Review: Jaq's Harp

Reviewed by Jen
 

Jaq’s sister is dying. And if she doesn’t steal a cure for her, there is no hope. So Jaq sneaks her way onto the floating island that the Giant corporation calls home. There, she runs into her ex-fiance, Harp, who is on an undercover mission to take down the company and its corrupt owner.  And of course, the heat between them ignites all over again.

This is a short story, only 67 pages. So there’s not a lot of room for anything too deep. Basically, you’ve got two questions that play out: Can Jaq & Harp escape with the antidote and evidence they need? And can they get over the issues that drove them apart to find their way back together? It’s not too much of a leap to figure out what the answers will be, but it’s a fun enough ride to get from Point A to Point B.  It’s just hard to care much for the characters when we have so little time to get invested in them. (And Ella Drake adds a fairy tale twist, with a brief nod to Jack & the Beanstalk by incorporating magic beans and a “Giant” into the novella… but it does little to add or detract from the story when all is said and done.)  3 1/2 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley