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Gatherers #1
Hunting Julian
As an Advocate for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen--women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he's encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate.
For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice--between abandoning the life she's always known and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.
For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice--between abandoning the life she's always known and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.
332 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 15, 2009
33 people are currently reading
1861 people want to read
About the author
Jacquelyn Frank
85 books3,427 followersI live in Asheville NC and have written a book...or two...or is it ten?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
July 30, 2015
This is probably the most unromantic book I've read this year. There was just so much fighting between the characters and through most of the book, the heroine treated the hero like she didn't give a flying f*ck about him, trampling on his feelings when the guy obviously felt a deep connection with her. Not that I blame her, because being kidnapped and taken into a horrible world with very strict laws for the purpose of feeding people with her energy would have made me batty as well. I understand why she was so bitter and angry but it didn't make for a great romance.
This woman kept saying how she wasn't into relationships or feelings and she was so disconnected that she came out as a bit of a sociopath (in the sense that she didn't seem to care much.) It always amazes me in romance when supposedly strong women are not willing to risk their heart in a relationship or at least give it a shot. She kept giving the guy the stiff arm without even trying to figure out if she could feel something for him. And before you ask, it wasn't as if she had had a troubled relationship in the past that didn't allow her to get close, she just seemed to be more of a selfish jerk.
Xe Sands did a good job with the narration although the hero sounded like he was in pain - he was sometimes but not always like he was portrayed. I'll listen to another one of her books though because I like how easy her style flows.
This is the second book I've read by Jacquelyn Frank and I haven't loved any of them so I think this is it for me. Unless a book by her comes with glowing recommendations, I won't be reading her again.
This woman kept saying how she wasn't into relationships or feelings and she was so disconnected that she came out as a bit of a sociopath (in the sense that she didn't seem to care much.) It always amazes me in romance when supposedly strong women are not willing to risk their heart in a relationship or at least give it a shot. She kept giving the guy the stiff arm without even trying to figure out if she could feel something for him. And before you ask, it wasn't as if she had had a troubled relationship in the past that didn't allow her to get close, she just seemed to be more of a selfish jerk.
Xe Sands did a good job with the narration although the hero sounded like he was in pain - he was sometimes but not always like he was portrayed. I'll listen to another one of her books though because I like how easy her style flows.
This is the second book I've read by Jacquelyn Frank and I haven't loved any of them so I think this is it for me. Unless a book by her comes with glowing recommendations, I won't be reading her again.
October 16, 2011
This book is around 250 pages long. Not exactly sure on the number because of the way my Sony Reader figures page count... but my point is that it isn't a super long book.
I only gave the book 3 stars because I got really sick and tired of Asia's attitude and inability to view herself as the type of woman who could or would even want to have a relationship. Ms. Frank did a great job of conveying this as an issue for Asia and I was even able to logically relate, though where all her mistrust of men and love came from she never explains. We all know how frustrating it is when an author has a character do an about-face to quickly, well Asia was the pendulum in the opposite extreme. After a while she just annoyed me with her complete inability to feel emotions other than frustration, anger, injustice, and lust. Also her ability to compartmentalize sex isn't, I believe, a natural nor healthy ability in a woman. This really stunted her and hardened her which I too feel is the result of women treating sex this way. However Ms. Frank wrote this aspect in a way that left me wondering what her own feelings were on the matter. Asia would describe this as a forward thinking thing to Julian and coupled it with a refusal to sit around and "just be pretty". But in my opinion these are 2 very separate women's rights issues and have vastly different fallout in our lives. I was not left feeling that Asia was a strong, able woman at all. I was left irritated at her bullheadedness, feeling a complete lack of connection to her as a female character representing women's ability to know oneself. When she finally realized she did have emotions/feelings for Julian (in like the last 20 pages of the book) Ms. Frank had done such an excellent job at portraying her as unfeeling I had a hard time buying into her acceptance of love.
I went straight into the second book in the series, Stealing Kathryn and yet as I sit down to write both reviews I still feel frustrated with Asia.
I only gave the book 3 stars because I got really sick and tired of Asia's attitude and inability to view herself as the type of woman who could or would even want to have a relationship. Ms. Frank did a great job of conveying this as an issue for Asia and I was even able to logically relate, though where all her mistrust of men and love came from she never explains. We all know how frustrating it is when an author has a character do an about-face to quickly, well Asia was the pendulum in the opposite extreme. After a while she just annoyed me with her complete inability to feel emotions other than frustration, anger, injustice, and lust. Also her ability to compartmentalize sex isn't, I believe, a natural nor healthy ability in a woman. This really stunted her and hardened her which I too feel is the result of women treating sex this way. However Ms. Frank wrote this aspect in a way that left me wondering what her own feelings were on the matter. Asia would describe this as a forward thinking thing to Julian and coupled it with a refusal to sit around and "just be pretty". But in my opinion these are 2 very separate women's rights issues and have vastly different fallout in our lives. I was not left feeling that Asia was a strong, able woman at all. I was left irritated at her bullheadedness, feeling a complete lack of connection to her as a female character representing women's ability to know oneself. When she finally realized she did have emotions/feelings for Julian (in like the last 20 pages of the book) Ms. Frank had done such an excellent job at portraying her as unfeeling I had a hard time buying into her acceptance of love.
I went straight into the second book in the series, Stealing Kathryn and yet as I sit down to write both reviews I still feel frustrated with Asia.
December 27, 2009
"Hunting Julian" by Jacquelyn Frank was an emotion driven paranormal romance between a human woman and a being from a different cosmic plane. It had all of the writing skills Ms. Frank is renowned for, but I found the story a little rushed and lacking of passion between both of the main characters.
Asia Callahan is a bounty hunter who believes her baby sister has been kidnapped and possibly killed by Julian Sawyer, an attractive gigolo who was the last person to see Kenya alive as well as twelve other missing women. Asia decides to set a trap for Julian using herself as bait to find out once and for all what happened to Kenya. Only Asia doesn't realize that Julian is far more than just man, and she quickly learns that she is in over her head when it comes to Julian and not just her life is at risk but her heart is in jeopardy as well.
I have to start by saying that I did like the overall premise of the book, and the story as well. I enjoyed the characters, both the main and the side characters, as well as the world building that went on throughout this first installment of The Gatherers series. That being said, I felt like the story between Julian and Asia was a bit rushed. Everything happened all at once, and only toward the end of the book did the story kind of slowed down a bit. I also thought that the "passion" between the two was lacking. The sex scenes were good, just graphic enough without being overwhelming, but the two characters almost didn't really mesh well together. I'm thinking that was the point Ms. Frank was trying to make, but I just feel like they were trying to come together and they really just didn't, in my opinion anyway. I did like the book overall, and I did find the synopsis for "Stealing Kathryn" very interesting and will continue on in this series to see where it progresses.
