Blog Tour Review: Odder Still by D.N. Bryn

Hey everyone!
Today is my stop on the blog tour for Odder Still by D.N. Bryn, and I am excited to be sharing my review with you all.

A massive thank you to @DN_Bryn for allowing me to be a part of the tour.

Title: Odder Still
Author: D.N. Bryn
Release Date: 9th June 2022
Page Count: 392
Publisher: Self-Published
Buy It Here: Amazon UK (affiliate link), Link to list of distibutors

Book Blurb:

Rubem is plenty happy keeping to his wine, his pets, and his extensive collection of fishnets.

But when a sentient parasite latches to his brainstem, he’s forced out of his comfortable—if lonesome—life in search of someone in the nearby underwater steampunk city who can safely remove it. Here though, both the power-hungry rebels and the tight-gripped monopolies want to viciously dissect his parasite for its energy-producing abilities, and the only person offering him sincere help is the dashing and manipulative philanthropist selkie at the center of all the city’s chaos.

Odder Still is a M/M fantasy novel with a class-crossing slow burn romance, murderous intrigue, and a sassy parasite-human friendship in an underwater steampunk city. This book exist in the wider These Treacherous Tides universe, coming chronologically after Once Stolen, but it is the first book in the No-Man’s Lander series and is an easy entry point into the world. Each No-Man’s Lander book has a romantically fulfilling ending and a final HEA, with steamy thoughts and foreplay but no explicit sex.

My Review:

Odder Still was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. After reading both Our Bloody Pearl (review here) and Once Stolen (review here), D.N. Bryn definitely became an auto buy author for me, but I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Odder Still in exchange for an honest review. As you can imagine, I had set my expectations very high for this one, and it certainly didn’t disappoint!

I was so excited to jump back in to the These Treacherous Tides series, and this time we get to hear Rubem’s story. Rubem features in Once Stolen, but is not a main focus in the story, so I couldn’t wait to learn more about them and for them to take centre stage. The story starts with Rubem making their escape from Lilias, all while having a sentient parasite clinging to their neck. The parasite is slowly taking over, and Rubem is slowly but surely losing their control.

From the very beginning, this story has more of the beautiful world building that the author is so brilliant at. This is one of my favourite aspects about all of their books because you are completely taken away from the real world and submerged in to a whole new one that you couldn’t imagine in your wildest dreams.

There was a real mix of characters to the story, and a huge amount of personality. Although I enjoyed them all, one of my personal favourites was Sheona, because she was so fierce, loyal, and undeniably badass! The sort of person that you would always want in your corner, that you could trust with your life, which Tavish very clearly did. Rubem and Tavish were polar opposites, but I think that’s why they worked so well together, and it certainly made their relationship more exciting. Tavish’s family were so awful to him, and it was lovely to see him find his own people, and create something for himself.

I’m not usually a big fan of romance in books, but in every one of the authors stories, I have been completely invested in the romantic relationships. The way that they are written and incorporated in to the story is such a joy to read, and it is so easy to get wrapped up in them. There’s always an element of danger and uncertainty to them, as well as a beautiful gentleness which makes them so much more enticing.

There is an exciting end to the story, with lots of twists along the way. I was really routing for Rubem and Tavish from the beginning, and was on the edge of my seat the entire way through, desperately waiting to find out what happens. This book is jam packed with action, and truly has you hooked from start to finish.

D.N. Bryn is a world building genius, an incredibly talented writer, and I will read anything they write. Odder Still is a brilliant addition to an incredible series of books, and I can not wait for the next one. This book was everything I could have wished for.

I give Odder Still a 5 star rating!

About The Author:

Danny Bryn is a queer, disabled author of speculative fiction and fantasy romance. When not writing, they study infectious diseases in their hometown of San Diego, where they enjoy basking in the Santa Ana winds, hiking the brush-heavy slopes, and eating too many tacos.

YOU CAN FIND D.N. BRYN HERE:
Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads

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