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Gods of War #1
Casto
Gods of Book I
All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.
When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.
Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.
All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.
When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.
Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2016
About the author
Xenia Melzer
167 books96 followersXENIA MELZER was born and raised in a small village in the south of Bavaria. As one of nature’s true chocoholics, she’s always in search of the perfect chocolate experience. So far, she’s had about a dozen truly remarkable ones. Despite having been in close proximity to the mountains all her life, she has never understood why so many people think snow sports are fun. There are neither chocolate nor horses involved and it’s cold by definition, so where’s the sense? She does not like beer either and has never been to the Oktoberfest—no quality chocolate there.
Even though her mind is preoccupied with various stories most of the time, Xenia has managed to get through school and university with surprisingly good grades. Right after school she met her one true love who showed her that reality is capable of producing some truly amazing love stories itself.
While she was having her two children, she started writing down the most persistent stories in her head as a way of relieving mommy-related stress symptoms. As it turned out, the stress relief has now become a source of the same, albeit a positive one.
When she’s not writing, she translates other authors’ manuscripts to German, enjoys riding and running, spending time with her kids, and dancing with her husband.
Even though her mind is preoccupied with various stories most of the time, Xenia has managed to get through school and university with surprisingly good grades. Right after school she met her one true love who showed her that reality is capable of producing some truly amazing love stories itself.
While she was having her two children, she started writing down the most persistent stories in her head as a way of relieving mommy-related stress symptoms. As it turned out, the stress relief has now become a source of the same, albeit a positive one.
When she’s not writing, she translates other authors’ manuscripts to German, enjoys riding and running, spending time with her kids, and dancing with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 10, 2017
Had to pull out my rarely used DNF card for this one
RATED BROKEN HEART -DNF-33%
So...
Casto...
This was a disaster for me from page 1.
*clears throat*
Not the first time I've read books that don't work for me. I try to see if I can attempt to catch the plot the author tries to deliver, look for something positive about any story I read.
First time author Xenia Melzer's fantasy/mythology Master/slave based debut efforts does show that she is very interested in the world she created in Casto. So much so, that there is centuries of history, math lessons and hundreds of characters introduced. The author was indulgent with new plot thread and tangent written. You can literally read pages and pages of mythology before getting to the premise of Casto.
Meaning a bogged down info dump in the form of a base...
Then we get through millenia of history and convolution to get to two gods who was reduced to a demigod to teach the humans of the new world a lesson, Renaldo and his older brother Canubis (which I kept reading as cannabis). I questioned how all the other mythological beings could have fantasy-ish names and then we get Renaldo as the main character.
Anyway... Renaldo is thousands of years old and he sees 16 year old virgin warrior, Casto, do some impossible feat and take down Renaldo's top warriors. He takes Casto as his slave. And there is fighting and infighting with too many warriors/slaves/people/witches? to count nor care about.
Casto hates Renaldo. Renaldo wants to bed Casto. Doesn't for awhile because he wants Casto to want it. But then we're told there is chemistry. After months/days/years, they fight and a cherry is taken.
Then an orgy pops up as a spring ritual.
I got off the Casto ride after that. The sex was too forced. The chemistry was the same. And the story telling was all over the place. I don't know why a five year old pops up in between Casto's slavery. Maybe a metaphor? Or flashback?
What the story needed - a clear plot, editing, and reorganization of a lot of paragraphs.
When there are more than 10 characters to keep up with, I think index of all of the characters might be necessary. We go from 2 to 4 then 6 gods, then there are 8 demigods on top of the 6 to keep track of.
Too much.
The Master/slave relationship? I wish there was a different way the entire Casto/Renaldo pairing was written. It read awkward and weird. I've read better stories with this semblance of a plot - war prize/ owner pairing - too much convolution to let the characters come to life in Casto.
Maybe the story got better by the end. (Though I doubt it as more characters kept getting added as I progressed) I'm not interested in finding out or even reading more of this series.
I do not recommend this to fantasy lovers.
A copy provided for an honest review.
RATED BROKEN HEART -DNF-33%
So...
Casto...
This was a disaster for me from page 1.
*clears throat*
Not the first time I've read books that don't work for me. I try to see if I can attempt to catch the plot the author tries to deliver, look for something positive about any story I read.
First time author Xenia Melzer's fantasy/mythology Master/slave based debut efforts does show that she is very interested in the world she created in Casto. So much so, that there is centuries of history, math lessons and hundreds of characters introduced. The author was indulgent with new plot thread and tangent written. You can literally read pages and pages of mythology before getting to the premise of Casto.
Meaning a bogged down info dump in the form of a base...
Then we get through millenia of history and convolution to get to two gods who was reduced to a demigod to teach the humans of the new world a lesson, Renaldo and his older brother Canubis (which I kept reading as cannabis). I questioned how all the other mythological beings could have fantasy-ish names and then we get Renaldo as the main character.
Anyway... Renaldo is thousands of years old and he sees 16 year old virgin warrior, Casto, do some impossible feat and take down Renaldo's top warriors. He takes Casto as his slave. And there is fighting and infighting with too many warriors/slaves/people/witches? to count nor care about.
Casto hates Renaldo. Renaldo wants to bed Casto. Doesn't for awhile because he wants Casto to want it. But then we're told there is chemistry. After months/days/years, they fight and a cherry is taken.
Then an orgy pops up as a spring ritual.
I got off the Casto ride after that. The sex was too forced. The chemistry was the same. And the story telling was all over the place. I don't know why a five year old pops up in between Casto's slavery. Maybe a metaphor? Or flashback?
What the story needed - a clear plot, editing, and reorganization of a lot of paragraphs.
When there are more than 10 characters to keep up with, I think index of all of the characters might be necessary. We go from 2 to 4 then 6 gods, then there are 8 demigods on top of the 6 to keep track of.
Too much.
The Master/slave relationship? I wish there was a different way the entire Casto/Renaldo pairing was written. It read awkward and weird. I've read better stories with this semblance of a plot - war prize/ owner pairing - too much convolution to let the characters come to life in Casto.
Maybe the story got better by the end. (Though I doubt it as more characters kept getting added as I progressed) I'm not interested in finding out or even reading more of this series.
I do not recommend this to fantasy lovers.
A copy provided for an honest review.
July 4, 2016
Book – Casto (Gods of War #1)
Author – Xenia Melzer
Star rating - ★★☆☆☆
No. of Pages – 294
Cover – Gorgeous – but says more science fiction than historical fantasy
POV – All over the place! (see review for details)
Would I read it again – No.
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Historical (think Roman, Medieval etc), Gay, Master/Slave
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*In the interest of disclosure, I found it impossible to write this review without spoilers, so
BEWARE – THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AHEAD*
*WARNINGS: This story deals with physical and emotional abuse within relationships, often on page. These are classed as “natural” within the slave/Master dynamic and see no punishment for the abusers. The story also deals with spanking.*
For me, this was a confusing book to review. It doesn't help that it ended at 94% and the remaining pages are an excerpt of book 2. There were some really great parts, but some really bad ones too. And, though I hate to say it, some of the bad parts could easily be put down to the fact that this is the author's first book and they didn't have the right guidance to clean it up. It wouldn't have taken much to remove the things that bothered me most – a few great beta readers, with a lot of experience, and an editor who wasn't afraid to say “this doesn't make sense”. But, for you to understand why I'm saying that, I have to really dig into the bad parts, so here goes:
First off, this isn't a full novel. Don't get me wrong, it's laboriously long and 'novel length', but it is NOT a novel. The story ends, not on a cliffhanger, but right in the middle of the story. Literally. This isn't a series, it's a serial, where I'm guessing book 2 picks up immediately after book 1. Which is probably just as well, because book 1 is filled with so much filler that it's impossible to fathom why it's included in the story. Until this abrupt ending, I was willing to rate this a 3 star, because there were so really good aspects to the story. However, the ending which neither makes sense or resolves the story in any way, notched it down to a 2 star review.
CONS
For a start, we get long, detailed recounts of stories that have nothing to with Casto and Renaldo – Sic and Daran's stories, the history of how Aegid and Kalad ended up as Emeris and so many more tales. This novel is basically a collection of stories that don't blend well together. Ideally, I'd recommend that the excess stories, mentioned above, were removed from the novel entirely and placed into an anthology of related shorts. That's the only way they'd be relevant or make sense. This book is trying to tell far too many stories in one novel and not all of them are relevant or helpful in understanding the relationship between Casto and Renaldo.
As main characters, I didn't like Casto or Renaldo. They were both arrogant, heads up their own asses and not at all appealing in any way. They had a few moments where they were sweet to each other, considerate or even with a little chemistry, but they were too little to give these guys a break. Or me, from reading them. It became very same-y with them. Everything was either about fighting or screwing each other and it got boring really quickly. Nothing about their relationship was believable.
For me, Casto's character was nothing more than a tool. We end the book knowing very little about him, with a lot of hints and nudges in the direction of where it might go, but never actually knowing anything but the fact that he's an arrogant sod with a temper. Not exactly endearing. He and Renaldo are the main characters in this novel – supposedly – yet we know the least about both of them. All we see of them is their arguments, them sexing it up and very occasionally having a civil conversation. We get to see nothing of WHO they really are.
The relationship between Casto and Renaldo is exactly what it advertises in the blurb – sort of! The blurb claims it's all about love and war. Well, there's plenty of war between them. Not so much love. In fact, the chemistry between them was going along nicely, not brilliant, but not absent either. Then they had sex (a whole other issue) and suddenly they were at each other's throats more often than before. It made it tiresome to read their stories and I was actually quite relieved (though also frustrated) when at 40% we jumped into Daran's story for a while.
Speaking of Daran, there was no need for his story, that I can see. He's no one important and it really feels as though his entrance into the story is only to justify more sex scenes, to show how a willing slave behaves and to insert a threesome. Other than being an occasional friend to Casto, he and Sis together have absolutely no other purpose than to show the various ways that these barbarians treat their slaves. Mostly with violent outbursts, beatings and, in Daran's case, seducing him into being a willing sex slave.
Quite honestly, the amount of sex people have in this book is just ridiculous! I don't know how they have time for anything else. But, somehow, it's used as justification and a soothing apology for the violence so easily and causally perpetrated against those they supposedly care about. So many of the relationships in this story – Casto and Renaldo, Sic and Noran, Daran and his desert brothers – all revolve around brutal conditions, emotional and physical abuse that is then glossed over or forgiven, all being swept under the “understanding” rug with the excuse that they're slaves. As though that is some sort of validation for how they're treated. All it does is perpetuate the domestic violent they're suffering and try to make it seem okay, when it's clearly not.
Staying on the topic of sex. If you like your men faithful, this isn't the book for you. If you don't mind the fact that Renaldo screws SIX people at one feast, on one night – bareback!! - (WITHOUT washing, changing or cleaning himself in between – EW!!), then goes back to his shack to screw Casto, then you'll be alright. Because that really happens. And it's gross. And frustrating that Casto let's it happen. Because, for whatever reason, Casto and Renaldo's “loving” relationship centers entirely around sex. There's little chemistry, no real emotion and nothing at all in this novel to validate why they stay together.
My other problem with the sex, mentioned above, is Casto and Renaldo's first time together (also Daran's, in a way). It is literally Casto's first time. But they throw themselves at each other like jumped up teenagers, practically wrestling each other into bed. They are “too high” on their desire to notice or care about important things. Like, Renaldo doesn't use ANY lube when he fingers Casto for the first time, or the fact that he's in pain when the second finger is added. That won't stop him. No, he just adds a little lube and off he goes. Shoving into Casto and having his way. It's only afterwards that he realises Casto is a virgin. Who gave his POV as being uncomfortable but never in pain. And immediately after round 1, they have 3-4 more rounds of it.
But the most impossible part is that Casto comes while Renaldo is kissing him. Before the sex. Then he comes during sex. Then they start fooling around for round 2 and he comes without being touched, again. Then they go at it all night. This kid must have at least 6 orgasms in one night. WTF??
Don't get me started on the POV. Now, it began just fine. We started with Renaldo's POV, then moved into Casto's with a clean show – the change happened in a different “scene” where we got a new paragraph, divided from the last by a blank line and the first two words capitalised. However, that careful planning, as the story became a dual POV, was wasted. From about 20% onwards, I counted at least 8 different times that the POV changed from 3rd person, one character, to omni-present. Sometimes with 3 character's POV's being included in one paragraph or scene.
There were also too many POV's. I only care about Renaldo and Casto. So the inclusion of some mysterious woman working for the Good Mother, the 'desert brothers' and their new slave, Daran, then Sic's past and all the other times that people were thrown into the mix, is totally unnecessary.
Another sign of how bad the POV's were is that I actually wrote this, when in Renaldo's POV (when there were only 2 POV's) it said “his beautiful brother's”
→ My notes → “Um, arrogant much? This IS Renaldo's POV after all. Or just creepy? That Canubis finds his brother beautiful?”
Because, without previous warning of omnipresent, it really felt as though Renaldo was zonesing after his own beauty or his brother was creepily checking him out. Either way, stuff like this really didn't help make me like the characters. In fact, the few that I actually liked were minor characters that, even when their stories were told in full, didn't inspire much affection – Sic and Darran.
For me, another unnecessary feature was the beginning. That whole history lesson of how the world was created and the long, drawn out explanation of how humans came to be, who Renaldo and his brother were, etc, was pointless. It didn't add anything to the story, it bored me before I even began the story proper and it wasn't anything that couldn't have been added into the story. For example, when Casto really fights against the idea of Renaldo being a God, this would be much more interesting if we didn't already know he actually was one. But even with that, he and his brother talk about being Gods a few times and that alone would be enough – along with the conversation Casto and Renaldo have about the Mothers – to explain the history of the world, without this long winded prologue.
Another con, though you might find it strange, is the use of language. Now, this is a fantasy novel set in a Medieval-esque time, that makes me think of Romans, bandits and whatnot. So why do they use modern slang? Why do any of these words seem appropriate in this setting?
The creeps, pissed, butt, you know, booty. None of these words belong in a historical/fantasy novel. It completely jars with the Spartan, Roman, Medieval vibe of the rest of the story. This, again, is where some beta readers and a good editor is required.
Also, not to hate on this book too much, but the fighting and sex scenes desperately needed work. Not only were the fight scenes confusing and not well described, but the sex scenes were brutal, clinical and basically involved violent terms, like ramming, spearing etc. There were very few tender, actual loving moments. The entire story was completely devoid of romance. At the same time, there were way too many people involved in the fight scenes, which really didn't help when trying to understand who was doing what. The first scene, in particular, where Casto didn't know anyone, got really confusing because it was just “this guy” and “that guy” and lots of horses. It all blended into one, until it was hard to tell who was who.
Along with the fighting, I found a lot of stuff quite unrealistic. Like Renaldo hitting Casto in the head, with the butt of his knife, at a great distance. Now, how the heck does he know that the blade isn't going to sink into him instead? It just doesn't seem realistic, since all kinds of variables are involved in that kind of consideration and not all of them can be calculated. There's also a moment when Casto claims he's going to take advantage of Renaldo's 'moment of weakness', but there's no sign of weakness. In fact, he's lashed out at Renaldo's horse, but due to the lack of description in a very important place, we see no moment of weakness.
There was no separation of dream and reality. I hate this, so much. It's like the author is trying to trick us into believing something is real, only to then reveal that it's not. I find that really annoying and rude, personally. No one believes it. So why not just italicise your dreams and make it clear what they are?
PROS
What I did like about the story was that the world and the idea were fantastic. It just wasn't pulled off that well. There was a lot of detail in some parts that were completely unnecessary, with little detail about other things that were really important.
As a “historical” book, I can almost forgive the fact that Casto is 16 when the book begins. Thus making him either 16 or 17 when he and Renaldo start having sex. Which is another issue altogether. I get that in medieval times (to which the author themselves relates the book) kids were married off or considered adults at this age, so I'm going with it, even though it makes me feel icky. I just imagined Casto as at least 18, inside my head.
There were moments when I actually needed and wanted to know what was next for Casto, for Daran and Sic. Sadly, I never got it, but part of what made me initially want to give this a 3 star review was that I was invested in their stories. Despite being bored for a lot of time and being bombarded with confusing storytelling, I actually wanted to know more.
~
OVERALL
I had high hopes for this one. I've read some fantastic MM and non-romantic fantasy novels with a similar premise and had hoped this would follow that line. It didn't. “Casto” is an incomplete story, disguised as a novel, that waves all over the place. It has no set root of a plot – though it seemed clear until 50% in that Casto and Renaldo's relationship would be that – because it puts too much emphasis on this world that has been built, and detailing every single character's place within it and their purpose in Renaldo and Canubis' lives.
When I want description, to better understand something or see more of the main characters, I don't get it. Yet, I get a massive history right off and a lot of back-and-forth between present day and past times, with no separation in storytelling (no italics or time frame mentioned) that will help me orientate myself in the timeline. There isn't just far too much going on in this story and none of it comes together the way it should. The author decided to pick and choose what to explain and that didn't tally with what I, the reader, wanted to know.
Unfortunately, this book is too much of a mess. I won't be continuing with the series and I won't be revisiting this novel unless some major editing and storytelling changes are made.
~
IMPORTANT: Justifying abuse because of a slave/Master dynamic may be harmful to any readers with experience of domestic abuse. This isn't your BDSM practice, though the spanking is consensual. Casto actually asks to be hurt, is beaten and then thanks Renaldo for it, even though he was emotionally vulnerable at the time. There are also countless incidences where characters are beaten as punishment, including whipping, slapping, and beatings (kicking, whipping and more). ALL of which are shown on page.
I'm really not sure the author understands this or the implications of the characters actions, but it even made me uncomfortable and I have no personal experience with it.
I would have liked a warning, at least, that this book contained that kind of violent behaviour and cheating, as these are two subjects that I most definitely don't approve of or want to read about.
Author – Xenia Melzer
Star rating - ★★☆☆☆
No. of Pages – 294
Cover – Gorgeous – but says more science fiction than historical fantasy
POV – All over the place! (see review for details)
Would I read it again – No.
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Historical (think Roman, Medieval etc), Gay, Master/Slave
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*In the interest of disclosure, I found it impossible to write this review without spoilers, so
BEWARE – THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AHEAD*
*WARNINGS: This story deals with physical and emotional abuse within relationships, often on page. These are classed as “natural” within the slave/Master dynamic and see no punishment for the abusers. The story also deals with spanking.*
For me, this was a confusing book to review. It doesn't help that it ended at 94% and the remaining pages are an excerpt of book 2. There were some really great parts, but some really bad ones too. And, though I hate to say it, some of the bad parts could easily be put down to the fact that this is the author's first book and they didn't have the right guidance to clean it up. It wouldn't have taken much to remove the things that bothered me most – a few great beta readers, with a lot of experience, and an editor who wasn't afraid to say “this doesn't make sense”. But, for you to understand why I'm saying that, I have to really dig into the bad parts, so here goes:
First off, this isn't a full novel. Don't get me wrong, it's laboriously long and 'novel length', but it is NOT a novel. The story ends, not on a cliffhanger, but right in the middle of the story. Literally. This isn't a series, it's a serial, where I'm guessing book 2 picks up immediately after book 1. Which is probably just as well, because book 1 is filled with so much filler that it's impossible to fathom why it's included in the story. Until this abrupt ending, I was willing to rate this a 3 star, because there were so really good aspects to the story. However, the ending which neither makes sense or resolves the story in any way, notched it down to a 2 star review.
CONS
For a start, we get long, detailed recounts of stories that have nothing to with Casto and Renaldo – Sic and Daran's stories, the history of how Aegid and Kalad ended up as Emeris and so many more tales. This novel is basically a collection of stories that don't blend well together. Ideally, I'd recommend that the excess stories, mentioned above, were removed from the novel entirely and placed into an anthology of related shorts. That's the only way they'd be relevant or make sense. This book is trying to tell far too many stories in one novel and not all of them are relevant or helpful in understanding the relationship between Casto and Renaldo.
As main characters, I didn't like Casto or Renaldo. They were both arrogant, heads up their own asses and not at all appealing in any way. They had a few moments where they were sweet to each other, considerate or even with a little chemistry, but they were too little to give these guys a break. Or me, from reading them. It became very same-y with them. Everything was either about fighting or screwing each other and it got boring really quickly. Nothing about their relationship was believable.
For me, Casto's character was nothing more than a tool. We end the book knowing very little about him, with a lot of hints and nudges in the direction of where it might go, but never actually knowing anything but the fact that he's an arrogant sod with a temper. Not exactly endearing. He and Renaldo are the main characters in this novel – supposedly – yet we know the least about both of them. All we see of them is their arguments, them sexing it up and very occasionally having a civil conversation. We get to see nothing of WHO they really are.
The relationship between Casto and Renaldo is exactly what it advertises in the blurb – sort of! The blurb claims it's all about love and war. Well, there's plenty of war between them. Not so much love. In fact, the chemistry between them was going along nicely, not brilliant, but not absent either. Then they had sex (a whole other issue) and suddenly they were at each other's throats more often than before. It made it tiresome to read their stories and I was actually quite relieved (though also frustrated) when at 40% we jumped into Daran's story for a while.
Speaking of Daran, there was no need for his story, that I can see. He's no one important and it really feels as though his entrance into the story is only to justify more sex scenes, to show how a willing slave behaves and to insert a threesome. Other than being an occasional friend to Casto, he and Sis together have absolutely no other purpose than to show the various ways that these barbarians treat their slaves. Mostly with violent outbursts, beatings and, in Daran's case, seducing him into being a willing sex slave.
Quite honestly, the amount of sex people have in this book is just ridiculous! I don't know how they have time for anything else. But, somehow, it's used as justification and a soothing apology for the violence so easily and causally perpetrated against those they supposedly care about. So many of the relationships in this story – Casto and Renaldo, Sic and Noran, Daran and his desert brothers – all revolve around brutal conditions, emotional and physical abuse that is then glossed over or forgiven, all being swept under the “understanding” rug with the excuse that they're slaves. As though that is some sort of validation for how they're treated. All it does is perpetuate the domestic violent they're suffering and try to make it seem okay, when it's clearly not.
Staying on the topic of sex. If you like your men faithful, this isn't the book for you. If you don't mind the fact that Renaldo screws SIX people at one feast, on one night – bareback!! - (WITHOUT washing, changing or cleaning himself in between – EW!!), then goes back to his shack to screw Casto, then you'll be alright. Because that really happens. And it's gross. And frustrating that Casto let's it happen. Because, for whatever reason, Casto and Renaldo's “loving” relationship centers entirely around sex. There's little chemistry, no real emotion and nothing at all in this novel to validate why they stay together.
My other problem with the sex, mentioned above, is Casto and Renaldo's first time together (also Daran's, in a way). It is literally Casto's first time. But they throw themselves at each other like jumped up teenagers, practically wrestling each other into bed. They are “too high” on their desire to notice or care about important things. Like, Renaldo doesn't use ANY lube when he fingers Casto for the first time, or the fact that he's in pain when the second finger is added. That won't stop him. No, he just adds a little lube and off he goes. Shoving into Casto and having his way. It's only afterwards that he realises Casto is a virgin. Who gave his POV as being uncomfortable but never in pain. And immediately after round 1, they have 3-4 more rounds of it.
But the most impossible part is that Casto comes while Renaldo is kissing him. Before the sex. Then he comes during sex. Then they start fooling around for round 2 and he comes without being touched, again. Then they go at it all night. This kid must have at least 6 orgasms in one night. WTF??
Don't get me started on the POV. Now, it began just fine. We started with Renaldo's POV, then moved into Casto's with a clean show – the change happened in a different “scene” where we got a new paragraph, divided from the last by a blank line and the first two words capitalised. However, that careful planning, as the story became a dual POV, was wasted. From about 20% onwards, I counted at least 8 different times that the POV changed from 3rd person, one character, to omni-present. Sometimes with 3 character's POV's being included in one paragraph or scene.
There were also too many POV's. I only care about Renaldo and Casto. So the inclusion of some mysterious woman working for the Good Mother, the 'desert brothers' and their new slave, Daran, then Sic's past and all the other times that people were thrown into the mix, is totally unnecessary.
Another sign of how bad the POV's were is that I actually wrote this, when in Renaldo's POV (when there were only 2 POV's) it said “his beautiful brother's”
→ My notes → “Um, arrogant much? This IS Renaldo's POV after all. Or just creepy? That Canubis finds his brother beautiful?”
Because, without previous warning of omnipresent, it really felt as though Renaldo was zonesing after his own beauty or his brother was creepily checking him out. Either way, stuff like this really didn't help make me like the characters. In fact, the few that I actually liked were minor characters that, even when their stories were told in full, didn't inspire much affection – Sic and Darran.
For me, another unnecessary feature was the beginning. That whole history lesson of how the world was created and the long, drawn out explanation of how humans came to be, who Renaldo and his brother were, etc, was pointless. It didn't add anything to the story, it bored me before I even began the story proper and it wasn't anything that couldn't have been added into the story. For example, when Casto really fights against the idea of Renaldo being a God, this would be much more interesting if we didn't already know he actually was one. But even with that, he and his brother talk about being Gods a few times and that alone would be enough – along with the conversation Casto and Renaldo have about the Mothers – to explain the history of the world, without this long winded prologue.
Another con, though you might find it strange, is the use of language. Now, this is a fantasy novel set in a Medieval-esque time, that makes me think of Romans, bandits and whatnot. So why do they use modern slang? Why do any of these words seem appropriate in this setting?
The creeps, pissed, butt, you know, booty. None of these words belong in a historical/fantasy novel. It completely jars with the Spartan, Roman, Medieval vibe of the rest of the story. This, again, is where some beta readers and a good editor is required.
Also, not to hate on this book too much, but the fighting and sex scenes desperately needed work. Not only were the fight scenes confusing and not well described, but the sex scenes were brutal, clinical and basically involved violent terms, like ramming, spearing etc. There were very few tender, actual loving moments. The entire story was completely devoid of romance. At the same time, there were way too many people involved in the fight scenes, which really didn't help when trying to understand who was doing what. The first scene, in particular, where Casto didn't know anyone, got really confusing because it was just “this guy” and “that guy” and lots of horses. It all blended into one, until it was hard to tell who was who.
Along with the fighting, I found a lot of stuff quite unrealistic. Like Renaldo hitting Casto in the head, with the butt of his knife, at a great distance. Now, how the heck does he know that the blade isn't going to sink into him instead? It just doesn't seem realistic, since all kinds of variables are involved in that kind of consideration and not all of them can be calculated. There's also a moment when Casto claims he's going to take advantage of Renaldo's 'moment of weakness', but there's no sign of weakness. In fact, he's lashed out at Renaldo's horse, but due to the lack of description in a very important place, we see no moment of weakness.
There was no separation of dream and reality. I hate this, so much. It's like the author is trying to trick us into believing something is real, only to then reveal that it's not. I find that really annoying and rude, personally. No one believes it. So why not just italicise your dreams and make it clear what they are?
PROS
What I did like about the story was that the world and the idea were fantastic. It just wasn't pulled off that well. There was a lot of detail in some parts that were completely unnecessary, with little detail about other things that were really important.
As a “historical” book, I can almost forgive the fact that Casto is 16 when the book begins. Thus making him either 16 or 17 when he and Renaldo start having sex. Which is another issue altogether. I get that in medieval times (to which the author themselves relates the book) kids were married off or considered adults at this age, so I'm going with it, even though it makes me feel icky. I just imagined Casto as at least 18, inside my head.
There were moments when I actually needed and wanted to know what was next for Casto, for Daran and Sic. Sadly, I never got it, but part of what made me initially want to give this a 3 star review was that I was invested in their stories. Despite being bored for a lot of time and being bombarded with confusing storytelling, I actually wanted to know more.
~
OVERALL
I had high hopes for this one. I've read some fantastic MM and non-romantic fantasy novels with a similar premise and had hoped this would follow that line. It didn't. “Casto” is an incomplete story, disguised as a novel, that waves all over the place. It has no set root of a plot – though it seemed clear until 50% in that Casto and Renaldo's relationship would be that – because it puts too much emphasis on this world that has been built, and detailing every single character's place within it and their purpose in Renaldo and Canubis' lives.
When I want description, to better understand something or see more of the main characters, I don't get it. Yet, I get a massive history right off and a lot of back-and-forth between present day and past times, with no separation in storytelling (no italics or time frame mentioned) that will help me orientate myself in the timeline. There isn't just far too much going on in this story and none of it comes together the way it should. The author decided to pick and choose what to explain and that didn't tally with what I, the reader, wanted to know.
Unfortunately, this book is too much of a mess. I won't be continuing with the series and I won't be revisiting this novel unless some major editing and storytelling changes are made.