Asia Callahan is a bounty hunter who believes her baby sister has been kidnapped and possibly killed by Julian Sawyer, an attractive gigolo who was the last person to see Kenya alive as well as twelve other missing women. Asia decides to set a trap for Julian using herself as bait to find out once and for all what happened to Kenya. Only Asia doesn't realize that Julian is far more than just man, and she quickly learns that she is in over her head when it comes to Julian and not just her life is at risk but her heart is in jeopardy as well.
I have to start by saying that I did like the overall premise of the book, and the story as well. I enjoyed the characters, both the main and the side characters, as well as the world building that went on throughout this first installment of The Gatherers series. That being said, I felt like the story between Julian and Asia was a bit rushed. Everything happened all at once, and only toward the end of the book did the story kind of slowed down a bit. I also thought that the "passion" between the two was lacking. The sex scenes were good, just graphic enough without being overwhelming, but the two characters almost didn't really mesh well together. I'm thinking that was the point Ms. Frank was trying to make, but I just feel like they were trying to come together and they really just didn't, in my opinion anyway. I did like the book overall, and I did find the synopsis for "Stealing Kathryn" very interesting and will continue on in this series to see where it progresses.
August 30, 2010
Before I start with my review of Ms. Frank's HUNTING JULIAN let me say that I've read 'Jacob' (***) and liked it. One of my daughters read the entire series and enjoyed all of the books. I am always looking for that elusive paranormal romance that will draw me in and take me away for a few hours.
The setting was interesting: The Beneath (below the Earth). Most of the inhabitants looked like humans but were aliens. The men needed human women for their gifts of reproduction and energy. A plague had invaded their world years before and left their women decimated. It fed off the hormone estrogen and with less children being born their society was dying. Eventually the ratio of men to women was 200:1. Hmmm...pretty good, right?
Julian is a gatherer and his job is to find the human women who can help support his world. The women who go to The Beneath choose to voluntarily. One of the main ways the women 'give' this world their energy is by having sex. When Julian meets Asia (a modern-day bounty hunter) he realizes she is his life mate and kidnaps her. When she arrives at The Beneath she finds she cannot go back without complications. There is more to the story but I won't reveal anything because I'll give it all away.
As to the one star rating: I didn't find the heroine, Asia, likeable. Though I knew she was written as a strong female I bristled at most of her behavior. She continually used strong profanity. If this doesn't bother you than you shouldn't have a problem reading the book.
I accepted Julian's behavior because he was an alien and I knew he meant well. Though he lived on Earth for some time he grew up on The Beneath and tried to acclimate Asia to his world. What I did have a problem with was the plot. Most of the time Julian and Asia fought. I have no problem with a romance and tension between the main characters but the storyline was fickle and didn't make sense sometimes. I also struggled with some secondary characters and their personalities. While this scenario contained a portion of romance and action it eventually suffered due to a lack of a coherent story.
This book is the first in a series; STEALING KATHRYN was released in April, 2010 and Ms. Frank did a good job creating a world that could be believable. Let me reiterate the word COULD. We'll see what happens. Hopefully future books will earn more stars then this one did.
The setting was interesting: The Beneath (below the Earth). Most of the inhabitants looked like humans but were aliens. The men needed human women for their gifts of reproduction and energy. A plague had invaded their world years before and left their women decimated. It fed off the hormone estrogen and with less children being born their society was dying. Eventually the ratio of men to women was 200:1. Hmmm...pretty good, right?
Julian is a gatherer and his job is to find the human women who can help support his world. The women who go to The Beneath choose to voluntarily. One of the main ways the women 'give' this world their energy is by having sex. When Julian meets Asia (a modern-day bounty hunter) he realizes she is his life mate and kidnaps her. When she arrives at The Beneath she finds she cannot go back without complications. There is more to the story but I won't reveal anything because I'll give it all away.
As to the one star rating: I didn't find the heroine, Asia, likeable. Though I knew she was written as a strong female I bristled at most of her behavior. She continually used strong profanity. If this doesn't bother you than you shouldn't have a problem reading the book.
I accepted Julian's behavior because he was an alien and I knew he meant well. Though he lived on Earth for some time he grew up on The Beneath and tried to acclimate Asia to his world. What I did have a problem with was the plot. Most of the time Julian and Asia fought. I have no problem with a romance and tension between the main characters but the storyline was fickle and didn't make sense sometimes. I also struggled with some secondary characters and their personalities. While this scenario contained a portion of romance and action it eventually suffered due to a lack of a coherent story.
This book is the first in a series; STEALING KATHRYN was released in April, 2010 and Ms. Frank did a good job creating a world that could be believable. Let me reiterate the word COULD. We'll see what happens. Hopefully future books will earn more stars then this one did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2010
Okay this book was stinky. I didn't like Asia much at all. She whined and complained the whole book. Even though Julian tried to let her know he had no choice but to kidnap her and that she was saving people, even after they had sex and she saw all these peopled healed she just let them sick all over again because she didn't wanted people to tell her what to do. Is she like 13? And then the sex healing thing, totally absurd and I'm willing to believe almost anything with the PNR books. If she has an orgasm, hers are so strong that the energy feeds everyone on the plane of existence. What? They've brought human women over before but her orgasms are so strong that people become solid again? Even the villains - why exactly were they so angry? I really couldn't figure that one out. I liked Julian, I couldn't stand Asia. By the end of the book I felt so sorry for Julian. He had apologize for expecting her to want to save his people when everyone knows she doesn't like people telling her what to do and why couldn't Julian remember that when he watched people dying in the hospital. So he apologized and she accepted his apology. Give me a break. I liked Frank's other books but this one was pretty bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2010
Aaargh! Ugh. The book was good. It didn't have elements of greatness or anything, but it was good, enjoyable reading, with a fast and entertaining plot. Here's the problem, and the reason for the frustration. Asia. The heroine. Anybody read the Brothers of Destiny? Remember Kelly? Aaargh. By the end of the book I absolutely hated Kelly - I mean Asia. At one point Julian got fed up and let her have it. Don't think I wasn't cheering my ass off. I was actully hoping he'd give her a good - and I mean good - slap while he was at it. (And I volunteer at a women's shelter so you know it must be bad). Asia just becomes progressively worse and more and more unlikeable. Why the 4 stars? I like the world. I like Julian and the other characters. The people are flawed but want better for themselves and their world. Hopefully the next book will have a better heroine. Why authors need to produce such unlikeable heroines is beyond me.
