Ash
DNF @10%
I had been wanting to read this for such a long time that when I finally got a hold of it at my library, I was disappointed with it. It wasn't what I had expected going in, which is too bad because I know that a lot of people really love this book (and series). I'm not much one for grunge fantasy, so maybe that's why it didn't appeal to me. Maybe I'll give it another shot at some point, but it's unlikely.
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 50 minutes
Tags: romance, lgbtq+, high school, slice of life
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 2/10
Mmm... As much as I liked the first 3 volumes, this one wasn't for me. I found it much too melodramatic and lacking in realism. The fact that Charlie and Nick are 15 and 16 years old, respectively, makes their relationship a bit too ‘extra' at times. Plus, things took a sharp turn from the lightheartedness of the previous books with Charlie's mental deterioration and Nick's desperate attempts to ‘save' him.
Others might find this topic interesting, but it's not to my taste.
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 37 minutes (!!!)
Tags: romance, lgbtq+, high school, slice of life
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 8/10
As with the previous volume, this was also super cute and cozy! It's also an incredibly quick read once again (as a manga reader, I'm surprised by how fast I get through these volumes). In this one, we get to know Nick a bit more as the focus of the story is on his (conflicting) feelings about himself.
The cast of characters is more developed in this volume compared to the first. We see Charlie's friends more often and they are given more substantial roles in the two boys' lives.
Let's see what happens in book 3!
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 20 minutes (!!!)
Tags: romance, lgbtq+, high school, slice of life
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 8/10
This was super cute and sweet! I've been seeing this graphic novel everywhere lately, so when I saw that my public library had copies, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was surprised by how quickly this can be read. This is mostly because there's very little dialogue, and the pages have a lot of blank spaces. However, this is not a bad thing. I think that it adds to the slow build up of feelings for the characters. The ‘silence' allows us as readers to take in the events as they unfold and ‘breathe' in between each scene, which is nice. It feels as though you are a part of the story.
The characters themselves are very loveable, mainly Charlie and Nick (of course). This first volume focused on their blooming friendship despite their apparent differences (Nick is older and in another grade, he's also a jock and very popular, while Charlie is the exact opposite of these things). There wasn't much focus placed on the other characters, except Ben, the default antagonist, but they seemed to be all right and supportive of whatever the situation. Tao's protectiveness over Charlie was especially endearing, and Charlie's older sister was nice too.
So far, this series is off to a good start, and I'm excited to see where it will go.
Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 4-ish hours
Tags: historical fiction, romance, lgbtq+, enemies-to-lovers
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 0/10
This book's only saving grace is its writing. Honestly, the Regency-esque language and setting is on point, but that's about all the credit I can give to this book. The thing that really ruined it is, strangely enough, the main character.
William Hartwell is an insufferable, unlikeable, grade-A jerk. You cannot for a second convince me that his affection for Warry is genuine. No, I refuse. The amount of gaslighting this man does is just off the charts. First, we're told that Hartwell, Becca, and Warry (Becca's younger brother) grew up together and have spent most of their lives in each other's company. Then, we're told that Hartwell and Becca were incredibly cruel to Warry during this time: they threw him in the pond on numerous occasions, gave him the run around, mocked him, etc. In brief, they were both horrible bullies, but Hartwell took the cake. We're told that now that they're grown, Hartwell is somehow even worse than when he was a brat. Instead of being a mature adult, he decides to shame Warry publicly for his friendship/mild infatuation with Lord Balfour. Why does he do this you ask? Well, because clearly Hartwell is the tragic embodiment of the most detested trope of “he's mean to you because he likes you.” Hartwell continuously mistreats Warry through an epic display of gaslighting. Here are a few fantastic examples for your reading pleasure:
With a sickening jolt, Warry recalled Hartwell's laughter as he'd mocked Warry at the Gilmore rout. If Warry were a better friend, then perhaps he would have forgiven Hartwell—but if Hartwell were a better friend, then he should have apologised.
Hartwell's
“I...I have been cruel, I know. You are right to despise me. I teased you all these years for two reasons. First, because I feared to examine my own flaws, and so it was easier to pick apart yours. And second, because I knew I would never change you. No taunt of mine could have stood up to a spirit such as yours. It is not an excuse for the way I treated you. But I would like you to know right now, I cannot imagine ever having meant a single unkind word I spoke about you.”
another
People were broken in all sorts of ways. They sometimes use disagreeable methods to achieve their ends, but didn't they all want essentially the same thing? To be loved? Could that brief flash of pity he'd felt for Balfour grow into forgiveness, and might they have a marriage that was at least civil?
forced
DNF 30%
This started off well for me, but then I found that I lost interest in Geralt's various adventures the more the story progressed. This collection (?) of stories features a few retellings of famous fairy tales, like Beauty and the Beast, but it offers a new twist to them by changing the outcome of the story, or by portraying the villain as a hero and vice versa. Maybe this book didn't work for me because I was looking for a traditional fantasy story with a start, middle, and end (which I'm told is the format for the main books in the series). I should have started with vol 1 instead of this one, despite everyone on the internet saying to start with this prologue of sorts.
