A review by cheshiretrick
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

5.0

I got so into the second half of this book I got kinda scared about it. Just really captivating to me, I couldn't wait to get through it!! Maybe it's  because it's a fairly standard adult fantasy book featuring a prince but gay this time, I don't know. I really felt like this appealed to my most base instincts, of wanting to read a fantasy featuring and focusing on gay characters and especially princes. It's just a thing for me at this point I guess. I don't even think I really loved that much about this besides the two central characters and their relationship as it developed? I never really liked or cared for many of the side characters,

especially not Tadek who I feel could've been killed off and the book would've been improved. the sister/sultan/queen was good though, and the head of the guard I liked too!,

or the world itself, the mystery plot's reveals were barely a surprise but also wasn't particularly treated as such so whatever, the touch tasting obligatory fantasy power Kadou et al. have felt a little underdeveloped/underutilized, but also I'm not convinced Alexandra Rowland cared THAT much about any of that to that high of a degree either. This book felt like Rowland wanted to write a historical-fantasy-romance between a bodyguard and their royal with lots of (genuinely well done) fight scenes, intrigue, investigations, and discussions on rules and dynamics between the royals and their guards, with all the potential Romantic Angst And Development that can come out of everything. And well done!! I don't think this is the best thing I've ever read but I did immediately buy a copy while listening to the final chapter, and it is probably my favorite thing I've read this year so far almost completely by virtue of how much I got invested into it. Definitely interested in checking out more of Rowland's work (especially after discovering that they are in fact queer) though not sure if I'll check out Tadek and the Princess, would love stories set in this world not following Tadek for sure