FTC disclaimer: I was not sent this product. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
My plot introduction:
Callie grew up in a dangerous home. But when she took matters into her own hands to protect herself, more trouble piled up at her door than she ever could have envisioned.
So she calls the Bargainer – a man who will grant any desire for a favour in return.
Soon, Callie has debts literally stacked up her arm, and no way of knowing how the Bargainer will ask her to repay him.
Review:
Serious question – Does my kindle know me better than myself? ‘Rhapsodic’ has been on my Recommended list for ages now, but I didn’t think it would be my thing. How wrong I was!
Thalassa tells the novel in a non-linear narrative, so we have a mixture of the present day and flashbacks. The flashbacks were what made me adore ‘Rhapsodic’, and I wish that they had made up the whole novel!
The agony of unrequited, awkward, passionate teenage love was so perfectly captured it brought me to tears. It is rare that the female protagonist is rejected in fantasy/paranormal romance, and Thalassa boldly and beautifully exploited this gap in the genre. I’ve never read a book that delved into this emotion so well. Not to mention that the romance between the two main characters plays out in precisely my own love languages…
I didn’t give ‘Rhapsodic’ five stars because, in my opinion, the novel didn’t need the Fae element. For me, it needed to be a raw standalone love story between a girl and a man called the Bargainer. But then we had this delve into an adventure side plot (with an extremely predictable ‘plot twist’) that made the novel less powerful for me. Am I thinking of reading the sequels? No. They look to be exploring the adventure/Fae part more, and so I shall content myself with what I have already read!
But if you are thinking of reading this novel after reading my review (which I highly suggest you do), I’m just putting a Trigger Warning here for rape and child abuse.
Review written on 17/04/22
Laura Thalassa website - http://www.laurathalassa.com/p/about.html
‘Rhapsodic’ on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25820414-rhapsodic
Buying ‘Rhapsodic’ - https://www.waterstones.com/book/rhapsodic-the-bargainers-book-1/laura-thalassa/9781942662334
P.S – I will be adding Callie and the Bargainer to my list on Notes of my favourite book/film couples. Nope, that is in now way a sad thing to have.