What do you think?
Rate this book
Princes of the Blood #1
Of Last Resort
In a kingdom ravaged by the beasts and terrors of an ancient war, the only hope against them is the army of mixed-blood beings known as the King's dragoons, shadowmarch, sorcerers, titans... and the Princes of the Blood, nigh-invincible warriors of fearsome magic and strength, their only weakness a need for pure human blood.
When his brother runs away, Raffé agrees to undergo the Blooding, but he is a pale imitation of his strong, capable brother. No one expects him to survive and become a Prince, merely to die to save the rest of his family and preserve honor.
But runaways and weaklings are the least of the kingdom's concerns when an ancient evil returns with new tricks, and their only hope lies with knowledge long lost and a fierce bond forged in darkness...
When his brother runs away, Raffé agrees to undergo the Blooding, but he is a pale imitation of his strong, capable brother. No one expects him to survive and become a Prince, merely to die to save the rest of his family and preserve honor.
But runaways and weaklings are the least of the kingdom's concerns when an ancient evil returns with new tricks, and their only hope lies with knowledge long lost and a fierce bond forged in darkness...
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2013
58 people are currently reading
1222 people want to read
About the author
Megan Derr
283 books2,936 followersMegan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.
meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
January 30, 2014
Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance
4.5 Stars
Of Last Resort was my first Megan Derr experience and let me tell you she grabbed me by the throat and shoved my face in this book. And I loved it. Every minute of it. I really did try to stop reading it-I have a kazillion other things to read, but I simply could not put it down. It went a little something like, 'Just one more chapter and then that's it! Well, I can't stop now I'm a 90%! That would just be silly.' And… here we are.
There is too much to like and discuss about Of Last Resort that I cannot possibly do it justice. It's an epic opening salvo to a series. Ms. Derr intersperses sociopolitical messages and commentary on current social mores into a fantasy adventure that's sure to keep anyone entertained. I wouldn't necessarily characterize Of Last Resort as a horror, but there are certainly some grisly moments and creatures which will continue to give me the heebeegeebees. Then again, I am a delicate flower; just look at my avatar. Primarily, Of Last Resort is a fantasy tale with a little romance on the side.
Raffé is the second, and largely ignored, son. Even after he volunteers to sacrifice himself in the Blooding ceremony to save his family from being labeled as traitors in place of his brother who's absconded, he's still shown no affection. Nothing. That is heartbreaking in and of itself but what twisted the knife was the fact that no one expects Raffé to survive the ceremony. This brings me to the first message in Of Last Resort which is family doesn't have to include blood. Raffé is wholly accepted by not only the other princes, but by all that comprise the king's legion. His transformation is noticeable throughout the course of the book. He thrives. Evolving from meek son and 'Princeling' to leader of men and 'Highness' within a few months under the expert tutelage of his fellow princes to be sure, but also he's encouraged to allow his demon half to flourish thereby giving him untold powers and a modicum of respect.
Through the Blooding Raffé becomes half demon and along with that he acquires powers. I won't give all of that away because it's fun to let it unfold, suffice to say he can do some really interesting things; I'm pretty sure we've not seen the extent of his powers. There are a plethora of magical or mystical creatures from mermaids, dead walkers, dragon shifters, sirens, mermaids, griffons, necromancers to shadowmarch, just to name a few. Ms. Derr's take on traditionally "good" vs. "evil" creatures is… unorthodox; she flips them which could possibly be a dig at religion and the church or perhaps a caution to be wary of black and white labels. I'm not sure but it certainly made for a somewhat dichotomous read-emotionally speaking that looked a little something like this...
As for the side of romance in Of Last Resort… well, let me back up a bit. That night Raffé volunteered for the Blooding he wends up wandering through a maze after having been denied a fond farewell, if you will, by his fiancé. He finds himself pushed into a wall by a man named "Cambord"-bearing in mind Raffé's not expected to live 24 hrs-and it's pitch black, so other than smell and touch it's anonymous. Raffé does live though. Of course he does. So, who is Cambord then? Will they ever meet again? Was it just a pity fuck? Add to that this big, strong, muscular Dragoon, Alrin, who Raffé is drawn to, feels comfortable with and also seems familiar… somehow and it's not hard to discern who Cambord really is. But those pesky fraternization rules are apparently alive and well in King Waldemar's land, so they're left with mostly friendship and one spectacular stolen moment.
So, Alrin's a little possessive and, thus, they must be separated. They also have a lunatic who insists on breaking seals, summoning demons and generally wreaking havoc throughout the kingdom that must be stopped.
Of Last Resort is divided into three sections, two of which are Raffé's perspective, the other Alrin's. There isn't a moment's peace in Of Last Resort. Seriously, it wrung me out emotionally. I needed a martini and a nap when it was all said and done. The story arc is highly satisfying and riddled with possibilities. There are a lot of characters. A Lot. Raffé is well developed; as I said before his progression is very gratifying. Many of the other princes are still somewhat enigmatic, but what Ms. Derr excels at is world building coupled with her ability to convey visceral images. Some of the images were so gruesome they won't soon be forgotten, yet I think what made it so satisfying for me was her ability to create everything from the ground up. Not only did she give each creature and land its due visually and even olfactorly but, the character's emotional reactions to the creatures or the different lands as well.
Last, but certainly not the least of the messages contained within Of Last Resort, Ms. Derr weaves in a undercurrent of equality and non-discrimination in this kingdom she's created. Marriage in any permutation is commonplace, even polyamorous ones.
I literally can NOT wait until the next installment. Hoping for more dragons.
An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
Of Last Resort was my first Megan Derr experience and let me tell you she grabbed me by the throat and shoved my face in this book. And I loved it. Every minute of it. I really did try to stop reading it-I have a kazillion other things to read, but I simply could not put it down. It went a little something like, 'Just one more chapter and then that's it! Well, I can't stop now I'm a 90%! That would just be silly.' And… here we are.
There is too much to like and discuss about Of Last Resort that I cannot possibly do it justice. It's an epic opening salvo to a series. Ms. Derr intersperses sociopolitical messages and commentary on current social mores into a fantasy adventure that's sure to keep anyone entertained. I wouldn't necessarily characterize Of Last Resort as a horror, but there are certainly some grisly moments and creatures which will continue to give me the heebeegeebees. Then again, I am a delicate flower; just look at my avatar. Primarily, Of Last Resort is a fantasy tale with a little romance on the side.
Raffé is the second, and largely ignored, son. Even after he volunteers to sacrifice himself in the Blooding ceremony to save his family from being labeled as traitors in place of his brother who's absconded, he's still shown no affection. Nothing. That is heartbreaking in and of itself but what twisted the knife was the fact that no one expects Raffé to survive the ceremony. This brings me to the first message in Of Last Resort which is family doesn't have to include blood. Raffé is wholly accepted by not only the other princes, but by all that comprise the king's legion. His transformation is noticeable throughout the course of the book. He thrives. Evolving from meek son and 'Princeling' to leader of men and 'Highness' within a few months under the expert tutelage of his fellow princes to be sure, but also he's encouraged to allow his demon half to flourish thereby giving him untold powers and a modicum of respect.
Through the Blooding Raffé becomes half demon and along with that he acquires powers. I won't give all of that away because it's fun to let it unfold, suffice to say he can do some really interesting things; I'm pretty sure we've not seen the extent of his powers. There are a plethora of magical or mystical creatures from mermaids, dead walkers, dragon shifters, sirens, mermaids, griffons, necromancers to shadowmarch, just to name a few. Ms. Derr's take on traditionally "good" vs. "evil" creatures is… unorthodox; she flips them which could possibly be a dig at religion and the church or perhaps a caution to be wary of black and white labels. I'm not sure but it certainly made for a somewhat dichotomous read-emotionally speaking that looked a little something like this...
As for the side of romance in Of Last Resort… well, let me back up a bit. That night Raffé volunteered for the Blooding he wends up wandering through a maze after having been denied a fond farewell, if you will, by his fiancé. He finds himself pushed into a wall by a man named "Cambord"-bearing in mind Raffé's not expected to live 24 hrs-and it's pitch black, so other than smell and touch it's anonymous. Raffé does live though. Of course he does. So, who is Cambord then? Will they ever meet again? Was it just a pity fuck? Add to that this big, strong, muscular Dragoon, Alrin, who Raffé is drawn to, feels comfortable with and also seems familiar… somehow and it's not hard to discern who Cambord really is. But those pesky fraternization rules are apparently alive and well in King Waldemar's land, so they're left with mostly friendship and one spectacular stolen moment.
I want to keep you. I want to lock you up and hide you away and not let anyone else near you. I don't want others touching you, I don't want them able to smell you. I want you hidden and safe. I want to hoard you and never share you with anyone again. I would shape my entire life around your every want and desire, around pleasing you and satisfying you, keeping you where I am not just the center of your world but all of it.
So, Alrin's a little possessive and, thus, they must be separated. They also have a lunatic who insists on breaking seals, summoning demons and generally wreaking havoc throughout the kingdom that must be stopped.
Of Last Resort is divided into three sections, two of which are Raffé's perspective, the other Alrin's. There isn't a moment's peace in Of Last Resort. Seriously, it wrung me out emotionally. I needed a martini and a nap when it was all said and done. The story arc is highly satisfying and riddled with possibilities. There are a lot of characters. A Lot. Raffé is well developed; as I said before his progression is very gratifying. Many of the other princes are still somewhat enigmatic, but what Ms. Derr excels at is world building coupled with her ability to convey visceral images. Some of the images were so gruesome they won't soon be forgotten, yet I think what made it so satisfying for me was her ability to create everything from the ground up. Not only did she give each creature and land its due visually and even olfactorly but, the character's emotional reactions to the creatures or the different lands as well.
Last, but certainly not the least of the messages contained within Of Last Resort, Ms. Derr weaves in a undercurrent of equality and non-discrimination in this kingdom she's created. Marriage in any permutation is commonplace, even polyamorous ones.
"No one should be punished for what they are. You have as much right to be you as any of us."
I literally can NOT wait until the next installment. Hoping for more dragons.
An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2014
I wanted to give this story a 4-stars, I really did. I loved the world that Megan Derr has created and the plot here was quite complex. We had a character with personal journey. We had characters with different powers. We had a threat to a Kingdom. The fight between bad and evil. It was imaginative and complicated ...
Unfortunately, for me, it never lived up to its potential.
