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maggienack's review
3.5
After reading Winter’s Orbit found another m/m political marriage book. This one is more fantasy than sci-fi. I enjoyed this. The relationship developed along with the mystery of the series of attacks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
gaden35's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
I love this book so much. It makes all my other 5 star reviews feel false.
THIS is how you do a recovery from SA story. THIS is how you do a forced proximity/arranged marriage trope. The discussions of consent in many forms and in many arenas are refreshing and nice to finally see in a fantasy novel. The main sex scene was well done and avoided many (not all haha) of the SFF/Romantasy tropes. The ones it used were well done.
And Foz has built a world I am yearning to learn more about. And proves how inclusive fantasy can be if you just care enough.
LOVE THIS BOOK.
THIS is how you do a recovery from SA story. THIS is how you do a forced proximity/arranged marriage trope. The discussions of consent in many forms and in many arenas are refreshing and nice to finally see in a fantasy novel. The main sex scene was well done and avoided many (not all haha) of the SFF/Romantasy tropes. The ones it used were well done.
And Foz has built a world I am yearning to learn more about. And proves how inclusive fantasy can be if you just care enough.
LOVE THIS BOOK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
lady_wallflower_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This book was a wild ride. Before getting too deep into things - overall I liked it. I thought the political maneuvering and mystery of it all was well done and moved the plot forward quickly. I will definitely go on to read the second book in the series to see how the MCs relationship grows and what challenges they face next.
The good:
I really enjoyed the world building. The book focuses on two countries, Ralia and Tithena. Ralia is very conservative and Tithena is a country where people of all genders and sexual preferences are celebrated. I loved seeing how inclusive the world was and the way the author built the culture was really captivating.
The main relationship was also really well done! Vel and Cae were both individually wonderful and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The entire book takes up only a few weeks of time so there will be a lot more to investigate when it comes to their relationship development. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 to see how things progress!
The questionable:
Velasin, one of our main characters, is raped in chapter 2. A lot of this book is also about his response to that and how he works to move forward. It's graphic, on page, and it was a bit shocking to happen so early into the book. The author did provide content warnings at the beginning of the book and I would highly take those into consideration before anyone were to read this book.
It took me some time to get used to the writing. For the first 60% or so of the book I found myself having to go back and reread paragraphs because I felt like I missed something. Either I got used to the writing style in the later half or the author found a better groove. Likewise, some explanations came across as a bit heavy handed concerning the investigation into the murders and other happenings. I would have been interested in more 'show' than 'tell' because it felt like a bit of a lecture at times.
The good:
I really enjoyed the world building. The book focuses on two countries, Ralia and Tithena. Ralia is very conservative and Tithena is a country where people of all genders and sexual preferences are celebrated. I loved seeing how inclusive the world was and the way the author built the culture was really captivating.
The main relationship was also really well done! Vel and Cae were both individually wonderful and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The entire book takes up only a few weeks of time so there will be a lot more to investigate when it comes to their relationship development. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 to see how things progress!
The questionable:
Velasin, one of our main characters, is raped in chapter 2. A lot of this book is also about his response to that and how he works to move forward. It's graphic, on page, and it was a bit shocking to happen so early into the book. The author did provide content warnings at the beginning of the book and I would highly take those into consideration before anyone were to read this book.
It took me some time to get used to the writing. For the first 60% or so of the book I found myself having to go back and reread paragraphs because I felt like I missed something. Either I got used to the writing style in the later half or the author found a better groove. Likewise, some explanations came across as a bit heavy handed concerning the investigation into the murders and other happenings. I would have been interested in more 'show' than 'tell' because it felt like a bit of a lecture at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
firesolstice's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
sorayah11's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Stalking, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Transphobia, War, and Classism
voidature's review against another edition
emotional
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Outing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Vomit and Transphobia
r_a_bell's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual violence, Outing, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders
nevher's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book… is if not my favorite-then one of my favorite books of all time. And in terms of lgbt romance, fantasy.. it IS my favorite. The world building is definitely there, diverse characters, interesting plot. I was actually surprised by the big reveal. The romance was perfect. I never loved slow burn until now and it was sooo so so worth the investment.. which didn’t even feel like an investment. I was hooked the entire time. I want this- leather bound- on my shelf neoow.
Spoilers!!
