Reviews

Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell

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hwaet's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

brimmsy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-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? No

4.0

An unexpected gem, full of lovable characters and absolutely beautiful prose. I loved the lighthearted, whimsical tone, and I can easily see this becoming a staple comfort read on my shelves.

I just wish the romance had been more of a slow burn. It happened so fast, and was a little too perfect and saccharine for my taste.

king_lefay's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

I had a feeling that from the opening paragraphs that Oak King Holly King would become a new favourite for me. I ended up quite right. Quick warning, this is going to be a fairly rambling review because I stayed up late to finish this wonderful story and then couldn't sleep after because I couldn't stop thinking about.

It is a beautifully written book that deftly weaves together two enticing worlds; one, an utterly breathtaking land of fae and magic and exceptional danger, the other, a smoggy Victorian London with no shortage of its own threats to our lead characters, Wren and Shrike.

I love these two with everything I have. I saw much of myself in Wren and adored reading the love he shared with Shrike. Shrike, who might at first appear a typical dark-haired, brooding fae love interest, but as we come to learn, carries so much depth and gentleness within him. Even the side characters are incredibly vivid and interesting (especially Mr. Grigsby who I also adore with my whole heart).

It's one of the most romantic books I have ever read, it had so much in it that I personally love from the actually frightening fae creatures to Arthurian legend to just the incredible queerness of it all.

I just can't get over amazing the writing is. I was totally swept away to both worlds.

My only complaint would be that it does end slightly abruptly. For a book of it's length, I certainly wouldn't have minded a few more chapters before the finale or maybe an extended final chapter

I know in the long run I'm going to be rereading this book time and time again, and absolutely will be picking up the sequel (collection?) as well as other titles by this author who has swiftly become a new favourite of mine as well.

arthemis_books's review

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4.0

This book was a great surprise! Thank you to the author for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Butcher is fae with no affiliation to a court. He became the Oak King after winning a duel for Queen of the court of silver wheel. He has never attempted to be named Oak king. At this moment start his quest to find a way to win against the Holly King of the Queen. For that, he has to find someone in the mortal realm to help him. The mortal who could help him may become more to him than expected. In Victorian London, laws are against them. Will they end up together? Will he defeat the Holly King?

I love how the book is separated: season and place. The book is well written. I also like the little quests that surrounds the principal plot. They are not too complex to lose ourselves and lose the main quest.

The characters are well described and we get to know their back story. I quite enjoyed that. We quickly become attached to the characters. They are so cute together. Butcher is caring but has a dark past that keeps him from thinking he could be loved and cared for. The mortal is a little bit shy, but not scared to meet a stranger on a foggy night in the Victorian High Park. I would if I were him. The aspect that attracts me the most is the two main characters have open minds.

This gay Victorian fae romance comes out February 14th, 2022!

egklesch's review

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4.0

(3.5/5 stars) I enjoyed the story in this– the characters, the setting, the world-building, etc, but I have issues with the ending of it. It felt incredibly out of character for the protagonist,

Spoiler

(He was nervous about dressing casually in front of a woman because of his 1840's gentleman lifestyle but suddenly finds himself willing to have sex in front of hundreds of strangers?)

as well as otherwise deeply uncomfortable to read– the same goes for the rest of the likely unnecessary adult scenes– although that may just be my preference. They weren't poorly written, per se, but very funny because of the flowery language used. Seriously? "Lance"? "Sword"?

Some people also have complained that the two characters get together very quickly, but I found it refreshing to not have only an epilogue chapter at the end to rely on for a short glimpse of what their relationship would look like in canon, like how other romance novels do. There were also a few noticeable typo's throughout the book, such as the misspelling of a character's name or inappropriate punctuation, but it wasn't so much that it really took me out of it. The story was great and the characters were enjoyable but the adult scenes were not for my taste and the ending felt otherwise rushed and unfinished.