It could've been better. It could've been epic. However, there were too many issues that just reduced my experience and my rating star. Recently, I read some non-MM/mainstream urban fantasy (I said "mainstream" for lack of better word -- it refers to those books being released by big publishers) and I couldn't help to compare or note the different "quality". This story lacked of background or information that could smooth readers reading journey.
For example, in this story, there were "fourteen branches of elite and powerful warriors and mages whose sole purpose was to defend and die for the kingdom: Dragoons, Titans, Summoners, Sorcerers, Priests, Paladins, Geomancers, Gremlins, Dredknights, Shades, Shadowmarch, Tamers, Alchemists, and the Princes of the Blood..
BUT... what do they really do? What are the differences of these elite branches? How do they came together, how do they arrive to those branches? I know that there is Bloodling procession to follow for one to become Prince of Blood, but it's mostly because it is what happened to Raffe. This information stays in the mind of the author, and it doesn't translate smoothly to the mind of the readers.
Throughout the story, we got tidbits of information but it never really came together. There was introduction of a plot suddenly in the middle -- like the break of the Eight Seals -- but then the resolution was rushed (what the HECK happens after the climax battle??! what happened to Raffe's Cambord in his new life??!) and unfinished. I didn't understand about the motivation of the villain (there was an ASSUMPTION about the motivation from the other character, but that was not even convincing enough for me).
Then the romance ... it started off really well, with Raffe and Cambord on their night of the debauchery. Then suddenly, we had the perspective switch, from Cambord's himself, and I felt robbed of the potential of Raffe finding out his true identity. Also there was more telling rather than showing in this case, because the POV switch happened few months later. Cambord said that Raffe and himself became friends ... but how?! I wanted to read their scenes! I wanted to read how they connected to one another.
And the editing could've been better too. I saw typos or words that didn't flow smoothly -- and this coming from myself as an ESL, who sometimes cannot care less about grammar (like past vs. present tense) because I am not a native English speaker.
So yes, for me, it could've been better. I WISH it is better. But it isn't and because of that, sadly, I can only give this 3-stars. The idea is brilliant but the execution falls short.
Unfortunately, for me, it never lived up to its potential.
It could've been better. It could've been epic. However, there were too many issues that just reduced my experience and my rating star. Recently, I read some non-MM/mainstream urban fantasy (I said "mainstream" for lack of better word -- it refers to those books being released by big publishers) and I couldn't help to compare or note the different "quality". This story lacked of background or information that could smooth readers reading journey.
For example, in this story, there were "fourteen branches of elite and powerful warriors and mages whose sole purpose was to defend and die for the kingdom: Dragoons, Titans, Summoners, Sorcerers, Priests, Paladins, Geomancers, Gremlins, Dredknights, Shades, Shadowmarch, Tamers, Alchemists, and the Princes of the Blood..
BUT... what do they really do? What are the differences of these elite branches? How do they came together, how do they arrive to those branches? I know that there is Bloodling procession to follow for one to become Prince of Blood, but it's mostly because it is what happened to Raffe. This information stays in the mind of the author, and it doesn't translate smoothly to the mind of the readers.
Throughout the story, we got tidbits of information but it never really came together. There was introduction of a plot suddenly in the middle -- like the break of the Eight Seals -- but then the resolution was rushed (what the HECK happens after the climax battle??! what happened to Raffe's Cambord in his new life??!) and unfinished. I didn't understand about the motivation of the villain (there was an ASSUMPTION about the motivation from the other character, but that was not even convincing enough for me).
Then the romance ... it started off really well, with Raffe and Cambord on their night of the debauchery. Then suddenly, we had the perspective switch, from Cambord's himself, and I felt robbed of the potential of Raffe finding out his true identity. Also there was more telling rather than showing in this case, because the POV switch happened few months later. Cambord said that Raffe and himself became friends ... but how?! I wanted to read their scenes! I wanted to read how they connected to one another.
And the editing could've been better too. I saw typos or words that didn't flow smoothly -- and this coming from myself as an ESL, who sometimes cannot care less about grammar (like past vs. present tense) because I am not a native English speaker.
So yes, for me, it could've been better. I WISH it is better. But it isn't and because of that, sadly, I can only give this 3-stars. The idea is brilliant but the execution falls short.
July 25, 2016
In a world of dark magic what is terrifying?
Another great high fantasy adventure story with world building that incorporates demons, mages, priests, blood servants, and a host of other mythical creatures. Strong martial component as Raffe becomes a Blood Prince, bound to protect the land and serve the king. In traditional hero journey format, you have the unprepared suddenly thrust into his powers and all the challenges that ensue from exploring/controlling them to love to duty to the dark threat they all face for the survival of their world.
There's a lovely romance that weaves in and out of the story, but the it predominantly deals with Raffe's journey from lesser son to powerful Prince of Blood. Entertaining, good world building--enjoyed every second I spent with it. Off to check out other books in the series.
Favorite quote: "I know how to measure the want of every man. I know how to determine the price each is willing to pay to obtain what he thinks he needs."
Another great high fantasy adventure story with world building that incorporates demons, mages, priests, blood servants, and a host of other mythical creatures. Strong martial component as Raffe becomes a Blood Prince, bound to protect the land and serve the king. In traditional hero journey format, you have the unprepared suddenly thrust into his powers and all the challenges that ensue from exploring/controlling them to love to duty to the dark threat they all face for the survival of their world.
There's a lovely romance that weaves in and out of the story, but the it predominantly deals with Raffe's journey from lesser son to powerful Prince of Blood. Entertaining, good world building--enjoyed every second I spent with it. Off to check out other books in the series.
Favorite quote: "I know how to measure the want of every man. I know how to determine the price each is willing to pay to obtain what he thinks he needs."
February 20, 2014
This is a great fantasy story, really stellar story telling. I loved the plot and the whole concept just kept me turning pages. I couldn't put this one down because I was straight up scared what was going to happen to the MCs. There was an interesting spin on dragons as well.
Raffé and "Cambord" were great together...when they were together but this is more a fantasy story with a side of M/M. No complaints here, I adored it.
Raffé and "Cambord" were great together...when they were together but this is more a fantasy story with a side of M/M. No complaints here, I adored it.
February 16, 2014
This review can be found at The Blogger Girls review site.
4.5 stars
Wow, this book was just… amazing. From the beginning I was intrigued by the tale Ms. Derr was weaving but as the story progressed, I became more and more engrossed in the dangerous world that harbors so many varied but deadly creatures.
I can’t even begin to describe just what that world is so I will leave you to find out. What I will say is that this book contains a lot of different elements: a wish granted, a night of debauchery, hidden strengths and developing friendships and love. Not to mention there’s an evil-being right in the Legion’s mix, chaos reigning everywhere and so many loyal, faithful beings dying to stop such evilness with sacrifices and an ultimate bond that just might not be enough to save everyone. Now, if all that doesn’t intrigue you… well, I don’t know what will!
One of the reasons I enjoy fantasy is because of the worlds that are created. Ms. Derr is one of my favorite fantasy writers because even with how many books she’s written, they all still seem to be different and unique. This one is no different and is so elaborate that there are layers upon layers of how this world became and how it operates. For someone like me, it’s extremely captivating and I loved reading every single detail about the war that ravaged the countries and ultimately made it into what it is now.
At the same time, the characters were just as fascinating. At first, Raffé is a bitter but self-loathing individual who only sacrifices himself so that he and his family won’t be killed. After his Blooding, he takes to his position as a Prince of the Blood remarkably well. He was like the ugly duckling that became a beautiful swan. He changes so much over the course of the book that by the end, he is barely like his old self but he’s better now: aggressive, sure of himself, a warrior.
Cambord (which isn’t his real name but I don’t want to give that away) is first attracted to Raffé when he’s an ugly duckling but grows more enamored with the Princeling as the story goes on to the point that his obsessive, possessive behavior becomes dangerous to everyone. Honestly, I loved this because even though Cambord was dangerous, he was only deadly to those who threatened his Prince. I couldn’t get enough of it and the soul-deep bond they created and if I could change anything, I would just ask for a little more time that Raffé and Cambord had together.
My only issue with the story (and the reason I can’t give it 5 stars) is that there were so many different creatures, so many secondary characters, so much power I couldn’t keep it all straight. Whenever someone was brought it, I would think I understood their role in the Legion but then they’d do something that would make me think they weren’t the creature I thought they were supposed to be. It was a little overwhelming. Also, I still was confused on how the villain was able to open so many seals when he was leagues away from the sacrificial sites. Beyond that, there were a few inconsistencies throughout the text. For example, the mention that someone ‘stood abruptly’ when they were already standing or during one sex scene – ‘reaching around Raffé’ when Raffé was initially on his back with no mention of him turning over. It happened enough times for me to notice but not enough to dim my enjoyment – just worth a mention.
In the end, when I finished the book, I couldn’t help but give a satisfied sigh. It was a great book that had me worried at times things wouldn’t work out but also giddy when certain events took place. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading Of Last Resort and honestly, that right there is what made this book so amazing. It’s not often that a story literally pulls so many emotions from me. If you’re a fantasy lover and you enjoy characters that evolve greatly with a lot of action and suspense, give this one a try because I doubt you’ll be disappointed with it.
4.5 stars
Wow, this book was just… amazing. From the beginning I was intrigued by the tale Ms. Derr was weaving but as the story progressed, I became more and more engrossed in the dangerous world that harbors so many varied but deadly creatures.
I can’t even begin to describe just what that world is so I will leave you to find out. What I will say is that this book contains a lot of different elements: a wish granted, a night of debauchery, hidden strengths and developing friendships and love. Not to mention there’s an evil-being right in the Legion’s mix, chaos reigning everywhere and so many loyal, faithful beings dying to stop such evilness with sacrifices and an ultimate bond that just might not be enough to save everyone. Now, if all that doesn’t intrigue you… well, I don’t know what will!
One of the reasons I enjoy fantasy is because of the worlds that are created. Ms. Derr is one of my favorite fantasy writers because even with how many books she’s written, they all still seem to be different and unique. This one is no different and is so elaborate that there are layers upon layers of how this world became and how it operates. For someone like me, it’s extremely captivating and I loved reading every single detail about the war that ravaged the countries and ultimately made it into what it is now.
