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The Water Thief
It takes a con to expose a con. But this con could strip their secrets bare.
Framed for his twin sister’s murder, Sebastian Swift has been kept drugged in a mental institution since age thirteen, aware of only one horrible fact—every night in his dreams, he drowns.
After a freak storm frees him, Sebastian learns the truth. His guardian, Emrys, has been siphoning off his inherited magical power over the waters of Cantre’r Gwaelod—one gruesome vial at a time. And the man’s bastard son, Macsen, has been raised in his place. Determined to find his twin’s killer, Sebastian assumes her identity.
Macsen Finch isn’t about to give up his guise as the young earl—and not just because of the fortune. His cousin’s return from the dead threatens Macsen’s own efforts to undermine his father’s evil plan. Yet he can’t deny his inexplicable attraction to the imposter.
Acting on their mutual desire puts them both at the mercy of a madman’s wrath. To stop Emrys from stealing his power, Sebastian will have to learn how to use it—and whom he can trust.
May contain copious exchange of fluids, men in corsets, and dirty dancing. Apply liberally before bedtime.
Framed for his twin sister’s murder, Sebastian Swift has been kept drugged in a mental institution since age thirteen, aware of only one horrible fact—every night in his dreams, he drowns.
After a freak storm frees him, Sebastian learns the truth. His guardian, Emrys, has been siphoning off his inherited magical power over the waters of Cantre’r Gwaelod—one gruesome vial at a time. And the man’s bastard son, Macsen, has been raised in his place. Determined to find his twin’s killer, Sebastian assumes her identity.
Macsen Finch isn’t about to give up his guise as the young earl—and not just because of the fortune. His cousin’s return from the dead threatens Macsen’s own efforts to undermine his father’s evil plan. Yet he can’t deny his inexplicable attraction to the imposter.
Acting on their mutual desire puts them both at the mercy of a madman’s wrath. To stop Emrys from stealing his power, Sebastian will have to learn how to use it—and whom he can trust.
May contain copious exchange of fluids, men in corsets, and dirty dancing. Apply liberally before bedtime.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2016
2 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Jane Kindred
33 books179 followersJane Kindred is the author of epic fantasy series The House of Arkhangel’sk, Demons of Elysium, and Looking Glass Gods. She spent her formative years ruining her eyes reading romance novels in the Tucson sun and watching Star Trek marathons in the dark. She now writes to the sound of San Francisco foghorns while two cats slowly but surely edge her off the side of the bed.
You can find Jane on Facebook, Twitter, and her website, www.janekindred.com.
You can find Jane on Facebook, Twitter, and her website, www.janekindred.com.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 16, 2016
you know what time it is.
this is a novel so pantsed and demented i had to rage-quit at 80 percent.
so much bullshit. so much.
nothing makes any sense. occasionally, the author visibly writes herself into a corner and then—zoot! here, have some bullshit.
or
or
so.
yeah.
this novel is full of lies and foolishness, and so is that blurb, which does not accurately reflect what sort of story this is in any way, shape, or form—except for a sneaky pronoun towards the end of it.
*admires oxford comma for a bit, like a moron, before recollecting himself in embarrassment*
...plus! people behaving with such catastrophic stupidity i was grinding my teeth by chapter two, never mind halfway into the story when it turns into something completely different and almost cripplingly annoying.
to say nothing of the POV changes! why would you switch from first person subjective case to third person subjective case? but, like, randomly, whenever you needed one character to do a thing the other character cannot?
the whole fucking book is like that.
'oh shit,' the author appears to realize, belatedly—'i need a thing for the thing so the thing can happen—time to sling some bullshit!'
i tried to put up with it because i was so near the end, and i've been struggling with it for a couple days, but—
but i cannot.
julio out!
but look: if you like the sound of the book the blurb advertises, it's fine. while the plot is completely unhinged, the prose is only occasionally overwrought.
just turn off your brain.
and if you like , well...
...turn off your brain also.
and god help you if you can't.
as for me:
i think this book is a retroactive dafuquery taco.
this is a novel so pantsed and demented i had to rage-quit at 80 percent.
so much bullshit. so much.
nothing makes any sense. occasionally, the author visibly writes herself into a corner and then—zoot! here, have some bullshit.
me: wait, wait, where did he get the oil so he could conveniently have it on hand for fucking in the—
author: oops, my bad. here's some bullshit.
or
me: how did he previously get the money or know how to buy a ticket for the train when today he can't even read arabic numerals to tell what denomination he needs to buy a—
author: haha, no worries, try this bullshit right here.
or
me: why are both men on the cover dressed as olden-times dudes when one of them is at no point through 80 percent of this book out of a goddamned frock except to have hot monkeysex for the love of god in heaven and what the actual fuck?
author: *complete and utter silence while the heady aroma of fresh bullshit wafts from the pages of this book*
so.
yeah.
this novel is full of lies and foolishness, and so is that blurb, which does not accurately reflect what sort of story this is in any way, shape, or form—except for a sneaky pronoun towards the end of it.
*admires oxford comma for a bit, like a moron, before recollecting himself in embarrassment*
...plus! people behaving with such catastrophic stupidity i was grinding my teeth by chapter two, never mind halfway into the story when it turns into something completely different and almost cripplingly annoying.
to say nothing of the POV changes! why would you switch from first person subjective case to third person subjective case? but, like, randomly, whenever you needed one character to do a thing the other character cannot?
the whole fucking book is like that.
'oh shit,' the author appears to realize, belatedly—'i need a thing for the thing so the thing can happen—time to sling some bullshit!'
i tried to put up with it because i was so near the end, and i've been struggling with it for a couple days, but—
but i cannot.
julio out!
but look: if you like the sound of the book the blurb advertises, it's fine. while the plot is completely unhinged, the prose is only occasionally overwrought.
just turn off your brain.
and if you like , well...
...turn off your brain also.
and god help you if you can't.
as for me:
i think this book is a retroactive dafuquery taco.
January 8, 2016
Imposter's game afoot.
Sebastian was sentenced to All Fates Asylum for the crime of killing his sister, August. His twin. Except, he's innocent.The stakes are high as Sebastian struggles to find a way to regain his legacy; danger lurks at Cantre'r Gwaelod.
Lord Emyrs Pryce is power hungry and has plans; he just needs something Sebastian has. Emyrs wields people like tools and no one is safe. Envy, at times unbearable is nearly insatiable. For rarely what we think will assuage it, is what will. To suffer it is truly a torment.
Macsen is Lord of Cantre'r Gwaelod. After years, suddenly everything he wanted is being challenged and unsettled. Disturbing, but more problematic are the secrets coming to light. Macsen is forced to choose, either will mean loss.
Water, dangerous at times, but necessary. To steal water is to steal life.
Absolutely engaging read. Once I started it, it was hard to put down-- Who really needs to eat three times a day? While I had ideas of how things would play out, I was tricked a time or two during this tale of magic and malice. There was a twist in the story I wasn't expecting that opened so many more doors, while not closing any which made the resolution near impossible to guess.
Overall, a tale of greed and family infighting with a surprising romance.
~Copy provided by Netgalley~
Sebastian was sentenced to All Fates Asylum for the crime of killing his sister, August. His twin. Except, he's innocent.The stakes are high as Sebastian struggles to find a way to regain his legacy; danger lurks at Cantre'r Gwaelod.
Lord Emyrs Pryce is power hungry and has plans; he just needs something Sebastian has. Emyrs wields people like tools and no one is safe. Envy, at times unbearable is nearly insatiable. For rarely what we think will assuage it, is what will. To suffer it is truly a torment.
Macsen is Lord of Cantre'r Gwaelod. After years, suddenly everything he wanted is being challenged and unsettled. Disturbing, but more problematic are the secrets coming to light. Macsen is forced to choose, either will mean loss.
Water, dangerous at times, but necessary. To steal water is to steal life.
Absolutely engaging read. Once I started it, it was hard to put down-- Who really needs to eat three times a day? While I had ideas of how things would play out, I was tricked a time or two during this tale of magic and malice. There was a twist in the story I wasn't expecting that opened so many more doors, while not closing any which made the resolution near impossible to guess.
