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Morcia
Battle of Will
At a memorial service meant to honor the dead and mark the beginning of a truce between Skirfall and Morcia, Ackley spies a figure who does not belong—a mage interrogator whose presence will only cause harm should the Morcians realize who he is and all the people he has tortured. But the problem rapidly grows much worse than that when Ackley realizes his true purpose is assassination of the Morcian crown prince—an assassination Ackley prevents, but at great cost. Banished from his own country, bound magically to the crown prince of his enemies, Ackley is certain of just one whether he can figure out how to break the spell or not, his death is assured.
518 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2012
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About the author
Sasha L. Miller
59 books231 followersSasha L. Miller spends most of her time writing, reading, or playing with all things website design. She loves telling stories, especially romance, because there’s nothing better than giving people their happily ever afters. When not writing, she spends time cooking, harassing her roommates, and playing with her cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 1, 2016
2.5
(this review is vaguely spoilerish)
This book is in a favorite genre and boasted an intriguing premise, two solid leads, and an exciting opening scene, but reading the book itself was an experience in frustration. As in most novels, the author plays things close to the vest in order to maintain suspense and develop her dynastic-cum-mystery plot as well as the romance. But at least for me, both key aspects were seriously mishandled: virtually all the significant dynastic events were front-loaded in the first half, culminating in the various crises at the palace--those were not fully resolved but nonetheless disappear from the book.
As far as the romance goes, there was enough action in the first to obscure the fact that the two leads appear to have no sexual feelings for each other (or for anyone else for that matter) only a growing respect in each other's honesty. The first mention of any attraction comes at 70%--of a 500+ page book. That might work if there'd been action instead, but once the heroes leave the capital, we get a series of narrative delays and feints, ones which mostly consist of the characters doing paperwork, drinking coffee (mentioned more than a hundred times), receiving and sending messages, moving to another camp and repeating those activities. In the midst of this, both heroes repeatedly ponder speaking to each other and then decide not to in favor of more paperwork or coffee. Those few significant events that do happen are buried amidst the tedious ones, and despite hints that some of these mundane activities might be more than padding--a messenger bursts! through the door, there are repeated mentions of a secondary character's magically locked! trunk that seems suspicious--literally none of it leads to anything. There is barely any dialogue between the two heroes, little sense of their formative experiences or previous relationships, sexual or otherwise, or the general society's attitude towards same-sex relationships; they don't even think about anything interesting--neither Ealdwin nor the reader ever does get the details of Ackley's experience with Taceo, though it's hinted he might have some baggage there. Bizarrely, given that the two heroes are forced by magic to stay close together (eventually being handcuffed together), anything sexual is barely acknowledged and then almost instantly repressed--again with the help of paperwork.
I admit that I put a pretty high value on careful, efficient story-telling: a key criteria of that efficiency is that descriptions of mundane activities such as getting dressed or eating should be carefully chosen and deployed to further world-building, plot or character development--they should never be repetitive. Used as they are here as the primary instrument of narrative delay, I found them infuriating. And it should be said here, that I tend to react most negatively to books where a glaring (to my mind) technical or editing problem unnecessarily ruins what would otherwise be a pleasurable read.
I'll just put in here that one thing I really did like about the book was the way Miller defied the tendency of fantasy novels to feature mostly male characters, especially in positions of power. There appears to be no gender bias in professions in Morcia, with women serving as generals, soldiers, doctors, and royal council members. The effect was refreshing and something I hope more authors imitate.
(this review is vaguely spoilerish)
This book is in a favorite genre and boasted an intriguing premise, two solid leads, and an exciting opening scene, but reading the book itself was an experience in frustration. As in most novels, the author plays things close to the vest in order to maintain suspense and develop her dynastic-cum-mystery plot as well as the romance. But at least for me, both key aspects were seriously mishandled: virtually all the significant dynastic events were front-loaded in the first half, culminating in the various crises at the palace--those were not fully resolved but nonetheless disappear from the book.
As far as the romance goes, there was enough action in the first to obscure the fact that the two leads appear to have no sexual feelings for each other (or for anyone else for that matter) only a growing respect in each other's honesty. The first mention of any attraction comes at 70%--of a 500+ page book. That might work if there'd been action instead, but once the heroes leave the capital, we get a series of narrative delays and feints, ones which mostly consist of the characters doing paperwork, drinking coffee (mentioned more than a hundred times), receiving and sending messages, moving to another camp and repeating those activities. In the midst of this, both heroes repeatedly ponder speaking to each other and then decide not to in favor of more paperwork or coffee. Those few significant events that do happen are buried amidst the tedious ones, and despite hints that some of these mundane activities might be more than padding--a messenger bursts! through the door, there are repeated mentions of a secondary character's magically locked! trunk that seems suspicious--literally none of it leads to anything. There is barely any dialogue between the two heroes, little sense of their formative experiences or previous relationships, sexual or otherwise, or the general society's attitude towards same-sex relationships; they don't even think about anything interesting--neither Ealdwin nor the reader ever does get the details of Ackley's experience with Taceo, though it's hinted he might have some baggage there. Bizarrely, given that the two heroes are forced by magic to stay close together (eventually being handcuffed together), anything sexual is barely acknowledged and then almost instantly repressed--again with the help of paperwork.
I admit that I put a pretty high value on careful, efficient story-telling: a key criteria of that efficiency is that descriptions of mundane activities such as getting dressed or eating should be carefully chosen and deployed to further world-building, plot or character development--they should never be repetitive. Used as they are here as the primary instrument of narrative delay, I found them infuriating. And it should be said here, that I tend to react most negatively to books where a glaring (to my mind) technical or editing problem unnecessarily ruins what would otherwise be a pleasurable read.
I'll just put in here that one thing I really did like about the book was the way Miller defied the tendency of fantasy novels to feature mostly male characters, especially in positions of power. There appears to be no gender bias in professions in Morcia, with women serving as generals, soldiers, doctors, and royal council members. The effect was refreshing and something I hope more authors imitate.
April 16, 2015
An Excellent read. My first from this author, and I was very pleased.
It's M/M fantasy romance, but the focus is on the fantasy, rather than anything else.
Also, one of the few m/m books I can run on tts(text to speech) on my reader without having to plug the headphones in. In other words, family-friendly, apart from a bit at the end! *heh*
One little niggle; alternate chapters used a particular character's first or last name alternately. Well, I missed the bit early on in the book which introduces his full name, so it was a little confusing how the character's name kept changing. Later on, I figured out it was because the POV was switching between the two MC's.
While this would not have been a major problem had I been paying attention earlier on, it does seem to indicate that there really wasn't enough difference between the author's writing to really showcase the double POV style of writing, and the whole narrative could have been done just as well written entirely in the third person.
The reason this didn't get the full 5 stars is that the story was a little too predictable - both the sub-plots and in main ending were wholly expected. Still, it was a very good read overall.
It's M/M fantasy romance, but the focus is on the fantasy, rather than anything else.
Also, one of the few m/m books I can run on tts(text to speech) on my reader without having to plug the headphones in. In other words, family-friendly, apart from a bit at the end! *heh*
One little niggle; alternate chapters used a particular character's first or last name alternately. Well, I missed the bit early on in the book which introduces his full name, so it was a little confusing how the character's name kept changing. Later on, I figured out it was because the POV was switching between the two MC's.
While this would not have been a major problem had I been paying attention earlier on, it does seem to indicate that there really wasn't enough difference between the author's writing to really showcase the double POV style of writing, and the whole narrative could have been done just as well written entirely in the third person.
The reason this didn't get the full 5 stars is that the story was a little too predictable - both the sub-plots and in main ending were wholly expected. Still, it was a very good read overall.
March 31, 2015
!!! - Beware: SUPER LONG review with TOO MANY gifs and some spoilers!
Battle of Will is one of those books you can't wait to read.
And for very good reasons.
Before I start, let me say who should NOT read this book.
People who:
1) want insta everything
2) want sex from page 1
2) want at least three sex scenes in the book
4) do not care about the story, just want the fucking. If you know what I mean.
So, now that we’ve addressed that... let's continue.
I’ve read a lot of M/M fantasy books. Many of them were real good.
Battle of Will is without any doubt one of the better written ones.
It is very important however to understand that the book really DO lacks insta everything and this IS a very refreshing thing to see in an M/M book.
The relationship between the characters was built slowly and had more of an enemies to allies and enemies to friends feel. In this the book reminded me of Captive Prince Volume One by S. C. Pacat.
► Just a few facts about how Ackley's and Beorn's relationship progressed during the book:
So as can be seen there was no love at first sight and it all took time (a LOT OF time). I did however like the gradual rising of the mutual awareness.
Now:
► What I loved:
► What I didn’t mind AT ALL:
► What I disliked:
-----
I loved this book and will re-read it in time.
4.25 very nice stars!
January 29, 2014
This review can be found at The Blogger Girls review site.
When Ackley saves the crown prince of Morcia from possible death, he inadvertently gets magically bound to the prince. Now tasked with being constantly within Prince Ealdwin’s presence, the two must figure out how to counter the spell that brought them together. But what’s a Skirfallan mage supposed to do when he’s in a country that hates his very race and his every action is only met with suspicion?
In the m/m genre, one of the things that I find lacking is the amount of true high fantasy stories out there. You have what I call ‘contemporary fantasy’ which is basically fantasy elements in a contemporary setting and ‘semi-fantasy’ which is a fantasy world but with only the bare bones for descriptions. Battle of Will is, in my opinion, a classic high fantasy tale filled with a ton of descriptions, two prominent warring races, a royal prince, a traitor and a forced bonding between enemies. Basically, everything I could want in a fantasy!
