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Mourning Doves
In the world of the future, humans uneasily walk side by side with "Kin"-humanoids with animal mutations. TASK was formed to help ease the way for human and Kin to exist together. The program also deals with the problems those differences cause.
Leander Kale and his partner, Epsilon Maddox, are one of TASK's top teams with a special bond all their own. Praised for their abilities and cursed for their existence, Leander and Epsilon struggle to do what they do best: hunt the Hunters, a breed of Kin that lives only to infect others and kill. But now there's a leak inside TASK, an informant telling the Hunters when a team is closing in, giving them a critical advantage and a chance to escape.
That leaves Leander, Epsilon, and the other TASK members fighting blind-fighting for their lives and the lives of all of humanity. All they need is one lead, one clue to help them find the traitor, and they have to find it before the Hunters invade TASK itself and destroy them all.
Leander Kale and his partner, Epsilon Maddox, are one of TASK's top teams with a special bond all their own. Praised for their abilities and cursed for their existence, Leander and Epsilon struggle to do what they do best: hunt the Hunters, a breed of Kin that lives only to infect others and kill. But now there's a leak inside TASK, an informant telling the Hunters when a team is closing in, giving them a critical advantage and a chance to escape.
That leaves Leander, Epsilon, and the other TASK members fighting blind-fighting for their lives and the lives of all of humanity. All they need is one lead, one clue to help them find the traitor, and they have to find it before the Hunters invade TASK itself and destroy them all.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Angela Romano
17 books2 followersAngela Romano is twenty-one years old, a laid-back Christian, spunky, and, rather like a Chihuahua, has no idea—or just doesn’t care—that she’s tiny. She’s been a horse person since she was old enough to realize what an equine is and has been in love with words and stories from a young age. She loves God, animals, words, the supernatural, and well-developed characters in any book. She lives to make the world laugh and loves most everyone, though she prefers to keep her own company. She’s an avid cosplayer and looks forward to Sundays when she and her most precious people get together for Dungeons and Dragons. She is also happily involved with the most wonderful gamer-nerd Army boy in the whole world, who is not only tolerant of her obsession with anime and yaoi, but seems to enjoy it too.
Visit Angela's web site at http://www.fictionpress.net/~spiritbearr. You can e-mail her at actorangel@aol.com.
Visit Angela's web site at http://www.fictionpress.net/~spiritbearr. You can e-mail her at actorangel@aol.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 28, 2010
I must first comment on the absolutely stunning cover art. Artist Anne Cain has created a lovely and beautiful cover that will undoubtedly attract fans. Unfortunately the content of the book doesn’t live up to the gorgeous cover art. For a book that is about 300 pages long, the author tries to cram in enough action, characters, plot twists, evil doing, and world building that would otherwise fill out an entire series. Unfortunately due to the fact that this story is told in a manner that is very disjointed, confusing, and hops around more than a rabbit on crack will cause a lot of confusion and dissatisfaction for readers. The prose is tight and clean although there is a lack of creativity to the world and the point of view and scene changes are blurring with their incredible speed. This is an action story with gay characters and very little romance. Due to the complete lack of cohesive story, I wouldn’t recommend this as it’s written.
If the author had spread out the various storylines into a series it might have read easier and been more streamlined. As it is the plot revolves around a secret government agency called TASK, no reason for the acronym, an organization that deals with supernatural/paranormal beings. The organization was formed when paranormal beings became widely known. Supposedly this happened a decade ago when a child was born with the ears and tail of a cat and was sent to a lab for study rather than being killed. This detail in the beginning threw the book off considering these deformities are actually seen in present day and the children are not killed or sent to labs to be studied. So the fact that the alternate world is based on that outrageous detail lends an unfortunate start which isn’t helped by the further world building of kits, bearrs, wylfs, and equess. This lack of originality hurts the unique futuristic setting the author is attempting to create.
