SO THIS IS EVER AFTER by F. T. Lukens

 

It's hard to know where to start with this one. I was definitely very excited when my copy showed up on my doorstep! In the end, though, it turned out the story just wasn't for me. And, as always, that's okay.

More than anything, this felt a little bit like reading fanfiction without knowing anything about the canon material. I sensed the characters all had quite vivid personalities and personal histories, but they just weren't on the page. Similarly, no doubt the world had nuance and complexity as all fantasy worlds do. It just wasn't on the page. 

Arek is the point of view character, and I really wouldn't know what to say about him, other than that he's a tad unlikable and really, really crass! (But then again, he's a 17 year old boy.) He's in love with his best friend Matt—and I think it's really hard to start a story off where two characters are already in love. Or it could be that this just isn't the type of love story I can easily connect with. But I could never really see why Arek loves Matt, or even why Matt loves Arek, and that was a bit of a deal-breaker for me. I love romance, but what I love most about romance is see what it is the two people admire in one another, seeing their respect for and devotion for one another. As for Matt, he likes books and... probably lots of other stuff, but we never learn what any of that is. 

It also doesn't help that they look like mirror images of one another on the cover! 😅 Nevertheless, the cover art is certainly gorgeous. 

The supporting cast feel a little bit like D&D characters that had just been constructed before the "campaign" (story) started. We've got one person of each class, and their personalities align with that class. So we've got the sneaky thief, the noble knight, the saucy bard, and the stalwart fighter. But what does Bethany want more than anything in the world? What keeps Rion up at night? What's Lila's greatest fear? I found it impossible to answer any of these questions, and sadly, it's impossible to answer them for Arek and Matt, too. (I say sadly because these kinds of deeper connections for characters are what I tend to look for in a book.)

The voice is certainly very strong, but it's kind of annoying, too? Arek is kind of a jerk at times, but I think that just might be his natural teenager-ness. He also constantly lusts after his friends while also being in love with Matt. Which is normal, I'm sure, it was just... disconcerting. I really didn't need to read about the tenth time his friend Sionna gave him a boner. (Yes, he uses the word "boner.")

I spent most of the book wanting desperately to be emotionally invested in these characters, and it just never happened. 

That said, it's light-hearted and low stakes, which is usually just my cup of tea. If you don't mind Shrek-like fairytale world and the D&D-style characters, this would likely be a very enjoyable read. The book has high scores on Storygraph, and I can see why.

There was only one character of color, which was a bit odd. Everyone seemed to be bisexual? (Or maybe Arek just assumed everyone was?) And there was one non-binary character towards the end. It feels like the author was conscious with regards to diversity, though it felt a bit awkward to me.

To some degree, I felt like I was reading a middle-grade book with the words "boner" and "fuck" tossed in randomly on every other page. And that's not to insult middle-grade books—Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine are two of my all-time favorites. But I would personally just rather spend time with the thoughtful Dashti (from Book of a Thousand Days) or adorably awkward Aza (from Fairest) than boner-having Arek. 

PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by Samantha Shannon

 

Where do I even begin with this one....

I started the book sometime in May, guestimating it would take me at least a month to get through it. And here it is, the beginning of September. Whelp.

Don't get me wrong. This book is breathtaking. And it is, without question, THE book to have broken my YEARS LONG reading slump. I literally can't wait to pick up another book.

But holy shit it's long.

I think we could've done without the first 2-300 pages of Ead at court. I suspect this was to try and build up the relationship between her and Sabran, but I don't feel that ever really got off the ground. I'm not really sure what they see in each other, but also... I don't really know who they are. Ead is essentially a warrior nun. Which is cool, but it's not, you know. A personality. Sabran generally comes across as cold and unrelenting (though she becomes abruptly progressive at the end of the book—not that I minded that, but I never really saw much evidence for this sudden change of heart). We're sometimes told that she can be easily depressed or gloomy, but I don't feel like we got to see this in her.

But that's okay, honestly. I could easily brush aside their romance and just enjoy the dangerous world of politics and magic that surrounded them both. There were many minor characters surrounding them that were more interesting; Meg, for instance, or Chassar. 

Tané is next. I will say it took a loooooong time for her personality and story to get off the ground. For about 400 pages or so, she was "the girl who fights hard to be the best." Once she experiences her great heartache/fall (I'll try not to give spoilers here), she really starts to grow. But it does take some time. In the end, her bond with Nayimathun is quite sweet, and I loved Nayimathun's gentle confidence in her. Towards the end of the book, I think she starts to see dragons as companions instead of gods, and that's true growth.

Loth is, frankly, a precious bean. I found him to be the second most likable major character (though Tané isn't far behind). In a strange way, he doesn't experience much growth; he's still the same gentle-hearted, earnest guy at the end of the story as he was at its beginning. But there's just something about that earnestness of his that really tugged at my heartstrings. I loved his friendship with Sabran and Ead, but it was the sort of thing that we saw without really feeling. I think this is because he is separated from them before the book even begins, so we don't get to actually experience their deep love for one another. When they meet again after, what, 4, 500 pages? and embrace, it feels... a bit hollow. Still, that's hardly Loth's fault. For a long portion of the text, I thought he was hinted at as being asexual/aromantic, but every now and then he would, out of nowhere, think about the Donmata Marosa, a woman he barely knew. I'm not sure if this fascination/concern of his was supposed to be romantic, but it felt sadly very tacked on.

And finally... Niclays Roos. Man, what can I really say about this guy? I DEFINITELY have a new favorite character. Forget the other characters. His personality consistently leapt right off the page (and into my heart). Dr. Roos... outcast by a relentlessly proud queen (her persistent heartlessness towards him does her no favors) and quietly grieving over the loss of a man he wasn't even allowed to fully be with... he absolutely broke my heart. The world consistently spit on Niclays Roos, and he had to just stand there and take it. This man multiple times throughout the narrative contemplated death, then bitterly called himself a coward for not being able to seek it. If that's not relatable... 

In many ways, Niclays truly makes up for the flatness of many of the other characters. Since he's a major character (and POV character) I always knew another chapter of his was just around the corner, and it often helped me slog through some of those early Ead or Tané chapters. I also felt the end of his story was handled with compassion and dignity, and I was just... really grateful for that.

Characters aside... it just felt great to read an epic fantasy that wasn't cishet white male-centric. I haven't dabbled in the sub-genre since my high school days, when it was dominated by dudes like Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin (names that frankly still dominate it... some things never change, I guess 🙄).

All I can say is, when's the HBO show? When's the Amazon show. The Netflix show. This needs to happen. I won't get on a soapbox here, but for the love of the Mother, let's be done with these old white dudes and their crusty, misogynistic stories. 

I'm ready for a change. 😤