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raye_sneq 's review for:
The High King's Golden Tongue
by Megan Derr
This was in the 3.5-3.75 kinda range for me, entertaining enough but not really succeeding at the kind of courtly manners & formality it was attempting. This seems to happen a lot when (especially North American) authors try to do this kind of courtly fantasy without really being subtle enough about politicking, intrigue, status and protocol. It tends to come out a bit silly, eg when the mc is described as being 'thrown out of court' when he's actually just been dismissed from the room - and that in itself is so indecorous it's wildly improbable, or when a prince travels cross country completely unattended for no very good reason. It feels more like an 80s high school movie than an environment filled with highly-bred aristocrats. So basically the kind of stuff that makes the setting seem flimsy and unbelievable, and undermines all the attempts at lavish and detailed worldbuilding.
That said, it's broadly a fun book in the arranged-royal-betrothal-gone-wrong-then-righted genre and isn't the worst by any means, since the plot trundles along at a decent pace. The romance, however, isn't tremendous since the main characters are generally apart and considering how to approach each other when they reunite. The main fun is really in the sassy bromance between the king and his military leader, who has basically devoted his life to knocking some sense into the royal skull, so I'm going to give his book a go next.
That said, it's broadly a fun book in the arranged-royal-betrothal-gone-wrong-then-righted genre and isn't the worst by any means, since the plot trundles along at a decent pace. The romance, however, isn't tremendous since the main characters are generally apart and considering how to approach each other when they reunite. The main fun is really in the sassy bromance between the king and his military leader, who has basically devoted his life to knocking some sense into the royal skull, so I'm going to give his book a go next.