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Genre: fantasy (sword and sorcery) (YA) (novella)

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian

Warnings: none

Rating: 3.5 stars

REVIEWED BY ANON.​


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Review

Shaun Grayson has always wanted to be a knight, and protecting Princess Sara, whom she definitely does not have a crush on, is her mission. But when the Kingdom of Riverend is sacked and Sara’s life is truly in danger, Shaun finds there’s much more to being a knight than cute girls, petty squabbles, and court intrigue.

General

Okay, I’m a sucker for knight/princess trope when it’s f/f. Give me damsels in distress being saved by other damsels any day. A number of these types of books have come out (heh) in the YA market recently, and CORRUPTION OF HONOR (hereafter CoH) fits well within them. There aren’t any real surprises in this book, and I think readers will find it comfortably familiar: the squabbling with the love interest princess, the courageous, pure of heart knight, and a set of (predictable) circumstances that throws them together.
Not every book has to be a great modern work of fiction. Sometimes its nice to have slice of life books and trope books, and CoF scratched my ‘knights and princess’ itch perfectly. The pacing was reasonable, the action scenes well done, and there was suitable chemistry between Shaun and Sara. The ending as well–a cliffhanger–left me both pleased with the book’s progress but also wanting to read more. Not bad for a 138 page novella.

In late, out early

I don’t believe I have ever said this about a book before, but I think CoH came in way too late in the story. Yes, the conventional wisdom is ‘in late, out early,’ but CoH begins in what I would consider a chapter three or four–thrusting us into Shaun’s and Sara’s conflict without any real worldbuilding or character dynamics. It’s effective as the reader is immediately part of the story, but I felt like some comfort tropes were missed. Since this is a trope book at heart, that some of the formula was skipped made me grumpy.
Where was my ‘Shaun has always wanted to be a knight but XX stands in her way?’ Where was my ‘Sara is feisty and once beat Shaun in a wooden sword duel so is both girly and able to take care of herself?” Most importantly, where is the tension of how Shaun and Sara met and how Shaun became her guard? I think there was a lot of potential in this narrative for a delicious romance, but instead the book was a very short introduction and then one hundred pages of battle. And I like battle, don’t get me wrong, but I needed more character grounding, and an info dump in the back of the book in some backmatter doesn’t help much.

Despite my grumbles however, this was a fun, short read. It lacked any serious problematic elements and could be a teen’s easy introduction into sword and sorcery fantasy. Shaun and Sara are believable protagonists, their sexuality is on-page but never an issue, and the book follows well-known and well-loved trajectories. Readers looking for a fun adventure-fluff read, as well as those who enjoyed OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst, LUNAV by Jenn Polish (although this is more dark fantasy), and PORTRAITS OF A FAERIE QUEEN by Tay LaRoi, will also likely enjoy CoH.

You can buy CORRUPTION OF HONOR in paperback here and ebook here.

Genre: epic fantasy

Pairings: f/f

Queer Representation: cis lesbian, bisexual (?)

Warnings: none

Rating: four stars

REVIEWED BY ANON.

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​Review

An epic war across an empire is detailed through the experiences of four women: a warrior, a poet/singer, a scholar, and a belle.
 
General

It's rare that one gets to view war through the eyes of women, especially when such a view is not driven solely by warrior-women. THE WINGED HISTORIES (TWH from now on) provides a lush, lyrical description of four strong-willed women as they cope with the challenges of power, corruption, and 'dark' magic.

In many ways, this book reminded me of THE TIGER'S DAUGHTER in terms of prose and general construction. Samatar's writing is poetry, and so nuanced that each sentence really should be read a few times to really get the full meaning. In contrast to THE TIGER'S DAUGHTER, however, TWH is less love story and more bold epic fantasy. While there is a f/f romance line, it is not the main purpose of the story. Instead, it serves to highlight the moral grayness of those engaged in war, and gives a deep humanity to several of the characters.
 
Plot

Deeply woven, sometimes almost to confusion, the plot of TWH has an unexpected depth and a slow climax. None of these detract from the book, and in fact make it more compelling a read. Readers who handle more than two POV characters well will have absolutely no issues in following each chapter, however those who stumble with more than two POVs may want to look elsewhere. Due to the complexity of both prose and plot,  the reader must be 'turned on' at every moment while reading, and this can be tiresome over 300 or so pages.
 
On wlw

While I never really connected with the aloof Tav, her poet/singer love interest was remarkably compelling. The romance, when viewed through the poet's eyes, was very well realized and fulfilling. Unfortunately the first POV we are introduced to is Tav's (the warrior), and she felt flat and two-dimensional. It was the later character POVs that better drew me in, and while I did have a hard time finishing the book, I do not regret pushing through it.
 
Generally, if you are a lover of high fantasy and more lyrical writing, this book is a solid choice. You can buy it in paperback here and ebook here.