Overall, a tale of greed and family infighting with a surprising romance.
~Copy provided by Netgalley~
April 1, 2016
Full reviewage on Prism Book Alliance®
The first few chapters of this book are filled with characters making nonsensical decisions surrounded by a poor sense of place, all of this making for a confusing start to this read. I mean, the ridiculous choices and actions by Sebastian (one of the main characters), Sven, Abigail, and others made it impossible for me to make any connection to them, let alone feel the desire to do so.
I could have just said “Huh?” and that would have expressed just as well as the above paragraph my initial reactions to this story.
These issues continued far into the story with the odd plotting, characters behaving in ways that just didn’t make any sense, and a tone that didn’t fit the words and story the author was attempting to tell. That’s probably the most difficult thing about this: on paper, the variety of characters amidst this dual-world, with magic and murder and revenge and so much more, it should have been a doozy if it had been done well. This was not. Great potential was not achieved.
I’m trying not to get too specific and risk spoilers but I’ll try to give examples: Sebastian is a sometimes cross-dressing young should-have-been prince who has been kept against his will, and the truth, in an insane asylum. Yeah! So many possibilities. Instead, what immediately follows this introduction are actions and reactions that just don’t fit at all, they just don’t make sense. I’m going to try not to harp on that but, really.
The only character with any kind of understandable and plausible complexity is Macsen. He was forced at just as young an age, as Sebastian was put into the asylum, to become the prince, taking on an identity not at all his, living with his supposed father, Emrys, and dealing with all of the lies and deception built into the years-long situation. There were moments of interest when conflict arose between characters and sense ruled, albeit momentarily, and allowed me to enjoy the scenes. Most times, Macsen was involved.
Macsen pulled the kerchief from his hair and threaded his fingers through the damp curls. “Emrys is a pompous fool who doesn’t have a clue what he’s dealing with.”
“He’s certainly underestimates you, doesn’t he?”
The dark eyebrows lifted with amusement. “Does he?”
A rare clever exchange. Unfortunately, these oases of believability were overwhelmed by everything else I’ve already described, along with half-page long monologues in the middle of conversations, lack of tension, and that sense of place being nearly absent until well past the midway point of the book. And by that point? I just didn’t care much anymore. Any investment I was ready to make had been squandered.
Again, wasted potential. I mean, we have a young prince, Sebastian, framed for a murder he didn’t commit, banished to an asylum by the usurper of his rightful destiny by the rules of this world, a just as young man forced to play the role of said prince, and these diverse characters swept into the whirlpool that should be churning with revenge, freedom, redemption, and justice for all of them. With magic! And clever plot twists!
Instead, we have a largely ineffectual main character in Sebastian, a just as useless stunt-character in terms of plot by way of Sven, Sebastian’s sister whose impact loses much of that energy by the end, and, speaking of, an ending that made that familiar ol’ feeling return: huh?
I asked to review this story based on the blurb and the wheels in my imagination that started turning based on the possibilities. The end definitely did not justify the means because those means felt like I was slogging through a field of disconnected ideas having little chance of coalescing into a well-constructed story.
The first few chapters of this book are filled with characters making nonsensical decisions surrounded by a poor sense of place, all of this making for a confusing start to this read. I mean, the ridiculous choices and actions by Sebastian (one of the main characters), Sven, Abigail, and others made it impossible for me to make any connection to them, let alone feel the desire to do so.
I could have just said “Huh?” and that would have expressed just as well as the above paragraph my initial reactions to this story.
These issues continued far into the story with the odd plotting, characters behaving in ways that just didn’t make any sense, and a tone that didn’t fit the words and story the author was attempting to tell. That’s probably the most difficult thing about this: on paper, the variety of characters amidst this dual-world, with magic and murder and revenge and so much more, it should have been a doozy if it had been done well. This was not. Great potential was not achieved.
I’m trying not to get too specific and risk spoilers but I’ll try to give examples: Sebastian is a sometimes cross-dressing young should-have-been prince who has been kept against his will, and the truth, in an insane asylum. Yeah! So many possibilities. Instead, what immediately follows this introduction are actions and reactions that just don’t fit at all, they just don’t make sense. I’m going to try not to harp on that but, really.
The only character with any kind of understandable and plausible complexity is Macsen. He was forced at just as young an age, as Sebastian was put into the asylum, to become the prince, taking on an identity not at all his, living with his supposed father, Emrys, and dealing with all of the lies and deception built into the years-long situation. There were moments of interest when conflict arose between characters and sense ruled, albeit momentarily, and allowed me to enjoy the scenes. Most times, Macsen was involved.
Macsen pulled the kerchief from his hair and threaded his fingers through the damp curls. “Emrys is a pompous fool who doesn’t have a clue what he’s dealing with.”
“He’s certainly underestimates you, doesn’t he?”
The dark eyebrows lifted with amusement. “Does he?”
A rare clever exchange. Unfortunately, these oases of believability were overwhelmed by everything else I’ve already described, along with half-page long monologues in the middle of conversations, lack of tension, and that sense of place being nearly absent until well past the midway point of the book. And by that point? I just didn’t care much anymore. Any investment I was ready to make had been squandered.
Again, wasted potential. I mean, we have a young prince, Sebastian, framed for a murder he didn’t commit, banished to an asylum by the usurper of his rightful destiny by the rules of this world, a just as young man forced to play the role of said prince, and these diverse characters swept into the whirlpool that should be churning with revenge, freedom, redemption, and justice for all of them. With magic! And clever plot twists!
Instead, we have a largely ineffectual main character in Sebastian, a just as useless stunt-character in terms of plot by way of Sven, Sebastian’s sister whose impact loses much of that energy by the end, and, speaking of, an ending that made that familiar ol’ feeling return: huh?
I asked to review this story based on the blurb and the wheels in my imagination that started turning based on the possibilities. The end definitely did not justify the means because those means felt like I was slogging through a field of disconnected ideas having little chance of coalescing into a well-constructed story.
March 16, 2016
I think that i can only come up with "confusing" to describe this says all I need to. From the magic that was explained... Then not. To the occasionally -- though I don't think purposefully, so much as the author seems to start a thread then drop it bc ADHD, a lot -- homophobic little "less than" remarks that never got completed or explained. To the 1st and 3rd person POV switches. And what was that HEA? I'm SO CONFUSED.
Oh and i fucking HATED August. Er, the real one, so Alis.
But I was ... Intrigued thru it all and I liked Macsen a lot so I can't give it 1 star but I can't do much better than 2.
Oh and i fucking HATED August. Er, the real one, so Alis.
But I was ... Intrigued thru it all and I liked Macsen a lot so I can't give it 1 star but I can't do much better than 2.
May 3, 2016
This was my second time reading Jane Kindred. Truth be told, had this book not already been on my NetGalley shelf when I finished The Lost Coast, I would've stopped at one.
The Water Thief was better for me than The Lost Coast, but I think this author's works and I aren't a right match. Kindred obviously has many ideas, which I appreciate, but the execution of those ideas unfortunately doesn't work for me. Even so, there was something about this story that I can't quite put my finger on that kept me reading to see what happened next.
Just like with The Lost Coast I had trouble determining the genre of this book; it's got paranormal elements, for sure, it's also historical, and contemporary, I think, then it's erotica and romance, too. I think. What all of that combined makes I can't say. Hey, it's M/M -- this I can say with certainty.
The story starts with the main character Sebastian escaping the asylum he was being kept in for years under his evil guardian's orders. He did so with the guidance of the ghost of his late twin sister, and was led to a group of thieves who took him in. A little while later, together they devised a plan to have Sebastian disguise himself as his sister August and claim her place in the family and the realm. That put him once again in danger from his guardian who had been stealing Sebastian's power over water any chance he got. It also put him in the way of Macsen, who for years had assumed Sebastian's identity.
From there on Sebastian slowly found out the truth about his powers, his history, the truth about what really happened to August, and about that entire realm. Also, Sebastian and Macsen grew more and more attracted to each other.
A lot happened in this novel. The author had many ideas that could've made this a very interesting read, but the execution missed the mark for me. For a paranormal story, this book didn't offer much information about the world it was set in. The explanations about the realms weren't enough for me to get the full picture, and most of all I was confused as to what time the story was set in. The questions Where is this? and When is this? kept popping up in my mind.
