Goldheart

Foxglove & Feud #1

by Tess Carletta

A world plagued by sun sickness can be both terrible and beautiful.

Senna Kane was plucked from his orphanage and molded into the perfect Goldheart—the personal bodyguard to the prince. It's a demanding job, made harder by the headstrong prince's desire to solve the tension between the darkness-bathed Talsura and the sun-welcoming Redwind, but Senna has vowed to do his best.

Defying the law, Senna and the prince sneak out of their kingdom to meet with the Redwindan princess to work towards peace. There, Senna finds himself spending more time with the princess' charming guard, Emrys, who challenges Senna to try bold and impossible things—like harnessing the sun's power to grow plants from his own body.

The quest for peace comes at odds with the two lovers as the sun sickness, terrifying monsters, and cruel rulers try to tear them apart at every turn. The danger leads Senna to what may be an impossible choice: to abandon his prince, his duty and life's purpose, or lose the chance to become the man he could've been if that duty had never found him.

GOLDHEART is a story about chosen family, choosing love, and the impossible feat of staying good in times of darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Romantasy, Romance, LGBT, M M Romance, Adult

Unknown Binding

First published June 25, 2025

About the author

Tess Carletta is a library assistant by day, and an indie writer every other waking moment. She holds a particular love for sunsets, quiet country walks, and stories about folks who love each other. She lives in Pennsylvania with two roommates and a round cat aptly named, Ruby the Ham Princess.

Reviews

[Menoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. So I’ve been crying for the past hour or so. I’ve read and loved Tess Carletta’s previous book, and when I heard about her romantasy I had to read it.

Goldheart was a ride and I loved every moment of it. I can’t express how much I enjoyed it.

You’re following a cast of characters who are from neighbours kingdoms who are noooot getting along at all. Both heirs to those kingdoms became friends despite all odds and with all their friends they decide to do everything they can to right the wrongs of their past.

Goldheart got everything you want. Character development? Got it. Devotion ? Got it. Funny characters? Got it. A swooning romance? Got it. Gods being noisy? Yup. An intriguing magic system? Hell yes. Beautiful prose? YOU GOT IT.

Senna and Emrys are so good and tender toward each other and omg I love them so much.
But other than the swooning romance, I loved the depiction of friendship between Senna and Percy, of between Percy and Thea ! It’s a story full of love and grief and magic. And it made me cry for hours and now I have a headache and I think everyone should read it.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would the goldheart do, Emrys wondered, if he knew just how much someone burned to adore him? 

This is one of the most unique fantasy worlds I've ever read. I can almost always enjoy a fantasy that's based on old tropes and archetypes, and this book does do that, to some extent. But the majority of the worldbuilding and magic is a total breath of fresh air. I don't think I would very firmly categorise this as romance, though it does have a prominent and important romantic subplot. We're mainly following two royal bodyguards, Senna and Emrys, from rival kingdoms. Percy (Senna's prince) and Thea (Emrys' princess) have developed an epistolary friendship over the past few years, and between them, they're determined to solve the problems in darkness-plagued Talsura, and the plant growth sun-sickness in Redwind.

My favourite part is this was definitely the magic in this world, because I just love plant magic. The concept of sun-exposure inducing literal plant growth on the skin? Oooooh, that's the kind of body horror that I love. It isn't really described in a body horror type of way, except for the cases where it gets dire. But I loved it, loved how Talsura was afraid of it and how Redwind adapted and embraced it. I loved that the romance sort of developed along those lines, with Senna slowly overcoming his internalised fears and prejudices, and how Emrys taught him to wield the ability. Genuinely, there can be nothing more intrinsically romantic to me than growing a flower from your own body and presenting it to your lover. I was obsessed. And I love how slow it was, how gradually the love between the men blossomed. Especially Emrys showing Senna the kind of appreciation no one else in his life ever gave him.

There were a few other POV characters, the most significant of whom were Percy and Thea. When I first started the book, I did think it was purely a romance, so I didn't think I would need or like having the other POVs? But I quickly came to love them. They both have really close, though really different relationships with their bodyguards, which I love. I absolutely adore that bond between protector and protectee, and the author explored it in loving ways, adversarial ways, all kinds of complicated ways. In the end, I was happy to have other kinds of connections showcased in this book, other than then romance between Senna and Emrys. Thea and Percy also had little romances of their own (with other characters), which I hope will be explored more in the future.

In terms of the world, I really liked the system of worship and the idea of the canons. The plot itself is a little slow-moving, but I didn't mind that we took a lot of time to focus on character development and insight. The mystery that the characters are trying to work out takes a good long while to unfold. And in the meantime, there's a lot of travel and exploration and discovery and discussion. Not all of it took place the way I would have imagined, but for the most part, I was always engaged.

But I have to admit, the story did lose me a lot, when it came to certain aspects of the worldbuilding. There were some things I could not stop thinking about, and they just never made sense to me. And most of it stemmed from the fact that the Redwindans were exiled and established their kingdom 18 years ago. Only 18 years ago. Not even a full generation. And some of the differences, the cultural forks in the road, the misunderstandings between the two countries, certain events and details that have been forgotten, traditions that have been established, even just the city and castle that's been built... to me, it just did not gel with the fact that Redwind was established only 18 years ago. I get wanting the cultures to be super different, but for that to be really felt, at LEAST an entire generation ought to have passed. As it is, everyone who survived the exile is probably still alive, and remembers their time in Talsura. 

It probably shouldn't have bugged me so much, but the writing did keep emphasising certain differences in the people and mores and culture. And certainly, after almost 20 years, there would be a lot of divergence. Especially with Talsura in darkness and Redwind embracing inflorescence. But like... the degree to which I was meant to believe these countries had diverged... idk. To me, it really didn't track. I get why the author wanted the current timeline to be close to the exile; it becomes relevant later on. But it just didn't make sense (to me! and hey, it might just be me) in a dozen other little ways. Like the Redwindan queen being able to trick her people with the daughter out of nowhere. Everyone forgetting what Emrys looked like. Building a city in a matter of months. Stories being told about the exile that transform it into a time of myth and legend, even though the majority of people from that time are literally still alive. It frustrated me to no end. A little wall that my brain kept running into, and unfortunately, it did impact my enjoyment.

Some other little quibbles: it did get pretty heavy-handed at times, especially when it came to to villains. And I wish it did a better job with the timeline and pacing; I don't know if I just missed it, but I have no idea how much time passed during the story.

But because I'm mostly a character-focused reader, this still worked for me. It has a really strong emotional core, and sets up some really interesting things for future books. I'm very curious to see where things go for certain characters. Especially Thea and Nare and Percy! And I'd love to see more of Senna and Emrys. Overall: really good start to a series. Definitely recommend if you like interesting magic, found family, hurt/comfort and a nice long narrative that takes its time with the characters. I look forward to reading more!

Content warnings: death, grief, child abuse. detailed warnings at front of book

☆ Review copy provided via BookSirens/the author. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

“You are the one with the heart of gold who has my favor. You must be my blade.”

[Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldheart is the first in an epic fantasy series that includes plenty of action, loveable characters and a unique magic system. ⋆｡°✩

As a huge fan of found families, I really liked the dynamic between all the characters, especially Percy and Senna. I think the book had good character development Senna’s growth was probably one of my favourite parts of the book. I was also worried the romance might be overshadowed by other elements of the book but I was not disappointed!

Although I found the beginning a bit slow and the world building slightly confusing, I still very much enjoyed the book and am eagerly awaiting the second one! 3.5/4 stars!

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the ARC ^_−☆

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic fantasy where almost everyone is queer? I would have given so much for something like that ages ago.

The scope Tess Carletta is covering in this book (the first part of a duology) is huge. From semi-isolates kingdoms to their own respective magic systems, there's so much lore here. If you like that, this book is for you. (Also, I had a lot of fun theorycrafting and some of my theories turned out to be correct!🤭)

Most readers who know Tessa for the cozy classic Kit & Basie (if that book doesn't become a classic, what are we even doing, people?) will be surprised by this book. There's a lot of cozy in the interactions of the main cast (all of whom are awesome and crush-worthy) but the setting itself is dark and full of trauma. Be prepared for that.

Also, I'd like my own kickass attack librarian, please and thank you.💜

Thank you to the author for trusting me with an ARC, and also for getting digital copies to Kickstarter backers early. Tessa, you're an angel.

[J.M. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldheart is a gripping heartfelt tale, character-driven with a plot that can stand on its own feet, intricate and unique world building, including a super interesting magic system and impeccable political intrigue, and lush immersive prose.

Each POV had its own little twist on tone, every single one alluring and engaging enough that every chapter kept me flipping pages. In one of the busiest times of my year, I could not put this book down regardless, and every spare minute had me reaching for it.

Senna Kane will have my heart forever.

I can't wait to see more of these characters in the second part of this duology and I certainly am eager to see more from Tess Carletta.

*I received a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes. I leave this review freely and all opinions are my own*

[Sara Jesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is so beauthiful and heartbreaking. It was such a emotional ride. I did love to see Senna discover love and to learn to discover himself without Percy. Emory that only want to be loved by Senna, is able to do anything to protect him and made him see how much he is precious. But I did also love the journeys of Percy and Thea. Percy, the lonely prince, that can be unfair to Senna sometimes but really love him like a brother. I did like his friendship of Thea, to observe him grow and accept that Senna have to be more that his goldheart. His ending is not fair....
Also the worldbuling around plant magic is so cool.

[Sebastian Nothwell]

Growing flowers out of your skin all by yourself, handsome? Goldheart is a sweeping heartfelt queer romantasy of forbidden love between guards of rival kingdoms with copious body horror and (consensual!) sex pollen/plant-based cannibalism (???) (what do you call it when you are boyfriends and plants grow out of your flesh and you eat those plants in an erotic manner) (good) (good is what you call it).

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

(lol I was not aware this was part of a duology, things make sense now)

By the end, I was really liking this and I'm looking forward to the next book. The infloresence was very cool - I love plant-based magic. The sun sickness (the start of the book really hooked me) was interesting and awful. The reason behind the creation of the dre'malor was terrible but also very clever (though after the first appearance, I think they were somewhat underused). The relationship between Senna and Percy ripped my heart out at the end, I enjoyed Thea and her character arc, and despite only having at most two POV chapters, I really felt for Ciaran and hope he escapes what looks like a terrible end.

However it took me a while to get into the book - the characters sort of wandered from one thing to another (how many times did Senna and Percy leave Talsura and just wander back through trade channels without getting caught? why was Phaedra letting them wander around like that?). I also found the pace of the plot frustrating - things that pushed the plot forward were minor parts, with the characters becoming distracted by their interpersonal relationships afterwards (or during). Not that I didn't enjoy the various romance plots between Senna and Emrys or Thea and Nare, but key plot points were so often lost/missed/completely forgotten by the characters, I genuinely wondered if they actually cared. And then of course, a deux ex machina (magic man!) came out to explain everything near the end (where was he all this time? unexplained). Sigh.

Clearly I have a lot of thoughts! the cycle of violence, the depiction of grief, the familial relationships (Percy and his mother; Thea and Emrys and their mother (how is she so unaware of them as people??); Senna and Percy; Thea and Emrys; and my secret favourite, Thea and Senna!!)...all mean I'm gonna be picking up the second book in the duology.

[Haley Clabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

“On the day he became the goldheart, Senna Kane fell asleep is his cot with his only friend and woke tangled up in a corpse”

This was hands down a five star read for me and the perfect book to enjoy during Pride month as a MM romantic fantasy. The main character, Senna, is one of my favorite male leads in a fantasy novel. He is a loyal friend and fierce fighter with a really soft layer underneath the quiet exterior. Emrys is the opposite, he’s loud and playful, quick to anger, but loves his friends like family. Throughout the book Emrys coaxes Senna out of his shell and encourages him to figure out what kind of life he wants to live, and not to just live the life chosen for him at 9 years old. He teaches him to not be scared of inflorescence, (the ability to grow plants from your own body) but to embrace the ability. While Senna is my favorite character, Emrys is definitely a close second. The forbidden love between these two is perfect and will have you loving them too.

This story is multi-pov of the main ensemble — Senna, Emrys, Thea, and Percy. The slow burn sapphic romance may be a side plot, but it could easily be a main story all on its own. The tension building is just right and will have you kicking your feet and begging for more.

While there are a lot of cozy and enjoyable moments, don’t be fooled. This is a heart wrenching story filled with trauma, near death experiences, religious abuse, grief, and humanoid monsters. As often as it has you grinning, it will have you crying too. So buckle up and enjoy the adventure while anxiously we await the second installment in this series

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me sob so hard even though I read the beta.

Senna and Emrys are such a lovely pair. Romance with knights is such a fun thing, and now both of them being knights adds even more layers on top. Senna is an absolute classic knight that only lives to serve his sovereign. When his world starts opening up through Emrys I had such a good time. Emrys is a true heartthrob and gosh did I fall for him too. Senna getting lost in his eyes is totally understandable. Them dancing around each other for many pages in the book gave me so many moments of deep yearning in a slow burn romance, it was great.

The romance between Senna and Emrys is a big part of the story, but so much plot also happens from start to finish. The story following the whole group of royals and their friends was really interesting and I was hooked from start to finish. The book starts off so happy and simple too and then pulls it towards major conflicts between different nations. There was always someone needing help or struggling and our heroes help them gallantly. And while all that happened the plot of trying to find a cure continues and had me on the edge of my seat.

This book gave me so many emotions. I had moments where I had to laugh over silly jokes and things that happened. Other moments I felt deeply touched by Thea struggling with her emotions. And above all moments where I really had to sob. The book takes you through the full emotional spectrum and does this masterfully. It made me enjoy the book so much and I definitely like a good cry with that as well.


I received an eARC and this was my honest review.

