Review: It's well written, but I really didn't like it
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2013
*NOTE: I received a free review copy of this story.*Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 6/10PROS:- It's interesting to read a story in which one character is gay and the other is bisexual and this is a point of contention between them. I know of several couples who struggle with this in real life, and I found it refreshing to encounter a realistic treatment of the issue in a book.- The characters' heritage and folklore is very different from mine, so I found it quite fascinating to read about.- Bobby and Alejo's love for each other is ferocious and at times rather heartbreaking. Each of them has moments when he thinks of himself first, but usually the very next thought is of what he can do to make his lover happy.- Kovalin does a good job of portraying the insecurities of both characters. They've been in love most of their lives, but they're also young and have natural curiosity about experimenting with other people.CONS:- The Amazon page for the book says this: "Reach For the Moon...is listed as a prequel to Fall Into the Sun, but only in the sense of having the same characters at a younger age. Think of Fall Into the Sun as what might have occurred on an alternate timeline. Meanwhile, Reach For the Moon is what really happened on the main timeline." I found this whole idea to be weird. I don't understand the point of writing an alternate future version (Fall Into the Sun) that ends well FIRST and then telling your reader, "Just kidding! It actually happened like *this*."- Almost the entire story was unpleasant for me to read. The two guys are constantly struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their culture, and on top of that, they get themselves into bad situation after bad situation after bad situation. I was relieved when it was over.- I wasn't entirely convinced that I was reading about two 18-year-olds. They seem much older at times. I understand that hardship can mature people quickly, but I can't imagine thoughts like this coming from any 18-year-old in the modern world: "Regardless of any hardships the future might bring, he would always hold this moment as proof that he had loved someone with all his heart. What a gift beyond compare."Overall comments: I like Kovalin's writing style, but I can't say that I liked reading this particular book. The whole story is like this--"Sex with Bobby could sometimes crack him wide open, stripping away his everyday calm. Releasing the fears that lay beneath"--brief happy moments overshadowed by doubt and fear and tension. It's certainly not badly written, but I was disappointed by this one. Also, just to warn people (slight SPOILER here): there are two attempted rapes in the story.