It has been foreseen many times that Prince Edmund is going to be a great king. Which is a lot of pressure on a young man who’d rather spend his time with plants versus people. He is a Prince of Fortune blessed with earth and weather magic and expected to great things. Lord Aubrey Ainsley is a seer who barely qualifies as nobility. Excited to experience court for the first time, neither he nor anyone else expected that he and Prince Edmund would become friends almost instantly. As the two young men grow closer war looms on the horizon, and both of them will have a role to play in keeping their country and each other safe.
This delightful queer romantasy was a breath of fresh air. I am a little bit jaded when it comes to my YA novels, but this one was really lovely. It also did a number of things that I really appreciated. There were no love triangles. The main couple worked really well as partners even when separated and did a great job of communicating. I loved the relationships between both of the main characters and their families as well.
The world building was also great. The setting has a regency-esque feel to it, and I appreciate the fact that for the most part the world is free from racism, sexism, and homophobia. All of this comes up naturally in the story as well rather than feeling shoehorned in. While the book does deal with some heavy topics at times like war, I really liked the way it was handled. War is never glorified or portrayed as anything other than awful.
Aubrey and Edmund are both fantastic characters on their own, and I was really invested in both their romance as well as their individual arcs and growth. They go through a lot, but the end makes it worth it. While this is a stand alone novel with a very satisfying ending as far as I can tell, I would definitely read more books that were set in this world. I would highly recommend to any teens or adults who like fantasy with a dash of romance. Five out of five stars.
Bingo – Family