A review by wardenred
Three Kings by Freydís Moon

emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It was strange, sharing the silence with a man who’d always fit into his life like an organ, and a man who’d wandered into their home like a leak or a bear—capable of causing invisible damage or very real, very visible problems.

I very much loved the prose and the vibes here. In many ways, it's like the ultimate cozy/cottagecore book, with so many descriptions that really pulled me in. All the scenes involving cooking, gardening, just hanging out in the lighthouse during storms, going to town on errands, and such were so immersive and character-focused and didn't feel like fluff at all. 

I also loved the witchiness that permeated every part of the story—even the ones that weren't centered around resurrection spells or healing salves. And speaking of those actual magic scenes, they were so well done! I particularly enjoyed how the beginning was at once all "yes, witchcraft and necromancy are absolutely real" and somewhat ambiguous. Ethan certainly brought the seal back to life, but is Ethan correct believing the resurrected seal is a selkie? Or is Peter correct in assuming it's merely an animal? Even with the blurb making it clear that yes, there's a selkie here, that ambiguity was still very strong and I loved what it added to the story.

Unfortunately, when it came to the romance—the thing I was reading for—I felt somewhat let down. I came in expecting a poly love story, and what I got didn't fully read like one. Before Nico even joined the narrative properly, there was so much focus on Ethan and Peter's "marriage in crisis" situation that I was already reading it as a "marriage in crisis" romance, rooting for them to figure things out and reaffirm their bond. And Nico, eventually, just felt like a tool they were using to bring back the spark, and not a full person of his own and a full participant of the relationship. Part of it came from this pacing issue I've mentioned, part of it, simply from how a lot of the early-ish interactions between of them were handled and how much everything was about Ethan and Peter and their family. I felt like the narrative tried to switch gears closer to the end, but it was too late in the story for me to truly buy it.

Still, loved the vibes, loved the trans rep, loved the little coastal town and all the tiny subplots about its residents. Definitely interested in checking out the author's other works!
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