Heart of Tartarus

Sky Cities Series, Book 1

By: Lucy Smoke

Narrated by: Lisa Larsen

On Tartarus I was born...

Soaked in power and secrets, Tartarus is a city for rebels, exiles, and criminals. As a messenger, every shadow is my friend. I know all the secrets of this place. Or, at least, I thought I did. When my best friend, Kida, goes missing, I don't waste any time assuming her identity to draw her or whoever took her, out of hiding.

On Tartarus I will die...

As I search for Kida's whereabouts, Tartarus's most dangerous gang - The Tanks - are slowly rising out of the chromework, growing more and more powerful. Every instinct in my body is screaming for me to run, to save myself, but I can't - not without Kida. If I have to set the city ablaze just to get her attention, I will. And if the fire doesn't kill me, the secrets I uncover just might.

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Lucy Smoke LLC (P)2019 Tantor

Great start to a new series!

When Cassandra's partner, Kida, goes missing, Cassandra will stop at nothing to find her...even if it means taking on her identity. The only problem is, doing so brings on the wrong kind of attention and suddenly she's surrounded by a group of men who are dragging her in. This was a solid start to the series though it's definitely a slow-burn and not a lot has happened yet between her and the guys. I look forward to reading more and seeing where it goes.

Great story with powerful themes!

*Contains some small spoilers, but important if you are considering reading.
I LOVED this book! Yes, at the beginning of the book the FMC is in a f/f relationship, but by the end of the first book you can see how the harem is starting to form and the FMC is no longer with her girlfriend. Eventually, this is going to be a five book series and clearly it is a slow burn. Also, two of the guys in the potential harem are into each other, this isn't something unique to this book in the RH genre. Those two guys also haven't addressed this with each other yet, and I thought the fact that the FMC was in a previous same-sex relationship helps explain why she's so willing to embrace theirs (even within the future harem) and help them come out to each other.

Anyways, I thought the story was intriguing and enjoyed the action. There is incredible world-building, unexpected twists and turns, and a great cast of characters. I especially liked that the FMC was badass and sassy. Plus, I appreciated the LGBT and grief themes. They really spoke to me and made me enjoy the story all the more!

I listened to this in audiobook and give the narrator a 4/5.

Interesting

A feel of fifth element with flying cars and a broken world. Fighting the patriarchy

Interesting story

This could’ve been a million bucks instead was a bit repetitive and shallow in terms of world building and characterization. What they did go in depth on felt hollow. I will listen to the second in Hopes that it gets better.

awesome start!

This story was phenomenal! The narrator was super easy to listen to, and she told a great story. I can't wait to finish the series!

Series Is Not Finished!

****This series is NOT FINISHED.**** For those who do not like to start series that are not finished because you then are left hanging until whenever the next (and the next) book(s) come out, I know this matters a lot. So as of now, January 2024, this series is not finished and we are left hanging.

That said, this is an interesting series. The FMC is a bit immature but she has a good heart. The many MMCs are great but I find it really difficult to believe they are all laid back and ok with sharing her. It just doesn't jive for me. But the rest of the story, the political parts, are interesting.

I lacked a connection

2.5 / 5 stars
I love Lucy so much, but this one wasn't for me. It's labeled as a why choose romance, but I couldn't figure out which characters she was going to end up with even more than 50% through. I think I just lacked a major connection between any of the characters. I won't be finishing the series, but since I love Lucy I highly recommend Burn With Me which is a MF bully romance.