Scan barcode
sarita_reads_books's review
5.0
Oh my goodness where do I even start with this. This book is nothing short of perfection with amazing pacing and a thrilling plot driving it I felt my self being pulled in and not wanting to put it down the whole way through. I’m so sad that it doesn’t have as wide recognition as other popular fantasy stories, because if it did I can garante you that everyone would be obsessed with it.
The way Rowland writes is like poetry, it’s a warm comforting hug that makes you feel cosy and will have you giggling screaming and kicking your feet at the tiniest little things. The author has an incredible sense of how to write varied and dynamic characters and the interpersonal relationships with each other are what really made this story feel more than just another book I was reading.
And don’t get me started on the queer joy, the diversity in self expressions between the characters to be in a world immersed where it’s queer normative is so validating and fun to read, a perfect little escapism ❤️
The way Rowland writes is like poetry, it’s a warm comforting hug that makes you feel cosy and will have you giggling screaming and kicking your feet at the tiniest little things. The author has an incredible sense of how to write varied and dynamic characters and the interpersonal relationships with each other are what really made this story feel more than just another book I was reading.
And don’t get me started on the queer joy, the diversity in self expressions between the characters to be in a world immersed where it’s queer normative is so validating and fun to read, a perfect little escapism ❤️
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Wildy uneven. The author states that her goal was to write a love story, fair enough, but all the way through I thought that was just PART of the theme.
We start badly, with a wimp prince and a guard with a stick up his ass. Rowland explains how they git that way, but already we can see where this is going.
We're in a somewhat-interesting not-Turkey with some neighbours, but when we get to Vint the author just gives up and it's realworld France. Tsk.
The sultan is good, the kahayla, tequila, whatever were good. All competent, no superheroes.
Sirinos is a villain right out of Disney or Thomas Covenant. I would have arrested the bugger by page 100. But I did like the fact that he turned out to be a pawn. The witch gets full marks. Tadek was fine but slid into silly. I liked Eozena but I kept reading her name as Eczema.
There's just a touch of magic - the metal-tasting and the truth-sensing. That seems odd, to have so little magic and so specific. But I admit that every piece of magic the author presents MUST be used, so it's probably just as well.
The plot developed well, combining action and deduction with some good work about two guys realizing they don't fit their template.
But in the end, it slithered into quite a lot of skimming as they dragged out the relationship for pages and pages until I was yelling "FFS, whip it out and get ON with it!"
But still, Rowland made me care what happened to these people.
We start badly, with a wimp prince and a guard with a stick up his ass. Rowland explains how they git that way, but already we can see where this is going.
We're in a somewhat-interesting not-Turkey with some neighbours, but when we get to Vint the author just gives up and it's realworld France. Tsk.
The sultan is good, the kahayla, tequila, whatever were good. All competent, no superheroes.
Sirinos is a villain right out of Disney or Thomas Covenant. I would have arrested the bugger by page 100. But I did like the fact that he turned out to be a pawn. The witch gets full marks. Tadek was fine but slid into silly. I liked Eozena but I kept reading her name as Eczema.
There's just a touch of magic - the metal-tasting and the truth-sensing. That seems odd, to have so little magic and so specific. But I admit that every piece of magic the author presents MUST be used, so it's probably just as well.
The plot developed well, combining action and deduction with some good work about two guys realizing they don't fit their template.
But in the end, it slithered into quite a lot of skimming as they dragged out the relationship for pages and pages until I was yelling "FFS, whip it out and get ON with it!"
But still, Rowland made me care what happened to these people.
jennybugg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cheye13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was an excellent read in that it delivered exactly as I expected it to, with a little extra flavor thrown in. The world-building and background character development was impressively thorough, given the main crux (romance) of the story. I particularly loved how this specific story managed the "why don't they simply get together" hurdle by essentially making the characters simply too busy – felt oddly true to life despite the kidnapping/assassination attempts. This story also expertly lays the ground for a romance series, subtly and perfectly setting up the next main character.
While I found no faults in this book for my own reading tastes, I can see where it may fall short for others. This is not a surprising book in the slightest – though the political/criminal investigation is paced to persist through the full novel, it is set up pretty straightforwardly from the start. The romance progression is also fully predictable, and while it didn't deliver any gut-punch style emotion, I thoroughly enjoyed being swept through the journey. Finally, while the slow burn tension is off the charts, some may find the release/resolution of that tension unequal to the anticipation (i.e. it's pretty low on the spice).
But I don't look for any of these elements in my fantasy romance. I enjoy predictability and the satisfaction of the characters finally catching up to my detached perspective; I was awash in the natural flow and growth of the leads' relationship; and I love me a closed-door or mild heat level. In fact, given the building tension throughout the book, I would've felt like there was no closure if there weren't at least a vague on-page Scene™, so this book skipped past that pitfall as well. A complete joy to read. Hope there's more to this series in the future!
While I found no faults in this book for my own reading tastes, I can see where it may fall short for others. This is not a surprising book in the slightest – though the political/criminal investigation is paced to persist through the full novel, it is set up pretty straightforwardly from the start. The romance progression is also fully predictable, and while it didn't deliver any gut-punch style emotion, I thoroughly enjoyed being swept through the journey. Finally, while the slow burn tension is off the charts, some may find the release/resolution of that tension unequal to the anticipation (i.e. it's pretty low on the spice).
But I don't look for any of these elements in my fantasy romance. I enjoy predictability and the satisfaction of the characters finally catching up to my detached perspective; I was awash in the natural flow and growth of the leads' relationship; and I love me a closed-door or mild heat level. In fact, given the building tension throughout the book, I would've felt like there was no closure if there weren't at least a vague on-page Scene™, so this book skipped past that pitfall as well. A complete joy to read. Hope there's more to this series in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Torture
ninjaack3rmans's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
cloudforests's review against another edition
Really long and clunky expositions, even in the first chapters people seem to change character every scene. Lots of potential but the writing was a turn off