(originally reviewed on starmetal oak book blog)

So, this is one of those times where I couldn't finish a book not because I hated it or felt it was really horrible, but because it just wasn't my cup of tea. It had many elements I like in my fantasy: a pairing that stems a romance between two people who come together with many differences, a special/mystical/psychic "bond" and a fun fantasy setting. However, the reason I couldn't continue is because I really, really disliked the main character and narrator, Dunleavy. She's absolutely horrid to her partner, Shintaro and at one point I just became fed up with it. I know characters aren't suppose to be perfect but I was having trouble suspending my disbelief with the way she mistrusted and treated him. Either this is constructed to create a conflicted and unlikely romance or the character is just a jerk. Either way, it's not my kind of story.