At the same time, the characters were just as fascinating. At first, Raffé is a bitter but self-loathing individual who only sacrifices himself so that he and his family won’t be killed. After his Blooding, he takes to his position as a Prince of the Blood remarkably well. He was like the ugly duckling that became a beautiful swan. He changes so much over the course of the book that by the end, he is barely like his old self but he’s better now: aggressive, sure of himself, a warrior.
Cambord (which isn’t his real name but I don’t want to give that away) is first attracted to Raffé when he’s an ugly duckling but grows more enamored with the Princeling as the story goes on to the point that his obsessive, possessive behavior becomes dangerous to everyone. Honestly, I loved this because even though Cambord was dangerous, he was only deadly to those who threatened his Prince. I couldn’t get enough of it and the soul-deep bond they created and if I could change anything, I would just ask for a little more time that Raffé and Cambord had together.
My only issue with the story (and the reason I can’t give it 5 stars) is that there were so many different creatures, so many secondary characters, so much power I couldn’t keep it all straight. Whenever someone was brought it, I would think I understood their role in the Legion but then they’d do something that would make me think they weren’t the creature I thought they were supposed to be. It was a little overwhelming. Also, I still was confused on how the villain was able to open so many seals when he was leagues away from the sacrificial sites. Beyond that, there were a few inconsistencies throughout the text. For example, the mention that someone ‘stood abruptly’ when they were already standing or during one sex scene – ‘reaching around Raffé’ when Raffé was initially on his back with no mention of him turning over. It happened enough times for me to notice but not enough to dim my enjoyment – just worth a mention.
In the end, when I finished the book, I couldn’t help but give a satisfied sigh. It was a great book that had me worried at times things wouldn’t work out but also giddy when certain events took place. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading Of Last Resort and honestly, that right there is what made this book so amazing. It’s not often that a story literally pulls so many emotions from me. If you’re a fantasy lover and you enjoy characters that evolve greatly with a lot of action and suspense, give this one a try because I doubt you’ll be disappointed with it.
January 4, 2022
It was a sweet story, tho I really wish it wasn't a standalone as I think this couple has a lot more potential.
May 4, 2016
When I was in sixth grade we were forced to undertake a dissection of a frog. I’ll leave out a lot of the squidgy details, but let’s just say that it was pretty much a forgone conclusion after that, that I wouldn’t be becoming a doctor when I grew up. But after all of the cutting and pinning was finished, and all the “oh my god oh my god oh my god ewewewewew!!!” was done, I was left peering over the shoulder of my lab partner and down at something both incredibly foreign and strangely familiar. I remember being drawn in by that odd arrangement of organs, by the way the dye made the little froggy heart look as red as any valentine, and found my (fully gloved) finger pressing against that heart, trying to make it beat once again. It is an odd thing to feel the heart of another (once) living thing, and be the one in control of its fragile (if pointless) heartbeats.
After finishing this book, I’m feeling a lot closer to the frog than the finger (…and there’s a sentence you don’t hear every day).
Raffé didn’t expect his brother to take a runner the day before his Blooding. By all appearances, his brother is a perfect specimen for becoming a Prince of the Blood, in the same way that Raffé is…not. But his family must offer a son, and though no one expects him to actually live through the Blooding, Raffé is all they got left. So Raffé can either take his brother’s place, and die a particularly painful death if the Blooding fails…or he can die, along with the rest of his family as traitors. It is not really much of a choice, but an honorable sacrifice all the same.
But if Raffé thought that this would be his last sacrifice demanded of him, he is sadly mistaken. For an evil is growing in the kingdom, and Raffé may have to give everything, once again, to keep it from consuming the world, and everything that Raffé once loved.
Oh, Megan Derr…how you do love to play with my fragile little heart. *sigh*
This book is not fluffy. It is not cute. It is a ride through heartbreak and loss-–and a love that does not always equal a happy-ever-after. It is also so very damn good.
I am not ashamed (though, maybe a little embarrassed) to admit that this book had me by the heartstrings from almost the get go. As Raffé stood outside the stone-maze and listened to his (asshole) ex-fiancé, I was all ready to break down. Now, maybe I was in a mopy mood to begin with, but Raffé’s sacrifice and the cost of it was truly well written. You did not pity him, but you sure did feel for him. And when Cambord showed up, you wanted to be Raffé, if only for the night. Dear me, but that was hot.
The mystery of Cambord was lovely. Though you eventually figure it out, it is not an automatic thing. I really loved that it wasn’t who I originally thought it was, and so, when the mystery was revealed, I was very very pleased. I liked being shocked, and I like seeing two men who fit so well together, finally realize that they are in love. Even if that love may end up being the thing that hurts the most.
And while his real identity shall remain nameless, on my part, I have to say that Cambord was a great character. I enjoyed his section of the story, and his connection with Raffé was perfect. Even though it was that connection that cost him so very much. When it became clear what he was to sacrifice, there might have been some screams (er…whimpers) of frustration going on–-’cause that was so not right–-but mostly it was just sad. Sad that this too would have to be another sacrifice. And that what would later be asked of him…that was just cruel.
Sacrifice is a really big theme in this book. On both sides of the fight. Evil demands the sacrifice of blood and life to open that which should have remained closed. And to fight that evil, a sacrifice of love, and hope, and life is demanded to keep the gates of hell closed. Everything it seems, here, is paid with by blood. Either willing or not. At some point you start think that the creators of these gates were particularly cruel, to demand so much to not only open the gates, but to keep them closed.
But it seems that people have not learned enough. And so the blood must be spilt, and the sacrifices must be made. While this certainly did a number on my heart, I loved that the idea was so pervasive in the story. All the different shades of sacrifice, all the times that it must be given, it really made it so that you never knew who was going to be required to offer what. And you most definitely didn’t have a clue if anyone was going to be still standing after the final round.
I was a little sad to find out who the traitor was (no, I’m not telling you that either). I didn’t exactly understand why he did it, because was the cost really going to be worth the reward? It seemed like such an extreme reaction to what happened. Maybe if we had spent more time with him in the story, it would have seemed more natural, but as it was I was just equal parts shocked and puzzled.
Once again, another lovely/wonderful/heartbreaking story by Megan Derr. I loved the world that this takes place in, and while I would have enjoyed learning more about it, I never felt so lost that I didn’t know which way was up. And the various creatures and people in this world were just fun. So much variety and so many chances for stories to grow out of all these men. I can’t wait to see what happens to them next. It will probably strive to hurt as much as it heals, though…not that I would have it any other way.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
After finishing this book, I’m feeling a lot closer to the frog than the finger (…and there’s a sentence you don’t hear every day).
Raffé didn’t expect his brother to take a runner the day before his Blooding. By all appearances, his brother is a perfect specimen for becoming a Prince of the Blood, in the same way that Raffé is…not. But his family must offer a son, and though no one expects him to actually live through the Blooding, Raffé is all they got left. So Raffé can either take his brother’s place, and die a particularly painful death if the Blooding fails…or he can die, along with the rest of his family as traitors. It is not really much of a choice, but an honorable sacrifice all the same.
But if Raffé thought that this would be his last sacrifice demanded of him, he is sadly mistaken. For an evil is growing in the kingdom, and Raffé may have to give everything, once again, to keep it from consuming the world, and everything that Raffé once loved.
Oh, Megan Derr…how you do love to play with my fragile little heart. *sigh*
This book is not fluffy. It is not cute. It is a ride through heartbreak and loss-–and a love that does not always equal a happy-ever-after. It is also so very damn good.
I am not ashamed (though, maybe a little embarrassed) to admit that this book had me by the heartstrings from almost the get go. As Raffé stood outside the stone-maze and listened to his (asshole) ex-fiancé, I was all ready to break down. Now, maybe I was in a mopy mood to begin with, but Raffé’s sacrifice and the cost of it was truly well written. You did not pity him, but you sure did feel for him. And when Cambord showed up, you wanted to be Raffé, if only for the night. Dear me, but that was hot.
The mystery of Cambord was lovely. Though you eventually figure it out, it is not an automatic thing. I really loved that it wasn’t who I originally thought it was, and so, when the mystery was revealed, I was very very pleased. I liked being shocked, and I like seeing two men who fit so well together, finally realize that they are in love. Even if that love may end up being the thing that hurts the most.
And while his real identity shall remain nameless, on my part, I have to say that Cambord was a great character. I enjoyed his section of the story, and his connection with Raffé was perfect. Even though it was that connection that cost him so very much. When it became clear what he was to sacrifice, there might have been some screams (er…whimpers) of frustration going on–-’cause that was so not right–-but mostly it was just sad. Sad that this too would have to be another sacrifice. And that what would later be asked of him…that was just cruel.
Sacrifice is a really big theme in this book. On both sides of the fight. Evil demands the sacrifice of blood and life to open that which should have remained closed. And to fight that evil, a sacrifice of love, and hope, and life is demanded to keep the gates of hell closed. Everything it seems, here, is paid with by blood. Either willing or not. At some point you start think that the creators of these gates were particularly cruel, to demand so much to not only open the gates, but to keep them closed.
“I asked her why, if it was so bloody important that we keep everyone alive, did we keep demanding that people die to do it? Was that not counterproductive ? And she said the most powerful and dangerous things were locked up behind doors of death with keys of pain in the hopes that people would realize life was far too precious and the power was not worth the price. That when that proves to be true, we will truly begin to drive back this hell we’ve brought to earth.”
But it seems that people have not learned enough. And so the blood must be spilt, and the sacrifices must be made. While this certainly did a number on my heart, I loved that the idea was so pervasive in the story. All the different shades of sacrifice, all the times that it must be given, it really made it so that you never knew who was going to be required to offer what. And you most definitely didn’t have a clue if anyone was going to be still standing after the final round.
I was a little sad to find out who the traitor was (no, I’m not telling you that either). I didn’t exactly understand why he did it, because was the cost really going to be worth the reward? It seemed like such an extreme reaction to what happened. Maybe if we had spent more time with him in the story, it would have seemed more natural, but as it was I was just equal parts shocked and puzzled.
Once again, another lovely/wonderful/heartbreaking story by Megan Derr. I loved the world that this takes place in, and while I would have enjoyed learning more about it, I never felt so lost that I didn’t know which way was up. And the various creatures and people in this world were just fun. So much variety and so many chances for stories to grow out of all these men. I can’t wait to see what happens to them next. It will probably strive to hurt as much as it heals, though…not that I would have it any other way.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
March 2, 2016
I do love Megan Derr's books. The Kria books are forever my favorites and so is The Infinitum Government Series.
