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A review by purely_romantic
Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell
5.0
When I was in college one of my favourite courses was a Shakespeare class and, as we read plays like *As You Like It* and *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*, we discussed the concept of the “green world” and the “closed world”. The green world being the forest, the world away from human laws and conventions, where rigid traditions are turned on their heads, the impossible is possible, and where magic and fantastical elements allow characters to understand themselves on much deeper levels. Sebastian Nothwell’s novel felt much like an examination of such concepts as it following the story of simple London clerk Wren Lofthouse from Victorian London and his discovery of the magical fae realm and his gentle fae prince, Shrike.
What I think most fascinated me about Nothwell’s novel and his writing is his meandering prose. The book is in absolutely no rush and leisurely guides the reader through a story that, much like what was happening to Wren, travels at a dreamlike pace; sometimes full of action and sometimes lingering over rich descriptions and measured plot points. I don’t find this type of writing in romances often—even amongst fantasy—and after a while it was easy to sink into the robust atmosphere of the world. Both Wren and Shrike have separate challenges in the human world and the fae world and the story follows them as they assist each other in overcoming their respective situations, all the while exploring their growing relationship. The scenes between them were gentle and delicate, with a tender intimacy to them that matched the tone of the book, and I found myself really invested in the possibility of their future together.
For readers who love unhurried storytelling and the kind of book that both occupies and thematically portrays liminal spaces, I could not recommend this more. I was delighted to receive an ARC of *Oak King, Holly King* from the author and very much enjoyed reading it.
What I think most fascinated me about Nothwell’s novel and his writing is his meandering prose. The book is in absolutely no rush and leisurely guides the reader through a story that, much like what was happening to Wren, travels at a dreamlike pace; sometimes full of action and sometimes lingering over rich descriptions and measured plot points. I don’t find this type of writing in romances often—even amongst fantasy—and after a while it was easy to sink into the robust atmosphere of the world. Both Wren and Shrike have separate challenges in the human world and the fae world and the story follows them as they assist each other in overcoming their respective situations, all the while exploring their growing relationship. The scenes between them were gentle and delicate, with a tender intimacy to them that matched the tone of the book, and I found myself really invested in the possibility of their future together.
For readers who love unhurried storytelling and the kind of book that both occupies and thematically portrays liminal spaces, I could not recommend this more. I was delighted to receive an ARC of *Oak King, Holly King* from the author and very much enjoyed reading it.