[Fen'Harel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I think I've found the most mindblowing book of 2025, something comes along and upsets that. This is that book.
At first, I saw the cover. We all have eyes - how stunning is that cover!
Then, I started reading. My fingers were crossed that I wouldn't find myself disappointed when it has such wonderful art to accompany it. And I wasn't.
Not only did the author create such a wonderful concept for a world, but also tragic and dark as well. And the characters just sprang to life on the page.
What I really loved about this world was the ability to grow plants out of your own body - but this doesn't come without risks. Others, growing up, have died at young ages when they haven't been able to accept or master this skill, and the tragedy of knowing young people had to die because of this always overshadows the book. But it helps to make the brighter scenes so much better. It's almost a bittersweet feeling I got when I saw how happy some of the characters were and how they saw this power as a good thing.
Maybe I'm mixing my ideas, or reading more into it, but I saw the ability as a look into the topic of sexuality. If you reject it and push it away, it will kill you inside, but if you learn to let go and work with your feelings, you'll be open to a whole new word of possibility.
This book is set in multiple POVs, and we have some more characters narrating the story than just Senna and Emrys. I wish they had been mentioned on the blurb because they were so important to this story as well.
Altogether, this book was amazing and I loved every page of it!

[Evita · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s not a version of you I’ve met and haven’t adored.”

Thank you so much for the eARC @tess.carletta
I’m so grateful I got to read this one early!

Goldheart is a story about resilience, defiance, and blossoming friendships. It’s about a group of young people who will do anything to improve the world their parents have helped shape. At its heart this book is a love story but there are lots of quest moments happening too. It is also super queer so it has all my favourite things!

What I loved most about Goldheart were the characters. Senna and Emrys had a really fun dynamic that I adored reading about, but I also grew to enjoy Thea and Percy’s POVs. The characters are flawed and will make you want to shake them at times but they all felt wonderfully human.

The magic system was interesting (even if it confused me a bit at times), and it was certainly something I hadn’t seen before. I think Tess has created a really complex world with lots of magic, gods and history that I’m excited to dive back into (and hopefully learn even more about) in the next book.

Give this a try if you like:
🌸Queer romance
🌸Quests that boost friendships
🌸Unique flower magic
🌸Fighting for change
🌸Surprising twists

If anything I’ve said in this review sounds appealing, give it a try!

[Nida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author/publisher.

I finished this book about two weeks ago. What I will say is that the world-building is unique and interesting and that you will love each character in the main cast. I love how we get to follow multiple (and different!) romantic relationships against that backdrop and the still-raw conflicts that arise from the exile of a group of people. The author is sensitive about these topics but does not shy away from exploring them and the issues that it could cause in relationships. I really enjoyed the nuances of the familial relationships, and I adore Senna's character. I think the only difficulty I had was with the two queens, whose characters & choices sometimes did not make sense. They both have motives, but some of their actions are just inconsistent with what we learn about them.

This is definitely a character- and plot-driven story. Be warned that this is not a stand-alone and you will have to wait for the next part (although the first part already makes it worth it)! **Editing to say this is one of my top five reads of 2025!

[Jake Vanguard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldheart was a wonderful read.
It has such an exceptional unique magical system including plant magic as well as sigils and canons (gods). Every piece of the worldbuilding, from these magic systems to believes and different cities was implemented wonderfully, descriptions just right to feel immersed but not overwhelmed.
The contrast of the blooming and flourishing city of Redwind versus the gloomy and oppressing feel Talsura gives, including its residents and rulers, drew me in immediately. The moment Percy and Senna see the sun for the first time (again, in Senna's case), was like taking a deep breath and sunbathing myself.

With a wonderfully queernormative world as well as delicately interwoven neurodivergence in more than one character, every single character has their own struggles and motivations, even when they need time to figure out what they actually want. Trauma, hurt and comfort - the novel covers about every part of an emotional rollercoaster.

There were a lot of questions and wondering why and how things are as they are, with quite a satisfying reveal in part 4 - that left me desperately craving for the sequel. I can't wait to continue reading about Emrys, Senna, Thea, Nare, Percy & Elora!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy but I'm freely leaving this review. All opinions are my own.

[Bayley Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I received an advance review copy by BookSirens and Tess for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was genuinely sooo good, I loved the writing and the prose and the romance was honestly some of the best MM spice. This deffo gave me "Call Me By Your Name" but make it a romantasy

[Talli Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*sobs into my hands* I LOVED THIS. Review to come!

[speckled mosscap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy for beta reading! It was incredible, I’ll come back tomorrow with my review! 💕

[Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction

Reading Goldheart by Tess Carlette will take you on an adventurous journey through a high fantasy world. Packed full of epic adventures, this new romantasy features strong, nuanced characters, and explores the light and dark sides of the human experience in its themes. While Goldheart is being marketed as an MM romance, the love story isn’t the sole focus of the book. Goldheart is a high fantasy that includes gay romance(s). And that’s a refreshing take on the whole genre, in my opinion.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Strong Start

Goldheart is a strong start to the new Foxglove & Feud series by Carletta, with a tight narrative, compelling characters, and themes that delve deep into the characters' psyches. At times, however, the storytelling struggles with clarity, largely due to uneven characterizations.

Fantasy is My Bag

While I read a wide variety of MM romance genres, I have a particular love for romantasy and high fantasy settings. Some of my favorite stories of all time can be found sitting comfortably in this category: Tavia Lark’s Radience and Perilous Courts series, Anyta Sunday’s The King’s Man, and Ariana Nash’s The Prince’s Assassin come to mind.

Plot

Goldheart is set on the island of Islevaria, which consists of three main kingdoms: Talsura, Redwind, and Mount Livia. On first look, this book explores the concepts of darkness versus light.

Talsura exists in darkness, a magical barrier to the sun blocks out all light. Why? Exposure to the sun causes something called sun sickness. It started just a few decades ago when the island’s magic manifested in a horrible plague.

Sun Sickness

Sun sickness presents itself as plants growing from a person‘s body. If left uncontrolled, this sickness leads quickly to death. It’s reminiscent of the Hanahaki disease trope that might be familiar if you read fanfiction, but this disease doesn’t manifest due to unrequited love. With the sun sickness plaguing Islevaria, it’s simply exposure to the sun that causes the sickness. But the results are the same: plants and thorns ravage the body, leading to death.

Different Solutions

Talsura’s solution to the problem is to block out the sun entirely, its mages depleting their magic to maintain a huge sun shade and also to maintain life underneath the shade because, without the sun, everything must be magically enchanted.

The queen of Talsura exiles everyone who shows symptoms of the sun sickness, and those people journey across the moors. They experience great hardship along the way. Eventually, they establish a new kingdom called Redwind on land just adjacent to Talsura.

Redwind

Redwind, built upon the backs of a lot of trauma and death, represents light. Along their perilous journey, they discovered something miraculous: they could control the sun sickness, and it became their greatest power. Redwindians call it Inflorescence, and having taken control of the magic, they no longer die from the disease. Because they can control their inflorescence, their kingdom is full of flowers. It’s beautiful, and their traumatic origin has given them strength and resiliency.

The queen of Talsura is evil, and everyone is miserable. I mean, wouldn’t you have to be, no sun for twenty-plus years? It’s not exactly a subtle metaphor that the dark kingdom, especially the ruler, is evil. The light kingdom, presented as glorious and colorful, is good. And the very concept that they can control their inflorescence instead of succumbing to it, instead of hiding from it, is groundshaking to the Talsurans.

We Can Fix It, Yes We Can!

