I'd been hearing good things about author S.E. Gilchrist, so when I saw this on Net Galley, I jumped at the chance to read and review it.
My feelings about it ended up being mixed. It falls somewhere between a long short story and a very short novella at around 15k. Overall, I enjoyed this and I will be checking out more of S.E.'s work. The world she creates in this sci-fi erotic short is interesting and I would definitely like to know more about it. I didn't have time to connect with the characters, and I don't feel there was enough story here to fully develop them, but I did sympathize with them and I liked them.
The writing felt disjointed, with sentences phrased oddly and words thrown in that felt out of place. However, that could be because S.E. is an Australian author and perhaps the writing style is different in Australia.
So please, take that comment with a dash of salt. There were a few (very few) grammar issues, but I read the advanced copy which may not have been fully edited at the time. On a stylistic level, parts of the story felt rushed, and many of the transitions between scenes were rough. I would have loved for this to be a full length novella at maybe three times the length where we readers could become fully vested in the story and the characters. Both were interesting enough (story and characters) that I feel it would make an excellent longer novella.
Contains one very well done explicit m/f/m sex scene.
You can find this novel at (among others):
"My first VanHorn, but not my last and while it’s a novella it definitely drew me in. Kyra’s on a revenge quest. Her father’s been murdered and the need for justice is high with her. Along the countryside she meets Grim who has some (if not many) secrets and skill (both on the off the battlefield) and is on his own personal quest." ~Shelley.
