Review by Daniel123 -- The Bonding by Imogen Keeper
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Daniel123
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- Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
Review by Daniel123 -- The Bonding by Imogen Keeper
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper.]
4 out of 4 stars
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When Tam, an Argenti warrior, encounters Nissa, a Trianni Princess, floating alone through cold, empty space in an escape pod, he pulls her into his ship to find her deathly ill.
She's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, but she's been in stasis to long and is fast dying now that she's woken.
Tam is all alone, light years away from any medical help. There is only one way to save her…. To have sex with her.
Doing so bonds them as mates for life, but Nissa can't mate with some unexpected soldier she found in space, she's a princess, and she has a duty to her people, a duty that includes marrying a king of their choosing...
The Bonding by Imogen Keeper is a science fiction romance written in omniscient third person. It has two protagonists that get about the same amount of attention throughout the book. Even though it's written in omniscient perspective, the narration sticks with these protagonists throughout the story and doesn't jump around to other scenes or times, making it very straightforward to read.
A few sticky points that I'll arrange vaguely chronologically.
When Tam first meets Nissa, right after washing of her stasis gel, he tries to sleep with her. This scene is what the whole story hinges on and I feel it was a touch rushed.
Tam's speed makes him seem callous and self-serving, and Nissa’s immediate and enthusiastic acceptance makes her seem wanton and unbridled, which is bad because that's essentially the exact opposite of who the characters are supposed to be.
I feel like Tam should've put more effort into alternative remedies, or tried to grit his teeth and wait it out till he got back home before he accepted he didn't have a choice. It would've emphasized his selfless character by showing him refusing to seize the moment even though he was really attracted to Nissa, and attempts at alternative remedies would've helped Nissa internalize that she's dying and that nothing is working. Which would have justified better her acceptance of Tam’s advances.
Especially since they don't speak the same language. Waking up after 500 years and immediately sleeping with the nearest person —even though you woke up clear-headed— is just plain weird.
And also, the first time Tam gave in to his more aggressive tendencies, the author bent over backwards and even risked deflating the sex scene in an effort to assure us that Nissa’s consent mattered to him, so I figure she cares about whether the male protagonist is giving off a rape-y vibe.
Second, I feel like the Argenti food has gotten a bit mistreated. It's starts out really inventive and promising, with strange and wonderful fruits like the salty serrichols, and the crisp, blue rispu, then it degenerates rapidly into "eeffoc" and "adkov"; and and other lazy creations like "orangey eggs".
Which raises the question, what relationship do these aliens have with humans? Seeing as their physiology and foods are so similar. Are they post human? Parallel to them? Part human?
In fairness, the answer to this question is not critical to the story, but bringing up human foods only spelled backwards brings humans to mind and gives them relevance they don't deserve.
Referencing humans also raises questions about physical appearance. Are the Trianni tinted red? Are the Argenti tinted green? Grey? Kaleus has "skin as dark as eeffoc" which is a little frustrating because it raises questions about what everyone else looks like. Why is his skin color referenced as though it's unique? “dark as eeffoc” as opposed to what? It's ‘eeffoc’ even really the Argenti equivalent for coffee or am I making a wrong assumption, and it's dark in a different way? Like maroon or dark green?
Ordinarily, I would've simply assumed Trianni and Argenti are references to nationalities, but there was the whole bit about testing Nissa's DNA to establish if she could procreate with Tam, that gives those names more meaning as species labels, rather that simply geographical ones. So some clarity about what Trianni and Argenti are would've been helpful.
Third, the political structure that the couple grapples with could also use a bit more explanation. Are the chiefs ultimate authorities? Do they vote on decisions or does their agreement have to be unanimous? Are they compelled in any way to attack the Vestige wherever they meet them? (I got a vibe like that the day the mission to Trian was approved.) How many rungs are there between them and Tam? Are they all at the same level of authority? Not knowing which cards anyone could play made the political proceedings confusing and ultimately boring.
Fourth, words like "sucked" are used to describe character emotion, along with phrases like "felt like sh**".
I'm not sure whether it makes the writing come across as relatable, or lazy.
Sure, I understand, writing such an intricate story takes lots of time and effort, but personally, I would prefer a little more hand-holding.
It's true that it's often better to let the reader's imagination do some of the lifting, but the way that's done here detracts from character development. Since character development often takes place in ways that are unexpected to the reader, letting the reader pick what emotions are felt at the turning points makes the characters seem shallow and graspable. Saying "it sucked" for every unpleasant emotion doesn't exactly convey depth.
And finally, one tiny, nitpicky thing.
A line about how Argenti baths are these perpetually swirling jacuzzis that run whether or not they're being used would've been nice. Its absence snapped me out of the story and back into reality for a second when Tam put her in his bath to get the stasis gel out of her eyes. It did it again when Tam threw up into his bath and Ajax said "That'll take a few days to clean itself."
In reality, these are very minor and it is worth noting that this book has no spelling errors, no words missing mid-sentence, and no faulty grammar. The story, although a bit trite (it's essentially a story about a princess who doesn't want to marry who her father tells her to marry), has two solid twists near the end that make it very memorable. It's got a very coherent flow, and while reading it, you'll know where you are at all times, and you'll never get confused, which is rarer with new writers than you might think.
Also definitely worth mentioning, is that this book has some of the best sex scenes I have ever read, and the author is very generous with them. Even if the plot was weak and the characters were un-compelling, I would still recommend this book because of how well these are done.
I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
The author is very obviously talented, and even though I feel she could've applied herself more, her writing was worth the read and I would recommend this to anyone who fancies lurid but tasteful erotica and subtle themes of sexual dominance and dependence.
