I absolutely adore this book! I adore all Becca's fiction! =)~

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I would love to find out what happened to Remy in the end. I would love to know if Severyn liked his little wife. I would love to know if there is going to be a sequel, even a short one. There are a lot of things that are left unfinished.
The story, I thought, slowed down considerably around page 350 or so, but picked up again later, though I had a feeling it was a little rushed towards the end. It was somewhat frustrating to deal with such uneven flow.
However, I can't deny - I am in love with Cethe. 5 stars. ( )

5 stars for worldbuilding - I wish CD Projekt Red transformed this book into a new RPG game. I'd play the hell out of it. I love how Becca Abbott uses the themes of corrupt priests and the control the church has over the population via religion.
5 stars for the naragi-cethe idea (brilliantly imaginative) and for building up Stefn and Michael's relationship
5 stars for Becca Abbott's writing skills
1 star for all Severyn's POV chapters - up till the end I did not give two sh**s about him
3 stars for the entertainment of the book. Just as with Reifu Rising the author builds and builds a great possible ending but when the ending comes it's left open, simple and rather ... meh. I might be craving blood because I love battle scenes but come one, building an army, building a mildly interesting throne overthrowing plan and then.... fizzzz

Now, here is a representation of myself while reading this book:

The book begins:


Michael makes Stefn his cethe


The plan for overthrowing Arami's throne is discussed


Royal petitions, the search for the elusive printing press, the find of the printing press, the use of the printing press, the search for Arami's pelthe dealer, the renovations of Shia castle, the rebuilding of the library in Shia castle


The throne overthrow plan is trying to be put in motion but karma and Loth have other plans


The "poor Stefn" stages near the end of the book


The ending - 540 pages later


It was a nice, if longer than expected, ride. I recommend it, especially if you are a fantasy m/m fan.
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I was sucked into this original, and well done fantasy right from the start. Prince Severyn is trying to wrest power back from a corrupt and abusive church that is using religious hysteria and fear to oppress and control the people. The plot here is thick - filled with conspiracies, spies, double agents, ruthless villains, and beneath it all, the romance between Stefn and Michael. Abbott has created a rich and detailed world, complete with its own mythology and history, to base the story in. The characters are three-dimensional, with depth and personality to match. Even minor characters are fleshed out, and the villains satisfyingly evil. The plot moves at a brisk pace, and is intermingled with violent battles and explicit sexual encounters. I could not put this book down.

However, readers should be warned that this is YAOI, not gay romance. The story adheres to the yaoi archetypes of seme and uke (alpha male top, slim beautiful bottom - no switching), and has an unrealistic relationship - specifically the development of romance out of rape. Make no mistake, Michael Arranz rapes Stefn Eldering in the beginning of the story, and their sexual relations are governed by magically induced arousal. I was not bothered by this as I have encountered it before in hard yaoi (both manga and novels). But those who have only read contemporary gay romances may be shocked. The couple does spend time getting to know one another, overcoming misinformed prejudices, uniting against evil, etc., until near the end of the story when they finally acknowledge their love. What I did fine disturbing was the frequency of rape in the story as a weapon. That is not to say it was gratuitous, or did not fit into the violent fantasy setting. It did. An abusive church has control over zealous "soldiers" fighting to expand its power - you expect causalities and atrocities. It's just difficult to read about the abuse of a character you have come to care about.

Overall, this was an excellent novel. The romance and initial plot is resolved by the end, but the overarching storyline will continue in the sequel. The publication itself it very high quality. Though the font is larger than normal (padding the page count), I found that to be an advantage. It was easier and more comfortable for me to read. The book is well edited, with a clean font and solid binding. Plus, the cover art is absolutely stunning!! The price is a bit higher than most gay romance, but not unreasonably so (Dreamspinner books are routinely $17.99). Highly recommended, and I will definitely look for more from this author, and publisher. ( )