DNF at about 50%. I just couldn't get into it and was a little confused and bored by the plot. I'm not sure if I'll give it another go.

Not the story that it first appears to be, but intricate in relationship themes -- the complexities of abuse/bullying/family, the ways that bullying on to one character translates into the treatment of underlings, the heady same sex relationship and the consolations of a friendship based co-parenting situation. It's weird and uncomfortable, frequently, but it's also very interesting. I do feel like its a society full of stereotypes, but I am intrigued by the disdain of women's work (physics, math, reading) and the subversion of what that work is and how that creates a really different society. ( )

Aqib bgm Sadiqi finds that his association to the royal family (fourth cousin) can be a blessing and a curse. Sure, relative fame and fortune have their privileges. But there are expectations that come with a role that he never asked to take on. And those expectations may stand in the way of Aqib's rapidly-blossoming affection (and lust) for Lucrio, a Daluçan soldier who would be well below his station even without the expectation that Aqib take for himself a blushing bride. Some things in life are worth fighting for, however, especially when one gets a small taste of what life could be and the path of least resistance means leaving that feeling and that life behind. But if society is good at anything, it's telling people how to live...and can Aqib and Lucrio stand up against that and make it through with that feeling and their life together still intact?

Reading this novella, for me, was like falling down a hole into this world, a world in which I have never been, to the point where I could feel the longing, the desire, the loss, the frustration, etc. that Aqib experiences. Wilson has created a rich fantasy world with enough backstory and the right connections to our own society that readers should have no trouble connecting with and understanding the characters, even though they are not our contemporaries. At the same time, the pacing of the story and the sequence of events allows readers to get lost in this world, with no desire to come out until the story is finished. And being novella-length, this is one that you need not feel bad at all for devouring in one sitting. ( )

I’ve been in the mood only for novellas for quite a while now, somehow just not finding enough patience to read longer books. So when I mentioned the same to my dear friend Nandini, she recommended me this Hugo nominated novella which I had never heard of before. And because I trust her recs a lot, I decided to give it a try.

This is definitely one of those books which I would never read of my own volition. The writing wasn’t always easy for me to follow or understand, with the prose and the metaphors going above my head but I felt the emotion behind the story a lot - and that’s the beauty here. In a story of just about 160 pages, the author took me on a journey of beautiful love, the heartbreak of separation and paths not taken, the devastation of not knowing what could have happened (or even knowing it) - I felt joy and I also wept and I just about felt all kinds of emotions while reading. The world is also very fascinating with its gods, the magic being mixed with advanced science, affinities for animals etc and though it was kept mostly vague, it was enough to grasp the crux of the story. The story is also told in multiple timelines, so when the twist is revealed towards the end, I was just completely in shock. That’s some amazing twisty writing.

I think I didn’t really read the blurb before I started reading because I didn’t realize it was going to be such a poignant romantic tale of two star-crossed lovers. Aqib and Lucrio’s tryst starts off as instalove on steroids but I didn’t mind that even a bit here - there’s just so much honesty in their love that I was mesmerized and then was distraught when I realized they wouldn’t get to be together. I don’t want to say anything else because I’m scared I’ll give away too much of the story and it really needs to be experienced. There are also a host of other characters whom I had all kinds of feelings for, and it’s really the author’s talent that he makes us feel invested in every single character’s arc in such short time.

In the end, I can just say that despite being slightly out of my comfort zone, this novella enchanted me with its most memorable love story and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. We all have those moments of “what-ifs” in our life, when we ponder about missed chances and connections and wonder what other life we could have lived - this story brought all such thoughts vividly back to my mind and that’s why I know I’ll remember this for a long time to come. ( )

4.5 stars.

Recommended.

While the book was stunning, even without true romance, I can't give it five stars (yet I am rounding it up - ha-ha!).

The last chapter ruined it for me. Not because how it ended but the way it ended. While I cheered for the MCs, I could not connect with that reality.

Don't want to say anything else for the fear of spoilers, I already gave away too much.

@Monica - thank you, my friend, for the amazing rec and gift :) *hugs* ( )