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readundancies's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
4.5
In March 2017, Nintendo rolled out one of the best games of the decade in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Me, being an absolute diehard fan of the Legend of Zelda series, thought they knocked it out of the park because here was a game where the stalwartly silent Link was a right and proper bodyguard appointed to his Princess Zelda who was stubborn and troubled and drowning in her duties to the crown. It was the bodyguard trope done right in the video game world.
And so now let’s fast forward to today, or rather August 2022 as a whole, where Alexandra Rowland has released these 500 pages of romance fantasy goodness. And yes, I say romance fantasy not fantasy romance intentionally because the romance dominates. The romance is everything. And it’s because the bodyguard trope is well and alive here in A Taste of Gold and Iron and it’s done right. So fantastically right, especially when I’ve already tried a bodyguard romance this year and it failed miserably at the time.
Instead, I present this to you.
Because this was just stunning.
Simply put, stunning. Stunningly written, stunningly queer and stunningly slow burn, which is all I could’ve really asked for.
This is a romance fantasy in a world where magic exists as a means to touch-taste and verify truth, and we see it within a counterfeiting conspiracy both as a means to verify said counterfeit coins and a means to ferret out lies during the investigation. Now, the investigation though it follows as the main arc of the plot, is not terribly nuanced or complex. Likewise, the worldbuilding even though it’s interesting and has some solid foundations, is not nearly fleshed out in the way I would’ve preferred.
But at the end of the day, this is a slower paced, politically inclined and character driven tale of queer romance, and I implore you to pick it up.
Because this story is unapologetically queer and in a way that not only feels natural, but achieves it in such an effortless and seamless manner. It’s beyond normalized in this world, in fact, it’s the best damn part of the worldbuilding if I do say so myself. And it doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t have any stigma or prejudice attached to it at any point in the novel, and we need more fiction like this in the real world because there is not nearly enough it currently in existence. This book doesn’t manage queerness at all, it’s just set free to flourish and grow in whatever manner the characters living in the story see fit. It’s really refreshing to see and I think it’s done so well.
By page 50, the political manoeuvring is already well in place, and yes, it’s rather predictable as to how things play out, but it’s the how of the matter, the journey if you will which both Kadou and Evemer take that makes it all worth it. Because the characterization is top-tier.
Kadou is a picture of self-doubt, thrust into the spotlight by nature of his birthright and absolutely dreading every moment of it. Evemer in comparison has a very tight control on his emotions. I compare it to my all-time favourite portrayal of a bodyguard, the silent and stoic Link and Evemer was giving hardcore Link vibes, just an older version and with a lot more venom in the limited speech he used, at least at the beginning. Evemer is extremely opinionated and stubborn where Kadou is constantly overthinking his actions due to social anxiety. They were a wonderful dichotomy and their relationship dynamic was already fraught with tension upon their introduction to one another. I didn’t even really like Tadek at first - he was leaving such a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s entirely intentional, Rowland manages to write in a way that frames your mind based on how Evemer describes Tadek in order to show both characters mindsets initally and then allows them to flourish and grow as characters. And Tadek definietly grows on you, albeit like a fungus, but that’s the point.
Kadou especially is character that warrants a little more analysis. He’s a character of a completely different type of destruction than I’m used to and gravitate towards and that made it hard for me to understand him at times, and I loved him for it. He hyperfocused on past conversations, picking them apart to carefully cater every instance of when he’d made a mistake, a verbal faux pas, an error, whether properly perceived or not. It was frustrating to be in his mind because he cared so much, too much and he succumbed to his demons and anxieties very frequently. And he was self aware of it all too, which added this extra layer to contend with when he interacted with others. At first, his perception of rank was so fixed, he thought he couldn’t ask for assistance without it being a burden. He was just such a bleeding heart. He spent so much time living within the confines of his own mind that he had no way of functioning to any great degree outside of it. And so became wildly reckless when it all came to be too much and it made him such a juicy character to read about. It’s an emotionally exhausting way to live life and not one I’m familiar with, which made reading from his perspective a lot more meaningful to me.
And it’s entirely because the writing is so strong. Rowland excels at dialogue, both the quippy kind and the emotional kind. You could see it in the begrudging and volatile nature of Tadek and Evemer’s friendship (the snark was a highlight for me) and in the sweet way Kadou would giggle at something humourous Evemer would say unintentionally. The writing was also completely immersive. I started this last night, put it down the one time and once I picked it up again this morning, I couldn’t stop. The story was a drug, I was on high and I never wanted it to stop. Because the slow burn of the romance was luscious. Addicting, even. There was a hair washing scene that was the epitome of intimate and I had such longing in my bones as I read it. Every time Evemer said “My lord” I was blushing because it was basically Westley from The Princess Bride saying “As you wish” and I love when a single and simple sentence can hold so much meaning through repetition.
And though a lot of the sexy scenes occur entirely off-page, even the one scene near the end was this tame and classy moment that was tender and sweet with absolutely no mention of what became unmentionable ‘bits’ in sight. It was gentle, it was patient, it was almost painfully non vulgar and I’m amazed at how it all came together so nicely.
