Davi Medrade

I'm wary of this “we'll figure it out” stamp that was placed on Jordan's concerns. Whenever that was said, I couldn't help but wonder, “How?”. For example, regarding Aiden: we may guess that he'll be fine with it—though we don't really know anything about him at this point except a bit of his personality—, but expecting Jordan to just tell him as if he's being stupid for being concerned just doesn't make sense to me. Specially if we consider that just a few months before Jordan was for all intents and purposes straight, even to himself. It's not as if he's had years to get used to all of this. And then how do they live together while Jordan figures out how and when to tell Aiden? Should he just forbid his best friend from ever going to the place where he lives, which is probably one of the very first places Aiden would want to see as soon as he gets in town? Or should he just expect Aidan not to wonder why he moved in with some dude, in such cramped conditions that they have to share a bed, let alone a bedroom, or at least sleep on a couch, when up until then he's had a perfectly good dorm room? I can't help but think that Noah for one thinks—consciously or not—that, if worse comes to worst, Jordan can just come out to Aiden and all will be well. But that is not really allowing Jordan to set the pace, but rather allowing for a situation that could pressure Jordan into coming out, perhaps before he's ready for it.

And that may just be the problem. I mean, how believable it would be to have 17-year-old Trevor, deliberately or by sheer luck, evade yet another murder attempt by yet another professional killer?

I have to admit, contradicting my own thoughts up until now: that was well worth the wait.

Lisa and Joel are being teenagers, thinking themselves smarter than anyone else while being readily manipulated by an adult that acts friendly and gives them what they want while treating them as mature. Like, while Lisa's father worries about her chastity, Bridget offers Lisa and Joel a guesthouse to have sex in. Of course, once you consider someone a friend, it's not uncommon to ignore any red flags that might come up unless they are really obvious. Apparently buying that clunker of a car for six grand wasn't obvious enough.

When that boat appeared, and it was clear it didn't mean Trevor any harm, the relief made me reach for my handkerchief.

“The shark began shaking Ali, its razor teeth eviscerating him, as another whitetip joined the frenzy, tearing the still-conscious Ali to shreds, as he died in the manner he feared above all others.” Aw, shucks. I feel so sad for him. /s

Maybe, once I find out what happened to Trevor, I'll come back and actually read this chapter. Right now all I could do was skim over it. Ending the previous chapter like that and not addressing it in this one feels like a cheap trick to me. An unnecessary one at that, because the plot is plenty compelling enough.

Would Dirk really try to kill Trevor with a bomb having a phone from his own store as a trigger? Calling it from a payphone within walking distance? Then send Trevor the box from that trigger phone, containing a stone from his own landscaping? As soon as Trevor died, Dirk would be a suspect, and he knows that, so if he were guilty wouldn't he at least make an attempt at covering his tracks? How long until Gonzalez starts asking himself those questions?

Yeah, I don't know if the deliberate way Jim specifically stated that Dirk is not gay, along with the narrative assurances that Jim was not lying, is meant to mislead Gonzalez (if Dirk is bi) or the reader (if Dirk is straight).

My thoughts exactly.

I will admit that I have skipped over this story several times, daunted by its sheer size. Then, after reading Let The Music Play and Changing Lanes once again (I've lost count of how many times I've read those), I decided to face this one. From the comments and reviews, and from this prologue, it seems well worth the while.

さすが, Stellar! I read this in about one sitting, and I like it a lot. Despite the fact that I usually am not in the mood for fantasy. You managed again to create a thrilling story that is complex without feeling overly convoluted. I don't usually follow stories that aren't completed, because I am the impatient sort so I prefer not having to wait for the next chapter. Still, as I started reading this, I couldn't just stop. Regarding who will win Torsten's affections in the end, I'm not picking sides. For all I know, he could end up with both of them. I mean, in stories in which death is relatively common, when I see two characters wanting to be with the protagonist warning bells ring in my mind, so I think a [insert appropriate term for a romantic relationship between three people] might be preferable. Though from this story as well as Hidden Sunlight and its sequel, I do know you don't kill characters lightly. In any case, thank you for your work. I don't mean to try to put pressure on an author, but I can't wait to see what happens next. Cheers.