April 25, 2014
The worldbuilding is quite interesting and original, even if some things made me wince, like the sentence for women who break the law. But I didn't really care about the characters.
Okay, I understand the irritation of the heroine in front of her abduction and the reasons behind it, and the fact that her sister was gone without warning. But I think she is for too long narrow-minded and resentful without wanting to really understand what is happening around her. And she repeats the same arguments over and over again. As for the hero, I found him not so strong in front of her, more like a doormat in spite of all his muscles and responsibilities, and I'm tired of predestined mates with lust at first sight.
Edit: I forgot another annoying thing with the heroine: she's told not to do some things because it's dangerous, but she doesn't listen because she's an adult and nobody can tell her what to do....
Okay, I understand the irritation of the heroine in front of her abduction and the reasons behind it, and the fact that her sister was gone without warning. But I think she is for too long narrow-minded and resentful without wanting to really understand what is happening around her. And she repeats the same arguments over and over again. As for the hero, I found him not so strong in front of her, more like a doormat in spite of all his muscles and responsibilities, and I'm tired of predestined mates with lust at first sight.
Edit: I forgot another annoying thing with the heroine: she's told not to do some things because it's dangerous, but she doesn't listen because she's an adult and nobody can tell her what to do....
April 17, 2017
Set in an alternate/parallel universe, Hunting Julian could have been a very good novel. The worldbuilding was very Frank-ish, which – for those who haven't read anything by her yet – means absolutely brilliant. I love what she comes up with. Demons who aren't demons at all, Shadowdwellers or in this case aliens, who need emotions to live, but can't produce enough on their own without weakening themselves.
Julian is one of the guys who travel to earth and search for women who have enough energy. But the blurb says as much, I think.
Although the whole setting is very powerful, and the book got much better in the middle, the statements, personalities and predictable plot don't justify a better rating than the one I'm giving Hunting Julian.
The plot, well- Julian found one of the Chosen in the sister of the heroine, Asia, and took her with him. Since Asia saw him and her sister together and supposed that he took her with him (or killed her) she's trying to get proof and find her sister (alive).
Anyways, she's one of the Chosen too and his kindra. Which is the alien version of a mate.
Mate..
He takes her with him after forcing her to climax (yay, rape!) and when he arrives at his place (another planet/world/universe) the reader is told that he had a companion for 16 years. Also she's been in love with him ever sine OR for at least a very long time. It's actually implied -although later he explains that it isn't the case- that it's her job to be with him (in every way), which is really nice. Anyway, she then says that Asia knows nothing of him, while she (Ariel, the companion) does and that she loves him and desires him and blah. He, then says that if she loved him, she wouldn't be so selfish.
She wouldn't be so selfish.
Selfish.
Selfish.
SELFISH?
I know what they mean, but seriously? SERIOUSLY?
sdlöfawerksdfpöoweh,lKN!I!!!!
She is in love with you, how can you be THAT cruel, while selfrightously telling yourself how you hate to hurt her and how you want to do it the right way and really, you're actually convinced that you're the good guy? Really?
Also, how subtle a way to introduce someone who could be a 'villain' later. Yay. -_-'
There were several things the reader is told much too late which makes it hard to start liking the hero. While I'm a strong believer of some theories that say that free will is an illusion*, in this book even the illusion of a choice has been taken from the heroine. This and some other things made me very uncomfortable and unforgiving.
Another problem, as I've said above, is the mating bond. There are mating bonds where the couple form the bond because they love eachother. In Frank's books it's the other way around - People falling in loce cause they are mates. The whole plot is based on the fact that Asia is Julian's mate and while I tried to ignore it, it wasn't possible.
Something good was that he later noticed that he shouldn't try to change her. In many books the heroine is, e.g. jaded or always wants to be in control. The following actions in the book imply that this is a bad thing and that the heroine is just too shy or insecure to let herself go. Whereas in Hunting Julian it's said that it's part of her personality and shouldn't be taken away from her as if it's something bad.
While I loved this part - and I really did - the statement and the behaviour of the characters didn't go hand in hand all the time, which is a shame.
Asia and Julian were okay, but I didn't really care about them, and as I've said the plot was very predictable. Joined this makes for a boring read. And most of the times it was. Add the friggin mating-bond-shit and you probably get why I didn't like this novel as much as I had hoped for. I'm not a mating-bond fan, because fate and free will don't work together in my book. The typical paranormal romance elemnts destroyed the charme of this installment and the definitely awesome idea behind the series.
I will read the sequels, though, because I'm hoping for something less fate-ish. Frank is one of the authors I tend to pick up books from when I'm in one of my moods and until now I haven't DNFed any of her novels, which should say something, considering what a picky reader I am, lately. ; )
If you haven't read anything written by her, I wouldn't start with Hunting Julian, but she's not a bad author either if you're looking for PNR. :)
* I'm not saying that you can't choose, I'm saying that although you have a choice it's actually clear from the beginning what you'll choose based on your life experience, personality etc. . It's got nothing to do with fate, but with logical assumptions. There's always a reason for your choices and if someone knew you and knew everything about you, they'd be able to tell what you'll choose. Much like the butterfly-effect this means that every choice influences all the people around you, some people even go that far to say that our whole life is planned before we are even born. Consciously we don't know which path we'll take - otherwise all our contemplating crap wouldn't make sense - but in the end our stories are already written.
The difference here is that Julian and his people talk about fate and they also robbed her of the choice to continue living like she's used to or go with them. - Of course, in her case they didn't see what else to do, but it's still something that bothered me and brought out my 16 yrs old self screaming: "That ain't fair!"
Julian is one of the guys who travel to earth and search for women who have enough energy. But the blurb says as much, I think.
Although the whole setting is very powerful, and the book got much better in the middle, the statements, personalities and predictable plot don't justify a better rating than the one I'm giving Hunting Julian.
The plot, well- Julian found one of the Chosen in the sister of the heroine, Asia, and took her with him. Since Asia saw him and her sister together and supposed that he took her with him (or killed her) she's trying to get proof and find her sister (alive).
Anyways, she's one of the Chosen too and his kindra. Which is the alien version of a mate.
Mate..
He takes her with him after forcing her to climax (yay, rape!) and when he arrives at his place (another planet/world/universe) the reader is told that he had a companion for 16 years. Also she's been in love with him ever sine OR for at least a very long time. It's actually implied -although later he explains that it isn't the case- that it's her job to be with him (in every way), which is really nice. Anyway, she then says that Asia knows nothing of him, while she (Ariel, the companion) does and that she loves him and desires him and blah. He, then says that if she loved him, she wouldn't be so selfish.