And how I loved every second of it! From the moment that Ackley realizes what is about to happen to Prince Ealdwin to the last word in the story, it satisfied all my cravings for a true high fantasy tale. It has a slow build-up, with descriptions left and right about the war, the layout of the country, and the spells that Ackley is forced to look through. You have the very real animosity between Ackley and Ealdwin, the inability to believe what the other is saying is the truth and the very real possibility that if someone kills one of them then the other will die too. It has some action, some twists and some sweet moments written in a way that had me spellbound throughout the book.
The characters have such depth that I felt like I knew them each personally. Ackley is very surly and stubborn. He’s not afraid of saying what he wants especially to a prince and absolutely will not back down even when Ealdwin is at his most scariest and intimidating. Ealdwin isn’t used to anyone sticking up to him so Ackley not only confuses him but intrigues him. I loved how Ealdwin was a respected prince who had no issues with fighting the war from the front lines but I also liked that even with their situation, Ackley couldn’t put away his bodyguard instincts and not protect Ealdwin, even when he didn’t need to… or want to. It was sweet the way they hated each other but slowly created a friendship that had so much trust, there was never any doubt of the other person’s actions… until Ealdwin tried to show Ackley his true feelings.
I had a few issues with this story, though. My biggest being that I felt the resolution to who the real traitor was and how to deal with him very anticlimactic. With everyone that was killed and everything that happened to not only Ealdwin and Ackley but to the King of Morcia, I expected more action to be taken to handle the King’s killer. I felt there also needed to be more editing considering there was a lot of typos, grammar mistakes, punctuation errors and inconsistencies throughout the novel. Also, while I loved that the fantasy and the desire to end the war was front and center of the story, I wished we could have seen more of the developing romance between Ackley and Ealdwin. I feel like we were missing just a little something between them.
All in all, even with its flaws, I still really enjoyed the story. It’s more fantasy than a romance and focuses more on the journey Ealdwin and Ackley go through from being enemies to allies. It has a lot of world-building and descriptions with an emphasis on the daily work of a prince turned King. I absolutely loved it and recommend it for those who enjoy a good, meaty fantasy that has very little romance. I’m also hoping we’ll get more stories in this world because I’d love to see what happens next especially if it involves Leavey getting his own HEA!
When Ackley saves the crown prince of Morcia from possible death, he inadvertently gets magically bound to the prince. Now tasked with being constantly within Prince Ealdwin’s presence, the two must figure out how to counter the spell that brought them together. But what’s a Skirfallan mage supposed to do when he’s in a country that hates his very race and his every action is only met with suspicion?
In the m/m genre, one of the things that I find lacking is the amount of true high fantasy stories out there. You have what I call ‘contemporary fantasy’ which is basically fantasy elements in a contemporary setting and ‘semi-fantasy’ which is a fantasy world but with only the bare bones for descriptions. Battle of Will is, in my opinion, a classic high fantasy tale filled with a ton of descriptions, two prominent warring races, a royal prince, a traitor and a forced bonding between enemies. Basically, everything I could want in a fantasy!
And how I loved every second of it! From the moment that Ackley realizes what is about to happen to Prince Ealdwin to the last word in the story, it satisfied all my cravings for a true high fantasy tale. It has a slow build-up, with descriptions left and right about the war, the layout of the country, and the spells that Ackley is forced to look through. You have the very real animosity between Ackley and Ealdwin, the inability to believe what the other is saying is the truth and the very real possibility that if someone kills one of them then the other will die too. It has some action, some twists and some sweet moments written in a way that had me spellbound throughout the book.
The characters have such depth that I felt like I knew them each personally. Ackley is very surly and stubborn. He’s not afraid of saying what he wants especially to a prince and absolutely will not back down even when Ealdwin is at his most scariest and intimidating. Ealdwin isn’t used to anyone sticking up to him so Ackley not only confuses him but intrigues him. I loved how Ealdwin was a respected prince who had no issues with fighting the war from the front lines but I also liked that even with their situation, Ackley couldn’t put away his bodyguard instincts and not protect Ealdwin, even when he didn’t need to… or want to. It was sweet the way they hated each other but slowly created a friendship that had so much trust, there was never any doubt of the other person’s actions… until Ealdwin tried to show Ackley his true feelings.
I had a few issues with this story, though. My biggest being that I felt the resolution to who the real traitor was and how to deal with him very anticlimactic. With everyone that was killed and everything that happened to not only Ealdwin and Ackley but to the King of Morcia, I expected more action to be taken to handle the King’s killer. I felt there also needed to be more editing considering there was a lot of typos, grammar mistakes, punctuation errors and inconsistencies throughout the novel. Also, while I loved that the fantasy and the desire to end the war was front and center of the story, I wished we could have seen more of the developing romance between Ackley and Ealdwin. I feel like we were missing just a little something between them.
All in all, even with its flaws, I still really enjoyed the story. It’s more fantasy than a romance and focuses more on the journey Ealdwin and Ackley go through from being enemies to allies. It has a lot of world-building and descriptions with an emphasis on the daily work of a prince turned King. I absolutely loved it and recommend it for those who enjoy a good, meaty fantasy that has very little romance. I’m also hoping we’ll get more stories in this world because I’d love to see what happens next especially if it involves Leavey getting his own HEA!
