Status Updates From Tian's Hero (The Akanti #1)

Well, I'm torn. Somewhere between one and four stars. So, maybe 2.75? Had its shiny moments. Very creative. NI for fully effective story-telling impact, but there's raw talent there.

Erm... Didn't he just crash land, get whipped, violently raped by object and penis, lose his in utero baby, and now, now he's giggling and having three-way sex with his lovers! That's not sexy or even interesting reading, that's scoffing disbelief and removal from world of story and feeling connected to characters.

Excited by and loved the "animal instinct" in L, his "mate runs, I must catch and make submit," but the whole scene, despite the explanation of T's calming influence, seems off. Too much joviality and easy dismissal, too fast changing the emotions. Also, how the holy hell is T moving around, even talking clearly, after all he's been through physically and emotionally?

0_o fuck. After THAT (extremely intense scene) torture and then the betrayal feeling that L's lol-healing would have caused to T, I had better not read about T being a-okay happy and trusting lickity split. And there had better be no counter-healing penis magic.

Language has amazingly plasticity! After the sharp jar of first reading R's dialect and then stumbling through his first couple of sentences, I discovered it was easy-peasy to understand his extremely different "English." In fact, his language is giving him a certain colourful flare.

The writing is slightly immature in that there is a lot of repeated phrases and annoying adjectives/nouns (the big man, the medic, the little man) but the pacing is fast enough and the characters compelling enough that I can ignore the underdeveloped pen. There's real yummy talent when you shake away the chaff.

What manner of creature is this L? He can reroute his own blood to specific paths in his brain with conscious choice? He can sense his mates with something like six km? He can miraculously heal a seriousnsaenough within several hours

What a peculiar, odd, unusual, fascinating, emotional, bizarre yet completely recognizable story....

And to top it all off, I barely understand the technical portion or the plotting (and the biological side of L) outside of the relationship dynamics, but I don't care: all I need to know is that they are in danger, their lives, and the lives of all the others on the ship are threatened in multiple ways.

Holy fucking fast-paced! For such a wading-through-sludge start, this book makes up for it and HOW. *pound pound pound*

I don't get this whole colour changing world for L. T seems to bring colour and K seems to make everything b&w, except when he himself is luminescent.

The FEELZ!

I get an immediate flush/rush of feeling for Kay when I read or even sense I'm about to read something regarding him trying to cover up his condition while L ruthlessly gets out his aggression on him. Also, side note, some of the lines and phrases are simply beautiful in this novel, so fresh: T's eyelids felt as heavy as the cliff face where the monastery stood, L uses precisely controlled violence... Etc.

And what the hell--?! How quickly T forgot about K's desperate plight!

The first sex scene with L and T is so goooood. But I surely do want to see L hurt or jealous or something! Bring down his cocksure attitude. Maybe seeing K and T together?

Despite Tian's role as object of jealousy for Kay, I can't help but like him, just the same as Kay feels, despite wanting to dislike him. Tian is just so empathetic and kind, a mature and observant soul despite his innocence. I like the third person, alternating subjectivities among the three leads.

Ah, back to wonderful narrative. "Lewell'yn did enjoy hurting him. But spankings and floggings weren't the same as what Lewell'yn had done just now. Kay liked the spankings, liked being tied up and whipped. He didn't like Lewell'yn reaching inside him with words and ripping his sense of self to shreds."

Hmm. This book has some narrative bumps along the way--the technique of a flashback for the last ten pages or so, detailing how Kay and L met was annoying, an unwanted turn that had me skim reading in order to get back to present day faster. The sex scene was just irritating instead of exciting because it seemed out-of-place and going backwards, I verse sexual tension? Lol. I think not. I want forward momentum!

Wanker better feel guilty!

*stomach knots!* oh all the feelz! Poor Kay! I WANT L to hear his retching. Wanker.

The writing was boring at the beginning (too much explaining and too far into the in media res to make any sense), but now the writing is strong, incredibly "there"! I like how the author is discreetly building up believability for all three to be connected emotionally.

He's just so compellingly desperate, ready to accept the ignominy (shame) of all L offers--serialized one-night stands. "Kay held his breath, ready to smile, ready to find something funny to say, ready to do anything rather than blurt out how scared he felt." And now he has to see L show preferential treatment to little, sweetly innocent "Peaches."

The medic, Kay, is so full of spitfire and snappy "I'm perfectly fine's" that all simply conceal a heart-broken, many-times rejected and lonely existence; he's got my heart, that one.

OMG is this book fun. And hot!

This is just not the book for me.

Took a bit to get going, but it's starting to pick up finally.

GODDAMMIT KAY DIDN'T GIVE BIRTH.

So basically Tian are Kay are carried around like babies, which I find strangely adorable.