This, however, is turning into pure horror: zombies, demons, flying spiders that are actually angels; there is barely enough interaction between gay protagonists to make it into m/m romance category.
If I knew differently going in, if maybe I read the tags and warnings and reviews, I would have been prepared better.
Keep in mind tho, that it's mostly me, not the book, because:
- Horror bores me to tears.
- Too many characters confuse me, I can never recall anyone beyond the 4-5 major-ish characters, MCs often included. Here we have 15 princes, plus a castle full of people, plus various demons-gods-angels-village people.
- Pain, pain and more pain. Don't get me wrong, I love it when an author makes their characters suffer. Cethe is Dah Book. But this was too much even for me. In the end I simply stopped caring about boys wounds, headaches, scrapes or soul wrenching ache for each other.
And so this is how it went:
ME: - Book, let me love you!
BOOK: - Stop talking. I am a busy book. I have all these characters to inflict pain upon.
ME: - But Book....
BOOK: - Bugger off or start helping!
So there we were, stuck together for a few days. And guess what? We made a fine team and successfully inflicted pain left and right.... and right and left... and everywhere in between.
PS I just made to 10% of book two. Chronologically, it should be book one. Logically, so far at least, it should be book one as well. I don't know, maybe it will make sense later.
This, however, is turning into pure horror: zombies, demons, flying spiders that are actually angels; there is barely enough interaction between gay protagonists to make it into m/m romance category.
If I knew differently going in, if maybe I read the tags and warnings and reviews, I would have been prepared better.
Keep in mind tho, that it's mostly me, not the book, because:
- Horror bores me to tears.
- Too many characters confuse me, I can never recall anyone beyond the 4-5 major-ish characters, MCs often included. Here we have 15 princes, plus a castle full of people, plus various demons-gods-angels-village people.
- Pain, pain and more pain. Don't get me wrong, I love it when an author makes their characters suffer. Cethe is Dah Book. But this was too much even for me. In the end I simply stopped caring about boys wounds, headaches, scrapes or soul wrenching ache for each other.
And so this is how it went:
ME: - Book, let me love you!
BOOK: - Stop talking. I am a busy book. I have all these characters to inflict pain upon.
ME: - But Book....
BOOK: - Bugger off or start helping!
So there we were, stuck together for a few days. And guess what? We made a fine team and successfully inflicted pain left and right.... and right and left... and everywhere in between.
PS I just made to 10% of book two. Chronologically, it should be book one. Logically, so far at least, it should be book one as well. I don't know, maybe it will make sense later.
October 9, 2015
2.5
I'm generally a big fan of this author, but I found this book extremely frustrating. The initial premise was strong and the early scenes very promising (and sexy), but from the moment Raffe became a demon, the problems started, as the reader is dropped into an extremely complex world of demons and magical creatures, with character after character introduced with no time to differentiate them, either in their personalities or their magical abilities. Seeing more of Raffe's actual training--and relationships with his co-princes--might have helped, but those sections were curtailed in favor of ramping up the impending-doom plot, which rapidly thickened to the point of impenetrability for me. I felt like I had accidentally picked up the second volume of a very complex fantasy series, and thus missed the main explanations of the world.
I kept reading thanks to the two likable leads and their growing relationship, which was simple to follow. I would have loved more about romance dragon-style--the hoarding especially--but that aspect was mostly talked about not dramatized.
Bottom line: I love M/M fantasy, and Derr is a strong enough writer that I finished the book despite my confusion, but I was disappointed that a promising premise and fantasy set-up didn't live up to its potential.
I'm generally a big fan of this author, but I found this book extremely frustrating. The initial premise was strong and the early scenes very promising (and sexy), but from the moment Raffe became a demon, the problems started, as the reader is dropped into an extremely complex world of demons and magical creatures, with character after character introduced with no time to differentiate them, either in their personalities or their magical abilities. Seeing more of Raffe's actual training--and relationships with his co-princes--might have helped, but those sections were curtailed in favor of ramping up the impending-doom plot, which rapidly thickened to the point of impenetrability for me. I felt like I had accidentally picked up the second volume of a very complex fantasy series, and thus missed the main explanations of the world.
I kept reading thanks to the two likable leads and their growing relationship, which was simple to follow. I would have loved more about romance dragon-style--the hoarding especially--but that aspect was mostly talked about not dramatized.
Bottom line: I love M/M fantasy, and Derr is a strong enough writer that I finished the book despite my confusion, but I was disappointed that a promising premise and fantasy set-up didn't live up to its potential.
March 1, 2014
I really debated on the rating for this book - I enjoyed the story and will probably read more in the series but I won't be waiting for bated breath for them to appear, so therefore gave the book 3 stars.
I quite enjoy fantasy books and Megan Derr is a solid author in this genre, in my opinion, so I expected to love this book. There were just enough problems that kept me from loving it and therefore rating it higher, however. I think my biggest issue is something that comes up often when there's a big evil or big quest that needs to be performed to save the kingdom - there are just so many different characters with a wide variety of powers or skills that it becomes impossible to keep them straight!
Every time a Prince or other combatant was injured or killed, I had to think about whether or not I've gotten to know them enough to be sad about what happened to them. Everyone was noble and virtuous, but I didn't feel like I got to know any of them that well as people, even the main characters.
The magic was interesting, but even now I don't think I could explain the different members of the Legion and what they could do. It sometimes felt like we came in the middle of a bigger tale, with references to events from years ago that had bearing on the current story but which were never explained.
Now I feel like I'm being too critical! I enjoyed the story and would be interested in reading more in this world but I guess I was just disappointed in a few things that kept me from really loving the book.
I quite enjoy fantasy books and Megan Derr is a solid author in this genre, in my opinion, so I expected to love this book. There were just enough problems that kept me from loving it and therefore rating it higher, however. I think my biggest issue is something that comes up often when there's a big evil or big quest that needs to be performed to save the kingdom - there are just so many different characters with a wide variety of powers or skills that it becomes impossible to keep them straight!
Every time a Prince or other combatant was injured or killed, I had to think about whether or not I've gotten to know them enough to be sad about what happened to them. Everyone was noble and virtuous, but I didn't feel like I got to know any of them that well as people, even the main characters.
The magic was interesting, but even now I don't think I could explain the different members of the Legion and what they could do. It sometimes felt like we came in the middle of a bigger tale, with references to events from years ago that had bearing on the current story but which were never explained.
Now I feel like I'm being too critical! I enjoyed the story and would be interested in reading more in this world but I guess I was just disappointed in a few things that kept me from really loving the book.
July 29, 2014
4.5 Stars
I. Loved. This. Story. It was complex and full of colorful characters. The incredible world building and suspenseful plot had me on the edge of my seat and I finished this book in one sitting. The switching POV made the reveal of Raffé's late night rendezvous slightly anti-climactic but it still worked. The only reason that I didn't give this one five stars was the ending. Don't get me wrong, it worked out but I didn't like the comment that . Be that as it may, I was engrossed and fully invested in the world that Megan Derr created and the characters that inhabit it. This is not a simple read. There are a number of characters and the world is fairly complex. But it is sooooooooo worth it.
Bottom line: Loved it ... with the one exception noted above.
I. Loved. This. Story. It was complex and full of colorful characters. The incredible world building and suspenseful plot had me on the edge of my seat and I finished this book in one sitting. The switching POV made the reveal of Raffé's late night rendezvous slightly anti-climactic but it still worked. The only reason that I didn't give this one five stars was the ending. Don't get me wrong, it worked out but I didn't like the comment that . Be that as it may, I was engrossed and fully invested in the world that Megan Derr created and the characters that inhabit it. This is not a simple read. There are a number of characters and the world is fairly complex. But it is sooooooooo worth it.
Bottom line: Loved it ... with the one exception noted above.
March 14, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be fantabulous. Luckily, I’m allowed to be as verbose as I’d like. And when it comes to this story and this author, I am exactly that. Of Last Resort, the first book in Megan Derr’s Princes of Blood series is beyond anything I ever expected. It’s creative, unique, thrilling, heart-pounding, and many, many more wonderful descriptive terms. Engrossing. This story, these men held my attention, refusing to let me go. Everything about this book is amazing.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
5 stars
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be fantabulous. Luckily, I’m allowed to be as verbose as I’d like. And when it comes to this story and this author, I am exactly that. Of Last Resort, the first book in Megan Derr’s Princes of Blood series is beyond anything I ever expected. It’s creative, unique, thrilling, heart-pounding, and many, many more wonderful descriptive terms. Engrossing. This story, these men held my attention, refusing to let me go. Everything about this book is amazing.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
July 11, 2015
I do love a great fantasy and this was excellent, I was happy that I picked well for a trilogy as I enjoyed Book #1 immensely, but I should have researched the series further as it's PRN which I DESPISE. This is my pet hate though but I'll explain why. There is only one PRN author duet I'll read and that's Illona Andrew's.
I won't read anymore from this series as I personally don't think PRN should be considered a series unless they're structured the way Illona Andrew's does it, I have been let down too many times. The PERFECT example of how books like this should be labeled IMO is EXACTLY how the syfy ESTO novels by are marketed and this is by labelling them (An ESTO Universe Novel)
Great book, nothing personal against the author whatsoever, it's just something I have an issue with.
I won't read anymore from this series as I personally don't think PRN should be considered a series unless they're structured the way Illona Andrew's does it, I have been let down too many times. The PERFECT example of how books like this should be labeled IMO is EXACTLY how the syfy ESTO novels by are marketed and this is by labelling them (An ESTO Universe Novel)
Great book, nothing personal against the author whatsoever, it's just something I have an issue with.
April 10, 2018
Another great adventure in Megan Derr land.
I really enjoyed this adventure. I loved Raffe from the start. Cambord was sweet. Their love story was hard won.
But I confess I got confused as to who was who a lot. There were many wonderful characters to meet in this book, but keeping them straight was a struggle. I also found myself getting just a little tired towards the end. Great detail but rather a lot of it when I really wanted to get to the end.
A fascinating story with great mystery, I never would of guessed the traitor, just a little to complex for me to completely enjoy.
ETA Still an enjoyable engaging read, but alas I still can't keep who's who straight in my head lol
I really enjoyed this adventure. I loved Raffe from the start. Cambord was sweet. Their love story was hard won.
But I confess I got confused as to who was who a lot. There were many wonderful characters to meet in this book, but keeping them straight was a struggle. I also found myself getting just a little tired towards the end. Great detail but rather a lot of it when I really wanted to get to the end.
