rhapsodic

TW: This book has several references of sexual assault.

Rhapsodic is a dark adult fantasy with not one, but two anti-hero main characters, Calypso and The Bargainer. Overall, I really enjoyed the unique concept of this book. It’s certainly far from predictable, and beautifully touches on both your darkest desires and fears. There were some personal critiques that left me with mixed emotions at the beginning. My small qualms are things like the banter being a little cheesy and redundant explanations that I felt weren’t necessary. In addition, Thalassa uses odd words and phrases that had me scrunching my nose, cringing at times. My two biggest complaints would be the grammatical errors and plot development at the beginning. When there are an abundance of grammatical errors, especially in fantasy, it makes it hard to determine when the author is making a mistake versus taking a creative liberty. There was also major information that was left out for a good portion of the book, that I felt was delivered abruptly, and not until several chapters in. However, once the plot began to thicken, I was immediately hooked, and my issues with the writing style were easy to ignore.

The character development of the two main characters, Calypso and The Bargainer, was both interesting and frustrating in all the right ways. While they’re both anti-heroes, Calypso and The Bargainer battle different demons, and you end up rooting for them both for vastly different reasons. Their ever-changing relationship is increasingly intriguing, especially in the way that it starts. And the build of sexual tension is so, so good. The plot slowly transitions from your run-of-the-mill, complicated, dark romance to an eerie, violent mystery you’re not entirely sure you want the answers to. By the end, the focus shifts more to Calypso’s journey overcoming devastating personal challenges and self doubt, which I really appreciated. She’s not just some girl enchanted by a supernatural being, but a force of nature all on her own. The story concludes on an exciting, ominous note that makes you want to immediately pick up the next book – ready for vengeance.