vibes: necromancy, dark princesses, kinda the sense of Witcher?
The Basics:
Ever since she brought her mother back from the dead, Hellevir has lived as vibes: necromancy, dark princesses, kinda the sense of Witcher?
The Basics:
Ever since she brought her mother back from the dead, Hellevir has lived as an outcast, learning from a hedegwitch. Since then, she hasn't attempted to raise anyone again--until the queen comes to the witch's doorstep, demanding someone resurrect her poisoned granddaughter, Princess Sullivain. The catch (besides the fact that there's a price for resurrection and Hellevir must give up something, including body parts, every time she brings someone back) is that Sullivain is a constant target for assassins as heir to the throne. So even after she's been brought back, the queen isn't done with Hellevir. She'll have to stay by the princess's side... not to protect her from death, as tensions in the kingdom rise, but to keep her from staying dead.
The Review:
I was immediately drawn in by the summary for this book. A necromancer? A necromancer who's charged with resurrecting a princess (repeatedly)? A necromancer who's charged with resurrecting a princess (repeatedly) and then they kiss? Sign me the fuck up.
However: I did expect a sapphic fantasy romance, based on that summary, which does mention Hellevir falling in love with Sullivain. This is not that. Now--it's the first book in a series and very much does not end on a standalone note. I suspect that we'll see the relationship between Hellevir and Sullivain deepen and grow even more complex... and uh, it's pretty complex as it is. But this book was a queer fantasy novel with a romantic subplot. Which is fine! However, in order to give this novel the best shot at finding its correct readership, I want to be clear about that.
Like, I do think a lot of fantasy romance readers will enjoy this, as long as they aren't strict "the romance must be the Big Plot or else I won't like it" readers. Hellevir and Sullivain's relationship is part of the book's CORE, but I wouldn't say that at this point their romance is.
That said, it is a fascinating relationship, and I say that as someone who is going to go ahead and like... not defend basically anything Sullivain does in this book. But defend her as a character. I was surprised to see so many reviews just like, dragging her existence. It's one thing to say "she is a bad person", because she is. However, she's also a fascinating character who's clearly gone through a lot and been shaped to have a very warped sense of self and morality. She's manipulative. She's clearly a bit cracked (being assassinated and living under constant threat of MORE assassinations will do that to you). She's spoiled. And yeah, she does treat Hellevir like shit.
But uh... First off, if this was a romance novel, I'd still say "but a lot of y'all's favorites from dark romances and even some books that aren't marketed as dark do the same or worse and y'all love them". Not to honk the misogyny horn, but Sullivain reminds me a lot of certain dudes on certain fantasy shows, and some of them may or may not ride dragons, idk, idk. Except I liked her more, frankly.
Hellevir is also a solid character, but I found her a bit less compelling because she does a lot of stuff that does seem to set her up for failure or manipulation. It feels intentional to me, though--and I'm interested to see where her arc goes with it all. I mean, she has what is really an incredible gift, but she sort of lets herself be jerked around a lot. There's got to be something to that.
Also--yeah, her interactions with Death are super loaded and interesting. And I want to see where THAT goes, too.
This book is very queer--and it goes beyond the relationship between Sullivain and Hellevir. (Can I just say, though? How refreshing it is to read books where the queer characters, particularly the sapphic characters, aren't meant to be ROLE MODELS and also aren't homophobic stereotypes? Hellevir and Sullivain have a very toxic relationship and I approve.) You have a secondary m/m romance, you have the general themes of otherness and parental rejection and some interesting gender stuff happening. Like, I do think the queerness in baked into this book beyond the relationships, and that's cool to read.
The prose is really pretty and has a fairy tale quality. I've seen people describe this as "cozy" and I don't know, maybe it was the constant dying and fingers being chopped off and shit, but I found it creepy. In a good way. Sullivain really does go through it, y'all. I don't know what tot tell you. Does she deserve it? Up to you.
(I mean, listen. Crimes, are. Uh. Committed.)
What I did sort of go "hmm" on was the pacing. This is a slow-moving book, and I don't really think the world was so big and vast that it had to be. There were a few times where the writing/editing side of my brain wanted to take my scissors and chop some bits out of there. Streamline the narrative a bit--and then devote more time to the Sullivain/Hellevir dynamic. Because, while it may not be a conventional ROMANCE (I mean, not as of now--WE GOT TIME, I am open to the Sullivain redemption hour, or the Hellevir corruption hour, or whatever) I do think we needed a bit more time with them together in order to get more invested. And a bit more time with Sullivain in general. But that may just be me as someone who's like "everyone loves a bad girl" (not a fucking terrorist... I GUESS).
