A review by just_one_more_paige
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.0

 
Ok look. Rowland is becoming an auto-read queer (and mainstream-tangential) romantasy on par with Marske. And I can't get enough of either of them! I literally *just* read Yield Under Great Persuasion, which I loved. That was the cozy low stakes m/m romantasy of my dreams. So I was quite ready to jump into my next Rowland when my hold on this at the library came through.

The blurb for this book compares it to "Our Flag means Death" and I literally cannot think of a more accurate or better-used marketing comparison. Running Close to the Wind is so incredibly silly and ridiculous. It's  absolutely perfect fun. It's almost entirely fluff, in the best possible way. (Though with a surprise hit of weightiness, though still with a humorous bent on the delivery, at the end, as we are treated to a few monologues about faith/belief, systemic and structural power imbalances, and the corrupting power of wealth.) But yea, this was just entertaining AF. 

Let me tell you a few specific things I loved. Avra's excessive need for attention and monologue style of talking and the ridiculous turns it all took. I can see how it could be "too much of a good thing" as per some reviewers. But it worked fine for me. As always, the take on tarot (loveeeee tarot) and its involvement in the story and the card highlight to begin each chapter. The idea of luck as a blessing, yet you can't ever prove its existence. So creative! And great for the plot. And Avra being the exact right kind of person/personality to not take advantage of it. The exasperation Tev writes with, in their captain's log. Rowland writes an impossible-to-ignore reluctant attraction like no one else. SPEAKING OF. While the novel overall was a bit more closed door than her previous novels (and my personal preference), the pining and the slow burn build to the (fade to black) threesome is soooooo delicious. I was smitten. The general pansexual/inclusive sex fixations of all these pirates - beautifully queer and hilariously (and heathfully?...respectfully!) sex obsessed. The monologuing. From the ridiculous to the savage to the anti-establishment, the monologues are all fire. The cake competition! What an unhinged culminating event for a pirate tale. Spectacularly rife with guarding against seagulls and managed attempts at judge bribery/coercion and fantastically creative insults of other cakes and the excessive attention to detail and tradition. Unhinged perfection. The ending. The exact right vibe: sort of incomplete, but fully promising, with room for hope and happy choices.  

I wrote, "legit so much fun" at least four times in my review notes while I was reading. From the mystery of the glowing sea serpents to the alchemy to the "fetch me a blue dog" side quest to the cake competition to the absolutely off-center poly romance to the unexpected political/religious philosophy to the tarot readings and lucky fallouts, every page of this novel held something that made me smile or chuckle. I just generally had a fantastic time reading this. A delightful low stakes fantasy escape.   



“If one holds oneself apart from others, or lives within a community without participating in the mundane troubles of ordinary life, resentment can easily take root in the hearts of those who do.”

“…I am troublesome. And troublesome people, as we all know, are not something that institutional power wants to have to deal with. Institutional power wants to crush troublesome people and break their spirits…”


“Sharing knowledge freely and openly is a great act of piety, perhaps the greatest of them all.”

“Having no money brings a whole host of problems. [...] But having too much money does too. It sucks your soul dry, eventually. Even a sweet-natured and well-intentioned person starts making decisions based on protecting the money rather than helping other people.” 
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