Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsUnbelievable, even for a work of fiction
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
Lera technically an indentured servant. What that really means is that she has a debt to pay off. But when the man holding your debt pays you almost nothing, and skims practically it all back as "living expenses", that debt doesn't go away. Rescued by a group of 4 fae and taken to their realm, seems like a win. Except, this magic bond may not exactly work since she's a human. This magical mishap may not be the Cinderella storybook happily ever after she thought it would be.
Spoilers ahead.
Ok. I managed to read this one and the sequel. I had to surrender after that. These are centuries old magical beings. They are horribly immature. The 20yo human slave I can forgive for being immature. She's finally got a taste of freedom and is going to go at life like a hell bent colt, or filly rather, released from the pasture for the first time. But the guys? They've supposedly faced war, battles, training, the loss of a brother/teammate; any number of life events that weather a soul. Shade goes from mourning a twin to basically forgetting his existence in 2 chapters flat. The other characters, after mentioning the loss once, never speak of it again. Lera, for a former slave that spent her days caring for horses, is weak. I've worked on farms before. Horses are a handful, 600-800lb toddlers that pull, make messes and require a lot of work. They describe Lena pushing wheelbarrows and mucking stalls. This means she has some upper body strength. Yet she can't throw a punch, hold a sword (even a practice one) or anything else strenuous. She even gets winded going up stairs. She has undoubtedly tossed hay bales, climbed lofts, lifted tack, held reins of wayward animals and more. But she's painted as a delicate flower. This duality is frustrating. I could believe shy, overlooked, afraid of punishment, sure. But weak? No. I'm not going to address the barely applicable plot and lackluster romance. I was expecting a fighter, at least a scrappy can do attitude. I got a weenie surrounded by jerks, one who threatened to break her ribs if it would help toughen her up faster. The others ignore her or paw at her, in turns. Not what the reviews led me to believe.