A fascinating story with great mystery, I never would of guessed the traitor, just a little to complex for me to completely enjoy.
ETA Still an enjoyable engaging read, but alas I still can't keep who's who straight in my head lol
September 11, 2022
Megan Derr is such a comfort read for me but this isn’t one of her greats. This was very much in the style of her other fantasy shorts with a downtrodden MC blossoming in difficult circumstances. The world building and mythos was complicated and kind of intriguing but maybe needed more space to breathe. . Ultimately the main characters and their romance never felt developed enough and I was never really invested in the plot.
June 17, 2016
2.5 stars...
You can't cram 14 branches of King's Legion, a bunch of characters (20 of whom appear throughout the whole book), even more creatures and monsters of all kinds, magic, demons, angels and whatnot in 200 pages...you just can't. This could have been much better if it was longer for at least 200 more pages. This way I was confused half of the time, I never managed to remember who all the characters were - which branch they belonged to, let alone how they looked like. And for all the talk about Princes being the most powerful beings in the Kingdom, they were pretty much helpless all the time. And our main character, Raffe, the most.
The romantic part of the story was pretty weak, too...If author gave us at least some insight into how Raffe and ... came to be friends, I would believe more in their declarations of love later in the story. But all she told us is that they developed a really good friendship during the last couple of months. Combined with the fact that they were separated throughout the most of the story, I wasn't feeling their love at all...And for a half-demon and battle-hardened soldier they sure cried a lot. I'm not insensitive, but it didn't exactly fit the story.
Not sure if I'll be reading the rest of the series.
You can't cram 14 branches of King's Legion, a bunch of characters (20 of whom appear throughout the whole book), even more creatures and monsters of all kinds, magic, demons, angels and whatnot in 200 pages...you just can't. This could have been much better if it was longer for at least 200 more pages. This way I was confused half of the time, I never managed to remember who all the characters were - which branch they belonged to, let alone how they looked like. And for all the talk about Princes being the most powerful beings in the Kingdom, they were pretty much helpless all the time. And our main character, Raffe, the most.
The romantic part of the story was pretty weak, too...If author gave us at least some insight into how Raffe and ... came to be friends, I would believe more in their declarations of love later in the story. But all she told us is that they developed a really good friendship during the last couple of months. Combined with the fact that they were separated throughout the most of the story, I wasn't feeling their love at all...And for a half-demon and battle-hardened soldier they sure cried a lot. I'm not insensitive, but it didn't exactly fit the story.
Not sure if I'll be reading the rest of the series.
February 23, 2014
Of Last Resort was a lovely read, certainly different from what we normally see. Nothing is as it seems and Light Magic can be just as bad as Dark Magic can be good. The story has a interesting plot with kick-ass characters that you just can't help but like.
At the same time I felt that the author wanted to tell an overly complex story on just too few pages. While this is no short story, sometimes the focus of the story/plot was in the wrong places, hence the characters never reaching their full potential and the plot having a lot of unfinished angles. While I understand there are future books, some parts that were essential for Of Last Resort were not properly worked out. Especially towards the end of the story, that felt entirely too rushed.
As with all of this author's book there were some editing issues. Too many grammar and spelling mistakes were still left and for 8.49 (dollars) on Amazon, I found that a little too sloppy.
All in all it was a fascinating and gripping read that piqued my interest.
At the same time I felt that the author wanted to tell an overly complex story on just too few pages. While this is no short story, sometimes the focus of the story/plot was in the wrong places, hence the characters never reaching their full potential and the plot having a lot of unfinished angles. While I understand there are future books, some parts that were essential for Of Last Resort were not properly worked out. Especially towards the end of the story, that felt entirely too rushed.
As with all of this author's book there were some editing issues. Too many grammar and spelling mistakes were still left and for 8.49 (dollars) on Amazon, I found that a little too sloppy.
All in all it was a fascinating and gripping read that piqued my interest.
December 10, 2022
I love Megan Derr, her world building is brilliant and the characters she creates are always three dimensional. This story pulled me in and spit me out a few hours later. It was a roller coaster, never dull and no time for a break for me or the characters to catch a breath and just be. I really hope that she will write another book in this series following the current set of characters. The other two books are set before the events of this one or so it seems due to the blurb.
June 30, 2018
Reread
4.25 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this one on the reread.
I loved Raffe and Alrin. I thought they were both thrown into situations not of their choosing due to circumstances of their birth and they both excelled.
The storyline was engaging and kept me interested all the way through. There were parts I wish were expanded but it still works the way it is.
4.25 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this one on the reread.
I loved Raffe and Alrin. I thought they were both thrown into situations not of their choosing due to circumstances of their birth and they both excelled.
The storyline was engaging and kept me interested all the way through. There were parts I wish were expanded but it still works the way it is.
October 1, 2025
DNF @ 60%
This started strong! I was all for learning about the Princes, the Shadows, the Paladins, the Dragoons and all the other factions! And there was some info here and there but mainly around the Princes since this was Raffe's story and a bit around the Dragoons because of Alryn. But the rest it never really came alive on page from Megan's mind.
Instead the story meandered about with Raffe and his training that never happened on page, the friendships he build especially with Alryn that was never on page, we just had to take the author's word for it, the supposed powers the Princes have that again they never realised on page apart from the mist thing. In general we were told things happened or will happen and that was that.
The story begins with Raffe "sacrificing" himself to the Blooding when his brother decided to ditch or something, we are never sure what happened there because later on he is found sacrificed. Anyways, Raffe is so sure he will die so his only wish is for his ex-fiance to deflower him so that he won't be a virgin, but he gets rejected. Enter Cambord to "save" the day. Thus we have a hint of romance. But nope, because we get to learn that Princes that survive their demon awakening, they feed with human blood, the purest the better, so we get to visit the temple with the slutty Priests that are there for the Princes to feed. Well that is till the Princes get set up with a hubby by the king.
So, right out of the bat at least 3 Princes were married with humans, and there goes my expectation of each book being a Princes story.
Back to the story, of course feeding is an exciting experience and we mix business with pleasure, so things get a bit muddled. We get a tad more world building and info because Raffe needs to be magically tested and start training, but again we are taking the author's word for it, because we don't get to see it. Right around here we are 1/3rd into the story and we get a couple of months time jump when Raffe is send to a "training" mission with another Prince and they almost get killed because it wasn't a simple matter, that we get to read about through so much detail that my interest with the story started to wane because it slowed down the story's development exceptionally, especially since a plot reveals itself.
So naturally we get a POV change to another character that was hardly present through all this but we are supposed to believe that he and Raffe are BFFS and of course things go crazy. Why because the POV is Alrin's who is more dragon that all the Dragoons and he has hoarding tendencies that are no-nos, and of course what he wants to hoard the most is Raffe and when Raffe is injured in front of him, he loses it and the solution is execution but as I said, a wild plot has appeared and the king, who is secretly a demon queen, sends him on a mission to be sacrificed, and for that as a book the King lets him have a last fuck with Raffe.
FYI up till that point Cambord has made a teeny tiny 2nd appearance and through an eye-twitching series of events, here Raffe informs us that he knew Alrin was Cambord and they spend the night together, which I skipped because I've lost every inkling of interest I had.
I went snooping through the blurbs of the other books of the series and the stories are of the other 3 Princes that were married, how they came to be and I don't think I'll bother.
This started strong! I was all for learning about the Princes, the Shadows, the Paladins, the Dragoons and all the other factions! And there was some info here and there but mainly around the Princes since this was Raffe's story and a bit around the Dragoons because of Alryn. But the rest it never really came alive on page from Megan's mind.
Instead the story meandered about with Raffe and his training that never happened on page, the friendships he build especially with Alryn that was never on page, we just had to take the author's word for it, the supposed powers the Princes have that again they never realised on page apart from the mist thing. In general we were told things happened or will happen and that was that.
The story begins with Raffe "sacrificing" himself to the Blooding when his brother decided to ditch or something, we are never sure what happened there because later on he is found sacrificed. Anyways, Raffe is so sure he will die so his only wish is for his ex-fiance to deflower him so that he won't be a virgin, but he gets rejected. Enter Cambord to "save" the day. Thus we have a hint of romance. But nope, because we get to learn that Princes that survive their demon awakening, they feed with human blood, the purest the better, so we get to visit the temple with the slutty Priests that are there for the Princes to feed. Well that is till the Princes get set up with a hubby by the king.
So, right out of the bat at least 3 Princes were married with humans, and there goes my expectation of each book being a Princes story.
Back to the story, of course feeding is an exciting experience and we mix business with pleasure, so things get a bit muddled. We get a tad more world building and info because Raffe needs to be magically tested and start training, but again we are taking the author's word for it, because we don't get to see it. Right around here we are 1/3rd into the story and we get a couple of months time jump when Raffe is send to a "training" mission with another Prince and they almost get killed because it wasn't a simple matter, that we get to read about through so much detail that my interest with the story started to wane because it slowed down the story's development exceptionally, especially since a plot reveals itself.
So naturally we get a POV change to another character that was hardly present through all this but we are supposed to believe that he and Raffe are BFFS and of course things go crazy. Why because the POV is Alrin's who is more dragon that all the Dragoons and he has hoarding tendencies that are no-nos, and of course what he wants to hoard the most is Raffe and when Raffe is injured in front of him, he loses it and the solution is execution but as I said, a wild plot has appeared and the king, who is secretly a demon queen, sends him on a mission to be sacrificed, and for that as a book the King lets him have a last fuck with Raffe.
FYI up till that point Cambord has made a teeny tiny 2nd appearance and through an eye-twitching series of events, here Raffe informs us that he knew Alrin was Cambord and they spend the night together, which I skipped because I've lost every inkling of interest I had.
I went snooping through the blurbs of the other books of the series and the stories are of the other 3 Princes that were married, how they came to be and I don't think I'll bother.
July 8, 2017
2.5 stars
Pusing pala barbie baca buku ini....
