Pamela Palmer (1)

Ecstasy Untamed
2 Stars

A mediocre addition to an excellent series.

The basic premise of the Feral Warriors focuses on the well-used, and perhaps even over-used, trope of a band of supernatural warriors working together to save the world - in this case shapeshifters rather than vampires. That said, the series incorporates a number of original and unique elements that make it a riveting read. Unfortunately, Ecstasy Untamed adds little to the world or the characters, and the romance is passionless and disappointing.

Neither Hawke nor Faith are particularly interesting characters and their chemistry is non-existent. Hawke makes little to no impression in the previous books and seems to merely fill out the ranks of the warriors (this made me less than enthusiastic about his book and explains the gap in my reading of the series). The notion of a conflict with his animal spirit is introduced with no buildup or background, and is resolved just as easily. Moreover, this particular internal struggle is done to better effect in Paenther's book and is, therefore, repetitious and lacking originality.

Faith is a sweet heroine but comes across as too weak and submissive. This is particularly problematic as it contradicts her initial characterization as a strong and independent woman who aids abused street kids. The most irritating aspect is that this woman completely disappears when Faith is subjected to the villain's machinations and never returns.

The villain is the most compelling character in the book although his background and motivation could have been better developed. The plot revolving around the return of the Seventeen, i.e., the other Feral Warriors whose animals were imprisoned in the Spirit Trap, has definite potential and kept me reading despite the bland romance. There are also some tantalizing hints at things to come with Wulfe and Natalie as well as a frightening development at the end that has me eager to read the next book.

An advance copy of the book was provided to me for review by the publisher and NetGalley.com

Merged review:

Ecstasy Untamed
2 Stars

A mediocre addition to an excellent series.

The basic premise of the Feral Warriors focuses on the well-used, and perhaps even over-used, trope of a band of supernatural warriors working together to save the world - in this case shapeshifters rather than vampires. That said, the series incorporates a number of original and unique elements that make it a riveting read. Unfortunately, Ecstasy Untamed adds little to the world or the characters, and the romance is passionless and disappointing.

Neither Hawke nor Faith are particularly interesting characters and their chemistry is non-existent. Hawke makes little to no impression in the previous books and seems to merely fill out the ranks of the warriors (this made me less than enthusiastic about his book and explains the gap in my reading of the series). The notion of a conflict with his animal spirit is introduced with no buildup or background, and is resolved just as easily. Moreover, this particular internal struggle is done to better effect in Paenther's book and is, therefore, repetitious and lacking originality.

Faith is a sweet heroine but comes across as too weak and submissive. This is particularly problematic as it contradicts her initial characterization as a strong and independent woman who aids abused street kids. The most irritating aspect is that this woman completely disappears when Faith is subjected to the villain's machinations and never returns.

The villain is the most compelling character in the book although his background and motivation could have been better developed. The plot revolving around the return of the Seventeen, i.e., the other Feral Warriors whose animals were imprisoned in the Spirit Trap, has definite potential and kept me reading despite the bland romance. There are also some tantalizing hints at things to come with Wulfe and Natalie as well as a frightening development at the end that has me eager to read the next book.

An advance copy of the book was provided to me for review by the publisher and NetGalley.com… (altro)

Just when I thought I thought I was losing interest in this series, there is my favorite kind of heroine! I loved Melisande. Bitter, cold and tortured. I loved watching Fox slowly process through her trauma and help her deal with it. It got a bit sugary in the end, but I still loved the anger and vulnerability. Between Mel and Skye, I've got two of my favorite traumatized heroines in this series.

Re-read in 2018: Still love the angsty, wounded heroine, but I feel like the resolution of her trauma was too abrupt. Great beginning, but honestly it just felt like her character randomly changed into someone else - I prefer a slower healing, and am not a fan of insta-love. But still has all the right elements for my favored trope!… (altro)