Why?

 

Because there was no female character. There was a hasty sketch of a beautiful ballerina who survived traumatic events. But she was no character. She had no personality, no qualities, no discernible voice. She was a plot device. She changed with whatever was needed for the story (lust-angst-romance-healing-passion-argument-drama-love - you get the picture; her behaviour was erratic and only served the current scene).

Ultimately: The cure for the male hero's ailments, his souldeep pain, his lifelong suffering.

I didn't wait for the big finale of love heals all.

 

This was so bad, that I wanted to burn it.

 

This line started with Acheron and doesn't end for this author it seems. She can't help herself, she just heeps one awful soul-breaking, mind-destroying trauma on the poor hero after the other. NO ONE ever loved him. He was abused, tortured and nearly killed since birth.

 

For UF/Sci-Fi/Fantasy one makes allowances. But if characters have no discernible tether to any kind of truth or human experience, while at the same time living out a very human American romance story, it just ready like a piece of shit.

 

What I can see: the author does love her male protag. He is unearthly beautiful (without knowing it of course - he would be conceited otherwise, and perfect people are not vain), he gets a voice, he is as strong and successful as they come. He survived against all odds, he is the vulnerable child and the super assassin, he has emotions, he has decency against all odds again. You get the picture.

 

So I am out of here, and will probably never read another book by this author.

Or maybe I will after I cooled down :)

 

It is a pity, because she can write.

 

But I want to read books with some kind of female protag I can at least feel any compassion or empathy for.

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades once turned his back on the League—and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him or stop him from completing his current mission: to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father's political alliance has made her a target.

 

As her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them the most: each other.

Possible spoilers ahead:

*ugh* The emotions of this book! Alec and Magnus with a blue warlock baby. Is there more that needs saying? It was very good and packed with feels. I truly hope that CC writes more about Magnus and Alec in the future. And with that being said, I need to go back a finish reading the TMI series. I had stopped after book three because I read scathing reviews for the next book, and while those reviews may or may not be true about the quality of the book, I'm not gonna lie...I'm in this for the Malec and the Simon. Magnus, Simon and Luke have been my favorite characters since the first book, and I'll finish the series just to see where they end up...although *spoiler alert* Simon is apparently human again, and about to become a shadowhunter. So clearly I've missed some serious adventures. But I digress, this was good and Keahu, while not my favorite narrator, did a good job.

Possible spoilers ahead:

*ugh* The emotions of this book! Alec and Magnus with a blue warlock baby. Is there more that needs saying? It was very good and packed with feels. I truly hope that CC writes more about Magnus and Alec in the future. And with that being said, I need to go back a finish reading the TMI series. I had stopped after book three because I read scathing reviews for the next book, and while those reviews may or may not be true about the quality of the book, I'm not gonna lie...I'm in this for the Malec and the Simon. Magnus, Simon and Luke have been my favorite characters since the first book, and I'll finish the series just to see where they end up...although *spoiler alert* Simon is apparently human again, and about to become a shadowhunter. So clearly I've missed some serious adventures. But I digress, this was good and Keahu, while not my favorite narrator, did a good job.

So much perfection I cannot even adequately express it. That is all.