Anhaga
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Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
Aramin Decourcey--Min to his few friends--might be the best thief in Amberwich, and he might have a secret that helps him survive the cutthroat world of aristocratic families and their powerful magic users, but he does have one weakness: his affection for his adopted nephew, Harry. When the formidable Sabadine family curses Harry, Min must accept a suicide mission to save his life: retrieve Kazimir Stone, a low-level Sabadine hedgewitch who refuses to come home after completing his apprenticeship... and who is in Anhaga, a seaside village under the control of the terrifying Hidden Lord of the fae. If that wasn't enough, Kaz is far from the simple hedgewitch he seems. With the Sabadines on one side and the fae on the other, Min doesn't have time to deal with a crisis of conscience--or the growing attraction between him and Kaz. He needs to get Kaz back to Amberwich and get Harry's curse lifted before it kills him. Saving Harry means handing Kaz over to his ruthless family. Saving Kaz means letting Harry die. Min might pride himself on his cleverness, but he can't see his way out of this one. The Hidden Lord might see that he never gets the choice.
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A light fantasy with a bit of romance. Aramin Decourcey (Min) is a young thief-for-hire who grew up in a brothel and now looks after a street urchin he rescued named Harry. Harry gets himself into trouble courting a nobleman's daughter and ends up with a curse - a curse that will only be removed once Min brings back the nobleman's grandson who is refusing to come home from a nearby town, Anhaga. The only problem is Anhaga is thought to be cursed itself, overtaken nightly by the king of the fae. Because Min is so fond of Harry he agrees and they both set off for Anhaga. Once they get there, however, both the grandson and Anhaga aren't what they seem.
The plot itself isn't as planned out as it could be but it was a fun read with both romance and action. Min and Harry are likeable characters in that they are both loveable rogues. There isn't as much sex as expected being from a gay romance publisher and it takes a backseat to the fantasy element. A large chunk of the book is explaining the different classes and powers of magicians (hedgewitch < Wizard < Sorcerers, etc.), what's with all the iron, and how Anhaga became believed to be cursed, visited by a fae lord every night. The dialogue is well written and heavy on the snark and the characters don't feel flat, though the relationships (and random incest) don't fit as well as they should in a book categorized as romance. If you're into the onslaught of YA romance fantasy that's been hitting the shelves, you're sure to enjoy this one just as much.
