Imagine a roller coaster ride that's built in a forest, only instead of clearing out the trees, the coaster just goes THROUGH the trees. Riders beware of stray branches smacking you randomly in the face. 
 That's kind of how I felt about this book. It continually smacked me in the face with every twist and turn. 
 I think I was equal parts intrigued and pissed at the book. At the end, I was left thinking: That was almost bloody brilliant. 
 Vaughn Demont, where have you been all my life? 
 My Squees: 
 1. Very Believable Bi protag. It was nice to see equal parts appreciation for fine female forms just as much as for fine male forms. Being bi myself I could completely relate to his point-of-view. You do only get m/m sex scenes, but I didn't really feel any lack at all. I was just relieved to FINALLY see a well done bi character that I could relate to in some fashion. 
 2. World building. Fabulous, realized, fantastic. I felt like this world could totally be happening RIGHT NOW and I'd never know it. 
 3. Plot: Complex twists, turns, and double backs. 'Nuff said. 
 4. Pacing: This book has some of the BEST pacing I've ever had the pleasure to read. I wanted to RACE through this book. It never felt slow, none of the sex felt out of place - or like the story had to be paused for the sex. Everything felt like it flowed very naturally from one event to the next. 
 5. Editing: Just have to say, if you didn't notice that a book needs a good edit - then it had some great editing already! Either the writer submitted a very clean manuscript, or the editing was great - or a combo of the two, I noticed very few mistakes. I can really only recall tripping over words a few times. 
 My VERY FEW gripes: 
 1. Only one strong female character. 
 (view spoiler)[ There are very few female characters that have largish roles in this novel. The main female presence in the novel is Spence's mom. We are told she's a great mom, we are told she's strong; however, she is evidenced to be very weak throughout the storyline. I felt that the "preservation" of her mind, at the end, was a cop out :-( Also, as a new mother to a child, I would NEVER choose to forget my kid. She doesn't even get to choose for herself. To have that choice taken away from me... gah. That really attacked my feels in a non-positive way. Those comments will make more sense once you read the book. Still, this gripe is, overall, a small one. 
 The other large female role is the big baddie, so, not a strong influence. 
 The Kitsune lady rocked socks though. (hide spoiler)] 
 2. I never felt the protag was actually a teenager. (view spoiler)[ I can convince myself there are reasons for it: a) his dad left, b) his mom is almost catatonic with a recurring mental illness and he has to take care of her, c) he's had to fend for himself and his mom - that kind of thing makes you grow up pretty quickly. But, as much as I try to convince myself he's a teen, his maturity level comes across as an adult, his actions do too. This is a good and bad thing, I think. I struggled with how I felt about it. 
 All in all, I highly recommend this read. So, so good. Like chocolate ice cream, you'll wish you'd eaten it a bit slower so you could have enjoyed the taste a bit longer. (hide spoiler)]