That lack of world building was one thing that bothered me here. The other would be Sebastian. The novel has both Sebastian's and Macsen's perspectives, and while Macsen's is written in third person, Sebastian's is written in first, and it takes up a bigger chunk of the book, and yet, his character didn't leave much of an impression. It hasn't been long since I finished reading The Water Thief, but words that aren't "naive" don't come to mind to describe its main character. I have a higher opinion of Macsen, given his past and present. I guess the book's named after him for a reason.
So, with a confusing plot and setting, and only one character I somewhat cared about, I wouldn't label this a great read, but it kept my interest enough not to give up, so I can say it was okay, but that's it.
***ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
January 31, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
So…. This book and I, we just didn’t get along. I didn’t hate it. I actually thought it had a lot of really interesting potential. But for me, the potential didn’t pan out and I just… didn’t like it.
I think my biggest problem was with the characters. I did hate Sebastian. He had been traumatized and abused, and I felt bad about that, but it didn’t make me like him. He was still a jerk, and often for no reason. He was also pretty stupid. He let people take obvious advantage of him at every turn. When he did stand up for himself, he did it in the manner of a spiteful child. There just wasn’t anything that made me care about him. And he’s the main character, so this did not bode well for my enjoyment of the book.
In fact, the only character that I felt anything good for was Macsen, and mostly what I felt for him was that he was harmless but totally boring. He does some good deeds as the book progresses, and I think this is supposed to make us like him but he was just… dull. He could have been anyone.
The writing on a technical level was… weird. Sometimes very competent (clean, good dialogue, nice descriptions) and sometimes awful (random point of view changes from third-person to first-person? Don’t do this. Ever. It’s uncomfortable and not neat and pulls readers out of the story.) There was also the fact that almost everyone was pretending to be someone else, so we had two Sebastians and two Augusts, and nicknames, with everybody calling each other, sometimes seemingly at random, by different names. I could follow it, but it wasn’t fun.
The magic system and the idea that Sebastian’s kingdom or whatever it is was once part of our world but ‘sank’ was also really interesting. But it wasn’t done… right. The magic system was a bit random, kind of ‘I need this to work, so it does.’ And I didn’t understand how an entire city or more could ‘sink’ and not be underwater. Where did it go? A different plane? And how would rising it out of the waters return it to the original plane? Maybe I was being too literal, but I kept getting stuck on that. Honestly, if you captivate me with a tight plot and great characters, I’ll follow, even if the magic or world-building is really wonky. But once I start disliking a book, I tend to see any other flaws in a glaring way, and that was what happened here.
There were also some VERY bizarre ideas about sexuality and gender here. I am all for playing around with these things. I think that they’re both a lot more flexible than people assume. But here, they were presented as very rigid. There were a lot of offhand comments about traditional gender roles, and the author seemed quite inclined to enforce these gender roles. Which, if you’re happy in a traditional role, that’s fine, but the broad enforcement of, say, women as weaker or as keepers of their husbands, bothered me. And the comments were so throw-away, I felt like the author hadn’t really thought about who she might be hurting with those remarks, and hadn’t added them as part of the plot, but simply as something she felt.
And Sebastian and Macsen’s sexuality was a mess. It felt… weirdly homophobic. Sebastian was considered a ‘sissy,’ which made me shudder. Macsen refused to give a bj (after the first time) because ‘being penetrated’ made him weaker and less of a man. I felt like, if these were two characters in a very conservative setting (which they were) and they were exploring these issues together and working through them, it could have been very interesting. But they don’t explore them. Sebastian basically says, ‘yes, I’m less than a man because I take it up the ass, and it’s totally fine if you think that way, and no need to ever give another bj in your life’ and the author left it there. Which, I just… I just felt like… Like reading this could be so damaging. It enforces so many antiquated and harmful ideas and it just made me very uncomfortable.
The ending of the book also made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t clean and it felt wrong and untrue to who the characters were and how they’d thought about themselves for the entire book. And there were, I thought, easier and better options available for a happily ever after.
And if I want to get really picky, I don’t think I’ve ever read the word ‘damp’ so many times. At one point, Macsen even returns from dinner and says he needs to change out of his damp clothes. How did they get damp at dinner? A ton of sweat? These people are, like, perpetually wet.
So, yeah, this wasn’t for me.
So…. This book and I, we just didn’t get along. I didn’t hate it. I actually thought it had a lot of really interesting potential. But for me, the potential didn’t pan out and I just… didn’t like it.
I think my biggest problem was with the characters. I did hate Sebastian. He had been traumatized and abused, and I felt bad about that, but it didn’t make me like him. He was still a jerk, and often for no reason. He was also pretty stupid. He let people take obvious advantage of him at every turn. When he did stand up for himself, he did it in the manner of a spiteful child. There just wasn’t anything that made me care about him. And he’s the main character, so this did not bode well for my enjoyment of the book.
In fact, the only character that I felt anything good for was Macsen, and mostly what I felt for him was that he was harmless but totally boring. He does some good deeds as the book progresses, and I think this is supposed to make us like him but he was just… dull. He could have been anyone.
The writing on a technical level was… weird. Sometimes very competent (clean, good dialogue, nice descriptions) and sometimes awful (random point of view changes from third-person to first-person? Don’t do this. Ever. It’s uncomfortable and not neat and pulls readers out of the story.) There was also the fact that almost everyone was pretending to be someone else, so we had two Sebastians and two Augusts, and nicknames, with everybody calling each other, sometimes seemingly at random, by different names. I could follow it, but it wasn’t fun.
The magic system and the idea that Sebastian’s kingdom or whatever it is was once part of our world but ‘sank’ was also really interesting. But it wasn’t done… right. The magic system was a bit random, kind of ‘I need this to work, so it does.’ And I didn’t understand how an entire city or more could ‘sink’ and not be underwater. Where did it go? A different plane? And how would rising it out of the waters return it to the original plane? Maybe I was being too literal, but I kept getting stuck on that. Honestly, if you captivate me with a tight plot and great characters, I’ll follow, even if the magic or world-building is really wonky. But once I start disliking a book, I tend to see any other flaws in a glaring way, and that was what happened here.
There were also some VERY bizarre ideas about sexuality and gender here. I am all for playing around with these things. I think that they’re both a lot more flexible than people assume. But here, they were presented as very rigid. There were a lot of offhand comments about traditional gender roles, and the author seemed quite inclined to enforce these gender roles. Which, if you’re happy in a traditional role, that’s fine, but the broad enforcement of, say, women as weaker or as keepers of their husbands, bothered me. And the comments were so throw-away, I felt like the author hadn’t really thought about who she might be hurting with those remarks, and hadn’t added them as part of the plot, but simply as something she felt.
And Sebastian and Macsen’s sexuality was a mess. It felt… weirdly homophobic. Sebastian was considered a ‘sissy,’ which made me shudder. Macsen refused to give a bj (after the first time) because ‘being penetrated’ made him weaker and less of a man. I felt like, if these were two characters in a very conservative setting (which they were) and they were exploring these issues together and working through them, it could have been very interesting. But they don’t explore them. Sebastian basically says, ‘yes, I’m less than a man because I take it up the ass, and it’s totally fine if you think that way, and no need to ever give another bj in your life’ and the author left it there. Which, I just… I just felt like… Like reading this could be so damaging. It enforces so many antiquated and harmful ideas and it just made me very uncomfortable.
The ending of the book also made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t clean and it felt wrong and untrue to who the characters were and how they’d thought about themselves for the entire book. And there were, I thought, easier and better options available for a happily ever after.
And if I want to get really picky, I don’t think I’ve ever read the word ‘damp’ so many times. At one point, Macsen even returns from dinner and says he needs to change out of his damp clothes. How did they get damp at dinner? A ton of sweat? These people are, like, perpetually wet.
So, yeah, this wasn’t for me.
Want to read
January 12, 2016Men in corsets?
