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A review by booksthatburn
Soultaming the Serpent by P.M. Hammond, Tar Atore
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
One of the wonderful things about queernorm worlds is not needing to endlessly explain every little thing. This means that there's emotional room to dig into nuances which otherwise would likely be subsumed through navigating prejudices. In SOULTAMING THE SERPENT, Jun is aromantic, and while she cares deeply for Casey, she knows she doesn't love him the way he loves her. When Aurel enters her life, she feels like there has to be some kind of choice between the two of them, even though neither of them is a romantic possibility for her. What could have been a frustrating love triangle instead blossoms into a story of queer love and companionship in the face of antagonistic forces.
The worldbuilding is explained at the level of information that the people within the world have. They don't know the details of the cycle, or why a dragon is required for rain, but they deal with the shape of how things are even when they don't know the underlying reasons. This style of storytelling means that information gaps are between characters, each trying to sort through legends and conflicting information in order to figure out what actually happens in the cycle with the Chosen One, Serpent, and Dragon.
Things I love, in no particular order: Having so much lavender referenced in the story; the relationships between Jun, Casey, and Aurel; the way the cycle resolves; trying to deal with prophecies and fated things without an instruction manual.
This is a delightfully moving story, well worth reading.
One of the wonderful things about queernorm worlds is not needing to endlessly explain every little thing. This means that there's emotional room to dig into nuances which otherwise would likely be subsumed through navigating prejudices. In SOULTAMING THE SERPENT, Jun is aromantic, and while she cares deeply for Casey, she knows she doesn't love him the way he loves her. When Aurel enters her life, she feels like there has to be some kind of choice between the two of them, even though neither of them is a romantic possibility for her. What could have been a frustrating love triangle instead blossoms into a story of queer love and companionship in the face of antagonistic forces.
The worldbuilding is explained at the level of information that the people within the world have. They don't know the details of the cycle, or why a dragon is required for rain, but they deal with the shape of how things are even when they don't know the underlying reasons. This style of storytelling means that information gaps are between characters, each trying to sort through legends and conflicting information in order to figure out what actually happens in the cycle with the Chosen One, Serpent, and Dragon.
Things I love, in no particular order: Having so much lavender referenced in the story; the relationships between Jun, Casey, and Aurel; the way the cycle resolves; trying to deal with prophecies and fated things without an instruction manual.
This is a delightfully moving story, well worth reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death, Medical content, Grief, Confinement, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Animal death