A sometimes-pleasing SF romance hampered by clinical prose and underwhelming stakes.
Thompson’s debut novel, set in a dystopian future, follows the government’s best assassin as he finds himself falling in love for the first time and questioning his entire worldview.
Forty years after an apocalyptic global conflict, the remnants of humanity have been redistributed into “Sectors,” overseen by a government coalition called The Order. Coastal regions, which are home to society’s affluent elite, receive the bulk of resources, with Inland sectors beset by systemic poverty and violent repression. In addition to futuristic surveillance, citizens submit to government-approved employment, marriage, and procreation. Families are rewarded for genetically modifying their children; those who don’t, termed “Purebreds,” are forcibly segregated from society. In response, a faction of violent Purebred anarchists has surfaced, led by the wealthy Robertson family. Agent Chris Rockford, the government’s most trusted assassin, has one job: to neutralize the Robertsons and put an end to their terror campaign. However, on the eve of his final mission, Chris meets the captivating Jenna Macklemore, a Purebred woman with whom he begins a relationship. Her influence upends Chris’ sense of self as he grapples with his career, his prejudices, and the morals of his superiors; however, Jenna has a secret that could destroy their fledgling romance. This novel has a promising premise and a genuinely sweet love story at its center. However, it’s marred somewhat by a detached prose style that relies heavily on exposition, with exhaustively detailed explanations about what the main players are doing and thinking: “Another thing she could not help but love about him was that even with the confidence that came with being a Coastal…he had a shyness about him that was endearing, despite how in control and authoritative he was.” Also, Chris is so unquestionably in control, his resources so infinite, that his work never feels dangerous. As a result, the first half of the book drags, and scenes of espionage lack tension, although it picks up in the last third. And although the story superficially examines the eugenicist dystopia at its center, it fails to fully engage with it; perhaps the author will address it more fully in the planned sequel.
A sometimes-pleasing SF romance hampered by clinical prose and underwhelming stakes.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-08-788985-6
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Indy Pub
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.
A vampire and an Alpha werewolf enter into a marriage of convenience in order to ease tensions between their species.
As the only daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, Misery Lark has grown accustomed to playing the role that’s demanded of her—and now, her father is ordering her to be part of yet another truce agreement. In an effort to maintain goodwill between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses the Weres, Misery must wed their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. But it turns out that Misery has her own motivations for agreeing to this political marriage, including finding answers about what happened to her best friend, who went missing after setting up a meeting in Were territory. Isolated from her kind and surrounded on all sides by the enemy after the wedding, Misery refuses to let herself forget about her real mission. It doesn’t matter that Lowe is one of the most confounding and intense people she’s ever met, or that the connection building between them doesn’t feel like one born entirely of convenience. There’s also the possibility that Lowe may already have a Were mate of his own, but in spite of their biological differences, they may turn out to be the missing piece in each other’s lives. While this is Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance, and the book does lean on some hallmark tropes of the genre, the contemporary setting lends itself to the author’s trademark humor and makes the political plot more easily digestible. Misery and Lowe’s slow-burn romance is appealing enough that readers will readily devour every moment between them and hunger to return to them whenever the story diverts from their scenes together.
Sink your teeth into this delightful paranormal romance with a modern twist.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593550403
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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