I really enjoyed this book. The main characters are all very interesting, the world is intriguing and beautifully developed, and the mystery and suspense of the plot really drew me in. So overall I liked it.But I felt like everything was just too rushed. From the development of relationships - one minute Will is like 'ew, mongrels' and the next he's like 'mmmm Fanule Perfidor' - to the plot itself. Everything felt like it went too quickly. I feel like this book needed to be slowed down.Another issue I had is some of the side characters felt like they popped in for the sake of popping in - namely Worley - which is something that I think, again, could be remedied by slowing down. Mongrel by K.Z. Snow opens in a sinister steampunk world in which the pure-blood humans rule over the Mongrels, who are part human and part something else. Many have startling supernatural powers. However, they’re held down as an underclass and tattooed upon their throats with a ratio that reflects their human blood to non-human blood. They’ve chosen an unofficial leader Fanule, a lonely and alluring man who struggles with bipolar disorder.When he can no longer stand seeing his people vanish mysteriously into the jails and asylums run by their oppressors, Fanule ventures forth to find answers at the creepy seaside carnival known as Humzinger’s Mechanical Circus. There, he meets Will, an innocent pitchman filled with fearless optimism. Despite their initial distrust, their mutual attraction is overwhelming.As they uncover a dark conspiracy, they work with a great supporting cast of characters. Simon, a tough bounty hunter, evolves from a cad to a man of integrity, and Marrowbone, a vampire, reveals a bestial streak underneath his jovial exterior. The Mongrels include the meek and respectable Twigby, who possesses a ferocious power to use in self-defense, and the taciturn Worley who passes for human when he hides his webbed fingers.Mongrel is an absolutely unforgettable read, truly outstanding. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. The first chapter alone is marvelous and menacing as Fanule and Will meet and struggle with their desire and distrust. Later, their sex scenes are hot and tender and infused with an endearing amazement that something so good could happen to them. They’re definitely not the types to take each other for granted. Meanwhile, Fanule’s increasingly successful attempts to cope with his mental illness and become a leader form a fascinating window into the mind of a damaged but strong-willed character. The writing itself is filled with the beauty and precision that I’ve come to expect from this author. Take this passage:“Fanule smiled as he conjured an image of William’s face-yes, William; that must be his name, and that’s what it would be in Fanule’s dreams. He again saw that expressive face tilted down at him. The rose-tinted porcelain skin, the short, straight nose above lips like pink cushions. And his wavy hair. Even that absurdly tall hat and a gloss of pomade hadn’t concealed the waves in his hair. They’d rippled above his ears like sand on the seafloor. The color of his eyes, too, mirrored the sea. A warmer sea, a distant sea, where pale gray softened an aquamarine brightness. How large, his eyes, with their delicate feathering of lashes. And how perfectly his brows arched above them. Fanule felt like an immense, glowering goblin compared with the lovely Mr. Marchman.”Mongrel is a must-read. I predict that it, like Ginn Hale’s book Wicked Gentlemen, will become an m/m steampunk classic.Val for AReCafe