The plot continues with a loose thread that deals with Hunters chasing various paranormal beings and an unknown source leaking information from TASK to these Hunters. Thus dealing with the Hunters and discovering the mole within TASK leads to numerous action scenes that take up the majority of the book but are awkward and disjointed. The prose is basic, reading like an instruction manual and gives no energy or vitality to the supposedly adrenaline filled fight scenes. For example:
"He stopped, whirled, went for the throat again, scrambled against coarse fur for purchase, dodged the animal’s huge paws. Fell off, got smacked, screamed, came up fighting. Grabbed an ear, cried out as his own was torn near to halfway off. Blood ran down his face, into his eyes. Coughed, took another blow. Sank tiny teeth into a massive paw. Got shaken off and throw halfway across the sidewalk. Came back, less steady, teeth into the Bearr’s muzzle."
This is typical of the many, many fight and actions scenes included in the book which run together after a while and only change the names of the participants. The characters would also mentally wander off during these scenes to provide more information about the various world-building facts and the characters themselves in unmitigated information dumps.
Although there were many characters, none seemed to be the focus except perhaps Leander and Epsilon, but even then there were too many scenes revolving around every other character to strongly say any particular couple was the focus. Leander and Epsilon are partners who supposedly have an intense and strong bond. This bond is not exactly sexual as nothing romantic ever occurs between the two men and both men try to deny the bond even while acknowledging its strength. For example as Leander lay dying Epsilon is off trying to kill the Hunter since that is the priority over his partner writhing in painful agony dying by the second. But after a prolonged series of details about Leander’s agony, the scenes abruptly jump forward weeks later when everyone is healed and fine again.
This is a classic example of the details left out or not addressed which combine to make this an awkward and disconnected telling, such as the fact that anytime a person shifts from their animal form back to human, they are completely clothed down to weapons, cell phones, and house keys. Additionally conversations have a lot of non-sequiturs as well as the author summarizing the point of the conversation in later commentary. Numerous clues and bits of important information are dropped and offered within the story yet none of the characters ever pick up on those clues nor even address them.
Due to the many problems with the plot and writing, the characters have almost no chance to actually develop. There are hints of personality to all characters but the non-stop action, growling, yelling, arguing, disagreements, stupid actions, repercussions and so on prevent any real in depth examination. Any information about the characters is stated by one of them rather than allowing the writing to show their personality and complexity. Mercedes and Wolf have an on-again, off-again relationship with most happening off page yet are given the most progression as they have a happy ending while Alex and Madison (two women) apparently are developing a relationship. Additional characters such as Liaison and Montgomery are important to the plot but easily forgettable within the similar names and jumping scenes until the end when Liaison becomes rather unbelievable as a character.
There is a hint at the ending for additional books which there is clearly enough information and ideas to continue with the world, however confusing and ill-crafted it is. The author has hints of interest with the yaoi sensibilities to the characters and most readers will be surprised that Epsilon and Leander never are romantically involved, yet perhaps the author will address those and so many more concerns in a sequel. However to get to that sequel this particular offering was not enjoyable to read with the sheer amount of random and disordered scenes the author threw in with no end in sight. Even the ending could have stopped eighty pages before it did. While I can’t recommend this book at all, hopefully the author will offer something more polished and streamlined in the future as I did like the characters.
If the author had spread out the various storylines into a series it might have read easier and been more streamlined. As it is the plot revolves around a secret government agency called TASK, no reason for the acronym, an organization that deals with supernatural/paranormal beings. The organization was formed when paranormal beings became widely known. Supposedly this happened a decade ago when a child was born with the ears and tail of a cat and was sent to a lab for study rather than being killed. This detail in the beginning threw the book off considering these deformities are actually seen in present day and the children are not killed or sent to labs to be studied. So the fact that the alternate world is based on that outrageous detail lends an unfortunate start which isn’t helped by the further world building of kits, bearrs, wylfs, and equess. This lack of originality hurts the unique futuristic setting the author is attempting to create.