So, this does have a bit of the "first book in a fantasy series" syndrome on that level. However! I still think it's an intriguing start. If the wrinkles are ironed out in the next book, we could have something really special. And honestly? That's kind of a fantasy series Thing in my experience. If SJM could change the entire romantic trajectory of her series from book one to book two.... This series can tighten up a bit. I'm ready and listening.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
Vibes: angst, reincarnation, flirting with edginess, obsession
Heat Index: 8/10
Across three different timelines--4 BCE, the e3.5/5. Releases 3/26/2024.
Vibes: angst, reincarnation, flirting with edginess, obsession
Heat Index: 8/10
Across three different timelines--4 BCE, the eighteenth century, and modern Los Angeles--two men are continuously reincarnated and brought into each other's lives, with erotic, romantic, and toxic results.
The prose here is lovely, the story is compelling, and as a literary novel (which is what I think it leans towards) it touches on issues that are both emotional and intellectual. Like--and I mean this as a compliment--this is definitely the kind of novel where you could sit back and get stoned and think about the concept and really... go somewhere.
However.
This is not a romance novel, and I think that some of the negative reviews I've seen for it are rooted in the fact that this was put in the Romance category in NetGalley, published by Harlequin Trade (which, regardless of its intention, is something a lot of people do still associate with romance) and advertised as Romantasy. Which kind of links back to the issues with the Romantasy label. Is this breaking any rules when it's pushed as romantasy? Not really, because there aren't any rules. But a lot of people still think that romantasy is going to adhere to romance rules.
While I wouldn't say this was necessarily for me, I do think it's a good book, and it's a book I would recommend to people looking for a fantasy, reincarnation-based novel that isn't at all rooted in a western perspective (as most mainstream fantasy is). There is a love story, and it's complex and ugly in a very intentional way. It is erotic, though I would not call it erotica by any means. Sex is a big part of the story. Sex is not THEEE story, and I wouldn't say the sex scenes are as crrraaaazy as some claim. I also wonder about whether or not some people would be as up in arms about the sex scenes if they were m/f, but that's another discussion for another day.
Conclusion: good book, not a romance novel, and I think the way it's being presented may confuse some readers and lead to a more negative reception than it's deserved. If you want to read some beautiful prose with really cool gray morality and a fantastical erotic lens... I'd say go for this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more
For when you're vibing with... real world issues in a fantasy context (in this case chron3.25/5. Releases 5/9/2023.
Note: I am reviewing the audiobook.
For when you're vibing with... real world issues in a fantasy context (in this case chronic pain), flirty heroines, soft boy heroes (with a twist), and a dash of darkness.
Pretty and vivacious Gemma Ashbourne is the only member of her powerful family without magic--and with a secret even she doesn't fully understand. It doesn't help that her family is embroiled in a blood feud with a rival clan, and she's functionally useless in the conflict. Until the handsome Talan d'Astier, his own family ruined and destroyed by a tragedy years ago, proposes a deal with Gemma. He's after the demon that supposedly began the blood feud--and if Gemma helps him redeem his family's honor, he'll help her stop the conflict. But killing a demon is much more difficult than Gemma even imagined, especially as she's drawn further and further towards Talan....
So--this is Legrand's adult fantasy romance debut, and it's been met with controversy. I didn't hate it; in fact, I'd say I really liked some aspects, where others were more mixed for me. I think she did swing here, and not everything hit. But I'm locked in for the next book... especially if it does what I think it might do.
Quick Takes: --I actually really like the fantasy world here. Its structure is not too complicated, but it relies on some good, old-fashioned tropes (creepy forest, terrifying children, fairies, demons, power that is a bit on the "be careful what you wish for" side) and there's a nice cultural balance. I like the parties, I love a blood feud, I enjoy the fact that it isn't a flat "everyone is the same everywhere" world. This is where I'll note that I overall enjoyed Evelyn Rose's voice performance, but I'm not completely sure about the accent choice for Talan. However, I do like that there was a choice at all. Whereas Gemma sounds a bit more standard posh-ish British, Talan has a bit of... Mediterranean...? Influence? And then the rival family, the Basks, sound more Northern. It's a nice touch. I buy that these people would have different traditions and approaches to things.
--Gemma is not only unable to perform magic; her body rejects magic around her and causes her immense pain. I really liked this aspect. Her chronic pain isn't easily managed, and despite Gemma being confident of her appeal, flirty, sexually active, all that--she struggles. She hides it. She's ashamed of it. She hates her body because of it. She struggles with suicidal ideation. I just really appreciated this unvarnished look at pain in a fantasy setting.
