Overall Merit: I enjoyed several aspects of this book and for the most part it was a very solid read. Griffin does a good job with the characters at the beginning, but their strength seems to fade as the book goes on. I thought the structure and characteristics of Na'Reish society were interesting and I would have liked more of a background. There weren't any radically new ideas in the book, but Griffin took a pre-established story and wove it into a world of her own making. Some aspects definitely seemed a little too cliched, but I mean while there wasn't anything stunning in the book, it was a quick read and I didn't have any major issues with it. I'd say it's worth checking out if you want a pretty standard romantic fantasy. Score- 8
Characters: I'm all for character change, but this felt way too fast. Over the course of maybe a week Annika goes from being fearful for her life to trusting Kalan absolutely. I mean this is a pretty common issue in novels where romance is present, but I just felt like their relationship was very rushed. Annika is interesting and I liked the way her Na'Chi characteristics presented (color changing eyes, body markings, etc.), but I felt that as she got closer to Kalan her personality got watered down. Kalan was hmm I wouldn't call him an alpha or a beta, maybe somewhere in between? I'm having a difficult time deciding because his personality wasn't very strong in either direction. He needed some serious fleshing out and I felt like he made a lot of threats, but didn't actually do anything. Score- 6
Blush Factor: Ok, if you read this genre you know the deal. This was a basic fantasy smut novel. The sex scenes didn't overpower the rest of the book, but they were definitely a presence. There was the whole "Oh Annika's a virgin, let's take it slow" (but not really). Pretty standard sequence here. If this is your thing then enjoy. I really don't have a whole lot to say or rant about. Score- 7
Structure: For this category, I feel like all the pieces were there, but Griffin didn't utilize them to their full potential. I very much enjoyed learning about Na'Chi and Na'Reish abilities, but I felt kind of jilted because they weren't spelled out enough for me. Yes, I got the body markings and some of the abilities, but I felt like I was missing something. The main problem was that Griffin didn't keep Annika's powers consistent, or maybe she didn't explain them very well. For example, apparently Annika is super strong, but I wanted to know how strong. Like can she lift two men? Five? Laying out the parameters for supernatural powers is essential because otherwise it leaves the reader wondering whether or not they could have used said powers to get out of a difficult situation. Same goes for the Light Blades. I know they're talented with weapons, but is that it? I've said this before and I'll say it again: A reader can't possibly know what's going on in a writer's head. So writers, please spell it out for us. Score- 5
Plot: This gets kudos because it actually existed. Finally, someone remembers to include a plot along with the other elements of a story! I liked that it wasn't just Annika's story, but that we also got to see a side plot weaving in at the same time. I think this really helped the book along because it gave more substance to the story whereas if it had just been about Annika and Kalan, it would have pretty much only had the romance to go on and that would definitely not have been enough. Score- 8
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