoyed the book but not enough that I will rush out and buy the sequel. I have too many to read on my list before this one - including some of the authors.
September 22, 2017
Love, Hate, Vengeance, Serenity, Justice, Empathy, Pain, all Aspects, all half bloods. They fight to protect human life from the monsters. As one dies another is chosen. They don't come into their powers immediately but then they need to be trained. This new series is going to be as much fun as the Freya Snow stories which are among my favorites. I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
September 26, 2017
Love/Hate is a really neat book with a wonderful leading character in Claire, and a great story concept in the half-blood Aspects who protect against the monsters in the wastes. LC Mawson is a really great author. I've long been a fan of her wonderful "Snowverse" novels, so I was very excited to see a new series from her. Based on this volume 1, with its wonderful characters, plot and world-building, I'm comfortable that she's done it again.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 15, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book. I am giving it 4.5 stars here, and the half star is only because from the start this story seems to make sense, then gets a little confusing when the Aspects first make an appearance. However, things all fall into place as the story progresses, and I found this an enjoyable book to read. If you are a fan of YA based space/sci-fi tales, you will definitely find this book appealing.
November 15, 2017
I enjoyed this book a lot. There was a lot of diversity to the cast but at the same time that didn’t dictate the whole story. Overall, the characters were well developed and while the protagonist was Autistic, she didn’t let that stop her and the whole story wasn’t just about her being autistic and other characters learning how to deal with it. It was a part of her, and while it did affect the story in some ways. It wasn’t the whole story. The world was also well developed and unique.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2017
Two hundred years ago the Rena conquered Earth (Well, not so much conquered as took over ignoring the creatures already here.) and released the various monsters who prey upon the few remaining humans. This series is about some of those fighting back. Interesting characters and not too graphic action.
I read this for free on Kindle and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
I read this for free on Kindle and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
November 8, 2018
She had been on her own for so long so she did not expect to fall in love let alone with her. Now she is given a job as a warrior which she did not expect either. Now they are saying her life is banned but the love makes her powers better. What is she going to do? See what will happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this story. It is very heartfelt. The author knows how to write a interesting story. I recommend it. Have a great day.
June 1, 2018
Good story. Claire (Love), Hate, and the other characters are great. But, Earth is not a fun place.
November 15, 2017
L.C. Mawson does it again.A different series not related to previous books but just as enjoyable.
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