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A review by dinipandareads
Queen of Dust by H.E. Dare
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up
CW/TW:
I had this on my radar because Fated Mates mentioned it on one of their episodes (I sadly can't remember which one) but they made it sound so good that I immediately knew I had to read it one day. That day has finally arrived and I admit that I was sceptical at first because the beginning, while it started with a (literal) bang, was not what I expected and neither was the writing. I also remembered nothing about the plot or why the podcast ladies loved it so much but I told myself to give it a chance... And I'm happy I did!
There are many layers that make up this story. It's comped as "Anastasia meets The Bodyguard" and while direct reference to the former was (IMO) only made at the very end, upon reflection, I can see strains of it woven in the story, particularly through the character arcs. We have two MCs trying to figure out their places in the world, a planet whose royal family was brutally eliminated and was subsequently colonized for its natural resources thanks to corporate greed, a bubbling rebellion, and of course, the forbidden romance bodyguard trope! Also, this was *very* steamy. There were sex scenes galore but they were so sensual and emotionally charged, and while it's open-door, the author doesn't delve into overly explicit details.
Much like I wasn't sure how to feel about the book initially, I wasn't sure how to feel about our main characters either. They're complex and more than a little messy—they make some messed up decisions and spout hurtful things—but the more we learned about them, the easier it was to empathise with them and I came to love them both so much!
Mara is the last Balti Temptress and is making her way back to her home planet after its entire population was practically wiped out close to two decades ago. She yearns to understand who she is and where she came from and I think the author wrote the frantic desperation and loneliness she feels upon returning to Balti very well. The people of Balti were well-known for their indulgence in pleasure in every form but particularly sensually and I loved the exploration of that through Mara's perspective, especially relating to power. She fervently hates the Dern Empire responsible for the genocide of her people and has colonized many planets ever since; so when her long-time partner leaves her in Balti with a Dern captain to look out for her safety and who is tasked with also helping her find her pleasure, she couldn't hate him more.
Calvy is a Dern captain who harbours a not-so-secret identity as the unplanned and unwanted eleventh prince of Dern. I was initially confused by the things he said and did but as we got to know more about him and what he's been through alongside Mara, my perspective of him completely changed. It was so easy to empathise with him and his desire to simply find a place where he would be accepted, valued and loved in all the ways he was not as a prince who was born out of passion in an empire where that's the biggest sin. If you love a man who falls first and who is unquestionably devoted to the FMC, Cal will sweep you off your feet with his dedication to and love for Mara!
There were so many ways Calvy and Mara are similar but these are two people who couldn't have been raised in cultures that have polar opposite virtues to each other. While Balti is all about pursuing pleasure and joy, Dern is religiously and morally constrictive and pleasure is a foreign concept to them. It's no surprise that Mara and Calvy have very tense and caustic interactions to begin with. There was intense lust between them but there was also hate and that led to some very charged banter that created fantastic tension (both sexual and not) whenever those scenes would take place! Sex played a big role in the emotional development of their relationship and what starts as a fulfilment of desires and finding pleasure strictly under a contract-based relationship, evolves into a deeply emotional and achingly romantic forbidden romance. I loved watching their walls break and as they see each other for who they are and understand their deepest desires. Ugh, the angst of it was so delicious and I gobbled it right up!
If there's anything I wanted more of was a satisfying and justified end for the douche nozzles and douche canoes that made our characters suffer. I know it happened off-page but I wanted to see it happen!
CW/TW:
Spoiler
genocide, imprisonment, indentured servitude/slavery, exploitation, attempted sexual assault, claustrophobiaI had this on my radar because Fated Mates mentioned it on one of their episodes (I sadly can't remember which one) but they made it sound so good that I immediately knew I had to read it one day. That day has finally arrived and I admit that I was sceptical at first because the beginning, while it started with a (literal) bang, was not what I expected and neither was the writing. I also remembered nothing about the plot or why the podcast ladies loved it so much but I told myself to give it a chance... And I'm happy I did!
There are many layers that make up this story. It's comped as "Anastasia meets The Bodyguard" and while direct reference to the former was (IMO) only made at the very end, upon reflection, I can see strains of it woven in the story, particularly through the character arcs. We have two MCs trying to figure out their places in the world, a planet whose royal family was brutally eliminated and was subsequently colonized for its natural resources thanks to corporate greed, a bubbling rebellion, and of course, the forbidden romance bodyguard trope! Also, this was *very* steamy. There were sex scenes galore but they were so sensual and emotionally charged, and while it's open-door, the author doesn't delve into overly explicit details.
Much like I wasn't sure how to feel about the book initially, I wasn't sure how to feel about our main characters either. They're complex and more than a little messy—they make some messed up decisions and spout hurtful things—but the more we learned about them, the easier it was to empathise with them and I came to love them both so much!
Mara is the last Balti Temptress and is making her way back to her home planet after its entire population was practically wiped out close to two decades ago. She yearns to understand who she is and where she came from and I think the author wrote the frantic desperation and loneliness she feels upon returning to Balti very well. The people of Balti were well-known for their indulgence in pleasure in every form but particularly sensually and I loved the exploration of that through Mara's perspective, especially relating to power. She fervently hates the Dern Empire responsible for the genocide of her people and has colonized many planets ever since; so when her long-time partner leaves her in Balti with a Dern captain to look out for her safety and who is tasked with also helping her find her pleasure, she couldn't hate him more.
Calvy is a Dern captain who harbours a not-so-secret identity as the unplanned and unwanted eleventh prince of Dern. I was initially confused by the things he said and did but as we got to know more about him and what he's been through alongside Mara, my perspective of him completely changed. It was so easy to empathise with him and his desire to simply find a place where he would be accepted, valued and loved in all the ways he was not as a prince who was born out of passion in an empire where that's the biggest sin. If you love a man who falls first and who is unquestionably devoted to the FMC, Cal will sweep you off your feet with his dedication to and love for Mara!
There were so many ways Calvy and Mara are similar but these are two people who couldn't have been raised in cultures that have polar opposite virtues to each other. While Balti is all about pursuing pleasure and joy, Dern is religiously and morally constrictive and pleasure is a foreign concept to them. It's no surprise that Mara and Calvy have very tense and caustic interactions to begin with. There was intense lust between them but there was also hate and that led to some very charged banter that created fantastic tension (both sexual and not) whenever those scenes would take place! Sex played a big role in the emotional development of their relationship and what starts as a fulfilment of desires and finding pleasure strictly under a contract-based relationship, evolves into a deeply emotional and achingly romantic forbidden romance. I loved watching their walls break and as they see each other for who they are and understand their deepest desires. Ugh, the angst of it was so delicious and I gobbled it right up!
If there's anything I wanted more of was a satisfying and justified end for the douche nozzles and douche canoes that made our characters suffer. I know it happened off-page but I wanted to see it happen!