Infinity is a singer, a super star, rich and influential –
and burned out. After getting hooked badly on the cure-all-pills Rejuvenators
and a very public break down, she’s pulling herself back into the limelight
with grand concert – a concert that is
aimed at bringing down the predatory Collective Corporation that exploits
people with its pills
A collective run by vampires, who are not happy. But that
is the tip of the iceberg. Unknown to Infinity, she is the keystone in the
master plans of many supernatural factions and she’s suddenly very much on
their radar;
This book comes with a lot of potential.
We have a world with vampires controlling a vast
pharmaceutical empire with deeply nefarious goals. We have complicated issues
of class and exploitation. We have a hyper-rich, powerful singer both enjoying
vast wealth but also being discounted for her attempts of philanthrophy. We
have not just numerous supernatural beings, but each of these groups is split
into factions with a myriad of goals – all of which with crafty cover stories
for the greater human society. Underneath it all we have strong hints of dark
powers and a central protagonist pulling herself out of addiction and with
great big powers and secrets to be revealed
It has immense potential. Immortals and gods and vampires
and wereanimals and Valkyries and ravens and big corporations and magic and so
much more. Immense potential indeed
People who have read a lot of my reviews will realise
that when I start a review talking about potential, I’m going to now say how it
completely failed to deliver that potential
And oh, yes did this book fail to reach that
First of all, there’s our introduction to the
supernatural elements of the show. Or lack thereof, because the main character
we follow, Infinity, is rather indifferent about the whole thing. She has scary
prophetic dreams with being that call themselves various wonderful things and
she doesn’t do anything about them. Her mother tells her that werewolves and
vampires exist…. And she has no follow up questions. Really, it’s like “VAMPIRES
ARE REAL!” “Really?! Hey, it’s really cold, let’s go inside.”
I am less than impressed with her reaction to the
supernatural – and the fact we’re following a protagonist who shows little
interest in and has little involvement with the supernatural factions driving
this world we never really delve into much of anything. Worse, her indifference
doesn’t man everyone is indifferent to her – she is involved in all of this
plotting as an object to be obtained
Because we do get some viewpoints from the various supernatural elements in the world – wereanimals, vampires et al and it’s clear they’re involved in some very heavy politics and competition with multiple factions on every side plotting to do various nefarious things – all of which tends to involve one element. Infinity
Or, rather, having sex with Infinity. While it’s clear
they are plotting various political shenanigans, it’s far far far far more
clear that these plot will be realised by having sex with Infinity or are threatened
by their want to have sex with Infinity, or are distracted by their wish to
have sex with Infinity or generally just want to have sex with Infinity
Like the werewolves who are seeking acceptance in their
pack which is threatened by their aging population needing officialdom in order
to find partners – whose quest is threatened and their prejudices challenged by
the Pack’s two leaders having a passionate desire to have sex with Infinity
Or the vampire rogue who is plotting no doubt many kinds
of intricate cunning plans but the main one we see is his wish to have sex with
Infinity
Or the weretiger whose family is finally making a play
for power while occupying a complicated and privileged position in the
supernatural world that promises for lots of complicated politics. Maybe. Of
course their plan involves their guy having sex with Infinity.
Or there’s the rock star who is… actually, he’s a
complete and utter nobody but he’s dropped in because there weren’t nearly
enough men in this book who wanted to have sex with Infinity. Apparently.
About the only ones who don’t want to have sex with Infinity
are actual relatives who want to protect/preserve/use her for nefarious schemes
that are just not all that clear which just goes further to making Infinity a
weak, helpless pawn to be fought over by just about every other (almost
entirely male) faction in the book.
Infinity herself talks a lot about how hot guys are (and
how hot she is) and seems, on the surface, to be sexually empowered. But even
while she and her best friend Zoe are heartily reclaiming the word “slut” and
being firm that they get to appreciate hot guys and talk about sex (with her
mother as well), Infinity is a virgin because woo-woo. She actually feels ill
whenever she has sex. At which point we’re introduced to the concept of
magically super-special mating bonds. It’s rather depressing – because this
sexual, refusing-to-be-shamed woman has what amounts to a mystical chastity
belt to ensure when she does finally have sex with her special mated someone,
she will be an unsullied virgin to deflower.
On top of this throw in a heavy dose of
insta-lust-she-is-now-my-mate-and-I-claim-her-forever-rawr and some of the most
ridiculous alpha-male posturing I’ve seen in a long time. And a glance at my
reading list will show I’ve seen a whole lot of alpha-male posturing
Another frustrating element I feel I have to address is
the banter. Because it is funny, the interactions between Infinity, Zoe and Diego
is fun, very real and does an excellent job of presenting them as friends. But
it’s really drawn out – there’s one scene where they talk before they get out
of a car at a glitzy party and they must spend the best part of 20 minutes sat
in the car snarking at each other without actually conveying anything to add to
the story.
Which comes together with everyone’s utter obsession with
having sex with Infinity and the lack of real development of the world or plot
line and the fact the book ends JUST as the supernatural elements are actually
becoming relevant to Infinity’s life all together wit the book’s length. At a
little over 200 pages, it’s a short book – and a short book with lots of
overwritten banter, lots of guys drooling over Infinity and at least 3 men who
seem to be carbon copies of cocky-sexual-harassers-who-think-they’re-god’s-gift-to-women
(whether this is cute or revolting seems to vary depending on whether Infinity
likes them or not) and we have very little room for actual plot left.
The positive is that, now we’ve had this introduction,
the next book must touch the world building and plotting to come. This book
wasn’t great but I do actually have quite high hopes for the next one. I really
want to see this world and storyline develop further and the next book should
do that
Another major positive is the racial diversity of this
book. Infinity is Black and Native American, Zoe is Black, Diego is Latino and
a number of the minor characters are POC.
I think Diego MAY be bisexual – at least Zoe repeatedly
refers to him as such but at the same time in other places Diego seems offended
at the idea that he likes men and spends all of his time drooling over,
creeping over and harassing only women (he is one of the three god’s-gift-men).
Both Zoe and Infinity think it’s amusing to taunt him about liking men like the
very suggestion he likes men is some kind of burn or witty come back against
him. So if he is bisexual it’s a depiction that needs work
Which kind of stands for the whole book. The concepts,
the multiple factions the several different, excellent machinations running
side by side are excellent. I love the idea of there being so many different
forces and goals and it’s not a simple good vs evil. I love the size and
complexity of this world and the apparent diversity of opinion between the
characters we’re clearly meant to be rooting for
But I need to see more of this – more of this, less of
Infinity being an object to capture, a prize to claim and more of her being
included as more than the end goal in someone else’s scheme which I hope we
will see in the next book