Meh, I guess this story just isn't for me.
Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 7+ unfortunate hours
Tags: fantasy (folklore), lgbtq+, historical (ish), enemies-to-lovers
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 0/10
The curse of the bad KU books strikes again.... how are there so many 4 and 5 star reviews for this story is beyond me.
This book had an interesting premise, but it got lost within the first few chapters as too many unrelated subplots crowded the scene. Was this book about a murdering wolf? Was it about Saffron's desire to remain in fairyland? Was it about Cylvan's wish to protect himself from enchantments? Or maybe it was about the evil High Fey who are bent on torturing Saffron (for some unknown reason). Honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell you since there were so many loose ends and unexplained events.
I'm convinced that this book was written in a spiral notebook while the author sat at the back of a school bus en route for high school. There was nothing remotely interesting about the writing, the characters were flat and had the personalities of cardboard boxes, and the editing was non-existing.
Characters
Saffron is the most offending character and, sadly, he's also the MC. He sounded and acted like a 13 year old girl who giggled constantly and whose only response to anything was to say ohhh. Fascinating. He is such an immense airhead that he is utterly unable to accomplish anything as soon as Cylvan is anywhere near him. With Cylvan, Saffron conveniently forgets about his dead friends, the curse, Cylvan's threats, and all the bad fey because he's in loveinsert googly eyes. Saffron is constantly abused by the fey and his fellow humans, because reasons, and yet, he never actually does anything to fight back or to better his situation. He could have talked to his fey patron, Luvon (although he was borderline creepy if truth be told), or even to his ‘mother hen,' but no, Saffron preferred to wallow in self-pity and let himself be relentlessly bullied for no real reason.
Then there's Cylvan. He's one of the High Fey, but he's a special kind of High Fey (because of course). His mother is a... uh... something other than fey or human, and his dads are the kings of fairyland. Cool. He's so special that in fact, he does a complete 180 and goes from wanting to rip Saffron's tongue out to shoving his own down Saffron's throat with little to no logical reason as to why. Why does Cylvan suddenly trust Saffron, even though Saffron clearly betrayed him in the first few chapters? Because love. Why is he the meanest creature in school EXCEPT with Saffron, who is, for all intents and purposes, a useless simp? You guessed it, love. Does any of this makes sense? Of course not. Cylvan is such a walking caricature, I couldn't take him seriously. You know how in Howl's Moving Castle (the movie), Howl is an absolute baby when his hair gets messed up? That was cute and made sense for his character, but take that reaction and multiply it by 5000 and you get Cylvan. He's supposed to be this fearsome fey who can eviscerate you with one swipe of his claws, yet he flails around dramatically and pouts when Saffron is in the vicinity. Cylvan isn't cute; he's just ridiculous.
As if these characters weren't bad enough, the author felt the need to play Woke Roulette throughout the story with all the others. Every time a new character appeared, it was always referred to as “they” because, you know, we can't offend FICITONAL PEOPLE by misgendering them. Sure, it was relevant in some cases, like with Arrow, who is obviously set up to be nonbinary, but are all characters supposed to be NB? This way of writing was really confusing at times and made me roll my eyes way too many times to count. (N.B.: before anyone picks this section out of my review to accuse me of all sorts of untrue sentiments, I'll have you know that I read almost exclusively LGBTQ+ narratives. It is my preferred literature, especially when combined with SFF and historical fiction. That being said, authors can't just play roulette or gender bingo to satisfy 2022 expectations... the story loses all credibility.)
Anachronisms (buckle up, there are many)
Speaking of which, anachronisms also damage credibility. Being from North America, I learned in school very early on that tobacco grows exclusively in this part of the world. This is why golden age explorers brought back tobacco from the Americas to Europe to introduce it to their lands. Why, then, does Saffron go into the woods, in the middle of Ireland, to collect wild tobacco? This is a mistake that could have been avoided with just 5 seconds of research on Google. The same goes for the presence of wild marijuana in Ireland. No. Just no. Also, why the heck would you need to include pot in a story about fairies? Ridiculous.