The plot continues with a loose thread that deals with Hunters chasing various paranormal beings and an unknown source leaking information from TASK to these Hunters. Thus dealing with the Hunters and discovering the mole within TASK leads to numerous action scenes that take up the majority of the book but are awkward and disjointed. The prose is basic, reading like an instruction manual and gives no energy or vitality to the supposedly adrenaline filled fight scenes. For example:
"He stopped, whirled, went for the throat again, scrambled against coarse fur for purchase, dodged the animal’s huge paws. Fell off, got smacked, screamed, came up fighting. Grabbed an ear, cried out as his own was torn near to halfway off. Blood ran down his face, into his eyes. Coughed, took another blow. Sank tiny teeth into a massive paw. Got shaken off and throw halfway across the sidewalk. Came back, less steady, teeth into the Bearr’s muzzle."
This is typical of the many, many fight and actions scenes included in the book which run together after a while and only change the names of the participants. The characters would also mentally wander off during these scenes to provide more information about the various world-building facts and the characters themselves in unmitigated information dumps.
Although there were many characters, none seemed to be the focus except perhaps Leander and Epsilon, but even then there were too many scenes revolving around every other character to strongly say any particular couple was the focus. Leander and Epsilon are partners who supposedly have an intense and strong bond. This bond is not exactly sexual as nothing romantic ever occurs between the two men and both men try to deny the bond even while acknowledging its strength. For example as Leander lay dying Epsilon is off trying to kill the Hunter since that is the priority over his partner writhing in painful agony dying by the second. But after a prolonged series of details about Leander’s agony, the scenes abruptly jump forward weeks later when everyone is healed and fine again.
This is a classic example of the details left out or not addressed which combine to make this an awkward and disconnected telling, such as the fact that anytime a person shifts from their animal form back to human, they are completely clothed down to weapons, cell phones, and house keys. Additionally conversations have a lot of non-sequiturs as well as the author summarizing the point of the conversation in later commentary. Numerous clues and bits of important information are dropped and offered within the story yet none of the characters ever pick up on those clues nor even address them.
Due to the many problems with the plot and writing, the characters have almost no chance to actually develop. There are hints of personality to all characters but the non-stop action, growling, yelling, arguing, disagreements, stupid actions, repercussions and so on prevent any real in depth examination. Any information about the characters is stated by one of them rather than allowing the writing to show their personality and complexity. Mercedes and Wolf have an on-again, off-again relationship with most happening off page yet are given the most progression as they have a happy ending while Alex and Madison (two women) apparently are developing a relationship. Additional characters such as Liaison and Montgomery are important to the plot but easily forgettable within the similar names and jumping scenes until the end when Liaison becomes rather unbelievable as a character.
There is a hint at the ending for additional books which there is clearly enough information and ideas to continue with the world, however confusing and ill-crafted it is. The author has hints of interest with the yaoi sensibilities to the characters and most readers will be surprised that Epsilon and Leander never are romantically involved, yet perhaps the author will address those and so many more concerns in a sequel. However to get to that sequel this particular offering was not enjoyable to read with the sheer amount of random and disordered scenes the author threw in with no end in sight. Even the ending could have stopped eighty pages before it did. While I can’t recommend this book at all, hopefully the author will offer something more polished and streamlined in the future as I did like the characters.
August 9, 2009
The Tasting:
Why I bought it:
Are you kidding? Look at that Anne Cain cover. Plus, hello... mutants! Can anyone say X-Men??
Dislike/like (ending on a high note):
Dislike~ The main issue I had with this book was that I thought too much was going on. By this I don’t mean that the plot was convoluted, rather the pacing did not let up at all. Not bad for those of you who like their action, but I admit by the end I kept thinking to myself “He got shot AGAIN! Jesus. Does the author hate his guts or what?!”
Like~ It was refreshing to read a story so different to the ‘standard’ shifter tales. This, together with the plot, the characters and the crime/ thriller/ conspiracy threads, gave it a real edginess that I enjoyed very much.
Dislike~ This relates to my point about ‘too much going on’. Mourning Doves is not only about Leander and Epsilon, but also tells the stories of two other couples. My preference would have been for the book to focus solely on the relationship between Leander and Epsilon. I got to the end and wanted a deeper understanding of the connection between the two men and of their feelings for each other.