The crown prince wants to fix things. Percy and Thea, the crown princess of the Redwindian kingdom, began exchanging letters. Percy and Senna the Goldheart escape Talsura to visit Thea and Emrys. Seeing Redwind for the first time, they deeply understand the stark differences between their kingdoms.

Once the key players in the story meet, the stage is set for our story. The status quo has to go, and they need to be the ones to shake things up.

Central Themes

Struggle Reveals True Character

The first major theme explored in Goldheart centers around sun sickness and how it reveals one’s hidden character and motivations. The Talsuran Queen’s first instinct is to hide from the sun sickness, to cruelly banish everyone suffering from it, and to do everything to forget that it exists, to great expense and human suffering. Phaedra even exiles her own sister. Cruelty is her true character.

On the other hand, the Redwindian’s struggle reveals their resiliency and strength. While their exile is harsh, their journey seemingly insurmountable, it reveals their inner strength and their ability to do something about the injustices that pushed them out. It reveals their ability to control the sun sickness, empowering and uplifting them as they emerge from the burden of sun sickness and take the reins of inflorescence.

Emrys says it best. “These people have endured the worst days of their lives and clawed their way to the other side. Isn’t it a miracle that we seized control of the roots at our throats?”

Along with their true character being revealed by struggle, it also shows that one’s internal power can be harnessed and used for good. But that same potential can fester if it is left untrained, and it can easily sabotage and overrun one’s life.

Hidden Purposes and Identities

The theme of hidden purposes and hidden identities plays heavily in the narrative.

Hidden Purpose

Senna’s purpose is hidden even from himself. His purpose, set for him when he was too young to consent, is to guard the crown prince. With his life. And he does, gladly. Percy grows up with him as his friend and brother. The true nature of his guardianship is not fully revealed until it’s too late.

Hidden Identities

Hidden identities and hidden agendas play an important role in driving the narrative along. Thea is the crown princess in name only, but has a bad reputation as being cold and unapproachable. Emrys has the potential to be a great leader, but he hides his true promise to the world so he can lark around, hiding in plain sight as a guard. Nare is introduced as a librarian. In truth, she is an academic scholar of the magics.

The canons, the gods of this world, who are literal beings by the way, hide their true nature and even pretend to be other canons if the need arises.

Characters

Senna, the Goldheart

One of the main love interests is Senna. Senna is a Goldheart, a royal guard. Tasked from the young age of 9 to guard Percy, the crown prince, Senna practically raises Percy, loves him like a brother, and guards Percy with his life.

Senna is terrified of inflorescence. His childhood is stacked with trauma upon trauma related to sun sickness. Because of his trauma, he finds it difficult to speak with people he is unfamiliar with. In general, he’s a man of few words. Morally, he’s motivated by duty. He has little identity outside of being a guard, much to Emrys’ frustration.

Emrys, the Pretend Guard

Emrys is the other love interest. He is presented as a Redwindian guard, but is actually the Crown Prince. He and the Queen were among the first to be able to control their inflorescence. Emrys has shirked his duty as prince, since he’s hidden as a guard, but is still seen as a leader among the community.

Important Secondary Characters

While Emrys and Senna are the main love interests of this story, this first book in the series sets up an extensive cast of characters that all turn out to be important in some way. Princess Thea and Prince Percy initiate contact between the kingdoms. Nare, the librarian, becomes important in their quest for the cure to Thea’s fallowness. Sascha, the ruler of Mount Livia, steps in with important pieces of the puzzle when needed. The queens, oh yes, the queens, play important roles for better or for worse. There’s not a character you meet who doesn’t end up playing an important role in the story, somehow.

Glows

So Very Queer

Goldheart is a very queer book. Beyond the main love interests, so much about the world is inclusive and optimistically so. Children freely choose their gender presentation once they reach a certain age. Thea is presented as aroace (and neurodivergent!) and is completely oblivious to Nare’s interest in her. The leader of Mount Livia uses they/them pronouns. The cultist Ciaran is trans.

All of these elements just are; they are not the focus of the story, they are just a part of it. And I love that. Homophobia is null in this world. I appreciate when we, as readers, can immerse ourselves in a fantasy world with zero concept of this sort of hate.

Extensive World Building

Some chapters further side stories and characters, leaving out the main love interests entirely. By doing this, the author expands upon the world and makes it not just a love story. It’s a fantasy world, and the focus on a lot of characters makes it feel more like a fantasy novel and not a fantasy romance.

Goldheart is also over 500 pages, and is the first book in the series. So it does at times meander. For anyone who reads fantasy novels, that’s sort of the genre’s thing.

Having read all of the extant Song of Ice and Fire series, I will say that there is nothing succinct about those stories. Readers often follow characters whose stories are completely separate from the main events. This book is a little like that. But in Goldheart’s favor, secondary characters are all important to the main story.

Unique Mythology and Magical System

Furthering the extensive world-building in Goldheart, the mythology and the magical system are strikingly unique. The concept of inforesence/sun sickness being sides of the same coin, just controlled / uncontrolled, is novel. Talsurans use sigil magic instead of inforescence.

The mythos of the world also sets it apart from other fantasy stories. Canons are the gods and goddesses of this world, but are literal beings, not just sky-daddy concepts. Appealing to the canons means actually contacting them and winning over their favor. But unbeknownst to the mere mortals, not everything is on the up and up with the canons, and things are afoot that no one sees coming.

Grows

Unbalanced Characterizations

One of the major flaws of Goldheart is the uneven and unbalanced characterizations of major characters. The characters in Goldheart act unpredictably, and not always in a good way. Their actions are uneven; sometimes their reactions are straight out of left field. Having unpredictable characters can be okay, to a degree. But if a reader cannot reliably predict how a character will react, or if the character is always doing things that are wildly out of character, the character just needs more development.

As I read, I noticed several scenes where characters acted in unexpected ways that went against their established characterization. For example: Is Queen Casta a good Queen or a villain? For the most part, she’s seen as altruistic and good and a counterpart to Phaedra in Talsura. But then sometimes she’s written with a more menacing tone. Other times, Thea and Emrys talk about her as if she’s acting against them. And don’t get me started on how she treats poor Thea.

Percy’s character also struggles with some unevenness. He’s developed as a kindhearted prince, but sometimes he reacts like a selfish brat. Even Emrys does things that go against his established character development.

Because many key characters suffer from this unevenness, with out-of-character scenes peppering the entire length of the novel, this is an area to improve as the series continues.

Length

This book is very long, over 500 pages, and at times I wondered if it needs to be so long. I understand the author being reluctant to leave things out. However, a lot is going on in this book. I worry more casual readers will find its length daunting. Even I, a reader who reads 200+ books a year, kept surprising myself when I saw that I was only XX% of the way through the book.

Recommend or No?

I think this is a solid story. I enjoyed it even with the characters surprising me with their unbalanced reactions to things. I enjoyed the unique world, the magic system, and the main plotline. I liked the developing romance between Senna and Emrys. I give this book a solid recommendation.

