The shifting point of view is done really well – they all have very clear voices and personalities, which I didn’t expect to be as good as they were. The titling of the books is horrendous enough that I almost didn’t read it, and the synopsis terrible enough that I actually only added it to listen and make fun of it because it sounded like it was going to be awful. I was pleasantly surprised!
Pike is endearing and naive, very sweet, and finally grows some balls and starts to come into his own. He’s very big-head, no-thoughts golden retriever boyfriend vibes. The only thing I hated about him was how often he said things like ‘his little c0ck’ and ‘want to make him spurt in my mouth’, which was…weirdly often and cringey every time.
Siel is knowledgeable and patient, though he’s too grumpy for my tastes with Pike and for a hot minute it was unclear whether he also cared for Carter himself or if he only cared about him because Pike did and he loved Pike.
Carter’s hilarious, but he’s definitely not the ‘big tough Marine’ I was expecting from the synopses in the books. He’s smart, and can hold his own well enough, but definitely not what you think of when you think of Marines.
The spice was decent, especially when told by a participant. At first, it’s told by an observer and it’s alright but not nearly as hot. Excited to see what comes in the next books!
The narrator…was consistent in the voices and accents he gave the characters, but every time he read for Carter, I wanted to die. He made him sound whiney and kind of annoying.
Overall, I’m excited to get started on the next book.