Hunter, Stella and Pepper are off to College and now live together. With some new faces and old friends they are in for a year they won't forget...
Size: 350 KB (70,701 words)
Genre: Erotica
Sex Contents: Much Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, mt/ft, Ma/ft, mt/Fa, Fa/Fa, Fa/ft, Consensual, Lesbian, BiSexual, Incest, Brother, Sister, Light Bond, Group Sex, Safe Sex, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Cream Pie
Review by Ivan_Ronical [other reviews by Ivan_Ronical]
Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
I'm not sure I've ever been as upset after finishing something on SOL as I was upon finishing a this story a few minutes ago. Things were going terrifically, I was pleased with almost all the new developments, but then the author decided to follow through on the foreshadowing and hinting and obviousness which I had been dreading for the previous twenty-something chapters. Sorry, sorry, reviews are supposed to start at the beginning, not the end. Rewinding...
This is the second review in as many days that I've posted for Halcyon, and it marks the completion of my review coverage for this author's work. #2 is just like #1, but with more focus on the interesting characters. The downside to this is that the change in venue (spoiler alert: it's college time now) means no more Zangief.
All the comments from my review for NF1 apply here except for one: this story is MUCH better written from a technical perspective. It's still not going to make anyone's top 10 list for spelling or grammar, but it's infinitely more readable, and I'm tremendously impressed at the improvement.
I realized about halfway through this story that Hunter is basically Aquaman. He consistently gets crazier when he's away from the water for long periods of time, and he seems to be invulnerable and gain strength while he's in it.
I think the best part of this second story is the character development for previously-peripheral characters. Ryan got fleshed out a lot, which was a nice touch since I decided that he was awesome around halfway through the first story. Another character who only had a bit part as a plot device in the first story also got a ton of development, though it's pretty integral to the plot so I'll shut up about it here.
Sex is a little less plentiful in this story than the previous, or so it seemed. Maybe it was the increase in angst, or perhaps it was my willful denial of the inevitable story resolution, but something confused me into thinking that there seemed to be much less sex than there actually was when I started writing this part of the review. Looking back, however, there was basically the same ratio of plot:sex I think. Anyway, there's a lot of it but not enough that it detracts from the story or feels out of place.
I'm sad to see this series go, though I'm glad that the author finalized it and didn't continue writing about characters who had reached their "happy" endings. The characters were fun and engrossing to read about, and Aquaman was a pretty cool main character. The author's portrayal of all things Aussie did some justice here as well, and I enjoyed how it complemented the attitude of the main character.
An interesting comparison to draw here is to the OSL series by bluedragon, though I haven't finished that one yet because I grew too upset with the departure of a favorite character at a certain point. Both have a similar sort of feel during the times when the main character decides to fuck everything with a vagina, the California setting, sisters, and multiple girls vying for the happy ending with the main character. I guess the biggest difference, aside from the personality of the main character, is that in the "New Friends" series, nobody dies horribly, gets disfigured or raped, or has revenge sex to get back at an ex. Okay, the OSL series doesn't have all of those either, but fuck me if it isn't dark at points.
This is a great story and an adequate resolution to the series. Ignoring my own feelings on it, all major plot threads were tied up and the main character does get a good ending. Relationships are all good, everyone is happy, and that's the end of that.
Dammit, though, why do authors always make me love the ending which never happens!
Struggle through NF1, then read this one. It's worth it if only for the comedy value.
