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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
I just really wanted a slow burn romance after my last book I read was disappointing and this did not disappoint! I do this parts of the story and world could have been fleshed out a bit more but the romance was solid and I really enjoyed it.
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
I've been working my way chronologically backward through Alexandra Rowland's work this year, and I believe this novel is their most well-known (at least until recently—not sure if some of the newer ones are changing that). I can see why! It certainly has a lot going for it: great character work, intricate world building, and a truly slow-burn romance. I think at least three times I was like "Okay NOW they will finally declare their love for each other and start figuring out a relationship properly" but no, not yet! Not yet!!!
One main character, a prince, suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, something I don't usually see represented in fantasy—and I kind of appreciated that there is no magic cure in this case. Also appreciated what I interpreted as a pretty textbook demisexual character!
One main character, a prince, suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, something I don't usually see represented in fantasy—and I kind of appreciated that there is no magic cure in this case. Also appreciated what I interpreted as a pretty textbook demisexual character!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Violence, Alcohol
Minor: Xenophobia, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a lovely read! Pretty light on the fantasy, heavier on the politics, which is precisely the way I like my royal intrigue. I had slight hesitations when it came to the setting - entirely fictional but Ottoman-inspired - and those, thankfully, were unfounded: the sultan is the MC's sister, there's zero angst about said MC's sexuality, only about his mild political blunders; always a nice change of pace.
I also enjoyed the way anxiety was presented - while Kadou/the setting itself doesn't have the word for it, it's very clear that what he has are frequent panic attacks and he happens to be the only one shaming himself for those. His love interest, who otherwise regards him as an irresponsible and thoroughly unserious person upon their first meeting (and gets to calling both him and his armsman careless, flightly and negligent consistently) takes it very seriously from the get go despite the terminology around it being wonky.
The romance storyline was very much bodyguard/bodyguard's charge, which is always good because of how intense it tends to be on multiple levels - the uncertainty of whether things are being read wrong due to the power dynamic, the devotion towards the other's happiness and safety (there's a particular scene, Evemer's 'Oh. Oh.' moment, where hepretty much thinks 'there he is, the person I'm meant to protect with my life' and it's so beautifully written that it'll stay with me for a while.
One mild thing - and that might just be me, as I've spent far too many years multishipping in many fandoms - was that my focus kept straying from Evemer, Kadou's love interest, to Tadek, his initial on-again-off-again lover and main emotional support guard up until that point. In fact, with the way the story was set up before we were even introduced to Evemer, I assumed that Tadek was the love interest and stayed with that thought for far too long after it was obvious that he was not, up to the point where I started thinking that there might be an even more intriguing dynamic to find there, given how entirely tangled up his and Kadou's lives become after the initial (presumed) fuck-up that sets the plot on its course. Which, of course, just means that now I'll have to go check out the novella written about him and also the author's other, unrelated books that I've been eyeing for a while, because I've found a new favourite.
I also enjoyed the way anxiety was presented - while Kadou/the setting itself doesn't have the word for it, it's very clear that what he has are frequent panic attacks and he happens to be the only one shaming himself for those. His love interest, who otherwise regards him as an irresponsible and thoroughly unserious person upon their first meeting (and gets to calling both him and his armsman careless, flightly and negligent consistently) takes it very seriously from the get go despite the terminology around it being wonky.
The romance storyline was very much bodyguard/bodyguard's charge, which is always good because of how intense it tends to be on multiple levels - the uncertainty of whether things are being read wrong due to the power dynamic, the devotion towards the other's happiness and safety (there's a particular scene, Evemer's 'Oh. Oh.' moment, where he
One mild thing - and that might just be me, as I've spent far too many years multishipping in many fandoms - was that my focus kept straying from Evemer, Kadou's love interest, to Tadek, his initial on-again-off-again lover and main emotional support guard up until that point. In fact, with the way the story was set up before we were even introduced to Evemer, I assumed that Tadek was the love interest and stayed with that thought for far too long after it was obvious that he was not, up to the point where I started thinking that there might be an even more intriguing dynamic to find there, given how entirely tangled up his and Kadou's lives become after the initial (presumed) fuck-up that sets the plot on its course. Which, of course, just means that now I'll have to go check out the novella written about him and also the author's other, unrelated books that I've been eyeing for a while, because I've found a new favourite.
2.5 stars - I started writing a real review, then couldn’t understand why I was allowing myself to waste even more time on this endless gd book so I’ll be brief:
It is evil to write a burn that slow when there is little to no payoff. This book is over 500 pages long and all I got was a boring and spice-less romance, lazy world-building that is only fleshed out when it serves the plot, a crappy plot that is holier than a slice of Swiss, a villain who is identified as such within the first couple pages of the book (and yet we still have to spend 500+ pages figuring out what the reader knows basically immediately) and an unmemorable bj.
There were plenty of bits throughout with lots of potential (cool magic elements, representation of Kadou’s anxiety disorder, the matrilineal society) and it was a bummer to see them wasted. :/ I think I would’ve been willing to overlook some of the plot and world/building gaps if the romance had been worth it in any small way but alas. I could go offffff so I’ll stop myself now because like I said I have already wasted
So
Many
Hours
Of
My
Life.
It is evil to write a burn that slow when there is little to no payoff. This book is over 500 pages long and all I got was a boring and spice-less romance, lazy world-building that is only fleshed out when it serves the plot, a crappy plot that is holier than a slice of Swiss, a villain who is identified as such within the first couple pages of the book (and yet we still have to spend 500+ pages figuring out what the reader knows basically immediately) and an unmemorable bj.
There were plenty of bits throughout with lots of potential (cool magic elements, representation of Kadou’s anxiety disorder, the matrilineal society) and it was a bummer to see them wasted. :/ I think I would’ve been willing to overlook some of the plot and world/building gaps if the romance had been worth it in any small way but alas. I could go offffff so I’ll stop myself now because like I said I have already wasted
So
Many
Hours
Of
My
Life.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
I just loved this so much. Alexandra Rowland tells the most beautiful and heart tugging love stories. I really hope they continue this series so we can have a bit more closure than what happened at the end of this book. The characters are so sweet and introspective. I loved every minute of their love.
adventurous
mysterious
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
Duuuude. This was a very slow burn and I’m so glad I persisted. The action starts pretty quickly. It’s intense, political, and the romance is not instantaneous at all (some of us like to torture ourselves fr!) this was a bit of a challenge for me to read a big fantasy again even though it’s been on my shelf for so long! Yay
This was lovely and I only wish that there was more development of the touch tasting, otherwise it just fades into the background and seems pointless.
I love Tadek and Eozena, I want moreeeee of them !
I love Tadek and Eozena, I want moreeeee of them !