~
IMPORTANT: Justifying abuse because of a slave/Master dynamic may be harmful to any readers with experience of domestic abuse. This isn't your BDSM practice, though the spanking is consensual. Casto actually asks to be hurt, is beaten and then thanks Renaldo for it, even though he was emotionally vulnerable at the time. There are also countless incidences where characters are beaten as punishment, including whipping, slapping, and beatings (kicking, whipping and more). ALL of which are shown on page.
I'm really not sure the author understands this or the implications of the characters actions, but it even made me uncomfortable and I have no personal experience with it.
I would have liked a warning, at least, that this book contained that kind of violent behaviour and cheating, as these are two subjects that I most definitely don't approve of or want to read about.
August 18, 2016
Story:
In seinem bisherigen Leben ist dem Halbgott Renaldo nahezu alles geglückt: er gilt im Kampf als unbesiegbar und dank seiner Schönheit liegen ihm Männer und Frauen zu Füßen. Einzig die Tatsache, dass ihm sein „Herz“ fehlt (die Person, die ihm seine wahren Kräfte zurückgibt, insofern er und sein Bruder Canubis alle Emeris finden, die ebenfalls einen Teil ihrer Macht ausmachen), macht dem Kriegsgott zu schaffen. Da nimmt er mit seinen Kriegern in einer Oase den sturen, widerspenstigen Casto gefangen und macht ihn zu seinem Sklaven. Dass dieser sich unter keinen Umständen unterordnen will sorgt für eine explosive Mischung, die tagtäglich Spannungen mit sich bringt. Während die übrigen Männer des Heeres die Auseinandersetzungen skeptisch beobachten, bringen die Sklaven Casto nur wenig Freundschaft entgegen. Dennoch ist Castos Stand hoch, da er es mit Renaldo länger aushält, als jeder andere vor ihm …
Eigene Meinung:
Der erste Band der „Gods of War“ Reihe von Xenia Melzer und erschien Juni 2016 in englischer Sprache bei Dreamspinner Press. Nur zwei Monate später veröffentliche Ullstein Forever die deutsche Fassung des Fantasy-Romans unter dem Titel „Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“. Weitere Bände sind in Arbeit und sollen im Dezember 2016 und Sommer 2017 in englischer Sprache erscheinen.
Die Geschichte spielt in einer fiktiven Welt in der den Kriegsgöttern Canubis und Renaldo ihr Ruf vorauseilt. Regelmäßig überfallen und plündern sie mit ihren Kriegern Städte, zumeist im Auftrag mächtiger Herrscher. Ansonsten leben sie in einem Tal abseits der übrigen Menschen. Sie sind auf der Suche nach ihren Emeris (Kriegern) und ihrem „Herzen“, um ihre wahre Macht zu erlangen und irgendwann die Herrschaft über die Menschen erringen zu können. Während Canubis sein Herz bereits gefunden hat, ist Renaldo noch auf der Suche. Währenddessen entspinnt sich im Hintergrund eine Intrige, denn nicht jeder ist den beiden Söhnen der Schöpfergöttinnen wohlgesonnen und manche setzen alles daran zu verhindern, dass Renaldo sein Herz findet.
Was spannend und fantastisch klingt, kann leider so gar nicht fesseln, denn es passiert fast gar nichts. Es ist bewundernswert, dann die Autorin fast 350 Seiten geschrieben hat, auf denen zu 90% nichts geschieht. Wer Action, Abenteuer und spannende Intrigen erwartet, kommt hier gar nicht auf seine Kosten, denn Xenia Melzer schafft lediglich einen Einstieg in ihre Welt, ohne Fragen zu beantworten und auf die kommenden Bände neugierig zu machen. Dabei setzt sie mit einem Prolog über die Entstehung der Welt durch die beiden Göttinnen an und beschreibt die Hintergründe zu den beiden Halbgöttern Canubis und Renaldo (etwas, was man auch im Laufe der Handlung hätte einfließen lassen können, was wesentlich mehr Spannung erzeugt hätte). Anschließend betritt Casto die Bühne und setzt mit seinen 16 Jahren im berittenen Kampf einfach so drei Jahrhunderte alte Krieger aus dem Gefecht – ob das wirklich logisch ist, muss jeder selbst entscheiden. Es folgen endlose Kämpfe und verbale Gefechte zwischen Renaldo und Casto, die irgendwann miteinander im Bett enden. Letzteres macht schließlich den Hauptteil der Geschichte aus – der Halbgott und sein neuer Sklave scheinen fast nichts anderes zu machen, als die Nächte durchzurammeln und tagsüber ihren „wichtigen“ Geschäften nachzugehen (natürlich findet sich auch da genügend Zeit für einen kurzen Quickie). Glücklicherweise werden die erotischen Szenen nicht ausgeschrieben, sondern an passender Stelle ausgeblendet, dennoch hat man das Gefühl, dass die beiden kaum etwas anderes machen. Wer denkt, dass sie sich dabei näher kommen oder zumindest irgendwann Vertrauen zueinander aufbauen, irrt sich – die Beziehung der beiden ist einfach nicht gesund, da sie zumeist durch Gewalt und Hass dominiert wird und auch in leichten BDSM-Zügen endet. Wirkliches Knistern, aufeinander zu bewegen und kennenlernen gibt es bei den beiden nicht – sie definieren ihre Gefühle zueinander übers Bett, zumeist nachdem sie sich zuvor fast an die Gurgel gegangen sind und ihr Hass in Lust umschlägt.
Da selbst Xenia Melzer irgendwann die Ideen auszugehen scheinen, führt sie schließlich einen anderen Charakter ein – Daran, einen jungen Dieb, der schließlich Sklave bei den beiden Wüstenkriegern wird, was in einem entsprechend erotischen Dreier endet. Welchen Sinn Darans Geschichte für die Haupthandlung hat, kann man nur schwer beurteilen, denn mehr als eine Einführung und entsprechende Sexszenen sind auch hier nicht vorhanden. Ansonsten bekommt man einige Info-Dumps über die Vergangenheit einzelner Emeris (Darans zwei Wüstenkrieger und eine Attentäterin), während man von Casto fast gar nichts erfährt. Xenia Melzer streut zwar vereinzelt Hinweise auf seine Herkunft und Vergangenheit, doch es wird nahezu nichts verraten. Nach 350 Seiten weiß man über ihn genauso viel wie am Anfang – fast nichts. Genauso ergeht es dem Leser mit der Handlung – es ist fast nichts passiert. Die angesprochenen Intrigen der Gegner werden in zwei knappen Szenen angedeutet, kommen im Buch jedoch nicht zum Tragen. Man hat weder Kämpfe, noch Intrigen, keinerlei spannende Hintergründe oder Charakterentwicklungen. Es passiert einfach nichts. Selbst das Ende des Buches ist vollkommen unspektakulär – kein Endkampf, kein Cliffhanger. Es endet einfach mittendrin und man fühlt sich fast um die Lesezeit betrogen, die man in „Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“ gesteckt hat.
Die Charaktere können ebenfalls nicht wirklich überzeugen. Casto und Renaldo wirken sehr unsympathisch, arrogant und überheblich. Gerade Casto, der in Gefangenschaft gerät und im Grunde keinerlei Rechte mehr hat, kommt oftmals zu eigensinnig daher, sowohl gegenüber Renaldo, als auch gegenüber anderen Sklaven. Seine temperamentvolle Art wirkt eher kindisch störrisch und nervt mit der Zeit einfach nur. Im Grunde ist er selten in der Position so große Töne zu spuken und es ist seltsam, dass er dafür nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen wird. Auch wirkt er mit der Zeit arg „Gary-Sue“-mäßig, weil er nebst schrecklicher, geheimnisvoller Vergangenheit nahezu alles kann. Wer darauf hofft, dass sich Casto weiterentwickelt, wird leider ebenfalls enttäuscht – er ist zum Ende des Buches genauso unausstehlich und arrogant, wie am Anfang. Renaldo ist da wesentlich erträglicher, auch wenn er als perfekter Krieger und überirdisch schöner Mann ebenfalls sehr überheblich daherkommt und kaum Fehler hat. Warum er so extrem an Casto hängt, kann man nur schwer nachvollziehen, denn sein Sklave untergräbt seine Autorität im Grunde permanent.
Die übrigen Figuren kommen mal verstärkt, mal am Rande vor, haben aber keinerlei größere Bewandtnis für die Handlung. Canubis und seine Frau spielen kaum eine Rolle, Daran ist nur dafür da, um den Wüstenkriegern als Sklave zu dienen und so etwas wie Castos Freund zu werden und die übrigen Emeris und Sklaven wirken wie Staffage. Es ist nicht abzusehen, welchen Platz sie in der eigentlichen Handlung aufnehmen, da im ersten Band keinerlei Hinweise gegeben werden.
Stilistisch ist Xenia Melzers Buch Geschmackssache. Das liegt vor allem an den Sprüngen in der Perspektive. Mit der Zeit hat man zunehmend Probleme der Geschichte zu folgen, da mal aus der Sicht eines Charakters geschrieben wird (Casto oder Ranaldo, später auch Daran, die Wüstenkrieger und einige Sklaven), dann plötzlich zu einer auktorialen Erzählweise gewechselt wird und dann wieder zurück. Es ist ein ewiges Hin und Her, wodurch man sich auf nichts einstellen kann und sich mit keinem der Charaktere wirklich identifizieren kann. Auch die Kämpfe sind sehr holprig beschrieben – zumeist weiß man nicht genau, wer was macht und wer welche Attacke ausführt. Gerade bei Kämpfen zwischen mehr als zwei Figuren verliert man schnell den Überblick. Leider wird auch die Welt nicht wirklich bildlich und greifbar – dazu erfährt man einfach zu wenig von den Ländern, Städten, den übrigen Bewohnern und den gesellschaftlichen Hintergründen. Dadurch wirkt die Welt teils mittelalterlich, teils moderner (letzteres liegt auch an der modernen Sprache), so dass man kein genaues Bild einer Fantasywelt im Kopf hat.
Fazit:
„Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“ ist ein Buch, das viel verspricht und wenig hält. Wer eine spannende, abgeschlossene Geschichte (oder zumindest einige Antworten auf aufgeworfene Fragen) erwartet, wird definitiv enttäuscht werden, denn mehr als Sex und einige (am Rand vorkommende) Kämpfe hat Xenia Melzers Buch nicht zu bieten. Auch die Charaktere können nicht überzeugen, da sie zu unsympathisch und arrogant daherkommen und sich kein Stück weiterentwickeln. Es mangelt an Action, Spannung, Intrigen und wirklichen Gefühlen innerhalb der Sklaven-Herr-Beziehung von Casto und Renaldo, denn die beiden scheint lediglich Gewalt und Lust aneinander zu binden, keinerlei wirkliche Sympathie oder gar Liebe. Trotz einiger guter Ansätze kommt die Geschichte nicht in Schwung und dümpelt ereignislos vor sich hin, denn weder die geheimen Intrigen der Gegner, noch die Geschichte um die Göttinnen kommt wirklich zum Tragen. Schade – da hätte man wesentlich mehr draus machen können.
In seinem bisherigen Leben ist dem Halbgott Renaldo nahezu alles geglückt: er gilt im Kampf als unbesiegbar und dank seiner Schönheit liegen ihm Männer und Frauen zu Füßen. Einzig die Tatsache, dass ihm sein „Herz“ fehlt (die Person, die ihm seine wahren Kräfte zurückgibt, insofern er und sein Bruder Canubis alle Emeris finden, die ebenfalls einen Teil ihrer Macht ausmachen), macht dem Kriegsgott zu schaffen. Da nimmt er mit seinen Kriegern in einer Oase den sturen, widerspenstigen Casto gefangen und macht ihn zu seinem Sklaven. Dass dieser sich unter keinen Umständen unterordnen will sorgt für eine explosive Mischung, die tagtäglich Spannungen mit sich bringt. Während die übrigen Männer des Heeres die Auseinandersetzungen skeptisch beobachten, bringen die Sklaven Casto nur wenig Freundschaft entgegen. Dennoch ist Castos Stand hoch, da er es mit Renaldo länger aushält, als jeder andere vor ihm …
Eigene Meinung:
Der erste Band der „Gods of War“ Reihe von Xenia Melzer und erschien Juni 2016 in englischer Sprache bei Dreamspinner Press. Nur zwei Monate später veröffentliche Ullstein Forever die deutsche Fassung des Fantasy-Romans unter dem Titel „Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“. Weitere Bände sind in Arbeit und sollen im Dezember 2016 und Sommer 2017 in englischer Sprache erscheinen.
Die Geschichte spielt in einer fiktiven Welt in der den Kriegsgöttern Canubis und Renaldo ihr Ruf vorauseilt. Regelmäßig überfallen und plündern sie mit ihren Kriegern Städte, zumeist im Auftrag mächtiger Herrscher. Ansonsten leben sie in einem Tal abseits der übrigen Menschen. Sie sind auf der Suche nach ihren Emeris (Kriegern) und ihrem „Herzen“, um ihre wahre Macht zu erlangen und irgendwann die Herrschaft über die Menschen erringen zu können. Während Canubis sein Herz bereits gefunden hat, ist Renaldo noch auf der Suche. Währenddessen entspinnt sich im Hintergrund eine Intrige, denn nicht jeder ist den beiden Söhnen der Schöpfergöttinnen wohlgesonnen und manche setzen alles daran zu verhindern, dass Renaldo sein Herz findet.
Was spannend und fantastisch klingt, kann leider so gar nicht fesseln, denn es passiert fast gar nichts. Es ist bewundernswert, dann die Autorin fast 350 Seiten geschrieben hat, auf denen zu 90% nichts geschieht. Wer Action, Abenteuer und spannende Intrigen erwartet, kommt hier gar nicht auf seine Kosten, denn Xenia Melzer schafft lediglich einen Einstieg in ihre Welt, ohne Fragen zu beantworten und auf die kommenden Bände neugierig zu machen. Dabei setzt sie mit einem Prolog über die Entstehung der Welt durch die beiden Göttinnen an und beschreibt die Hintergründe zu den beiden Halbgöttern Canubis und Renaldo (etwas, was man auch im Laufe der Handlung hätte einfließen lassen können, was wesentlich mehr Spannung erzeugt hätte). Anschließend betritt Casto die Bühne und setzt mit seinen 16 Jahren im berittenen Kampf einfach so drei Jahrhunderte alte Krieger aus dem Gefecht – ob das wirklich logisch ist, muss jeder selbst entscheiden. Es folgen endlose Kämpfe und verbale Gefechte zwischen Renaldo und Casto, die irgendwann miteinander im Bett enden. Letzteres macht schließlich den Hauptteil der Geschichte aus – der Halbgott und sein neuer Sklave scheinen fast nichts anderes zu machen, als die Nächte durchzurammeln und tagsüber ihren „wichtigen“ Geschäften nachzugehen (natürlich findet sich auch da genügend Zeit für einen kurzen Quickie). Glücklicherweise werden die erotischen Szenen nicht ausgeschrieben, sondern an passender Stelle ausgeblendet, dennoch hat man das Gefühl, dass die beiden kaum etwas anderes machen. Wer denkt, dass sie sich dabei näher kommen oder zumindest irgendwann Vertrauen zueinander aufbauen, irrt sich – die Beziehung der beiden ist einfach nicht gesund, da sie zumeist durch Gewalt und Hass dominiert wird und auch in leichten BDSM-Zügen endet. Wirkliches Knistern, aufeinander zu bewegen und kennenlernen gibt es bei den beiden nicht – sie definieren ihre Gefühle zueinander übers Bett, zumeist nachdem sie sich zuvor fast an die Gurgel gegangen sind und ihr Hass in Lust umschlägt.
Da selbst Xenia Melzer irgendwann die Ideen auszugehen scheinen, führt sie schließlich einen anderen Charakter ein – Daran, einen jungen Dieb, der schließlich Sklave bei den beiden Wüstenkriegern wird, was in einem entsprechend erotischen Dreier endet. Welchen Sinn Darans Geschichte für die Haupthandlung hat, kann man nur schwer beurteilen, denn mehr als eine Einführung und entsprechende Sexszenen sind auch hier nicht vorhanden. Ansonsten bekommt man einige Info-Dumps über die Vergangenheit einzelner Emeris (Darans zwei Wüstenkrieger und eine Attentäterin), während man von Casto fast gar nichts erfährt. Xenia Melzer streut zwar vereinzelt Hinweise auf seine Herkunft und Vergangenheit, doch es wird nahezu nichts verraten. Nach 350 Seiten weiß man über ihn genauso viel wie am Anfang – fast nichts. Genauso ergeht es dem Leser mit der Handlung – es ist fast nichts passiert. Die angesprochenen Intrigen der Gegner werden in zwei knappen Szenen angedeutet, kommen im Buch jedoch nicht zum Tragen. Man hat weder Kämpfe, noch Intrigen, keinerlei spannende Hintergründe oder Charakterentwicklungen. Es passiert einfach nichts. Selbst das Ende des Buches ist vollkommen unspektakulär – kein Endkampf, kein Cliffhanger. Es endet einfach mittendrin und man fühlt sich fast um die Lesezeit betrogen, die man in „Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“ gesteckt hat.
Die Charaktere können ebenfalls nicht wirklich überzeugen. Casto und Renaldo wirken sehr unsympathisch, arrogant und überheblich. Gerade Casto, der in Gefangenschaft gerät und im Grunde keinerlei Rechte mehr hat, kommt oftmals zu eigensinnig daher, sowohl gegenüber Renaldo, als auch gegenüber anderen Sklaven. Seine temperamentvolle Art wirkt eher kindisch störrisch und nervt mit der Zeit einfach nur. Im Grunde ist er selten in der Position so große Töne zu spuken und es ist seltsam, dass er dafür nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen wird. Auch wirkt er mit der Zeit arg „Gary-Sue“-mäßig, weil er nebst schrecklicher, geheimnisvoller Vergangenheit nahezu alles kann. Wer darauf hofft, dass sich Casto weiterentwickelt, wird leider ebenfalls enttäuscht – er ist zum Ende des Buches genauso unausstehlich und arrogant, wie am Anfang. Renaldo ist da wesentlich erträglicher, auch wenn er als perfekter Krieger und überirdisch schöner Mann ebenfalls sehr überheblich daherkommt und kaum Fehler hat. Warum er so extrem an Casto hängt, kann man nur schwer nachvollziehen, denn sein Sklave untergräbt seine Autorität im Grunde permanent.
Die übrigen Figuren kommen mal verstärkt, mal am Rande vor, haben aber keinerlei größere Bewandtnis für die Handlung. Canubis und seine Frau spielen kaum eine Rolle, Daran ist nur dafür da, um den Wüstenkriegern als Sklave zu dienen und so etwas wie Castos Freund zu werden und die übrigen Emeris und Sklaven wirken wie Staffage. Es ist nicht abzusehen, welchen Platz sie in der eigentlichen Handlung aufnehmen, da im ersten Band keinerlei Hinweise gegeben werden.