July 5, 2014
During the first 100 pages of the book I was convinced this would be a 5 star read. But in the end I gave it barely 3 stars because I got so incredibly bored during the remaining 200 pages.
I didn't mind that there was no big love story, in fact, I would have liked it better if the author had built a friendship between the two MCs instead of a squeezed in romance. Seriously, on the last twenty pages she suddenly remembered that there was supposed to be some romance in this book and it was more like an after-thought. There was no real chemistry between the MCs, not on a romantic level. Yes, they fit together as friends but I didn't believe the romance.
Ackley didn't much develop as a character and I lost interest in him pretty soon.
And the endless scenes of "I work on the spell, sometimes with Leavey although he is incompetent, sometimes alone and so concentrated I don't realize there is a world around me". Yes, I get it. Ackley works on the spell. Everywhere. Constantly. I started flipping pages whenever he did it.
There were good scenes in this book and usually I like Sasha's books but this one was not for me. I know in a few weeks I have to think hard what it was about because nothing really stuck out.
I didn't mind that there was no big love story, in fact, I would have liked it better if the author had built a friendship between the two MCs instead of a squeezed in romance. Seriously, on the last twenty pages she suddenly remembered that there was supposed to be some romance in this book and it was more like an after-thought. There was no real chemistry between the MCs, not on a romantic level. Yes, they fit together as friends but I didn't believe the romance.
Ackley didn't much develop as a character and I lost interest in him pretty soon.
And the endless scenes of "I work on the spell, sometimes with Leavey although he is incompetent, sometimes alone and so concentrated I don't realize there is a world around me". Yes, I get it. Ackley works on the spell. Everywhere. Constantly. I started flipping pages whenever he did it.
There were good scenes in this book and usually I like Sasha's books but this one was not for me. I know in a few weeks I have to think hard what it was about because nothing really stuck out.
June 1, 2015
A long interesting story with a compelling plot and the slowest but sweetest romance aspect, this was everything I hope to find in my stories.
Ackley was a snarky moody character that I loved immediately. There was just something under the surface that called to me.
Beorn I took a little longer to warm up too. At first he came across as an ungrateful snob but it didn't take long for him to start seeing sense.
Leavey was an interesting side character but I was left with a few questions about him. I hope one day we will get his full story as I sense a troubled past with him.
Overall this appealed to my medieval/magic fantasy and I was so happy it was long enough to satisfy me as I find most shorts by this author leave me wanting lol.
Ackley was a snarky moody character that I loved immediately. There was just something under the surface that called to me.
Beorn I took a little longer to warm up too. At first he came across as an ungrateful snob but it didn't take long for him to start seeing sense.
Leavey was an interesting side character but I was left with a few questions about him. I hope one day we will get his full story as I sense a troubled past with him.
Overall this appealed to my medieval/magic fantasy and I was so happy it was long enough to satisfy me as I find most shorts by this author leave me wanting lol.
March 12, 2014
A proper fantasy story. I love the deep characterization.
February 6, 2020
This book is really good, I thourougly enjoyed the ennemies-to-lovers. Not a five stars though, because the ending is kind of abrupt - it would have been better off with at least one more chapter to show the budding relationship.
January 12, 2014
This story has a lot of action and not the one in bed. I really enjoyed seeing how two enemies have become friends and slowly progressed to lovers. Battle of Will is a great fantasy story first and it just happens to have two male protagonists. There is a great plot with danger, magic, treason and treachery.
Ackley was a bodyguard to a prince before he was banished and unwillingly has become bound to another. I liked Ackley, how he didn't behave differently just because he was with a prince and talked back. He didn't just roll over or let the prince do as he pleases. Actually the mentioned prince wasn't bad either, he was not a selfish prat and actually did realise his feelings for Ackley before it was too late.
The plots against them, there quite interesting and I really enjoyed the mystery of discovering the traitor. Here also lies my only complaint or a reason for a sequel: A traitor was a big deal and he made a lot of things happen, I find it a bit unbelievable, that it was just this one person and that there were not more people involved. The matter was dropped and not mentioned again and considering how long it took them to find the one who murdered a king, well the matter was solved too easy in the end.
Otherwise I loved this book; it had great characters, an interesting plot and some pretty good writing.
Ackley was a bodyguard to a prince before he was banished and unwillingly has become bound to another. I liked Ackley, how he didn't behave differently just because he was with a prince and talked back. He didn't just roll over or let the prince do as he pleases. Actually the mentioned prince wasn't bad either, he was not a selfish prat and actually did realise his feelings for Ackley before it was too late.
The plots against them, there quite interesting and I really enjoyed the mystery of discovering the traitor. Here also lies my only complaint or a reason for a sequel: A traitor was a big deal and he made a lot of things happen, I find it a bit unbelievable, that it was just this one person and that there were not more people involved. The matter was dropped and not mentioned again and considering how long it took them to find the one who murdered a king, well the matter was solved too easy in the end.
Otherwise I loved this book; it had great characters, an interesting plot and some pretty good writing.
May 16, 2015
If I was going to describe the book in one word, it'd be: OK.
The fantasy plot is rather slow, which is okay, but it needed some tension or pizaaz somewhere that it wasn't getting. I'm okay with a gradual build of romance. Slow cooking is fun, but literally until the last 100 pages, you would assume these men were asexual beings with zero interest in sex, naked bodies, cocks, orgasms, etc. There is like, no attraction built up even when you get to the building romantic nature of their relationship, unless you count one character thinking about how delicate the others hands are.
Then we get to the end finally putting the leads together, and we get an epilogue that really should not have mentioned the heir problem. Problem that it is, we haven't got a stable foundation to say-- oh that's an okay thing to do to settle the issue. Instead it presents an unpleasant problem with an unpleasant solution and decides to use cheap sex scene to placate us.
Sighhh. I don't have the heart to one star, but I'm not ever reading this again.
The fantasy plot is rather slow, which is okay, but it needed some tension or pizaaz somewhere that it wasn't getting. I'm okay with a gradual build of romance. Slow cooking is fun, but literally until the last 100 pages, you would assume these men were asexual beings with zero interest in sex, naked bodies, cocks, orgasms, etc. There is like, no attraction built up even when you get to the building romantic nature of their relationship, unless you count one character thinking about how delicate the others hands are.
Then we get to the end finally putting the leads together, and we get an epilogue that really should not have mentioned the heir problem. Problem that it is, we haven't got a stable foundation to say-- oh that's an okay thing to do to settle the issue. Instead it presents an unpleasant problem with an unpleasant solution and decides to use cheap sex scene to placate us.
Sighhh. I don't have the heart to one star, but I'm not ever reading this again.
October 7, 2014
I was exited when I started the book, anticipating development of characters and their relationship in unusual magical world. Neither happened. MC were at best two-dimensional, flat and boring, their supposed relationship nonexistent. In very uncomfortable conflicting situation they behaved nonchalantly. There was no embarrassing moments created by forced close proximity, like taking a bath or going to the toilet. No sexual desire whatsoever trough entire book and in epilogue the big love happens - hmmmm, like they both where asexual and then bam! here it is - cock, penetration and all on the last 3 pages . The only thing MC did often and explicitly was drinking coffee, good coffee, bad coffee, with sugar or without it. If you are a coffee addict trying to quit I would not recommend this book to you, as well as to anyone else.
Read
March 9, 2016DNF at 10%.
This book just isn't for me. I can't connect to characters, I don't understand their motivations, they don't seem to have any personality at all. Instead of intriguing mystery and slow-burn enemies to lover romance, there seems to be... nothing. Even the politics aren't interesting. There is no tension between the main characters, they seem to be kinda okay with everything and if they end up together, then I don't know how. Not because they would hate each other so much or something, but because... there is exactly zero chemistry.
And from the other reviews, it doesn't seem like premature judging of the book. Sorry, not finishing this.
This book just isn't for me. I can't connect to characters, I don't understand their motivations, they don't seem to have any personality at all. Instead of intriguing mystery and slow-burn enemies to lover romance, there seems to be... nothing. Even the politics aren't interesting. There is no tension between the main characters, they seem to be kinda okay with everything and if they end up together, then I don't know how. Not because they would hate each other so much or something, but because... there is exactly zero chemistry.
And from the other reviews, it doesn't seem like premature judging of the book. Sorry, not finishing this.
February 25, 2015
What can I say. I really loved the story. It does not have any kind of insta love, and there is not almost not sex on it. However, the story is so interesting a keep you wanting to know more on every page, that you don't feel the need for steamy hot scenes. The love between our characters develops slowly what makes the story believable. It very well written. I promise you will love it too.
no
April 21, 2016author: I wrote 500 pages about mutual respect, thinking, and clerical work.
LT3: ok we'll do it, here is your debilitatingly nondescript cover, you're welcome.
me: ...no. not even for Beyoncé tickets.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
LT3: ok we'll do it, here is your debilitatingly nondescript cover, you're welcome.
me: ...no. not even for Beyoncé tickets.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 24, 2015
i like most of it,but the epilogue...ruined my fantasy!!!,especially heir problem by sleeping multiple times with woman,and i don't like the way Ackley react with no jealousy at all or object as if no big deal,thats not what i expected from m/m books...BIG NOOOO....
February 5, 2019
....*sigh* All I can say is that it was great...until the epilogue ruined it. Forgive me for not being happy about the fact that in order to produce heirs, one of the main characters will be having sex with a woman while still being in a relationship with the other main character. To add insult to injury, the one who has to do it is like "um, I don't want to" but the other one thinks "it's okay"? And actively encourages their partner to do this??? NO. NO IT'S NOT OKAY!!!
I personally find infidelity/open relationships/etc. to be extremely distressing/triggering, so I am NOT happy that this book-ruining event (for me) happened IN THE FREAKING EPILOGUE!!! Like, I just invested hours of my time and got emotionally attached to these characters, and NOW when we're almost in the clear, you spring this on me??? Not cool. There were plenty of other ways to get around the heir issue in a historical gay fantasy novel, I've seen it done lots before in believable ways. So this was an unnecessary thing that ruined the novel for me.
I'm not marking this for spoilers because I think anyone who hasn't read the book needs to know it has this ending. If this kind of thing is okay with them, all power to them, they're free to read and enjoy the book--the rest of the story and relationship remains unspoiled. But I think it's important to know this aspect of their relationship that gets revealed at the very end.
Read at your own discretion.
February 11, 2019
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
3.5 stars
It’s no secret that I’m a big fantasy lover, and “Battle of Will” promised to be an interesting story. And the story was interesting, but it did also have some flaws that spoiled the experience at times. The first 60% or so were really intense, with a lot of action, mystery and intrigues. You never knew who you could trust and who was orchestrating the assassination of the royal family. I was honestly astonished that the whole mess got resolved so early on and felt like the rest of the story was a little drawn out. I did enjoy the whole “studying magic” process, but it was a bit much.
I think Beorn was a great ruler and a very likable character. So many fictional royals seem to not want to be rulers, but Beorn never struggled with his heritage and the responsibility it comes with. He was very level-headed and I think he’ll make a wise king. Ackley was also a great MC. He’s very intelligent and I loved how he wasn’t in the least bothered by Beorn being a crown prince. It didn’t change his attitude toward Beorn in the least.
As much as I liked the two MCs individually, I just didn’t feel the romance between them. For the most part of the book, there’s no hint of any romantic or sexual attraction whatsoever. Not
between the MCs, not between anybody else, neither present nor past. It almost felt like the author was halfway through this great Fantasy novel and then realized she forgot all about the
romance. The feelings just come out of nowhere and took way too long to surface, considering Beorn and Ackley were forced to be in very close proximity 24/7 for months. There aren’t even
any past lovers or the most fleeting attraction to anybody to indicate the sexual preference of our MCs. Honestly, the book would have been better without the romance. It was kind of
unnecessary.
The other big complaint I had was the lack of depth. We never learn why Morcia and Skirfall have been at war for years now. We really only learned the very basics of the our MCs’ pasts. I
still don’t know how Beorn came to be the last of his line. What happened to his mother? And how did Ackley become the bodyguard of a Skirfallan prince? And what exactly led to him losing
that job again? The world building lacked depth as well. We get a lot of magical theory with really intricate spell diagrams, but I’m still unclear on how you actually go from a complex to
drawing to making magic.
Just like the romance, the epilogue felt like an afterthought. A bit like the author forgot to incorporate a sex scene, so she added an epilogue for some smut. Overall, “Battle of Will” is good, but not great. It’s a solid high fantasy novel with a rather flimsy and unnecessary romance.
The cover by maderr is a little simplistic but I do like it, especially the old-fashioned font.
3.5 stars
It’s no secret that I’m a big fantasy lover, and “Battle of Will” promised to be an interesting story. And the story was interesting, but it did also have some flaws that spoiled the experience at times. The first 60% or so were really intense, with a lot of action, mystery and intrigues. You never knew who you could trust and who was orchestrating the assassination of the royal family. I was honestly astonished that the whole mess got resolved so early on and felt like the rest of the story was a little drawn out. I did enjoy the whole “studying magic” process, but it was a bit much.
I think Beorn was a great ruler and a very likable character. So many fictional royals seem to not want to be rulers, but Beorn never struggled with his heritage and the responsibility it comes with. He was very level-headed and I think he’ll make a wise king. Ackley was also a great MC. He’s very intelligent and I loved how he wasn’t in the least bothered by Beorn being a crown prince. It didn’t change his attitude toward Beorn in the least.
As much as I liked the two MCs individually, I just didn’t feel the romance between them. For the most part of the book, there’s no hint of any romantic or sexual attraction whatsoever. Not
between the MCs, not between anybody else, neither present nor past. It almost felt like the author was halfway through this great Fantasy novel and then realized she forgot all about the
romance. The feelings just come out of nowhere and took way too long to surface, considering Beorn and Ackley were forced to be in very close proximity 24/7 for months. There aren’t even
any past lovers or the most fleeting attraction to anybody to indicate the sexual preference of our MCs. Honestly, the book would have been better without the romance. It was kind of
unnecessary.
The other big complaint I had was the lack of depth. We never learn why Morcia and Skirfall have been at war for years now. We really only learned the very basics of the our MCs’ pasts. I
still don’t know how Beorn came to be the last of his line. What happened to his mother? And how did Ackley become the bodyguard of a Skirfallan prince? And what exactly led to him losing
that job again? The world building lacked depth as well. We get a lot of magical theory with really intricate spell diagrams, but I’m still unclear on how you actually go from a complex to
drawing to making magic.
Just like the romance, the epilogue felt like an afterthought. A bit like the author forgot to incorporate a sex scene, so she added an epilogue for some smut. Overall, “Battle of Will” is good, but not great. It’s a solid high fantasy novel with a rather flimsy and unnecessary romance.
The cover by maderr is a little simplistic but I do like it, especially the old-fashioned font.
May 4, 2018
The slowest burn I have ever read.
Still enjoyable.
Still enjoyable.
July 21, 2020
Okay, so I LOVED this book. The only little problem was that it didn't have a climax? Other than that, it was amazing.
dnf
December 30, 2023Dnf at 72%.
January 4, 2017
To be totally honest this book was very good in my opinion; i read many reviews complaining mostly about it being slow paced and / or too vanilla, but i couldn't agree less because not only the almost non-existent sex scenes added depth to the slow burning romance (to me) but also the story pace never really bored me.
Nonetheless i'm giving it two *disappointed / okay* stars (which is even higher than what i'd actually give it were i to follow my stormy feelings right now) and not more because the epilogue kind of ruined my expectations for the romantic relationship's future. Which is a pity, because this was at least a four stars book up to that point.
Nonetheless i'm giving it two *disappointed / okay* stars (which is even higher than what i'd actually give it were i to follow my stormy feelings right now) and not more because the epilogue kind of ruined my expectations for the romantic relationship's future. Which is a pity, because this was at least a four stars book up to that point.
July 7, 2020
Two things you should know beforehand so you won't have the wrong idea:
1. This is a very slow paced story without real action.
2. This is not a romance.
About the romantic subplot: We experience how the characters meet, adapt so the situation, slowly get to know and trust each other and only months into their relationship romantic feelings develop, they only get together on the last 10 pages before the epilogue. The romantic relationship is build upon shared values and principles, bonding in times of crises and last but not least close proximity. There is no love at first sight or fairy tale love and no enemies-to-lovers with strong feelings changing from negative to positive. This is a circumstantial romance. It was marvellously done and felt more realistic than most fantasy romance.
It is also not a mystery or a real adventure. I wouldn't know how to define it, the story telling is detailed and efficient, also very slow paced. If you absolutely hate to read about mundane things like dressing, eating and doing kingly things like sorting through documents, this is not for you. I found it worked wonderfully in this book, it fit the atmosphere and story and I loved the detailed story telling.
What I didn't like: we got to know the characters better as they learned to trust in each other but they could have undergone more character growth; no further mention of and how he fared; no mention of how the relationship is defined in the epilogue, as well as no mention to how the council and the citizen reacted to it; no mention if the council was actually rebuild; what exactly happened with . So mainly, what I didn't like as much as the rest was the ending, I wanted more information about how their life together worked and how everyone coped. I'm still thinking of deducting a star because of the ending.
1. This is a very slow paced story without real action.
2. This is not a romance.
About the romantic subplot: We experience how the characters meet, adapt so the situation, slowly get to know and trust each other and only months into their relationship romantic feelings develop, they only get together on the last 10 pages before the epilogue. The romantic relationship is build upon shared values and principles, bonding in times of crises and last but not least close proximity. There is no love at first sight or fairy tale love and no enemies-to-lovers with strong feelings changing from negative to positive. This is a circumstantial romance. It was marvellously done and felt more realistic than most fantasy romance.
It is also not a mystery or a real adventure. I wouldn't know how to define it, the story telling is detailed and efficient, also very slow paced. If you absolutely hate to read about mundane things like dressing, eating and doing kingly things like sorting through documents, this is not for you. I found it worked wonderfully in this book, it fit the atmosphere and story and I loved the detailed story telling.
What I didn't like: we got to know the characters better as they learned to trust in each other but they could have undergone more character growth; no further mention of and how he fared; no mention of how the relationship is defined in the epilogue, as well as no mention to how the council and the citizen reacted to it; no mention if the council was actually rebuild; what exactly happened with . So mainly, what I didn't like as much as the rest was the ending, I wanted more information about how their life together worked and how everyone coped. I'm still thinking of deducting a star because of the ending.
July 18, 2014
It's been 5 months since I read this book and I still remember the fun beginning. This whole book was so much fun, except for the last bit and the epilogue.
July 8, 2014
Very engaging fantasy plot: a former wizard bodyguard decides to protect the enemy prince from assassination and ends up (sort of) cursed. The enemy prince and the wizard now have to stick close to each other or they both die. The story follows them on their quest to get rid of the curse, while trying to stay alive, working around other assassination attempts, various plots for the throne, trying to secure peace between the two countries, and though all the hardships and constant contact they slowly start to like each other (more and more).
Up until the last 5% of the book there is only a very vague sexual tension and it's more of a slashable fantasy story than an MM romance. Towards the end though we are left with no doubts about how their relationship has progressed and the epilogue is the sex scene that the MM fans have waited for :)
Not giving it 5 stars because the ending felt slightly abrupt. I wished for a bit more of their romance and I felt a bit cheated that we didn't get to see how the curse was actually broken (though throughout the whole book there is lots of talk about it). It happened off screen and then the epilogue is many months later.