******
The Bonding
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4 out of 4 stars
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When Tam, an Argenti warrior, encounters Nissa, a Trianni Princess, floating alone through cold, empty space in an escape pod, he pulls her into his ship to find her deathly ill.
She's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, but she's been in stasis to long and is fast dying now that she's woken.
Tam is all alone, light years away from any medical help. There is only one way to save her…. To have sex with her.
Doing so bonds them as mates for life, but Nissa can't mate with some unexpected soldier she found in space, she's a princess, and she has a duty to her people, a duty that includes marrying a king of their choosing...
The Bonding by Imogen Keeper is a science fiction romance written in omniscient third person. It has two protagonists that get about the same amount of attention throughout the book. Even though it's written in omniscient perspective, the narration sticks with these protagonists throughout the story and doesn't jump around to other scenes or times, making it very straightforward to read.
A few sticky points that I'll arrange vaguely chronologically.
When Tam first meets Nissa, right after washing of her stasis gel, he tries to sleep with her. This scene is what the whole story hinges on and I feel it was a touch rushed.
Tam's speed makes him seem callous and self-serving, and Nissa’s immediate and enthusiastic acceptance makes her seem wanton and unbridled, which is bad because that's essentially the exact opposite of who the characters are supposed to be.
I feel like Tam should've put more effort into alternative remedies, or tried to grit his teeth and wait it out till he got back home before he accepted he didn't have a choice. It would've emphasized his selfless character by showing him refusing to seize the moment even though he was really attracted to Nissa, and attempts at alternative remedies would've helped Nissa internalize that she's dying and that nothing is working. Which would have justified better her acceptance of Tam’s advances.
Especially since they don't speak the same language. Waking up after 500 years and immediately sleeping with the nearest person —even though you woke up clear-headed— is just plain weird.
And also, the first time Tam gave in to his more aggressive tendencies, the author bent over backwards and even risked deflating the sex scene in an effort to assure us that Nissa’s consent mattered to him, so I figure she cares about whether the male protagonist is giving off a rape-y vibe.
Second, I feel like the Argenti food has gotten a bit mistreated. It's starts out really inventive and promising, with strange and wonderful fruits like the salty serrichols, and the crisp, blue rispu, then it degenerates rapidly into "eeffoc" and "adkov"; and and other lazy creations like "orangey eggs".
Which raises the question, what relationship do these aliens have with humans? Seeing as their physiology and foods are so similar. Are they post human? Parallel to them? Part human?
In fairness, the answer to this question is not critical to the story, but bringing up human foods only spelled backwards brings humans to mind and gives them relevance they don't deserve.
Referencing humans also raises questions about physical appearance. Are the Trianni tinted red? Are the Argenti tinted green? Grey? Kaleus has "skin as dark as eeffoc" which is a little frustrating because it raises questions about what everyone else looks like. Why is his skin color referenced as though it's unique? “dark as eeffoc” as opposed to what? It's ‘eeffoc’ even really the Argenti equivalent for coffee or am I making a wrong assumption, and it's dark in a different way? Like maroon or dark green?
Ordinarily, I would've simply assumed Trianni and Argenti are references to nationalities, but there was the whole bit about testing Nissa's DNA to establish if she could procreate with Tam, that gives those names more meaning as species labels, rather that simply geographical ones. So some clarity about what Trianni and Argenti are would've been helpful.
Third, the political structure that the couple grapples with could also use a bit more explanation. Are the chiefs ultimate authorities? Do they vote on decisions or does their agreement have to be unanimous? Are they compelled in any way to attack the Vestige wherever they meet them? (I got a vibe like that the day the mission to Trian was approved.) How many rungs are there between them and Tam? Are they all at the same level of authority? Not knowing which cards anyone could play made the political proceedings confusing and ultimately boring.
Fourth, words like "sucked" are used to describe character emotion, along with phrases like "felt like sh**".
I'm not sure whether it makes the writing come across as relatable, or lazy.
Sure, I understand, writing such an intricate story takes lots of time and effort, but personally, I would prefer a little more hand-holding.
It's true that it's often better to let the reader's imagination do some of the lifting, but the way that's done here detracts from character development. Since character development often takes place in ways that are unexpected to the reader, letting the reader pick what emotions are felt at the turning points makes the characters seem shallow and graspable. Saying "it sucked" for every unpleasant emotion doesn't exactly convey depth.
And finally, one tiny, nitpicky thing.
A line about how Argenti baths are these perpetually swirling jacuzzis that run whether or not they're being used would've been nice. Its absence snapped me out of the story and back into reality for a second when Tam put her in his bath to get the stasis gel out of her eyes. It did it again when Tam threw up into his bath and Ajax said "That'll take a few days to clean itself."
In reality, these are very minor and it is worth noting that this book has no spelling errors, no words missing mid-sentence, and no faulty grammar. The story, although a bit trite (it's essentially a story about a princess who doesn't want to marry who her father tells her to marry), has two solid twists near the end that make it very memorable. It's got a very coherent flow, and while reading it, you'll know where you are at all times, and you'll never get confused, which is rarer with new writers than you might think.
Also definitely worth mentioning, is that this book has some of the best sex scenes I have ever read, and the author is very generous with them. Even if the plot was weak and the characters were un-compelling, I would still recommend this book because of how well these are done.
I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
The author is very obviously talented, and even though I feel she could've applied herself more, her writing was worth the read and I would recommend this to anyone who fancies lurid but tasteful erotica and subtle themes of sexual dominance and dependence.
******
The Bonding
View: on Bookshelves
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Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
