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Will of the Familiars #1
A Crown For A Fox
A witch swears to protect the throne. A fox familiar vows to kill the king.
When Siel unearths the bones of villagers massacred on his fiance’s orders, his heart breaks. His fiance: the king. A monster, and the man who saved Siel from the depth of melancholia. The man Siel loves.
But some loves have to die, and Siel will kill this one. With no army, his only weapon is his secret ability to change into a fox—he’s a familiar.
Caius, an awkward witch, feels accepted at last when he joins the royal guard. For once, his rigid moral code is admired; the king too is an austere man who follows his head over his heart.
Caius swears to protect the throne with his life. But soon, an assassin fox shows up and leaves a trail of bodies. The palace is shrouded in fear; Caius chases a ghost, always ahead, always taunting. Frustrated by Caius’ failures, the king turns on him—criticism, followed by insults, followed by pain.
Chasing and evading each other, Siel and Caius’ dance brings them closer. Soon, they see the similarities: both wounded by the same man, both holding the same principles. And the same fascination for magic, a power neither can have on his own, but that can only be shared.
When Siel unearths the bones of villagers massacred on his fiance’s orders, his heart breaks. His fiance: the king. A monster, and the man who saved Siel from the depth of melancholia. The man Siel loves.
But some loves have to die, and Siel will kill this one. With no army, his only weapon is his secret ability to change into a fox—he’s a familiar.
Caius, an awkward witch, feels accepted at last when he joins the royal guard. For once, his rigid moral code is admired; the king too is an austere man who follows his head over his heart.
Caius swears to protect the throne with his life. But soon, an assassin fox shows up and leaves a trail of bodies. The palace is shrouded in fear; Caius chases a ghost, always ahead, always taunting. Frustrated by Caius’ failures, the king turns on him—criticism, followed by insults, followed by pain.
Chasing and evading each other, Siel and Caius’ dance brings them closer. Soon, they see the similarities: both wounded by the same man, both holding the same principles. And the same fascination for magic, a power neither can have on his own, but that can only be shared.
455 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2023
99 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Cleo Nitz
2 books9 followersCleo Nitz, who loves magic and imaginary worlds, plans on never moving to Real Life. She writes queer fiction about fantasy, shifters, and love.
She lives in France with her hyperactive dog and lazy cat.
She lives in France with her hyperactive dog and lazy cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 4, 2023
I wanted to like this book, but...
I apologize for the lengthy review. I want to show that I gave this book a fair chance and have reasons for these opinions. I will keep all plot points as general as possible so they do not spoil anything.
First, I became frustrated with the inconsistencies in characters' morals. One moment Siel hesitates to kill, the next he craves it. One moment he kills patrons of a shady establishment indiscriminately, the next he hesitates to kill an evil man because "that wasn't what a sentinel would do."
Both Siel and Caius tend to act impulsively and don't seem to gain better judgement as the story progresses. I'm guessing this is because there are rarely consequences to these actions: the way others respond to our two protagonists just isn't realistic. I noted two big examples: one when Caius impulsively draws a sword on someone but decides it was a bad idea and puts the weapon away. This person immediately goes back to talking with him albeit a little more nervously. I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who would carry on that conversation without at least calling in some backup. Another occurs when Siel is caught trying to assassinate someone who recognizes him...this same person never brings this up and continues to treat him as an ally. Where are the consequences of these poor decisions?
There are some smaller details that still bothered me quite a bit as a reader. Much emphasis is put on Siel being a Fennec fox as opposed to a red fox. The book cover clearly sports a red fox. Additionally, Caius is repeatedly said to have weak magic...yet he draws all water out of an entire building on his own. That sounds like a pretty dramatic feat; imagine doing that to an enemy. Finally, at one point they quite literally burn the majority of evidence they need to prove that their cause is just...I'm really not sure why they thought this was a good idea.
Overall, the premise of this book sounded interesting, but the execution just wasn't for me. These characters are hard to empathize with when they act brashly with little consequence and can't seem to decide where their morals lie.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
I apologize for the lengthy review. I want to show that I gave this book a fair chance and have reasons for these opinions. I will keep all plot points as general as possible so they do not spoil anything.
First, I became frustrated with the inconsistencies in characters' morals. One moment Siel hesitates to kill, the next he craves it. One moment he kills patrons of a shady establishment indiscriminately, the next he hesitates to kill an evil man because "that wasn't what a sentinel would do."
Both Siel and Caius tend to act impulsively and don't seem to gain better judgement as the story progresses. I'm guessing this is because there are rarely consequences to these actions: the way others respond to our two protagonists just isn't realistic. I noted two big examples: one when Caius impulsively draws a sword on someone but decides it was a bad idea and puts the weapon away. This person immediately goes back to talking with him albeit a little more nervously. I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who would carry on that conversation without at least calling in some backup. Another occurs when Siel is caught trying to assassinate someone who recognizes him...this same person never brings this up and continues to treat him as an ally. Where are the consequences of these poor decisions?
There are some smaller details that still bothered me quite a bit as a reader. Much emphasis is put on Siel being a Fennec fox as opposed to a red fox. The book cover clearly sports a red fox. Additionally, Caius is repeatedly said to have weak magic...yet he draws all water out of an entire building on his own. That sounds like a pretty dramatic feat; imagine doing that to an enemy. Finally, at one point they quite literally burn the majority of evidence they need to prove that their cause is just...I'm really not sure why they thought this was a good idea.
Overall, the premise of this book sounded interesting, but the execution just wasn't for me. These characters are hard to empathize with when they act brashly with little consequence and can't seem to decide where their morals lie.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
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December 13, 2024Goes downhill fast and stays there
This started off fairly strong. The cracks were showing by the 15% mark, but I liked the characters and wanted to give it a chance. Somewhere around 30% the story started collapsing in on itself, and by 80% it was one of the worst books I have ever managed to finish.
Nothing makes any sense. Character motivations change as the plot requires, sometimes in the same chapter. No one behaves rationally, including the character who's supposed to be cautious and logical. Interpersonal interactions are bafflingly illogical, and conversations are full of non sequiturs. There are never any social consequences for the characters behaving in bizarre, insulting, or downright threatening ways to other characters. Relationships develop as the plot dictates, not in response to actual shared experiences.
The mystery elements of the story are particularly poorly handled. Nothing takes the time or effort you'd expect. Characters somehow solve one mystery by walking down the street and stumbling across the solution, but another, very straightforward investigation never gets done because the characters can't figure out the first step. One character literally tries to hunt down a fugitive by, get this, going to the library and doing research. (Instead of, you know, sending out soldiers to search the city or circulating descriptions of the criminal and offering a reward for information.)
Every single character with a job is incompetent at it, especially the protagonist, Siel. He did such a bad job as a leader of the Sentinels, I thought he was being set up as terrible to justify why the king would fire him later. Only, apparently he was actually supposed to be good at it, and his replacement is even worse. Somehow the king doesn't fire Caius when he fumbles the search for the fox, but I have no idea why. Again: nobody's good at their job, nobody's reactions make sense, and there are no consequences for failure.
And the worldbuilding is bizarre. I don't mind the technomagic vs. medieval Europe styling—that actually ended up being sort of charming, in a kitchen sink kind of way—but cultural and government institutions are paper-thin and grow increasingly unbelievable as the story continues. Nothing in this world is robust enough for the role it was supposed to play. For instance, the Sentinels are the king's personal guard, but they spend most of their time investigating crimes? Okay... so why are there only 5 of them? And why do they spend 90% of their time hanging out in their clubhouse or wandering the palace grounds, instead of doing work? Why are they in charge of responding to assassination attempts in the palace? There are palace guards, so why do the Sentinels have to chase the assassin? Are the guards really that useless? When it's time to track the criminal into the city, why is that the Sentinels' job, too? Isn't there some kind of law enforcement they can get involved? Considering how poor their on-page success rate is and how useless the other members of the group seem to be when they aren't following direct orders, what are the Sentinels even good for???
Anyway. Little things like that kept bothering me throughout the story, so here's an incomplete list of things the author appears not to understand: criminal investigations, government institutions, the concept of jurisdiction, effective leadership, workplace dynamics, the technological simplicity of glassmaking, how long it takes to make a wig, how city gates work (they don't lock from the outside!), how throwing knives work (bet a fox can't throw one with its mouth!), the use cases of chariots vs. carts, and what counts as a siege.
Oh. And if you're thinking you'd put up with anything for an MM enemies to lovers story, don't bother. It's not enemies to lovers. It's not even really a romance at all, although the two point of view characters do end up in a relationship. It's more awkward rivalry to vaguely friends to allies to suddenly in love at the end with no buildup.
I can't really see a reason to recommend this one.
This started off fairly strong. The cracks were showing by the 15% mark, but I liked the characters and wanted to give it a chance. Somewhere around 30% the story started collapsing in on itself, and by 80% it was one of the worst books I have ever managed to finish.