Stilistisch ist Xenia Melzers Buch Geschmackssache. Das liegt vor allem an den Sprüngen in der Perspektive. Mit der Zeit hat man zunehmend Probleme der Geschichte zu folgen, da mal aus der Sicht eines Charakters geschrieben wird (Casto oder Ranaldo, später auch Daran, die Wüstenkrieger und einige Sklaven), dann plötzlich zu einer auktorialen Erzählweise gewechselt wird und dann wieder zurück. Es ist ein ewiges Hin und Her, wodurch man sich auf nichts einstellen kann und sich mit keinem der Charaktere wirklich identifizieren kann. Auch die Kämpfe sind sehr holprig beschrieben – zumeist weiß man nicht genau, wer was macht und wer welche Attacke ausführt. Gerade bei Kämpfen zwischen mehr als zwei Figuren verliert man schnell den Überblick. Leider wird auch die Welt nicht wirklich bildlich und greifbar – dazu erfährt man einfach zu wenig von den Ländern, Städten, den übrigen Bewohnern und den gesellschaftlichen Hintergründen. Dadurch wirkt die Welt teils mittelalterlich, teils moderner (letzteres liegt auch an der modernen Sprache), so dass man kein genaues Bild einer Fantasywelt im Kopf hat.
Fazit:
„Casto – Gefährte des Feuers“ ist ein Buch, das viel verspricht und wenig hält. Wer eine spannende, abgeschlossene Geschichte (oder zumindest einige Antworten auf aufgeworfene Fragen) erwartet, wird definitiv enttäuscht werden, denn mehr als Sex und einige (am Rand vorkommende) Kämpfe hat Xenia Melzers Buch nicht zu bieten. Auch die Charaktere können nicht überzeugen, da sie zu unsympathisch und arrogant daherkommen und sich kein Stück weiterentwickeln. Es mangelt an Action, Spannung, Intrigen und wirklichen Gefühlen innerhalb der Sklaven-Herr-Beziehung von Casto und Renaldo, denn die beiden scheint lediglich Gewalt und Lust aneinander zu binden, keinerlei wirkliche Sympathie oder gar Liebe. Trotz einiger guter Ansätze kommt die Geschichte nicht in Schwung und dümpelt ereignislos vor sich hin, denn weder die geheimen Intrigen der Gegner, noch die Geschichte um die Göttinnen kommt wirklich zum Tragen. Schade – da hätte man wesentlich mehr draus machen können.
June 29, 2016
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I love mythology and fantasy and historical fiction, this is no secret. Casto takes a bit from everything and makes up one new and amazing story. Reading the synopsis drew me in, but the actual story kept pulling me in closer. This book was so addicting and I was actually sad that it ended.
The feelings that you feel as you read this book is so real and genuine, even the way the characters expressed themselves were so descriptive. The writing style was superb and I literally didn’t want to stop. I would’ve finished this book in one go if it weren’t for the fact that I was super tired and my eyes were watering.
Characters: Casto was a very strong character, both physical and in personality. He was stubborn and even though you’d think it’d get annoying because ‘why can’t you just listen, your life would be so much easier?’ I liked that his character didn’t change. He stayed the same throughout. In fact, I’d say that he only got stronger and his will was harder to break. Casto was really smart and his instinct was so sharp, he’d know instantly whether to believe a person or not. His attitude towards not caring did make him look arrogant, but that was part of his protective barrier. Why waste time on those undesirables anyway.
Renaldo was a bit of a hothead even with his circumstances but I’d say that his hotheadedness and aggressiveness really helped his characters. He was after all a ‘barbarian’. He could be nice if he wanted to…but that’s neither here nor there.
Canubis was the more rational of the two but that was to be expected since it was in his birthright to be a ruler.
The Emeris- warriors that will fight alongside the demigods- were great additions as well. All these extra characters would seem like too much at first but I feel that they helped mold the story and made it into what it was.
Likes: I loved the writing style, as I’ve said. It’s really something to be amazed about. Both the plot and the writing played a huge part into making this book a perfect piece in my opinion. Each character, scene and location was perfectly described and made for a wonderful mental image. The pace was pretty fast and enjoyable. I could get through many chapters at a time and wonder how I got that far so quickly.
Overall Thoughts: There were holes in the story but not in a bad way. Those ‘holes’ were like a preparation for what was still to come. This is why I’m so excited for the next book in the series. I loved the concept of this book- gods having been stripped of their powers and left to find their hearts. I fell in love with Xenia Melzer’s writing and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
I love mythology and fantasy and historical fiction, this is no secret. Casto takes a bit from everything and makes up one new and amazing story. Reading the synopsis drew me in, but the actual story kept pulling me in closer. This book was so addicting and I was actually sad that it ended.
The feelings that you feel as you read this book is so real and genuine, even the way the characters expressed themselves were so descriptive. The writing style was superb and I literally didn’t want to stop. I would’ve finished this book in one go if it weren’t for the fact that I was super tired and my eyes were watering.
Characters: Casto was a very strong character, both physical and in personality. He was stubborn and even though you’d think it’d get annoying because ‘why can’t you just listen, your life would be so much easier?’ I liked that his character didn’t change. He stayed the same throughout. In fact, I’d say that he only got stronger and his will was harder to break. Casto was really smart and his instinct was so sharp, he’d know instantly whether to believe a person or not. His attitude towards not caring did make him look arrogant, but that was part of his protective barrier. Why waste time on those undesirables anyway.
Renaldo was a bit of a hothead even with his circumstances but I’d say that his hotheadedness and aggressiveness really helped his characters. He was after all a ‘barbarian’. He could be nice if he wanted to…but that’s neither here nor there.
Canubis was the more rational of the two but that was to be expected since it was in his birthright to be a ruler.
The Emeris- warriors that will fight alongside the demigods- were great additions as well. All these extra characters would seem like too much at first but I feel that they helped mold the story and made it into what it was.
Likes: I loved the writing style, as I’ve said. It’s really something to be amazed about. Both the plot and the writing played a huge part into making this book a perfect piece in my opinion. Each character, scene and location was perfectly described and made for a wonderful mental image. The pace was pretty fast and enjoyable. I could get through many chapters at a time and wonder how I got that far so quickly.
Overall Thoughts: There were holes in the story but not in a bad way. Those ‘holes’ were like a preparation for what was still to come. This is why I’m so excited for the next book in the series. I loved the concept of this book- gods having been stripped of their powers and left to find their hearts. I fell in love with Xenia Melzer’s writing and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
June 11, 2016
1.75. Maybe.
Well, here goes...so the world here is actually pretty cool. Gods, demigods. Cool. I really wanted to like this one. Here are some reasons why I didn't:
•Casto is captured and taken as a slave. While he has a kind of D/s relationship with the other main character, Renaldo, he is still an actual slave. His situation never changes and their relationship just remains unhealthy. (To be fair, the sequel blurb reads as if this might be addressed)
•Speaking of unhealthy relationships - that's all that was in this book! Castro doesn't want to feel anything for his captor. Renaldo doesn't want to feel for his property. There is an instance where a side character is hit outside of a consensual situation. His owners apologize and tell him as long as he never steps out of line they won't hit him again. Magic sex happens and the side character forgives all and he is so lucky. I think the very real slavery muddied up the whole thing for me. Casto and these other slaves don't really have a choice. There's no love here.
•Finally, I could maybe overlook my reservations. Suspend any outrage I might feel. What I couldn't ever forget is that Casto is 16 when the story begins (the book spans about 3 years). It didn't matter how beautiful, confident and self-possessed he was; I couldn't forget that Casto was only a kid while Renaldo was a millennia old god.
So there ya go. This just wasn't for me.
Well, here goes...so the world here is actually pretty cool. Gods, demigods. Cool. I really wanted to like this one. Here are some reasons why I didn't:
•Casto is captured and taken as a slave. While he has a kind of D/s relationship with the other main character, Renaldo, he is still an actual slave. His situation never changes and their relationship just remains unhealthy. (To be fair, the sequel blurb reads as if this might be addressed)
•Speaking of unhealthy relationships - that's all that was in this book! Castro doesn't want to feel anything for his captor. Renaldo doesn't want to feel for his property. There is an instance where a side character is hit outside of a consensual situation. His owners apologize and tell him as long as he never steps out of line they won't hit him again. Magic sex happens and the side character forgives all and he is so lucky. I think the very real slavery muddied up the whole thing for me. Casto and these other slaves don't really have a choice. There's no love here.
•Finally, I could maybe overlook my reservations. Suspend any outrage I might feel. What I couldn't ever forget is that Casto is 16 when the story begins (the book spans about 3 years). It didn't matter how beautiful, confident and self-possessed he was; I couldn't forget that Casto was only a kid while Renaldo was a millennia old god.
So there ya go. This just wasn't for me.
June 14, 2025
I truly enjoyed all the interesting MC's and their stories; HOWEVER, the author doesn’t ever say when the story will be over and leaves several of the books on a total cliffhanger. 5 books out now and there will be at least one more to finish the overreaching story.
This would be a 5 star series EXCEPT for the author’s unwillingness to let the readers know how many books will be in the series, and to leave unexpected cliffhangers is a total put off. Which is a shame because the books were actually very entertaining.
For example, the book five blurb states “final war is on the horizon” but the final war DOES NOT happen in book 5 - it’s still “on the horizon.”
This would be a 5 star series EXCEPT for the author’s unwillingness to let the readers know how many books will be in the series, and to leave unexpected cliffhangers is a total put off. Which is a shame because the books were actually very entertaining.
For example, the book five blurb states “final war is on the horizon” but the final war DOES NOT happen in book 5 - it’s still “on the horizon.”
July 8, 2016
4.5 STARS
This is a fantastic high fantasy. It's on the darker side of things but not horrendously so.
