Review: Unique setting and storyline, but slow at times
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 18, 2011
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 6/10PROS:- I'm a fan of shape-shifting stories in general, and this one is unique; I've never read a story in which a shifter takes the form of a dolphin.- The initial encounters between Martin and his two lovers are adorable, probably because the dolphins can't speak and prove to be such good listeners as a result. I think the personification of the dolphins is well done: they're cute and dolphin-like, yet they take on certain characteristics of their human counterparts as well.- The story contains a wealth of geographical details which I found interesting. I know very little about fossils and rocks and the like, and the author obviously knows her stuff in this area.- Overall I was bored by the details of the characters' renovation of an old house. I did, however, get to a point where I enjoyed reading about the emotional effect that the transformation has on the characters. It's sweet how excited they all get about the prospect of fixing up their house and getting to live in it.- Many of the conversations the three men have, especially about sex, are refreshingly direct.CONS:- There are several sex scenes that I found decently hot; however, I don't enjoy reading scenes in which a human character and a shape-shifter character mess around while the shape-shifter is in his animal form. I can't get past the bestiality squick.- Sometimes the conversations struck me as jumpy because they're lacking in conjunctions, so I had to go back more than once and re-read things. The characters seem to be able to understand one another's meanings in a way that I couldn't.- The details about the renovation certainly seem well-researched, but they also made the story drag quite a bit in the middle.- It bothered me just a little that George and Patrick often speak ABOUT Martin rather than TO him: "If we're finished [curse word]ing him for the moment, let's have that lunch he promised."Overall comments: This is certainly an unusual story, and I liked it well enough overall. There is a very slight D/s element in the book, but it's nothing more than verbal commands and some manual restraint. The Doms are only marginally stern; mostly they are supremely thoughtful and are concerned for Martin's welfare above all else. Fair warning on one thing that bothered me a bit, though: on more than one occasion, George and Patrick treat Martin as though he's basically a blow-up doll (with his permission, granted).