The Sheriff of Shard Hills

DNF - PG 9

Why?

Full description of my issues below, but the short answer? Because the first chance the author has to create a sense of place and time and world building, instead she uses it to have a conversation between Varuna and his sister about Kerrick.


Longer answer.



Okay, so, ignoring the fact that our point of view character sounds more like a thirty-something human woman than a male alien, there's some major issues I have early on with the world building.

First, Varuna is a half-human, half-dimeti. Dimeti of this quote: The Dimeti War had lasted twenty years; it was going to take longer than a year or two for the tensions to die down and peace to settle in for real.

Varuna's love interest, which, at the start of the story they are in a friends with benefits relationship and I hate established couples because, you know what? I don't care about them. By page two they are kissing. Anyway, Kerrick, by name, is, and I quote: The hero of the final years of the Dimeti War [...].

You think this would be rife with tension - at least outside the relationship? Especially because Varuna doesn't look exactly human. (I can only assume that is Kerrick on the cover, because it certainly isn't someone who is described as having a bone structure that made my nose and mouth jut out into something resembling a snout, but not quite. )

Anyway, let's keep reading and see if there's a reason a half-dimeti has gotten the job of Sheriff so soon after a war with his kind is over.

—

Is this a half sister or a full sister? Yes, this is an important question. Also, which of Varuna's parents was human and which was dimeti?

—

Nevermind. Varuna is barely demiti, just enough to make him look ‘exotic' and the product of rape.

Sigh.

Is this indicative of the author's work in sci-fi? This is why not all author's can write sci-fi and why I wish certain author's wouldn't try. (Especially, to be honest, author's that are obviously more competent writing romance and/or contemporary.)

3.5 stars. Cute sci-fi M/M romance novella, starring a half-alien MC narrator and the hookup-but-maybe-more war hero he definitely is not in love with. Burke packs quite a bit into 100 pages as Varuna faces prejudice, danger, and surprising acceptance in his new role as Sheriff. There's even room for some surprising moral ambiguity. Free from Prolific Works as of 1/25/22.