A review by ditten
Something Human by A.J. Demas

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? No

4.5

The kiss Adares offered was gentle, tender in a way that surprised even him. It was received like rain falling on parched earth.

Something Human is tender, and soft, and beautiful, with great worldbuilding and the most gentle, wonderful romance between two men who should've been enemies

It's set in an ancient Greek-inspired world where Adares and Rus meet in the aftermath of a battle between their two tribes, when Rus rescues Adares from where he's trapped, and Adares returns the favour by nursing Rus back to life after serious injury. They hole up in the storeroom of an abandoned temple to heal where they talk, learn about each other's cultures, become friends, and fall in love. Rus is a priest in a land where wanting another man is unthinkable which adds another layer of complication on top of their tribes being caught in a conflict with seemingly no end in sight

Though the book is fairly short, the worldbuilding is excellent, as is the writing, and you could *feel* the connection between the characters. There's this tenderness and honesty to it, the whole book feels intimate and quiet, and while part of it seems Captive Prince coded, it's done in a much softer way that's no less compelling

There was something a little, well, off about petitioning the chaste goddess with an invocation of her earthly friendship, given the way he knew he had started to feel about Rus. But he forged ahead. Friendship was— undeniably— what they had, and it felt miraculous, and he was grateful for it.

“I thank you for granting him to me, divine Anaxe. I never looked to have a friend like this— I didn’t know what my life was lacking. And I’m not a fool, divine Anaxe— I know that he will have to go back to his people, as I will go back to mine, and we may never meet again after we leave here— and he will probably forget me. But please, holy goddess, let him go back, not to the funeral pyre, not with the men of his kin that I killed, but alive— please, even if it means he must ride against my people again in another battle.”

I'm so glad Tig recced this book to me, it was such a wonderful read.