**minor trigger warnings for slavery, physical and mental abuse
This is a fantastic high fantasy. It's on the darker side of things but not horrendously so.
**minor trigger warnings for slavery, physical and mental abuse
May 23, 2023
Fluid POVs really annoy me. The lack of any resolution of any kind of story arc also annoys me. Do not read this expecting anything at all to be wrapped up before it abruptly cuts off. I'm giving it three stars because I'm enjoying the story so far, and like the world the author has created.
Looking ahead, the excerpt of the next book doesn't give me much hope for book two. The POVs are still shifting, and I found myself rolling my eyes and asking WTF through the entire excerpt. It didn't seem consistent at all with what we've seen between Renaldo and Casto throughout book one.
Looking ahead, the excerpt of the next book doesn't give me much hope for book two. The POVs are still shifting, and I found myself rolling my eyes and asking WTF through the entire excerpt. It didn't seem consistent at all with what we've seen between Renaldo and Casto throughout book one.
July 25, 2019
Loved the world created by Xenia Melzer! Casto is an intriguing character, full of strength but also very complex. Looking forward to his next adventures.
June 25, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
3.5 stars
Casto is the story of two brothers created by the mothers to help out people on earth. Due to some lack of loyalty the brothers hearts are ripped from them and sent out into the world. The reasoning for this is punishment to the people because the brothers won’t be as powerful as they once were. Their hearts are people who have to find their way back to them according to prophecy. Along their journey they will also be joined by warriors they’ll need. In this book a few have found the god brothers. One has found his heart. The other, Renaldo, still waits for his. Problem is nobody can stand to be with him for long. He’s beautiful but he has a temper. A few nights in his bed and they’re sent away. In this world there are also witches, demons and probably anything the author wishes to create as the series continues.
Casto is captured and enslaved by of the God of War, Renaldo. He takes him as his personal slave in hopes of bedding him and getting him to join his army. Casto and his amazing horse Lys are fierce in battle but have much to learn. Casto hates being a slave to Renaldo but knows he has to bide his time to escape. During this time Renaldo woos his slave as he thinks he should. Which isn’t in any way something Casto wants. They fight and push each other every chance they get. Eventually the tension boils over into lust. Neither man wants to admit what they’ve found with the other which leads to tons of problems. Both men are hot heads and blow up frequently which leads to lots and lots of sex because they get off on it. Probably too much for me personally. I never really warmed up to the slave kink in this book. The chosen slaves are treated more fairly than some but they’re still slaves and their masters love to point it out frequently. That’s just how this world is. I get it. I just never really felt comfortable with it personally. In this regard I understood Casto’s resistance strongly.
This book has a big list of characters of which we get multiple POVs and back stories. I think at times this slowed down the pace of the story but it does help you understand everyone’s role a little better. There’s no real warning when a POV changes so you just have to figure it all out as you go. I was most intrigued by Casto and how his past will come into play. Which we still don’t know but there are hints that it’ll be something big that ties into the baddie lurking in wait to kill the brothers. Casto never tells his lover and Master Renaldo who he really is. You get a big info dump in the very beginning of how the world came to be. It was a lot to take in initially but some things click later in the story. Some don’t. I don’t think you really have to absorb it all to follow.
Most of this book is Casto and Renaldo and their power struggle between getting the balance of their master slave relationship right. It’s a balance of Casto staying who he is but also being able to submit to Renaldo so they can be together. Both men have to adjust to make it work. I can’t say I loved this book. It was kind of all over the place with huge blow ups around every turn. The hints of what’s to come were the most compelling part of the story. People who love the slave master kink should enjoy this book as that plays a huge role in the way of their people. There was some interesting world building going on. Lots of character struggle. Tons of warrior angst! It was a pretty interesting read. Now that their relationship feels more stable hopefully the next book will focus on whatever is waiting in the wings to destroy the God and his mate because that’s what I’d most like to read about in this world.
3.5 stars
Casto is the story of two brothers created by the mothers to help out people on earth. Due to some lack of loyalty the brothers hearts are ripped from them and sent out into the world. The reasoning for this is punishment to the people because the brothers won’t be as powerful as they once were. Their hearts are people who have to find their way back to them according to prophecy. Along their journey they will also be joined by warriors they’ll need. In this book a few have found the god brothers. One has found his heart. The other, Renaldo, still waits for his. Problem is nobody can stand to be with him for long. He’s beautiful but he has a temper. A few nights in his bed and they’re sent away. In this world there are also witches, demons and probably anything the author wishes to create as the series continues.
Casto is captured and enslaved by of the God of War, Renaldo. He takes him as his personal slave in hopes of bedding him and getting him to join his army. Casto and his amazing horse Lys are fierce in battle but have much to learn. Casto hates being a slave to Renaldo but knows he has to bide his time to escape. During this time Renaldo woos his slave as he thinks he should. Which isn’t in any way something Casto wants. They fight and push each other every chance they get. Eventually the tension boils over into lust. Neither man wants to admit what they’ve found with the other which leads to tons of problems. Both men are hot heads and blow up frequently which leads to lots and lots of sex because they get off on it. Probably too much for me personally. I never really warmed up to the slave kink in this book. The chosen slaves are treated more fairly than some but they’re still slaves and their masters love to point it out frequently. That’s just how this world is. I get it. I just never really felt comfortable with it personally. In this regard I understood Casto’s resistance strongly.
This book has a big list of characters of which we get multiple POVs and back stories. I think at times this slowed down the pace of the story but it does help you understand everyone’s role a little better. There’s no real warning when a POV changes so you just have to figure it all out as you go. I was most intrigued by Casto and how his past will come into play. Which we still don’t know but there are hints that it’ll be something big that ties into the baddie lurking in wait to kill the brothers. Casto never tells his lover and Master Renaldo who he really is. You get a big info dump in the very beginning of how the world came to be. It was a lot to take in initially but some things click later in the story. Some don’t. I don’t think you really have to absorb it all to follow.
Most of this book is Casto and Renaldo and their power struggle between getting the balance of their master slave relationship right. It’s a balance of Casto staying who he is but also being able to submit to Renaldo so they can be together. Both men have to adjust to make it work. I can’t say I loved this book. It was kind of all over the place with huge blow ups around every turn. The hints of what’s to come were the most compelling part of the story. People who love the slave master kink should enjoy this book as that plays a huge role in the way of their people. There was some interesting world building going on. Lots of character struggle. Tons of warrior angst! It was a pretty interesting read. Now that their relationship feels more stable hopefully the next book will focus on whatever is waiting in the wings to destroy the God and his mate because that’s what I’d most like to read about in this world.
August 25, 2016
Als ich den Klappentext auf vorablesen.de gelesen habe, war ich ganz fasziniert, weil ich dachte, dass ist ja mal was ganz anderes und es könnte sehr interessant werden. Nun bin ich mit der Geschichte fertig und wurde mit sehr gemischten Gefühlen zurückgelassen.
Als ich angefangen habe zu lesen, fand ich leider sehr schwer in die Geschichte, es kann zum einen an dem Genre liegen oder einfach weil es doch teilweise sehr zäh war. Dann ging es mit der Handlung weiter und es ging eigentlich ganz gut und ich bin dann auch besser in meinen typischen Lesefluss gekommen. Es war für mich allerdings so, dass die Handlung teilweise recht vorhersehbar war. Dazwischen gibt es dann immer wieder eine Art Höhepunkt in der Handlung, aber dann flacht die ganze Geschichte wieder eher ab und teilweise war es dann zumindest für mich wieder eher fad. Was auch schade war, es gibt keinen wirklichen Höhepunkt auf den die Handlung zugeht.
Das Ende wurde ja offen gelassen, weil es ja der erste Band eines neuen Fantasy Epos seien soll. Ob ich dann aber zu einem Folgebuch greifen werde, weiß ich noch nicht.
Mir hat die Person Renaldo eigentlich sehr gut gefallen, weil er zwar als sehr grausam beschrieben wird, man aber doch in einigen Momenten auch merkt, dass er Gefühle hat. Ich finde die Autorin hat ihn sehr interessant beschrieben.
Aus Casto bin ich nicht wirklich schlau geworden. Ich fand ihn zuerst sehr interessant, aber mir kommt er etwas oberflächlich vor. Vielleicht entwickelt sich Casto aber noch in den Folgegeschichten.
Den Schreibstil würde ich als in Ordnung bezeichnen. Die Geschichte war, wie bereits geschrieben, leider teilweise recht zäh, aber ansonsten wurde die Handlung schön erzählt.
Fazit:
3 von 5 Sterne. Es war eine nette Geschichte, mit einigen Schwächen. Ich bin aber sehr gespannt, ob sich da noch was entwickelt, weil ich denke, die Geschichte hat noch deutliches Potential nach oben.
Als ich angefangen habe zu lesen, fand ich leider sehr schwer in die Geschichte, es kann zum einen an dem Genre liegen oder einfach weil es doch teilweise sehr zäh war. Dann ging es mit der Handlung weiter und es ging eigentlich ganz gut und ich bin dann auch besser in meinen typischen Lesefluss gekommen. Es war für mich allerdings so, dass die Handlung teilweise recht vorhersehbar war. Dazwischen gibt es dann immer wieder eine Art Höhepunkt in der Handlung, aber dann flacht die ganze Geschichte wieder eher ab und teilweise war es dann zumindest für mich wieder eher fad. Was auch schade war, es gibt keinen wirklichen Höhepunkt auf den die Handlung zugeht.
Das Ende wurde ja offen gelassen, weil es ja der erste Band eines neuen Fantasy Epos seien soll. Ob ich dann aber zu einem Folgebuch greifen werde, weiß ich noch nicht.