If you want a queer romance fantasy read that does the bodyguard trope justice, look no further. This is it. It's hands down one of my favourites of the year so far.
And so now let’s fast forward to today, or rather August 2022 as a whole, where Alexandra Rowland has released these 500 pages of romance fantasy goodness. And yes, I say romance fantasy not fantasy romance intentionally because the romance dominates. The romance is everything. And it’s because the bodyguard trope is well and alive here in A Taste of Gold and Iron and it’s done right. So fantastically right, especially when I’ve already tried a bodyguard romance this year and it failed miserably at the time.
Instead, I present this to you.
Because this was just stunning.
Simply put, stunning. Stunningly written, stunningly queer and stunningly slow burn, which is all I could’ve really asked for.
This is a romance fantasy in a world where magic exists as a means to touch-taste and verify truth, and we see it within a counterfeiting conspiracy both as a means to verify said counterfeit coins and a means to ferret out lies during the investigation. Now, the investigation though it follows as the main arc of the plot, is not terribly nuanced or complex. Likewise, the worldbuilding even though it’s interesting and has some solid foundations, is not nearly fleshed out in the way I would’ve preferred.
But at the end of the day, this is a slower paced, politically inclined and character driven tale of queer romance, and I implore you to pick it up.
Because this story is unapologetically queer and in a way that not only feels natural, but achieves it in such an effortless and seamless manner. It’s beyond normalized in this world, in fact, it’s the best damn part of the worldbuilding if I do say so myself. And it doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t have any stigma or prejudice attached to it at any point in the novel, and we need more fiction like this in the real world because there is not nearly enough it currently in existence. This book doesn’t manage queerness at all, it’s just set free to flourish and grow in whatever manner the characters living in the story see fit. It’s really refreshing to see and I think it’s done so well.
By page 50, the political manoeuvring is already well in place, and yes, it’s rather predictable as to how things play out, but it’s the how of the matter, the journey if you will which both Kadou and Evemer take that makes it all worth it. Because the characterization is top-tier.
Kadou is a picture of self-doubt, thrust into the spotlight by nature of his birthright and absolutely dreading every moment of it. Evemer in comparison has a very tight control on his emotions. I compare it to my all-time favourite portrayal of a bodyguard, the silent and stoic Link and Evemer was giving hardcore Link vibes, just an older version and with a lot more venom in the limited speech he used, at least at the beginning. Evemer is extremely opinionated and stubborn where Kadou is constantly overthinking his actions due to social anxiety. They were a wonderful dichotomy and their relationship dynamic was already fraught with tension upon their introduction to one another. I didn’t even really like Tadek at first - he was leaving such a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s entirely intentional, Rowland manages to write in a way that frames your mind based on how Evemer describes Tadek in order to show both characters mindsets initally and then allows them to flourish and grow as characters. And Tadek definietly grows on you, albeit like a fungus, but that’s the point.
Kadou especially is character that warrants a little more analysis. He’s a character of a completely different type of destruction than I’m used to and gravitate towards and that made it hard for me to understand him at times, and I loved him for it. He hyperfocused on past conversations, picking them apart to carefully cater every instance of when he’d made a mistake, a verbal faux pas, an error, whether properly perceived or not. It was frustrating to be in his mind because he cared so much, too much and he succumbed to his demons and anxieties very frequently. And he was self aware of it all too, which added this extra layer to contend with when he interacted with others. At first, his perception of rank was so fixed, he thought he couldn’t ask for assistance without it being a burden. He was just such a bleeding heart. He spent so much time living within the confines of his own mind that he had no way of functioning to any great degree outside of it. And so became wildly reckless when it all came to be too much and it made him such a juicy character to read about. It’s an emotionally exhausting way to live life and not one I’m familiar with, which made reading from his perspective a lot more meaningful to me.
And it’s entirely because the writing is so strong. Rowland excels at dialogue, both the quippy kind and the emotional kind. You could see it in the begrudging and volatile nature of Tadek and Evemer’s friendship (the snark was a highlight for me) and in the sweet way Kadou would giggle at something humourous Evemer would say unintentionally. The writing was also completely immersive. I started this last night, put it down the one time and once I picked it up again this morning, I couldn’t stop. The story was a drug, I was on high and I never wanted it to stop. Because the slow burn of the romance was luscious. Addicting, even. There was a hair washing scene that was the epitome of intimate and I had such longing in my bones as I read it. Every time Evemer said “My lord” I was blushing because it was basically Westley from The Princess Bride saying “As you wish” and I love when a single and simple sentence can hold so much meaning through repetition.
And though a lot of the sexy scenes occur entirely off-page, even the one scene near the end was this tame and classy moment that was tender and sweet with absolutely no mention of what became unmentionable ‘bits’ in sight. It was gentle, it was patient, it was almost painfully non vulgar and I’m amazed at how it all came together so nicely.
If you want a queer romance fantasy read that does the bodyguard trope justice, look no further. This is it. It's hands down one of my favourites of the year so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
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