Like~ In a similar way to my being ‘the stuff of legends’, Mourning Doves is ‘the stuff of epilogues’. The last few pages of the epilogue in particular were simply awesome and left me with a deep feeling of satisfaction at a HFN well done. This, to my mind, is what a real epilogue should do.
So, what I think:
A good paranormal story by this first time author which will appeal to those who like their shifter stories, especially as it will offer them something different from the norm. Angela Romano is, I think, an author to definitely look out for in the future.
=====================================================================
‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to. Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.
Why I bought it:
Are you kidding? Look at that Anne Cain cover. Plus, hello... mutants! Can anyone say X-Men??
Dislike/like (ending on a high note):
Dislike~ The main issue I had with this book was that I thought too much was going on. By this I don’t mean that the plot was convoluted, rather the pacing did not let up at all. Not bad for those of you who like their action, but I admit by the end I kept thinking to myself “He got shot AGAIN! Jesus. Does the author hate his guts or what?!”
Like~ It was refreshing to read a story so different to the ‘standard’ shifter tales. This, together with the plot, the characters and the crime/ thriller/ conspiracy threads, gave it a real edginess that I enjoyed very much.
Dislike~ This relates to my point about ‘too much going on’. Mourning Doves is not only about Leander and Epsilon, but also tells the stories of two other couples. My preference would have been for the book to focus solely on the relationship between Leander and Epsilon. I got to the end and wanted a deeper understanding of the connection between the two men and of their feelings for each other.
Like~ In a similar way to my being ‘the stuff of legends’, Mourning Doves is ‘the stuff of epilogues’. The last few pages of the epilogue in particular were simply awesome and left me with a deep feeling of satisfaction at a HFN well done. This, to my mind, is what a real epilogue should do.
So, what I think:
A good paranormal story by this first time author which will appeal to those who like their shifter stories, especially as it will offer them something different from the norm. Angela Romano is, I think, an author to definitely look out for in the future.
=====================================================================
‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to. Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.
Read
June 5, 2009First of all this book has a wonderful cover, second this is not a romance. So if you start it with the idea to read a kinky story of furry lovers, with the cute boy in the cover as player, think twice. I'm not saying that the book is not good, I'm saying that this is more like one of those futuristic - sci-fic novels aimed to a very young target, or to who still likes to play with videogame and read manga, even if they are no more teenager.
Mourning Doves is the entertwined story of three couple; to par condicio, one couple is gay and one couple is lesbian, and the other couple is not a "couple" in the common use of the word, and it's almost a shame, since they are the one on the cover and two I would really like to see together. Anyway the story start with Leander, son of a genetic change, born half fox and half human, with the ability to shift in a full fox, but when he is human he remains with cute fox ears and tails; Leander works for a special agency, a paramilitary organization called TASK, and he is partner with Epsilon. On the contrary of Leander, Epsilon was born a full human, but he was subjected to some genetic experiments when he was still a child, and now he has even more powers than Leander; when he shifts, he becomes an impressive black wolf, but when he is human, he doesn't sport any evidence of his inner beast. Leander and Epsilon are actually the main characters of the story, but they are not life partner; they have a very strong bond, that could lead one of the them to death if forcefully torn apart from his partner, but there is not sexual sparks between them. On the other hand, nor Leander or Epsilon are searching someone else outside their couple: it seems almost like they don't have the normal urges that push men and animals to mate, like they are enough for each other even if they don't share a sexual bond.
The romance part of the book is slightly fulfilled by the other two couples; Wolf and Mercedes are long lost lovers that contingent events allow to meet again, and they are not sure if they have to take this second chance. There is some sparks between Wolf and Mercedes, even a sketchy sex scene in a shower, but nothing of explicit; nevertheless the reader knows that they are having a sexual relationship.
