I like reading fairytale retellings. There’s something fascinating about a new spin on an old favourite. On picking up this book, I thought it looked promising – a near future version of Beauty and the Beast. Alainn goes into captivity in place of an android named Rose to keep her father out of prison. Honestly, after finishing the book, I reckon she shouldn’t have bothered.
The first half of the book wasn’t bad, as it chronicled the growing relationship between Alainn and Lorcann, a scarred billionaire recluse with a phobia of germs and other humans. An android is therefore the perfect companion, in his eyes.
It was just about 51% of the way through that I got seriously squicked. There’s something off about two people falling in love and having sex when one is still under the impression that the other is a robot. There’s a level of dishonesty there that is later handwaved but I can’t get past. I avoided throwing my iPad across the room but put the book down for at least two weeks.
When I did, I found the novel took a left turn from romance to techno-thriller. It all seemed sudden and unnecessary, especially the Cara plotline, and like an excuse to avoid the honest communication that the first half lacked. The only bright spot was Colby taking his sister to task for steamrolling over a girl’s anxiety.
While this wasn’t a badly written book, spelling and grammar-wise, something about its handling of mental illness left me uncomfortable, and the resolution felt rushed and unsatisfying. As such, I can only give it two robotic stars.
I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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