She wouldn't be so selfish.
Selfish.
Selfish.
SELFISH?
I know what they mean, but seriously? SERIOUSLY?
sdlöfawerksdfpöoweh,lKN!I!!!!
She is in love with you, how can you be THAT cruel, while selfrightously telling yourself how you hate to hurt her and how you want to do it the right way and really, you're actually convinced that you're the good guy? Really?
Also, how subtle a way to introduce someone who could be a 'villain' later. Yay. -_-'
There were several things the reader is told much too late which makes it hard to start liking the hero. While I'm a strong believer of some theories that say that free will is an illusion*, in this book even the illusion of a choice has been taken from the heroine. This and some other things made me very uncomfortable and unforgiving.
Another problem, as I've said above, is the mating bond. There are mating bonds where the couple form the bond because they love eachother. In Frank's books it's the other way around - People falling in loce cause they are mates. The whole plot is based on the fact that Asia is Julian's mate and while I tried to ignore it, it wasn't possible.
Something good was that he later noticed that he shouldn't try to change her. In many books the heroine is, e.g. jaded or always wants to be in control. The following actions in the book imply that this is a bad thing and that the heroine is just too shy or insecure to let herself go. Whereas in Hunting Julian it's said that it's part of her personality and shouldn't be taken away from her as if it's something bad.
While I loved this part - and I really did - the statement and the behaviour of the characters didn't go hand in hand all the time, which is a shame.
Asia and Julian were okay, but I didn't really care about them, and as I've said the plot was very predictable. Joined this makes for a boring read. And most of the times it was. Add the friggin mating-bond-shit and you probably get why I didn't like this novel as much as I had hoped for. I'm not a mating-bond fan, because fate and free will don't work together in my book. The typical paranormal romance elemnts destroyed the charme of this installment and the definitely awesome idea behind the series.
I will read the sequels, though, because I'm hoping for something less fate-ish. Frank is one of the authors I tend to pick up books from when I'm in one of my moods and until now I haven't DNFed any of her novels, which should say something, considering what a picky reader I am, lately. ; )
If you haven't read anything written by her, I wouldn't start with Hunting Julian, but she's not a bad author either if you're looking for PNR. :)
* I'm not saying that you can't choose, I'm saying that although you have a choice it's actually clear from the beginning what you'll choose based on your life experience, personality etc. . It's got nothing to do with fate, but with logical assumptions. There's always a reason for your choices and if someone knew you and knew everything about you, they'd be able to tell what you'll choose. Much like the butterfly-effect this means that every choice influences all the people around you, some people even go that far to say that our whole life is planned before we are even born. Consciously we don't know which path we'll take - otherwise all our contemplating crap wouldn't make sense - but in the end our stories are already written.
The difference here is that Julian and his people talk about fate and they also robbed her of the choice to continue living like she's used to or go with them. - Of course, in her case they didn't see what else to do, but it's still something that bothered me and brought out my 16 yrs old self screaming: "That ain't fair!"
April 11, 2010
As a huge fan of this author's Nightwalker and Shadowwalker series, I was beyond excited to discover that there was a new series coming out. I love the language use, characters, worldbuilding, and details from those books, so I figured I would get more of the same in this new series. While there are plenty of elements here that are definitely unique, overall I felt the finished product of the book lacked a little of the panache of the other two sets of novels.
First though, I will give props to this author for introducing a landscape to paranormal romance that I can safely say I've never encountered before. In this world, you have to visualize the universe as a gigantic piece of tiramisu. Earth as we know constitutes one of the layers, say, the top one, and allllll the way at the bottom is Below, where Julian is from. The beings that inhabit Below are just like regular people in every way except that they live off of energy instead of food, and can't produce the energy themselves. There are also virtually no women in this world, as they were all killed off by a plague. In order to keep Below going, Gatherers, like Julian, have to go to Earth to find women who can produce energy in enough quantities to sustain Below through either their strong emotions or their sexual energy.
Asia reacts to all this pretty much as I think any of us would, that being with a big, fat WTF. Asia is kind of a ball buster throughout the entire book, and while I certainly don't mind kickass heroines who aren't going to just accept any load of crap the hero decides to dish out, I found her to be kind of tiresome after awhile. Since the main tension of the story revolves around the developing relationship between Julian and Asia and whether or not she will accept a place in Julian's society, this puts the tone of the book in kind of a pickle. But, I'll get to that in a minute.
The description of the setting and the unique rules of the world of Below were my favorite parts of the novel by far. I was reminded of really vivid sci-fi or fantasy novels where the worldbuilding takes center stage. In that way, this book totally lived up to my expectations.
When it comes to the characters and the interactions between them, though, that's kind of a different story. Not to mince words, but I thought the premise of needing to kidnap women so that they can have as much sex as they want because the energy that's produced from all that sexin' is what powers and feeds this society to be about as sexy as a rubber porkchop. Julian's position is that women in this society are revered and honored and that, as far as lives go, it's not a bad one, is kind of undermined by the fact that around every corner lurks someone who wants to see Asia take a dirt nap in a big hurry. And, when Asia doesn't take too well to not only being snatched out of her life where, although it was a lonely existance, it was one that she'd created for herself, she's accused of being selfish and mean-spirited! Sorry, but I don't see "let's have sex so we can save the lives of orphans" catching on as a pickup line any time soon.
The finale of the book, where Julian and Asia finally accept their relationship and look forward to a happy life together, was a little....bland, to be honest. I thought it was kind of rushed in order to make room for the setup for the next novel, and left open a kind of obvious plot hole: if these two screwing like rabbits produces enough energy to feed the entire colony, why do we need any more Gatherers or novels? I'm just asking.
For all that, I find myself intrigued to find out what happens next in this series. The next book, Stealing Kathryn, is out soon, and I'll probably read it, although I might opt for a copy from the library this time.
Overall Grade: B-
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
First though, I will give props to this author for introducing a landscape to paranormal romance that I can safely say I've never encountered before. In this world, you have to visualize the universe as a gigantic piece of tiramisu. Earth as we know constitutes one of the layers, say, the top one, and allllll the way at the bottom is Below, where Julian is from. The beings that inhabit Below are just like regular people in every way except that they live off of energy instead of food, and can't produce the energy themselves. There are also virtually no women in this world, as they were all killed off by a plague. In order to keep Below going, Gatherers, like Julian, have to go to Earth to find women who can produce energy in enough quantities to sustain Below through either their strong emotions or their sexual energy.
