is was a YA book I would understand cuz the only one that I could have believed was older than teenager was Bastian. And I loved Bastian. More than Gabe. Gave was annoying I didn't like him. He felt very hot and cold and I couldn't tell if that was because he was supposed to be like complex or if he just sucks. 30:T722,4 Stars
Cover 5 Stars

WWTQ: How do a terrible spy, a reluctant prince, and a guilty priest reconcile their vast differences on theocratic governance?

Answer: Lots of flirting.

Right out front, this was fun. I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters, the world, and the writing. Lore's snark often made me snort out loud. I think it had a few issues which is why it's not a five-star for me.

In particular, I didn't think the romance part was necessary or even interesting. I would not characterize this as a fantasy romance. It's just a fantasy book with men and women and it's impossible for men and women to be together without wanting to sleep together, apparently. I'd have had more respect for the story, had all the characters remained firmly in a supportive, platonic, role. Not all love needs to be sexual. The "murder mystery" was pretty obvious from the beginning, even though logically it doesn't make sense. Despite the long descriptions of seemingly random things, this isn't well explained. The author set the reader up to come to the conclusion in an overt, slap-you-across-the-face way but then spent no time explaining why. As a result, the "big reveal" felt very scooby doo and unsatisfying.

What I did think was unique, but I'm not sure worked well, was: that Lore, Gabe, and Bastien were really pawns in their own story. While they moved the plot along, and we followed Lore, had they done nothing, had they just sat around the castle gossiping for 300 pages, the same result would have happened. I do think this is a disservice to the characters and it makes the sequel hard to swallow. Why would we believe that they would do anything more

The Foxglove King - Likewise Book Reviews

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