The prologue and first chapters were promising and exciting for me. I mean, to learn our MC Raffe's new life, the newly awakened young vampire, how this newbie vampire copes with his new identity, his powers/magics, his trainings, his friendship with other vampires/Princes and other 13 branches in this complex world, and also his relationship with Cambord/his lover, and not to mention the chance to know more about 14 branches (Dragoons, Titans, Summoners, Sorcerers, Priests, Paladins, Geomancers, Gremlins, Dredknights, Shades, Shadowmarch, Tamers, Alchemists, and the Princes of the Blood) intimately, and also the chance to connect with all characters in this book, then have a better understanding of this complex world,etc... however sadly my hope and joy to learn all of those was abruptly cut off as Derr chose to skip those events that I mentioned above, all the events that should take place in the long span of 3 months before our princeling got his 1st mission fighting zombie.
To sum it up, it was like I was abruptly thrusted into book 2 after Raffe's 1st training. To be honest, this book overwhelmed me, the waves of informations about names, places, events, creatures in this very complex world that would always be plagued by monsters and demons and zombies for whatever reason that still incomprehensible to me after I had finished this book. Not to mention, there are so many characters in this book, that I don't even remember well their name, let alone their appearances and their positions. It'd be better if Derr reveals all of these informations bit by bit in 600++ pages, not crammed all of it in 235 pages and not unfold it all at once. This could be an epic high fantasy, but failed.
The romance part is also more telling than showing. Just like other readers said, we don't get to SEE how good is the friendship between Raffe and Cambord, we only know Derr TOLD us they were good friend, but how good? No idea, it's good, so you should just believe it's damn good, okay? We also don't get the chance to witness what Raffe felt when he found out the real identity of Cambord. It's a bit strange though, if not funny, how Raffe couldn't recognize Cambord's voice after their second encounter, the first encounter I can accept because of Raffe's unstable state after the Blooding ceremony, however if they were really friend, Raffe would instantly know his friend is Cambord from his voice alone on their 2nd encounter, in another pitch black situation.
So, ultimately what I got from this book except the romance is the nonsensical story about 9 seals that I barely understood, because not all seals were explained, we were told that after several months, two seals were destroyed already, but the events were not explained further, like how they were destroyed, at any rate it's destroyed, okay? You should just content with that. And then once again suddenly our MCs were all in a mission to fight zombies, and there are many types of zombie, they were busy chopping the heads off or burning them to ashes. What's so interesting about that?? The only magic part that's interesting enough for me is on first chapters when Raffe had to be tested for his magic type, he's a hyper-counter and luckily he's good at misting, not sparkling like certain vampire in another story, lol. But the part of his biological need to feed his hunger and lust just like most vampires we know? I don't like the latter one at all, it just ruined Raffe's images that I had pictured in my head, but I agree it's a crucial thing to add in the plot so some things can make sense later. Hints : jealousy and possessive traits. But I do believe it's not the only way to make it coherent.
I don't think I could muster any urges to read the book 2 and 3. Honestly, I don't feel like I want to know more about Telme and Hakon because they are like 2D characters in book 1, most of them actually, mainly because of the fast forward technique Derr used (3 months later, 2 months later, 6 months later, you get the gist), and because of that, I barely connected to Telme and Hakon at all. Telme is good leader, a High Priest as his husband, and the priest also has wive and kid. I'm not fond of MMF, so I think it's wise to skip the sequels.
Well, This book is just another vampire book that do not work for me. I'm not particularly hate vampire theme, but not really avoiding it altogether just like zombie theme. Oh, I read this book without knowing there are zombies inside, I can accept a bit zombie theme if it's necessary in the plot, but if it's filling half of the book when there are many more exotic and magical creatures to introduce and to fight off, it's a major turn off. So it's another minus for me, but of course this zombie part is one of my deal breakers, to be exact, just not my thing.
About the end, well, the deus ex machina plot device was used for Cambord and Raffe's relationship, and I'm not impressed with that. I don't know if it's only me, I think the 9th seal and its master key's twist is not as cool and epic as it was intended by the author. Might be because I was not that invested in story and its characters. But what is the most disappointing here is because of more-telling-and-jump-time-and-two-POV are being used here rather than witnessed events-and-no-jump-time-and-only-using-1st-POV, I missed the chance to slowly witnessing the old Raffe turned into this completely new Raffe and the chance to get used to this new Raffe. I hardly recognize this new Raffe. :(
Well, I'm a big fan of Derr, she has a great talent and brilliant imagination for fantasy, but I don't think this one is as good as her other works. Great idea but bad execution imho. To save you from future headache and waste of time, I won't recommend this series. There are many other works of her that I'd totally recommend though, like Black Magic, Prisoner, Tournament of Losers, The High King's Golden Tongue and the best of all is The Lost Gods series (make sure you read the revised version).
Pusing pala barbie baca buku ini....
The prologue and first chapters were promising and exciting for me. I mean, to learn our MC Raffe's new life, the newly awakened young vampire, how this newbie vampire copes with his new identity, his powers/magics, his trainings, his friendship with other vampires/Princes and other 13 branches in this complex world, and also his relationship with Cambord/his lover, and not to mention the chance to know more about 14 branches (Dragoons, Titans, Summoners, Sorcerers, Priests, Paladins, Geomancers, Gremlins, Dredknights, Shades, Shadowmarch, Tamers, Alchemists, and the Princes of the Blood) intimately, and also the chance to connect with all characters in this book, then have a better understanding of this complex world,etc... however sadly my hope and joy to learn all of those was abruptly cut off as Derr chose to skip those events that I mentioned above, all the events that should take place in the long span of 3 months before our princeling got his 1st mission fighting zombie.
To sum it up, it was like I was abruptly thrusted into book 2 after Raffe's 1st training. To be honest, this book overwhelmed me, the waves of informations about names, places, events, creatures in this very complex world that would always be plagued by monsters and demons and zombies for whatever reason that still incomprehensible to me after I had finished this book. Not to mention, there are so many characters in this book, that I don't even remember well their name, let alone their appearances and their positions. It'd be better if Derr reveals all of these informations bit by bit in 600++ pages, not crammed all of it in 235 pages and not unfold it all at once. This could be an epic high fantasy, but failed.
The romance part is also more telling than showing. Just like other readers said, we don't get to SEE how good is the friendship between Raffe and Cambord, we only know Derr TOLD us they were good friend, but how good? No idea, it's good, so you should just believe it's damn good, okay? We also don't get the chance to witness what Raffe felt when he found out the real identity of Cambord. It's a bit strange though, if not funny, how Raffe couldn't recognize Cambord's voice after their second encounter, the first encounter I can accept because of Raffe's unstable state after the Blooding ceremony, however if they were really friend, Raffe would instantly know his friend is Cambord from his voice alone on their 2nd encounter, in another pitch black situation.
So, ultimately what I got from this book except the romance is the nonsensical story about 9 seals that I barely understood, because not all seals were explained, we were told that after several months, two seals were destroyed already, but the events were not explained further, like how they were destroyed, at any rate it's destroyed, okay? You should just content with that. And then once again suddenly our MCs were all in a mission to fight zombies, and there are many types of zombie, they were busy chopping the heads off or burning them to ashes. What's so interesting about that?? The only magic part that's interesting enough for me is on first chapters when Raffe had to be tested for his magic type, he's a hyper-counter and luckily he's good at misting, not sparkling like certain vampire in another story, lol. But the part of his biological need to feed his hunger and lust just like most vampires we know? I don't like the latter one at all, it just ruined Raffe's images that I had pictured in my head, but I agree it's a crucial thing to add in the plot so some things can make sense later. Hints : jealousy and possessive traits. But I do believe it's not the only way to make it coherent.
I don't think I could muster any urges to read the book 2 and 3. Honestly, I don't feel like I want to know more about Telme and Hakon because they are like 2D characters in book 1, most of them actually, mainly because of the fast forward technique Derr used (3 months later, 2 months later, 6 months later, you get the gist), and because of that, I barely connected to Telme and Hakon at all. Telme is good leader, a High Priest as his husband, and the priest also has wive and kid. I'm not fond of MMF, so I think it's wise to skip the sequels.
Well, This book is just another vampire book that do not work for me. I'm not particularly hate vampire theme, but not really avoiding it altogether just like zombie theme. Oh, I read this book without knowing there are zombies inside, I can accept a bit zombie theme if it's necessary in the plot, but if it's filling half of the book when there are many more exotic and magical creatures to introduce and to fight off, it's a major turn off. So it's another minus for me, but of course this zombie part is one of my deal breakers, to be exact, just not my thing.
About the end, well, the deus ex machina plot device was used for Cambord and Raffe's relationship, and I'm not impressed with that. I don't know if it's only me, I think the 9th seal and its master key's twist is not as cool and epic as it was intended by the author. Might be because I was not that invested in story and its characters. But what is the most disappointing here is because of more-telling-and-jump-time-and-two-POV are being used here rather than witnessed events-and-no-jump-time-and-only-using-1st-POV, I missed the chance to slowly witnessing the old Raffe turned into this completely new Raffe and the chance to get used to this new Raffe. I hardly recognize this new Raffe. :(
Well, I'm a big fan of Derr, she has a great talent and brilliant imagination for fantasy, but I don't think this one is as good as her other works. Great idea but bad execution imho. To save you from future headache and waste of time, I won't recommend this series. There are many other works of her that I'd totally recommend though, like Black Magic, Prisoner, Tournament of Losers, The High King's Golden Tongue and the best of all is The Lost Gods series (make sure you read the revised version).
September 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this story ... it took me a while to start it as I was not so sure after reading the description but this story is really great. the romance is not the focus, it is more the development of the story and how Raffés character developed but I loved it
but I need some conclusion Telme and Korin
but I need some conclusion Telme and Korin
March 11, 2014
4.45
Yes, this is a very high rating, but I'm not entirely satisfied, and I need to point that out first. The thing is, the story and the ideas here were too good not to rate as high as I did, but in truth, the execution fell short sometimes.
I loved the general story idea - a character overlooked and ignored rising to new personal strength and power to become the leader he was meant to be. Hach. The bread and butter of epic fantasy. You gotta love it.
The world building was excellent. The world and its descriptions were imaginative, unique, creepy, fantastic, and harrowing. The delicious amalgamation of good and evil, the detailed depictions of places, monsters, and rituals left me breathless and excited - I wanted to read on and on and on and just figure the hell out what was going on and how this would end. And story-wise this did not disappoint. The idea of the resolution was as epic and satisfying to me as the whole story before suggested and needed. Bloody brilliant.
