The Wombat's Book Blog

I read the entire trilogy, plus Hudson, in one day. My eyes are so, so tired.

But listen, I think the best thing about this series (and I have the impression that this is a feature of Paige's writing in general) is that this author is not afraid to grab the Big Dramatic Moment and punch you in the face with it.

And that's great!

I mean, it may be because I read an awful lot of fanfic, and fic authors in general seem to have more balls in terms of deploying the Big Feels, but since I've started reading original work again, I've really felt the lack. Not just in terms of big dramatic moments, but in terms of emotional honesty. Because this series is, whatever else it is, emotionally honest. There's no Tragic Misunderstanding to enhance the drama, no characters acting out of character for kicks. There was never a moment where I thought that an action wasn't in character - they were always true to themselves and the situation, and the Big Feels came about because of their individual flaws, which created the situation and just...gah. I don't really know how to explain it.

Since we're here, let's talk about the characters. I adore them both. I think I might like Alayna the most because she's quite possibly the bravest romance novel heroine I've ever read. And Hudson is just so...I don't even know how to talk about him. Because people say he's alpha, and people say he's an asshole and I'm like...he's a fucking puppy dog. He's MUSH. Mush, I tell you! And it's brilliant, because he is an asshole, and he's pretty magnificently alpha, but he's still a freaking puppy who can't bear to disappoint his sister. And I love that their crazy matches up, and that they're both trying so hard to be better for each other and it's just fantastic.

The other thing is that this series broke my poker face. I have a magnificent poker face. I can read practically anything in practically any company. With this series? I was muttering at my Kindle. I actually had to go for a brief walk at one point because I was so consumed with rage.