Then, there's the issue with the clothing and accessories. Can we just take a second to appreciate the absolute nonsense of having vaguely romantic clothing (1800s) and combining it with what is meant to be a Celtic pagan society of the 5th century? Again, 5 seconds on Google would have told the author that Imbolc and other festivals were actively celebrated PRE-Norman Conquest (1066), and that short capes, frilly blouses, and tight pants just aren't period-accurate in the slightest. My other huge gripe with the clothing is the ridiculousness of Cylvan having pierced nipples. Come. On. No, I refuse to accept this book as anything other than fairy kink/fetish disguised as historical fiction.
Guys, ever heard of Baba Yaga? Yeah, that one, the SLAVIC character most well known through Polish and Russian folklore. WHY in god's name is she in Ireland? There are tons of Celtic folkloric characters that could have been used instead, but no, we have to stick a Slavonic one whose (very Irish) human name is Nora... I'm so offended by her presence in this story, it's not even funny.
Finally, there's the issue of language. There are way too many modern words and slang to befit the period. It's not hard to avoid modern language in order to maintain the illusion of the location and time the story takes place.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, don't let yourself be drawn in by pretty covers and high ratings on GoodReads. I saw that the author commented that this is going to be an eight-book series and I nearly choked on the spot. What kind of plot can be stretched out so thinly over 8 books?? This isn't exactly Game of Thrones-level of complexity. All I can say is that I (obviously) won't be continuing with this series.
Tl;dr: Please, for the love of all that is holy, do some research before including it in your book(s). It's not that hard, and it will increase the book's worth tenfold.
Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 3h
Tags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, f/f), historical
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 7/10
This was a very cute and heartwarming novella! I always go into KU books with low expectations (I'm sorry, but experience tells me that there's lots of drivel to run through on KU before you find something good), so I was happy to find that this little book was well written and entertaining.
There were a few things that lowered the rating, namely the exaggerated 1930s language (one too many “old boy” and “old thing” to make it bearable, I'm afraid) and the odd way of ending direct speeches with “what” (which, in retrospect, seemed to be a strange mannerism afforded to Alphonse specifically). I also felt a bit jarred by the inclusion of magic seemingly out of nowhere at first (and never fully explained), but towards the end it made much more sense for the plot. I just wish there would have been a proper introduction to the subject before throwing us into what seems at first glance a non-magical historical fiction.
The romances were sweet, although the Aaliyah/Jasmine pairing didn't have much ‘screen time' compared to Alphonse/Jacobi. I liked all the characters well enough, but I wish Jasmine had been present for more than just two scenes. I get that the focus was on Alphonse and his discovery of himself/his feelings, but the girls also had an interesting story.
All in all, this was a fun, quick-paced read that made my train commute much more bearable than usual. Despite my nitpicking, I still enjoyed this very much, and I'd probably reread it at some point when I'm need of a sugary dose of heartwarming goodness.
Ah, Rihito Takarai is such an amazing artist. I read his other series, [b:テンカウント 1 Ten Count 1 19508512 テンカウント 1 Ten Count 1 Rihito Takarai https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472865999l/19508512.SX50.jpg 27625418], mostly for the art because it's just so pretty to look at. I also read [b:Seven Days: Monday → Thursday 8433044 Seven Days Monday → Thursday (Seven Days, #1) Rihito Takarai https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386985616l/8433044.SX50.jpg 13296490] ages ago, and it's still one of my favourite manga (it was also turned into a really good tv show, fyi). This new series seems promising. I like that it takes place in university and that the MC is a botanist/plant nerd (my kindred spirit!). Not much happens in vol 1, so it'll be interesting to see where vol 2 takes us.
Format read: HardcoverTags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, bi), found family, adventure, magic, LondonOwn a copy: yesReread likelihood: 8/10Summary:Will Kempen is an ordinary dockyard boy who fills his days with hard manual labour. However, he holds a secret close to his heart: he is on the run from shadowy figures who wish him dead by all means. Will is used to hiding his identity by changing jobs and cities regularly, until one night the men who murdered his mother find him, and the hunt begins anew. Will finds himself captured, then saved by a strange girl with inhuman strength and a knightly young man straight out of a storybook. With their help, Will will learn about his destiny and finally find out why these other men are so bent on capturing him, dead or alive.Review:Look, I read this immediately after devouring Pacat's [b:Captive Prince 9305362 Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362.SY75.jpg 14188292] trilogy and boy, did I ever devour this story too. Immediately, I could see parallels between the characters of Captive Prince and Dark Rise, but that didn't belay my enjoyment. In fact, I felt already familiar with Pacat's style, which made this book very easy to get into.I can't say that I was remotely surprised by the twist. To me, the conclusion of this first book was as clear as day from the first few chapters but, again, this somehow did not damage my enjoyment of the story. I grew attached to some of the characters more than others, especially Justice, but they all had very distinct voices and personalities that successfully made them stand out and be different from one another. I loved the magic system in this story, and the legends/myths were well presented and made sense. Worldbuilding is never an easy task, but Pacat did a good job here of creating an alternate 1800s London filled with magic and populated by an ancient sacred order.I'm looking forward to book 2 (whenever that might be) and, in the meantime, I'll hold onto my predictions for the next installment.