Nothing makes any sense. Character motivations change as the plot requires, sometimes in the same chapter. No one behaves rationally, including the character who's supposed to be cautious and logical. Interpersonal interactions are bafflingly illogical, and conversations are full of non sequiturs. There are never any social consequences for the characters behaving in bizarre, insulting, or downright threatening ways to other characters. Relationships develop as the plot dictates, not in response to actual shared experiences.
The mystery elements of the story are particularly poorly handled. Nothing takes the time or effort you'd expect. Characters somehow solve one mystery by walking down the street and stumbling across the solution, but another, very straightforward investigation never gets done because the characters can't figure out the first step. One character literally tries to hunt down a fugitive by, get this, going to the library and doing research. (Instead of, you know, sending out soldiers to search the city or circulating descriptions of the criminal and offering a reward for information.)
Every single character with a job is incompetent at it, especially the protagonist, Siel. He did such a bad job as a leader of the Sentinels, I thought he was being set up as terrible to justify why the king would fire him later. Only, apparently he was actually supposed to be good at it, and his replacement is even worse. Somehow the king doesn't fire Caius when he fumbles the search for the fox, but I have no idea why. Again: nobody's good at their job, nobody's reactions make sense, and there are no consequences for failure.
And the worldbuilding is bizarre. I don't mind the technomagic vs. medieval Europe styling—that actually ended up being sort of charming, in a kitchen sink kind of way—but cultural and government institutions are paper-thin and grow increasingly unbelievable as the story continues. Nothing in this world is robust enough for the role it was supposed to play. For instance, the Sentinels are the king's personal guard, but they spend most of their time investigating crimes? Okay... so why are there only 5 of them? And why do they spend 90% of their time hanging out in their clubhouse or wandering the palace grounds, instead of doing work? Why are they in charge of responding to assassination attempts in the palace? There are palace guards, so why do the Sentinels have to chase the assassin? Are the guards really that useless? When it's time to track the criminal into the city, why is that the Sentinels' job, too? Isn't there some kind of law enforcement they can get involved? Considering how poor their on-page success rate is and how useless the other members of the group seem to be when they aren't following direct orders, what are the Sentinels even good for???
Anyway. Little things like that kept bothering me throughout the story, so here's an incomplete list of things the author appears not to understand: criminal investigations, government institutions, the concept of jurisdiction, effective leadership, workplace dynamics, the technological simplicity of glassmaking, how long it takes to make a wig, how city gates work (they don't lock from the outside!), how throwing knives work (bet a fox can't throw one with its mouth!), the use cases of chariots vs. carts, and what counts as a siege.
Oh. And if you're thinking you'd put up with anything for an MM enemies to lovers story, don't bother. It's not enemies to lovers. It's not even really a romance at all, although the two point of view characters do end up in a relationship. It's more awkward rivalry to vaguely friends to allies to suddenly in love at the end with no buildup.
I can't really see a reason to recommend this one.
November 2, 2023
More like 2.5. So like. That didn’t make sense. There was a lot of thought in this fantasy world but the author just didn’t have the technical ability to pull it off. The scene transitions were so weird and blunt. And the end????? Was so strange. It’s just. Nothing really made sense and the ending didn’t make it make sense and I didn’t like this.
January 27, 2024
this was bad at the star but it got better
I absolutely hated the first 15% of the book. It just didn’t grab me but I persevered and the characters began to draw me in.
I think the problem is that the set up is just way too long.
I absolutely hated the first 15% of the book. It just didn’t grab me but I persevered and the characters began to draw me in.
I think the problem is that the set up is just way too long.
October 3, 2023
What a refreshingly unique read! There were so many things I liked about this book, from the magic system, to diversity of the characters' backgrounds, to the world that it was set in.
Do you ever get the feeling that you've already read the book you're reading, even though you're sure you haven't? I don't mean that in a bad way - just that I've read several books recently, where I could tell they either had similarities in their inspiration, or that the author was afraid to deviate from a more standard fantasy format. I still enjoyed them. This was not one of those books, though!
I loved the mix of technology, religion, and magic that explored in this book, and how differently the main characters' backgrounds changed their views on how everything was looked at. In some ways, I kind of wish there could've been more detail on the cultures of the different lands, but it wasn't because I didn't think there was enough to understand it - just that I think it would've been more enjoyable fleshed out a bit more.
Personally, I am someone who really likes books with multiple POVs and am not generally bothered by the use of first person; and in this case, it was very effective getting to read things from two different narrators. Caius and Siel are two very, very different characters with very different views on things and they see the events happening around them quite differently.
The only really big thing that I had a slight issue with this book was that some things didn't feel connected enough. There were times when I was really wondering why someone thought what they were doing was smart, given their other actions before and after that, as well as how some things just didn't add up to me. If I didn't think about it too much, it was fine, but I do tend to overthink what everyone is doing or saying when I read, so that was a bit distracting to me.
Overall, an excellent read. It's not perfect, but then again, what is? I would highly recommend giving this book a shot!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Do you ever get the feeling that you've already read the book you're reading, even though you're sure you haven't? I don't mean that in a bad way - just that I've read several books recently, where I could tell they either had similarities in their inspiration, or that the author was afraid to deviate from a more standard fantasy format. I still enjoyed them. This was not one of those books, though!
I loved the mix of technology, religion, and magic that explored in this book, and how differently the main characters' backgrounds changed their views on how everything was looked at. In some ways, I kind of wish there could've been more detail on the cultures of the different lands, but it wasn't because I didn't think there was enough to understand it - just that I think it would've been more enjoyable fleshed out a bit more.
Personally, I am someone who really likes books with multiple POVs and am not generally bothered by the use of first person; and in this case, it was very effective getting to read things from two different narrators. Caius and Siel are two very, very different characters with very different views on things and they see the events happening around them quite differently.
The only really big thing that I had a slight issue with this book was that some things didn't feel connected enough. There were times when I was really wondering why someone thought what they were doing was smart, given their other actions before and after that, as well as how some things just didn't add up to me. If I didn't think about it too much, it was fine, but I do tend to overthink what everyone is doing or saying when I read, so that was a bit distracting to me.
Overall, an excellent read. It's not perfect, but then again, what is? I would highly recommend giving this book a shot!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 7, 2023
Fated familiar
Convoluted, but in the best possible way is how I would describe this book by Cleo Nitz. This is a fairly long fantasy story with a romance that doesn’t progress the way most do in romance stories. The emphasis is on the fantasy aspects as Siel slowly uncovers what has been happening. This is where the convoluted part comes in as Nitz manipulates the story so that nether Siel nor the reader is sure of what is going on. At no time did I feel like this was done just to make the story more of a mystery or keeping back information just to surprise the audience later. I don’t if I’m saying this right but I have read a few books lately that felt very manipulative in how information came out and I feel like in this book there was a very organic flow even though a lot of the information only came near the end.
Caius feels like a less well developed character than Siel but part of that is that he is not in the tale nearly as much as Siel. He is also a very hard character to like when we first meet him. I did feel like Nitz has done a great job making a relationship between these two characters believable though. I see that this is supposed to be book one so I can forgive the very slightly abrupt ending and hope we get to find out more about these characters and what is going to happen in this world of Cleo Nitz’s.
Convoluted, but in the best possible way is how I would describe this book by Cleo Nitz. This is a fairly long fantasy story with a romance that doesn’t progress the way most do in romance stories. The emphasis is on the fantasy aspects as Siel slowly uncovers what has been happening. This is where the convoluted part comes in as Nitz manipulates the story so that nether Siel nor the reader is sure of what is going on. At no time did I feel like this was done just to make the story more of a mystery or keeping back information just to surprise the audience later. I don’t if I’m saying this right but I have read a few books lately that felt very manipulative in how information came out and I feel like in this book there was a very organic flow even though a lot of the information only came near the end.
Caius feels like a less well developed character than Siel but part of that is that he is not in the tale nearly as much as Siel. He is also a very hard character to like when we first meet him. I did feel like Nitz has done a great job making a relationship between these two characters believable though. I see that this is supposed to be book one so I can forgive the very slightly abrupt ending and hope we get to find out more about these characters and what is going to happen in this world of Cleo Nitz’s.
April 4, 2024
The premise of this book sounded like tons of fun but I feel like it fell flat.
My first thing is... please, why is there a red fox on the cover if Siel is a Fennec fox?? A totally different looking type of fox. That bothered me like, way more than it should have but I will not apologize for that! I think Siel would also hate that he was being shown as a red fox because he goes on OFTEN about not being a red fox.
The relationship felt very rushed and basically barely there. They basically only fought and then suddenly Siel is wanting to kiss him. I don't get it. There was more chemistry between him and the king than the witch. Most side characters were flat and were rather one dimensional. I couldn't remember a single one of their names if my life was at risk and I JUST finished it...like 5 minutes ago.