Asia reacts to all this pretty much as I think any of us would, that being with a big, fat WTF. Asia is kind of a ball buster throughout the entire book, and while I certainly don't mind kickass heroines who aren't going to just accept any load of crap the hero decides to dish out, I found her to be kind of tiresome after awhile. Since the main tension of the story revolves around the developing relationship between Julian and Asia and whether or not she will accept a place in Julian's society, this puts the tone of the book in kind of a pickle. But, I'll get to that in a minute.
The description of the setting and the unique rules of the world of Below were my favorite parts of the novel by far. I was reminded of really vivid sci-fi or fantasy novels where the worldbuilding takes center stage. In that way, this book totally lived up to my expectations.
When it comes to the characters and the interactions between them, though, that's kind of a different story. Not to mince words, but I thought the premise of needing to kidnap women so that they can have as much sex as they want because the energy that's produced from all that sexin' is what powers and feeds this society to be about as sexy as a rubber porkchop. Julian's position is that women in this society are revered and honored and that, as far as lives go, it's not a bad one, is kind of undermined by the fact that around every corner lurks someone who wants to see Asia take a dirt nap in a big hurry. And, when Asia doesn't take too well to not only being snatched out of her life where, although it was a lonely existance, it was one that she'd created for herself, she's accused of being selfish and mean-spirited! Sorry, but I don't see "let's have sex so we can save the lives of orphans" catching on as a pickup line any time soon.
The finale of the book, where Julian and Asia finally accept their relationship and look forward to a happy life together, was a little....bland, to be honest. I thought it was kind of rushed in order to make room for the setup for the next novel, and left open a kind of obvious plot hole: if these two screwing like rabbits produces enough energy to feed the entire colony, why do we need any more Gatherers or novels? I'm just asking.
For all that, I find myself intrigued to find out what happens next in this series. The next book, Stealing Kathryn, is out soon, and I'll probably read it, although I might opt for a copy from the library this time.
Overall Grade: B-
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October 5, 2013
This book is a signature Frank novel in that the construction of the story and world in which it is set in is unique and clever. Imagine a place that exists along side of our world in which strong emotional feelings can be harvested and used as fuel for a humanoid species. Sexual release or rage can be used as energy for an entire village if it can be harvested correctly and this is what our main character, Julian, does. He is a Gatherer.
There is a lot to like in this story. Julian is a selfless male, serving his starving colony by gathering energy from human females. Asia is a prickly, rough and tough female who doesn't take crap from anyone. Put them together and see anger rise, tensions build-up, and sparks fly. These two characters start off on the wrong foot and it will take time to ease the mistrust and skepticism between them. I know many readers have commented about how Asia annoyed them with her brutish attitude towards Julian and normally that would annoy me too, but in this case, I believe she was justified in her feelings and actions. There are also some interesting characters that make you want the series to continue so you can learn more about them. However, I believe this series only has two books out and no more are in the pipelines. So after reading both books and jonesing for more, I suggest Frank's Nightwalker series, if you haven't read them already.
I gave this book a three star because it did fall short in a few places. The villains in this story are ruthless, but their actions seemed more out of a selfish and misguided nature rather than pure evil as compared to Frank's other novels. Also, the story moved quickly even though the characters and the world building needed time to truly flourish and in a 5hr and 15min audiobook (roughly 200+ pages) it was difficult to get the full impact of what Frank intended. The ending was also rushed, IMO, ending in a way that was more convenient rather than insightful.
Narration
Narrator: Xe Sands
Performance: 4/5
Speed: 1.5x
Sands reads for the majority of Frank's novels, if not all of them. You have to get used to her voice especially when she reads for female characters because she tends to sound broken when she does a distressing scene. It sounds almost whiny and quivering which can be really annoying and hard to understand what is being said. I gave her a higher rating because she has improved. In other recordings, she would not only have that quivering voice, but she would drop her tone down and then have it rise abruptly which would be painful to my eardrums. Now she keeps her tone consistent which is helpful.
There is a lot to like in this story. Julian is a selfless male, serving his starving colony by gathering energy from human females. Asia is a prickly, rough and tough female who doesn't take crap from anyone. Put them together and see anger rise, tensions build-up, and sparks fly. These two characters start off on the wrong foot and it will take time to ease the mistrust and skepticism between them. I know many readers have commented about how Asia annoyed them with her brutish attitude towards Julian and normally that would annoy me too, but in this case, I believe she was justified in her feelings and actions. There are also some interesting characters that make you want the series to continue so you can learn more about them. However, I believe this series only has two books out and no more are in the pipelines. So after reading both books and jonesing for more, I suggest Frank's Nightwalker series, if you haven't read them already.
I gave this book a three star because it did fall short in a few places. The villains in this story are ruthless, but their actions seemed more out of a selfish and misguided nature rather than pure evil as compared to Frank's other novels. Also, the story moved quickly even though the characters and the world building needed time to truly flourish and in a 5hr and 15min audiobook (roughly 200+ pages) it was difficult to get the full impact of what Frank intended. The ending was also rushed, IMO, ending in a way that was more convenient rather than insightful.
Narration
Narrator: Xe Sands
Performance: 4/5
Speed: 1.5x
Sands reads for the majority of Frank's novels, if not all of them. You have to get used to her voice especially when she reads for female characters because she tends to sound broken when she does a distressing scene. It sounds almost whiny and quivering which can be really annoying and hard to understand what is being said. I gave her a higher rating because she has improved. In other recordings, she would not only have that quivering voice, but she would drop her tone down and then have it rise abruptly which would be painful to my eardrums. Now she keeps her tone consistent which is helpful.
February 14, 2011
I picked this up on a whim out of my TBR pile. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a sci-fi novel featuring aliens from a different plane of existence. Despite my lukewarm feelings about the premise in the beginning, I admit the story sucked me in the more I read. I enjoyed the world-building. Frank's description of Beneath and the creatures that inhabit it were well done. I also enjoyed Julian. Though it was hard to take his actions in the beginning, I think Frank did a fairly credible job of redeeming him.
Asia was harder to take. Although I understood her actions in the beginning (if I'd been kidnapped I image I'd have tried to escape/flout authority, too) they became increasingly hard to excuse away as the novel progressed. Though even that isn't my main issue. My main issue was her insistence that she "wasn't made for forevers and happily ever afters". That's it. That was all the resistance between her and Julian. It wasn't the fact that she was from Earth and he wasn't, or that he brought her to his world without her permission, or that his people needed her to feed them energy, all of which I could have understood. Instead it was just "eh, I'm not a HEA type of girl".
