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crystalequeer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
_swims_'s review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
dekaj's review against another edition
2.0
‘It must be a misunderstanding,’ she kept saying, shaking her head. ‘If you’d just talk to him—’
‘I’m not going to talk to him!’ Gwen had shouted.
This book did not make may sense to me. The characters felt much younger than they were, and the setting .... This might have worked if the characters were from modern business families or something like that, but they did not fit the medieval setting at all. No regard for their place in the world, common social norms, court politics et. Maybe my parents expectations were too high.
I really should've DNFed this one. Every character is one-dimensional stereotypes that I never grew to like. At all.
Well, there was a tiny pice at around 50% of the book where the characters suddenly started communicating, and it was great! But then they went straight beck to being insufferable. It's great that we have more queer romance, but this book was a massive disappointment.
I will end this rant by including some words from one of the main characters, which I felt truly describes every single character during this entire book: I have decided to make a series of poor decisions
‘I’m not going to talk to him!’ Gwen had shouted.
This book did not make may sense to me. The characters felt much younger than they were, and the setting .... This might have worked if the characters were from modern business families or something like that, but they did not fit the medieval setting at all. No regard for their place in the world, common social norms, court politics et. Maybe my parents expectations were too high.
I really should've DNFed this one. Every character is one-dimensional stereotypes that I never grew to like. At all.
Well, there was a tiny pice at around 50% of the book where the characters suddenly started communicating, and it was great! But then they went straight beck to being insufferable. It's great that we have more queer romance, but this book was a massive disappointment.
I will end this rant by including some words from one of the main characters, which I felt truly describes every single character during this entire book: I have decided to make a series of poor decisions
rapunzchelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
I cannot express how much I loved this book. Everything about it made my heart sing. Gwen and Arthur were such babies, whose sarcastic wit and absurd charm made me cackle with laughter. This was everything I wanted in a queer historical romance and then even more. It may be my new favorite book!
My biggest complaint was that I think Gabriel should have given up the throne so Gwen and Bridget could rule instead! I think they would be the better rulers tbh.
katie_42's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5
juju_99's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
laura_sine's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
tobyw's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
A charming romp. What it lacks in historical accuracy, it makes up for in amusing banter. I was rooting for Arthur and Gabriel by the end, but I felt that Bridget and Gwendoline's relationship was underbaked, mostly because so little effort was made to flesh out Bridget.
That felt at times to have some undercurrent of racism, which permeated the representation more as discomfort and negligence in representing non-white characters than any real malice. While the author did inject some diversity into the setting, Arthur's Iranian mother died when he was too young to remember her (and based on the time period, should really have been his Persian mother, but I digress), so he has absolutely no connection to Iranian culture and the only impact his non-whiteness has on him is a few descriptors of his dark hair. Bridget, on the other hand, is straight out of the Sukhothai kingdom, but her culture likewise has no bearing on the story. Her role as a love interest had an uncomfortable similarity to a criticism I heard from an Asian book YouTuber who pointed out how One Last Stop's Jane Su so often plays emotional support sidekick to the white protagonist. Bridget and Gwen have much the same dynamic, although at least here, Gwen's landing point in her arc is to apologize to Bridget for dismissing Bridget's desires. I just wish we actually got a little more insight into what those desires even were...
Like I said, I know Croucher should have some credit for writing in characters of colour into a typically white setting, but at the same time, I recognize their own tendency to keep the representation to a surface-level out of fear of doing something problematic because I have felt the same way. But when their characters of colour have identities that are so glancingly described, the representation feels like something that could have been added at any stage of the writing process just to tick a box.
I was prepared from the other reviews to expect an increase in action in the latter third, which did come to fruition. I felt it was foreshadowed well enough, though I agree that it did feel somewhat tonally jarring. Part of the problem comes from the meandering feeling of the first 2/3rds; the lack of "ticking clock" on the plot made the stakes feel low, and so the shift to high octane combat in last section seemed all the more abrupt. More could have been done to tighten the plot of the first half. Once Arthur and Gwen come to a truce about their queer identities, it makes the oncoming wedding seem more like a handy solution than an impending threat. Lavender marriage, anyone?
I also felt that the conflict between Arthur and the royal siblings in the last part was overly convenient, as was Arthur uncovering information critical to resolving the conflict as a result of a cat knocking a book over. It was coincidence-driven storytelling, and that never packs the same punch.
Still, it was an enjoyable, lighthearted read. I plan to check out Croucher's new Robin Hood retelling as well.
That felt at times to have some undercurrent of racism, which permeated the representation more as discomfort and negligence in representing non-white characters than any real malice. While the author did inject some diversity into the setting, Arthur's Iranian mother died when he was too young to remember her (and based on the time period, should really have been his Persian mother, but I digress), so he has absolutely no connection to Iranian culture and the only impact his non-whiteness has on him is a few descriptors of his dark hair. Bridget, on the other hand, is straight out of the Sukhothai kingdom, but her culture likewise has no bearing on the story. Her role as a love interest had an uncomfortable similarity to a criticism I heard from an Asian book YouTuber who pointed out how One Last Stop's Jane Su so often plays emotional support sidekick to the white protagonist. Bridget and Gwen have much the same dynamic, although at least here, Gwen's landing point in her arc is to apologize to Bridget for dismissing Bridget's desires. I just wish we actually got a little more insight into what those desires even were...
Like I said, I know Croucher should have some credit for writing in characters of colour into a typically white setting, but at the same time, I recognize their own tendency to keep the representation to a surface-level out of fear of doing something problematic because I have felt the same way. But when their characters of colour have identities that are so glancingly described, the representation feels like something that could have been added at any stage of the writing process just to tick a box.
I was prepared from the other reviews to expect an increase in action in the latter third, which did come to fruition. I felt it was foreshadowed well enough, though I agree that it did feel somewhat tonally jarring. Part of the problem comes from the meandering feeling of the first 2/3rds; the lack of "ticking clock" on the plot made the stakes feel low, and so the shift to high octane combat in last section seemed all the more abrupt. More could have been done to tighten the plot of the first half. Once Arthur and Gwen come to a truce about their queer identities, it makes the oncoming wedding seem more like a handy solution than an impending threat. Lavender marriage, anyone?
I also felt that the conflict between Arthur and the royal siblings in the last part was overly convenient, as was Arthur uncovering information critical to resolving the conflict as a result of a cat knocking a book over. It was coincidence-driven storytelling, and that never packs the same punch.
Still, it was an enjoyable, lighthearted read. I plan to check out Croucher's new Robin Hood retelling as well.