Review: powerfully compelling and unique
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 31, 2012
The Petit Morts series is delightful.  So far all of the stories are 4 or 5 star quality.  Though each stands alone, I would recommend that you read earlier stories before this one, so that a recurring character is more fleshed out for you.  The additional information provides a broader context for this character's thoughts and actions.It is something of a miracle that the author was able to write about this particular topic and hook me and make the final scene so beautiful and sexy and heartbreaking and transcendent.  Normally I would resist caring about a character in this situation - too painful to vicariously experience his circumstances.  But here, I also wanted to celebrate the conclusion, and the gift that was given.  It was an incredibly rich and mixed and rare emotional stew.I would have rated this 5 stars but for one false note expressed in two sentences.  I don't think I've ever faulted a story for a single flaw, but this was startling enough to take me out of the story, because it engaged in stereotype and perpetuated macho culture in a way that is the antithesis of gay culture (583). Regrettable because otherwise, this diamond is perfect.