Reviews

Happy sigh. . . AJ Lancaster continues to bat it out of the park. I think when I finished The King of Faerie I wrote in my review that I would be in line for anything that came next, and that confidence was not misplaced. A Rake of His Own was funny, and clever, and swoon-worthy, in a fully built-out fantasy world that is both charming and complex. And it has the most puntastic title. Really what more could you ask for?

Some of my highlights were:

- Marius. He's such a different character from Hetta, who is the main narrative voice in the main Stariel series. Even though the narration is third person, Lancaster really gets across the way that Marius thinks - much more anxiously and fast paced - in a way that still feels very natural.

Spoiler

Also the way his telepathic powers are narratively displayed was genius and worked so well, really showing how his thoughts could meld with someone else's and the confusion that could result.

- The entire relationship between Marius and Rakken, which is hilarious and sweet and heart-breaking and lovely all at the same time. They really felt true to themselves (as the characters they've built into over the series so far) and I loved that they continued to be them while coming closer together.
- The plot. And also the plot. It was brilliant in either sense.
- The Faerie world that AJ Lancaster has built - it continues to develop, both inside and outside of Stariel, and Lancaster is just such a talented world-builder; conceptually it all continues to feel quite "cosy" while actually having layers upon layers of politics and magic and history and I'm in awe of how well it all pulls together.
- The pivot away from Hetta and Wyn was handled so well. Often spin-offs are either to focused on the original characters or to removed from them, but A Rake of His Own really struck the balance.

This is the last Stariel book (at least, the last that's been announced to date) and I'm honestly so excited to see where this author goes next, whatever world it's set in.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review

dayvayen's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

local_hat's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

1. The very last line irked me enough that it literally lowered my rating and impression of this book.

2. I find it very interesting that this, of all the books in the series, has a "content advisory", when half of it is relevant to the rest of the series. I note that these books were not published over the course of 20 years, and that this book focuses on what both our world and the setting would identify as a gay couple.

Don't get me wrong - I like the book, I like the series, but my eyebrow is raised.

minslibrary's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

mrsknightwest's review

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adventurous dark

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.25

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