[Morgan Cooper · Rating 1 out of 5]

*** I received an ARC!
As a visual artist, I firmly believe in the value of requesting and gracefully receiving critique. Though I understand that Carletta is a small independent author, I will do her the courtesy of treating her work like any other, and give my completely honest opinion. Mild spoilers ahead! ***

I am not a picky reader. I tend to have very low standards - as long as the characters are likable, the plot makes a vague sort of sense, and the world is interesting, I will read and enjoy practically anything. Unfortunately, I'm extremely disappointed to say that Goldheart fulfilled very few of these criteria. 

I'll divide my review up into the following four sections: What I liked, Characterization, Woldbuilding, and Representation.

What I Liked:
To start, there were aspects of Goldheart that I did enjoy. Ciaran's first chapter (chapter 5) was genuinely the highlight of the book. The author's writing really shines when she has less room to amble about - by telling a full story in just one chapter, she utilized the limited space in a really fun and engaging way. The stakes were set immediately, the pace was snappy and interesting, and I found myself really rooting for Ciaran in a way I hadn't done for any of the other characters. I tore through that chapter, and I wish there were more like it!

I likewise enjoyed Nare's character - though I had some issues with how she was presented, she felt the most realistic of the main cast. She was goofy, reacted understandably to most situations, and was generally fun to read about. Her personality stood out!

Characterization:
Phaedra's character was very frustrating to me. She clearly existed exclusively to be a villain and a one-dimensional monster for the protagonists to rally against. She seemed to act in a nonsensical manner just for the sake of it - she started building trade tunnels then cancelled the project halfway through, she treated her son heinously with no motivation behind it, and overall acted in a completely baffling manner. Even people that act erratically to an outside viewer still have a sense of internal consistency, but Phaedra did not have that. It's a shame - there was real potential for compelling complexity in her character that went unexplored, which was unfortunately a trend for the characters in Goldheart. Every conflict was black and white, with no room for nuance. 

Even though there were a couple of major villains, most of the conflict actually stemmed from the immaturity of the main cast. Everyone acted like teenagers with no emotional regulation, rather than adults, which was exhausting to read. The characters often threw temper tantrums and spat poison in fights just to hurt each other. The "found family" present in Goldheart read more like a disfunctional biological family, emotional immaturity and all. 

Worldbuilding:
The concept of the worldbuilding was intriguing, but, like a poorly made shawl, comes completely unraveled when you pick at the strings. 

Redwind as a civilization is 18 years old. Why do they have a fully functioning monarchy in place? Why do they have a queen, when Mt Livia is a democracy right next door? Why did these people, who a mere 18 years ago were driven from their home and lost a third of their population, go "I'd really love to recreate the government structure that drove us out in the first place".

Emrys lampshaded these concerns by explaining that the other countries wouldn't take them seriously without a monarchy, but what other countries were even a concern? Mt Livia, with their democracy? Talsura, who they refused to interact with? It's stated that the nearest countries outside of Islevaria are two years away by boat. Why were they relevant, and why was Casta so worried about assassination by these "foreign powers" (a vaguely xenophobic concept in itself) which - again - are two years travel away, that they needed a convoluted fake princess plot? I know the answer is that royalty and castles and secret princes are a romantic backdrop, but writing decisions like that still need to be grounded in some sort of narrative logic.

Goldheart was full of many equally infuriating anachronisms, which I will not list for the sake of brevity. I'm shocked that neither author nor editor caught them, and it gave the entire story a very "half-baked" feel. There was an evident lack of research or thoughtful contemplation in the writing, and it seemed as if certain aspects were included because they were cool, as opposed to making sense or aiding the story in any tangible manner. 

Representation:
The author has chosen to advertise Goldheart as containing "Full LGBTQ+ representation". Likewise, she clearly made an effort to include as much neurodivergent and racial representation as possible. 

Unfortunately, is seems like very little research was done into the groups that were being represented, and, subsequently, much of the representation came off as offensive.

To clarify, I am very against the trend of holding works that make an effort to include a diverse cast to a higher standard then those that don't. Making an effort to include so much diversity is absolutely commendable, especially in the current political climate. Likewise, there's no such thing as perfect representation - choices that may be comforting to one reader may be infuriating to another. However, if a creator uses the sheer amount and quality of representation as a point of advertisement, I feel it's fair to scrutinize the representation being offered. 

To start, everything was extremely heavy-handed. Though the narrative didn't straight up say "Percy has ADHD", it felt like the author was pulling directly from the DSM-5 to write the characters. It left them feeling flat and generic. 

That being said, let's break down the representation offered by the main cast, and any specific issues I took with their characterization:
Percy - Anxiety disorder, ADHD
Elora - Asthma
Senna - Selective mutism, Gay, Not white
Emrys - Bisexual, Black
Thea - Autistic, Black, Demisexual (or demiromantic?) Lesbian
Nare - Trans woman, Lesbian, Not white

Percy and Elora were handled fine, in my opinion. Elora's asthma was mentioned once, when relevant, and Percy had a couple of panic attacks that were written reasonably.

Senna, Thea, and Nare, however, were all written in a very upsetting manner.

I was excited when I read that Senna struggled with selective mutism stemming from childhood trauma. It's a disability that one doesn't often see represented in media, and can be a very compelling struggle for a protagonist.Yet, in practice he had very little difficulty yapping away. This was handwaved by claiming that he was comfortable around the main cast, but even the very first day he met Emrys they hung out and spoke fairly normally. His selective mutism was then 90% cured by magic early on in the book. Why even give him a disability if not to let it inform his character? Why cure him with magic, and rip that representation away from readers? It was infuriating.

Thea's internal monologue mentioned at length how physical touch made her deeply uncomfortable - showing how her autism affected her life - yet she was also shown to willingly kiss and cuddle the other characters as often, if not more often, than anyone else. She likewise thought overtly lustful thoughts about Nare in almost every scene they were together - it was clear that Thea found Nare to be physically attractive, and had no problem being close to her.

Yet, the epilogue retracted all of these previously established facts. Thea talked about how she simply didn't have romantic or sexual feelings about Nare, *yet*. Outside of the fact that whole conversation made Thea seem like a controlling asshole, leading Nare on and then demanding specific actions from her (If you want me to like you eventually, you can't flirt with me, you can't make puppy dog eyes at me, you can't etc etc and I still might not like you by the end), it was also nonsensical with what was shown of Thea prior to this. 

This didn't seem to be the case of intentional unreliable narration, but rather an extremely messy attempt to show a demisexual and autistic character, where the author struggled to naturally show character traits and instead fell back on direct exposition that contradicted the character's actions.
   
Nare was especially bad, being written exclusively with masculine descriptors. While I support any presentation a trans person chooses (and I love butch women just as much as the next gal), it's a problem to describe your only trans woman - a trans woman of color to boot - as being more masculine than the men. There were multiple instances of Nare being described in an overtly and specifically "male" manner: manspreading, rubbing the stubble on her angular jaw, and the flat planes of her chest. None of the cis male characters were described in a similar manner.

Ultimately, it felt like the author wanted us to see Nare as a non-woman. The narrative othered her, separating her from the cis women and making it clear that she's different, that she's not one of them. I appreciate that an effort was made, but Nare's transness was sorely mishandled. The book could have really benefitted from a paid, transfeminine sensitivity reader. 

