by Dusty (link)
Genre slash/cest, drama/angst, romance
Pairings Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OMC, Zac/OMC, Zaylor, Zaylor/OMC
Length 48 chapters and epilogue
Status Completed (with oneshot sequel)
When it comes to Dusty’s stories, it’s always best to brace yourself for any possibility. That’s just as true for this early story of hers than any other I’ve read. With Slick Haze Mirror, she wastes no time letting you know the basic facts–Taylor is very newly divorced, bisexual, ready to try some hard(er) drugs and, oh yeah, having some dirty dreams about his brother.
With all of that in just the first chapter, you can imagine how much of a rollercoaster ride the entire story is. Taylor’s drug habit and feelings for Zac are what drive the plot for the first several chapter, leading Taylor to a month in a psych ward… where he encounters another plot point in the form of his ex-boyfriend Skylar. I don’t find him a particularly engaging character, so the largest portion of the story bores me a little and I’m left waiting for Zac to reappear.
Zac finally does, thankfully, and the last few chapters are just as much of a whirlwind as the first few. I did somewhat see the resolution Dusty chose coming, and I think it happened just a bit too quickly. Overall, despite my lack of enthusiasm about the character of Skylar, I did enjoy this particular Taylor’s personality. There are a few bits of the plot I would have liked to have seen developed more, or at all, and I would certainly have suggested a beta reader to fix some of the sloppy punctuation and grammar. Still, I’ve read far less interesting takes on the fairly standard Zaylor plot where one brother suddenly decides to act on his feelings for the other, and Slick Haze Mirror has just enough going for it to make it stand out from the pack.
Review by Bethany (website)