Reviews

One Night in Boukos by A.J. Demas

tansy's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted

3.75

Set in Demas's fantasy world based on Ancient Greece, this story follows two members of an embassy staff - a secretary and a guard captain - searching for the ambassador, who has disappeared during a local festival. The narrative alternates between the two protagonists, who both fall in love with a local during the night. The relationships are very sweet, but the lack of concern shown by the protgaonists for their missing employer was baffling. They both lose interest in their quest as they fall in love, even as they uncover suggestions of foul play behind the ambassador's disappearance. I think I was more worried about the ambassador than they were.

hhaung's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely delightful!

nehiyr's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

aprillen's review against another edition

4.0

A bit of a mystery and a bit of a romance (two of them, in fact), set in a city state in Mediterranean Antiquity. A nice read with low-key, pretty chaste romances, nothing explicit. One of the couples is pretty traditional from a modern point of view - a male guardsman and a local widow -- and the other is not -- a young eunuch and an even younger male prostitute and slave. The latter situation was gracefully handled, I thought, finding the balance between showing the horror of it and how normal and commonplace it would have been in that time or place. Which is, of course, why the very chaste romance works here.
Demas' prose seems plain but paints a vivid, colourful picture of her characters and the city they traverse in search of their vanished quarry, and the dialogue is wonderful. The pacing seemed a bit off on occasion, but didn't detract from the enjoyment of this read.

sepiareece's review against another edition

5.0

This is a completely delightful story. No on-page sexytimes, just really lovely people happening to each other in the midst of a diplomatic incident.

monkeysbecausewhynot's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

4.25

dan_ackerman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring 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

mrella's review against another edition

2.0

Well.... this is just.... I don't know what to say. "Search desperately" my butt.

Not exactly a romance, not exactly an investigation, not exactly a political intrigue either. Lots of local history, local politics and each and every character wouldn't shut up about themselves personally.

I had to skim through the middle of the book; it dragged and dragged and dragged. The (very urgent, very "desperate") investigation into ambassador's disappearance was literally forgotten. Instead MCs talked their heads off with their newfound mates about local customs and how their countries would benefit from trade negotiations, completely ignoring the fact that for those negotiations to happen they need to find the damn ambassador, like yesterday.

So for all of you alternate history/universes fans, this is Dah Poison. Niagara Falls of ancient history of Earth-like world.

Since the description is somewhat misleading and I am neither an AH/AR/AU fan nor a fan of I-don't-know-how-shut-the-front-door characters, I am giving this 2 stars.

PS Not that it was badly written.

PPS So I was cranky when I wrote my review, mostly because while the book is nicely written it did not meet my expectations and it took me forever to read through the parts that stalled the investigation. Guess this one is not for me. That said, loved the episode in which the ambassador was found! :)

idris's review against another edition

3.0

Tolles World Building (es spielt in einer Art alternativen altem Rom und es gibt wundervolles "Sparta-Bashing" *hust*), sympathische Charaktere, aber ein wenig haben mir Angst und hurt&comfort gefehlt. Das liegt aber an mir und meiner Vorliebe fürs Dramatische.
Also historische Liebeskomödie aber sehr schön und unterhaltsam. Es gibt eine hetero Romanze und eine schwule Romanze und beide werden sehr liebevoll entwickelt.

timonger's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5