This is a collection of 4 short stories set in the same universe as Pacat's [b:Captive Prince 9305362 Captive Prince (Captive Prince, #1) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356028113l/9305362.SY75.jpg 14188292] series. The stories are as follows:1. Green But For a Season (Jord x Aimeric set in book 2)Story #1 wasn't anything special in my opinion. Perhaps this is because I didn't really care about this pairing during the series. Also, I didn't think this was especially well written.2. the Summer Palace (Damen x Laurent set after the end of book 3)Even though this one is technically the epilogue to the series, again, it fell a bit flat as with story #1. It was nice reading about the aftermath of Laurent's and Damen's successions, but the story itself didn't offer anything new that we didn't already read in the 3rd book.3. The Adventures of Charls, The Veretian Cloth Merchant (epilogue 2.0 set after book 3 and the Summer Palace epilogueThis one was my favourite in the collection. It had an intrigue and an adventure at its heart, and it had some of Pacat's signature humour interspersed in between the action. I liked Charls in the main series, so I guess it makes sense that I liked him here too. Even more so, I loved Laurent and Damen here (much more than in Summer Palace because they reminded me of how they were in book 2 (i.e., disguising themselves and sneaking around on secret missions without anyone else's knowledge). It was nice to see the duo go off on a secret adventure again.4. Pet (Ancel x Berenger, set in book 1)Finally, the last story took me by surprise. I didn't think I'd be interested in a story about Ancel, but it ended up being my second favourite story in this collection. Ancel didn't really grab my attention in book 1 (and Berenger even less so), but here he was given more depth, which made him ultimately interesting and more sympathetic.Overall, I wasn't crazy about this collection, and if hadn't it been for story #3, I would have found it all rather disappointing. I still love the main series though, and I'm glad I got to read the epilogue through these short stories.
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 7h
Tags: literary fiction, lgbt (m/m), romance, forbidden love
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 7/10
This book was turned into a movie! What the trailer here.
My heart is kind of in pieces. I'll be back later for a proper review.
*Edit: ok, here we go :')
Summary:
Brighton, 1950s. Marion meets Tom while visiting his sister, Sylvie, and falls in love with him as first sight. Tall, blonde, and muscular, Tom is a veteran sea swimmer who sets off for the army just as Marion tries to get close to him. Fast forward a few years, Marion has become a (passable) schoolteacher, and Tom has become a policeman after coming back from the army. The two become friends, and Marion convinces Tom to teach her how to swim. Despite Sylvie's warning that “Tom isn't like that,” Marion presses on with her plan to marry Tom.
One day, Tom introduces her to a mysterious and charming man who works at the local museum. Tom declares that he has “met someone,” yet Marion ignores the signs and clings to her dream of becoming his wife. Tom, on the other hand, feels the social pressure of marrying at every turn, and decides to propose to Marion despite his heart.
When the truth about Tom and Patrick finally comes out, Marion is bent on saving her marriage by destroying her enemy. Little does she know, her actions not only destroy Patrick, but also the man she loves so much.
Review:
Told from a double POV, that of Marion's and Patrick's, the story shifts between the present time and the 1950s. Marion's letters tell the story from her point of view and focus a lot on herself and her feelings, while Patrick's focus is solely about Tom. Patrick rarely comments on other people, except Marion when he first meets her, and writes mostly “purple” observations about ‘his policeman.'
From the get go, Marion is unsympathetic and unlikeable. The section where she writes about her first day as a teacher is red flag city and really sets her into a firmly dislikeable character. Marion is said to have a wicked temper, which is shown a few times in the book. Though her fears about Patrick and Tom are founded, her reactions are often overdramatic and theatrical.
‘For a policeman, you're very romantic.' ‘For an artist, you're very afraid.'
Patrick, Marion, and Tom
“I hope that he will come and at least look at you–really look at you–and see what I see: that despite everything, you still love him. I hope this will break his silence.”
