Guttersnipe

Books are like people, and this one is smart, sexy, funny, dark, and a little bit mysterious. It will make you think - about the world Isa K has created, about your own values, about the motives of each character, and about what might be going on behind the scenes that Derek is unaware of. In that way, it reminds me of Captive Prince.

I had trouble putting this one down. The worldbuilding was impressive, the characters were realistically complicated and flawed, and the plot kept me guessing for most of the book.

One of the things I most enjoyed was the verbal sparring between Marco and Derek. I loved watching them try to outwit one another. I also appreciated that Derek did not fall in love with his captor - a nice change from most captive/slave stories.

I rated it 4 stars for a couple of reasons. The main reason was that part of the ending was both predictable and difficult to believe (that Marco's plan went off without a hitch and that he was able to anticipate everything that Derek would do). The smaller reason was the presence of a few distracting editing errors. It's still a really wonderful book that I'm so glad I read!

I definitely recommend reading Lords of the Gutter after this one for some much needed alternate perspectives and backstory that will change a few of your perceptions about this book.