Scan barcode
A review by amberisalwaysreading86
Safe Bet by A.L. Woods
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What an ending! While it was a cliffhanger,it definitely packed more of a punch than I was expecting.
At its core,this is a story about breaking cycles,and building a future for oneself that doesn’t end in shame,disappointment or the fear to simply live on your own terms.
Belmira,our FMC has never been given the luxury of envisioning a life or future for herself that doesn’t involve her catering to her domineering mother’s every whim. We see patterns of mind control,and various forms of abuse in her everyday life,and I truly believe if her mother could control how many breaths she took each minute, she’d jump at the chance.
It is heartbreaking to see, and after reading the author’s note, I see that the cultural references the book contains, and a community that is complicit in the abuse, only made it harder for the character to feel any sort of freedom or the ability to feel hopefulness that she had a means to escape. As a modern woman, my first response is always that the character doesn’t have to take what is being shelled out, she could just leave. But upon further reading, we see that the social constraints, as well as the weaponization of funding, prevents her from any real sense of freedom or the ability to leave her situation.
Felix is an interesting MMC in that he has no real motivation for anything that he does other than his own pleasure or gratification. It’s apparent that he feels no sense of responsibility for anyone but himself and the perpetuation of the “golden male” in his family dynamic only serves to further his understanding that he can do no wrong, and only has to live for himself until…well,until he doesn’t have to.
The slow realization that he should have more to offer, and that he should want more, not only for himself, but for his future bride was fascinating to read, and I appreciate that the author let him come to this understanding and experience emotional development after one very important interaction. Sometimes it takes one person to change the course of our future.
Overall, this was a great start to a trilogy and the emotional connection which the author had with her characters was apparent for the reader.I look forward to the next installment, and to see Bel spread her wings and experience all the joy that life has to offer.
At its core,this is a story about breaking cycles,and building a future for oneself that doesn’t end in shame,disappointment or the fear to simply live on your own terms.
Belmira,our FMC has never been given the luxury of envisioning a life or future for herself that doesn’t involve her catering to her domineering mother’s every whim. We see patterns of mind control,and various forms of abuse in her everyday life,and I truly believe if her mother could control how many breaths she took each minute, she’d jump at the chance.
It is heartbreaking to see, and after reading the author’s note, I see that the cultural references the book contains, and a community that is complicit in the abuse, only made it harder for the character to feel any sort of freedom or the ability to feel hopefulness that she had a means to escape. As a modern woman, my first response is always that the character doesn’t have to take what is being shelled out, she could just leave. But upon further reading, we see that the social constraints, as well as the weaponization of funding, prevents her from any real sense of freedom or the ability to leave her situation.
Felix is an interesting MMC in that he has no real motivation for anything that he does other than his own pleasure or gratification. It’s apparent that he feels no sense of responsibility for anyone but himself and the perpetuation of the “golden male” in his family dynamic only serves to further his understanding that he can do no wrong, and only has to live for himself until…well,until he doesn’t have to.
The slow realization that he should have more to offer, and that he should want more, not only for himself, but for his future bride was fascinating to read, and I appreciate that the author let him come to this understanding and experience emotional development after one very important interaction. Sometimes it takes one person to change the course of our future.
Overall, this was a great start to a trilogy and the emotional connection which the author had with her characters was apparent for the reader.I look forward to the next installment, and to see Bel spread her wings and experience all the joy that life has to offer.