May 4, 2016
So. Here’s the thing. I have tried (several times) to come up with a way to review this book that doesn’t involve a lot of spoilers. It didn’t work. There is too much about this story that to talk about it would require me to give a lot of the plot twists away. So, here’s what I am going to do. I’m going to give a quick summary and then I’ll do a really quick, no-spoiler review. Then if you want to know more (and don’t mind spoilers) you can keep reading. If you’d prefer not knowing exact details, you can just stop reading after that point. Ok?
I’m not exactly sure how to classify this story. It starts out a fantasy where Sebastian Swift–-accused of killing his twin sister and trapped in a mental institution as a result–-must find a way to master his magic, fool his uncle and his cousin that he is in fact his murdered sister, and retake his place as ruler of his small island country. But things get a bit tricky. His magic is being stolen from him. His cousin finds out that he is in fact not August. His uncle has no intention of giving up the control he has so cruelly orchestrated. As far as plans go, Sebastian’s seems doomed to failure.
Despite the fact that I found the magic and the initial world building to be incredibly fascinating, I had a hard time with this book. From nearly the beginning I was uncomfortable with some of the sexual situations that Sebastian was placed in–-and how specifically it was treated as no big deal because the dudes turned out to be a good guys so it was fine that Sebastian was at times threatened, coerced, and/or bullied into sex with several characters. I also found the weird 1st/3rd person pov switches to be an odd choice–-though I will admit it made it much easier to tell when we switched povs.
But mostly I had a hard time getting over the fact that Sebastian doesn’t seem to do much in this story. By the end of the story it felt like Sebastian was only there to be tortured, raped, and used as a sex-toy for his various sexual partners. I honestly don’t know if there was any major character growth on his part. He seemed to embrace the roll of pawn and never really acted on his own behalf–-except for maybe that one time he used his magic to save his life and even that felt accidental. This above all left me feeling completely unsatisfied by the ending.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I’m not exactly sure how to classify this story. It starts out a fantasy where Sebastian Swift–-accused of killing his twin sister and trapped in a mental institution as a result–-must find a way to master his magic, fool his uncle and his cousin that he is in fact his murdered sister, and retake his place as ruler of his small island country. But things get a bit tricky. His magic is being stolen from him. His cousin finds out that he is in fact not August. His uncle has no intention of giving up the control he has so cruelly orchestrated. As far as plans go, Sebastian’s seems doomed to failure.
Despite the fact that I found the magic and the initial world building to be incredibly fascinating, I had a hard time with this book. From nearly the beginning I was uncomfortable with some of the sexual situations that Sebastian was placed in–-and how specifically it was treated as no big deal because the dudes turned out to be a good guys so it was fine that Sebastian was at times threatened, coerced, and/or bullied into sex with several characters. I also found the weird 1st/3rd person pov switches to be an odd choice–-though I will admit it made it much easier to tell when we switched povs.
But mostly I had a hard time getting over the fact that Sebastian doesn’t seem to do much in this story. By the end of the story it felt like Sebastian was only there to be tortured, raped, and used as a sex-toy for his various sexual partners. I honestly don’t know if there was any major character growth on his part. He seemed to embrace the roll of pawn and never really acted on his own behalf–-except for maybe that one time he used his magic to save his life and even that felt accidental. This above all left me feeling completely unsatisfied by the ending.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
March 10, 2016
I thought the blurb sounded interesting. Long con, shades of gray characters, fantasy, enemies as lovers...it definitely appealed and it was a first try at this author. At first, I wasn't sure what was going on and formed a vague notion as to the world and setting and then slowly things started to make sense, but then they didn't and then they did and...yeah, it was one of those. Kept me on my toes and I had a good time with that. Pretty sure I had to be in the right mood to appreciate it and there were still things that disturbed me, but overall, it was an enjoyable outing.
The story opens with Sebastian Swift in a lunatic asylum after being accused of murdering his twin sister though he is pretty sure his slimy older cousin, his guardian was responsible for that in order to take over Sebastian's fortune and estate. Meanwhile, he is tortured with 'treatments' and left to languish in a living hell while nightly he dreams of drowning.
All this changes when a violent storm floods the asylum and Sebastian is free with the ghost of his sister, Autumn, guiding him to find shelter in the Thievesward. There he meets an opportunist, Sven, who befriends him and shows him how to survive by his wits. Sven determines that Sebastian will disguise as the long thought dead, Autumn Swift, and 'inherit' her half of the fortune.
On arriving at his ancestral home in disguise as Autumn and with Sven in tow, Sebastian is shocked to find his cousin's bastard son, Macsen, posing as him and the misery that Emery has pressed on the people of the estate and surrounding areas in his greed. Sebastian hates Macsen for stealing his place and inheritance- his life while he was in misery, but is shocked to learn that Macsen might have his own agenda for going along with Emery's plots. And each night, Sebastian continues to drown in his dreams. But as the truth comes out and Sebastian must work with Macsen, nothing is as it seems and he doesn't know what is real and what is a lie anymore. Did he end up going insane after all?
Alright, so this one was a bit macabre and not an easy read. In fact, I doubt it will be for everyone. The reader starts out with Sebastian as the narrator and experiences things as he does. He was taken from the outside world at the age of thirteen and put in an insane asylum.
This is a fantasy world, but this asylum's practices are straight out of the horrors of the past. Any form of mistreatment you can imagine happened to him so he's not exactly stable or healthy when he finally makes it back into the world outside.
Sebastian's adventures and misery are not over as he learns to survive and then gets pulled in several directions by people wanting stuff from him. Sven needs Sebastian to act the part of his own sister for the con, his dead sister's ghosts wants him to get revenge by outing Emery and Macsen, Macsen wants Sebastian to maintain the charade of being Autumn for his own purposes. And Sebastian? Not once is what he wants considered though he wants to have what is really his and get back his life. Unfortunately, it is too late for that. But, as downtrodden and vulnerable as he is, Sebastian isn't weak. He is a survivor against all odds. He'll never be the decisive and outwardly aggressive alpha type, but is a gentle quietly strong beta hero.
The other characters around Sebastian all tend to use or abuse him. They have their own agendas and with even the 'good guy' or 'friends', there is larceny and secrets. Macsen's deceptions are almost honest compared to much of what comes out about the people around Sebastian. The reader slowly starts to realize that there are layers of motives to each person. Mostly this left me sad for Sebastian and angry that he had to suffer for everyone else's needs and ambitions.
The magic element was well done. There is a mystery to it and it is all revealed slowly so I'm going to stay quiet and let the reader discover it on their own.
The romance is complicated. It's enemies to lovers, but also involves Macsen discovering his sexuality. Sebastian might have been a youth when he was locked into the asylum and his reality is distorted, but he is comfortable with who and what he is. He knows that he likes men and he knows he's considered a 'sissy' man. He expects to be treated as disposable goods. Macsen might have many issues, but I liked that he respected and appreciated Sebastian as a lover even if he had no intention of giving back the estate. I enjoyed these two's odd pairing and watching them figure it out even while everything went crazy around them and they even got pulled apart because of it.
Normally, setting isn't something I would consider worth mentioning, but I know some folks prefer their fantasy to stay firmly in an alternate or make believe world. I won't say how or why, but just so you know this one has a twist that shows there are parallel dimensions going on so that some of the story is part of real life Wales. No time travel, but more of a dimension hopping thing.
So, this was different and not comfortable. I liked the story and ended up hating everyone around Sebastian for using him or letting him be abused with the exception with Macsen though that was touch and go at times. The romance worked well as an enemies to lovers. The worldbuilding and plot were satisfying in atmosphere, tone, and twists. I can recommend this one to m/m fantasy romance lovers who can appreciate a bittersweet story and a tortured hero.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The story opens with Sebastian Swift in a lunatic asylum after being accused of murdering his twin sister though he is pretty sure his slimy older cousin, his guardian was responsible for that in order to take over Sebastian's fortune and estate. Meanwhile, he is tortured with 'treatments' and left to languish in a living hell while nightly he dreams of drowning.
All this changes when a violent storm floods the asylum and Sebastian is free with the ghost of his sister, Autumn, guiding him to find shelter in the Thievesward. There he meets an opportunist, Sven, who befriends him and shows him how to survive by his wits. Sven determines that Sebastian will disguise as the long thought dead, Autumn Swift, and 'inherit' her half of the fortune.
