Review: Sage and King, by Molly Ringle

Zaya expected to be the irresponsible youngest prince his whole life. But when his two older siblings are killed by an unidentified magician, he finds himself crowned king of Lushrain—the end of his liberty as he knows it. As part of his training, he’s sent to Heartwood for a month, the house of the sages high in the mountains. There, to his shock, the sages tell him he must learn about magic—which is illegal to practice, but has nonetheless been among Heartwood’s secret studies for centuries. They assign Col as his tutor, a charming young sage with unusually strong powers. Zaya abhors and distrusts magic, and Col absolutely doesn’t want the job of attempting to change the king’s mind. But in their lessons and debates, they grow closer and begin envisioning a future in which a sage and a king might make a harmonious couple. But the assassin still roams, seeking to hurt Zaya, and the budding love affair may be crushed by the secrets that Heartwood—and Col—have kept about this killer.

"It's sweet that you think I travel in polite society." 

Molly Ringle's Sage and King is a charming romantasy novella that the author identifies as originally having been a BBC Merlin fanfiction. Having never watched the show, I don't know how much it captures the dynamic, but I can say that it stands well enough on its own, with a delightfully banter-y dual POV and many sweet moments between the main characters.

Their mutual attraction happens pretty much instantly, which is pretty normal given the length of the medium, but the author makes up for it with an intense focus on their honeymoon period and a deft handling of the many secrets threatening to end their relationship before it properly starts. The conflict, although it resolves pretty quickly, feels believable and the resolution earned.

The King's brother would have benefited from some more focus, to show how truly dangerous and disturbed he is; he feels very child-like in his moods, and the sudden addition of a terrible crime towards the end doesn't feel like it's handled very well.

The worldbuilding is basic but interesting, featuring a magic system based on plants. The book features many intriguing conversations on the topic as the sage instructs the king on the kind of magic they can do, and it doesn't feel like infodump, but like believable conversations.

Sage and King is a sweet treat.

✨ 3.5 stars

 

Review: The Isle in the Silver Sea, by Tasha Suri

 

In a Britain fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes. Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen's court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other?

As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them. But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch? 

"I’d rather break the world to fit you." 

Tasha Suri's The Isle in the Silver Sea is an atmospheric tale about the importance of stories, also taking a firm stance against colonialism and monarchy and the erasure of diversity. This gorgeous sapphic standalone vividly paints an out-of-time Great Britain completely disconnected from the rest of the world, taking away the memories of whover comes to live there from over the sea. It's a powerful reflection on connection, racism, and revolution, and a compelling tale of reincarnation.

Incarnates are archetypes, but they're also complex characters with needs and wants and the desire to break free. Drawing on many known English tales and even Arthurian legend, Tasha Suri weaves a stunning tapestry of interconnected fates and creates a beatiful reflection on predestination and the choices we can make. Simran and Vina are fated to love each other and die for each other, but theirs is finally a choice to fight for each other and for freedom. The glimpes of past lives make this story greater, showing the magnitude of these unnatural cycles and their effect on the island.

The world-building is perfectly sculpted by the lush prose, detailling a kingdom that's stuck in the past and refuses to recognize change as a good thing. The supporting cast shines, especially the assassin's tragic figure. The pacing stumbles a bit in the second part, but it leads to a perfect finale.

The Isle in the Silver Sea is another masterpiece from a great author.

✨ 4.5 stars

Snippet: Songs for Ghosts, by Clara Kumagai

 

Seventeen-year-old Adam has just broken up with his boyfriend Evan and is not looking forward to the excruciating awkwardness at school for the rest of term or a whole summer stuck at home with his dad, stepmom and baby brother, Benji.
But then Adam discovers a diary in some boxes in the attic and is quickly enthralled by their poignant story. They were written by a young woman living in Nagasaki in 1911. Adam is enraptured by her life and loves, becoming totally absorbed in her story. And then he starts to be haunted by her ghostly presence...

Clara Kumagai's Songs for Ghosts is a lovely YA exploration of grief, war, and self-discovery, equal parts chilling ghost story, retelling of the orientalist classic Madama Butterfly, and history lesson. Through the dual narrative - in the modern day, a biracial gay teen finds the diary of a young woman living in Nagasaki at the start of the century - we explore issues of consent, war crimes, and the intricacies of family. The tragic protagonist of Puccini's opera is given depth, a rich inner life, and a somewhat gentler fate that also ends up emboding the very fabric of Japan's tragedy. Her section is filled with old tales and references, effortlessly drawing from Japan's history and folklore. Adam's section mirrors and compliments hers well, though his problems may seem smaller in comparison; throughout the narrative loom very real ghostly presences. The soft ending brings a sense of closure.

✨ 4 stars