First off, this series is totally in the Fantasy world, fighting with sharp objects, riding horses and all the great staff I remember from reading Fantasy (mostly as a teenager.. back then it was ALL I ever read, though it was on the childish side when I think about it now).
Second thing is, this series is not only about the adventure, it also has an Erotic (though not Romantic) side which for me was most of the problem. I've read Erotica before, I don't mind sex scenes and no problem what-so-ever with Gay Romance as everything I've read the past two years shows clearly. Yet this book felt too much about sex and "taking off the edge" than about the adventure / mission which really annoyed me. In almost every scene there was a reference to sex, getting off, taking off the edge, thinking about that, or considering someone else thinking the same and in most of the times it also means the following scene WOULD be of some sort of sexual engagement. Again, I don't have a real problem with Erotica, I just also want a very pronounced story and for me, the sex, was just redundant. Well, at least the amount we got!
There was a sexual tension between two characters, or rather one has a huge attraction and the other - our MC - Kendras - deals with it in his own way (maybe trying to use it to his advantage), I got that, and accepted that even though the lines of consent were VERY blurry.. But all the other scenes with so many guys on the road were too much for me and took away from a story that could have been much more engaging and intriguing.
The world building was excellent, yeah there were things I didn't really understand (yet?) but that's the way when you start reading a new world setting. Where I stopped, I didn't even get to the explanations of the inside intrigues of the monarchy or why Kendras former officer was taken after the battle and I KNOW it's got to be really interesting and complicated yet no matter what Kendras would do everything to get the person I believe he is in love with back by side.
This novel or rather series could have been SO freaking amazing. I loved the world and the idea behind the Scorpions as well as Kendras trying to find his comrades and if not build the Scorpions anew, yet the sex, in my opinion, was just in the way of the story. I got about half way through (55%), yet I just couldn't find myself invested enough IN THE STORY to keep on reading knowing more than half of it have no story in it, it's just sex scenes I have no interest in reading.
I'm giving this one 3 star rating mostly for the potential and the fact that if you can "ignore" the overwhelming amount of redundant sex in this novel you're going to get an interesting Fantasy adventure. But since I personally couldn't do that I'm letting it go. I won't be continuing with the series. There are two more books "Lying with Scorpions" and "A Taste of Poison" but since they are telling a continuous story of Kendras there is no sense in trying out the next ones if I haven't finished this one. I don't know if I"ll re-visit this book/series. It DID have a lot of good reviews and recommendations yet we are all different so it doesn't mean I'd enjoy it.
(DNF 55%)
Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 250 pages, 23-24 April 2015 / On GoodReads
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