There is a place for light and fluffy, and there is a place for dark and gritty. This story is good, and it's not over yet. It's so good, in fact, that even though I hate endings like this, here I am reading it for the second time. It could use a bit of polish, with regards to things like punctuation and the like, but the story is gripping enough for me not to get distracted by that (despite how nitpicky I usually am about such things).

Oh, Pit. Kidnapping a pretty middle-class kid? The son of a cop? I think you just signed your own death warrant.

So it wasn't just me. I can remember a few parts where I was thinking to myself, please don't kill Ryder, please don't kill Ryder.

The problem I see with rules having gray areas is that when they will be used depends on the biases of those enforcing those rules. Say Oliver gets into a fight, like he did earlier in the story, and the rule calls for suspension but allows the principal to make an exception. Odds are the principal would have made an exception for the other guy and suspended Oli anyway.

I have to admit this story is a lot deeper than I first thought it would be. I for one would have settled for the HEA after “Homecoming”, but I'm glad you kept going.

Couldn't agree more. As a user of this site I made assumptions about the meaning of terms like “book” and “complete”, and they were used against me, or at the very least as part of a stunt to play with me—not in a way that I appreciate, specially considering it was deliberate. It's not the first time it has happened in this site, I should clarify, but it's still as annoying as ever. Other than that, the story is great. It's gripping and it feels authentic, and it certainly brings out strong emotions. The next book is marked as complete as well, so I'll get to that—at least through the first chapter or two. Enough to move off of this cliff, because I have work to do but if I try to do it now I won't be able to concentrate anyway. ADHD can be annoying too.

Damn. My sinuses… Well played, Mr.… Hole? I'm binge-reading this, so I didn't have time between chapters to realize that there was no way Ryder would have just forgiven and forgotten all he went through in that school with barely a handwave.

Exactly. Damn. My boss is a bit annoyed at the list of tasks I have yet to complete, but I can't stop now, can I?

This was so good! I'm not a sci-fi/fantasy fan, but I'm… in the mood for it, I guess (the sci-fi part, anyway). So I did a search, and among the results there was this one. I saw the author, and I read the description. It reminded me of The Nexus, by David Clarke, which I really liked. That was that. Decision made. And I'm glad for it too. Thank you, Geron Kees!

Never tried it with a pillow before. I guess I've been missing out, because… damn!

Me too. I have been reading this for a week. I work from home and I sort of make my own hours, but my boss sent me an angry e-mail yesterday about some small thing that he needed me to do and that I haven't done yet because I just couldn't stop reading this. Nooooope. Nooooope. I couldn't disagree more. I'm late to the party, I know, but I'd much rather this story has an endgame. A point. Maybe that's why I've never been able to get invested in American soap operas: they never end, and I think at some point a story is done. I'm not saying i think this one is done, because there are loose endings. Life has loose endings too, I know, but that's one thing I prefer when fiction does not imitate life. Thank you, @Comicality. This was a great ride. And I'd like to thank you specially for not ending this in a cliffhanger. This is a nice plateau where I can wait until the next book, if one is in the cards. Thanks.

I for one did NOT see that coming! Good work, Comicality.

A-fucking-MEN! “You didn't even WANT him until he was MINE!!! You wouldn't even TALK to him!” I don't understand why no one calls Jimmy out on this. If Brandon made it seem like he didn't want Billy, and wouldn't even talk to him, that was because Jimmy was lying to Brandon that Billy wasn't interested, knowing that Brandon had more sense than to try to force a relationship with someone who, as far as he knew at the time—thanks to Jimmy—, didn't return those feelings.