Closing remarks:
It's easy to criticize and hard to create. I absolutely haven't written one book, much less two, and that achievement should be commended. This review was not written to tear down, but rather to give the author some actionable feedback for future endeavors. 

TLDR; I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. There are better gay romantasy novels, and books with far better queer representation overall than Goldheart. I hope the author gives her future works more time to cook - there was an interesting idea here, but it wasn't given the time, consideration, or editing it needed to thrive.
Also, the whimfruit scene wasn't even kinky. 

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Advance Reader Copy of this novel, via BookSirens. This is my honest review:

There's a lot of messiness throughout this ARC, starting with an uneven timeline for a single day, and progressively worse the farther in I got. Until the climax. That works perfectly. The revelations are satisfying, with an appropriate ending. The manuscript needs more editing than I usually see in ARCs.

But the story turns out to be worth it, even though there is too much description for my taste. It does generate vivid mental imagery. The worldbuilding is puzzling and richly done, and the best part is, it does ultimately make sense. And the characters are well done. Senna is the main one, but each point of view (there are five) has depth, and I didn't lose interest with any of them.

[kait · Rating 2 out of 5]

**I received a beta copy from the author**

TLDR: the book is alright, it's a fun time. The representation the author is boasting is not, and the way she treats beta readers is strange. I might've given this a higher star rating if not for my experience as a beta reader.

To preface, I was specifically a sensitivity reader for LGBT rep (lesbian) and for selective mutism rep. I also had access to an ARC copy.

I also want to say that I'm NOT trying to be a relentless hater- there were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed! I thought the queer-normative worldbuilding, the pretty cover, the magic system (inflorescence is so cool) and characters (mainly just Ciaran. I loved Ciaran) were good! Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by the aforementioned issues. To keep this review short & sweet, I'm going to stick to 2 the main things that bothered me, which pertains to beta readers.

Sensitivity Reading

When I heard this book was going to feature a protagonist with selective mutism, I was excited! I struggled with selective mutism throughout my childhood + teenage years. It's underrepresented, and very misunderstood. I found the author's portrayal of it lacking in the beta copy, so I sent feedback on what she did well and what could be improved. She was receptive and thanked me for the feedback.

So when I read through an ARC copy, I was surprised to find that she changed absolutely nothing in regards to selective mutism. I spent free time writing up suggestions and elaborating on selective mutism, drawing from both my own experience and clinical symptoms that are easily googled, only for it all to be thrown out? What is the point of sending out beta copies to sensitivity readers with the intention of gaining insight into things the author lacks experience in, if not to use that new insight in the final copy of the book? Dare I say it feels hollow and performative to be able to say, "I sent my book out to diverse betas" while ignoring the very real inaccuracies brought up in critiques? It doesn't sit right with me.

I am NOT trying to be a nitpicky jerk! I don't want to be labeled a butthurt beta reader lol. I fully understand not getting representation perfect. I wasn't looking for the end all, be all of selective mutism rep. But I do feel let down. If the selective mutism angle is what you're looking for in this book, you won't find it in Senna "chit-chats on command" Kane. Sidenote, didn't love that he gets magically 'cured' of his mutism early on. That's literally the 'magical cure' trope. It's not a good trope.

Receptivity to Critiques

Critiques, mind you, that the author asked for. A friend of mine, who beta read as a general reader (not as a sensitivity reader) sent back critiques that followed the guidelines / sample questions the author emailed to us. Their critiques were received, as evidenced by a reply email. My friend was then blocked out of nowhere on the author's instagram for no reason. Mind you! My own critiques for the general book (pertaining to the plot & characters) were very similar in both tone and ideas. My friend said nothing untoward in their feedback. But I myself wasn't blocked. I still follow the author on insta- my friend, meanwhile, can't see her account at all.

Pretty unprofessional and an odd way to treat your beta readers. Beta readers are generally fans of your work. We signed up for this for no payment, just for the love of the beta-reading game and an interest in the book itself. Was I not blocked for my feedback by the virtue of being a sensitivity reader? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, the book itself is fine. It's a chill brain-off, cozy romantasy. I just wish the author tried a little harder in the neurodivergent representation department

[The Rachel Chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens and Tess Carletta for giving me an ARC of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

Goldheart was my first book by Tess Carletta and I really enjoyed it! It's set in Islevaria, a land ravaged by a disease known as sun sickness, which causes all those infected to start growing plants from their bodies and ultimately leads to their death. The story is told from the POVs of five different characters from two opposing kingdoms--one free of sun sickness but forced to live in the dark, the other exiled and forced to adapt and embrace the power of inflorescence (the magical ability to grow plants at will)--as they search for a cure to sun sickness that will allow their kingdoms to coexist peacefully once more.

By far the strongest part of the book was the cast of characters. Every character introduced had a meaningful impact on the story, but the core group of Senna, Percy, Thea, Nare, Emrys, and Elora were especially well done. Each character's behaviors and motivations made sense with their backstories, which were all detailed and unique. Their actions were flawed and messy and endearing, and I was rooting for them every step of the way.

I will note that while I loved the relationship between the main couple, Senna and Emrys, I wish there had been more on-page development. I loved the interactions between them, but at times it felt like it progressed really quickly without any context for how their feelings had developed to that point.

The worldbuilding and magic system are also strong points in Goldheart. There are two magic systems in this universe: one that is sigil based and one that is plant/flower based. I would have loved to learn more about both of them in more detail, but as it is they were both interesting and well-incorporated into the book. The religion system was also a major part of the world building and I am looking forward to seeing it expanded in the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed that it takes place in a queer-normative world and many of the main characters are gay, bisexual, or trans. It also features neurodivergent characters, which I appreciated.

Despite loving the characters and worldbuilding, I do have to bring my overall rating down to 4 stars due to the awkward pacing and length of the book. Clocking in at 631 pages, Goldheart is a long book. While this is to be expected in the fantasy genre, I don't think that it needed to be quite as long as it is and the story would have been more impactful if it had been trimmed down some.

The timeline of the story was also confusing. As I was reading, it was sometimes difficult to tell if days, weeks, or months had passed since the previous chapter. It would read as though nearly no time had elapsed, but then a character say something that implied several months had passed, only for it to be confirmed that it had only been a couple of days. In fact, at the end of the book it is explicitly stated that a year has elapsed since the book started, which shocked me because as I was reading it was not apparent that much time had passed. This really took me out of the story and I wish it had been clearer.

Despite this, I did really enjoy Goldheart and I am looking forward to the next installment in the series. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a queer-normative romantasy that has a strong cast of characters and compelling worldbuilding.

[Marybeth (Marybee.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Tess Carletta, for allowing me to beta read Goldheart!

I was a bit hesitant going into this since Goldheart is, what I would consider, high fantasy, a genre I don't typically read. However, I loved Tess’s debut, Kit & Basie, and her writing style, so I figured I would give it a go! I’m so glad I did because this book is fabulous! I read an early version of the novel, so I know the officially published version is even better! (Somehow!)