The world building also seemed to change to whatever the MCs needed rather than be something that existed separated from them. It was all very convenient.
It was an OK read I guess. Didn't need to use an ounce of brain power so if you're looking for that sort of deal, this might be a nice filler read between larger pieces
My first thing is... please, why is there a red fox on the cover if Siel is a Fennec fox?? A totally different looking type of fox. That bothered me like, way more than it should have but I will not apologize for that! I think Siel would also hate that he was being shown as a red fox because he goes on OFTEN about not being a red fox.
The relationship felt very rushed and basically barely there. They basically only fought and then suddenly Siel is wanting to kiss him. I don't get it. There was more chemistry between him and the king than the witch. Most side characters were flat and were rather one dimensional. I couldn't remember a single one of their names if my life was at risk and I JUST finished it...like 5 minutes ago.
The world building also seemed to change to whatever the MCs needed rather than be something that existed separated from them. It was all very convenient.
It was an OK read I guess. Didn't need to use an ounce of brain power so if you're looking for that sort of deal, this might be a nice filler read between larger pieces
October 28, 2023
Caius and Siel were very interesting characters, I really enjoyed how Siel wasn't blinded by his feelings. He found out his fiancée's true characters and set about trying to free the land of this tyrant and once Caius had his eyes opened they shared a common goal. A very enjoyable series starter, I really hope that book two answers some unresolved questions.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by BookSirens*
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by BookSirens*
November 12, 2024
Epic world-building. No spice
I'm not sure I would strictly call this a romance. There's no spice, the mains don't even meet until over 30% and don't kiss until 90%. Their love is slow, gentle, tender in contrast to the abusive relationship between the king and Siel.
Despite that, I absolutely adored the story. Incredible world-building and insightful. Themes of racism, ethnic purging, genocide, religious persecution and oppression, abuse, and mental health. These themes were woven into a complex tapestry of fantasy that captivated me with the world-building and shattered me with their depth. As a Jew, I was deeply moved
Caius is very clearly autism/ASD coded. I'm neurospicy but not that flavor so I can't speak to it too much but it felt well done and fairly nuanced. A strong sense of justice, need for familiarity, inability to lie and therefore difficulty understanding other people's dishonesty. Though not the focus, Caius is a well developed character with growth and movement.
Siel is the main vehicle for the plot. His journey is all over the map as he learns the truth of the king's machinations and manipulations. As he realizes how deep he'd fallen for abuse sold as love. Siel wants revenge and justice but which does he want more?
I tend to only read romance so idk if I would have taken a chance in this book if I knew there is little romance and no spice before I started reading. But this high fantasy story is so worth it and I definitely recommend
I do take issue with the covers as in one, it shows a red fox and Siel is a fennec fox. In the other, is a white man with blond hair. Siel is POC with long red hair and Caius is white with short black hair. So while the covers are lovely illustrations, they do not depict the story or characters at all which is very frustrating
I'm not sure I would strictly call this a romance. There's no spice, the mains don't even meet until over 30% and don't kiss until 90%. Their love is slow, gentle, tender in contrast to the abusive relationship between the king and Siel.
Despite that, I absolutely adored the story. Incredible world-building and insightful. Themes of racism, ethnic purging, genocide, religious persecution and oppression, abuse, and mental health. These themes were woven into a complex tapestry of fantasy that captivated me with the world-building and shattered me with their depth. As a Jew, I was deeply moved
Caius is very clearly autism/ASD coded. I'm neurospicy but not that flavor so I can't speak to it too much but it felt well done and fairly nuanced. A strong sense of justice, need for familiarity, inability to lie and therefore difficulty understanding other people's dishonesty. Though not the focus, Caius is a well developed character with growth and movement.
Siel is the main vehicle for the plot. His journey is all over the map as he learns the truth of the king's machinations and manipulations. As he realizes how deep he'd fallen for abuse sold as love. Siel wants revenge and justice but which does he want more?
I tend to only read romance so idk if I would have taken a chance in this book if I knew there is little romance and no spice before I started reading. But this high fantasy story is so worth it and I definitely recommend
I do take issue with the covers as in one, it shows a red fox and Siel is a fennec fox. In the other, is a white man with blond hair. Siel is POC with long red hair and Caius is white with short black hair. So while the covers are lovely illustrations, they do not depict the story or characters at all which is very frustrating
June 22, 2024
1. This was an extremely good book.
2. I absolutely do not ship the main characters. They had -.000001 romantic chemistry.
Am I a truly bad person if I would be open to reading a version of this book where Siel stays with the king, who is brought low enough to become better? Maybe Siel keeps him in a cage for a while? Yes? I will keep that to myself then.
Update: Ok hold up I just noticed from the reviews that it seems like everyone hated this book?!? I literally don't understand. Admittedly, it started out slow and the strange perspective shifts were confusing, but once it got started, it was absolutely compelling to the very end. Author, I say this as a someone who doesn't like much: disregard the haters, please.
2. I absolutely do not ship the main characters. They had -.000001 romantic chemistry.
Am I a truly bad person if I would be open to reading a version of this book where Siel stays with the king, who is brought low enough to become better? Maybe Siel keeps him in a cage for a while? Yes? I will keep that to myself then.
Update: Ok hold up I just noticed from the reviews that it seems like everyone hated this book?!? I literally don't understand. Admittedly, it started out slow and the strange perspective shifts were confusing, but once it got started, it was absolutely compelling to the very end. Author, I say this as a someone who doesn't like much: disregard the haters, please.
January 23, 2025
This book subverted my expectations, in a good way. When I've read the subtitle "a MM fantasy enemies-to-lovers" I expected lots of sex and little plot. I got the opposite. But since I'm a fantasy reader first, romance later, and spice whatever, it didn't bother me. I'm just baffled at the author's marketing choices.
I wouldn't call this a romance. It's an adventure fantasy with a political intrigue backdrop and gay protagonists.
Siel is a chaos incarnate. A familiar, an assassin, a king's concubine, a former inmate of an insane asylum... And his dominant trait is that he invents a very sensible plan and then screws it up on a whim, either because he can't control himself, or gets some fleeting emotion that makes him go yolo. I saw comments in reviews that he's inconsistent. Nope, he's consistently irrational. I think that's deliberate. After all, he is mentally insane, supposedly. He also has ptsd and was abused. I found him very sympathetic and I felt he was equally frustrated with himself not being able to stick to his guns or putting himself at stupid risks.
Caius is Siel's foil - where Siel is pure chaos, Caius is the "lawful stupid" archetype. He tries to follow rules to the T. He never lies. He's very inflexible. He naively believes people because they're figures of authority. He's a judgemental perfectionist. I saw people commenting he's autistic-coded and maybe that's true. He was even more frustrating than Siel, but again, consistent in his characterization.
I think it was intentional that both protagonists were contrasting opposites and flawed people who took repeated kicks to the butt from the plot to finally start learning from their mistakes. It made them memorable in comparison to droves of fantasy where the characters are mostly good, inoffensive, and their mistakes minuscule.
There is a situation where Siel's mistake gets someone killed and I thought the author won't have the courage to go all the way there - but they did. And it made the impact of the story stronger than if the consequences were handwaved away. The impact of character's flaws is smaller if the consequences are summed up as "well, nothing really bad happened, did it".
The political background was interesting, having things to say about propaganda, xenophobia, weaponizing hate crimes for profit, role of religion in it, manipulation of public opinion, and so on.
The worldbuilding was fairly standard medieval fantasy but with a twist of "technomagic" existing in Siel's homeland and giving the world a bit of a science-fantasy bend. It was mostly a handful of cool gadgets a la James Bond movie, but added an extra flair to the world. The portal travelling system played an important role too, while simultaneously allowing us to witness all 3 of the major countries without making the world feel too small.
One thing I've noticed is that what made the book less predictable was not following typical structures I'm seeing in a lot of recent novels. I don't check how many novels follow some beat sheet like save the cat or romancing the beat, but I have a gut feeling "now big thing should happen" and in this book I feel big things happened at different moments. There was also more plot twists than a plain "4 part structure" (3-act-structure with a midpoint dividing act 2 in half).
That made me think 1) lots of novels have their uniqueness and life polished out of them these days and everything is very predictable when a reveal will land and the next one will invalidate the previous one, etc. etc. 2) the ones that don't, usually have mercilessly long amounts of pointless padding where nothing happens between 30% and 80% (first 30% is hooking the reader, then goes filler, at 80% we're heading to a big confrontation that's stretched until the end), or the middle is just following predictable steps like tipping off a line of dominoes.
I applaud the author in taking risks both in structural composition and in making the characters flawed and committing serious blunders. Too often for the sake of "likability" characters end up never doing anything controversial, bad or idiotic.
I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but on the other hand, it held me in suspense will the protagonists succeed or again fall victim to their flaws and shortcomings.
I'm very curious what will the author write next, because this was an extremely competent debut. I often complain about self-published novels that they have typos or lack of editing (infodumps, plot going nowhere), but this one was very smooth.
The romance plot was fairly minor. Not only it starts late, but also not a lot of page space is devoted to it and there are maybe 3 kisses total. The main plot focuses on revenge / justice and mystery around a presumed genocide. There are a few darker moments but I wouldn't call the overall tone dark.
I would recommend this for readers of classic adventure fantasy with themes of revenge, political oppression, and queer protagonists.
I wouldn't call this a romance. It's an adventure fantasy with a political intrigue backdrop and gay protagonists.
Siel is a chaos incarnate. A familiar, an assassin, a king's concubine, a former inmate of an insane asylum... And his dominant trait is that he invents a very sensible plan and then screws it up on a whim, either because he can't control himself, or gets some fleeting emotion that makes him go yolo. I saw comments in reviews that he's inconsistent. Nope, he's consistently irrational. I think that's deliberate. After all, he is mentally insane, supposedly. He also has ptsd and was abused. I found him very sympathetic and I felt he was equally frustrated with himself not being able to stick to his guns or putting himself at stupid risks.
Caius is Siel's foil - where Siel is pure chaos, Caius is the "lawful stupid" archetype. He tries to follow rules to the T. He never lies. He's very inflexible. He naively believes people because they're figures of authority. He's a judgemental perfectionist. I saw people commenting he's autistic-coded and maybe that's true. He was even more frustrating than Siel, but again, consistent in his characterization.
I think it was intentional that both protagonists were contrasting opposites and flawed people who took repeated kicks to the butt from the plot to finally start learning from their mistakes. It made them memorable in comparison to droves of fantasy where the characters are mostly good, inoffensive, and their mistakes minuscule.
There is a situation where Siel's mistake gets someone killed and I thought the author won't have the courage to go all the way there - but they did. And it made the impact of the story stronger than if the consequences were handwaved away. The impact of character's flaws is smaller if the consequences are summed up as "well, nothing really bad happened, did it".
The political background was interesting, having things to say about propaganda, xenophobia, weaponizing hate crimes for profit, role of religion in it, manipulation of public opinion, and so on.
The worldbuilding was fairly standard medieval fantasy but with a twist of "technomagic" existing in Siel's homeland and giving the world a bit of a science-fantasy bend. It was mostly a handful of cool gadgets a la James Bond movie, but added an extra flair to the world. The portal travelling system played an important role too, while simultaneously allowing us to witness all 3 of the major countries without making the world feel too small.
One thing I've noticed is that what made the book less predictable was not following typical structures I'm seeing in a lot of recent novels. I don't check how many novels follow some beat sheet like save the cat or romancing the beat, but I have a gut feeling "now big thing should happen" and in this book I feel big things happened at different moments. There was also more plot twists than a plain "4 part structure" (3-act-structure with a midpoint dividing act 2 in half).
That made me think 1) lots of novels have their uniqueness and life polished out of them these days and everything is very predictable when a reveal will land and the next one will invalidate the previous one, etc. etc. 2) the ones that don't, usually have mercilessly long amounts of pointless padding where nothing happens between 30% and 80% (first 30% is hooking the reader, then goes filler, at 80% we're heading to a big confrontation that's stretched until the end), or the middle is just following predictable steps like tipping off a line of dominoes.
I applaud the author in taking risks both in structural composition and in making the characters flawed and committing serious blunders. Too often for the sake of "likability" characters end up never doing anything controversial, bad or idiotic.
I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but on the other hand, it held me in suspense will the protagonists succeed or again fall victim to their flaws and shortcomings.
I'm very curious what will the author write next, because this was an extremely competent debut. I often complain about self-published novels that they have typos or lack of editing (infodumps, plot going nowhere), but this one was very smooth.
The romance plot was fairly minor. Not only it starts late, but also not a lot of page space is devoted to it and there are maybe 3 kisses total. The main plot focuses on revenge / justice and mystery around a presumed genocide. There are a few darker moments but I wouldn't call the overall tone dark.
I would recommend this for readers of classic adventure fantasy with themes of revenge, political oppression, and queer protagonists.
September 29, 2023
Terrific premise, exciting plot, strikingly unusual MCs (MC1, a fennec shifter, in this world destined to be bound to a witch as their familiar; prone to dissociation; living in a romantic relationship with a king whom he also serves as head of the guard; MC2, a witch with a kind heart, rigid ideas, and negligible social skills, called in to serve as a replacement for MC1 in the guard; both being set up as fall guys for a genocidal campaign by the local religion; oh, yeah, also MC1 had a long career as a paid assassin).
This was heading for four stars till at least 2/3 of the way through, at which point plot holes and continuity errors started piling up. Relationships -- friendships, as well as the love relationship between the MCs -- aren't given enough time or on-page space to develop. The chronology starts wobbling: how long does it take to get from A to B, and how much time does MC1 spend there while MC2 is busy elsewhere? Horses appear and disappear, depending on whether they're needed in a particular scene. At several points, I wondered why the king didn't simply have certain characters killed. And perhaps the biggest question: .
And a whole lot of more trivial errors: the plural of "deer" is not "deers"; "divert" where "divest" is meant; "mindless" where "heedless" is meant, and on and on.
It was all so frustrating -- the more frustrating because the relationship between Siel, the fennec shifter, and Morvan, the king, who from the outset is obviously abusing him, is so emotionally complicated. Nitz treats Siel's slow movement out of loyalty to Morvan, and the ambivalence and longing that cling to him long after he has acknowledged Morvan's cruelty and violence, with an honesty I don't generally expect to see in romantic fantasy. The same goes for Siel's relationship with Caius, the witch who eventually becomes his lover-- I wanted more development there, especially because Nitz touches on how the quality of Siel's feeling for Caius is radically different from the quality of his feeling for Morvan.
And I haven't even gotten to the moral complications: because Siel is a ruthless killer, though he seems to pay quite a price in mental health for his effectiveness, and because Caius does have to come to terms with killing on the way to the reckoning with the evil system he and Siel are trying to bring down. If only someone had sat on Cleo Nitz and forced them to square away the plotting and continuity problems, and to give more space to some of the relationships, this could easily have been a 5-star review. I hope Nitz gets a good solid structural edit next time around, to make the finished book show off their imagination & talent.
This was heading for four stars till at least 2/3 of the way through, at which point plot holes and continuity errors started piling up. Relationships -- friendships, as well as the love relationship between the MCs -- aren't given enough time or on-page space to develop. The chronology starts wobbling: how long does it take to get from A to B, and how much time does MC1 spend there while MC2 is busy elsewhere? Horses appear and disappear, depending on whether they're needed in a particular scene. At several points, I wondered why the king didn't simply have certain characters killed. And perhaps the biggest question: .
And a whole lot of more trivial errors: the plural of "deer" is not "deers"; "divert" where "divest" is meant; "mindless" where "heedless" is meant, and on and on.
It was all so frustrating -- the more frustrating because the relationship between Siel, the fennec shifter, and Morvan, the king, who from the outset is obviously abusing him, is so emotionally complicated. Nitz treats Siel's slow movement out of loyalty to Morvan, and the ambivalence and longing that cling to him long after he has acknowledged Morvan's cruelty and violence, with an honesty I don't generally expect to see in romantic fantasy. The same goes for Siel's relationship with Caius, the witch who eventually becomes his lover-- I wanted more development there, especially because Nitz touches on how the quality of Siel's feeling for Caius is radically different from the quality of his feeling for Morvan.
And I haven't even gotten to the moral complications: because Siel is a ruthless killer, though he seems to pay quite a price in mental health for his effectiveness, and because Caius does have to come to terms with killing on the way to the reckoning with the evil system he and Siel are trying to bring down. If only someone had sat on Cleo Nitz and forced them to square away the plotting and continuity problems, and to give more space to some of the relationships, this could easily have been a 5-star review. I hope Nitz gets a good solid structural edit next time around, to make the finished book show off their imagination & talent.
October 28, 2023
I just finished reading "A Crown for a Fox," and I'm utterly speechless about how much I adored it. As an avid bookworm, I can confidently state that it's one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading this year! Everything about it is exceptional: the captivating setting, the intricate plot, the well-developed characters, the flowing prose, the delightful romance, and the thrilling action scenes.
In a world where mages depend on their familiars to reach their full potential, and familiars are always shifters, being a familiar comes with a dual-edged destiny. They are fated to be bound to a mage, and this fate isn't always favorable. Siel, a fox familiar, concealed this aspect of his life and chose a path as an assassin. After a breakdown, he loses his mind and ends up in a mental institution for a year. It's then that a king arrives, inviting him to become one of his royal guards and, soon after, his consort. As the story unfolds, numerous dubious actions come to light, and the kingdom's history reveals many hidden skeletons.
Accompanying Siel throughout this book was nothing short of fantastic. He's a complex character, a dubious hero, a hunted assassin, a struggling familiar, and a talented dancer. Yes, he's a great dancer! Caius initially enters the story as a secondary character, almost imperceptibly, but it's impossible not to fall in love with him as he's portrayed as an insecure mage, an inexperienced tactician, and an overly honorable person whose beliefs are destined to be shattered by the harsh realities of his new position.
The evolution of their relationship is meticulously crafted, from their initial encounter to the final scene. Another remarkable aspect of this book is how it transcends the usual cliché of explicit sex scenes so common in MM fantasy books. Nitz crafts a beautiful homoaffective relationship without relying on explicit content, proving that queer relationships are more than just explicit scenes.
PROS
Exceptional world-building, a captivating setting, an intricate plot, and outstanding writing.
Well-developed and elaborated characters.
A well-balanced mix of politics, action, mystery, and romance.
Delightfully slow-paced relationship development without resorting to explicit content.
CONS
There's one scene where Siel reacts to one of the king's threats in a way that doesn't entirely make sense.
Beautiful cover, but why a red fox if Sioul is a fennet fox?
In conclusion, I adored this book. I hope Nitz continues to write about Siel and Caius, but I'm eager to read anything she pens in the future! I wholeheartedly recommend "A Crown for a Fox." It's an absolute must-read!
In a world where mages depend on their familiars to reach their full potential, and familiars are always shifters, being a familiar comes with a dual-edged destiny. They are fated to be bound to a mage, and this fate isn't always favorable. Siel, a fox familiar, concealed this aspect of his life and chose a path as an assassin. After a breakdown, he loses his mind and ends up in a mental institution for a year. It's then that a king arrives, inviting him to become one of his royal guards and, soon after, his consort. As the story unfolds, numerous dubious actions come to light, and the kingdom's history reveals many hidden skeletons.
Accompanying Siel throughout this book was nothing short of fantastic. He's a complex character, a dubious hero, a hunted assassin, a struggling familiar, and a talented dancer. Yes, he's a great dancer! Caius initially enters the story as a secondary character, almost imperceptibly, but it's impossible not to fall in love with him as he's portrayed as an insecure mage, an inexperienced tactician, and an overly honorable person whose beliefs are destined to be shattered by the harsh realities of his new position.
The evolution of their relationship is meticulously crafted, from their initial encounter to the final scene. Another remarkable aspect of this book is how it transcends the usual cliché of explicit sex scenes so common in MM fantasy books. Nitz crafts a beautiful homoaffective relationship without relying on explicit content, proving that queer relationships are more than just explicit scenes.
PROS
Exceptional world-building, a captivating setting, an intricate plot, and outstanding writing.
Well-developed and elaborated characters.
A well-balanced mix of politics, action, mystery, and romance.
Delightfully slow-paced relationship development without resorting to explicit content.
CONS
There's one scene where Siel reacts to one of the king's threats in a way that doesn't entirely make sense.
Beautiful cover, but why a red fox if Sioul is a fennet fox?
In conclusion, I adored this book. I hope Nitz continues to write about Siel and Caius, but I'm eager to read anything she pens in the future! I wholeheartedly recommend "A Crown for a Fox." It's an absolute must-read!
April 9, 2024
I'm rounding up to 4 in honor of some very good world building. I felt like this was a good first attempt, and could be really good with a very good editor and willingness to fill in some missing parts (and probably remove other stuff).
The world building/fantasy gets 4 stars. I like the propaganda plot to cast pagans as cannibals and I like the different countries with very different politics and religion.
The romance gets 3 stars. It feels like this book wants to lead up to them having this special magical connection that comes out of a special romantic connection, but the book doesn't build up to that. Instead, they don't really meet until halfway through. When they do meet they barely interact. Eventually they do have this one pivotal interaction where siel helps against his best interests. That is a great scene. They basically next meet with Siel as a fox. Caius then rescues him. And then... "They talk all night about everything." This interaction is basically off page. Then stuff happens and they have a disagreement. They have a brief on page discussion followed again by lots of off page conversations and bonding. Then suddenly they're in love? You don't even have either character reflecting much about their feelings. Siel thinks about his feelings for Morvan 1000 times more than he thinks of Caius. And that's true even when he's near death and apparently activates the map to call for Caius... We didn't get any thoughts or explication on the meaning of that or if it's just because Caius is the only one Siel can call. Also, they never really have it out about the whole killing people thing. Suddenly Caius just doesn't care that much?
There's a great arc here with having Caius learn that things aren't black and white while having Siel admit that it's okay to hold certain things and principles dear. It's just not fully built out. Caius returns after a few weeks at most feeling like he's totally changed, but it's not entirely clear how that happened.
If I were editing, I'd suggest one or two more meaningful interactions before Sien is outted as the fox. Caius changes his mind very slowly, so it seems incongruous for him to want to rescue Sien after only one meaningful interaction.
I'd then suggest more dialogue between the characters to show them opening up to each other rather than just saying they did. And reflect their changing thoughts about each other in their internal monologues. And finally, write an actual passionate kiss (or more than kiss!) scene. At one point, I was honestly wondering if it was almost a caring rather than romantic kiss.
The world building/fantasy gets 4 stars. I like the propaganda plot to cast pagans as cannibals and I like the different countries with very different politics and religion.
The romance gets 3 stars. It feels like this book wants to lead up to them having this special magical connection that comes out of a special romantic connection, but the book doesn't build up to that. Instead, they don't really meet until halfway through. When they do meet they barely interact. Eventually they do have this one pivotal interaction where siel helps against his best interests. That is a great scene. They basically next meet with Siel as a fox. Caius then rescues him. And then... "They talk all night about everything." This interaction is basically off page. Then stuff happens and they have a disagreement. They have a brief on page discussion followed again by lots of off page conversations and bonding. Then suddenly they're in love? You don't even have either character reflecting much about their feelings. Siel thinks about his feelings for Morvan 1000 times more than he thinks of Caius. And that's true even when he's near death and apparently activates the map to call for Caius... We didn't get any thoughts or explication on the meaning of that or if it's just because Caius is the only one Siel can call. Also, they never really have it out about the whole killing people thing. Suddenly Caius just doesn't care that much?
There's a great arc here with having Caius learn that things aren't black and white while having Siel admit that it's okay to hold certain things and principles dear. It's just not fully built out. Caius returns after a few weeks at most feeling like he's totally changed, but it's not entirely clear how that happened.
If I were editing, I'd suggest one or two more meaningful interactions before Sien is outted as the fox. Caius changes his mind very slowly, so it seems incongruous for him to want to rescue Sien after only one meaningful interaction.
I'd then suggest more dialogue between the characters to show them opening up to each other rather than just saying they did. And reflect their changing thoughts about each other in their internal monologues. And finally, write an actual passionate kiss (or more than kiss!) scene. At one point, I was honestly wondering if it was almost a caring rather than romantic kiss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2024
DNF at 25%. Confusing as all hell. From what little I managed to wade through, Morvan seems like a manipulator who will likely end up abusing his supposed lover, who is one of the MCs. This particular MC, named Siel, is a mass of contradictory characteristics: a professional killer in the past, an exquisite dancer with a strong dose of femme, a confused boy toy, a sensitive soul who is prone to tears even as he simultaneously harbors a desire for "his daggers", (which have apparently been taken away from him at some point) presumably so he can dispatch somebody he feels at cross purposes with. Annoying points so far include:
Morvan (who is a king) appointing this hot mess as the head of an elite squad of some kind of bodyguards/militia designated as 'Sentinels', an appointment that is as completely baffling as it sounds.
Another big negative is that at one point Siel is presented with evidence that his lover Morvan was cruel and abusive to his (Late? Deceased? Missing?) wife and yet Siel is portrayed as refusing to believe his lover is capable of such a thing . . . despite the fact that we (the readers AND Siel) are given graphic examples that clearly show Morvan as being a fan of the 'off with their heads!' style of governance, a la Henry VII.
Actual physical involvement between Siel and Morvan is (so far) limited to very brief and undescribed instances of kissing and some vaguely implied off page sex. I really can't foresee any actual biological attraction being displayed in the rest of the book.
I could not identify this book as either a romance OR a fantasy, the worst part being that it felt like the author didn't have a clear idea about that either.
I can't comment on the other MC, Caius, because at this point he's still pretty much just a cipher, although we do find out that our supposedly Sensitive Lover Morvan replaces Siel with Caius, a complete stranger from another kingdom, as head Sentinel based on a brief chat during a party. A replacement that appears to have not been communicated to the guy he's replacing, aka Sensitive Lover King Morgan's beloved Siel. At least, that was the gist I got before I gave up on the book completely.
How/when/why Siel and Caucus become romantically involved is still a complete mystery at this point. And it's a mystery where I have absolutely zero interest in how it turns out.
Based on numerous other reviews, it appears I'm not the only one left baffled, so I pulled the plug at 25%.
Morvan (who is a king) appointing this hot mess as the head of an elite squad of some kind of bodyguards/militia designated as 'Sentinels', an appointment that is as completely baffling as it sounds.
Another big negative is that at one point Siel is presented with evidence that his lover Morvan was cruel and abusive to his (Late? Deceased? Missing?) wife and yet Siel is portrayed as refusing to believe his lover is capable of such a thing . . . despite the fact that we (the readers AND Siel) are given graphic examples that clearly show Morvan as being a fan of the 'off with their heads!' style of governance, a la Henry VII.
Actual physical involvement between Siel and Morvan is (so far) limited to very brief and undescribed instances of kissing and some vaguely implied off page sex. I really can't foresee any actual biological attraction being displayed in the rest of the book.
I could not identify this book as either a romance OR a fantasy, the worst part being that it felt like the author didn't have a clear idea about that either.
I can't comment on the other MC, Caius, because at this point he's still pretty much just a cipher, although we do find out that our supposedly Sensitive Lover Morvan replaces Siel with Caius, a complete stranger from another kingdom, as head Sentinel based on a brief chat during a party. A replacement that appears to have not been communicated to the guy he's replacing, aka Sensitive Lover King Morgan's beloved Siel. At least, that was the gist I got before I gave up on the book completely.
How/when/why Siel and Caucus become romantically involved is still a complete mystery at this point. And it's a mystery where I have absolutely zero interest in how it turns out.
Based on numerous other reviews, it appears I'm not the only one left baffled, so I pulled the plug at 25%.
May 19, 2024
Let me start this off by saying this book is not great. Lots of things were happening and yet nothing happened. It was teetering in the 3 star “just okay” category for the first half then it started going downhill for me. After a while I was only in it to see Siel get revenge against the king and even that was anticlimactic in my opinion. This book is marketed as some epic game of cat and mouse with a romance but everyone is dumb and the book has very little romance. No smut at all. The most we get are kissing scenes and even those are limited. Also, why is there a red fox on the book cover when it’s stated many times that Siel is a tan, fennec fox? Makes no sense. Anyway, let’s summarize the things I don’t like.
**mild spoilers past this point but I don’t think you should waste your time with this book so I won’t put the spoiler tag on this**
Siel - For an assassin he’s very dumb and not very good at killing people. His desires constantly flip flop throughout the story for no clear reason. He hates killing people one second then he’s in a bloodlust and will kill anyone who gets in his way. He’s in love with the king one second then is disgusted by him for being the same asshole he’s been the entire book. Claims he’s in love with Caius, but we don’t see love on the page. Just two people who are kind of into each other fumbling through a rebellion together. And he constantly doesn’t think things through! Half the book is him making poor decisions in the heat of the moment then having to spend several chapters cleaning up his own mess because it didn’t go well for him!
Caius - I understand his character is supposed to be a little on the spectrum but I felt the way he was written made him look stupid rather than OCD or maybe autistic. He’s supposed to be the best tactician of his graduating class but he can’t seem to delegate simple missions to do detective work. He spent all this time at school and you’re telling me he’s NEVER had to work on a team or lead people or have his ideals questioned?! Because he’s so rigid when he gets to the palace that you would think he’s been surrounded by yes men his whole life when we know he was in college! Also, it’s so dumb that he’s on this bender about not killing anyone when he is literally trying to start a rebellion and expose a genocide. SIR PEOPLE ARE DYING! BLOOD WILL PROBABLY NEED TO BE SPILT!
The ending leaves a lot of plot up in the air. What’s going to happen with the church? Their genocide was technically exposed so now what? Are they going to war with Laguina or not? How is Caius’ family going to react to Siel? Very disappointing overall.
**mild spoilers past this point but I don’t think you should waste your time with this book so I won’t put the spoiler tag on this**
Siel - For an assassin he’s very dumb and not very good at killing people. His desires constantly flip flop throughout the story for no clear reason. He hates killing people one second then he’s in a bloodlust and will kill anyone who gets in his way. He’s in love with the king one second then is disgusted by him for being the same asshole he’s been the entire book. Claims he’s in love with Caius, but we don’t see love on the page. Just two people who are kind of into each other fumbling through a rebellion together. And he constantly doesn’t think things through! Half the book is him making poor decisions in the heat of the moment then having to spend several chapters cleaning up his own mess because it didn’t go well for him!
Caius - I understand his character is supposed to be a little on the spectrum but I felt the way he was written made him look stupid rather than OCD or maybe autistic. He’s supposed to be the best tactician of his graduating class but he can’t seem to delegate simple missions to do detective work. He spent all this time at school and you’re telling me he’s NEVER had to work on a team or lead people or have his ideals questioned?! Because he’s so rigid when he gets to the palace that you would think he’s been surrounded by yes men his whole life when we know he was in college! Also, it’s so dumb that he’s on this bender about not killing anyone when he is literally trying to start a rebellion and expose a genocide. SIR PEOPLE ARE DYING! BLOOD WILL PROBABLY NEED TO BE SPILT!
The ending leaves a lot of plot up in the air. What’s going to happen with the church? Their genocide was technically exposed so now what? Are they going to war with Laguina or not? How is Caius’ family going to react to Siel? Very disappointing overall.
October 14, 2023
A Crown for a Fox is a brilliantly original fantasy novel that combines a lush world of magic and technology with a very real examination of humanity.
The story follows ex-assassin Siel and tactician Caius as they wrangle with court politics, murder, and betrayal. Each character highlights a different viewpoint, providing the reader with a comprehensive picture of an intricately crafted world.
Highlights of Nitz’s world include the unique technomagic, where magic is used to power technological devices, from hoverbikes to portals that allow for instantaneous travel to another country, as well as the magic system itself. Witches are able to use some spells alone, but to unlock their true potential, they need a familiar. These relationships often seem to end with the familiar serving as a ‘battery’ instead of an equal partner, something that Siel, a familiar himself, is shown to oppose. This fascinating concept supports the running themes of personal freedom, obligation, and abuse, and is expanded on in the free e-book, A Witch for a Lion, which I highly recommend.
Aside from the incredible world-building, the novel delves into hard-hitting topics, including abuse and trauma. Nitz portrays these with intelligent sensitivity, never shying away from showing how these impact the characters and their relationships in a realistic portrayal that is very welcome.
The characters themselves are fully fleshed-out, with sympathetic motivations and very realistic responses to their situations. Siel and Caius balance each other out nicely; Siel is the more extroverted and impulsive of the two, while Caius tends to act more cautiously. Initially, their differences are a point of conflict between them, but as the story progresses, they begin to compliment each other in a way that really shows their development. The other characters, including the antagonistic king, are just as thoughtfully developed, giving a real sense of weight to the story.
The plot itself is filled with twists and turns, Nitz weaving a mystery that provides many shocking revelations and escalates into a high-stakes conflict set to change the world.
Beautiful, clever and, at times, harrowing, A Crown for a Fox is an absolute must-read!
The story follows ex-assassin Siel and tactician Caius as they wrangle with court politics, murder, and betrayal. Each character highlights a different viewpoint, providing the reader with a comprehensive picture of an intricately crafted world.
Highlights of Nitz’s world include the unique technomagic, where magic is used to power technological devices, from hoverbikes to portals that allow for instantaneous travel to another country, as well as the magic system itself. Witches are able to use some spells alone, but to unlock their true potential, they need a familiar. These relationships often seem to end with the familiar serving as a ‘battery’ instead of an equal partner, something that Siel, a familiar himself, is shown to oppose. This fascinating concept supports the running themes of personal freedom, obligation, and abuse, and is expanded on in the free e-book, A Witch for a Lion, which I highly recommend.
Aside from the incredible world-building, the novel delves into hard-hitting topics, including abuse and trauma. Nitz portrays these with intelligent sensitivity, never shying away from showing how these impact the characters and their relationships in a realistic portrayal that is very welcome.
The characters themselves are fully fleshed-out, with sympathetic motivations and very realistic responses to their situations. Siel and Caius balance each other out nicely; Siel is the more extroverted and impulsive of the two, while Caius tends to act more cautiously. Initially, their differences are a point of conflict between them, but as the story progresses, they begin to compliment each other in a way that really shows their development. The other characters, including the antagonistic king, are just as thoughtfully developed, giving a real sense of weight to the story.
The plot itself is filled with twists and turns, Nitz weaving a mystery that provides many shocking revelations and escalates into a high-stakes conflict set to change the world.
Beautiful, clever and, at times, harrowing, A Crown for a Fox is an absolute must-read!
October 9, 2023
Low angst
fox/witch
assassin/leader of the guard
enemies to lovers
slow burn
closed door
First person (dual but majority is Siel's POV)
TWs- murdery assassin stuff, death of a side character, execution of innocents, talk of dismemberment (adults and children), discussion of abuse and control by a partner, gaslighting, intense religious beliefs, genocide, body mutilation (non-con branding), human trafficking, and talk of asylums, trauma, dissociative and depressive states
I would especially warn survivors of domestic abuse. While Siel does not suffer from physical abuse on page, he does suffer gaslighting and the stress of keeping Morvan's pride intact for the sake of conflict resolution. There is also mention of witnessed abuse regarding the king's deceased wife. It's easy to digest IMO but going into the book with this knowledge would make things more enjoyable for those with triggers. I feel those who are unfamiliar with DV might find this slightly educational to be honest.
This feels very much like a fantasy one would read for the sake of plot- politics, betrayal, two sides of one story, magic, villains- so pure romance lovers might feel bereft for quite some time. The first 30% is providing context for Siel's decision to assassinate Morvan and does include a look into their relationship- which we slowly realize is unhealthy. HOWEVER, I like this foundation even if it was a bit dry at times. World building is always necessary, and I would rather have it with the plot than forced onto the first few pages, so I didn't mind it here.
In terms of the relationship between Siel and Caius, I love how different they are and how they're constantly at odds yet somehow building a foundation at the same time. It worked for me. I also liked Caius A LOT. He's neurodivergent and I absolutely related to many of his thought processes and behaviors. I also appreciate that he's a young witch with poor social skills and not some offensive stereotype.
Unfortunately, the plot suffered at times and I was left annoyed when I should have been engaged instead. Not to the point I wanted to stop reading but definitely enough to interfere with my reading at that moment. The end was abrupt and the final showdown with Morvan actually irritated me. Overall, though, I did enjoy the story.
This was an ARC, these opinions are my own.
fox/witch
assassin/leader of the guard
enemies to lovers
slow burn
closed door
First person (dual but majority is Siel's POV)
TWs- murdery assassin stuff, death of a side character, execution of innocents, talk of dismemberment (adults and children), discussion of abuse and control by a partner, gaslighting, intense religious beliefs, genocide, body mutilation (non-con branding), human trafficking, and talk of asylums, trauma, dissociative and depressive states
I would especially warn survivors of domestic abuse. While Siel does not suffer from physical abuse on page, he does suffer gaslighting and the stress of keeping Morvan's pride intact for the sake of conflict resolution. There is also mention of witnessed abuse regarding the king's deceased wife. It's easy to digest IMO but going into the book with this knowledge would make things more enjoyable for those with triggers. I feel those who are unfamiliar with DV might find this slightly educational to be honest.
This feels very much like a fantasy one would read for the sake of plot- politics, betrayal, two sides of one story, magic, villains- so pure romance lovers might feel bereft for quite some time. The first 30% is providing context for Siel's decision to assassinate Morvan and does include a look into their relationship- which we slowly realize is unhealthy. HOWEVER, I like this foundation even if it was a bit dry at times. World building is always necessary, and I would rather have it with the plot than forced onto the first few pages, so I didn't mind it here.
In terms of the relationship between Siel and Caius, I love how different they are and how they're constantly at odds yet somehow building a foundation at the same time. It worked for me. I also liked Caius A LOT. He's neurodivergent and I absolutely related to many of his thought processes and behaviors. I also appreciate that he's a young witch with poor social skills and not some offensive stereotype.
Unfortunately, the plot suffered at times and I was left annoyed when I should have been engaged instead. Not to the point I wanted to stop reading but definitely enough to interfere with my reading at that moment. The end was abrupt and the final showdown with Morvan actually irritated me. Overall, though, I did enjoy the story.
This was an ARC, these opinions are my own.
October 7, 2023
Siel became an assassin and was saved by the king who would become his lover and then his fiancée. When he finds a village that was decimated under the order of the king, he finds he cannot let it go and is determined to find justice for them. Caius came just out of school to be a tactician. He was unprepared for what he walked into and found himself disappointing the king. The two men find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other, but will they survive the coming storm is the real question.
Siel was quite a study. He had no problem being an assassin and yet he was still bothered by it. He knew he had to kill his lover but still had issues with it. He kept his ability to shift into a fox a secret. He was a familiar and did not want to be bonded to a witch. He has some strong ideas about using innocent people for financial gain. His relationship with Caius was not pleasant in the beginning but soon they both realized they were pawns of the king.
Caius was also unique. He was very rigid in his beliefs and would not listen in the beginning. He had to grow and change in order to survive. He had a hard time lying, but figured out ways to do it without actually telling a complete lie. He was a witch but had limited powers. He also lived by his rigid standards.
In short, this was an incredible read with a different plot that had many twists and turns. It kept me glued to the pages. I was never sure what would happen next. I look forward to more books by this author.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily reviewed it to my pleasure. The opinions are my own
Siel was quite a study. He had no problem being an assassin and yet he was still bothered by it. He knew he had to kill his lover but still had issues with it. He kept his ability to shift into a fox a secret. He was a familiar and did not want to be bonded to a witch. He has some strong ideas about using innocent people for financial gain. His relationship with Caius was not pleasant in the beginning but soon they both realized they were pawns of the king.
Caius was also unique. He was very rigid in his beliefs and would not listen in the beginning. He had to grow and change in order to survive. He had a hard time lying, but figured out ways to do it without actually telling a complete lie. He was a witch but had limited powers. He also lived by his rigid standards.
In short, this was an incredible read with a different plot that had many twists and turns. It kept me glued to the pages. I was never sure what would happen next. I look forward to more books by this author.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily reviewed it to my pleasure. The opinions are my own
September 29, 2023
A Crown for a Fox is an enjoyable fantasy mystery with a dash of m/m slow burn love.
Siel is a former assassin turned King’s Pathfinder and secret lover. He longs to be formally recognized as King consort and live out the rest of his life in service to the king. But he has a secret, one he hasn’t even told his lover – he’s a fox familiar.
Caius is a witch of limited power but excellent memory, attention to detail, and commitment to duty. He is enchanted by Siel as well as averse to his seeming frivolity and carefree ways.
They do not mix, especially when the king formally acknowledges Siel as his lover at the expense of his job as Pathfinder, which he gives to Caius.
But when Siel uncovers a horrific conspiracy involving church and crown, Caius is the only one to stand with him. They’ll need to rely on each other and learn to accept another person into their lives – mind, body, and soul – if they want to save the lives of further innocents.
If you enjoy lots of plot twists and turns, excellent world building with magic and technology, conspiracy, murder, darkness, and broken men finding love, you’ll enjoy this.
My one issue was that sometimes plot points felt contrived, but if you can suspend your disbelief you’ll enjoy the ride.
Siel is a former assassin turned King’s Pathfinder and secret lover. He longs to be formally recognized as King consort and live out the rest of his life in service to the king. But he has a secret, one he hasn’t even told his lover – he’s a fox familiar.
Caius is a witch of limited power but excellent memory, attention to detail, and commitment to duty. He is enchanted by Siel as well as averse to his seeming frivolity and carefree ways.
They do not mix, especially when the king formally acknowledges Siel as his lover at the expense of his job as Pathfinder, which he gives to Caius.
But when Siel uncovers a horrific conspiracy involving church and crown, Caius is the only one to stand with him. They’ll need to rely on each other and learn to accept another person into their lives – mind, body, and soul – if they want to save the lives of further innocents.
If you enjoy lots of plot twists and turns, excellent world building with magic and technology, conspiracy, murder, darkness, and broken men finding love, you’ll enjoy this.
My one issue was that sometimes plot points felt contrived, but if you can suspend your disbelief you’ll enjoy the ride.
October 5, 2023
I've never read anything quite like A Crown For A Fox, and I mean this is a very good way! Nitz skillfully blends romance, fantasy, and dark, complex characterisation into a totally unique, intriguing novel that stayed with me long after reading.
Nitz is unafraid to confront dark aspects of even the MCs' characters. At the novel's heart is an unflinching yet understanding portrait of an abusive relationship, and the effect that experience has on a person's (or fox's) psyche. Siel's road to recovery and new love with Caius, a socially awkward witch who seems at first glance to be his polar opposite, is touchingly and realistically portrayed.
I also enjoyed the fantasy aspects of the novel. There are some lovely inventive world-building details like magic hoverbikes with their own place in the stable! The socio-politcal commentary is subtle but intelligent; the novel questions how much of ourselves we should give up for love, and how much of our own culture and character it is necessary to suppress when an immigrant in another land.
I highly recommend this novel to fans of fantasy, romance and great storytelling.
Nitz is unafraid to confront dark aspects of even the MCs' characters. At the novel's heart is an unflinching yet understanding portrait of an abusive relationship, and the effect that experience has on a person's (or fox's) psyche. Siel's road to recovery and new love with Caius, a socially awkward witch who seems at first glance to be his polar opposite, is touchingly and realistically portrayed.
I also enjoyed the fantasy aspects of the novel. There are some lovely inventive world-building details like magic hoverbikes with their own place in the stable! The socio-politcal commentary is subtle but intelligent; the novel questions how much of ourselves we should give up for love, and how much of our own culture and character it is necessary to suppress when an immigrant in another land.
I highly recommend this novel to fans of fantasy, romance and great storytelling.
October 6, 2023
Cleo Nitz’s A Crown for a Fox was a story that instantly grabbed my attention, ensuring I was eager to pick it up. As someone who is always looking for new fantasy reads, I went into this one with high hopes. Although it started strong, my feelings changed as I progressed.
At first, the story had me curious. It was an interesting new world to learn about, and I was eager to find out more. There were many elements that had me curious, which kept me turning the pages. Sadly, the pacing of the book did not hold my attention. Things moved slowed at time and would then jump through characters doing things that seemed out of character for what we had been learning about them. It made it difficult to remain interested in what was happening when I was distracted by the characters acting in ways that felt forced for the story instead of remaining true for themselves. Add in the fact that I wanted more development from certain elements, and this one went from being a story that gripped me and changed into one that I struggled with.
While I can see many enjoying this, it did not work for me in the way I had hoped.
At first, the story had me curious. It was an interesting new world to learn about, and I was eager to find out more. There were many elements that had me curious, which kept me turning the pages. Sadly, the pacing of the book did not hold my attention. Things moved slowed at time and would then jump through characters doing things that seemed out of character for what we had been learning about them. It made it difficult to remain interested in what was happening when I was distracted by the characters acting in ways that felt forced for the story instead of remaining true for themselves. Add in the fact that I wanted more development from certain elements, and this one went from being a story that gripped me and changed into one that I struggled with.
While I can see many enjoying this, it did not work for me in the way I had hoped.
October 6, 2023
I'm kind of at a loss if I wanted to give this book a 3 or a 4. I decided with 3 because, even though I really enjoyed reading it, there were some things that just left me feeling like it was unfinished.
First of all, I liked Siel's character a lot. He was an assassin who both liked killing, but also faced a moral dilemma about it. Second, I liked the mix of magic, technology, and religion. Third, there was more action and adventure, and less romance. I actually really enjoyed the fade to black and found it refreshing. Fourth, the cover is great and is what originally drew me in (even though the wrong fox species is depicted on it).
What I struggled with: There were some inconsistencies and flow issues. There were also some plot lines that were left open-ended, and it makes me wonder if there is supposed to be another book in this series. I was also a bit let down with the ending. I didn't feel like the story was finished. And if it is truly the end, I feel a bit let down that the ending seemed rushed with a lot of unresolved plot lines.
First of all, I liked Siel's character a lot. He was an assassin who both liked killing, but also faced a moral dilemma about it. Second, I liked the mix of magic, technology, and religion. Third, there was more action and adventure, and less romance. I actually really enjoyed the fade to black and found it refreshing. Fourth, the cover is great and is what originally drew me in (even though the wrong fox species is depicted on it).
What I struggled with: There were some inconsistencies and flow issues. There were also some plot lines that were left open-ended, and it makes me wonder if there is supposed to be another book in this series. I was also a bit let down with the ending. I didn't feel like the story was finished. And if it is truly the end, I feel a bit let down that the ending seemed rushed with a lot of unresolved plot lines.
October 3, 2023
Survival . . .
Caius, a witch, joins the royal guard and feels a sense of shared moral code with the king, so he swears loyalty and protection to the king. Siel is a fox familiar, fiancé to the king, but his eyes are opened to the monster he thought he loved when he discovers the cruel and vicious massacre the king ordered on a small village. Seeing the man the king really is, Siel now vows to kill the king.
With Caius ready to protect the king who is now in danger, he cannot seem to stop the assassin fox who is on a killing spree that has the palace in an uproar. The king is angry at Caius failing him and turns his anger and disappointment on the witch who is trying to protect him. When Caius and Siel both recognize they are more similar than different in what they believe in, and the king has turned against both of them, will they join their magic and begin their own relationship with each other? In what direction will it take them? Will they survive?
Caius, a witch, joins the royal guard and feels a sense of shared moral code with the king, so he swears loyalty and protection to the king. Siel is a fox familiar, fiancé to the king, but his eyes are opened to the monster he thought he loved when he discovers the cruel and vicious massacre the king ordered on a small village. Seeing the man the king really is, Siel now vows to kill the king.
With Caius ready to protect the king who is now in danger, he cannot seem to stop the assassin fox who is on a killing spree that has the palace in an uproar. The king is angry at Caius failing him and turns his anger and disappointment on the witch who is trying to protect him. When Caius and Siel both recognize they are more similar than different in what they believe in, and the king has turned against both of them, will they join their magic and begin their own relationship with each other? In what direction will it take them? Will they survive?
October 3, 2023
A wonderful story. The world building is amazing, but the best part for me was the way the Siel and Caius, who are two very different men, gradually and by very tiny shifts of their understanding of themselves and each other, go from enemies to allies. This transition is exquisitely done. The book also shows how we sometimes eliminate the things we love about someone, by trying to control them. Siel makes some very interesting observations about love. If you are looking for a smutty read, this is not it! The overall story is really good (there’s hurt, heartbreak, betrayal, a fox, chickens, gruesome moments) and there are many interesting characters. However, the relationship between Siel and Caius in itself is absolutely worth the read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 1, 2023
I enjoyed reading this fantasy book (is it a romance? I’m not sure, though it does end happily), but I’m not convinced the logic held up in a lot of ways. For example, if the spell-hounds (I’m not sure whether that’s the term from the book) could find the familiar so easily the first time he ran, why couldn’t they find him again later? It also seemed as if we were missing a lot of backstory that we’d have needed to understand the different families and characters. This felt to me like a very creative story that hadn’t gone through the developmental process fully enough. I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars for this one. (Also, it's sad that the fox on the cover isn't a fennec!)
My thanks to Gay Romance Reviews for an advance copy of this book.
My thanks to Gay Romance Reviews for an advance copy of this book.
November 1, 2023
I would give this 4.5* overall simply because I wanted to see more of Siel and Caius together. But what a story, I really felt for Siel - with his strained relationships with his family and how that moulded the almost bipolar natured person that then got involved with Morvan.
Nitz’s world building is absolutely fabulous - I really just loved everything about how all the little details were interwoven to build the bigger picture of the world. There were a few mentions of things that I couldn’t work out, which would have been nice to have a glossary of things from the world, but nothing that really retracted from the story. Really enjoyable and one of the better books I have read for a while - one that makes you think about it long after you put it down.
Nitz’s world building is absolutely fabulous - I really just loved everything about how all the little details were interwoven to build the bigger picture of the world. There were a few mentions of things that I couldn’t work out, which would have been nice to have a glossary of things from the world, but nothing that really retracted from the story. Really enjoyable and one of the better books I have read for a while - one that makes you think about it long after you put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2023
I enjoyed this book, it is pretty plot heavy and has an entertaining mix of intrigue and politics. I will say that the relationship between Caius and Siel doesn’t feel like the main focus of the book. I appreciated the world building, there is so much personal and political drama which made for an engaging read. The two main characters are both very interesting and complex. I especially liked how the author explored Siel and
his inner turmoil over his decision to off the King. It’s a fun read with an intriguing plot and fascinating characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
his inner turmoil over his decision to off the King. It’s a fun read with an intriguing plot and fascinating characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
May 1, 2024
A slow, and satisfying, burn. I enjoyed this one. The worldbuilding is rich and unique, and the characters really stay with me, even after the story is finished.
Yes, the plot pacing is a bit muddled at times, sometimes feeling a bit slow, other times a bit rushed, but I was totally drawn in from the first page and it kept me wanting more. I hope we see more of Siel and Caius. Caius, especially, really grew on me, and I love how he brought some much-needed balance. To say more would be spoilery, so I won’t. I enjoyed this story and its gentle movement toward the romance angle, which is refreshing. I’m looking forward to reading more by Cleo Nitz.
Yes, the plot pacing is a bit muddled at times, sometimes feeling a bit slow, other times a bit rushed, but I was totally drawn in from the first page and it kept me wanting more. I hope we see more of Siel and Caius. Caius, especially, really grew on me, and I love how he brought some much-needed balance. To say more would be spoilery, so I won’t. I enjoyed this story and its gentle movement toward the romance angle, which is refreshing. I’m looking forward to reading more by Cleo Nitz.
September 29, 2023
This one was different. But in a good way. I think that is what drew me in. A former assassin, turned king’s consort, turned assassin again when he realizes what type of person his king truly is. The characters of Siel and Caius really captured my attention. Caius doesn’t see Morgan’s true nature at first and Siel struggles with his feelings of guilt and anger. This is also an interesting mix of fantasy and tech. I enjoyed discovering this world as I read and would welcome more books set in this universe.
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