karlakolumna

4? 5? 4.5 stars? I really can't decide...

Totally captivatig and engrossing read. Very well written. Top notch characterisation - especially Tony.
Although I must admit that , in the beginning, I was a quite bit perplexed by the POV this fanfic is told from - Tony. Not at all because of it being Stark per se - hell, give me a funny, snarky, pratt-ish POV any day (or even better: every day)...
But seeing as this is Steve/Bucky slash I was wondering how exactly a setup like that would work. And, amazingly, it did. Given my rating, quite obviously extremely well at that.

This is, however, not your usual fanfic slash. And it's not a romance, not really, but kinda. The slash never really happens - there's a tender, blossoming love between Steve and Bucky to be witnessed by Tony, sure. But never anything explicit (which doesn't even happen off-page because of the way the story evolves & the plot itself is. I'll refrain from spoilering you at this point, though.)
At any rate, please don't let the unusual POV stop you from reading! Trust me, this is totally worth every second of your time: so much suspense and lot's of Avengers-y action that it's almost like watching another The Avengers movie. The book essentially starts right after the events of the 2nd Captain America movie - so it certainly doesn't hurt to have watched that one. Although this also works as a standalone (if you've seen CA #2), it's probably best to read the whole series, starting with book #1...^^

I'm very much looking forward to the next installment - because so far this series has been brilliant. I literally couldn't put my kindle down - a reading experience I've rather been missing lately.

The only reason this doesn't get the full 5 stars is because, for me, there was a tad too much angst here and there. Which is due to the plot/story, due to Bucky's past - what with him being the Winter Soldier and having been brainwashed and tortured (and much more) by Hydra - and is, ergo, perfectly reasonable and understandable within the context of the story: trying to remember anything before the Winter Soldier & trying and struggling to come to terms with his Hydra-assassin-past. Still. A bit less angst/hurt at times would have sufficed imho.

Nevertheless: Fantastic read, all in all.