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 9h 9 min
Tags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m), found family,
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 8/10
Summary:
The House in the Cerulean Sea starts off very Kafkaesque and Orwellian. Linus Baker, our protagonist, works for the Department of Magical Youths (DICOMY) as a caseworker in orphanages. DICOMY is a government-run institution that places magical children in orphanages “for their safety” because of the rest of society's prejudiced views about them. Linus is very good at his job because he follows and applies the rules to their maximum. Every day, Linus goes to work in in his tiny grey cubicle, takes the bus in the rain, walks to his little grey house, and starts all over again the next day. Because of his clinical efficiency, Linus is chosen one day by Extremely Upper Management to visit a particular orphanage that is off the beaten track. Linus is told that this place is peculiar, and its master even more so, and is given a file with the names and attributes of the children who live there.
When Linus arrives at his destination, he is struck by the beauty of the remote island. Soon, he meets the children and the master, Arthur Parnassus, and begins his investigation of the orphanage. In the beginning, Linus is set on following his rules, as always, but he soon discovers that DICOMY's way of doing things isn't as righteous as what he thought, and that prejudice is well and alive on the idyllic island. Against, his better judgment, Linus begins to develop an attachement to the children, and to Arthur, and finds himself in an increasingly difficult position: carry on with DICOMY's wishes and shut down the island orphanage, or follow his heart and do what's right for the children and, by extension, all magical persons.
Review:
This story was so warm and fuzzy, it was like being wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. Linus' character growth is well executed and a pleasure to witness as the story unfold.
I have a soft spot for Arthur in particular. His carefree attitude is endearing, and his love of philosophy comes through in all of his conversations with the children and with Linus.
Among the cast of characters, we have: Lucifer “Lucy,” the 6 year old son of Satan, Chauncey, a land jellyfish of sorts (no one is quite sure), Sal, a shapeshifter (he turns into a Pomeranian), Phee, a forest sprite, Talia, a garden gnome, Theodore, a wyvern, Zoe, an island sprite and caretaker alongside Arthur, and Calliope, Linus' cat.
The children themselves are endearing, especially Chauncey. His simple dream of being a bellhop is so deeply contrasted to who and what he is, and how people perceive him as a monster, that it makes the whole thing bittersweet and heart wrenching. As with all the children, you want them to be happy and for their dreams to come true, but the world they live in his harsh outside of their island home, and one cannot help but worry for them.
Linus and Arthur make a sweet couple. The first real sparks start off after Linus' visit to Lucy's room, and the tension only continues to grow after that. I liked the slow progression and how realistic their relationship is. It's not all rainbows and butterflies all the time, which is refreshing to see portrayed in a novel.
The author's writing is wonderful, and I enjoyed it very much. Klune describes the world in this book so vividly that it's as though you are a part of it. Linus' postcard on his desk says it all; “don't you wish you were here?” And indeed, I really wished I could be on Marsyas island with the characters.
”There was green. Bright and beautiful greens of waving grass, and what appeared to be flowers in pinks and purples and golds. They disappeared into white sand. And beyond the white was cerulean. ... Don't you wish you were here?”
”The others don't know, but I do. I can see things, sometimes. I don't know why. You. Arthur. He Burns. Did you know that?”
Under the Whispering Door
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 1h20
Tags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m), light horror, adventure
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 8/10
It's been well over a year since I read the first book in this duology, Silver in the Wood, so in all honesty, it took me a good 20 pages to situate myself in the story and remember what happened in the other book before truly enjoying this one. Obviously, this is a me problem, and should I reread this duology, I would read the two novellas back-to-back to fully appreciate them.
From what I remember of the first book (and after checking my reading notes to refresh my memory) my main issue I had with the first book was that the characters didn't have enough depth, and Tobias and Henry's relationship didn't have a very strong foundation.
In this book, however, it's quite the opposite. The focus of this story was more so on the characters' growth and development, which gave more depth to their relationships to one another. In this novella, we also meet a new character, Maud, who reveals herself to be an interesting catalyst for the plot, and we learn more about Henry's monster-hunting mother (who is a pretty cool lady when you think about it).
The use of flashbacks in part two “The Queen of Fairyland” added a lot of useful information on how and why things went wrong at the end of the first book. I found this a clever device to use in a novella.
Where the first book focused on Tobias' voice, and the emphasis was on the task of being (or becoming) the guardian of an ancient forest, this second book was from the perspective of Henry Silver, which was a welcome change in my opinion. I personally like Henry more out the two because of his more engaging personality, but Tobias in this book was very endearing too.
