Elf Defence

DNF @ 35%Looks like I'm the odd one out here but I just couldn't get into this. Benji is insufferable and the “romance” here was non-existent. Benji and Calarian's relationship as secondary characters worked in [b:Red Heir 54236581 Red Heir (Adventures in Aguillon #1) Lisa Henry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592949695l/54236581.SY75.jpg 84633640] because it was just shallow lust with funny quips, but being in their POV made their shallowness even more apparent and the humour fell very flat. Lars was also such a cliche. I'd read a few pages and just completely lose interest so into the DNF pile it goes.

Since I liked the first book of the series, I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy the second one just as much. Or almost. Elf Defence features Calarian and Benji who we met in Red Heir, and while I liked Calarian a lot, I was not sold on Benji. I mostly tolerated him in the first book and was glad he wasn't around more, but I was stuck with him here.

The first half of the book was a challenge to go through when it comes to Benji. I did not like him at all. Not a bit. I did not like his attitude towards others, although I did know from the start that he was not completely honest. Benji was alone for so long it was easier to dislike everyone and call everyone stupid (ugh, if he was going to say that one more time...) than to make an effort and see past his prejudice.

Luckily for everyone involved, especially me, that started to change when Lars entered the scene. Lars is pretty much the definition of a himbo. He was okay. He had his moments and he definitely fits in between Calarian and Benji, he gives them some sort of balance.

Calarian is, well, Calarian. I did like him more in the first book, he was more... elvish there. But then again, I guess that indeed life at the castle made him more comfortable.

Thinking about the characters, I think I liked Hannah the most. Weird, you'd think I would at least say Gretchen, but no, Hannah is the one I liked. Gretchen had her moments too, though.

As I already said, I did not enjoy the first half as much, I did enjoy the later chapters a more, but something was a bit off. This time the comedy didn't hit right. If anything, a few times I felt like it didn't fit the scene, and it tended to be repetitive. Overall the book is just okay. After the first one my expectations were a tad bit higher. I was also expecting it to be hotter, but it's surprisingly subdued. I was curious about what exactly were the double alchemist, the paladin, and whatever other sexual positions are there and with Calarian and Benji (and later Lars) being sex freaks I was disappointed to get none.

I definitely recommend Red Heir, it was funnier and Loth and Quinn make such a great pair, I was glad to have them for a bit here too. When it comes to Elf Defence I guess give it a try, but don't have your expectations too high.