Shelley

It’s like ICoS met PsyCops they fell in love and produced a promising hot mess.

Oh the recipe is right; all the ingredients are present and correct even if they aren’t entirely fresh. It’s still enough to get me excited.
You will find a futuristic world with telepaths, sadistic manipulators, drugs, violence, men-of-mystery (note the plural), dark pasts, secrets, deceit and I could go on and on – such is the latitude of this book. There are just some things that never get stale and I’m happy with that – just spice it up with a pinch of creativity and you’ve got me hooked. I really don’t ask for much (especially with those ingredients on hand) but I do ask that it’s not overcooked.

At the starting point of a new series I really don’t need three (!!) villains OR three(!!) potential lovers vying for my MC’s attention. One vile, sadistic puppet master with the power to viciously manipulate both our MC’s to the extreme is enough (for now) thank you!
And it really irks me that the author gambles with my interest by giving weight to the possibility of a love triangle quadrangle when the outcome is obvious because we’ve all read the blurb.

Too many unnecessary points of view made for shallow characterisation and I felt dizzy in establishing the true elements of Lieutenant Black’s self-contradictory character.
Having to suspend my disbelief over his ever-present magnetic sexual allure was bad enough. Now Calyx Starr (empath, criminal, prostitute) is the one character that stays true to his form throughout. And because of that, I connected with him. I believed in his pain, his need and in his attraction to Black. I also want to know more about his past. Is this where I’ll find the author’s pinch of creative spice I wonder?

There is not much in terms of world building – only that they use electro/hover crafts in the future. All the men we meet are gay or that way inclined, and now that I think about it … where there any woman at all?

Fearless Leader is not a bad read - its fast paced with action, dark intrigue, suspense and at least one villain who deserves death by fire!

I found that the story really began to shine at the 70% point, so I’m going to recommend it because there are more of you out there that won’t blink at the issues I have with this book. I’m just a cynic who doesn’t like the setup and (strange) progression is all. I really wish the author hadn’t tried so hard. Angst only works when you’re emotionally invested and I wasn’t, not really.

On a more positive note I found the underlying darkness that is veiled in nightmares and secret meetings quite fascinating. The mere existence of telepaths, psypaths and empaths existing and interacting with normal folk is an interesting thread, and one I would like to see develop further. There is a lot yet to be revealed and yes I want to know; especially if it has anything to do with Calyx Starr. But do I really want to deal with the petty jealousies over Blacks affection or his self-sacrificing martyrdom for a team that’s fallen apart?

Hmm … I’ll see.

Maybe ….

Probably :/


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