Drowned Country takes us on a magical adventure to a sunken forest and a lost fairy kingdom and, despite the length of the book (only 176 pages!) the scenes are compelling and action packed.
I feel that this second book is a significant improvement on the last, and the fact that it is so short and easy to consume in one sitting makes this duology a very likely reread in the future.
This review contains spoilers! Proceed with caution.
First of all, before I dive into a scathing review, let me just say that this book is seriously miscategorized. It is not a “fantasy book with elements of romance,” but rather a “romance/erotica book with a vague nod towards fantasy as a theme.” Seriously, whoever though this was deserving of the fantasy label clearly never read a fantasy book in their lives (fyi to other reviewers: this is most definitely not high fantasy. Where did you get that idea from? Badly implemented magic does not equal high fantasy...)
Yet again, I find myself disappointed with a very hyped-up book. I've figured out by now that 4 and 5-star ratings mean nothing and that glowing reviews cannot be trusted for fault of lack of depth in said reviews.
What is this book about, you ask? Well, I have a hard time articulating that thought despite having finished reading the book not 15 minutes ago. The book is technically about magic in Edwardian London and a queer romance at its centre, but in actuality, this book isn't about anything, really.
Robert “Robin” Blyth is an ordinary, typical lordling who ends up in a job that is anything but ordinary. Without his knowledge, he gets thrown into a position where he should act as a liaison between the magical and non-magical worlds. The only problem is that Robin has zero knowledge of magic and has no idea what he's supposed to do. Enter Edwin Courcey, a stuck-up and condescending magician who knows everything, except why Robin is in this job nor how to get rid of him. Hijinks ensue, and Robin finds himself cursed by a strange lot of faceless people who are after a mysterious artifact called the Last Contract. In order to help Robin (and himself) out of this mess, Edwin takes his new colleague on romp through the countryside in search of a cure for the curse and with the hopes of finding the artifact.
Now, as far as plots go, this sounds pretty good, right? Well yes, in theory, except that the book then proceeds to give us the most drawn out, useless, and uninteresting scenes in the history of literature. I made a list of things that were especially bothersome, so here we go:
The magic system
Edwin and his fellow magicians, with the exception of old lady Flora, use a system called “cradling” to perform magic. Basically, it's like the kid's game of cat's cradle, but make it magical. Everyone in this universe cradles without assistance of any kind, except Edwin. He needs to use a piece of string to help him focus his magic. Why? Who knows, it's never truly explained. All we know is that some people need string to help them along, although we're not given another example of this outside of Edwin. There's also the idea of notations as being part of the process, but we as readers are never explained what notations are or how they work. Then, there's Flora Sutton who uses an entirely different system of magic, but once again, this isn't explained. There doesn't seem to be other people who can do what she does, but it's all brushed aside anyway like the rest of this system. In brief, what we have here is a case of very soft magic with little to no background information about how it works or how it came about.
Edwin and Robin's relationship
In a nutshell, it is so comically unbelievable, it hurts. The two have known each other for nine days by the time they have their big breakup.... NINE DAYS, during which time they've gone from being enemies to lovers to heartbroken to lovers again. What??? Does no one else think this is ridiculous? Robin's mushy inner thoughts of “let's make a life together, my future is you, blah blah” ... PLEASE. Calm down, it's been nine days. Also, allow me to point out that during the nine days of their acquaintance, they've had time to sleep together TWICE in between death threats, Robin's debilitating curse, Edwin's insane family, and acquiring a magical estate for their personal use. .... ????????
Robin's curse
What was the point of the curse? Who are the weird faceless people who attacked him in the first place? Why was it such an important plot point that took up more than half the book, only to be resolved in the most anticlimactic way possible, with no further thought afterwards of “huh, well this was a pointless exercise?”
Robin's sister, Maud
Why is she even there? Seriously, what is her purpose in this story other than being Robin's little sister and an unwanted guest at the Courceys? She was, 1000% useless to the plot. Actually, make that 10 000%.
The infamous Last Contract
Again, why? How is the cup, coin, and knife even remotely related to Robin? Why would a non-magical person be cursed, nearly murdered a few times, and then left to his own devices with all that knowledge on the basis that “he won't tell anyone, scout's honour?” The shadowy “Assembly” that is pulling the strings behind all this remains a mystery even after the last chapter (which yes, I understand that it leaves room for a second book, but still). There's mention in the very beginning of all this that the Contract is related to the Fae, but we never hear from them, nor that connection, ever again. (This is an old motif btw, it is not an invention proper to this book. There are tons of legends about Fae striking deals with mortals. Look it up.)