On arriving at his ancestral home in disguise as Autumn and with Sven in tow, Sebastian is shocked to find his cousin's bastard son, Macsen, posing as him and the misery that Emery has pressed on the people of the estate and surrounding areas in his greed. Sebastian hates Macsen for stealing his place and inheritance- his life while he was in misery, but is shocked to learn that Macsen might have his own agenda for going along with Emery's plots. And each night, Sebastian continues to drown in his dreams. But as the truth comes out and Sebastian must work with Macsen, nothing is as it seems and he doesn't know what is real and what is a lie anymore. Did he end up going insane after all?
Alright, so this one was a bit macabre and not an easy read. In fact, I doubt it will be for everyone. The reader starts out with Sebastian as the narrator and experiences things as he does. He was taken from the outside world at the age of thirteen and put in an insane asylum.
This is a fantasy world, but this asylum's practices are straight out of the horrors of the past. Any form of mistreatment you can imagine happened to him so he's not exactly stable or healthy when he finally makes it back into the world outside.
Sebastian's adventures and misery are not over as he learns to survive and then gets pulled in several directions by people wanting stuff from him. Sven needs Sebastian to act the part of his own sister for the con, his dead sister's ghosts wants him to get revenge by outing Emery and Macsen, Macsen wants Sebastian to maintain the charade of being Autumn for his own purposes. And Sebastian? Not once is what he wants considered though he wants to have what is really his and get back his life. Unfortunately, it is too late for that. But, as downtrodden and vulnerable as he is, Sebastian isn't weak. He is a survivor against all odds. He'll never be the decisive and outwardly aggressive alpha type, but is a gentle quietly strong beta hero.
The other characters around Sebastian all tend to use or abuse him. They have their own agendas and with even the 'good guy' or 'friends', there is larceny and secrets. Macsen's deceptions are almost honest compared to much of what comes out about the people around Sebastian. The reader slowly starts to realize that there are layers of motives to each person. Mostly this left me sad for Sebastian and angry that he had to suffer for everyone else's needs and ambitions.
The magic element was well done. There is a mystery to it and it is all revealed slowly so I'm going to stay quiet and let the reader discover it on their own.
The romance is complicated. It's enemies to lovers, but also involves Macsen discovering his sexuality. Sebastian might have been a youth when he was locked into the asylum and his reality is distorted, but he is comfortable with who and what he is. He knows that he likes men and he knows he's considered a 'sissy' man. He expects to be treated as disposable goods. Macsen might have many issues, but I liked that he respected and appreciated Sebastian as a lover even if he had no intention of giving back the estate. I enjoyed these two's odd pairing and watching them figure it out even while everything went crazy around them and they even got pulled apart because of it.
Normally, setting isn't something I would consider worth mentioning, but I know some folks prefer their fantasy to stay firmly in an alternate or make believe world. I won't say how or why, but just so you know this one has a twist that shows there are parallel dimensions going on so that some of the story is part of real life Wales. No time travel, but more of a dimension hopping thing.
So, this was different and not comfortable. I liked the story and ended up hating everyone around Sebastian for using him or letting him be abused with the exception with Macsen though that was touch and go at times. The romance worked well as an enemies to lovers. The worldbuilding and plot were satisfying in atmosphere, tone, and twists. I can recommend this one to m/m fantasy romance lovers who can appreciate a bittersweet story and a tortured hero.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2016
This was an enjoyable story about young lord, Sebastian, who has been falsely held in an insane asylum since he was a teen. He thinks his family is all dead and his future is grim and bleak. A chance storm destroys the walls one day and he escapes. After he finds shelter in the poor part of the city he realizes that his uncle has put an imposter in his place and they are currently ruling the land in his name. Sebastian goes undercover, back to his home, to try to figure out what is going on. He finds a number of interesting things, from magical powers to love.
I thought this was an interesting story that is fantasy in nature. It is set in two realms. The one Sebastian lives in and then later in the book, our realm. The world the author created was interesting but I did not like the way it was explained. It was done through telling not showing. Sebastian would ask questions of those around him and then they would explain it to him. That is how we learn everything we do about the worlds. It caused the storytelling to go on too long and I found myself getting bored as the characters would talk endlessly. It felt a little like listening to a lecture in school. This was my primary complaint with the book.
The characters themselves were enjoyable and unique. I really liked the relationship between Sebastian and Macsen. It was unexpected and I felt the chemistry between them. There were a host of side characters, both good and bad, that added to the story's plot.
This had a lot of potential but ended up being just a meh read due to the telling not showing mentioned above. I got bored too many times during the story.
I thought this was an interesting story that is fantasy in nature. It is set in two realms. The one Sebastian lives in and then later in the book, our realm. The world the author created was interesting but I did not like the way it was explained. It was done through telling not showing. Sebastian would ask questions of those around him and then they would explain it to him. That is how we learn everything we do about the worlds. It caused the storytelling to go on too long and I found myself getting bored as the characters would talk endlessly. It felt a little like listening to a lecture in school. This was my primary complaint with the book.
The characters themselves were enjoyable and unique. I really liked the relationship between Sebastian and Macsen. It was unexpected and I felt the chemistry between them. There were a host of side characters, both good and bad, that added to the story's plot.
This had a lot of potential but ended up being just a meh read due to the telling not showing mentioned above. I got bored too many times during the story.
March 16, 2016
For eight years Sebastian Swift has been locked up at All Fates Asylum for murdering his twin sister. The Water Thief begins with Sebastian waking up while being held down by two orderlies in a tub of cold water. After being dragged out of the tub by the same two orderlies, he is then hosed down with more cold water after he’s vomited and urinated on himself. He’s ordered to get dressed and is then led into his room, where he’s placed under lock and key. This seems to be par for the course at All Fates in how they deal with troublesome inmates. Especially with Sebastian, since he’s always breaking the rules and getting himself into trouble. But on this particular evening, there’s a storm brewing, and with that storm comes a mudslide that forces the collapse of the building that houses Sebastian. Through the rubble, he encounters the ghost of his sister, August, who leads him away from the Asylum and towards…safety?
It’s at this point that Sebastian stumbles across Sven, who takes Sly (aka Sebastian) under his wing at a place called Thievesward. Sebastian soon learns through Sven that not only is his Uncle Emrys doing quite well for himself since Sebastian’s incarceration, but so is the man’s bastard son, the Earl of Cantre’r Gwaelod. Sven then tells Sly he’ll take him in and teach him a few things—if he’s willing to do something in return.
Okay, this is where The Water Thief started to turn south on me. I really didn’t feel comfortable reading about how Sven had sex with Sebastian up along the side of an outhouse with spit as lube. I know that Sebastian is twenty-one and all, but he’d just escaped from an asylum, and here he has this skank of a man wanting to jump his bones in exchange for his continued safety. And Sebastian is okay with this because it doesn’t matter. After all, he’s no virgin after being taken willingly, or not, at All Fates. There was just something so eeeew about Sven, and I was sad for Sebastian.
It was made worse, though, as I found out more about Sven, which made him even skankier. Then later on in the story, through Macsen, Sebastian/August finds out that for years he’s been harvested for the magic he didn’t even know he had, a method that’s involved filling his lungs with water. Sebastian’s magic enables him to control water and to open up portals to higher realms or dimensions, as I’d like to call them. It’s why his Uncle Emrys has had him locked up in an asylum—to steal this magic and use it to control the people of the land.
What happens in The Water Thief is quite complicated, and some of the situations were just too much for me to follow. Although I did my best to not give up on this one, I did do lot of head shaking at some of the situations that came up while reading this novel. Let’s also add to it that the head hopping between Macsen and Sebastian didn’t help with the flow of the story.
I’m sorry to say that The Water Thief wasn’t my cup of tea, and if this review sounds a bit messed up… Well, that’s how The Water Thief made me feel after I finished reading it. Out of the whole of the story, I came to like Macsen’s character because he, like Sebastian, was a victim of all his father’s plotting, and he worked hard to make things right. Macsen and Sebastian’s characterizations were the only ones that made any sense, while the secondary characters were all over the place.