--This is what I would call a romance, though it is the first book in the series and not everything is resolved at the end. Therefore, the central romance is where I'm going to focus... and I was really back and forth on it. Talan and Gemma are kind of instantly struck by and attracted to each other--I hesitate to call that initial attraction "instalove", but she does fall hard and fast and I know people take issue with that.
In some ways, I actually did appreciate that Gemma fell so quickly, because it does make sense that she's desperate for relief from her pain, not only physically, but emotionally. For reasons I'll be vague about, Talan can help on both fronts, and it's no wonder that she falls so hard. And I will say, I do think that later in the book, we get some payoff for Gemma's heavy emotional investment in him, in a form that I liked quite a bit because DRAMA.
Where I more struggled with this love story initially was... him? Talan is what I would call a soft boy, a beta hero (cinnamon roll.... may be incorrect) and I generally don't warm to a lot of heroes in that vein. He's emotional, he's not super effective in a fight (though he's not ineffective), he's beautiful, he's more of a gentlemanly courtier than a rake. I was not only the Talan Train for a good while, and if you aren't on that train, you may not get Gemma becoming so smitten with him so quickly. I just thought he was kind of a shallow, weak love interest.
However...... While there were still some things that didn't fully come together with Talan's characterization (I feel like Legrand held back in an effort to write A Different Kind of Hero than what people may have expected) I... I don't know, man. He kind of won me over? I think that Talan was so different from what I generally see in these books--not tough enough to be a warrior hero, not mean enough to be a bad boy, not nice enough to be a Morally Righteous Good Choice--that he kind of Stockholm Syndrome'd me into liking him. Though I will admit, a lot of that was because he seemed pretty good in bed. Like, he'd cry, and he'd have a fever, he'd give her three orgasms in a row--in the end, I kind of feel like I was picturing a mixture of "Hozier" and "anime Howl from Howl's Moving Castle" and I... had my quibbles, but I was not... mad.
--This book does have some pacing issues. I'll be real--I know this is a fantasy romance, but it's still a romance at the core, and I personally don't know that many romances need to be over 400 pages. I think this really could've been a cool 400. Cut down some of the supporting cast scenes; snip it down to setting up the next couple, maybe; put more focus on Talan and Gemma's story. There was a whole section where they were separated right after I finally gave up and admitted they'd won me over, and that was a bummer.
--Gemma's dad: hot? Just putting that out there.
--As I said, this is a romance with some loose threads. However, though I would not say there's an HEA--it doesn't stand alone, there are two more books, and by God if you slowly convinced me to root for this fantasy Harry Styles and the woman who loves him, I better fucking get their HEA at the end of the trilogy--I think we've really gone as far as we can go with the romantic arc for Talan and Gemma. They're in love, I don't think they need any more internal threats (external threats are another thing) and as long as I see them happy in the end of the series, I'm good. I don't know what Legrand's plan is for the other two books. Gemma has two sisters, though, both of whom get pagetime that makes me feel like I understand their general internal conflicts. I feel like there are two ways in which the next book could go with a new love story. And I'm really hoping she takes the way that I felt was teased kind of heavily in this novel. But either way, I guess I'm reading the next one, so as much as I did have real issues here... she won? I guess that's all that matters.
--This book does have what I think of as first book syndrome, which is another reason why I hope Legrand focuses on other couples next, though I did end up liking Talan and Gemma. It feels like she took the path of least resistance with the first couple in her romance series--which is what I see so often in romance series. So I'm hoping that the next two really expand on this world, and offer two more couples, both of which are heavier in terms of like... I don't know. Internal conflict? Progression? Gemma and Talan really did give me "young love", and I'll go with that for a first book, but I need more for the next two.
The Sex Stuff: And here's where Talan won me over! (And in another way, but that's a whole thing.) I really liked the sex in this book. It's not super sexy heavy, but the sex is pretty explicit. From what I recall, there's at least one good ol' d'Astier fingerbang, a dry humping scene (which ends so hilariously that I did in fact squawk) and three full scenes with the whole shebang. Talan goes down a lot, which is good, because I don't know if he's good at life in general otherwise! Generally, though, the sex did feel very "aww, these two crazy kids", and I appreciated that it was in many ways a distraction from how much Gemma's life sucked. Sure, there are curses and shit, but if Talan is gonna fuck you facedown into the mattress, you can check out of all that for a minute. On that note! Talan is totally one of those soft boys who's like "and now I'm gonna tear it up", which I did tip my hat to.
A mixed bag, yes. But I am intrigued by the series, and I was entertained. For me, a book being messy but interesting is a lesser sin compared to a book being more even but boring. It had rough patches. However, I think there is a very real potential for a stronger second installment. I'll be waiting.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own....more