Reviewed by Jen B.
TITLE: Claw of Exile: He Kills to Survive
SERIES: Exiled #1
AUTHOR: J.K. Jones
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 235 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 20, 2021
BLURB:
Exiled.
Cursed. Abandoned. Ryu Suzuki is no stranger to these things.
For years he wandered the Outlands with nothing but his Katana to keep him safe. Kuroi kage—Black Shadow is what they call him. A phantom Omega. He belongs nowhere. He is no-one. Until a vicious disease spreading like wildfire threatens everyone he loves.
After a series of unfortunate events, the game changes. Now he’s forced to go back to his long-forgotten pack, the Silvercrest Howlers. Suddenly, he’s staring at the man who ruined everything in the first place.
The Alpha that betrayed him. The White Lotus.
Micah McCorbyn.
He also happens to be his mate.
Extremely Dark MM Romance, MM Werewolf Shifter Romance, Gay betrayal romance, Enemies to Friends Romance, Gay Literary Fiction.
REVIEW:
This blurb intrigued me from the get go. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good shifter book, so I was excited to give this new author a try. The story begins with a good amount of worldbuilding which was exciting with an interesting storyline that takes place in a sort of alternate world in Japan.
There are shifters who are infected and become Lycans, which is where we find outcast Omega Ryu as he hunts down the rogue Lycans wreaking havoc on the packs. It is during one of these fights where Ryu ends up injured, waking up in a place he never thought to be again, back in the pack that cast him aside, led by his childhood friend and mage, Micah.
Micah and Ryu grew up together and trained side by side to fight, so there is definitely a history. Not to mention that Ryu was Micah’s second in command and true mate, all of which Micah wants to put back into play.
These characters are quite intriguing, but I felt a lack of their chemistry which is due, in part, I believe, to the writing style. I’m not a huge fan of present tense on a good day, but when the story is done right, I hardly notice it. When the story is lacking something, the tense sticks out to me in every sentence making the story really drag out. Unfortunately, such was the case here. There were many instances where the sentences felt like they tried too hard to be poetic. I’m not sure of this author’s original language, but it almost feels as though English isn’t their first.
That aside, I enjoyed the creativity and look into this different shifter storyline and hope to see more as J.K. Jones gains more experience.
RATING:
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