Review: This is basically Chronicles of Riddick fan fiction. It is surprisingly great.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 15, 2013
What it's about: A female archeologist is sent to an ultra-mega-supermax prison for a crime that amounts to standing in the wrong place. The prison amounts to a lawless warren of caves run by the prisoners themselves, so the official charged with dropping her into the prison advises her to find the strongest man there and offer himself to him, or there's no chance she'll survive. The heroine immediately hooks up with a snarly badass who swaps protection for sex.And guess what, this book is so much more entertaining than you are currently imagining.Pros:*The plot is pretty bare-bones - the heroine wants to survive, and if possible escape from the prison - but it ticks along quickly. I never felt bored or like skipping pages.*The sex is pretty sultry. I mean, for what it is, it's quite well-done.*The sex is an exchange, yes, but it's also consensual. The heroine is making a conscious decision to swap the one thing she has for the one thing she values most (staying alive). The author is able to depict this exchange in a way that certainly makes clear that this isn't a romantic relationship, at least not in the beginning, but it isn't creepy. Nobody is taking advantage of anybody else. (I found it impressive that the author was able to pull this off.)*For a character who doesn't say much, the hero actually manages to be somewhat memorable and sympathetic. He isn't just a giant side of sullen beef as so many heroes in this type of book are, he manages to exist in your brain as a person while reading.*The female lead is not weak. She just knows the reality she's in and what she needs to do to survive, but she's a tough lady, while also being a normal woman who is terrified and freaked out. I appreciated that.*The quality of the prose is quite good. No clunky bits or awful dialog.Cons:*This will not bother every reader, but there's a repeated element of exhibitionism and being watched.*In my ideal world, maybe the plot would have been more complex and intricate. But this is such a minor thing I should probably not even include it! Really it's probably that I would have loved to have the love story unfold more, which is just my inner greedy reader coming out.The bottom line: I know the premise sounds kind of silly, but it somehow all comes together in a way that really works for my brain.