by Dusty (link)
Genre cest, drama/angst
Pairings Taylor/OFC, Taylor/OMC, Zac/OMC, Zaylor
Length 30 chapters
Status Completed
Dusty prides herself on being different and controversial, even within the already controversial genre of hancest. I’m all for a dark story, but sometimes authors get a little obsessed with being different and dark and don’t put enough effort into actually crafting a good story. I hope that isn’t the case with Pretty Piece of Flesh.
The first chapter sets up a dramatic little backstory for Taylor, explaining how he was adopted by a couple who couldn’t have children. The fact that his real mother was a drug addict is meant to explain why Taylor has a rebellious streak — one that we don’t yet see in all this exposition. The adoption plotline is a popular one in Zaylor stories, and by the second chapter (now in Zac’s point of view), I think I see where this one is going. I’m already anticipating the big reveal I assume is coming at some point down the line.
Of course, before that can happen, Zac and Taylor have to meet — thanks to Taylor’s adoptive father the cop — and start to build a relationship. It isn’t a smooth road, but the drama stays at a realistic, if gritty, level. The worst parts of Zac’s time in foster care (and Taylor’s downward spiral after he vanishes) are described with just enough detail to be understood but not so much as to be really distasteful. Sometimes I think there could be a little more detail, but Dusty has a lot of ground to cover here to bring Zac and Taylor back together.
The big reveal I anticipated didn’t come until the very (abrupt) end, and at times I even wondered if I was wrong. In spite of the abrupt ending, Dusty has crafted a good story here, with just enough twists and turns. Sometimes her writing is a little sloppy and overly purple, with some seriously strange metaphors, but mostly she has a nice, conversational style. Her Zac and Taylor are nothing like the real thing, but if you don’t mind that or the plot’s dark elements, Pretty Piece of Flesh is a good read.
Review by Bethany (website)