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shirahase 's review for:
The Prince of Magic and Lies
by Elizabeth S. Trafalgar
A good read for fans of fast-paced fantasy, heavy on court politics and magic, very light on romance. Overall, it's a rather dark story, featuring some disturbing scenes, and definitely not a standalone, with the ending promising more conflict and political machinations.
The book follows prince Lyrian, the only magic user in the royal family of Carith, a country where the use of magic is punishable by death. Lyrian is an interesting, well-developed and very human character, plagued by anxiety and panic attacks, desperately hoping for his brother's love and acceptance. On the other hand, he's also rather selfish, manipulative and at times downright cruel. While his situation is very far from being enviable and I could sympathize with him at the beginning, when living under constant threat of death was clearly taking a toll on him, he lost me over his questionable solution to ensuring his brother's succession. Still, YMMV.
On the whole, I don't find any of the main characters particularly likeable. Maybe with the exception of Vail, but as much as the love for him motivates a lot of Lyrian's decisions, he himself doesn't get a lot of page time. The author has certainly created an interesting cast of complicated, deeply flawed personalities struggling against duty, religion, and family expectations. However, there's something very disturbing in how easily they sacrifice and discard other people, how they navigate their relationships, how they deal with difficult situations. That's problematic in an ordinary person, but even more so for someone in a position of power like most characters here. And while I occasionally feel like rooting for them, mainly because I don't want anyone to fall victim to things like religious zealotry or toxic family relationships, I'm not that invested in their personal happy endings.
What I would have liked is a bit more world building. For two countries where religion plays such a big role, we learn very little about their gods, their mythology, their history with magic. We don't know where magic comes from, why some people have it and some don't, what forms it can take besides mind control or creating light. Hopefully the sequel will answer at least some of those questions.
What I really did like is the complex plot with quite a few twists and turns, which kept me engaged throughout the book. Funnily enough, as much as I'm not invested in the fates of individuals, I got really invested in the fates of countries and nations and will be looking forward to reading the next installment to know how the pieces will fall after Aramis of Xyria shakes the board. No idea where this story is ultimately going, but I have high hopes for the sequel.
I received an ARC of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.
The book follows prince Lyrian, the only magic user in the royal family of Carith, a country where the use of magic is punishable by death. Lyrian is an interesting, well-developed and very human character, plagued by anxiety and panic attacks, desperately hoping for his brother's love and acceptance. On the other hand, he's also rather selfish, manipulative and at times downright cruel. While his situation is very far from being enviable and I could sympathize with him at the beginning, when living under constant threat of death was clearly taking a toll on him, he lost me over his questionable solution to ensuring his brother's succession. Still, YMMV.
On the whole, I don't find any of the main characters particularly likeable. Maybe with the exception of Vail, but as much as the love for him motivates a lot of Lyrian's decisions, he himself doesn't get a lot of page time. The author has certainly created an interesting cast of complicated, deeply flawed personalities struggling against duty, religion, and family expectations. However, there's something very disturbing in how easily they sacrifice and discard other people, how they navigate their relationships, how they deal with difficult situations. That's problematic in an ordinary person, but even more so for someone in a position of power like most characters here. And while I occasionally feel like rooting for them, mainly because I don't want anyone to fall victim to things like religious zealotry or toxic family relationships, I'm not that invested in their personal happy endings.
What I would have liked is a bit more world building. For two countries where religion plays such a big role, we learn very little about their gods, their mythology, their history with magic. We don't know where magic comes from, why some people have it and some don't, what forms it can take besides mind control or creating light. Hopefully the sequel will answer at least some of those questions.
What I really did like is the complex plot with quite a few twists and turns, which kept me engaged throughout the book. Funnily enough, as much as I'm not invested in the fates of individuals, I got really invested in the fates of countries and nations and will be looking forward to reading the next installment to know how the pieces will fall after Aramis of Xyria shakes the board. No idea where this story is ultimately going, but I have high hopes for the sequel.
I received an ARC of this book and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.