by Julie Soto
Read by Ella Lynch
Content: There is a lot of swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and several instances of sexual assault in the part that I read. I’m sure it gets spicier as it goes on, but I didn’t get that far. It’s in the Romantasy section of the bookstore.

I have decided that I’m not really a romantasy fan. Sure, I read all of the Yarros books, and a couple of others, but with this one, I lost patience. I prefer fantasy with a touch of romance (think Mercedes Lackey or Robin McKinley, who do it well, thankyouverymuch) rather than romance with a touch of fantasy. I’ve been reading fantasy for too long to be enamored by less-than-developed fantasy worlds and magic systems. Also, while I am willing to suspend my disbelief for a romance (seriously: people don’t actually act/talk that way, but it’s part of the fun), somehow in a romantasy it just ends up feeling stupid. And this one was just bad. Not to mention that it just felt rape-y and Stockholm syndrome-y, and I listened to 4 hours and bailed. Not for me.

That said, if it is your thing, the narrator is excellent. She did a fantastic job, and was almost enough to keep me going. However, my annoyance with the book was just too great.