Beyond that, there were several holes in the plot. The idea that Julian and Asia had to have sex in order to feed his people energy was somewhat outlandish, but so was the rest of the plot, so I could set that aside. It was harder to set aside disbelief over other things, such as the way Julian and Asia constantly fought with each other which hampered the progress of the romance.
Having said that, I'm willing to cut the novel a little slack because it's the first of a new series. I did enjoy the world enough that I plan to read the next entry, Stealing Kathryn.
Asia was harder to take. Although I understood her actions in the beginning (if I'd been kidnapped I image I'd have tried to escape/flout authority, too) they became increasingly hard to excuse away as the novel progressed. Though even that isn't my main issue. My main issue was her insistence that she "wasn't made for forevers and happily ever afters". That's it. That was all the resistance between her and Julian. It wasn't the fact that she was from Earth and he wasn't, or that he brought her to his world without her permission, or that his people needed her to feed them energy, all of which I could have understood. Instead it was just "eh, I'm not a HEA type of girl".
Beyond that, there were several holes in the plot. The idea that Julian and Asia had to have sex in order to feed his people energy was somewhat outlandish, but so was the rest of the plot, so I could set that aside. It was harder to set aside disbelief over other things, such as the way Julian and Asia constantly fought with each other which hampered the progress of the romance.
Having said that, I'm willing to cut the novel a little slack because it's the first of a new series. I did enjoy the world enough that I plan to read the next entry, Stealing Kathryn.
January 11, 2010
This book turned out to be different than what I originally expected. I thought it was going to be similar to her other two series about demons and such. But in actuality it is an entirely different concept.
Julian is called a Gatherer and travels to Earth to find women who can help his colony survive. The way that Frank created this whole world was pretty amazing. It's beyond what I've seen or imagined in other books. The concept is different from her other books and yet similar. The romance is still there, and the idea of having a mate is also present. Yet the species is not that of demons or vampires, and the premise is all about the survival of a race with the help of women.
Although I found the female character Asia to be a little bit dramatic and frustrating, her romance and connection with Julian was pretty awesome. She was in denial for far too long in my opinion and danger seemed to someone radiate towards her, but I still enjoyed the book. And I really enjoyed seeing one character get their butt whipped. That was priceless.
I don't want to go into more detail for fear of spoiling, so I'll just say that if you've enjoyed Frank's other books, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one.
Julian is called a Gatherer and travels to Earth to find women who can help his colony survive. The way that Frank created this whole world was pretty amazing. It's beyond what I've seen or imagined in other books. The concept is different from her other books and yet similar. The romance is still there, and the idea of having a mate is also present. Yet the species is not that of demons or vampires, and the premise is all about the survival of a race with the help of women.
Although I found the female character Asia to be a little bit dramatic and frustrating, her romance and connection with Julian was pretty awesome. She was in denial for far too long in my opinion and danger seemed to someone radiate towards her, but I still enjoyed the book. And I really enjoyed seeing one character get their butt whipped. That was priceless.
I don't want to go into more detail for fear of spoiling, so I'll just say that if you've enjoyed Frank's other books, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one.
September 15, 2012
No Spoiler Here.
I am giving this book a 5 star with mixed emotions. Jacquelyn Frank created a world non like any I have read about in my past. It was a cross between Monsters Inc (Disney movie) and any Dr Seuss book you pick up. At times I almost wished the book was illustrated so I could compare my minds picture to the picture the authors wanted us to create. I wanted to love the main characters in this book....but at times I almost hated Asia. The author wanted to create a character that was slighty damaged in her trust. I get that. But to have the "you dont own me" repeated so many times was kind of irratating. I just wanted to say "Goodness just get over it would you".
With that being said I still loved the book. I found my heart racing as I was reading through moments of action. I could find myself completely lost in this world that was created. The reason I am giving this book 5 stars with mixed emotions is due to the fact its a series that is only two books long. I went to Jacquelyn website and looked around to see how many books were in this series. As of last night there was only two books with no intentions of creating more. "Grumble"
Jacquelyn if you ever change your mind please let me know. I really like this series.
I am giving this book a 5 star with mixed emotions. Jacquelyn Frank created a world non like any I have read about in my past. It was a cross between Monsters Inc (Disney movie) and any Dr Seuss book you pick up. At times I almost wished the book was illustrated so I could compare my minds picture to the picture the authors wanted us to create. I wanted to love the main characters in this book....but at times I almost hated Asia. The author wanted to create a character that was slighty damaged in her trust. I get that. But to have the "you dont own me" repeated so many times was kind of irratating. I just wanted to say "Goodness just get over it would you".
With that being said I still loved the book. I found my heart racing as I was reading through moments of action. I could find myself completely lost in this world that was created. The reason I am giving this book 5 stars with mixed emotions is due to the fact its a series that is only two books long. I went to Jacquelyn website and looked around to see how many books were in this series. As of last night there was only two books with no intentions of creating more. "Grumble"
Jacquelyn if you ever change your mind please let me know. I really like this series.
January 16, 2010
I really like Jackie Frank as an author and world builder, but not this book. I found this book to be reprehensible. Stealing women from earth to be basically sexual energy to feed thousands, just doesn't sit well with me. Basically the Hero/Julian, seeks powerful energetic women from earth and convinces them in their dreams to come with him, or else he kidnaps them as is the case of the Heroine/Asia. I found the plot to be just gross. If women step out of line, they are thrown into a colony where they are whored out to the highest bidder with no choices or freedoms. I found the interactions between Julian and Asia to be at best mediocre. Julians "you just have to deal with it, because you can't leave" Vs Asia's "I can't love, and I am so strong, and I will never let you in because I just C.a.n.'t, but I will sleep with you because it's just fucking..." sort of bugged me.
I enjoy the Nightwalkers, and Shadowdwellers, but this series? No thanks...
I enjoy the Nightwalkers, and Shadowdwellers, but this series? No thanks...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2010
I didn't really care for the beginning of yet another series from Ms. Frank. Mostly I wish she would concentrate on bringing us a continuation of the series that she's already worked on.
I didn't feel as though this series had nearly the richness that the other two do, mainly because of lack of history/content. It spent to much time proving that the heroine was a feminist/independent/but willing to succumb to her baser needs at any given time. And the hero, while being noble and blah blah blah, lacked the heat that Ms. Frank's heros are known for. Am I the only one who feels like the books are running low on steam while wishing desperately to go back to the graphic world of the nightwalkers? Even the third book of shadowdwellers seemed to be half hearted at best.
