The Review:Honesty from the outset~Judgement is spelt wrong. Just saying. ;)BTW, there is rambling below because I was feeling a wee bit introspective. You have been warned.First things first~I'm a fan of author Jet Mykles' work. I find her stories consistently good in terms of writing, plot and characters and Sursein Judgment is no exception.Sursein Judgment introduces the reader to a world where magic and a post-industrial society go hand-in-hand. I've seen the setting of this book described as steampunk. As a fan of this genre, I would add an 'ish' to the end of steampunk as it certainly has elements of this type of world. However if you have been either scared off or intrigued by the book because of this description, I would say it is neither overwhelming nor crafted in detail for it to make a huge difference to your decision. What it is, is a well written and built fantasy as we have come to expect from Jet Mykles and one I'm hoping will continue if I'm reading the hints in the epilogue correctly. ;)I mentioned that I enjoy reading about the characters created by this author and this is because they are always well developed and appealing. This was the case for me in this book too, although I could not help but compare them to the characters of my much-loved Heaven Sent series and I think therein lies part of my problem and possibly that of other readers. That is, I have a tendency to judge the characters from Jet Mykles' recent stories against her gorgeous, over-the-top, rock 'n' roll boys from Heaven Sent. To be totally honest, all others seem to me to be, well, a bit so-so in comparison.Coming to write this review, I realised I had been a bit disappointed because the character traits of Shas, who was everything I had loved about Johnnie and Luc (uber-confident, arrogant, stunning, playful, sensual, intelligent, etc, etc) at the beginning of the story, did not appear to follow through for the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong; you do get glimpses of his personality, but something felt like it was missing.When the light bulb went off about my un/conscious measurements of the author's protags against one another, I was able to put it aside to try and work out if there was anything more to my vague feelings of disappointment. The answer to this was yes... and no.The no first: What I particularly liked about Sursein Judgment was the reversal of Rynn's and Shas' characters from uncertain to confident and vice versa. This, together with the author's play with the yaoi seme (dominant) and uke (submissive) roles, provided an interesting exploration of the relationship between the two men. I believe it was this which saw the 'dampening' (if you will) of Shas' personality in association with his growing feelings for the 'innocent and straight' Rynn to whom he has promised not to act upon his attraction.The yes: Although (and despite what this ramble might otherwise suggest) I sat back with a sigh of satisfaction when I had completed this story, I'm not sure I was wholly persuaded - 80% vs 100% - by the intense fascination between the two men. On reflection, I put this down to wanting more scenes exploring the chemistry between Rynn and Shas. I admit to liking the build-up of tension in romance and would have loved more of it here, especially from Rynn's perspective who I wasn't sure I had come to know as well as Shas. Perhaps I will in the next book. ;)A couple of issues/warnings~I've talked about the issues I had with Sursein Judgment above. The only other thing to mention is a warning for those readers unfamiliar with this author's work. As the blurb suggests, Jet Mykles is well known for writing 'gay for you' stories. Do NOT let this put you off. In my opinion, she is probably one of the best authors you will find for creating convincing stories on this theme.My recommendation~Like me, fans of Jet Mykles will be automatically buying this book; if they haven't already, that is. *g* For those interested in yaoi, fantasy or just a very good read, Sursein Judgment is for you. 2.5 stars. Not my favorite Jet Mykles book obviously. I don't know. Rynn just seemed too childlike and naive to be a real MC hero. I did not connect with the two mains like I usually do with a Mykles book. I hope she goes back to more evenly matched heroes for her next offering. It looks like this was a set up to a sequal to tell Colts story but I have a feeling if that happens it will be m/f. Although I hope not. Frankly, I think Colt and Shaz were a better match.
Do You like book Sursein Judgment (2009)?
Excellent book. I would really love to see more books describing more from this world.
—helpimalive
Nice solid read, with good worldbuilding, courtroom drama, and plenty of angst.
—nobody
