Review by GingerSnapped
May 24I don’t even know how to fully explain why this book hit me so hard, but it did, and it is firmly one of my all-time favorites.
I absolutely adored Allen. He is clever, diplomatic, resilient, and just so easy to root for. Watching him navigate court politics and win over a High King who constantly underestimates him was deeply satisfying.
Sarrica, the High King, is infuriating. He is stubborn, dismissive, and so blinded by grief and pride that he cannot see what is right in front of him. I wanted to smack him more than once, and his friends clearly felt the same. Allen was handpicked and trained for years to be the High Consort, and he deserves far more than the cold reception he gets. That is what makes it all the more rewarding when he slowly proves Sarrica wrong.
I usually dislike the dead spouse trope, and this book reminded me exactly why. Nyle, the late consort, casts a long and frustrating shadow. He is portrayed as both a beloved martyr and someone who seemed to care very little for the people he left behind. He tried to leave the marriage, abandoned his children right after the birth of the second, and ran back to the battlefield, where he died.
The only thing I found interesting about Nyle is that, in a real-world context, he would likely be recognized as a trans man. In this world, however, children are not assigned a gender at birth. They choose who they are when they are ready. That cultural nuance adds complexity to his character, but it does not excuse how absent he was as a partner and parent. Sarrica’s unwillingness to let go of the idealized version of Nyle was incredibly frustrating, especially when Allen, someone so devoted and capable, was right there.
For me, the series ends with this book. I did not care much for the later entries, and I especially disliked the short stories, where a female character is added into Allen and Sarrica’s relationship not just as a surrogate, but romantically. That dynamic did not sit right with me.
But this book on its own is perfect. Thoughtful, emotional, and empowering. I will keep coming back to it whenever I need a reminder that strength does not always look the way people expect.
I don’t even know how to fully explain why this book hit me so hard, but it did, and it is firmly one of my all-time favorites.
I absolutely adored Allen. He is clever, diplomatic, resilient, and just so easy to root for. Watching him navigate court politics and win over a High King who constantly underestimates him was deeply satisfying.
Sarrica, the High King, is infuriating. He is stubborn, dismissive, and so blinded by grief and pride that he cannot see what is right in front of him. I wanted to smack him more than once, and his friends clearly felt the same. Allen was handpicked and trained for years to be the High Consort, and he deserves far more than the cold reception he gets. That is what makes it all the more rewarding when he slowly proves Sarrica wrong.
I usually dislike the dead spouse trope, and this book reminded me exactly why. Nyle, the late consort, casts a long and frustrating shadow. He is portrayed as both a beloved martyr and someone who seemed to care very little for the people he left behind. He tried to leave the marriage, abandoned his children right after the birth of the second, and ran back to the battlefield, where he died.
The only thing I found interesting about Nyle is that, in a real-world context, he would likely be recognized as a trans man. In this world, however, children are not assigned a gender at birth. They choose who they are when they are ready. That cultural nuance adds complexity to his character, but it does not excuse how absent he was as a partner and parent. Sarrica’s unwillingness to let go of the idealized version of Nyle was incredibly frustrating, especially when Allen, someone so devoted and capable, was right there.
For me, the series ends with this book. I did not care much for the later entries, and I especially disliked the short stories, where a female character is added into Allen and Sarrica’s relationship not just as a surrogate, but romantically. That dynamic did not sit right with me.
But this book on its own is perfect. Thoughtful, emotional, and empowering. I will keep coming back to it whenever I need a reminder that strength does not always look the way people expect.