Up until the last 5% of the book there is only a very vague sexual tension and it's more of a slashable fantasy story than an MM romance. Towards the end though we are left with no doubts about how their relationship has progressed and the epilogue is the sex scene that the MM fans have waited for :)
Not giving it 5 stars because the ending felt slightly abrupt. I wished for a bit more of their romance and I felt a bit cheated that we didn't get to see how the curse was actually broken (though throughout the whole book there is lots of talk about it). It happened off screen and then the epilogue is many months later.
January 18, 2014
This review was originally written for Joyfully Jay Reviews.
4.25 stars
Gah! This story is hard to summarize. I promise what I just wrote for you is not even half of what happens in this book, but I couldn’t figure out how to say it all without giving everything away. Battle of Will is a book full of story, full of plot, and full of imagination. It’s definitely a story that kept me on my toes. There is so much to this book, yet this author did a really good job of keeping everything organized and not muddled.
The world Miller creates in this book is vast and colorful. It’s a world of magic and mages. The rules of this world shape the countries, the characters, the war, and the story as a whole. It’s not a dark world, but it does have a dark feeling at times. It’s really a great one.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
Gah! This story is hard to summarize. I promise what I just wrote for you is not even half of what happens in this book, but I couldn’t figure out how to say it all without giving everything away. Battle of Will is a book full of story, full of plot, and full of imagination. It’s definitely a story that kept me on my toes. There is so much to this book, yet this author did a really good job of keeping everything organized and not muddled.
The world Miller creates in this book is vast and colorful. It’s a world of magic and mages. The rules of this world shape the countries, the characters, the war, and the story as a whole. It’s not a dark world, but it does have a dark feeling at times. It’s really a great one.
Read Crissy's review in its entirety here.
February 11, 2016
Oh dear.. I loved the first 75% of this book, almost making this a 5-star review. But the end.. It went to quickly. And, okay, maybe it's reality, but I really didn't find the ending an HEA because of Maybe that's just me..
So first 75% of the book 5 stars and last 25% 1 star, making it barely a 3 star. I don't think I'll reread this one, such a shame :(
So first 75% of the book 5 stars and last 25% 1 star, making it barely a 3 star. I don't think I'll reread this one, such a shame :(
February 6, 2014
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
An deposed mage saves the life of an enemy Prince, one his very own Skirfallan Prince has just tried to assassinate during a memorial service for the war dead of both countries. By counteracting the deadly spell thrown at the Morcian Prince, mage Ackley changes his life and that of Prince Beorn forever. For the spell went awry and binds them together. Sasha L. Miller has written a spell binding book of royal intrigue, assassinations, betrayals at all levels, and of course, love. It's engrossing, a true page turner. Don't miss out.
Another ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords.com review
June 25, 2016
This my friends, this, was the slowest slow burn that has ever burnt, and I loved every page of it.
The plot was AWESOME. At first, it looks like the simple "stuck together" trope, but it's way more than that, with a good deal of politics, battle, teaching and research. The magic is great, the characters are great.
There was a lot of female characters with various major roles, so I really appreciated that, since it's rare in litterature.
The main character is bitchy as fuck and I loved that, and his love interest is so confused by it, the change of point of view at each chapter magnified it.
Really, really great, one of the best books I read so far
The plot was AWESOME. At first, it looks like the simple "stuck together" trope, but it's way more than that, with a good deal of politics, battle, teaching and research. The magic is great, the characters are great.
There was a lot of female characters with various major roles, so I really appreciated that, since it's rare in litterature.
The main character is bitchy as fuck and I loved that, and his love interest is so confused by it, the change of point of view at each chapter magnified it.
Really, really great, one of the best books I read so far
February 25, 2014
While it used a common enough basic plot line, "bound by magic leads to a relationship", it did it very well. The character development was good, and there wasn't any magical reason for them to get together. Just growing to like each other. I tore threw it very quickly, being heavily invested in the characters. I feel the world was interesting, the side plots were well done and the pace was good. It did seem like the sex was out of place, not needed at all, but it could be considered a reward for the reader.
September 27, 2015
A great book and a very satisfying read. More of a fantasy novel than an MM romance...and that's a good thing!
There's a lot of world and character building - although the cast of characters and the story is not so complicated that you need a glossary to understand it - thank God!
The romance part is very slow built but it's believable and the resolution left me with a happy smile - all is not perfect for the two protagonists but they simply fit!
I recommend it to everyone who loves fantasy and and is a bit fed up with the "Insta-Love" a lot of books offer you these days...
There's a lot of world and character building - although the cast of characters and the story is not so complicated that you need a glossary to understand it - thank God!
The romance part is very slow built but it's believable and the resolution left me with a happy smile - all is not perfect for the two protagonists but they simply fit!
I recommend it to everyone who loves fantasy and and is a bit fed up with the "Insta-Love" a lot of books offer you these days...
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