There are sentences, moments, in this story that made me shiver and vibrate in resonance. That alone is worth every star I give. ...And then soon after those, scenes that needed to be savoured, to be drawn out to really enjoy them, that needed to allow the reader to take a deep breath and settle after (), those seemed cut off almost impatiently. This book could and maybe should have been doubled in length - and I probably would have worshipped the ground it stood on. So much freaking potential in the story, the imagery, the concept. And it shines through so much in some scenes, moments that made me tremble and brought tears to my eyes. But the thing is - the execution in the whole did not do the potential justice, it was too rushed, too eager to get on with the story line. Any time that happened I was so bummed out I can't even describe it, it almost made me want to cry again.
There are several things that could have made this better besides TAKE YOUR DAMN TIME WITH ALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS AND STORY ARCS YOU WORKED SO HARD TO CREATE, ARGH. I think the writing needed more editing. There were mistakes, but even more importantly, a bit of smoothening out would have done it some good. I don't think it's missing talent causing the rough edges - several scenes here negate that possibility - I think it could have been made fluid and smooth and almost perfect with a few more rereads and a bit more patience.
And, I know I repeat that over and over in most of my reviews on fantasy stories, but more background information/history (maybe in a prologue?) would have been great. It would have made the different groups and magical abilities clearer and given the world a larger scale than it felt like now - like starting with a bird's eye view and then coming in for the close-up instead of being in close-up all the time with its sense for details but limited width of perception.
I also wondered about the almost complete lack of women. Yes, there were some powerful, important women in the past and they were mentioned, but all of the women still living seemed to be wives. And that is it. ... That didn't bother me too much per se. I guess, I simply would like to know if there's a reason for that.
This story has the potential to be EPIC. But it didn't feel as epic as it could be and that is a pity.
I'll definitely look out for the sequels and I'm pretty sure I'll devour them the same way I devoured this story. I noticed that they seem to be prequels really - telling the story of a few couples we already meet in this book and I'm excited about that! I really do hope that a few story threads not finished satisfactorily in this book will be picked up though in some way ().
I want to bribe Megan Derr into revising this story and making it into the book it could be - I might want to build it its own shrine if that happened. But, to be fair, if you average out the absolutely glorious moments and the glowing disappointments of unrealised potential, this is already a great read. And the mere fact that I want the next books to be out NOW probably tells you all you need to know :-D
Yes, this is a very high rating, but I'm not entirely satisfied, and I need to point that out first. The thing is, the story and the ideas here were too good not to rate as high as I did, but in truth, the execution fell short sometimes.
I loved the general story idea - a character overlooked and ignored rising to new personal strength and power to become the leader he was meant to be. Hach. The bread and butter of epic fantasy. You gotta love it.
The world building was excellent. The world and its descriptions were imaginative, unique, creepy, fantastic, and harrowing. The delicious amalgamation of good and evil, the detailed depictions of places, monsters, and rituals left me breathless and excited - I wanted to read on and on and on and just figure the hell out what was going on and how this would end. And story-wise this did not disappoint. The idea of the resolution was as epic and satisfying to me as the whole story before suggested and needed. Bloody brilliant.
There are sentences, moments, in this story that made me shiver and vibrate in resonance. That alone is worth every star I give. ...And then soon after those, scenes that needed to be savoured, to be drawn out to really enjoy them, that needed to allow the reader to take a deep breath and settle after (), those seemed cut off almost impatiently. This book could and maybe should have been doubled in length - and I probably would have worshipped the ground it stood on. So much freaking potential in the story, the imagery, the concept. And it shines through so much in some scenes, moments that made me tremble and brought tears to my eyes. But the thing is - the execution in the whole did not do the potential justice, it was too rushed, too eager to get on with the story line. Any time that happened I was so bummed out I can't even describe it, it almost made me want to cry again.
There are several things that could have made this better besides TAKE YOUR DAMN TIME WITH ALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS AND STORY ARCS YOU WORKED SO HARD TO CREATE, ARGH. I think the writing needed more editing. There were mistakes, but even more importantly, a bit of smoothening out would have done it some good. I don't think it's missing talent causing the rough edges - several scenes here negate that possibility - I think it could have been made fluid and smooth and almost perfect with a few more rereads and a bit more patience.
And, I know I repeat that over and over in most of my reviews on fantasy stories, but more background information/history (maybe in a prologue?) would have been great. It would have made the different groups and magical abilities clearer and given the world a larger scale than it felt like now - like starting with a bird's eye view and then coming in for the close-up instead of being in close-up all the time with its sense for details but limited width of perception.
I also wondered about the almost complete lack of women. Yes, there were some powerful, important women in the past and they were mentioned, but all of the women still living seemed to be wives. And that is it. ... That didn't bother me too much per se. I guess, I simply would like to know if there's a reason for that.
This story has the potential to be EPIC. But it didn't feel as epic as it could be and that is a pity.
I'll definitely look out for the sequels and I'm pretty sure I'll devour them the same way I devoured this story. I noticed that they seem to be prequels really - telling the story of a few couples we already meet in this book and I'm excited about that! I really do hope that a few story threads not finished satisfactorily in this book will be picked up though in some way ().
I want to bribe Megan Derr into revising this story and making it into the book it could be - I might want to build it its own shrine if that happened. But, to be fair, if you average out the absolutely glorious moments and the glowing disappointments of unrealised potential, this is already a great read. And the mere fact that I want the next books to be out NOW probably tells you all you need to know :-D
February 11, 2022
4.5 Stars!
This was both not what I expected, and more than I expected. I've never read Megan Derr before, but I was pleasantly surprised. With its richly detailed worldbuilding and multitude of characters, I was completely gripped from beginning to end. I was immersed in demons, angels, mages, werewolves (well, that's what I took wolves of the moon to be), high priests, revenants, zombies, sea serpents, flying things, and dragons! And I grew to love most of them, especially the princes and the dragons.
While I was expecting vampires, instead I got demons - or half-demons actually as the case may be here called Princes of the Blood. Now, ordinarily, that probably would have ticked me off, but I enjoyed this so much, I didn't care. And though they were demons, they had vampiric qualities. So in the end, I got what I was looking for anyway. I suspect that Ms. Derr might be a Supernatural fan, but if she isn't it's just a coincidence then, because I saw some similarities in her monsters. For instance, her demons needed blood to sustain themselves like a vampire, however, not for the same reasons. Both the angels and demons that share their form with humans are stronger than their human side can host, so the blood helps them maintain their human body. In Supernatural, the demons were too powerful as well, and needed to drink blood in order to keep their host from essentially burning away. The stronger the being, the more blood needed.
But I digress, in any event, this was a great read for me. Something different, which I so desperately needed.
We start with Raffe, who is nobody special in his family's eyes. Just an accountant who is more or less a disgrace. He forever lives in his brother's shadow and fails to match any of his superior qualities: his charm, his looks, strength, abilities - but then his brother disappears the night before he is to made a Prince of the Blood. The highest honor where he's to become soldier to protect the citizens of their kingdom after acquiring his powers. Raffe takes his place and volunteers for the Blooding ceremony that falls upon each family who produces an heir of suitable demon blood in order to save his family's lives. No one expects him to survive, even himself.
The night before (his last as a human) he meets our love interest, "Cambord" and they spend one night together as that is Raffe's wish - to feel what it is like to be 'wanted'. I won't go into much detail here, because his identity would be a spoiler. Let's just say their love is that of the star-crossed variety because of who they are.
The relationship however, does not take center stage as there is a great deal of plot in this story. A trusted member of their inner circle betrays the Princes and their kingdom, and begins a series of rituals that are essentially to end the world as they know it. Someone who, I did not see coming at all. Perhaps I was too lost in the world I was reading or it just snuck up on me, either way, it was nice to not know for once and be genuinely surprised.
That's not to say that the relationship is nonexistent, because it isn't, there's just enough to keep you interested. It's both sweet and sexy, and you can't help but root for them even though you know everyone is against them. But it's not just them you root for, it's all the Princes you meet, more or less. They kinda get under your skin with the bonds they form with each other.
I'd love to say more, but, it's hard to cover everything without really spoiling the story. If you like some good worldbuilding, a little mystery, some love and sacrifice, great characters and a nasty little villain, I'd recommend you give this one a try. I couldn't seem to put it down. I hope it captures you too!
This was both not what I expected, and more than I expected. I've never read Megan Derr before, but I was pleasantly surprised. With its richly detailed worldbuilding and multitude of characters, I was completely gripped from beginning to end. I was immersed in demons, angels, mages, werewolves (well, that's what I took wolves of the moon to be), high priests, revenants, zombies, sea serpents, flying things, and dragons! And I grew to love most of them, especially the princes and the dragons.
While I was expecting vampires, instead I got demons - or half-demons actually as the case may be here called Princes of the Blood. Now, ordinarily, that probably would have ticked me off, but I enjoyed this so much, I didn't care. And though they were demons, they had vampiric qualities. So in the end, I got what I was looking for anyway. I suspect that Ms. Derr might be a Supernatural fan, but if she isn't it's just a coincidence then, because I saw some similarities in her monsters. For instance, her demons needed blood to sustain themselves like a vampire, however, not for the same reasons. Both the angels and demons that share their form with humans are stronger than their human side can host, so the blood helps them maintain their human body. In Supernatural, the demons were too powerful as well, and needed to drink blood in order to keep their host from essentially burning away. The stronger the being, the more blood needed.
But I digress, in any event, this was a great read for me. Something different, which I so desperately needed.
We start with Raffe, who is nobody special in his family's eyes. Just an accountant who is more or less a disgrace. He forever lives in his brother's shadow and fails to match any of his superior qualities: his charm, his looks, strength, abilities - but then his brother disappears the night before he is to made a Prince of the Blood. The highest honor where he's to become soldier to protect the citizens of their kingdom after acquiring his powers. Raffe takes his place and volunteers for the Blooding ceremony that falls upon each family who produces an heir of suitable demon blood in order to save his family's lives. No one expects him to survive, even himself.
The night before (his last as a human) he meets our love interest, "Cambord" and they spend one night together as that is Raffe's wish - to feel what it is like to be 'wanted'. I won't go into much detail here, because his identity would be a spoiler. Let's just say their love is that of the star-crossed variety because of who they are.
The relationship however, does not take center stage as there is a great deal of plot in this story. A trusted member of their inner circle betrays the Princes and their kingdom, and begins a series of rituals that are essentially to end the world as they know it. Someone who, I did not see coming at all. Perhaps I was too lost in the world I was reading or it just snuck up on me, either way, it was nice to not know for once and be genuinely surprised.
