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kittyg 's review for:
The Immortal Prince
by Jennifer Fallon
Okay, this book was recommended to me a while back by someone on Twitter (sorry I have forgotten who but I am very grateful) and I picked up the audiobook with the intention of getting to it at some point. I ended up getting to it sooner than expected as I hit a bit of a reading lull and wanted to try someone new and see if I would get into their work, and I ended up completely hooked into this story from the first few chapters and desperate to find out what will happen next.
First up, trigger warnings... There is rape, abuse, genocide, slavery and more in this story so it is not one for the faint-of-heart or anyone who is unable to deal with these sorts of topics, however, I think the author handles most of these topics very well and I enjoyed reading about them.
There is also a gay romance as a part of this story. I won't go so far as to say it's a great portrayal becuase the world is very much anti-gay relationships and the characters involved aren't completely 'nice' but the fact that it's there and it's something that some of the characters openly accept and think nothing of was nice to see.
Now moving on to what this book is really about. We follow a couple of different viewpoints, our main two being Arkady Desean who is a Duchess and Cayal who is the 'Immortal Prince'. We do get other viewpoints from time to time including Arkady's husband who is the Duke, Jackson who is the master of the Crasii in their Duchy, and the King's spy-master. However, I would say Arkady and Cayal are the key characters for most of this book at least.
What I like about Arkady is that she reminded me a little of Lady Trent from Marie Brennan's series of books in that she is a historian and a woman who is rather ahead of her time. She is determined to be looked up to by others, and hopes that her scientific and historic outlook and discoveries will achieve this for her, but in a time where men still dominate society she knows it's an uphill battle. Her marriage to the Duke is one more of convenience than anything else, so she is rather pragmatic and happy to ally herself with those who will give her a platform, but she also is able to stand tall and make her own decisions and calls based on what she thinks is right. This made her both refreshing and innovative as a female in fantasy, and I respected that.
Cayal is another enigma of a character because he claims from the start that he is immortal and when his death at the start of the book doesn't quite happen people begin to question just how he's fooled them and what he is. Cayal claims he is a Tide Lord, someone able to wield Tide magic when the Tide has risen, but currently it's low Tide and he has a hard time proving he is who he says he is. I found Cayal to be a fairly typical fantasy character, he has conflicted morals, he has done many terrible things, and yet he's likeable and fun to read about and you can sympathise with his story.
The world we're following is a fascinating one because although it has evolved much like our own there are all manner of new races which have been created, namely half-animal-half-human cross-overs such as the Canine and Feline Crasii. These races are basically enslaved by humans at this point in history, but it is believed that they were created by the Tide Lords and that they are compelled to serve their masters should they ever return.
We also have the Tide magic to play with, and as we unfold more of the story of Cayal's life we learn a lot about how the Immortals were created and what they have done with their magic as times have gone by. Being immortal tends to get a little tedious after many long years so fighting by moving seas and killing off thousands seems like a standard past-time for some...
There's also a lot of politics to contend with in this world. We have the King, who is related to the Duke and who is looking to marry is son off, we have the Immortals who are constantly warring and we have the Crasii society and their own hidden off-shoots which are working undercover. There are plenty of layers that get revealed as the book goes on, and I loved seeing how people and creatures were linked and how the world has been shaped up to this point.
Overall I was utterly enthralled by this story and I am keen to find out what happens next and amazed that this series is not more popular. I look forward to being able to follow the rest of the adventure in the next few books very soon and I am happy that it's a complete series (I think?) for me to whizz through! 4.5*s
First up, trigger warnings... There is rape, abuse, genocide, slavery and more in this story so it is not one for the faint-of-heart or anyone who is unable to deal with these sorts of topics, however, I think the author handles most of these topics very well and I enjoyed reading about them.
There is also a gay romance as a part of this story. I won't go so far as to say it's a great portrayal becuase the world is very much anti-gay relationships and the characters involved aren't completely 'nice' but the fact that it's there and it's something that some of the characters openly accept and think nothing of was nice to see.
Now moving on to what this book is really about. We follow a couple of different viewpoints, our main two being Arkady Desean who is a Duchess and Cayal who is the 'Immortal Prince'. We do get other viewpoints from time to time including Arkady's husband who is the Duke, Jackson who is the master of the Crasii in their Duchy, and the King's spy-master. However, I would say Arkady and Cayal are the key characters for most of this book at least.
What I like about Arkady is that she reminded me a little of Lady Trent from Marie Brennan's series of books in that she is a historian and a woman who is rather ahead of her time. She is determined to be looked up to by others, and hopes that her scientific and historic outlook and discoveries will achieve this for her, but in a time where men still dominate society she knows it's an uphill battle. Her marriage to the Duke is one more of convenience than anything else, so she is rather pragmatic and happy to ally herself with those who will give her a platform, but she also is able to stand tall and make her own decisions and calls based on what she thinks is right. This made her both refreshing and innovative as a female in fantasy, and I respected that.
Cayal is another enigma of a character because he claims from the start that he is immortal and when his death at the start of the book doesn't quite happen people begin to question just how he's fooled them and what he is. Cayal claims he is a Tide Lord, someone able to wield Tide magic when the Tide has risen, but currently it's low Tide and he has a hard time proving he is who he says he is. I found Cayal to be a fairly typical fantasy character, he has conflicted morals, he has done many terrible things, and yet he's likeable and fun to read about and you can sympathise with his story.
The world we're following is a fascinating one because although it has evolved much like our own there are all manner of new races which have been created, namely half-animal-half-human cross-overs such as the Canine and Feline Crasii. These races are basically enslaved by humans at this point in history, but it is believed that they were created by the Tide Lords and that they are compelled to serve their masters should they ever return.
We also have the Tide magic to play with, and as we unfold more of the story of Cayal's life we learn a lot about how the Immortals were created and what they have done with their magic as times have gone by. Being immortal tends to get a little tedious after many long years so fighting by moving seas and killing off thousands seems like a standard past-time for some...
There's also a lot of politics to contend with in this world. We have the King, who is related to the Duke and who is looking to marry is son off, we have the Immortals who are constantly warring and we have the Crasii society and their own hidden off-shoots which are working undercover. There are plenty of layers that get revealed as the book goes on, and I loved seeing how people and creatures were linked and how the world has been shaped up to this point.
Overall I was utterly enthralled by this story and I am keen to find out what happens next and amazed that this series is not more popular. I look forward to being able to follow the rest of the adventure in the next few books very soon and I am happy that it's a complete series (I think?) for me to whizz through! 4.5*s