4.5 out of 5 stars
E-book. 38 pages. Published August 13th 2016 by JMS Books LLC
Blurb:
Two months have passed since Masonry Gargoyle Io came clean with Cinder about his feelings. Of course, in the process, he broke a major rule. Cinder stood by him, at a price, as the Council planned to pay a visit to decide their fate. Io may still be thrown out of the pack, and there’s no telling what punishment would be bestowed on Cinder.
As if that isn’t bad enough, Ran’imy is mad, jealous, and no doubt cooking up some nefarious plan. After all, she had her sights set on Cinder, too. How could he pick Io, the bumbling fool, over her?
Io has to stand by Cinder’s side before the Council, but their relationship is still new. Will their love be strong enough to withstand the Council and Ran’imy’s revenge?
Likes:
- Not much time passed between the stories.
- There are consequences of Io’s actions.
- More from Cinder’s point of view.
- Some action and drama.
- Budding relationship.
Dislikes:
- Io felt childish at times.
- Continuity error.
- Lots of minor editing mistakes.
- Rain’imy is still a cliché villain.
- Not much world building.
I really liked that this story takes place soon after the first. Cinder and Io have gotten closer, but their relationship is still growing. They both really like each other, but at the same time they’re still settling into a routine.
I also liked that there were consequences for Io’s actions in the last story. It would have felt wrong for Io to get away with summoning a Guardian without consequence. It was a nice touch that Cinder, as the family alpha, got dragged into things too, for not automatically banishing Io for breaking the rules.
While the resolution of the council meeting was simplistic, it fit with the style of the story. It also worked because the council meeting turned out not to be the main point of the story. Rain’imy returned, still a cliché villain, and her actions drove a significant portion of the plot.
I never really worried about Io getting seriously hurt. This series simply doesn’t give off a dark vibe. It’s a light, quick read with the focus on romance with a hint of smut. And I think it does well. It gave me the satisfaction of seeing Io and Cinder grow closer, while also navigating the fact that neither of them has ever been in a long-term serious relationship.
Cinder got the lion’s share of the point of view, which was a nice change from the first story. It did make Io feel a little childish, with Cinder commenting at once point that they were decades apart in age. I wish Cinder had been shown doing things that had more to do with the family of gargoyles in general. As in the last book, there’s not a ton of world building in this one.
I am usually willing to overlook minor editing errors in self-published or small press books. This time, however, there were a number of errors sprinkled throughout the story, as well as a glaring continuity error between chapters six and seven. It wasn’t enough for me to take points off my review, but it was noticeable.
I’m looking forward to the next story in the series. I like Io and Cinder more now, simply because I’ve spent more time with them. I think they’re both interesting characters and I’m looking forward to seeing their romance continue to grow.
Love is Love Reviews 