That's not to say that the relationship is nonexistent, because it isn't, there's just enough to keep you interested. It's both sweet and sexy, and you can't help but root for them even though you know everyone is against them. But it's not just them you root for, it's all the Princes you meet, more or less. They kinda get under your skin with the bonds they form with each other.
I'd love to say more, but, it's hard to cover everything without really spoiling the story. If you like some good worldbuilding, a little mystery, some love and sacrifice, great characters and a nasty little villain, I'd recommend you give this one a try. I couldn't seem to put it down. I hope it captures you too!
December 29, 2016
*whispers* I did not like this one...
WHY!
So I have a few thoughts and I had this whole internal monologue ready. But I forgot half of them. So here are a few thing I do remember. WARNING: I will go on tangents.
A few points that came to mind. I do remember thinking about why women write about gay men but 'forget' to write about gay women but that's a whole other discussion.
I will read the next book in the series (especially since I already have it) because Megan Derr is an amazing writer and I like her stories dammit. I just a bit bummed that this one did not work for me..
WHY!
So I have a few thoughts and I had this whole internal monologue ready. But I forgot half of them. So here are a few thing I do remember. WARNING: I will go on tangents.
- Where are the women? This was one of the biggest problem I had with the story. There are no women. Only mentioned in passing. And then they are either: A wife and mostly with another wife (multiple wives for one men...yeah.. no), a sacrifice (because what else are we good for right?), or they are 'better than men for certain things' and that kind of nonsens.
Honestly that shit bothers me. Because NO gender is better than the other. And thinking like that results in madonna versus the whore thingies and that men show no emotions. It's ridonkulous. While that was not totally the case here it did seem that only men were allowed to be an actual person while the woman were only there to make more babies. Also if women were better at some things... Why are there only men in power? (I mean in the story) Why is that?
- The worldbuilding. Look I got confused... Like multiple times. I don't see myself as a dummy.. on my good days. But this shit was confusing. Or more like it was too much. I got the feeling the author was so happy with all the cool things she (I'm assuming she is a woman purely based on the name on the cover) thought of she just kept on using more and more. And to be honest all the things are pretty cool. But it was a bit much.
- Plot versus character. Normally I don't really care if authors go for plot building or for character building. I'm in it for the story. But I recently read a thread on which people prefer more and it got me to think a bit more about this. It felt like... again too much good ideas and not enough fleshing out of one.
A few points that came to mind. I do remember thinking about why women write about gay men but 'forget' to write about gay women but that's a whole other discussion.
I will read the next book in the series (especially since I already have it) because Megan Derr is an amazing writer and I like her stories dammit. I just a bit bummed that this one did not work for me..
October 27, 2014
I read this book for a pick-for-me challenge. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but since it was for a challenge I felt that I had to slog through til the end.
The plot is rushed and as a consequence feels sloppy, Derr tries to accomplish far too much on far too few pages and thus cuts corners by not bothering to muck about with all those pesky details that flesh out the story. The story takes place over around six months, certainly less than a year, and of that time the majority (read all but what seemed like maybe a week or two) is hand waved. What I would consider major plot points are skipped entirely or only briefly mentioned as second hand information.
I had a hard time telling characters apart, or even remembering if a specific character had been introduced before or not, since barely any of them have any personality to speak of. They were simply not very well developed, only the two POV-characters got more than cursory characterization.
The world in which the story takes place has potential and I saw glimpses of it that intrigued me, but unfortunately the worldbuilding suffers from the same lack of details that plagues the plot and the characters. Derr does far too much telling and not nearly enough showing. Also, the editing wasn't stellar resulting in inconsistencies in the text.
As a final note: depression is a serious medical condition, not a synonym for sad or distraught.
The plot is rushed and as a consequence feels sloppy, Derr tries to accomplish far too much on far too few pages and thus cuts corners by not bothering to muck about with all those pesky details that flesh out the story. The story takes place over around six months, certainly less than a year, and of that time the majority (read all but what seemed like maybe a week or two) is hand waved. What I would consider major plot points are skipped entirely or only briefly mentioned as second hand information.
I had a hard time telling characters apart, or even remembering if a specific character had been introduced before or not, since barely any of them have any personality to speak of. They were simply not very well developed, only the two POV-characters got more than cursory characterization.
The world in which the story takes place has potential and I saw glimpses of it that intrigued me, but unfortunately the worldbuilding suffers from the same lack of details that plagues the plot and the characters. Derr does far too much telling and not nearly enough showing. Also, the editing wasn't stellar resulting in inconsistencies in the text.
As a final note: depression is a serious medical condition, not a synonym for sad or distraught.
May 12, 2020
I cannot in good conscience say that this book is bad, because it isn't.
It's decent, but it could be so much more. The author painted a gigantic world full of monsters, magic and otherworldliness. Noble defenders of man (and sometimes monster) -kind fighting against an ever encroaching army literally straight from hell.
If only it weren't so shallow.
There are many types of warriors in the book: The Princes of Blood, Shades, Geomancers, Dragoons, Dredknights and even more I've already forgotten.
This is the main problem. They're all forgettable. None of the mentioned professions safe the princes are given depth or explanation and even what is given is painfully shallow.
The author wanted to write a grand epic and gave it the depth of a spoonful of soup. Decent soup, but let's not kid ourselves about what we've been served. There's a huge cast, but only enough character traits for maybe one and a half people.
The only name I can remember is the MCs and only because it is actually hilarious in hindsight: I'm not sure if this is a billingual bonus or simply an accident, but it was amusing.
It's not bad, strictly speaking. But it could have been so much more.
It's decent, but it could be so much more. The author painted a gigantic world full of monsters, magic and otherworldliness. Noble defenders of man (and sometimes monster) -kind fighting against an ever encroaching army literally straight from hell.
If only it weren't so shallow.
There are many types of warriors in the book: The Princes of Blood, Shades, Geomancers, Dragoons, Dredknights and even more I've already forgotten.
This is the main problem. They're all forgettable. None of the mentioned professions safe the princes are given depth or explanation and even what is given is painfully shallow.
The author wanted to write a grand epic and gave it the depth of a spoonful of soup. Decent soup, but let's not kid ourselves about what we've been served. There's a huge cast, but only enough character traits for maybe one and a half people.
The only name I can remember is the MCs and only because it is actually hilarious in hindsight: I'm not sure if this is a billingual bonus or simply an accident, but it was amusing.
It's not bad, strictly speaking. But it could have been so much more.
February 20, 2016
First read May 2014
re-read Feb 2016
I have read a number of Megan Derr's shorter stories and this was my first full length novel. She excels in world building and making you feel for her characters.
Raffe is a second son and expected to do nothing more than become a husband and accountant, but when his brother flees the night before he's due to become a Prince of The Blood, Raffe volunteers to take his place - this changing his entire future. He must learn to control the magic and other skills he possesses as being a part human/part demon. Before he completes his training the land is thrown into turmoil when the eight seals holding back the demons of hell start to be broken. Raffe is romantically linked with Dragoon Captian (and dragon shifter), Alrin, which in itself causes particular difficulties both personally and in terms of the overall storyline.
I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure but there were a lot of loose ends that could do with tidying up. I understand that the other books in the series are actually not further stories of Raffe/Alrin but about the other characters and set before this one.
re-read Feb 2016
I have read a number of Megan Derr's shorter stories and this was my first full length novel. She excels in world building and making you feel for her characters.
Raffe is a second son and expected to do nothing more than become a husband and accountant, but when his brother flees the night before he's due to become a Prince of The Blood, Raffe volunteers to take his place - this changing his entire future. He must learn to control the magic and other skills he possesses as being a part human/part demon. Before he completes his training the land is thrown into turmoil when the eight seals holding back the demons of hell start to be broken. Raffe is romantically linked with Dragoon Captian (and dragon shifter), Alrin, which in itself causes particular difficulties both personally and in terms of the overall storyline.
I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure but there were a lot of loose ends that could do with tidying up. I understand that the other books in the series are actually not further stories of Raffe/Alrin but about the other characters and set before this one.
October 23, 2015
I had high hopes for a magic-heavy fantasy novel with a gay protagonist, and Of Last Resort didn't disappoint! There's plenty of magic, and I particularly enjoyed the glimpse of all the different varieties - and factions of the Legion that use those different types - at the beginning. Our protagonist has demonic-derived powers, but others use holy power, are shapeshifters, or something else entirely.
The romance is definitely the secondary plot of the book, but I actually like that so it was a selling point rather than a downside to me. Same sex relationships are completely normal in this setting, and in the Legion in particular it seems like almost everyone was in a M/M relationship.
I liked the world building and plot, with enough depths and twists to really fall into the story. My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed, considering the extensive lead-up to it, but overall I was satisfied. If you like fantasy and M/M romance, Of Last Resort is definitely worth your time.
The romance is definitely the secondary plot of the book, but I actually like that so it was a selling point rather than a downside to me. Same sex relationships are completely normal in this setting, and in the Legion in particular it seems like almost everyone was in a M/M relationship.
I liked the world building and plot, with enough depths and twists to really fall into the story. My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed, considering the extensive lead-up to it, but overall I was satisfied. If you like fantasy and M/M romance, Of Last Resort is definitely worth your time.
April 12, 2014
I seriously don't know what to say. LOL. While it is not my most favorite Megan Derr book, Of Last Resort still rendered me speechless and it took me a few days before reading another book again. I … don't know why. But sometimes, after reading a Megan Derr book, I don't want to read another book right after.
As I close this book, I wondered why in hell I waited for a few days before reading this. I should've read it right after I downloaded it from LT3's serials section. But then again, I wanted for it to be my Valentine read!
Of Last Resort started pretty hot! Scorching! ^__^ And then all hell broke loose. This story had pretty much everything – romance, fighting, fantasy, betrayal, and a lot more.
I love Raffe! And Alrin. They're adorable. :)
Can't wait to read the third installment! (I'm done with the second one already. LOL.)
As I close this book, I wondered why in hell I waited for a few days before reading this. I should've read it right after I downloaded it from LT3's serials section. But then again, I wanted for it to be my Valentine read!
Of Last Resort started pretty hot! Scorching! ^__^ And then all hell broke loose. This story had pretty much everything – romance, fighting, fantasy, betrayal, and a lot more.
I love Raffe! And Alrin. They're adorable. :)
Can't wait to read the third installment! (I'm done with the second one already. LOL.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews