Not quite sure that this is the book for me, but the plot was certainly engaging and innovative! I'd recommend it for fantasy readers that aren't afraid of a tough and sometimes graphic read.

DNF at 36%

Didn't really connect with this book. I was super excited for it but sadly it fella bit flat. I found the characters to be a bit boring.

Was looking forward to this one but sadly just not my thing

Through Rain and Missing Mantaurs is a darkly written NA (?) fantasy by Jeanne Marcella. Originally published in 2013, this reformat and re-release with new cover art is 457 pages and available in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a difficult book to categorize and review. It's not erotica, though there's sexual content. It's not precisely NA (and definitely not YA) because of the raw, explicit, potentially triggering content. It is full of drama, abuse (including humiliation, sexual and physical abuse). It's fantasy and there is a significant bestiality/non human sexual plot element.

Much of the writing is meandering and unclear. The entire book reads like fanfic where the audience is already familiar with the main players, their motivations, the world, and its interactions. I was lost (and annoyed) for most of the read. There are courtesans (apparently highly paid ones) but no real thorough explanation of whom they service or why. There is a significant amount of wordage used on the wide ranging viciously cutthroat mail delivery but no clear explanation of why they're so competitive or what they're delivering or why there are so many competing groups (and why people trust them with their precious/valuable cargo when they're so badly compensated that apparently missing one day's work is enough to have the main protagonist picking through garbage to keep from starving to death).

Scattered, unclear, stream-of-consciousness, inconsistent, distressingly explicit (but not titillating) and often annoying. There were glimmers of interesting world building, but they were fleeting and elusive and not enough to keep me invested in the story or the characters. It will probably appeal to a different audience, but I'm not precisely sure to whom that would apply. There is a great deal of potentially triggering content (rape, physical and mental abuse, trauma, drug abuse, self harm, etc).

Two and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Some mixed reviews so far for this book and I understand most of them. This is by no means a perfect book; the characters and their (inter)actions are inconsistent, the main characters not all that likeable most of the time and the sexual tension between almost all characters feels weird and not because it's between races but since it seems that everyone wants to have sex with everyone else without it seeming necessary for plot developing or character development. Add that to a rough. and not smoothly running story where Iost track of the characters and their role in the plot and you have a book in your hands that feels like it should have been gone through at least 2 - 3 times to make it better.
Yet I can't write a 2 star review since I did finish this book because I wanted to see how it turned out, it was thought provoking at times and popped up in my head at random intervals during the day so there is definitely something there if you ask me. I would definitely read the follow up book cause this series has great potential in my opinion. The world building is awesome, the mythology with centaurs, mantaurs, elfs etc is intriguing and the social structure gets you thinking. It could have been a fantasy book to go on my favourites list and therefore I hope the second book will fulfill the promise I think is in this story.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

I really loved this book.
When you see centaur, you think ancient Greece, not in this book, there was plumbing and mail runs.
Pony, I loved her, cried for her, this book chewed me up and spat me out so many times, she is strong,but like us all just wants to be loved.
I shall be watching for the next book.

While the world was well built, the characters fell flat for me. The storyline was intriguing enough, but over all the style of writing and the sexualization was not something I typically enjoy, although I'm sure there's an audience for it.

I enjoyed this book, was definitely different from anything I have read before. I am looking forward to what happens next. I do hope that a happy ending is in store they have all been through so much pain abuse and heartache that they all deserve one. More than anything I hope the females start to get a say in what’s going on.

DNF 60%

I was quite excited to pick up this book as it seemed right up my alley, and the newer cover certainly helped catch my eye. The prose and writing itself was enjoyable, no complaints there.

However, I had trouble relating to the characters and understanding their motivations—oftentimes baffled by their reactions. The protagonist, despite being written to be tough as nails and not unintelligent, seems passive and is not a driving force in the story.

By 50% through there wasn't a single character I could definitively say that I liked, and while unlikable characters have their place in books I do struggle to read stories where where the cast is made up of them.

The casual mention of sexual abuse and bestiality combined with the somewhat lengthy page count have convinced me to not finish the book at this time, though I may come back and amend my review if I do.

This book was an interesting read, but it won't be on my favorites list any time soon. The world-building was spectacular and the imagery and use of language were, at moments, breathtaking, but I had such a hard time staying engaged. It is a longer read, and it sometimes drudges on. I think you will like this book if you're a fantasy aficionado, it just wasn't for me!