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emmerged's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There’s a rape in the second chapter. Which (rightly) informs the rest of the book. But if you’re okay with that, I do think it’s worth it.
The romance is needfully slow-burn (but worth the wait). There’s a lot of “fantasy lingo” and politics, which leads to repetitive scenes of plot development. Seriously, every day of these characters’ lives is like a year’s worth of fantasy events.
The ending villain reveal is pretty predictable, but the way it plays out is interesting.
Also, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen a fully developed mute character in literature?
But the boys are so cuuuute. They’re so cute. All the heart eyes.
The romance is needfully slow-burn (but worth the wait). There’s a lot of “fantasy lingo” and politics, which leads to repetitive scenes of plot development. Seriously, every day of these characters’ lives is like a year’s worth of fantasy events.
The ending villain reveal is pretty predictable, but the way it plays out is interesting.
Also, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen a fully developed mute character in literature?
But the boys are so cuuuute. They’re so cute. All the heart eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Rape
purplepenning's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Violence, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Body horror, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Classism, Animal death, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Outing, Self harm, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Though it's a well-handled journey of healing, a main point of view character experiences significant trauma early in and deals with trauma recovery for much of the book.kailanlovescats's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall fun time. A cozy fantasy romance read for me, but some situations may be too high stakes for others. Nothing too extraordinary happens but the romance was cute and the characters were lovable. The "who is trying to kill the main characters?" plot came second and was a little drawn out. But again, cute overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Blood, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Transphobia
The main character is sexually assaulted by his ex, which results in some lingering trauma throughout the book.jessrock's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I almost decided against reading this book after reading the mixed reviews, but I really, really liked it. A significant portion of the book is about the aftermath of being raped, all the fear and mistrust and self-loathing, and I though it was really well handled. That said, the rape is on-page in chapter two, and there's quite a bit of other forms of violence, too; but none of it felt (to me) gratuitous or described any more than necessary. I really loved the relationships between Caethari and Velasin, and between Velasin and Markel. However: Tithena, as a country, was a little too perfect as compared to Velasin's home country of Ralia, and I didn't find the ending convincing at all and really wish it had gone in a different direction. But I liked the rest enough that I'm eager to read more from Foz Meadows.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Animal death
jennp28's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely loved this story. The mix of intrigue, politics, character and world building, and sweet romance is perfection. This is not usually my go-to genre but I picked it up on recommendation of a reading challenge and am so glad I did! The inclusion of gender and sexuality and their treatment in the various cultures was especially well done and women very well into the story so it didn’t seem preachy or forced. Lots of trigger warnings in this one though so make sure to check those.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Blood, and Homophobia
Minor: Transphobia, Confinement, and Vomit
joyee's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and Blood
bookswithhojo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
This was easily a 5/5 star read for me.
There are many things I enjoyed about this book. For starters, it had me working overtime the whole book thinking about who was behind everything. The politics were more than intriguing, with just enough twists and clues to keep me invested without being predictable. While I had my suspicions, it wasn’t overtly obvious how it would end/who would end up being revealed. Some of this may be down to the fact that there are small instances throughout where unrelated issues arise, such as guards’ negligence, in which both the main characters and the reader can’t be sure whether an incident is part of the grander scheme or whether it can be chalked up as a separate issue. Add in the fact that one of our two POV characters is from an entirely different place, it’s clear that he is learning about how the politics of this society works just as the reader is.
Speaking of, I was incredibly impressed with how flawlessly Velasin’s previous beliefs and lived experiences influenced how he approached everything throughout the book. Coming from Ralia, he has grown up in a place that has not looked kindly on people they don’t understand. It’s clear when he arrives in Tithena that he has a lot to unlearn, as he is now in a place where many of the unspoken rules in Ralian society no longer apply. Conversations and inner thoughts regarding this take place in several instances of the book, where he directly addresses how the change in his mind will not happen overnight. After all, though nobody blinks an eye seeing two men or two women together in Tithena, the same is very untrue in Ralia. The fact that Tithena even has a word to say a husband’s husband (Litai) is new to Velasin.
The same goes for the existence of transgender people. This is evident early on when Velasin meets Keletha, who is one of Tithena’s third-gender souls, called kemi. That’s not to say that the existence of such people in Ralia is impossible, just that it is more hidden and scandalous to Ralian courts. While Velasin has met transgender Ralians before, there doesn’t even seem to be a word for them other than slurs, while the Tithenai term is metem.
There are further instances where we get to see Velasin begin to unpack how differently things work in Ralia and Tithena. It’s incredibly interesting how these differences both become hindrances in some ways and advantages in others, as it allows Velasin to analyze the politics around them in ways that Caethari would and can not.
Outside of the cultural changes Velasin adjusts to, the book also delicately addresses the exploration of his identity and his healing from trauma. This is something that I thought was done incredibly well. There is no erasure of his trauma, but conversations and inner healing throughout the book showing how his trauma is influencing how he both thinks and acts around Caethari and others.
As for the relationship between Velasin and Caethari, it was wonderful to see the respect and tenderness they each gave to each other as their friendship developed. There was quite a lot of character development throughout, extending to all the characters and not just the main two.
Each and every character is thoughtfully fleshed out, with observations made by Velasin and Caethari allowing the reader to get to know the characters, their wants, and their backstories. I especially loved Markel and seeing his deep friendship with Velasin. It’s clear the mutual love and respect they have for each other. The same can be said for many of the other interpersonal relationships between different characters.
The only grievance I have is that the timeline felt off for me. I know that the reason is because so much happened each day but it was jarring every time they brought up that’s its only been a few days. Though, I will say that the characters also state that it feels like it’s been longer than a few days, so it is likely on purpose. I honestly just didn’t bother thinking too much about the timeline and just let myself read it as though weeks or months were passing. Overall, remembering the timeline wasn’t that important in the grand scheme of things for me.
In closing, it’s clear how much thought and care went into this book. Every bit of the political intrigue, emotional and heartfelt romance, and intricate world-building created the perfect blend for this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Self harm, Violence, Death of parent, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Murder
agentmozell'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
5.0
First five star of the year!!! And first official review on this website.
This was our book club book and I cannot believe how much I loved this, it sounded really good and since I had heard nothing but great things I knew this was going to be on my TBR at some point, so I'm really glad I got to read it sooner rather than later. This was also my first hard book I've read since discovering the joy of audiobooks August-September 2023, so it was surprisingly daunting. But once I started I devoured this book. I also used this as my first go with tabbing because I was too chicken last year (still too chicken to write notes in my books).
First thing is first before I go into the review--the triggers. The author provides a list of triggers on the first page but I was not expecting the SA scene to be in chapter two. It happens fast and it was decently graphic. The next thing are the suicide attempts, I counted maybe twice in the book where it actually is attempted but it is brought up sporadically as what happens in the beginning reluctantly gets brought to light. There are also murders as well, if you read a lot of more adult geared books then this probably won't come as a surprise because I feel that's in a lot of genres (sans maybe romance).
The scenes are detailed so reader be wary. I do think that for chapter two there should've been an additional trigger warning just because the SA happened so early in the book.
The characters though? I don't think there was one I disliked (except Killic) nor was there was that I thought was useless to the plot. The book flips between Velasin and Caethari's POVs and I was really surprised that Vel's is done in first person and Cae's in third person. I wonder if the sequel will be reversed? Either way, it was an interesting style. I do like that every character had their own development and chance to grow through the novel and that not every character chose to change. I loved the differences between Tithenai and Ralia and the politics of each one.
I also desperately loved the slow burn romance between Vel and Cae.
I will also say that I guessed early on who was behind everything and when it was confirmed I can't say that I was disappointed because the how was revealed so nicely and I did not expect another character to be involved. Hindsight it was obvious, but up until that point that character wasn't on my radar.
The climax was so well done and it really did leave me dying for the next one. I really can't say much else without spoiling it, this was a genuinely good book that I am happy to have as my first five star read of the year.
This was our book club book and I cannot believe how much I loved this, it sounded really good and since I had heard nothing but great things I knew this was going to be on my TBR at some point, so I'm really glad I got to read it sooner rather than later. This was also my first hard book I've read since discovering the joy of audiobooks August-September 2023, so it was surprisingly daunting. But once I started I devoured this book. I also used this as my first go with tabbing because I was too chicken last year (still too chicken to write notes in my books).
First thing is first before I go into the review--the triggers. The author provides a list of triggers on the first page but I was not expecting the SA scene to be in chapter two. It happens fast and it was decently graphic. The next thing are the suicide attempts, I counted maybe twice in the book where it actually is attempted but it is brought up sporadically as what happens in the beginning reluctantly gets brought to light. There are also murders as well, if you read a lot of more adult geared books then this probably won't come as a surprise because I feel that's in a lot of genres (sans maybe romance).
The scenes are detailed so reader be wary. I do think that for chapter two there should've been an additional trigger warning just because the SA happened so early in the book.
The characters though? I don't think there was one I disliked (except Killic) nor was there was that I thought was useless to the plot. The book flips between Velasin and Caethari's POVs and I was really surprised that Vel's is done in first person and Cae's in third person. I wonder if the sequel will be reversed? Either way, it was an interesting style. I do like that every character had their own development and chance to grow through the novel and that not every character chose to change. I loved the differences between Tithenai and Ralia and the politics of each one.
I also desperately loved the slow burn romance between Vel and Cae.
I will also say that I guessed early on who was behind everything and when it was confirmed I can't say that I was disappointed because the how was revealed so nicely and I did not expect another character to be involved. Hindsight it was obvious, but up until that point that character wasn't on my radar.
The climax was so well done and it really did leave me dying for the next one. I really can't say much else without spoiling it, this was a genuinely good book that I am happy to have as my first five star read of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Rape, and Murder
megbert581's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence
mmex's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Transphobia