Reviewed by Kim for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
It’s at this point that Sebastian stumbles across Sven, who takes Sly (aka Sebastian) under his wing at a place called Thievesward. Sebastian soon learns through Sven that not only is his Uncle Emrys doing quite well for himself since Sebastian’s incarceration, but so is the man’s bastard son, the Earl of Cantre’r Gwaelod. Sven then tells Sly he’ll take him in and teach him a few things—if he’s willing to do something in return.
Okay, this is where The Water Thief started to turn south on me. I really didn’t feel comfortable reading about how Sven had sex with Sebastian up along the side of an outhouse with spit as lube. I know that Sebastian is twenty-one and all, but he’d just escaped from an asylum, and here he has this skank of a man wanting to jump his bones in exchange for his continued safety. And Sebastian is okay with this because it doesn’t matter. After all, he’s no virgin after being taken willingly, or not, at All Fates. There was just something so eeeew about Sven, and I was sad for Sebastian.
It was made worse, though, as I found out more about Sven, which made him even skankier. Then later on in the story, through Macsen, Sebastian/August finds out that for years he’s been harvested for the magic he didn’t even know he had, a method that’s involved filling his lungs with water. Sebastian’s magic enables him to control water and to open up portals to higher realms or dimensions, as I’d like to call them. It’s why his Uncle Emrys has had him locked up in an asylum—to steal this magic and use it to control the people of the land.
What happens in The Water Thief is quite complicated, and some of the situations were just too much for me to follow. Although I did my best to not give up on this one, I did do lot of head shaking at some of the situations that came up while reading this novel. Let’s also add to it that the head hopping between Macsen and Sebastian didn’t help with the flow of the story.
I’m sorry to say that The Water Thief wasn’t my cup of tea, and if this review sounds a bit messed up… Well, that’s how The Water Thief made me feel after I finished reading it. Out of the whole of the story, I came to like Macsen’s character because he, like Sebastian, was a victim of all his father’s plotting, and he worked hard to make things right. Macsen and Sebastian’s characterizations were the only ones that made any sense, while the secondary characters were all over the place.
Reviewed by Kim for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
March 8, 2016
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads
3 fantasy stars.
The Water Thief was an odd read, and I'll try my best to put it into words without spoilers or being nitpicky. First I will state this is a dual-perspective MM historical fantasy novel, both written in 1st & 3rd person perspective without any real pattern.
Sebastian has been imprisoned in a mental ward with the charge of killing his twin sister, August, for the past eight years. At the opener, I had no idea how old Sebastian was, so I was a bit shocked to find out this all started at age thirteen, and now he is only twenty-one.
The Water Thief doesn't have Sebastian locked up for long, only in the first half of the first chapter. I truly believed I was going to enjoy the novel with how it started out. Sebastian's escape was led by his dead twin sister's ghost, leading him to where the thieves dwell. But within minutes of knowing one another, he's screwing a random guy. The addition of sex in chapter two, while my mind was still trying to process what was going on, was beyond bizarre. It wasn't hot; it was odd. Then, within the next chapter, an entire year plus some is told, not shown.
Sebastian learns an impostor has taken over his life, yet his new thief friends believe him to be Sly, not Sebastian, so they inadvertently lead him home. This part of the story, I did enjoy for the most part, perhaps enough for 4 stars. It was a bit drawn out, but entertaining nonetheless. Then when I felt the book should end, the fantasy part finally began. It was jarring going from sitting around an estate while dressed up as a female and bantering and instigating the second-cousin impostor, to fleeing into another fantasy realm with the new love interest- said impostor cousin.
In a nutshell, not only did Sebastian dress as a female, his speech/action/reactions were feminine in the extreme. His character voice was female, and without the name and male parts, I wouldn't have thought him anyone but female. The character I enjoyed the most was his impostor cousin, Macsen. The book was just a hot mess, with the fantasy structure all over the place, with only a whisper of it in the first half of the book. It was entertaining yet jarring. With a different level of execution on the writer's part, the plot was worthy and entertaining enough to be a good, fantasy MM novel.
The Water Thief had a ton of potential, but sadly fell short.
3 fantasy stars.
The Water Thief was an odd read, and I'll try my best to put it into words without spoilers or being nitpicky. First I will state this is a dual-perspective MM historical fantasy novel, both written in 1st & 3rd person perspective without any real pattern.
Sebastian has been imprisoned in a mental ward with the charge of killing his twin sister, August, for the past eight years. At the opener, I had no idea how old Sebastian was, so I was a bit shocked to find out this all started at age thirteen, and now he is only twenty-one.
The Water Thief doesn't have Sebastian locked up for long, only in the first half of the first chapter. I truly believed I was going to enjoy the novel with how it started out. Sebastian's escape was led by his dead twin sister's ghost, leading him to where the thieves dwell. But within minutes of knowing one another, he's screwing a random guy. The addition of sex in chapter two, while my mind was still trying to process what was going on, was beyond bizarre. It wasn't hot; it was odd. Then, within the next chapter, an entire year plus some is told, not shown.
Sebastian learns an impostor has taken over his life, yet his new thief friends believe him to be Sly, not Sebastian, so they inadvertently lead him home. This part of the story, I did enjoy for the most part, perhaps enough for 4 stars. It was a bit drawn out, but entertaining nonetheless. Then when I felt the book should end, the fantasy part finally began. It was jarring going from sitting around an estate while dressed up as a female and bantering and instigating the second-cousin impostor, to fleeing into another fantasy realm with the new love interest- said impostor cousin.
In a nutshell, not only did Sebastian dress as a female, his speech/action/reactions were feminine in the extreme. His character voice was female, and without the name and male parts, I wouldn't have thought him anyone but female. The character I enjoyed the most was his impostor cousin, Macsen. The book was just a hot mess, with the fantasy structure all over the place, with only a whisper of it in the first half of the book. It was entertaining yet jarring. With a different level of execution on the writer's part, the plot was worthy and entertaining enough to be a good, fantasy MM novel.
The Water Thief had a ton of potential, but sadly fell short.
March 9, 2016
Originally posted at RT Book Reviews Magazine-http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-rev...
Kindred’s latest erotic endeavour is a concoction of paranormal fantasy, alternate world blending, mystery and suspense when a young man is freed from his involuntary imprisonment and decides to impersonate his dead twin sister in order to reclaim his heritage. Engaging dialogue, rich worldbuilding and well-developed main characters are a trademark of Kindred’s writing, but the romance and storylines didn’t quite develop on the same level. The premise promises a rich gender-fluid romance, but the uneven pacing and occasional rambling scenes leave the impression Kindred was at a loss on which direction to take at times. The multiple plotlines didn’t always work well together, causing some confusion, and the romance felt forced rather than a natural progression between the heroes.
Sebastian Swift was framed as a child for his twin sister’s murder and left to rot in a mental institution. When a freak storm frees him, he learns the truth is far worse than he ever suspected. His uncle has seized control of the estate, passing off his illegitimate son as Sebastian, and has been draining Sebastian of his powers through drugs. With the help of some friends, Sebastian poses as his twin sister August and arrives at the estate, determined to discover who murdered his sister and gain back control of his heritage. Macsen Finch refuses to let anyone interfere with his plans, even an attractive young woman who he is sure is nothing more than a gold-digging imposter. As Sebastian and Macsen grow closer and secrets are revealed, they find themselves firmly at the center of a conspiracy that could destroy them all. Sebastian knows he must gain control of his powers before it’s too late, but he fears the ones he loves the most are the ones who seek to stop him for good.
Kindred’s latest erotic endeavour is a concoction of paranormal fantasy, alternate world blending, mystery and suspense when a young man is freed from his involuntary imprisonment and decides to impersonate his dead twin sister in order to reclaim his heritage. Engaging dialogue, rich worldbuilding and well-developed main characters are a trademark of Kindred’s writing, but the romance and storylines didn’t quite develop on the same level. The premise promises a rich gender-fluid romance, but the uneven pacing and occasional rambling scenes leave the impression Kindred was at a loss on which direction to take at times. The multiple plotlines didn’t always work well together, causing some confusion, and the romance felt forced rather than a natural progression between the heroes.
Sebastian Swift was framed as a child for his twin sister’s murder and left to rot in a mental institution. When a freak storm frees him, he learns the truth is far worse than he ever suspected. His uncle has seized control of the estate, passing off his illegitimate son as Sebastian, and has been draining Sebastian of his powers through drugs. With the help of some friends, Sebastian poses as his twin sister August and arrives at the estate, determined to discover who murdered his sister and gain back control of his heritage. Macsen Finch refuses to let anyone interfere with his plans, even an attractive young woman who he is sure is nothing more than a gold-digging imposter. As Sebastian and Macsen grow closer and secrets are revealed, they find themselves firmly at the center of a conspiracy that could destroy them all. Sebastian knows he must gain control of his powers before it’s too late, but he fears the ones he loves the most are the ones who seek to stop him for good.
Read
March 15, 2016Wasn't the book for me. I didn't like the way the plot jumped around, and I didn't feel the connections, but I am sire some will enjoy it.
June 15, 2016
This is an interesting magical-realistic story that I mostly enjoyed, but still has some issues regarding.
Setting: the book mainly takes place in a mythical land, the Lower Hundred, that was lost off the coast of Wales centuries ago. In my brain I liken it to Atlantis. It's a time-trapped land ruled by an Earl.
Sebastian Swift was the male heir to become earl. At age 13, he was wrongly accused of murdering his twin sister, August, and sentenced to an asylum where he's been abused the past 8 years. He's plagued by dreams of drowning, and one night a vicious storm tears his facility to shreds and he's rescued by the "ghost" of August. He's led to a conclave of cast-offs and thieves and taught how to survive on the streets. This is aided by Sven, a man who claims to be from the Upper Realms--and who makes ample use of Sebastian's, er, they have sex. A bit. Sebastian likes men, always has, and is happy to trade his body for protection. He won't reveal his true identity because he learns that an imposter has taken his place as Earl. Still their land languishes and the populace despises the Earl. Sven "hatches" a plan to masquerade Sebastian as August--returned from the "dead"--inorder to squeeze money from the Earl.
The changeling, Macsen, is the illegitimate offspring of Sebastian's elder cousin Emrys. He hated Sebastian and August, jealous of their easy life, and had no qualms assuming Sebastian's identity once Sebastian was convicted of murder. He doesn't believe August is who she claims to be, but he also doesn't believe she's Sebastian--at first. Once their true identities are made plain, Macsen and Sebastion must band together against Emrys--one would hope. To some degree they do, because there is a water shortage in the Lower Hundred that has been created by magic siphoned off Sebastian while he was a prisoner of the asylum.
Okay, this one was a real convoluted cloak-and-dagger read where Sebastian was a pawn in many games, Macsen was a pawn in some of them, characters come back from "the dead" and the ability to control water is not only important--it's vital. Emrys has plans to raise to alter their world in a way that would likely destry it--for his own monetary gain. He's a brutal man, and has no qualms about dispatching his enemies--or beating his son into submission.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'm not really sure that even writing out the major plot points would help it make sense in its entirety. I felt as disoriented as Sebastian, who is heartstrong and headstrong and looking for a place to be loved. Orphaned young, and abused long, he has no real sense of place, and he seems to find it with Macsen, despite their fraught history. Macsen redeems himself, mostly, for his youthful execution of his power-hungry father's orders and plans. He's a bit of a Robin Hood, at this point in time, stealing Sebastian's stolen magic to replace the water his father has stolen, if that makes sense...and helping "his" people from the horrific edicts laid out by Emrys, in the "Earl's" name. He does the right thing at the right time, even if he heart isn't completely in it.
I felt as it there were some moments of "convenience" that were too unrealistic--especially near the end. That said, I did connect with the love story between Macsen and Sebastian. The resolution was sweet as it stood, with an HEA that seemed plausible for the setting. All the bad guys get what's coming and Mac and Seb create a life that ensures their close quarters even as their open relationship would never be acceptable. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
Setting: the book mainly takes place in a mythical land, the Lower Hundred, that was lost off the coast of Wales centuries ago. In my brain I liken it to Atlantis. It's a time-trapped land ruled by an Earl.
Sebastian Swift was the male heir to become earl. At age 13, he was wrongly accused of murdering his twin sister, August, and sentenced to an asylum where he's been abused the past 8 years. He's plagued by dreams of drowning, and one night a vicious storm tears his facility to shreds and he's rescued by the "ghost" of August. He's led to a conclave of cast-offs and thieves and taught how to survive on the streets. This is aided by Sven, a man who claims to be from the Upper Realms--and who makes ample use of Sebastian's, er, they have sex. A bit. Sebastian likes men, always has, and is happy to trade his body for protection. He won't reveal his true identity because he learns that an imposter has taken his place as Earl. Still their land languishes and the populace despises the Earl. Sven "hatches" a plan to masquerade Sebastian as August--returned from the "dead"--inorder to squeeze money from the Earl.
The changeling, Macsen, is the illegitimate offspring of Sebastian's elder cousin Emrys. He hated Sebastian and August, jealous of their easy life, and had no qualms assuming Sebastian's identity once Sebastian was convicted of murder. He doesn't believe August is who she claims to be, but he also doesn't believe she's Sebastian--at first. Once their true identities are made plain, Macsen and Sebastion must band together against Emrys--one would hope. To some degree they do, because there is a water shortage in the Lower Hundred that has been created by magic siphoned off Sebastian while he was a prisoner of the asylum.
Okay, this one was a real convoluted cloak-and-dagger read where Sebastian was a pawn in many games, Macsen was a pawn in some of them, characters come back from "the dead" and the ability to control water is not only important--it's vital. Emrys has plans to raise to alter their world in a way that would likely destry it--for his own monetary gain. He's a brutal man, and has no qualms about dispatching his enemies--or beating his son into submission.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'm not really sure that even writing out the major plot points would help it make sense in its entirety. I felt as disoriented as Sebastian, who is heartstrong and headstrong and looking for a place to be loved. Orphaned young, and abused long, he has no real sense of place, and he seems to find it with Macsen, despite their fraught history. Macsen redeems himself, mostly, for his youthful execution of his power-hungry father's orders and plans. He's a bit of a Robin Hood, at this point in time, stealing Sebastian's stolen magic to replace the water his father has stolen, if that makes sense...and helping "his" people from the horrific edicts laid out by Emrys, in the "Earl's" name. He does the right thing at the right time, even if he heart isn't completely in it.
I felt as it there were some moments of "convenience" that were too unrealistic--especially near the end. That said, I did connect with the love story between Macsen and Sebastian. The resolution was sweet as it stood, with an HEA that seemed plausible for the setting. All the bad guys get what's coming and Mac and Seb create a life that ensures their close quarters even as their open relationship would never be acceptable. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
April 17, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
3.5 stars
Sebastian Swift followed a ghost out of the insane asylum to his freedom. Sebastian finds himself surrounded by criminals. That’s okay. Legally, he’s a criminal too. He murdered his sister, August. Or so he’s been told. Sebastian trades sex for a roof over his head and learns how to be a common thief. However, Sebastian isn’t common. A chance encounter with a dress gives Sebastian’s companions an idea. Sebastian is going to pretend to be his own long dead sister, suddenly found, as a con to gain money from his own family. Sebastian happens to know there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Everyone in Cantre’r Gwaelod thinks Sebastian Swift is in his castle, where he’s supposed to be. Macsen Finch has been pretending to be Sebastian for years. When his cousin August shows up he knows something is going on. Macsen watched his father, Emrys, murder August years ago. When Emrys then welcomes the fake into their lives things get really confusing. This fake knows way too much about the house and Macsen himself. What is his father up to? Macsen is both stunned and horrified when he learns the truth. Things are so much bigger than either Macsen or Sebastian ever dreamed. Macsen and Sebastian begin to have feelings for each other. That complicates things. Both of them want to do the right thing. Emrys just wants power and will do anything to get it.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this book up. I’ve both enjoyed and really disliked books by Jane Kindred. I ended up finding this book surprisingly light. That’s not to say big and unpleasant things didn’t happen, but no one watched their child get murdered. I enjoyed reading despite the occasional plot hole. I enjoyed the characters enough. It was a relatively mild mannered fantasy, and not everything needs to have a character with deep seated emotional problems, even if they’ve spent years being abused in a mental asylum or suffered emotional and physical abuse throughout their childhood. Was that plausible? Nope. Did I care? Not so much. Sometimes I just want to read a rousing tale and not have to worry about psychological profiles.