Anyway, on it's own, it would have been an ok book, thus 2 stars, however, when compared with the author's body of work, it was dissappointing, and somewhat a waste of a few hours.
I didn't feel as though this series had nearly the richness that the other two do, mainly because of lack of history/content. It spent to much time proving that the heroine was a feminist/independent/but willing to succumb to her baser needs at any given time. And the hero, while being noble and blah blah blah, lacked the heat that Ms. Frank's heros are known for. Am I the only one who feels like the books are running low on steam while wishing desperately to go back to the graphic world of the nightwalkers? Even the third book of shadowdwellers seemed to be half hearted at best.
Anyway, on it's own, it would have been an ok book, thus 2 stars, however, when compared with the author's body of work, it was dissappointing, and somewhat a waste of a few hours.
June 21, 2011
I am just having bad luck with my sci-fi romance. I think part of my problem is I like it when there is either a balance of romance and sci-fi in the novels or even if there's bit more sci-fi than romance in them that's okay. When it's more of a straight up romance I seem to have less luck. I thought the ideas here were interesting and I really wanted to like it. However for one, the heroine I couldn't stand. I'm all for kick-butt heroines and all but this was one of those where she wanted to shout from the roof-tops just how tough and hard core she was. That and she just acted like a complete brat. There was also a completely stupid plot point where the hero's alien 'companion' had this whole jealous plot against the heroine where she literally stabbed herself in the back to try and set up the heroine. Ick.
October 5, 2016
I was held on end wanting to know exactly what it was that Julian was doing with all the women. Then to feel the heat between him and Asia set things moving forward. He was deliciously hot, seductive, and on a mission for his people. Asia had no way of know that he was not of this world. To subdue the attack and still help his people Julian never would have guessed that she was the one to change his life forever. Or be a key to the source that could feed his people.
I found her a new way of looking at how energy is harvested and the different ways that energy can be manifested. Franks has put her own spin on a new world and she did not make it super easy for the good guy and his girl.
I am intrigued and fascinated.
I found her a new way of looking at how energy is harvested and the different ways that energy can be manifested. Franks has put her own spin on a new world and she did not make it super easy for the good guy and his girl.
I am intrigued and fascinated.
September 3, 2018
This was so bad on the second read. High school Alyssa LOVED this book and Jacquelyn Frank, but Asia and Julian are shitty characters. Asia is endlessly self-absorbed and honestly is a real b*tch and Julian has the personality of a wet noodle. Literally the only thing I could tell you about him is that he has the hots for Asia, literally nothing else about him.
I'm sad about how shitty this book was, because the world is so cool! If the writing was better and there actually a plot, I could definitely see a whole series built in this world rather than a duology. Anyways, I don't think I'll be reading anything else by Frank anytime soon.
I'm sad about how shitty this book was, because the world is so cool! If the writing was better and there actually a plot, I could definitely see a whole series built in this world rather than a duology. Anyways, I don't think I'll be reading anything else by Frank anytime soon.
January 3, 2012
I give this a 4.5 purely because the lead females stubborness get a tad annoying towards the end.
But saying that I found this book completely gripping, the world building had me in awe and the realness of the personalities between the leads was brilliant, non of the typical, meet, greet shag' all within a minute going on in this story. I felt like i could relate to Asia, I would be damned pissed off too if i was kidnapped and had no way of getting home.....ever.
Was pleasantly surprised by the difference of this book to the other series, it was such a treat to read
But saying that I found this book completely gripping, the world building had me in awe and the realness of the personalities between the leads was brilliant, non of the typical, meet, greet shag' all within a minute going on in this story. I felt like i could relate to Asia, I would be damned pissed off too if i was kidnapped and had no way of getting home.....ever.
Was pleasantly surprised by the difference of this book to the other series, it was such a treat to read
April 2, 2019
Not as good as Nightwalker or Shadow Walker series. Hard time finishing book. Will not buy more of series.
June 14, 2023
A Frustrating Read
**Spoiler review** I read the sequel to this book, Stealing Kathryn, first, and loved it. I was expecting this book to be even better than that one, but was very disappointed. I did enjoy the heroine, Asia, who was very strong-willed and more than capable of physically defending herself against almost anyone. I loved her single-minded tenacity in searching for and avenging her missing sister. Her dismayed and angry reactions to finding herself spirited away to an alien world and to all the strange and frankly unfair rules and laws were very understandable and believable. I love a tough-as-nails heroine like Asia who can think on her feet. What I didn't like was Julian. It irritated me to no end that he refused to understand why she was so resistant to falling in line with his insta-love and the chauvinist rules of Beneath. I was infuriated with his judgemental attitude towards Asia when she balked at the idea that she would never be able to return home and that she was expected to care about the welfare of a society of people who she didn't even know existed a day prior. He shamed her for supposedly being hard and jaded, even though he knew that she'd been the one to raise and protect her sister, that she regularly took down bad guys, and that she was dedicated to teaching self defense to women so they'd be able to protect themselves. His easily-bruised male ego that she wasn't ready to immediately screw him and profess her undying love made me see red. Let's not even get into his non-consensual exploitation of her orgasm to transport them to his world. He felt bad about it, but it still happened. By the end of the book, Julian had gotten everything he wanted, as well a promotion, while Asia essentially had to give up her whole life and conform for him. I won't be reading this again. This was a huge letdown of a book after reading Stealing Kathryn, which I re-read on a regular basis.
**Spoiler review** I read the sequel to this book, Stealing Kathryn, first, and loved it. I was expecting this book to be even better than that one, but was very disappointed. I did enjoy the heroine, Asia, who was very strong-willed and more than capable of physically defending herself against almost anyone. I loved her single-minded tenacity in searching for and avenging her missing sister. Her dismayed and angry reactions to finding herself spirited away to an alien world and to all the strange and frankly unfair rules and laws were very understandable and believable. I love a tough-as-nails heroine like Asia who can think on her feet. What I didn't like was Julian. It irritated me to no end that he refused to understand why she was so resistant to falling in line with his insta-love and the chauvinist rules of Beneath. I was infuriated with his judgemental attitude towards Asia when she balked at the idea that she would never be able to return home and that she was expected to care about the welfare of a society of people who she didn't even know existed a day prior. He shamed her for supposedly being hard and jaded, even though he knew that she'd been the one to raise and protect her sister, that she regularly took down bad guys, and that she was dedicated to teaching self defense to women so they'd be able to protect themselves. His easily-bruised male ego that she wasn't ready to immediately screw him and profess her undying love made me see red. Let's not even get into his non-consensual exploitation of her orgasm to transport them to his world. He felt bad about it, but it still happened. By the end of the book, Julian had gotten everything he wanted, as well a promotion, while Asia essentially had to give up her whole life and conform for him. I won't be reading this again. This was a huge letdown of a book after reading Stealing Kathryn, which I re-read on a regular basis.