The story starts with a prologue detailing one of the MC’s backstory, and it immediately hooks you in. This book is written in multiple POVs, which is really interesting! I don't think I’ve read a book with as many POVs, but it really adds to the story and helps readers connect with each of the core characters and how they individually see the world. Reading Senna or Percy’s POV as people from Talsura vs reading Thea or Emrys as people from Redwind is different and shows how vastly different their views of the world are at the beginning of the book. This concept also applies to the POVs of the royalty vs the non-royals.

I loved all the adventure and locations the characters visit, and the descriptions made me feel like I was there with them. Besides the amazing world-building and locations, I also adored the main cast of characters. They aren’t perfect - many of them make mistakes throughout the book, but they learn from them! They feel genuine and are just trying their best. The characters in Goldheart, not just the main characters, are so diverse and feel like real people! We have tons of queer and trans rep, autism and ADHD rep, demi rep, POC rep, and so much more! There was also a certain scene in Goldheart where I actually cried! And this just shows how connected I felt with these characters because I very rarely cry when reading.

One last thing I really loved about the world-building is its magic system! In Goldheart, some people have Inflorescence, which is the ability to grow plants from their bodies. People will mainly have one plant they are really good at, and to learn to grow another, you must learn it from someone who already knows how. It's super cool!

Overall, Goldheart blew me away with how amazing it was! I absolutely cannot wait for the conclusion to the duology and to come back to this world with these characters!

Representation: (provided by author)
*Senna: Cis, Arab man. Gay.
*Emrys: Cis black man, briefly was nonbinary as a child. Bisexual.
*Thea: Cis black woman, demisexual/demiromantic, autistic
*Nare: Trans woman, butch lesbian, eastern European
*Percy: ADHD
*Ciaran: Trans man
*Sascha: Nonbinary, fat
*Queen Casta: Black woman
*Jasrath: Gay cis man
*Laurentine: Gay cis man
*Cevyn: Nonbinary

Content Warnings: (provided by author)
*Body horror (humanoid monsters)
*Brief binge eating episode
*Major character death
*Mentions of child abuse
*Dissociation
*Emotional manipulation
*Brief flogging
*Grief
*Physical and emotional religious abuse
*Past parent loss
*Minor self-harm
*Graphic depictions of starvation
*Trypophobia (by plants coming out of skin)
*Brief instances of vomiting
*Lastly, this book contains consensual cannibalism, in which characters grow fruit from their bodies in a sexual setting and partake. All participants remain unharmed.

[Aitana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Booksirens and Tess Carletta for sending me an ARC for free. I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

I'd been meaning to read Tess Carletta for a while (her previous book really sounds like one I'd really enjoy), so when the opportunity struck to get this book, I knew I had to.

This book got to me from the synopsis, and I mean that wholeheartedly. The idea of the sun sickness and the body horror aspect of that was really interesting, as was the romance and political aspect.

So I went into this book with my expectations already high… but what I found inside surpassed all of them.

This is a truly incredible, amazing book. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the descriptions were lush, but also gritty when they needed to be. The descriptions of Talsura, Redwind, Mount Livia and the Moorlands truly transported me there. It even made me appreciate what was around me while I read, like the way the sun was hitting my skin. (I don't think I could ever survive in the darkness of Talsura).

As you may already gather from the last paragraph, Tess Carletta's prose really was to my liking. It even made aspects I'm usually less thrilled about (like the spicy scenes) all the more enjoyable to read.

In that aspect particularly (the spicy scenes) it definitely helped that I loved the main couple so much. I really really rooted for them (no pun intended). Senna Kane has my heart, and also does Emrys. I also loved the secondary pairings (FF and MF) so much.

And this leads me to the characters. One of my favourite parts of this book. The cast is so lovely and so relatable (especially if you're neurodivergent). I really felt like I was spending time with them. I got to know them through their quest, I laughed at their jokes (the banter in this book was amazing) and their dynamics (I loved the sibling's bonds specially) and I cried their tears. (And I'll tell you I cried a lot, we'll get to that).

If there's one trope I like in books, that is "found family", and that's exactly how this book felt. It's all about found family.

It was a deeply comforting book and also an incredibly devastating read. I don't know how that's possible. I cried a lot. It'd been a while since I'd cried that much at a book. I even had to take a break because my heart was broken into pieces. And that should tell you how much I cared about these characters.

But the ending is hopeful, comforting. And also it gave me so much hype for the second book in these series. I truly can't wait to see what happens next and how it all develops. Both the plot (which was so interesting and so gripping I could not put this down at times) and the development of the relationships we established on this first book (loved the demi rep, btw).

[Indie-Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the eARC

I don't usually read fantasy as an ebook/physical book, preferring to use audio, because it's hard for me to get absorbed and any time something stressful starts to happen, I end up reading about 5 pages max a day because I'm worried about what will happen. It ended up taking me over 3 weeks to finish this because of that. But I really enjoyed Tess Carletta's previous book, so I wanted to try this one too.

I think the world building in this is really interesting. The concept of a city covered in permanent darkness because the sun causes plants to grow on people and potentially kill them is really interesting. But there's a lot more to this universe too - secret magic scholars, ghosts, magic crystals, vengeful gods. It was all really interesting and thankfully not all thrown at the readers as a info dump at the beginning of the book, rather told in increments when necessary to the plot.

The universe it's set in is also queer-normative, which is great. People in this universe get to announce their gender identity as children, and same sex relationships are not frowned upon at all. Even as a reader that in majority reads queer fiction, it's hard to find fantasy books with queer-normative societies.

In terms of being a romance fantasy, I'd say this is about 90% fantasy, 10% romance. There are multiple character POVs in the story, but only one romance is important and gets on-page time: Senna and Emry's. And there are two sex scenes, and they're well-written, but I couldn't really focus or care about the sex scenes when I was worried the whole time about the overarching plot - were the characters in danger and dying in the background while these two were fucking? I had to message someone who'd read the book already to ask for a spoiler to make sure these two wouldn't end their love making and immediately find out one of the other characters had died while they'd been distracted. There were also some decisions the characters made that felt really stupid and should have gotten them killed, but somehow they managed to make it out each time.

The ending of this book does point to there probably being a sequel? The last chapter before the epilogue felt quite rushed if there isn't one planned. But hopefully there is, and I would be interested in reading it. And if this ever comes out as an audiobook, I'd be happy to listen to it in that medium.

[Siavahda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one where I couldn’t stand the prose.

She bounded in like a storm, a flash of terror before the thunder of her movement.

I just straight-up don’t understand what this means. How does one bound like a storm? How is movement thunder, given that thunder is sound?

Like the life-sucking teeth of a viper, Mother Mabel’s hand clawed into Senna’s hair

…viper teeth DON’T suck life, though?

He had questions of his own, but he suspected a woman in fine clothes like these had better things to do than subdue his confusion.

‘subdue his confusion’?

He had to crane his neck to get a good look at the empty poison bottle on her shelf, but the bead of bright light swirling around inside it was unmistakable.

…so it’s not empty, is it?

When his voice finally managed to spill out over his lips, it usually sounded like snipped up sandpaper.

What does snipped up sandpaper sound like? Different from not-snipped sandpaper? Speaking of, what does not-snipped sandpaper sound like?

Queen Phaedra sat at her desk with the same regal terror with which she sat on her throne.

What does ‘regal terror’ mean? And is she emanating it, or experiencing it? Does she feel regal terror when she sits on her throne? I mean, that could be fair, I bet being on a throne in front of all your court or whatever is anxiety-inducing…

“I have oft given you the benefit of my endless fount of mercy, but even wells grow dry.

It can’t be ‘endless’ and run dry.

Ignoring the sinking dread of his heart

‘Of’? Not ‘in’?

He reached for his sword, but before he could produce it from his sheath

Why would you phrase it that way? ‘Produce it from his sheath’? It gets worse, watch

He reached for his sword, but before he could produce it from his sheath, one of the pointed daggers pressed beneath his bottom rib.

On the very next page, referring to one of those daggers;

the blunt tip nearly slicing a tear in Senna’s leather jacket.

You just said they were pointed! And how does a BLUNT anything ‘nearly’ tear leather?!

Cool premise, really wanted to like the hugely diverse cast, can’t stand this writing.

[Xan · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎‧₊˚✧3.75 ✧˚₊‧
This is my first ARC review for BookSirens, so when I looked around for an interesting ARC for me, my eye immediately fell on Goldheart by Tess Carletta. This book was such a good choice to read in pride month, because of the LGBTQIA+ relationships and the way it handled gender.

In this story we follow the POVs of Senna, Emrys, Percy, Thea and a fellow named Ciaran. Together (minus Ciaran) the main characters want to find peace between their kingdoms, as Talsura has shut off the sun and all contact with other kingdoms. Percy wants to be king to make things better for Talsura and together with his Goldheart Senna, he visits Redwindan princess Thea and her captain Emrys. Will they be able to unite the kingdoms?

I wasn't expecting the romances to go where they went at all in this story, but I did really like them. All of the characters (minus Ciaran again) had a romance arc, although they weren't always the focus of the story. Emrys and Senna definitely had the spotlight in this story throughout, be it in romance and general story. There was so much more detail in the smut between Emrys and Senna, too, and less when it was Percy and Elora for example.

Percy as a character was so whimsical for a prince who lives with an unloving mother. He was so fun to read as well. He was the perfect offset to Senna's silence. Although the silence made Senna an intense and interesting character.

Although it was asked to not bother with (spelling) mistakes, there were quite some littered about still. Even one of the chapter headings had the name of the wrong character above it and that did take me out of the story a bit. So I hope all of this can be resolved before the book releases June 25th.

This book does have a bittersweet ending, but seeing this was the first book in the Foxglove & Feud series, I hope to see more of the characters in the future.

My favourite moment was when Senna thanked Emrys for being angry on his behalf. The soundtrack I would give this book is Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams.

And to round out this review: a big thanks to BookSirens and author Tess Carletta for the eARC of this book. I hope it finds readers who love a good queer story all around the world!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, where to start! I feel a little sad that I can only really say this book was "okay", but in a way that I think is sorely needed. I think, ultimately, this book wasn't really for me, but it is absolutely for something.

I loved the premise! Give me a knights and royalty and romance all between them, and I'm in! And this book definitely delivers on that aspect. The dialog between the different characters feels natural, and all the characters had their own personality that played in interesting ways with the others. I wish I could tell you I have a favorite, but it's very hard to choose when I love them all for different reasons. The POV changes didn't really bother me much, they felt fluid enough that it didn't take me out of the story. I felt like we also got enough internal narration to make sure that we understood why the characters were responding the way they did.

The character work here is great.

The worldbuilding, not so much. Like others have mentioned, there's something of a disconnect in the timeline versus where Redwind is actually at in terms of development, and this is what makes the book only okay to me. To me, even the best character work needs a good background to stand on, because it doesn't matter much what they do or say, if I'm distracted the whole time trying to reconcile the world around them. The world also felt really small in the beginning and I found myself asking the same questions I do in basically every dystopian movie: where is the rest of the world while this is happening? I think that eased up a little and the world started to feel a little more lived in, but I never really did fully grasp a sense of scale.

As far as the writing goes, I'll give it some leeway, because this copy did have a disclaimer at the beginning that there might be typos and grammatical errors. I suspect too that there might have been some issues with the ebook itself, because there were bits here and there where it felt like more than just a comma or word was missing. That said, I won't really comment on the overall writing, other than that it seemed proficient outside of those other issues.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thanks to Tess Carletta and BookSirens for the eARC!

Overall, I enjoyed this! I thought the world-building was unique, and conveyed without the reliance on too much lengthy exposition which can be a tendency in something of this scope. The magic system was interesting too; I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it executed like that which was a pleasant change of pace.

The characters and their arcs were compelling as well. Sometimes stories with more than two POVs can feel cluttered and disjointed, but I felt a significant connection to nearly all of them (Senna and Thea in particular). I have such a soft spot for measured and dutiful knight characters, especially when the narrative challenges them to investigate or discover who they are outside of their oaths.

The only things that kept me from rating higher were that this is a 600+ page book that definitely, at times, feels like it. I understand that a lot of groundwork has to be laid in a book attempting to do as much as this one is, but something isn’t quite working if the reader is repeatedly pulled from the story by a sensation of tedium. Perhaps this could’ve been two books? I’m not sure.

The other thing is that I kept getting confused about some of the lore/history—having to go back to re-read explanations of which people traveled where to becoming which kingdom and who was alive during which event and how old were they, etc. At times I felt like I needed more of a reading guide than the simple map provided, e.g. timelines and character lineage/relationship webs. I would say that this is simply a problem with my own comprehension, except that I don’t typically have this problem, which leads me to believe it might be an issue with how the information is presented and interspersed within the narrative.

I genuinely do love the way Carletta writes though. She makes you care deeply about her worlds and her characters and I think this is an overall strong opening to the Foxglove & Feud duology!

[Alex Drzewiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi. Hello. New favorite book alert.

I haven't come across a book where I've adored the entire cast of characters since I read Fate of the Five Niamh Rose. But my god, do I love them. Senna and Percy were my favorites, but all of them have a special place in my heart.

Even more than the characters individually, I loved the characters together. There was so much love and support in this story. Platonic, romantic, familial. It was all so good. None of them were perfect. They were all very human in their flaws. Which would cause moments of tension within the group. But the reasons -either internal or external - felt natural. And every point of contention that might occur was settled so swiftly and wholeheartedly. And the fact that the platonic love that spanned 18 yeard DID NOT take a backseat to the romantic relationships meant everything to me.

This was definitely a story full of emotion. From internal struggles, to unjust situations created by powerful leaders, to...horrendous plots. I cried. I cried for an entire hour of this book. This is the first time I've cried this hard over characters and plot specifically (rather than reflection of personal struggles or emotions) in a very long time. I fell asleep right after finishing and woke up to dried tears still on the lenses of my glasses.

It was also a story of the pursuit of the liberty to choose. It was about creating a world where people have a choice instead of being forced into one life or another. I will say, the plot got a bit slow here or there, and the "villains" could have definitely used a bit more fleshing out. But that did nothing to lower my enjoyment and personal rating for the book.

And of course, it had the most stunning queer normative world. I had dreamy, wishful eyes everytime I thought about it or anytime queer characters and relationships were so casually and naturally mentioned.