A lot of this plot hinges on who knew what when. There is some spoilery information Macsen knew long before the reader knew he knew it. We had Macsen’s POV. He seemed just as confused by August/Sebastian as the rest of his family. If he knew the big spoilery secret he wouldn’t have been confused. We learn about the paranormal aspects of the story in Macsen’s POV. He seemed to be thinking he was pretty surprised and disgusted by what was going on. Yeah, I’m explaining this very poorly and trying to not spoiler and it’s confusing. Sorry. Basically, the overall plot didn’t hold up to a cursory inspection. The attempts to account for that weren’t so great. Personally, I didn’t really care as I felt this was a fun read anyway.
If you are a person who can overlook plot flaws this book is fun. Sometimes that’s all I ask for. This book delivered in that department. There were spooky tunnels, an evil bad guy, and an incredibly poignant moment when Sebastian really feared he’d never see Macsen again. In all honestly I kind of expected a little better from Jane Kindred, but in all fairness I liked reading this book. At the end of the day, for me, it’s about enjoying what I read.
3.5 stars
Sebastian Swift followed a ghost out of the insane asylum to his freedom. Sebastian finds himself surrounded by criminals. That’s okay. Legally, he’s a criminal too. He murdered his sister, August. Or so he’s been told. Sebastian trades sex for a roof over his head and learns how to be a common thief. However, Sebastian isn’t common. A chance encounter with a dress gives Sebastian’s companions an idea. Sebastian is going to pretend to be his own long dead sister, suddenly found, as a con to gain money from his own family. Sebastian happens to know there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Everyone in Cantre’r Gwaelod thinks Sebastian Swift is in his castle, where he’s supposed to be. Macsen Finch has been pretending to be Sebastian for years. When his cousin August shows up he knows something is going on. Macsen watched his father, Emrys, murder August years ago. When Emrys then welcomes the fake into their lives things get really confusing. This fake knows way too much about the house and Macsen himself. What is his father up to? Macsen is both stunned and horrified when he learns the truth. Things are so much bigger than either Macsen or Sebastian ever dreamed. Macsen and Sebastian begin to have feelings for each other. That complicates things. Both of them want to do the right thing. Emrys just wants power and will do anything to get it.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this book up. I’ve both enjoyed and really disliked books by Jane Kindred. I ended up finding this book surprisingly light. That’s not to say big and unpleasant things didn’t happen, but no one watched their child get murdered. I enjoyed reading despite the occasional plot hole. I enjoyed the characters enough. It was a relatively mild mannered fantasy, and not everything needs to have a character with deep seated emotional problems, even if they’ve spent years being abused in a mental asylum or suffered emotional and physical abuse throughout their childhood. Was that plausible? Nope. Did I care? Not so much. Sometimes I just want to read a rousing tale and not have to worry about psychological profiles.
A lot of this plot hinges on who knew what when. There is some spoilery information Macsen knew long before the reader knew he knew it. We had Macsen’s POV. He seemed just as confused by August/Sebastian as the rest of his family. If he knew the big spoilery secret he wouldn’t have been confused. We learn about the paranormal aspects of the story in Macsen’s POV. He seemed to be thinking he was pretty surprised and disgusted by what was going on. Yeah, I’m explaining this very poorly and trying to not spoiler and it’s confusing. Sorry. Basically, the overall plot didn’t hold up to a cursory inspection. The attempts to account for that weren’t so great. Personally, I didn’t really care as I felt this was a fun read anyway.
If you are a person who can overlook plot flaws this book is fun. Sometimes that’s all I ask for. This book delivered in that department. There were spooky tunnels, an evil bad guy, and an incredibly poignant moment when Sebastian really feared he’d never see Macsen again. In all honestly I kind of expected a little better from Jane Kindred, but in all fairness I liked reading this book. At the end of the day, for me, it’s about enjoying what I read.
March 12, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
The Water Thief was like the tale of two stories for me. I loved the first half, and then things kind of took a down turn. But before I get into that part, I read this book for Friends & Enemies to Lovers Week, so let’s start with the relationship end of things. I love the enemies to lovers trope and I think it is handled quite well here. The conflict between Macsen and Sebastian stems from when they were both children, and Sebastian lived the life of the future earl while Mascen suffered at the hands of his abusive father. Although Mascen is clearly in the wrong by impersonating Sebastian and claiming his title, we can also see how he has always been under his father’s thumb. He also had no idea just how violently Emrys was stealing Sebastian’s magic. So he is a guy that starts out as a true villain with the men clearly set up as enemies, but he is still redeemable when the men begin to fall for one another. I love that they start as enemies and end up as lovers and allies, and I think despite some issues at the end where Mascen’s waffling and doubting lead to some trouble, this element of the story works well.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
The Water Thief was like the tale of two stories for me. I loved the first half, and then things kind of took a down turn. But before I get into that part, I read this book for Friends & Enemies to Lovers Week, so let’s start with the relationship end of things. I love the enemies to lovers trope and I think it is handled quite well here. The conflict between Macsen and Sebastian stems from when they were both children, and Sebastian lived the life of the future earl while Mascen suffered at the hands of his abusive father. Although Mascen is clearly in the wrong by impersonating Sebastian and claiming his title, we can also see how he has always been under his father’s thumb. He also had no idea just how violently Emrys was stealing Sebastian’s magic. So he is a guy that starts out as a true villain with the men clearly set up as enemies, but he is still redeemable when the men begin to fall for one another. I love that they start as enemies and end up as lovers and allies, and I think despite some issues at the end where Mascen’s waffling and doubting lead to some trouble, this element of the story works well.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
March 25, 2016
3.5 stars awarded for cover and corsets
This was good but at the same time, mind boggling. Sebastian came across as 'too stupid to live', and as hard as I'm trying not to judge him because of Emrys and history, it's hard not to just give him a dirty look.
I don't know how Sebastian did it. I didn't want to trust any person in this novel. None of them. Everyone had their own agenda and the one person I might have trusted by the last chapter, it would only be as far as I could throw him. So, still within touching distance.
This is a case of just let your imagination run free. Don't try to rationalize anything. If you do, you'll hate this.
I'm willing to write it all off because a: hot guy, with: long hair, wearing: corsets!
Oh, and there's some cross dimensional, old world vs newer world (was never given the time period), fairy tale action.
~Copy provided by Netgalley~
This was good but at the same time, mind boggling. Sebastian came across as 'too stupid to live', and as hard as I'm trying not to judge him because of Emrys and history, it's hard not to just give him a dirty look.
I don't know how Sebastian did it. I didn't want to trust any person in this novel. None of them. Everyone had their own agenda and the one person I might have trusted by the last chapter, it would only be as far as I could throw him. So, still within touching distance.
This is a case of just let your imagination run free. Don't try to rationalize anything. If you do, you'll hate this.
I'm willing to write it all off because a: hot guy, with: long hair, wearing: corsets!
Oh, and there's some cross dimensional, old world vs newer world (was never given the time period), fairy tale action.
~Copy provided by Netgalley~
October 6, 2016
This book was a huge disappointment, because in the beginning I was SO WITH IT. The crossdressing, the questionable attraction, the intrigue, the hostility, yes omg eating it with a spoon. When things started to get a little more *wiggles fingers* and...and then the genre shift (the first or the second, you choose)...and I couldn't finish it. I tried. I didn't care anymore, I really didn't. It kind of sucked how fast I lost interest :(
Read
January 10, 2016Review to come
March 27, 2016
Was really into this book until I realized the two guys sleeping together are HALF BROTHERS. Yuck.
April 19, 2016
Enjoyed the premise but the world/dimension/realm building was poorly done and the characters did not resonate with me.
dnf
December 9, 2016Another book I forgot I was reading. Which pretty much says it all really.
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