This book is basically the epitome of the hurt/comfort trope, and it’s done really well at that. The hurt and the comfort aspects are fairly balanced and tightly interwoven, so I would recommend paying close attention to the trigger warnings. This is very much a story of an abuse survivor confronting the demons of his past before taking a step into the future, and nothing about his experience is downplayed. Which, in fact, was my favorite part of the book, even if so many scenes genuinely hurt to read. In a kinda cathartic way, though, because of how isncerely and respectfully the painful things were depicted.

In general, the book takes the common tropes of the omegaverse genre that are most commonly used for titillation and quite thoroughly interrogates the psychological and social implications between them. There are lots of parallels to draw with the real world here, especially in terms of the way law systems treat society’s most vulnerable members, often perpetuating cycles of abuse. And at the same time, the overall tone somehow remains so focused on hope and healing. I loved the dynamic between Braden and Coll from start to finish, and I loved them both as characters. I also adored all the descriptions of the Australian wildlife that served as the backdrop, and how both characters interacted with it: Braden through his photography, Coll through his sheer love for the woods and his job as a forest guardian.

One thing that I can maybe complain about is that the structure was a bit… idk, sloppy? Like, the way certain plot beats were placed felt distinctly off. I attribute it to the fact that the author is more used to writing forever serials where different structural conventions come into play compared to the shorter, self-contained novel format. This didn’t spoil the enjoyment of the story for me at all, though!