Caleb W. Moline

Even better than the first!

Revisado: 03-14-24

Everything I liked about the first book—the characters, their stories, the worldbuilding and mythology—was expanded upon in this second book.

Funny, out of all of the characters in book one, I disliked Max (the protagonist) the most. I even liked the evil narcissist king more than Max. He was FAR too whiny and petulant, throwing hissy fits about, well, everything.

But in this second book, Max starts to take ownership of that; of himself. Ben Alderson rides a razor’s edge between adolescence and adulthood. I felt for him and what he went through before book two, but I also felt that his emotional reaction to those things was almost always distasteful, off-putting.

He’s my favorite character, now (well, top five—and that’s better than bottom three). I genuinely feel compassion for him, but also pride that he barrels through challenge after challenge to protect his family and friends.

Ben writes in such a way that I experience Max’s grief, happiness, satisfaction, anger, everything. I wasn’t expecting to dislike Max more, but I REALLY wasn’t expecting to like him more (which I do!). He’s growing up. He wants to do right by his people. He throws a tantrum every now and then, but not so much in the childish way we saw in book one.

The story is so well done. I don’t have notes, other than to say that the MM physical romance is mostly limited just one (I think?) scene, but it’s a doozy:

I’m a guy. I was halfway through walking my dog around the block when the MM romance picked up. It became obvious that there was an embarrassing… state of arousal… around my hip region. I had to switch over to neutral sounding orchestral music just so I could manage to walk home without a conspicuous object bulging near the front of my grey sweats.

Read these books! If you think the beginning of part one is slow, I don’t necessarily disagree with you. It kinda is. Yet having fully read the first two books, the book one pace makes sense. It needed to gain the momentum, and Ben has definitely achieved that during book two.

I’m soooo happy to have found this author. None of my favorite MM romance authors have published any new material for a long time. This guy has his own unique voice. He’s entertaining. Thrilling. Dismal. Dazzling. Can’t wait for book three.

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A surprisingly compelling story

Revisado: 03-14-24

I’m not going to lie—it took me a bit longer than usual to get into the story. The characters, including the protagonists, were largely unlikeable.

But Max grew on me. Then Beatrice. Then Cameron. Then, even the antagonists. Ben Alderson manages to develop an entire cast of characters that are *always* interesting.

Speaking of characters, the narrator does an excellent job through and through. I didn’t have to speed him up (a lot of audiobooks are just a tad too slow for my attention span) at all. He hit all the feels, earnestness, sarcasm, hope, and rage just right

I love the mythical world Ben’s made for this trilogy. It’s not exactly groundbreaking fantasy, but it is *very* much its own. The lore, the politics, the gods, all of it.

I really appreciate that Max is written like someone his age. While he’s in or at least near his late teens (I think?), he’s still somewhere between being a kid and an adult. Ben balances on that edge throughout the whole book. He’s kind, bratty, sweet, a bit petulant at times, gracious at others.

I feel like MM fantasy can seem so generic, particularly the characters. Oh, a super hot dragon shifter hunk who scowls all the time gets stuck on assignment with a rosy cheeked, cheery ingenue twink? He’s JUST SO gruff and dominant (what a man!) and the ingenue is so soft and submissive (what a bottom!). I’m not judging that at all. I still like those books. A lot.

But THIS book has all the things I want in any fiction. It would be a great book without the MM romance, and I don’t think many authors of MM romance can say that.

The MM romance itself was… a bit stilted in the first book. It’s supposed to be. It really finds itself in the second book.

Other than the slow beginning, I don’t really have anything negative to say. I’d recommend it to any gay, with the caveat that there are some really sad parts. If you prefer happy-go-lucky, Annie-singing-“the sun will come out tomorrow” fantasy, this probably isn’t for you.

However, it’s not as dark or bleak as GRR Martin’s or Joe Abercrombie’s work, for reference

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Fun and sexy

Revisado: 07-19-23

I loved this book!

I was a little concerned about having three narrators, but I understood the reason. All in all, it worked out really well, and the characters were easy to distinguish most of the time. I actually liked that each point of view had his own narrator. It added personality to each main character.

The story was great. There was plenty of action and development. I genuinely loved each character and that they all had their own individual journeys that intertwined with the others.’

This book hit all the spots. I can’t wait for more in this series.

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Another slam dunk fantasy

Revisado: 07-08-23

I’m both surprised and not surprised that I loved this book just a little more than the first. Edwards seems to really care about the cast and the world he’s building, but I didn’t expect him to outdo himself.

There should be a content warning, as some of the events dealing with SA mentioned in the first book are mentioned in greater detail. I do think it’s an important part of the story, but if SA content could be a trigger for you, I’d consider it very carefully.

This is GREAT fantasy. The action, intrigue, and romance is captivating and addicting. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy and queer representation.

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A very impressive beginning

Revisado: 07-08-23

I couldn’t put this book (or the following books) down. Edwards has built a world and magic system that’s intriguing, and a lovable cast of characters within it. It’s a cool mix of medieval and modern, and like other well-made worlds, I keep wanting to find out more.

I LOVE the main characters. They’re layered, flawed, driven, and surprising. And every bit as compelling as the story itself is.

I’m addicted to this this series, now. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, action-adventure, and romance. It’s so wonderful to have queer representation done so well.

I don’t know if there’s a warning before buying or starting the book, but there IS some content that deals with abuse and SA, and I’d recommend that anyone who finds portrayals of that sort of stuff triggering to be careful and/or avoid this series.

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Thoroughly impressed

Revisado: 06-15-23

I loved everything about this book. Burns and Fawkes did a wonderful job with both the story and the characters. I was nervous about the choice to employ two narrators, but they worked very well together and I think it added to the experience, having two distinct voices for the two primary characters. I found it difficult to stop listening when I had to attend to my responsibilities. I really hope that they develop this into a series. The world they’ve created seems to have a lot of potential, and plenty of the characters would make interesting protagonists.

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Improved narration

Revisado: 06-12-23

I really liked the story and characters in the first book, but had some trouble with the narration—it seemed overly affected the entire time. It was distracting and took away from the more climactic moments.

This narration was almost completely the opposite. I can see why some reviewers found the change jarring, because it is a noticeable shift. For myself, this narration was a lot more accessible, and it fits the tone of the story very well.

I loved this story, even though quite a bit of it was predictable. I think anyone who enjoyed the first book would enjoy this one.

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