Stars:
3.5/5
Length:
24,000 words
Blurb
Llyskel
is the fifth son of a King, but, unlike his brothers, he doesn't have
a career in politics or the military to look forward to. In a world
where everyone possesses magic to some degree or other, Llyskel is
powerless, unable to perform even the smallest magic-based tasks. All
his life, he's been under constant guard for his own protection from
the magical world around him, much to his annoyance. The only time
Llyskel feels free is when he paints, where the only spells he needs
are the ones he weaves with brush and paint, capturing moments of
beauty and giving them immortality on canvas.
Llyskel
harbors a secret wish, though, a dark desire that haunts his nights.
Only Ariv, a captain in the King's army, seems to sense the truth of
Llyskel's needs. The pull he feels to Llyskel is unavoidable, and the
passion between them undeniable.
But
Ariv isn't the only one interested in Llyskel. The Queen of a
neighboring country expresses her interest in the boy's talents, but
her true intent goes far beyond a love of art. And what she asks may
be too high a price for any of them.
Overall
For some reason I had a
difficult time sitting down to review this story. I enjoyed the
writing, the characters, the world, and the relationship, but I still
felt as if something were missing--or perhaps there was too much of
something else. Still, the main characters' dynamic is appealing,
despite having some difficulties coming to an understanding Llyskel's
shooter kink (even being able to make the connection between it and
gun kink). A good fantasy setting with interesting (although I'd like
more development) characters, I'd recommend this easy read for a nice
day on the beach.
Strengths
One of this story's
strengths was the subtle world building. In many regards it follows a
standard fantasy world construction, but there are enough nuances to
add a special flare, and it was those touches that made it
particularly strong to me. The description of a child's coming to
power, the role of kings and queens, the weapon that focuses a user's
magic, the use of magic in every day life and how it disrupts
Llyskel's world and inhibits most things he does. In a short span the
multitude of these minor elements all added up to paint world
picture.
In addition to this,
the descriptions used throughout the writing brought the story to
life. The narrator is an artist and rightly gives beautiful (sexy)
descriptions of the things he sees: flowers, men, fights, gardens,
etc. It was gorgeous and sexy and one of my favorite things about
this story!
As I mentioned before,
I had some difficulties understanding Llyskel's thing for shooters,
but I did enjoy how it propelled certain knowledge to come out and
how Llyskel and Ariv deal with the obstacle. Their second bedroom
scene is very nice. It helps that Llyskel gives vivid details about
Ariv's appearances and the description of their night together is
wonderfully sensual. I enjoyed my time with them ;)
Weaknesses
While I enjoyed the
climactic action and resolution, the ordeal felt somewhat forced--or
at least it didn't flow with the rest of the story. Logically it made
sense and wasn't abrupt, but something about it felt off to me, as if
the story itself were a fantasy romance with a plot tagged on. I was
perfectly happy with Llyskel and Ariv exploring their relationship
and the needs in that relationship, but I may be unique in that.
Received
this book for review.
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