Even less details for the second couple of the story, Madison and Alexandria; they meet at the beginning of the book, Alex is the one who calls the Agency to help her with her former lover turned bad hunter; she is in danger and the Agency takes care of her... through an almost reticent Madison. Madison and Alex shares the only kiss in the book, and they are the sweet side of the story, even if, truly, their story is a fait accompli.
There is a lot of adventures, hunting parties, kidnapping, heroic gestures... but not so much love. I was really hoping in the last scene between Leander and Epsilon, and instead... maybe the author is planning to write something more? To finally give a romance also to them? At this moment, as I said, this one is for sure a good YA book or an adventure book for adults who don't care too much for the smushy parts (since here he will find very few of them).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935192884/?...
Mourning Doves is the entertwined story of three couple; to par condicio, one couple is gay and one couple is lesbian, and the other couple is not a "couple" in the common use of the word, and it's almost a shame, since they are the one on the cover and two I would really like to see together. Anyway the story start with Leander, son of a genetic change, born half fox and half human, with the ability to shift in a full fox, but when he is human he remains with cute fox ears and tails; Leander works for a special agency, a paramilitary organization called TASK, and he is partner with Epsilon. On the contrary of Leander, Epsilon was born a full human, but he was subjected to some genetic experiments when he was still a child, and now he has even more powers than Leander; when he shifts, he becomes an impressive black wolf, but when he is human, he doesn't sport any evidence of his inner beast. Leander and Epsilon are actually the main characters of the story, but they are not life partner; they have a very strong bond, that could lead one of the them to death if forcefully torn apart from his partner, but there is not sexual sparks between them. On the other hand, nor Leander or Epsilon are searching someone else outside their couple: it seems almost like they don't have the normal urges that push men and animals to mate, like they are enough for each other even if they don't share a sexual bond.
The romance part of the book is slightly fulfilled by the other two couples; Wolf and Mercedes are long lost lovers that contingent events allow to meet again, and they are not sure if they have to take this second chance. There is some sparks between Wolf and Mercedes, even a sketchy sex scene in a shower, but nothing of explicit; nevertheless the reader knows that they are having a sexual relationship.
Even less details for the second couple of the story, Madison and Alexandria; they meet at the beginning of the book, Alex is the one who calls the Agency to help her with her former lover turned bad hunter; she is in danger and the Agency takes care of her... through an almost reticent Madison. Madison and Alex shares the only kiss in the book, and they are the sweet side of the story, even if, truly, their story is a fait accompli.
There is a lot of adventures, hunting parties, kidnapping, heroic gestures... but not so much love. I was really hoping in the last scene between Leander and Epsilon, and instead... maybe the author is planning to write something more? To finally give a romance also to them? At this moment, as I said, this one is for sure a good YA book or an adventure book for adults who don't care too much for the smushy parts (since here he will find very few of them).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935192884/?...
May 11, 2009
I am THE shallowest person ever. I brought this book due to the gorgeous cover by Anne Cain. OK, and maybe there was a star next to it at ARE. I like stars, they’re shiny! I am nearly 1/2 way through and I am still not sure who the main characters are as a lot of attention is on others. And plot? There is a lot of extraneous stuff that does not seem central to the story and I’ve found it a little difficult to figure out the story arc. There are no longing looks between anyone really and the occasional bit of dialog has had me cringing. But, boy does that cover rock my wee socks off.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/05/...
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/05/...
March 13, 2011
Well!
I, like apparently many others, got this book attracted by Anne Cain's art. I grew up on mangas so I have a thing for that kind of aesthetic, and for long-haired men, AND for long-haired men with ears and tails. Half-foxes are one of my favourite characters and I use them often. So cover and preview pushed all my buttons.
While I see many complain of the fragmentation of the story, I liked that. I've always been a fan of intricate stories, and following the various characters wasn't a chore at all - I especially loved Liaison and the cats.
So, apparently the beginning of this book was custom tailored to push my aforementioned buttons, and I devoured it. Detective agency - check. Reckless hot headed ex street rat protagonist - check. Colder, more ferocious partner - check. Endless bickering and fights between the two - check. Evil super-enemies, guns and swords - check.
