Astrid Amara

Astrid Amara has created as beautifully written, engaging fantasy with detailed world-building and a plot-driven romance at the heart. I was torn between classifying this as a romance in a fantasy setting, or a fantasy with a romantic subplot, because the two genres are so well balanced and fully developed. The fantasy world draws heavily from Indian influences, such as the caste system, the physical descriptions of the characters and even the fashion. Into this, she has introduced a unique, show more and appropriately limited magical system. Sometimes authors get carried away with magic, as though it is the end-all and be-all of fantasy. Here, the human kingdom is mirrored by a Yashva (demon) kingdom. Special "spells" can call the demons from their realm into the human one to be used as magical energy weapons, or for healing. The ruling Triya caste believes only they can invoke these shartas - when the fact is the lower castes are not even permitted to try to learn.

The caste system plays a crucial role in the plot, but I was also relieved the author didn't go the cliché route of having lovers from two different castes falling into a Romeo and Juliet parody. Jandu and Keshan are both of the highest caste. Keshan wants to improve the lot of the lower castes; Jandu cannot see past his own reality until it is forcefully changed. I was shocked, and then delighted when the author brought in a plot twist where Jandu is transformed by a curse to give him an entirely new perspective. It was both funny, and also inherently sad. The romance between Jandu and Keshan, kept secret because same sex relationships are forbidden, builds slowly and believably - as does Jandu's enlightenment. He doesn't fall in love and suddenly alter his worldview. There is explicit sex, but it naturally occurs and does not dominate the story.

Overall, I was enthralled by this novel. And it is a novel, with a lot of depth to the main plot and subplots. No large fonts or big margins to pad the page count. There is a large cast of players, each with substantial character development. Conspiracies, politics, battles and relationships all play out. The descriptions are detailed and vivid, pulling a reader into the world. The dialog is sharp and realistic. My only minor critique is I would have liked to see more of the fallout from the final battle. In this instance, I think an epilogue would have been very welcome. Highly recommended. show less

3 stars

Paul inherits a stable in the town he grew up in. He plans to unload it as soon as possible, because he wants, and because being back in the town that he grew up in isn't pleasant. Not to mention the horses. Unfortunately, people who are willing to buy a stable aren't lying thick on the ground, and Paul is still trying to offload the facility months later while trying to make ends meet. Then he meets the stable trainer, Estevan, a famous expensive horse goes missing, and Paul's cousin show more is resentful that he didn't inherit the stables and things get a little wonky.

Well. This was an experience. There was so much going on in this book, from the owners, to Paul coming to terms with his past, to the missing horse that Paul investigates, to the cousin and all the trouble he caused. But don't you worry! There was plenty of room in the story for Paul to essentially force his attentions on Estevan, even though he kept saying no. No, Paul didn't commit rape, but he did keep laying hands (and a mouth, from what I remember) on Estevan without consent or even, in my opinion, encouragement. Paul kept thinking that Estevan was blowing hot and cold on him, and I kept thinking "Dude. There is no hot or cold. He's not showing you anything but professionalism and concern for what is happening around the stables. Back off." It seemed to me that Paul had an "I want it, so I should get it" attitude, regardless of reality, which came across in a predatory way. Side note: I know that some people have an issue with bodice rippers from the 70s and 80s, and they are definitely problematic, but they seem almost kinder than this book. Probably because there is (usually) a reason for what is done, and the women definitely get their own back, which doesn't happen in this book.
Paul also wasn't very professional with any of his employees, not just the one he was attracted to. Add in the mess of everything else that was going on (sooooo over the top), and this was just... something not great. So why did I rate this 3 stars? Well, about halfway through the book, I finally gave up and went and looked at the original publishing date. It was 2011, and attitudes were really quite different then, regarding consent and regarding whether or not men could control themselves and how men comported themselves in same-sex relationships. So I gave it a little leeway, and instead of 2 stars, went with 3.aul has inherited a stable from his aunt. show less

Several days later, the feeling that has stayed with me from this read is happiness. Happiness that each of the MCs was strong, even if not sure of themselves, and stayed true to themselves, instead of just folding and too easily forgiving/forgetting the past. Happiness that this was a really good and inventive story. I liked the mystery and the surprising ending and scare that came with that. It was cool to learn some of the Jewish traditions, seeing as I don't know much about them at all. show more The secondary characters were all distinct and very memorable. I enjoyed this read immensely (and in July too!) and recommend it to anyone who likes good little gems. show less

This one has left me with a bit of a problem.

On the one hand, I loved it. The world building, the strength of the characters and the way the action unfolds is brilliantly written. Especially little details that just "finish" the whole thing, without getting bogged down.

On the other hand, Levi's virtual blindness to things going on around him is baffling. For someone to have survived what he did to remain so clueless, so naive, is hard to swallow. And that did pull me out of the story at show more times.

But, even though it wasn't perfect, it was still a great read. show less