Being Amber

by Sylvia Ryan

[Angie]

I knew I had to read Being Amber when I saw that it was an Erotic Dystopian. A virus wiped out most of the world's population, and now those who remaining are very strictly regulated. Anyone who isn't deemed intelligent enough or healthy enough gets designated as an Amber and must leave the main population. Jaci has just been informed that she's a carrier for a degenerative disease and is heading for sterilization and the Amber zone. She believes her life is over, but what she finds in Amber is a group of people who understand, accept, and care for her. Including, the sexy but closed off, Xander.

The world of Being Amber was really interesting. Viruses are always a good way to kill off all of the humans. The only thing that bothered me was that, once again, blonde hair and blue eyes were seen as favorable traits. It's only mentioned once, and nothing really shows this favoritism in play, so it felt unnecessary. It's bad enough that the disabled and other groups are being weeded out, but I do understand why the government would want a more robust population to rebuild.

We don't learn too much about the higher societies, but the Amber Zone was pretty great. It's a very close, touchy-feely society. And it's not all about sex. Their predecessors found that physical contact helped those banned from society cope better, so it's ingrained in everyone from birth that touching is good. Of course, this does lead to a lot of sex, but the Ambers are open about that, too. No one judges you for your sexual appetite, which is something Jaci has to get to use it, but does embrace.

Being Amber does have a romance, of course. Jaci is immediately drawn to Xander who was assigned as her roommate. He's drawn to her as well, but he wants to keep their relationship friendly as he has no plans on falling in love and getting married. This causes plenty of tension between the two! I did like how Xander didn't go all Alpha Male on Jaci when she leaves to seek comfort with other men (I totally wish that threesome scene had been from her POV, instead of Xander's limited voyuering). He let her get what she needed and wanted in that moment, and saved his feelings for later. He has a plan!

As for the plot, it was okay. Someone is kidnapping and possibly murdering Amber women. Xander is a cop, so that's his assignment. Obviously, being a new Amber woman, Jaci is a target but doesn't know it. Cue the cliched "you lied to me" fit and resulting troubles that could have been avoided. It wasn't very original or engaging, but I didn't dislike it either. I really just wanted to see more of the Ambers' way of life. And more sex.

I did enjoy Being Amber a lot. It's a very short, quick read, but a mostly satisfying one. I definitely would have liked more worldbuilding to better understand what's going on around this community and just how drastic the changes were from Jaci's life as a Sapphire.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.