I devoured it as it build up all sorts of expectations for me. I loved Leander's and Epsilon's relationship, the tough fights. The scenes with Leander in agony in hospital did again press one of my secret, guilty manga-and-fanfiction days buttons! And every time Leander and Epsilon fought I looked more and more forward to the moment when the tension between them would finally, finally explode.
And here I have to split my review in two because, while I was satisfied by the development and resolution of the detective-narrative arc, I was disappointed in the relationship one.
So detective-wise, we have a nice build-up, an excellent dramatic moment when the tension peaks as everything seems lost and our heroes royally fucked, and then a satisfying climax with the last desperate fight against Monty and Liaison's intervention. I felt this completed Liaison's storyline beautifully, and as I said, I especially loved him, the ghost, the cats. It was a beautiful touch. After that, I knew that Sasha's storyline couldn't just have been dropped, and I wasn't disappointed.
I was, however, disappointed in how Leander was handled. It was quite disappointing that he didn't take part in the explosive climax of the Monty storyline and so I thought, excellent! Here's when he'll shine. He'll do something badass, be the one to save Alex and Epsilon, be the one to bring down Sasha with something heroic and borderline insane and be nagged to no end about it by Epsilon. He was the protagonist for me after all: he needed the moment of glory, the climax the others already had.
That, however, didn't happen. So it felt to me like Leander's character didn't complete his arc, lacking the peak of action.
The same, I'm afraid, for Leander & Epsilon's story. As I said, the build-up seemed custom tailored for me, and it built my expectations to no end. Growing tension, fights, drama, mortal danger - I was more and more excited waiting for that cathartic moment where it would all finally explode, waiting for the climax that would complete the storyline and give me satisfaction like the last fight had. Waiting for the moment when they'd be so tense and frayed with conflict that the fight would perhaps escalate to phisical fight and then hot, steamy, dramatic sex. God how I waited anxiously for that moment!
But that climax never came. It seemed like the beginning of the book built up and built up the tension, my expectations, and then instead of finally exploding... just suddenly melted down and evaporated in the soft, very much un-tense ending.
I know what the author did, choosing this melancholic, bittersweet ending. I recognise the structure and I can see the beauty of it: I've read it before after all. But, and this is personal taste of course, whenever an author made this choice, it did leave me slightly unsatisfied. But generally, when an author makes this choice, is because the climax has already happened. Build-up of tension, cathartic moment of explosion, and then the melancholic ending. That I can work with. But here, here there was something missing... that moment I was waiting for, the moment that sent me nearly skipping along pages because I was so eager to know how it would go. As I neared the end of the book, I grew confused, because it looked like in that particular story arc, the climax had simply been skipped. And that, perhaps because I'd grown so engrossed and passionate about the story, left me with a deep sense of having been robbed of the juiciest bit. I mean, a story needs a climax - I needed that climax, it's what the whole building of tension was supposed to be about, what the build-up was supposed to lead to.
Ahem. Did I get too engrossed in it again? I was loving the characters so much that, despite as I said seeing the appeal in the choice the author made, I felt like a kid who ate through his lunch growing more and more excited about dessert and then was told there was no more cake ç__ç. Which is sort of more upsetting because I got the juicy bits in Maddy & Alex's relationship, even more in Mercedes & Wolf's, but... but they had built nowhere near the same tension and excited expectations Leander & Epsilon had. That was the story I *really* cared about - the eager wait for their climax was what pushed me to literally devour the book.
So yes ;) Now I'll go back to imagining that climatic fight and subsequent hot sex. Thanks for writing this book, Angela, I loved its characters to pieces.
I, like apparently many others, got this book attracted by Anne Cain's art. I grew up on mangas so I have a thing for that kind of aesthetic, and for long-haired men, AND for long-haired men with ears and tails. Half-foxes are one of my favourite characters and I use them often. So cover and preview pushed all my buttons.
While I see many complain of the fragmentation of the story, I liked that. I've always been a fan of intricate stories, and following the various characters wasn't a chore at all - I especially loved Liaison and the cats.
So, apparently the beginning of this book was custom tailored to push my aforementioned buttons, and I devoured it. Detective agency - check. Reckless hot headed ex street rat protagonist - check. Colder, more ferocious partner - check. Endless bickering and fights between the two - check. Evil super-enemies, guns and swords - check.
I devoured it as it build up all sorts of expectations for me. I loved Leander's and Epsilon's relationship, the tough fights. The scenes with Leander in agony in hospital did again press one of my secret, guilty manga-and-fanfiction days buttons! And every time Leander and Epsilon fought I looked more and more forward to the moment when the tension between them would finally, finally explode.
And here I have to split my review in two because, while I was satisfied by the development and resolution of the detective-narrative arc, I was disappointed in the relationship one.
So detective-wise, we have a nice build-up, an excellent dramatic moment when the tension peaks as everything seems lost and our heroes royally fucked, and then a satisfying climax with the last desperate fight against Monty and Liaison's intervention. I felt this completed Liaison's storyline beautifully, and as I said, I especially loved him, the ghost, the cats. It was a beautiful touch. After that, I knew that Sasha's storyline couldn't just have been dropped, and I wasn't disappointed.
I was, however, disappointed in how Leander was handled. It was quite disappointing that he didn't take part in the explosive climax of the Monty storyline and so I thought, excellent! Here's when he'll shine. He'll do something badass, be the one to save Alex and Epsilon, be the one to bring down Sasha with something heroic and borderline insane and be nagged to no end about it by Epsilon. He was the protagonist for me after all: he needed the moment of glory, the climax the others already had.
That, however, didn't happen. So it felt to me like Leander's character didn't complete his arc, lacking the peak of action.
The same, I'm afraid, for Leander & Epsilon's story. As I said, the build-up seemed custom tailored for me, and it built my expectations to no end. Growing tension, fights, drama, mortal danger - I was more and more excited waiting for that cathartic moment where it would all finally explode, waiting for the climax that would complete the storyline and give me satisfaction like the last fight had. Waiting for the moment when they'd be so tense and frayed with conflict that the fight would perhaps escalate to phisical fight and then hot, steamy, dramatic sex. God how I waited anxiously for that moment!
But that climax never came. It seemed like the beginning of the book built up and built up the tension, my expectations, and then instead of finally exploding... just suddenly melted down and evaporated in the soft, very much un-tense ending.
I know what the author did, choosing this melancholic, bittersweet ending. I recognise the structure and I can see the beauty of it: I've read it before after all. But, and this is personal taste of course, whenever an author made this choice, it did leave me slightly unsatisfied. But generally, when an author makes this choice, is because the climax has already happened. Build-up of tension, cathartic moment of explosion, and then the melancholic ending. That I can work with. But here, here there was something missing... that moment I was waiting for, the moment that sent me nearly skipping along pages because I was so eager to know how it would go. As I neared the end of the book, I grew confused, because it looked like in that particular story arc, the climax had simply been skipped. And that, perhaps because I'd grown so engrossed and passionate about the story, left me with a deep sense of having been robbed of the juiciest bit. I mean, a story needs a climax - I needed that climax, it's what the whole building of tension was supposed to be about, what the build-up was supposed to lead to.
Ahem. Did I get too engrossed in it again? I was loving the characters so much that, despite as I said seeing the appeal in the choice the author made, I felt like a kid who ate through his lunch growing more and more excited about dessert and then was told there was no more cake ç__ç. Which is sort of more upsetting because I got the juicy bits in Maddy & Alex's relationship, even more in Mercedes & Wolf's, but... but they had built nowhere near the same tension and excited expectations Leander & Epsilon had. That was the story I *really* cared about - the eager wait for their climax was what pushed me to literally devour the book.
So yes ;) Now I'll go back to imagining that climatic fight and subsequent hot sex. Thanks for writing this book, Angela, I loved its characters to pieces.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2024
Really well written with an interesting world. Would love to read more from this author.