Death (in general)
When a certain (unremarkable) character dies towards the end of the book, there is exactly zero human emotion tied to it. Zilch. None. The person dies pretty horribly when you think about it, and is actively killed by our loving MCs, and their first reaction afterwards is to be all kissy-face and touchy-feely beside a dead body. Also, the fact these guys are not murderers and have never killed anyone before now, the lack of reaction to taking someone's life is all the more worrying. I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd be feeling very much in the mood with a dead man lying at my feet. Just saying.
The Wokeness(TM)
Ok, look, I know it's 2022, and being woke is the default now unless you want to be cancelled from this planet, but come on. This was wokeness for the sake of being woke. Robin asking about consent every two seconds (both in and out of bed) was a bit much. Like, we get it. Consent is important, of course, but you don't have to keep asking the same damn thing over and over again just for the sake of it. What's the point of going off on a huge speech about magical consent? Why do we care about magical contracts and how they're executed? Makes no sense. Even the blood pact/contract thing requires consent between the two parties, and Edwin makes a big show of it, except that one of the two parties is tied to a magical wall and can't move when he “consents” to the blood pact.... That's hardly consensual, now is it? Sounds like token wokeness to me. Do you know what we call that in legal terms? Coercion (with a dash of threat of bodily harm), not consent.
Then, there's the Strong Female(TM) trope, of course. Flora Sutton? The OG Strong Female(TM) with her merry band of girlfriends who “defied expectations” when they found the artifacts before the men did. Nice. Then there's Adelaide and Kitty, the two Strong (sister) token POC Females(TM) who save the White Males(TM) because they're so clever. Okay, cool, but then they vanish from the narrative completely and we don't hear from them again. Very woke indeed (read: sarcasm).
I could keep going, but I've already given this book too much of my attention. The only reason I finished it was because it was a library loan and I wanted to get ‘my money's worth', so to speak (10 hours of reading time over 21 days of rental, to be exact). Might I add that the book is only 400 pages long.... It shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to read it. I very nearly gave up around 60% of the way in, but then felt bad for having invested so much time already and giving up after more than half was done. I am infinitely grateful that my library had a copy I could borrow so that I could save myself a whole 36 Canadian dollars on purchasing this book that would have hereafter served as a doorstopper.
This is book 2 of 3 in the series Captive Prince and wow, I loved it infinitely more than the first one. While the first book was exceptionally crude and violent, this was mostly warm and fuzzy with a slow burn to end all slow burns at its core. Book 2 picks up where book 1 left off: Damen and Laurent are sent to defend the border on the regent's orders, despite the obvious danger to Laurent's life. We continue with the same crew of soldiers in book 1, but are introduced to a few new ones, namely Aimeric (who will become very important later in the story). Damen and Laurent still hate each other at the beginning, up until the halfway point of the book when things start to shift a little bit. The two go on a few secret missions on their own, and this draws them closer to one another in unexpected ways. I was reminded of [b:Luck in the Shadows 74270 Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner, #1) Lynn Flewelling https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531049892l/74270.SY75.jpg 2495] during some of the adventure scenes (which was a nice comparison in my mind).The crudeness and violence was considerably toned down in this one, though it had its moments. This time, the violence was much more balanced and less gratuitous, which was definitely an upgrade from the last book.The politics were still present in this book, but a little less than in the first. While book 1 dealt a lot with court intrigue, book 2 was more war-focused, which was a good progression of events in my opinion. I'm curious to see where book 3 takes us!
Natsuki Kizu,
キヅナツキ,+1 more
Art: 3Plot: 2Characters: 2Total: 2I picked this volume up because I usually love the mangaka's art, but I was pretty disappointed with this one. The quality wasn't really there, and it was difficult to tell the characters apart, which is unusual for this artist.The chapters follow the lives of three different couples/would-be couples and their daily woes. It's very much slice-of-life and not much happens. The relationships aren't really strong, especially the first one (radio host/café owner combo). I liked that the couples' lives intersected one another (a set of brothers, a set of coworkers, and a set of neighbours). The idea behind the story is fine, but due to the length of the manga (and it not being a series), there was not enough space to fully develop the plot and characters.Overall, there are much better one-shots out there; or better yet, go read the mangaka's other (well developed) series, [b:ギヴン 1 25707426 ギヴン 1 (Given, #1) Natsuki Kizu https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434009435l/25707426.SX50.jpg 45538975].
How do I begin to rate this book?First, a summary of my experience:My reading journey in percentages:0-30%: Did I stumble upon a fetish thing? What is happening? Why is everything so vulgar?30-50%: Oh, ok, there's more to it than just debauchery. There's actually an underlying court intrigue.50-80%: Hooray for politics! This is getting juicy.80-100%: I can't put this down. How. Why. I don't understand how this happened.In a nutshell, it was violent, crude, not much happened plot-wise, and yet, here I am, having read it in two days and finished it at 4 am... I don't understand how, but this was really addictive. Another thing that I don't understand is how Laurent became my favourite even though he is quite objectively the worst person in this world. Now that these feelings are out of the way, onto the real review!REVIEWThe story is set in a pseudo-European world that has similarities with our own. The two main countries are Vere (I read this as a mock 18th century France) and Akielos (a Graeco-Roman society during the Alexandrian age, or there abouts). There are other countries/regions, but they aren't widely discussed in this book, so I can't pinpoint their resemblance to our world.Damen and Laurent on the cover of the Japanese edition of [b:Kings Rising 17158532 Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3) C.S. Pacat https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454160767l/17158532.SY75.jpg 23581990] (vol 3).Damianos is the crown prince and rightful heir of Akielos, but his half brother Kastor usurps the throne after their father's death and conveniently has his brother removed by ways of shipping him off to enemy territory to work as a slave (or pet in Vere). Damianos, now known as Damen, tries to navigate the strange and debauched world of the Veretian court while also dealing with his psychopathic master Laurent, the crown prince of Vere. In a similar position as Damen, Laurent is also promised the throne following his elder brother's death, but he finds himself under the control of his uncle who acts as regent until Laurent is ready for his duties. However, much like Damen's treacherous brother Kastor, Laurent's uncle holds fast to a power that is not rightfully his. Laurent and Damen have an incredibly rocky start: Damen's position as a slave means that his life is in constant danger, and he is bound to the whims of his master without any possibility of retaliation. Naturally, Laurent doesn't know who Damen truly is, but his widespread hatred of Akielos and its people means that he automatically hates Damen to his core. Laurent is a violent, despicable, spoilt brat who takes pleasure in publicly shaming and torturing Damen. However, as time passes and they get to know each other a bit more, Laurent eases up on the hatred and, against all odds, they develop a tacit understanding of one another. There's no love loss here, but at least they're not at each other's throats.Make no mistake: this is a dark, dark world filled with horrible characters who do horrible things to their fellow humans. There are threats of r*pe on the regular, public SA, violence, torture, etc. The Veretians are a strange bunch to say the least, with very questionable tastes in entertainment. That being said, the grittiness of this society adds to the atmosphere of the book. Some things are hard to read and downright disgusting (everything related to the underaged Nicaise, for example), but it all serves as a stark contrast to the supposed “barbaric” nation of Akielos who are seen as little more than animals to the so-called refined Veretian nobles.Around the halfway mark, the political intrigue really kicked in and was the focus of the story until the end, which was a nice reprieve from all the horrible business between masters and pets.I'm looking forward to the rest of Damen and Laurent's adventure now that they'll be on the border, away from court.
I tried reading this book twice. The first time, I made it to 30%, lost interest, and didn't go back to it. The second time, I read up to 20%, lost interest, and here we are. As much as I loved the TV series, I don't gel with the book at all. I love historical fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, etc., but the writing here is what slows me down. There are too many very long passages that say and add nothing to the plot, and it takes way too long for the action to build up.
I'm really sad that I can't bring myself to read this book in it's entirety, but c'est la vie.
One gloomy prince, one stuffy royal advisor, one dependable bodyguard, and one goofy best friend go on a road trip... where have I seen this before?
Ah, yes! That's where! Honestly, I'm completely ok with pretending this novel is a m/m fanfiction of FFXV.
(This review will be finished later once I get through the book. I'm currently sitting at 30%).
UPDATE: I did not, in fact, “get through the book” and I am still “sitting at 30%.” It's safe to say that I won't be finishing this one. I liked the idea behind it, but in the end it lost my interest when it entered a weird slump a third of the way in. DNFed!
I don't know what's happening, but I just can't find the motivation to keep reading this book/series. I loved books 1 & 2, but now I've been stuck on vol 3 at 30% for over a year, so I think it's fair to call it quits here. Maybe I'll revisit this series at some point, but for now, it's going to be shelved.
I want to love this book. It has everything that I typically like to read: an adventure, fantastical creatures, a historical setting, and yet, I'm on my second try of trying to read it, but I just can't. I lose interest despite the pretty artwork and themes I usually enjoy.
DNF at 20%, for good this time. I don't think I'll try to read it a 3rd time.