Ami's Hoard

The Prince was a bit too brat-ish for my taste (seriously, I found myself rolling my eyes at one time because he was equivalent to a boy stomping his feet, pouting, and pulling girl's pig-tails at a playground to get her attention). It came to the point where I thought Volos deserved someone better, someone who could better appreciate his bravery and loyalty especially since I loved Volos as a character.

I thought the rape/non-con scenes to be unnecessary since Berhanu didn't even shown any trauma afterwards. He was captured for two weeks and from what was written, he went quite an ordeal. It could've been a good hurt/comfort plot device, however the captivity was forgotten as soon as he was saved. It was a contrast to Volos, who still had nightmares of his time on Kozari's prison.

In addition, after Berhanu and Volos returned from Kozari, I found the story to be dragging. Berhanu keeping himself away from Volos with a reason that he needed to 'heal' himself rang false, considering the progress in their relationship during the trip. For me, it was another example of Berhanu being an annoying brat. I guess I just didn't care for Berhanu much, and couldn't understand what Volos see in him.

The writing was good though -- it was Kim Fielding after all -- the way Fielding introduced the world pulled me in quick. One blond inn-keeper caught my attention (he was like a sunshine *smile*) that I would totally check his story.