January 25, 2015
This book has a lovely cover, unfortunately that's the best part.
I'll admit I was put off immediately by the opening - accessing the character's files. It's just a lazy way to provide an info-dump for the main character and do some world-building.
I would of accepted it if it had been vaguely realistic but...
1. What kind of personnel file gives the age of staff? The file would have to be updated every year. It should be date of birth.
2. Would a personnel file from an agency that was created to deal with 'Kin' related events in a world where 'Kin' are known really give an explanation in brackets what a 'Kin' is?
3. Weight. Unless you box or race horses why would this be necessary? The file would need to be updated every time someone pigged out on doughnuts.
... I give up.
The rest of the book is equally awkward and disjointed.
In the first few pages we are told Leander 'was drafted into the team as a skilled con artist and hacker'. Yet not once do we see him use any of these skills. He and his partner spend most of the book chasing things, getting chased and ending up in hospital.
Again early on we are told that Epsilon accessed Leander's files because 'I like knowing about someone I'm to partner with.' But later it's made clear that they've been partners for a while.
One page reads: 'Mercedes was across from both of them, watching them with his quiet, calm gaze.' But five paragraphs later a character says 'Mercedes is out cold, still'.
This just the start.
There's a history of mistrust with the higher-ups of TASK and Epsilon and Leander that's alluded to but never really explained. Epsilon and Leander can shift into animal forms at will, but magically keep their clothes on. The fact that all this mayhem is happening on the streets of a city but until a building gets blown up we don't see as much as a traffic cop.
There was no real tension in the book. Between the two of them, Epsilon and Leander shrug of bullet wounds, poison, broken bones, burns. At one point Leander is recovering from being poisoned. Then suddenly he's dying. Then equally suddenly he's completely fine again.
I could go on but there's no point. The whole thing reads like it was written by a teenager for teenagers. I can see why it would appeal to some. Generally the writing is clean and there are some good ideas buried in here.
I'll admit I was put off immediately by the opening - accessing the character's files. It's just a lazy way to provide an info-dump for the main character and do some world-building.
I would of accepted it if it had been vaguely realistic but...
1. What kind of personnel file gives the age of staff? The file would have to be updated every year. It should be date of birth.
2. Would a personnel file from an agency that was created to deal with 'Kin' related events in a world where 'Kin' are known really give an explanation in brackets what a 'Kin' is?
3. Weight. Unless you box or race horses why would this be necessary? The file would need to be updated every time someone pigged out on doughnuts.
... I give up.
The rest of the book is equally awkward and disjointed.
In the first few pages we are told Leander 'was drafted into the team as a skilled con artist and hacker'. Yet not once do we see him use any of these skills. He and his partner spend most of the book chasing things, getting chased and ending up in hospital.
Again early on we are told that Epsilon accessed Leander's files because 'I like knowing about someone I'm to partner with.' But later it's made clear that they've been partners for a while.
One page reads: 'Mercedes was across from both of them, watching them with his quiet, calm gaze.' But five paragraphs later a character says 'Mercedes is out cold, still'.
This just the start.
There's a history of mistrust with the higher-ups of TASK and Epsilon and Leander that's alluded to but never really explained. Epsilon and Leander can shift into animal forms at will, but magically keep their clothes on. The fact that all this mayhem is happening on the streets of a city but until a building gets blown up we don't see as much as a traffic cop.
There was no real tension in the book. Between the two of them, Epsilon and Leander shrug of bullet wounds, poison, broken bones, burns. At one point Leander is recovering from being poisoned. Then suddenly he's dying. Then equally suddenly he's completely fine again.
I could go on but there's no point. The whole thing reads like it was written by a teenager for teenagers. I can see why it would appeal to some. Generally the writing is clean and there are some good ideas buried in here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. I hope there will be a sequel. The characters were so engaging and lovable and the plot was well thought out. It was truly a pleasure to read and I also loved the cover art.
December 13, 2010
3.5 stars
January 27, 2012
4.5 stars
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