Review:
First things first, I found Seiran hard to like in this book… but I got there eventually. Well, he still wasn’t the most easily likeable character, but I sympathized with him and became more understanding of his behaviors. See, for a while, all he seemed to ever want or think about was sex. Even when one of his coworkers was murdered and he was the one to find the body. Even when he had creepy stalkers to worry about. Even when he knew he was likely next on the hit list of a serial killer. He was also so forward with his flirting that it was borderline harassment sometimes. He also had a lot of attitude and came across as very stubborn and immature. He even made sarcastic remarks to the cops who showed up to investigate the dead body on his doorstep. But I think some of those things may have been because of how the new moon was affecting him (something to do with his magic), and some of his behaviors could also be explained by the problems he’s had in life, the bullying he’s been through, and his awful mother. He also had OCD and anxiety—something I didn’t realize until halfway through the book—and although I don’t think that excuses everything, it did make him a little easier to empathize with; we all have our struggles, and I felt for him in regards to his. So ultimately, though I think he could’ve been a little less of a jerk sometimes, he wasn’t a bad person.
Gabe, on the other hand, was very easy to like from the start, even though he was a little too perfect to be realistic. He was so good to Seiran. He accepted everything about him and was always there for him. And I felt bad that he wanted to be with Seiran but all Seiran would give him was sex because of his fear of commitment. I mean, Seiran made that clear from the start, so I’m not saying that Seiran did anything wrong where that was concerned, I’m just saying that I felt bad for Gabe regardless. And that whole scene while Seiran was in lynx form was a little bit heart-breaking because I could feel how much Gabe loved Seiran, how worried he was, and how upset he was about everything Serian was dealing with.
But one of my complaints about the book is that I would’ve liked to see more of the connection between Gabe and Seiran. Gabe clearly loved him, I could feel that in his actions and his words… but why? I don’t mean Seiran was unworthy of his love, just that almost every time they were in a scene together, Seiran was trying to jump Gabe’s bones, so that was the only interaction I really saw between them. There was hardly any talking or doing nonsexual things together.
Another issue I had while reading was that a lot of the characters seemed to act in kind of weird, slightly unnatural ways, but then it turned out that there were reasons for all those things, so it didn’t end up being an issue in the end.
Overall, even though I wasn’t blown away by this book, I was interested in the plot, I liked that it had mental illness rep, and I ended up caring about the characters and their relationships enough by the end that I knew I wanted to continue the series and get to know the characters more.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes character-focused books, M/M, urban fantasy, witches, and books with mental illness but also lots of positivity and support.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: Inheritance (Dominion Book 1) by Lissa Kasey
Book Review: Reclamation (Dominion Book 2) by Lissa Kasey
Book Review: Conviction (Dominion Book 3) by Lissa Kasey
Thanks for your review of this book and introducing me to it. Sounds interesting!
I hope you like it if you give it a try!
Ooh elemental magic. And I always like it when a character’s on the run or being hunted. Sounds like Seiran has a lot going on, and glad that he grew on you since yeah he does a bit of a jerk, at least at first! Sounds like a pretty decent series though with some cool ideas.
Seiran sure did have a lot going on. I was glad that he grew on me some too! I’ve read the rest of the books that are out, and yeah, it is a good series so far 🙂
You know, even though I don’t object to it, I don’t think I’ve ever read an M/M book? I’ve read books with M/M relationships between secondary characters, but never primaries.
Odd thing to realize, but there it is.
I would say you could always check my blog if you want recs since I usually do one LGBT+ review every week, but I think we have somewhat different taste.
I think it would throw me not to see the connection between a couple in a book. Not to mention Seiran, kind of sorta sounds annoying.
Yeah, I like to be able to feel the connection between characters in relationships. Seiran was annoying at first, but he grew on me.
I can understand why you thought the main character was a bit unlikeable at first with how you describe him, that does sound a bit much with how he only thinks of sex. But it does sound like his behavior makes sort of sense too. Gabe does sound like a likeable character with how much he cares about Seiran ad how accepting he is. And that does seem like a tough situation with Serian only being able to give him sex, even tough Gabe knew that to begin with.
Sounds like it would’ve been nice to have some more non-sexual scenes as well so you could feel their romance a bit more. That can be a bit annoying when some behavior is a bit unnatural, but that’s good to know there were reasons for that in the end.
It was a bit much at the start, but I was glad there was some explanation and that he got more likeable. And Gabe was so supportive, one of those people you want in your real life!
Yeah, I just really would’ve liked some other romance-related scenes :-/
Sometimes. Sometimes I can symathise with them. My example for unlikeable characters is always Monty from The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue because he is one of the most unlikeable characters I remember that I actually didn’t mind? I don’t think I would be able to like this one though, just because he sounds a little too focused on sex for my tastes. On top of the lack of a spark between the couple… it just doesn’t sound like one for me.
I’m the same. It depends on the book and the character. Understandable if this one isn’t for you!
I think magic-y creatures get more of a rain-check for acting weird! XD
Hmmm, sometimes, though for me I think it depends on the character and what they are and all that!