Bucking the crowd or somehow I read a different book. Put in spoiler tags 'cause my grievances reveal significant plot points.
Sam is a complete and utter ass and I want to smack Jory until he realizes he DOES NOT need that hot--cold shit Sam seems to think is reasonable. No caring human being is that inconsiderate about basic feelings and no! Not giving Sam a Go Free card 'cause he's having an identity crisis. I get the once even twice, but they go three times 'all in'.
I liked the developing relationship between Dane and Jory, but there was so much not explained prior to the adoption that I felt like I missed part of the story. Sure they're like peas in a pod or sirens for women and men, each calling one sex until they become enthralled. Yeah...that was a bit too good to be true, too.
I think the reader needs to buy into the fantasy aspect right away or this is not going to work. I suppose, I liked Jory and I was interested in his story, but the events surrounding his life are surreal. It's a production with some zealous directing and a plethora of drama points.
In the end, I was aggravated by this book because there were several times when I was really enjoying it and going with it when all of a sudden a random monkey wrench was tossed in and wrecked the flow. It was like playing Chutes and Ladders and constantly being sent back to the beginning again.
The book geek in me loved the premise of an outsider librarian going off the range after making a colossally bad workplace decision.
Colin Bliss, young, talented and naive makes a whopper of bad judgment call and then realizes he has to live with it for a year. A very long year. Until an opportunity presents itself and he decides to engage in some unsanctioned activities since, well...since he's been sidelined.
Septimus Marx, the scowling presence that always unsettles Bliss is the proverbial bad penny that keeps turning up. But, his sanctimonious airs have more to do with than just the superiority of position and skill. Bliss finds this out during his journey.
I liked the adventure/treasure seeking plot for a lost book. A mythic book that all reputable sources deny exists. The thought and development of the legend and the gaelic used throughout gave a very tangible feel to the story and if there's something I really enjoy, it is being subsumed by a story. The plot itself isn't complicated, but the execution is so smooth and pleasurable that it rates highly in my estimate.
Favorite quote:
He smiled faintly. “‘Ge milis a’ mhil, cò dh’imlicheadh o bhàrr dri i.’ Good advice, this is. Honey may be sweet, but no one licks it off a briar.”
Incredibly cheesy with cookie cutter characters. Disaster of a club, bad behavior all around, corny lines, an alphahole who's reformed and a meek sub that I could have beat up when I was eight. *rubs eyes* Overall, it comes across formulaic.