This book is short enough that it could take a single sitting to finish. It took me seven. For much of the story my eyes rolled hard enough to break my ability to read on. 

Some frustrations from the start really soured my experience, 

·        It is written in first person present tense, a combination I detest, and 

·        Although negligible, I found the text distracting. For some reason it is both inter-paragraph double spaced AND first line indented. Pick one. Both is ugly. 

A better person could look beyond these complaints to enjoy the story for what it is. But the writing annoyed me frequently. 

A particular description on page 9 is forever stuck in my head for its’ clunkiness, 
 

It felt repetitive and redundant at the time, but that is unfair. 

All of this is never more prominent than the erotic scenes. Some are meant to titillate. They do not. The way the characters think and talk about body parts is utterly revolting and I am not convinced that was the intension. 

I am entirely convinced that these scenes were meant to be erotic that I half expected to have tense shifting, repetitive verbiage and unnecessary backstory dropped in the middle of a paragraph. Deciding to read these scenes with intentionality improved the experience. 

Having said all of that, Chapter 10 has incredibly paced dialogue. It was the point I started to enjoy reading this book, but it was also the point where I could finally imagine finishing it. 

 

It expertly holds your hand through Cunningham’s paternalism and guides you to a place where you want to save Tula. Obviously, both are instincts born from a toxic male-saviour complex, but this story subverts them to provide the antidote with a revenge earned through Tula’s superior intellect and wisdom.

Everything about this book, from its physical existence to its literary identity is distracting. If you can finish it in a single sitting, maybe a two-hour reading session, you will enjoy your time with it and the ending. Otherwise, you will share my frustrations when you read such a satisfying ending, marred by pages of missed potential.