Review: Adder

Title: Adder
Author: Ally Blue
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: 7 April 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 141 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review: Adder does not have good luck when it comes to drummers. After spectacularly firing the band's last one, bandmate Harpo suggests that they try Kalil, a high school friend. Adder agrees, but he has no way of knowing what other changes the new member of the band will bring. Will Adder and Kalil be able to remain true to themselves and their dreams without losing each other?

Adder is a larger-than-life up-and-coming rockstar with the personality and charisma to attain his goals. He has horrible fashion sense, green hair, a steel tooth, and a penchant for colorful condoms. He's also unrepentantly promiscuous, and quite used to getting what he wants. I can see him as a leading man... but I just never liked him. He was a bit too much for me, I think, as though every stereotype of a rockstar had been rolled into one overwhelming package. He vaguely annoyed me for the vast majority of the story, and just as I was starting to like him pulled a stupid stunt that made me roll my eyes and demote him again.

Kalil is a bit of a control freak with jealousy issues. He spends most of the story with a quietly simmering anger, which made him rather difficult to root for. When he wasn't angry, he was a mire of doubt and emotional extremes, which was enough to actually be draining.

The chemistry between Adder and Kalil went a long way toward making up for their failings as individuals. Although the relationship itself was spawned by the fact that Adder wanted to sleep with pretty much anything with a pulse, and evolved into mutual self-flagellation and does-he-doesn't-he, the sex was hot. The frequency was just enough to fit into the rockstar image, without completely shutting out the plot. To me, it got a little silly at the end, though, between Adder's aforementioned stunt and the epilogue.

The supporting cast was fairly small, but mostly appealing--Vi was my favorite, I think. They served their purposes well without fading too much into the background or taking over.

The story itself was mostly good, if limited by the personalities of Adder and Kalil. The plot moved along at a fairly steady clip, though it did have some repetitiveness or unnecessary dwelling upon certain points here and there. Aside from the relationship woes, things could have gone a little less smoothly--some points and resolutions were a little too pat--but, then, that would have distracted from the personal strife. Perhaps had it been a longer story, but ultimately not truly a terrible thing.

One thing that bothered me, though this is totally a personal thing, is that I cannot for the life of me recall or find the band's name. Even after skimming the book once I'd finished it, I couldn't locate it. I took to calling it Here for Your Pleasure. Maybe I just missed it, I don't know, but it seemed odd for there to be a number of other band names in the story without Adder's being readily apparent.

In the end, despite my dislike of and later apathy towards the main characters, this wasn't a bad story. For someone who enjoys extreme personalities, it might even be a good one. For myself, well, hot sex can only carry things so far.