abgushte's reviews
122 reviews

As my first experience with Octavia Butler I did like it. There were a few problematic things that are a little forgivable since this story is so strongly linked to a time in history. In other goodreads reviews people have had problems dealing with how annoying the aliens are or how annoying humans are or how annoying the constructs are...it's an interesting opportunity to observe how people relate to oppressor/oppressed relationships. To me a lot of what Butler was reaching for seemed obvious, but I really liked that she did in an "it is what it is" way without bashing the reader in the face with a two-by-four. I look forward to reading her other works.

Kinda blew.

I didn't even mind the ridiculous ending. My biggest problem was with how Moore's narrative would seem like it was trying to assert something but I could never tell if he was criticizing or agreeing with it. I still can't tell what point he was trying to make, and the people I've talked to have had completely opposite viewpoints on his message. And it's not like that's a bad thing, but with the way the book is laid out I don't even know if that's what he intended.
Not to mention that anytime a man makes any sort of representation of how any woman copes with being assaulted it's just gonna be filled with all sorts of problems.

Also: CRAPTASTIC '80S ART!

Concept and vibes: 5 stars
Execution, character depth/complexity: 3 stars
Spiciness: 1 chili

Was I entertained? Yes, despite how contrived the spice was and how little the supporting cast seemed to weigh emotionally on the plot. Who is this ex-girlfriend? Was she invented for no other reason than to artificially inflate the stakes? Yes. Don't think about it too hard.

It was a light, fun book to snuggle up to with some tea, but assuming this series continues (because there's no HEA ending) I will not be continuing.

Slow burn political enemies-to-lovers is basically my catnip so I'm a little biased, but I loved the world building and the time and care spent on demonstrating the stakes. It's a little frustrating if you're used to the main characters giving in to lust because in this case they cycle through resisting each other over and over again (plus there's a miscommunication trope), but again the stakes are clearly high so as a reader you understand the motivation and necessary angst. I pre-ordered the second book!

If you've read any Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey then this concept will feel kind of familiar, but tbf there's only so many stories you can write about dragon riders before they start sounding the same. This series is enjoyable because of the character and world building, and all of the relationships/friendships feel meaningful, even if many of the story concepts are a little contrived. For what it is (dragon rider smut) it's written very well.