On a serious note (**trigger warning be advised**)
I really appreciate how the author depicted SA and the broad spectrum that exists in such violence. The dissociation, the trauma, the victim blaming all felt real and I’m so happy it wasn’t glazed over like it is in some books.The interrogation with his abuser was therapeutic in a way. Not everyone gets to confront their abuser and even less often are they made to face consequences. I love his support system. How people instantly believed him and knew what happened to him was wrong. I found Vel relatable even though he was frustrating at times. I also love how, during his journey to healing he unravels plots, makes friends and grows closer to his husband. There is visible growth in him as a character.
On a spicy note- The tension was *smacks lips delectable. Yesss I am what you could call a smut enthusiast, a connoisseur if you will. Fox Meadows you were cooking with this one.A talented rider indeed. If you want explicit sex look no further.
Overall I can’t even ask for anything other than MORE. I’m looking forward to the next book! Like please let this be like a 10 book series lol I can’t get enough of these characters
Spoilers!!
On a serious note (**trigger warning be advised**)
I really appreciate how the author depicted SA and the broad spectrum that exists in such violence. The dissociation, the trauma, the victim blaming all felt real and I’m so happy it wasn’t glazed over like it is in some books.
On a spicy note- The tension was *smacks lips delectable. Yesss I am what you could call a smut enthusiast, a connoisseur if you will. Fox Meadows you were cooking with this one.
Overall I can’t even ask for anything other than MORE. I’m looking forward to the next book! Like please let this be like a 10 book series lol I can’t get enough of these characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
esendis's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Murder and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia
ehmannky's review
emotional
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
3.0
I think overall this book was fine, but would be better served if people knew going in it was less romantasy (the romance is very much a B-plot in this when I felt it should have been the A-plot) and more political/court intrigue and recovery from trauma. There's also not that much magic in it either.
I liked the characters and their relationship, and I liked getting to explore a world where queerness is embedded into the society, but the overall mystery and court intrigue did nothing for me. I think many problems could have been solved had the timeline been drawn out and the characters given more time to adjust to things and interactions with more of the palace residents. Like, this is billed as a slowburn, which I suppose it kind of is considering it's over 500 pages, but the story itself takes place over 3 weeks, with the romance taking place over 1 week. Like for the reader this is a slowburn but it's still soooooo fast in-universe. And since it's such a short timeline, I truly did not care even a little bit about the reveal of who was behind the mysteries, because we really had so little interaction with them throughout the story. I cannot believe there was a villain monologue where every step of the plan was spelled out (because again, the book's timeline is so short, and there's not really any space for the characters to actually solve the mystery or learn about this secondary character). I also didn't care for how there's never any down time. Every single chapter ends with some kind of cliffhanger and interruption. Like, it got to the point where Cae and Vel would have a quiet moment and I'd just brace for someone to knock on the door because they never get to have a normal conclusion to a story.
As many reviewers have pointed out, there is an on-the-page rape very quickly and most of the book is Velasin recovering from it. And even though there are trigger warnings, I think it's important to know that this assault and his first suicide attempt take place within the first 50 pages. Like, avoid if that would be triggering.
I liked the characters and their relationship, and I liked getting to explore a world where queerness is embedded into the society, but the overall mystery and court intrigue did nothing for me. I think many problems could have been solved had the timeline been drawn out and the characters given more time to adjust to things and interactions with more of the palace residents. Like, this is billed as a slowburn, which I suppose it kind of is considering it's over 500 pages, but the story itself takes place over 3 weeks, with the romance taking place over 1 week. Like for the reader this is a slowburn but it's still soooooo fast in-universe. And since it's such a short timeline, I truly did not care even a little bit about the reveal of who was behind the mysteries, because we really had so little interaction with them throughout the story. I cannot believe there was a villain monologue where every step of the plan was spelled out (because again, the book's timeline is so short, and there's not really any space for the characters to actually solve the mystery or learn about this secondary character). I also didn't care for how there's never any down time. Every single chapter ends with some kind of cliffhanger and interruption. Like, it got to the point where Cae and Vel would have a quiet moment and I'd just brace for someone to knock on the door because they never get to have a normal conclusion to a story.
As many reviewers have pointed out, there is an on-the-page rape very quickly and most of the book is Velasin recovering from it. And even though there are trigger warnings, I think it's important to know that this assault and his first suicide attempt take place within the first 50 pages. Like, avoid if that would be triggering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Animal death, Violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder