Book Review: Unpainted by Dan Fitzgerald
Hey all, Sam here.
And today I’m not here for a NetGalley read and review. Instead, I am here for a book that will be out TOMORROW. That’s right. This book is releasing on June 30th, so now is the perfect time to pre-order/pick up your own copy.
I follow author Dan Fitzgerald on Twitter, and in preparation for this release, he asked for folks who’d be interested in reading and reviewing. And I am always game to help signal boost, especially when it is for authors and book lovers and cool creative people.
And that’s it on the how-it-happened story. I’m mostly trying to get caught up on NetGalley reads and reviews, so I’m not fully open for accepting other read and review requests…but…with that being said, I will still consider it if anyone out there asks. Depending on my reading and blogging schedule for the month, I still might be able to squeeze it in. Also, I am always happy to host a cover reveal, just a general book announcement, a Q&A, or a discussion style post. Just reach out to me in the comments here, or find me on Twitter or Instagram (@SamRushingBooks), and we’ll see what we can make happen.
All right, enough of that. Let’s get started.
My Thoughts
“I’m ready.”
In the hermetic society of the Painted Faces, pale, unblemished skin is rewarded with station, wealth, and power.
Tera would almost rather go unpainted than enter into an arranged marriage with a total stranger, but that would mean giving up the only life she’s ever known. Not to mention her share of her family’s Pureline fortune.
She’s always thought love was a fairy tale and sex a joyless chore, but the alternative might be worse.
Enter Aven, a soft buttercup of a man, the kindest and most considerate person she’s ever met. A tropical honeymoon awaits, and with the help of her intimacy consultant, Tera is determined to make the best of this awkward ritual. Amid the island breezes, she and her new spouse form a bond neither of them knew they were capable of.
But trouble stirs beneath the polite veneer of the Painted Faces’ society, threatening to tear them—and their entire world—apart.
Unpainted is a queer arranged marriage fantasy romance, a standalone in the Weirdwater Confluence universe. It features a dual POV, magical currency shenanigans, mind magic, and inordinate amounts of steamy, fluffy goodness with a soft femdom dynamic. Coming June 2023.
Content warnings
Unpainted contains numerous explicit, consensual sex scenes, including light bondage and sex toys, as well as drug use and minor violence. It is intended for an adult audience and should not be read by anyone under 18.
Author’s note
Unpainted has cameos from several characters in The Living Waters and The Isle of a Thousand Worlds but contains no spoilers, and no prior knowledge of these books is required to enjoy Unpainted .
Rating: 3.5 stars
I’m just going to say this right here at the top of this review…3 stars is not a bad rating. It doesn’t mean the book was bad or anything like that. All too often I see people treating anything under 5 stars as if it means the book is terrible, and that’s simply not true. 3 stars, or 3.5 stars in this book’s case, means that the book was good but not great. I enjoyed my time with it, but something was missing that kept it from being one of those AMAZING reads.
Fitzgerald says that this is a standalone set in the same world as other books he’s written, and that you don’t need prior knowledge of the world or other characters and stories before jumping into this one. This is my first book by Fitzgerald, so I can attest to the fact that you can follow along well enough without having read the other books in this world.
However, I think personally, I would have enjoyed this more if I had more of an understanding of the world and the culture and everything else going on. I could follow along well enough to get through the book, but I love lore and worldbuilding and all of that, and this book didn’t delve deep into that.
I can say that we jumped into the lives of Aven and Tera very quickly, starting with their arranged marriage and then the two of them heading off on their honeymoon. Probably the first half of this story is these two soft sweet adorable characters getting to know each other emotionally and physically.
There was lots of lush descriptions of food and different activities the pair experience during the days, and then the intimacies they get up to in the evenings. I’d definitely recommend this book for more mature readers. It isn’t that the content is crude or crass or anything, because both of these characters are very gentle and respectful and caring towards the idea of being ready and comfortable with the physical aspects of their relationship. But the scenes do have a certain amount of explicit content, including some usage of toys and light bondage. And yes, there is some drug use as well.
So, while the first half was basically just character and relationship building, the second half was mostly plot and action and intrigue with moments of romance/intimacy scattered throughout. I think I would have liked better pacing overall.
Oh, and I didn’t even mention the diversity and representation in this book. Aven is Bi and Tera is Aspec, and there are other characters who are LGBTQIAP+, and it all felt very normal and natural (which it is), and accepted in this world (which, personally I feel like it should be here in our world. Sorry to get political, but LOVE = LOVE). I really enjoy books that are wonderfully diverse and nobody bats an eye at it. Although the state of one’s skin, both in color tone and in clarity, are present as a tier system in this world. Pure unblemished skin is revered, and there is a ranking system for the color/tone of one’s skin in terms of aspects in society, including business and marriage prospects.
Still, I enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read, only taking me a couple hours to finish. I was interested in the characters enough that I wanted to keep reading, even when I was waiting for something other than adorable cuteness of honeymooning. I just wanted a little more depth of worldbuilding and a more evenly paced tale. But Unpainted was still an enjoyable tale, and if it sounds interesting to you then I’d definitely recommend it.
That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
