Post by Charlynn on Mar 29, 2011 18:26:45 GMT -5
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
To be perfectly upfront, I hadn't been sure what to expect from this fourth novel in the series when I started it. How could a series about a warrior group of vampires contain a novel where the lead is a human? Granted, he was one of them... as far as he could be, considering the fact that he didn't fight, didn't drink blood, and wasn't virtually immortal. And, truth be told, human or not, Butch really didn't appeal to me. Sometimes he could make me laugh, but I wasn't emotionally invested in his character or curious about his backstory. To make matters worse, I absolutely loathed his love interest, Marissa.
Frankly, I found her too weak for the Brotherhood... even a member who was just a human hanger-on. Raised to be a lady without a thought of her own, she was quiet and shy, regal and absolutely repulsed by violence. Granted, she had been dealt a bum hand because Wrath did not want her, causing her to be mocked by her own people, but, for me, if she was going to belong in the company of the males and females associated with the Brotherhood, then she needed to grow a tougher skin. So what if the other members of the elite vampire society laughed at her behind her back? So what if they refused to look at her? Be confident in yourself and ignore them. She was a beautiful, smart woman; she shouldn't have needed the validation of others to feel worthwhile, and it was this lack of self-esteem and insecurity which annoyed me with her character, further alienating me before I read this fourth book in the series.
It turns out that, though not my favorite – so far – of the four novels, Lover Revealed wasn't my least favorite either. I'd rank it third. While Marissa still frustrated me (even after leaving her brother and the glymera – vampire high society – behind, she still was too prissy and whiny for my taste) and while Butch will never be my favorite character, there were aspects to the book which were enjoyable. Butch's transformation was interesting, though I would have liked to have actually read about the ancestor regression, and his interaction with the Scribe Virgin amused me. It was nice to see an increase of Wrath and Beth's presence, though I still missed Zsadist, and some of John's moments were... entertaining.
However, the part of the novel which I keep going back to in my mind, the aspect of it which nags at me, is the relationship between Butch and Vishous. Prior to reading the book, a friend – in fact, the very person who recommended the series to me – said that their friendship was her favorite part of Lover Revealed. I can't say the same. And this is why: it left me confused, and I'm not sure that it could completely be called a friendship. On Butch's side, yes, it could be. I don't think that he has any feelings for his best friend beyond platonic love. However, Vishous is an entirely different story. Though obliquely, he makes it clear that he has other feelings for the former cop. Don't get me wrong – if Vishous was gay, then he was gay. Whatever. But the problem is that, up until this point, he had never been portrayed that way and, in fact, didn't believe himself to be attracted to men. This is where I would argue that, though Vishous' feelings for Butch are different than Butch's for him, I actually don't believe he is attracted to Butch per say; I think he's attracted to the intimacy and love that the two of them share.
By his own admission, Vishous has revealed that he has never really been close to another person or being before. Butch is his first real friend, which, of course, means that he's never been in love before either. I would wager that he really doesn't know how to love, and, now that he's learning, it's confusing for him. Add on the fact that he's extremely lonely and haunted beyond measure by his past, his recurring dream, and his lack of visions, and it's no wonder that the man is tripping. The question becomes, though – will he be able to figure this out on his own before its too late? Seeing as how book five – Lover Unbound is Vishous' book, it looks like we're going to find out.
Back momentarily to Lover Revealed, though, in general, it's worth reading, especially if you've already read the first three books in the series; definitely keep reading them in order. However, I will say this: once more, like with the second book – Rhage's, I'm glad that this novel wasn't the start of the series, because I'm not sure if I would have continued reading the others.
P. S. Sorry that I haven't been around much lately to update the blog. Real life and all that jazz. It's also sapping my free-read time, too. :-( Unfortunately, I don't see anything improving at all in the near future.
To be perfectly upfront, I hadn't been sure what to expect from this fourth novel in the series when I started it. How could a series about a warrior group of vampires contain a novel where the lead is a human? Granted, he was one of them... as far as he could be, considering the fact that he didn't fight, didn't drink blood, and wasn't virtually immortal. And, truth be told, human or not, Butch really didn't appeal to me. Sometimes he could make me laugh, but I wasn't emotionally invested in his character or curious about his backstory. To make matters worse, I absolutely loathed his love interest, Marissa.
Frankly, I found her too weak for the Brotherhood... even a member who was just a human hanger-on. Raised to be a lady without a thought of her own, she was quiet and shy, regal and absolutely repulsed by violence. Granted, she had been dealt a bum hand because Wrath did not want her, causing her to be mocked by her own people, but, for me, if she was going to belong in the company of the males and females associated with the Brotherhood, then she needed to grow a tougher skin. So what if the other members of the elite vampire society laughed at her behind her back? So what if they refused to look at her? Be confident in yourself and ignore them. She was a beautiful, smart woman; she shouldn't have needed the validation of others to feel worthwhile, and it was this lack of self-esteem and insecurity which annoyed me with her character, further alienating me before I read this fourth book in the series.
It turns out that, though not my favorite – so far – of the four novels, Lover Revealed wasn't my least favorite either. I'd rank it third. While Marissa still frustrated me (even after leaving her brother and the glymera – vampire high society – behind, she still was too prissy and whiny for my taste) and while Butch will never be my favorite character, there were aspects to the book which were enjoyable. Butch's transformation was interesting, though I would have liked to have actually read about the ancestor regression, and his interaction with the Scribe Virgin amused me. It was nice to see an increase of Wrath and Beth's presence, though I still missed Zsadist, and some of John's moments were... entertaining.
However, the part of the novel which I keep going back to in my mind, the aspect of it which nags at me, is the relationship between Butch and Vishous. Prior to reading the book, a friend – in fact, the very person who recommended the series to me – said that their friendship was her favorite part of Lover Revealed. I can't say the same. And this is why: it left me confused, and I'm not sure that it could completely be called a friendship. On Butch's side, yes, it could be. I don't think that he has any feelings for his best friend beyond platonic love. However, Vishous is an entirely different story. Though obliquely, he makes it clear that he has other feelings for the former cop. Don't get me wrong – if Vishous was gay, then he was gay. Whatever. But the problem is that, up until this point, he had never been portrayed that way and, in fact, didn't believe himself to be attracted to men. This is where I would argue that, though Vishous' feelings for Butch are different than Butch's for him, I actually don't believe he is attracted to Butch per say; I think he's attracted to the intimacy and love that the two of them share.
By his own admission, Vishous has revealed that he has never really been close to another person or being before. Butch is his first real friend, which, of course, means that he's never been in love before either. I would wager that he really doesn't know how to love, and, now that he's learning, it's confusing for him. Add on the fact that he's extremely lonely and haunted beyond measure by his past, his recurring dream, and his lack of visions, and it's no wonder that the man is tripping. The question becomes, though – will he be able to figure this out on his own before its too late? Seeing as how book five – Lover Unbound is Vishous' book, it looks like we're going to find out.
Back momentarily to Lover Revealed, though, in general, it's worth reading, especially if you've already read the first three books in the series; definitely keep reading them in order. However, I will say this: once more, like with the second book – Rhage's, I'm glad that this novel wasn't the start of the series, because I'm not sure if I would have continued reading the others.
P. S. Sorry that I haven't been around much lately to update the blog. Real life and all that jazz. It's also sapping my free-read time, too. :-( Unfortunately, I don't see anything improving at all in the near future.