Badly paced and plotless snooze fest.
I was so excited for this. I am a historian and have taken courses in archeology, so the subject here really spoke to me. But it all fell so flat.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Pace: The pacing had two issues for me. The romantic aspect moved way too fast. I had no chance to actually feel the chemistry between the characters before they jumped into bed with each other. On the other hand the rest of the plot moved soooo slowlyyyyyy.
Telling: There was simply too much telling and not enough showing. We are so often told something about the characters that is never supported by their actions.
Characters: The characters were so hard to relate to and get a sense of. They felt flat and lifeless.
Sex: Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with some smutty sex scenes. But I need there to be something more. But this was just pretty much pure sex all the way through, nothing more.
Athena: I had some real issues with Athena. She was just so blank. No substance. We're constantly told how beautiful she is. It seems like her beauty is pretty much the only thing she has going for her (aside from her musical abilities).
Jack: Jack pretty much suffers from the same problem as Athena. We're constantly told how hunky he is. Sometimes we're also told that he's intelligent, but it's never actually shown or demonstrated, so I don't support that claim...
Ending: The ending was so flat and left so many loose ends. Really unsatisfying.
Archeology: The thing that brought me here - the archeology - was one of the biggest disappointments. I don't think Penhaligon did even a minutes research on what archeology is actually all about.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review