January 1, 2022
2 1/2
Bumped up for the world building and easy of the read but really not a good romance as they fight throughout and she pushes him away emotionally over and over. We never get a past that would explain her reasoning of never "doing" relationships.
Nope a day later and reading the next in the series and put it back down. The heroine was just too questioning and unaccepting of the relationship even when she was in one. This with the oligarchy that doesn't consider and deliberate, made me decide to bump down. There is some good world building. The support characters had nothing to pick up the storyline. There is the jealous backstabbing home helper woman, that brought this point down, then the punishment for the women, and the facility, brought the enjoyment down. You are going to punish a 'suspect' woman before trial. meh. And then that the Amplify didn't see it, another conniving woman. I didn't even like the main character in the end. So even though the premise was good, I didn't really end up enjoying it. Since my library's Hoopla has the next, I went to it and that one went much better.
Bumped up for the world building and easy of the read but really not a good romance as they fight throughout and she pushes him away emotionally over and over. We never get a past that would explain her reasoning of never "doing" relationships.
Nope a day later and reading the next in the series and put it back down. The heroine was just too questioning and unaccepting of the relationship even when she was in one. This with the oligarchy that doesn't consider and deliberate, made me decide to bump down. There is some good world building. The support characters had nothing to pick up the storyline. There is the jealous backstabbing home helper woman, that brought this point down, then the punishment for the women, and the facility, brought the enjoyment down. You are going to punish a 'suspect' woman before trial. meh. And then that the Amplify didn't see it, another conniving woman. I didn't even like the main character in the end. So even though the premise was good, I didn't really end up enjoying it. Since my library's Hoopla has the next, I went to it and that one went much better.
April 17, 2020
I was very drawn to this book for some reason, so I decided to go ahead and pick it up. I initial read the first 2 chapters, but then had to go to sleep. Then last night before bed, I picked it back up. Needless to say, I stayed up way too late and finished it.
I don't normally read books with aliens, because I associate them with space, which I don't care to read about. That being said, there are aliens in this book, but the world the author has built is really more fantasy than sci-fi. These aren't space aliens. They are alien to humans in the same way that fae are, and their home is in a different realm, much like Faerie.
As far as the romance, I found it to be very honest and believable. The hero Julian is yummy, and while he is an alpha hero, I don't believe him to be a traditional one. In certain situations, he is willing to defer to Asia, who is an alpha heroine.
I don't normally read books with aliens, because I associate them with space, which I don't care to read about. That being said, there are aliens in this book, but the world the author has built is really more fantasy than sci-fi. These aren't space aliens. They are alien to humans in the same way that fae are, and their home is in a different realm, much like Faerie.
As far as the romance, I found it to be very honest and believable. The hero Julian is yummy, and while he is an alpha hero, I don't believe him to be a traditional one. In certain situations, he is willing to defer to Asia, who is an alpha heroine.
March 13, 2018
The world is very different. Julian is from another... world? plane of existence? where they live and feed off of energy. Asia is from Earth and was taken to live in this world. Julian & Asia are Kind (true mates). This is special since, well, everyone wants a true mate, but also means the energy they produce, and therefore feed off to the people, is stronger in both anger from fights and passion from making love.
I liked Julian. I felt for him though since loving Asia is an up-hill-both-ways-in-the-middle-of-winter kind of battle. Asia is not a likable person. Very stubborn, very jaded, very selfish. Even at the end when she accepts her love for Julian, you still just want to punch her.
I liked Julian. I felt for him though since loving Asia is an up-hill-both-ways-in-the-middle-of-winter kind of battle. Asia is not a likable person. Very stubborn, very jaded, very selfish. Even at the end when she accepts her love for Julian, you still just want to punch her.
May 8, 2021
Self-Centered Heroine
Otherworldly books have not been my usual genre, so I thought that was the reason for my low opinion of it. Then I realized the love story was the problem because a good romance can develop regardless of genre, setting, or situation. I decided my issue was with the characters, actually one character - Asia. I liked Julian's strength, dedication to his people, and vulnerability toward Asia. He laid his heart out to her, but she selfishly resisted. Asia was tough, and that made her interesting, but it took her too long to get with the program. She was so annoying I thought it a shame she was Julian's "kindra".
Otherworldly books have not been my usual genre, so I thought that was the reason for my low opinion of it. Then I realized the love story was the problem because a good romance can develop regardless of genre, setting, or situation. I decided my issue was with the characters, actually one character - Asia. I liked Julian's strength, dedication to his people, and vulnerability toward Asia. He laid his heart out to her, but she selfishly resisted. Asia was tough, and that made her interesting, but it took her too long to get with the program. She was so annoying I thought it a shame she was Julian's "kindra".
January 17, 2018
I rarely rate a book lower than three stars because if it is NOT at least 3 stars or above I simply do NOT waste my time finishing it. I was incredibly interested in the world Jacquelyn Frank created with the Beneath. I personally believe the story would have been much better if the heroine, Asia, was simply likable, but she was a complete and utter BITCH. Except for the love of her sister, Asia simply was a miserable person. I kept hoping she would change but it did not happen until the story was nearly over...too late. I believe the Beneath as a world has great potential.
September 30, 2022
I soo don't know how to describe this book. The world building was trippy and pure fantasy. Alternative dimension beings live off of energy. H has to convince his mate to stay with him so their energy can feed his whole colony and stop everyone dying from starvation. Oh the angst as he tries to convince her they are meant to be and she fights it every step of the way because she believes she could never be a part of a HEA. Also they have bright pink blood and live in clover shaped houses in the clouds.
July 29, 2017
Don't know why so many people have to complain about this one. It's a decent book. Is it paranormal romance? Not really. It's more Sci-Fi Romance and while that is different than what Jacquelyn Frank usually writes, it's not bad. I'm convinced the complainers are only whining because they expected it to be PNR and it's not. For a Sci-Fi book, I found it to be very interesting and was hoping there'd be more than just 1 other book to follow this one.
March 11, 2018
Hunting Julian is very different from the stories in Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalker & Shadowdweller series. The story takes place in a world that is completely dependent on human energy for survival. Julian is a Gatherer who's primary purpose is to find humans to provide this precious energy. Asia is human and just what Julian's looking for. It was a good story and despite the mediocre reviews I really enjoyed it.
December 5, 2017
It was a little difficult to get into these books, but once you did it was a good read.
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