Mir hat die Person Renaldo eigentlich sehr gut gefallen, weil er zwar als sehr grausam beschrieben wird, man aber doch in einigen Momenten auch merkt, dass er Gefühle hat. Ich finde die Autorin hat ihn sehr interessant beschrieben.
Aus Casto bin ich nicht wirklich schlau geworden. Ich fand ihn zuerst sehr interessant, aber mir kommt er etwas oberflächlich vor. Vielleicht entwickelt sich Casto aber noch in den Folgegeschichten.
Den Schreibstil würde ich als in Ordnung bezeichnen. Die Geschichte war, wie bereits geschrieben, leider teilweise recht zäh, aber ansonsten wurde die Handlung schön erzählt.
Fazit:
3 von 5 Sterne. Es war eine nette Geschichte, mit einigen Schwächen. Ich bin aber sehr gespannt, ob sich da noch was entwickelt, weil ich denke, die Geschichte hat noch deutliches Potential nach oben.
July 8, 2016
I thought I would enjoy this book...but was disappointed instead. =(
I might have given spoilers in this review so yeah..WARNING!!!
When I read the plot,I thought it was very interesting. By the time I reached around 20-30 pages or so,I was already searching if there would be a sequel to this book and felt relieved when I found out there will be one. However, I was disappointed by the sudden change of focus on the characters.From Casto, another character was suddenly introduced and that went on for the whole chapters in the book.It's like 'oh I don't feel like talking about Casto for now so poof! Let me introduce Daran instead." The transition from one character's point of view to another was not really written well enough. In spite of this, I was hoping that something insteresting would happen in the story. Then, I realized that I already reached the end of the book. What the ....???? There was no climax! I was hoping for something really grand to happen like a big medieval fight or something since it's about gods and strenght and power. But no, it just suddenly ended with a LOT of things unexplained. So yeah..I really thought I would enjoy this book since I really like the way Xenia introduced the world of Casto;however,the whole story was not written well enough.At least Xenia could have explained one of the mysteries surrounding Casto by the end of the book or resolved one of the major conflicts of the story. In my opinion,this could have been a very epic book. (even if there's sadomasochism I could hardly tolerate and the twisted master-slave concept)
I might have given spoilers in this review so yeah..WARNING!!!
When I read the plot,I thought it was very interesting. By the time I reached around 20-30 pages or so,I was already searching if there would be a sequel to this book and felt relieved when I found out there will be one. However, I was disappointed by the sudden change of focus on the characters.From Casto, another character was suddenly introduced and that went on for the whole chapters in the book.It's like 'oh I don't feel like talking about Casto for now so poof! Let me introduce Daran instead." The transition from one character's point of view to another was not really written well enough. In spite of this, I was hoping that something insteresting would happen in the story. Then, I realized that I already reached the end of the book. What the ....???? There was no climax! I was hoping for something really grand to happen like a big medieval fight or something since it's about gods and strenght and power. But no, it just suddenly ended with a LOT of things unexplained. So yeah..I really thought I would enjoy this book since I really like the way Xenia introduced the world of Casto;however,the whole story was not written well enough.At least Xenia could have explained one of the mysteries surrounding Casto by the end of the book or resolved one of the major conflicts of the story. In my opinion,this could have been a very epic book. (even if there's sadomasochism I could hardly tolerate and the twisted master-slave concept)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2016
Gay Romance findet man nicht allzu oft im Fantasy Bereich. Von daher ist dieses Buch eine angenehme Abwechslung zu vielen Geschichten, die im normalen Leben spielen. Die Protagonisten passen perfekt in die doch eher grausame Welt von Plünderungen, Kriegen und Sklavenhaltung. Und vor allen der Halbgott Renaldo und sein störrischer Sklave Castro wurden sehr gut ausgearbeitet. Ein Großteil des Buches konzentriert sich auf die doch etwas komplizierte Beziehung der beiden oder viel mehr, auf die Annäherung und das nur langsam aufkommende Vertrauen.
Dazu gibt es jedoch einige interessante Nebencharaktere und eine gut konstruierte Rahmenhandlung, welche jedoch an einigen Stellen ein paar Fragen aufwirft. Die Handlung ist spannend, hat sich jedoch zeitweise etwas gezogen. Einiges hätte man straffen können und etwas mehr Spannung in die Geschichte bringen können. Sicherlich merkt man schnell, dass einige Geheimnisse aus der Vergangenheit schlummern, auf diese hätte man jedoch noch verstärkter eingehen können. Zu Renaldo konnte jedoch schnell ein Bezug aufgebaut werden können, da er sich erstaunlicherweise recht schnell offen zeigt, und dem Leser seine Gefühle klar wurden. Castro auf der andere Seite war doch oftmals zu arrogant, seine Beweggründe wurden dafür aber nur angedeutet. Hier hätte man etwas deutlicher werden können.
Ein guter Start in die Reihe, welche die Neugierde geweckt hat und auf den nächsten Band hoffen lässt. Jedoch hätte man einiges straffer und klarer formulieren können. Ein guter Start, aber das Potential der Geschichte wurde noch nicht voll ausgenutzt.
Dazu gibt es jedoch einige interessante Nebencharaktere und eine gut konstruierte Rahmenhandlung, welche jedoch an einigen Stellen ein paar Fragen aufwirft. Die Handlung ist spannend, hat sich jedoch zeitweise etwas gezogen. Einiges hätte man straffen können und etwas mehr Spannung in die Geschichte bringen können. Sicherlich merkt man schnell, dass einige Geheimnisse aus der Vergangenheit schlummern, auf diese hätte man jedoch noch verstärkter eingehen können. Zu Renaldo konnte jedoch schnell ein Bezug aufgebaut werden können, da er sich erstaunlicherweise recht schnell offen zeigt, und dem Leser seine Gefühle klar wurden. Castro auf der andere Seite war doch oftmals zu arrogant, seine Beweggründe wurden dafür aber nur angedeutet. Hier hätte man etwas deutlicher werden können.
Ein guter Start in die Reihe, welche die Neugierde geweckt hat und auf den nächsten Band hoffen lässt. Jedoch hätte man einiges straffer und klarer formulieren können. Ein guter Start, aber das Potential der Geschichte wurde noch nicht voll ausgenutzt.
June 28, 2016
I got this book from net gallery for an honest review.
Casto is captured by Lord Renaldo and becomes his slave. Lord Renaldo is awed by Casto's beauty and striking blue eyes and he wants him in his bed. However, he has no idea what he's in for because Casto is arrogant, conceited and defiant and is far from being an obedient slave.
I loved Casto and Renaldo's bantering it was funny and entertaining. I think the author did a great job balancing these two characters because I never found either to be overbearing or frustrating. These two are definitely perfectly matched and they both give each as good as they get. Their anger towards one another ignites the fire of passion between them and they find themselves overwhelmed with confusing emotions.
I really liked Casto: he's feisty, sarcastic, angry yet arrogant but who can blame him under the circumstances. There's a lot of mystery surrounding him and his stallion - he has secrets and terrifying nightmares - but what's he hiding?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the intense yet passionate relationship between the two men. These two share some very hot, intense and steamy moments together. I'm seriously looking forward to reading the next book. Amazing book with a fantastic yet innovative narrative and the characters were striking but never overpowering.
Review posted on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2TMQ2N...
Casto is captured by Lord Renaldo and becomes his slave. Lord Renaldo is awed by Casto's beauty and striking blue eyes and he wants him in his bed. However, he has no idea what he's in for because Casto is arrogant, conceited and defiant and is far from being an obedient slave.
I loved Casto and Renaldo's bantering it was funny and entertaining. I think the author did a great job balancing these two characters because I never found either to be overbearing or frustrating. These two are definitely perfectly matched and they both give each as good as they get. Their anger towards one another ignites the fire of passion between them and they find themselves overwhelmed with confusing emotions.
I really liked Casto: he's feisty, sarcastic, angry yet arrogant but who can blame him under the circumstances. There's a lot of mystery surrounding him and his stallion - he has secrets and terrifying nightmares - but what's he hiding?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the intense yet passionate relationship between the two men. These two share some very hot, intense and steamy moments together. I'm seriously looking forward to reading the next book. Amazing book with a fantastic yet innovative narrative and the characters were striking but never overpowering.
Review posted on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2TMQ2N...
December 19, 2017
I really enjoyed this one for the fantasy elements as much as the romance. For a you're-my-slave romance, there's quite a bit going on in the background. The POV switches, which I've seen some other reviewers here disparage, were actually pretty useful for adding ambiance and informing the reader about the obvious MCs. Also, while there was definitely seeding for the next novel (which introduces my favorite game of guess-the-pattern), I felt that Casto stood on its own pretty well as a self-contained novel. Can't wait to read the next one, which came out today!
January 23, 2017
Well, that was one big surprise. And a very good one, I must say. I loved the mythology, this world that was created; a different one, and also interesting. Of course, I loved the Renaldo-Casto relationship. How it started and developed; the dynamics between them and how they change, adapt from the way their relationships goes. There are more secrets to be revealed and I can't wait to read the 2nd book.
November 8, 2016
Just the beginning of the story, so yes, it's a WiP. I loved Casto and, honestly, I only cared to read about him. So grateful that although the sex scenes were numerous, they're not graphic at all, just a sentence or a paragraph. Will read the next book, though I'm a bit afraid that their life is going to get harder.
November 25, 2016
4.25 from me
I enjoyed the story, but sometimes Casto and Renaldo's stubbornness made me want to scream.
I want to read more, and I root for Sic and Daran. I hope they stay happy and safe until the end of the series.
I enjoyed the story, but sometimes Casto and Renaldo's stubbornness made me want to scream.
I want to read more, and I root for Sic and Daran. I hope they stay happy and safe until the end of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2016
3.5 stars
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