Review: good, but...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 19, 2013
I would feel bad if I were to give this effort less than four stars as it stands out so much from the rather derivative and unimaginative mass of M/M fantasy novels.First it is professionally edited, despite a couple of typos toward the end and this is already remarkable.Second it is professionally written with not a speck of clumsiness in any turn of phrase.I occasionally had a doubt or two about Ms Harper's use of past perfect but as a non native I could not really be sure.Action scenes are probably not as neat and clear as one could wish for but neither are they bad.After the first pages where the inner workings of a mind twisted by abuse and pain are beatifully delivered with not a word too much the author does not really manage to keep the tension as high.The development of Lyon as a character is also partly questionable.It is true that he has had 15 years to muse on his life and that Tobin's arrival could very well work as a catalyst but his improvement appears too quick.A person with his past would necessarily have a ton of anger to deal with before being able to function any close to normal and I think it would have been better to have his first dealings with Tobin and the king be much more rough.To be entirely honestSPOILER ALERT --------------------------I also think the sexual abuse theme to be unnecessary. Being posessed and unable to control one's body should be more than enough to leave someone wounded and disfunctional.The sex scenes are also a bit didactic, with the author far too eager to show how sensible, sensitive and respectful Tobin is.END OF SPOILER --------------------------While the romance element is more than welcome, the sex scenes themselves do not feel all that compelling.Anyway this is a good fantasy, well worth a read, and it is also available for free -at least for now- at Smashwords.