UNRATEDLike a feminist's wet dream and the politically correct's nightmare all in one book.So the world ended with a Muslim extremist movement dropping a virus that turned humans into insect-like creatures called Aphids. All woman-kind have been wiped out save for one, Evie Delina. Now Evie is special: she moves like these creatures while having an uncanny connection to them. This sounds a lot like Resident Evil to be honest, with a lot of extra side dishes to the heroine. Not only is Evie the only surviving woman in the world but she's also this side of a nymphomaniac and she's been having visions of an unspeakable evil and delusions of her dead kids.That formula sounds so awesome, it might have just won AND broken the internet under our unsuspecting noses.I actually enjoyed reading this book. The writing was gritty and far from pedestrian and the story was fast-paced and packed with enough action and drama that keeps you reading just one more chapter before going to bed (except for that stretch with the Lakotas where the story floundered a little). I also appreciated the author's efforts to devote some credibility to the science behind the mutations (SCIENCE RULES!). The heroine went through a lot of physical, emotional and psychological upheavals that give further credence to the men being at awe of her strength. Not so much her attractiveness though (which was repeatedly mentioned), because if you're the last woman on earth, technically you ARE the most beautiful woman in the world. I liked her harem of hot guys, Roark most especially because of what he is and the turmoil his love for Evie brings to the poorly balanced equation of his vows and his humanity. The actual purpose of these so-called 'Guardians' veered a little on the Mary Sue/camp border and the dialogues between Evie and these men got a little cheesy in the end but not to the detriment of the plot as a whole. I was expecting the volume of graphic sex to approach Varian Krylov Levels because of course everyone wants to have sex with Evie, she's the last woman on earth. And of course Evie wants to bang everyone, she's a sex addict. I was pleasantly surprised how well-spaced the sex scenes were but when it was sexy time, it was REALLY sexy. This book had M/M and M/F rape, incest, taboo sex... the usual run-of-the-mill things the hardcore few will not really get squeamish over. With all that loveliness, I'm leaving this unrated because I did get uncomfortable with the racial issues on this one. Issues that could've been creatively veiled but weren't. The progression from the stereotyping of Muslim Extremists as the big bads to the reveal of Evie's "Aryan" roots, to the grand plan of The Drone to create Allah's "Master Race" made me squirm like no other book I've read before. I'm having a hard time to objectively rate this on story alone.So a great, testosterone read but I don't know if I can continue with this series. I liked the story and I'm super curious on how the love-square between Evie and her guardians would turn out. But I also understand stories are not necessarily written to please the readers and I respect that enough to not pursue the ones that challenge me beyond my comfort zones (I seriously thought mine was broad enough to begin with).
ashwednesday
Jam Tomorrow. Jam Yesterday. But Never Jam Today.
UNRATEDLike a feminist's wet dream and the politically correct's nightmare all in one book.So the world ended with a Muslim extremist movement dropping a virus that turned humans into insect-like creatures called Aphids. All woman-kind have been wiped out save for one, Evie Delina. Now Evie is special: she moves like these creatures while having an uncanny connection to them. This sounds a lot like Resident Evil to be honest, with a lot of extra side dishes to the heroine. Not only is Evie the only surviving woman in the world but she's also this side of a nymphomaniac and she's been having visions of an unspeakable evil and delusions of her dead kids.That formula sounds so awesome, it might have just won AND broken the internet under our unsuspecting noses.I actually enjoyed reading this book. The writing was gritty and far from pedestrian and the story was fast-paced and packed with enough action and drama that keeps you reading just one more chapter before going to bed (except for that stretch with the Lakotas where the story floundered a little). I also appreciated the author's efforts to devote some credibility to the science behind the mutations (SCIENCE RULES!). The heroine went through a lot of physical, emotional and psychological upheavals that give further credence to the men being at awe of her strength. Not so much her attractiveness though (which was repeatedly mentioned), because if you're the last woman on earth, technically you ARE the most beautiful woman in the world. I liked her harem of hot guys, Roark most especially because of what he is and the turmoil his love for Evie brings to the poorly balanced equation of his vows and his humanity. The actual purpose of these so-called 'Guardians' veered a little on the Mary Sue/camp border and the dialogues between Evie and these men got a little cheesy in the end but not to the detriment of the plot as a whole. I was expecting the volume of graphic sex to approach Varian Krylov Levels because of course everyone wants to have sex with Evie, she's the last woman on earth. And of course Evie wants to bang everyone, she's a sex addict. I was pleasantly surprised how well-spaced the sex scenes were but when it was sexy time, it was REALLY sexy. This book had M/M and M/F rape, incest, taboo sex... the usual run-of-the-mill things the hardcore few will not really get squeamish over. With all that loveliness, I'm leaving this unrated because I did get uncomfortable with the racial issues on this one. Issues that could've been creatively veiled but weren't. The progression from the stereotyping of Muslim Extremists as the big bads to the reveal of Evie's "Aryan" roots, to the grand plan of The Drone to create Allah's "Master Race" made me squirm like no other book I've read before. I'm having a hard time to objectively rate this on story alone.So a great, testosterone read but I don't know if I can continue with this series. I liked the story and I'm super curious on how the love-square between Evie and her guardians would turn out. But I also understand stories are not necessarily written to please the readers and I respect that enough to not pursue the ones that challenge me beyond my comfort zones (I seriously thought mine was broad enough to begin with).
