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Venery #2.75
The Voyages of Trueblood Cay: being an especial accounting of his life and times at sea, as told by Gil Rafael
Pelippé Trueblood is on the voyage of a lifetime and hosting a temperamental, half-man half-horse onboard his ship. He just might end up killing his difficult guest. Or kissing him.
Trueblood is descended from giants and poised to be one of the world's great mariners. Raised by his father on the mighty ship Cay, he’s chosen at nineteen for a perilous voyage predicted in ancient prophecy: find the lost Tree of Life and anchor her branches back to the sky. Young and unseasoned, Trueblood fears the gods may have picked the wrong man for the job. Worse, scripture demands he be accompanied by the beautiful, brooding Fen il-Kheir. Nothing in Trueblood's life at sea has prepared him for this dangerous new crew member, nor the feelings he plants in Trueblood's heart.
Fen is a kheiron—a creature with the ability to shift between man and horse. With his dark past, his distrust of humans and his contempt for prophecy, Fen proves a reluctant passenger who could jeopardize not only the voyage, but the very future of the world. As the journey progresses, Fen finds himself more and more drawn to the Cay's charismatic commander, bringing the kheiron closer to everything his human nature longs for, and everything the beast in him fears.
A feud of the gods. Ships built by giants. Spice that makes the world beautiful. Flying horses. Murder and misery. Belonging and bravery. Sailors, centaurs, warriors, queens, courtesans and storytellers. A tapestry of mythology and human experience, The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is both Javier Landes’ fantastical life story, and Suanne Laqueur’s most adventurous love story.
Publisher's Note: Gil Rafael is the pen name of Javier Landes, who is a fictional character in Laqueur's Venery series. The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is the novel Javier is writing throughout the series. This novel-within-a-novel contains subtle references to people and situations in Venery, however it's not necessary to have read the series beforehand. Trueblood Cay can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone.
Trueblood is descended from giants and poised to be one of the world's great mariners. Raised by his father on the mighty ship Cay, he’s chosen at nineteen for a perilous voyage predicted in ancient prophecy: find the lost Tree of Life and anchor her branches back to the sky. Young and unseasoned, Trueblood fears the gods may have picked the wrong man for the job. Worse, scripture demands he be accompanied by the beautiful, brooding Fen il-Kheir. Nothing in Trueblood's life at sea has prepared him for this dangerous new crew member, nor the feelings he plants in Trueblood's heart.
Fen is a kheiron—a creature with the ability to shift between man and horse. With his dark past, his distrust of humans and his contempt for prophecy, Fen proves a reluctant passenger who could jeopardize not only the voyage, but the very future of the world. As the journey progresses, Fen finds himself more and more drawn to the Cay's charismatic commander, bringing the kheiron closer to everything his human nature longs for, and everything the beast in him fears.
A feud of the gods. Ships built by giants. Spice that makes the world beautiful. Flying horses. Murder and misery. Belonging and bravery. Sailors, centaurs, warriors, queens, courtesans and storytellers. A tapestry of mythology and human experience, The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is both Javier Landes’ fantastical life story, and Suanne Laqueur’s most adventurous love story.
Publisher's Note: Gil Rafael is the pen name of Javier Landes, who is a fictional character in Laqueur's Venery series. The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is the novel Javier is writing throughout the series. This novel-within-a-novel contains subtle references to people and situations in Venery, however it's not necessary to have read the series beforehand. Trueblood Cay can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone.
552 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2019
9 people are currently reading
579 people want to read
About the author
Suanne Laqueur
28 books1,581 followersA former professional dancer and teacher, Suanne Laqueur went from choreographing music to choreographing words, writing stories that appeal to the passions of all readers, crossing gender, age and genre. As a devoted mental health advocate, her novels focus on both romantic and familial relationships, as well as psychology, PTSD and generational trauma.
Laqueur’s novel An Exaltation of Larks was the grand prize winner in the 2017 Writer’s Digest Book Awards and took first place in the 2019 North Street Book Prize. Her debut novel The Man I Love won a gold medal in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and was named Best Debut in the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Her follow-up novel, Give Me Your Answer True, was also a gold medal winner at the 2016 RFBA.
Laqueur graduated from Alfred University with a double major in dance and theater. She taught at the Carol Bierman School of Ballet Arts in Croton-on-Hudson for ten years. An avid reader, cook and gardener, she started her blog EatsReadsThinks in 2010.
Suanne lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children.
Laqueur’s novel An Exaltation of Larks was the grand prize winner in the 2017 Writer’s Digest Book Awards and took first place in the 2019 North Street Book Prize. Her debut novel The Man I Love won a gold medal in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and was named Best Debut in the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Her follow-up novel, Give Me Your Answer True, was also a gold medal winner at the 2016 RFBA.
Laqueur graduated from Alfred University with a double major in dance and theater. She taught at the Carol Bierman School of Ballet Arts in Croton-on-Hudson for ten years. An avid reader, cook and gardener, she started her blog EatsReadsThinks in 2010.
Suanne lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
March 5, 2019
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it. 😘 Don't be left behind, the ship is about to sail. Suanne will be celebrating her birthday 🎂 with us. Trueblood is now $3 upto 10th March.💃Reg price is $5.99. Get all the best deals here: https://suannelaqueur.thrivecart.com/...
and on Smashwords with the code RD86Z
Happy birthday to us. 😍😍
7+++++ Stars
Look at me, see me, watch me.
And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
This book is by far the best fantasy story i have ever read. The story of Kepten Trueblood - the gentle giant with a heart of gold, a beautiful smile; Fen the feisty Kheiron- who has been through so much but never gave up hope; Raj and Lejo the twins, is worth reading over and over again. I read and reread almost all the chapters.
My father was a flower on the Tree of Life, but I am a sail on her yard.
The writing! Dear lawd! the writing is exceptional, Suanne created a world that i got lost into. The world building is out of this world. The first 20% is all about world building, be patient my friends, learn the language, know the characters and i promise you, you will be rewarded with a story that will stay with you for a lifetime.
So listen, legantos.
Listen to learn it. Learn it to tell it. Tell it to teach it.
The characterization, excels in this book. I fell in love with all the characters. Throughout the story, each character evolves. I felt like i was one of them, i became their friend. GAAAH! it is hard to explain, you just have to read the book to feel it. GELANG!! GELANG!!
I want to know you. I want to hear all your stories.
This book gave me all the feels, i cried, i smiled, i laughed so hard that i cried. And Gods bless Lejo and his cats.
“Look, Pé,” Lejo said.
Trueblood turned back to see his friend beaming above the stray cat held in his arms.
“Isn’t she beautiful?”
“No.”
“She’s been following me for an hour.”
“No.”
“Come on, she has no home and I could give her a great life.”
“You already have three cats, which is three more than my father allowed you. Say thank you and be happy.”
The love between the characters, the friendship, the support, the banter.... GAAAH!! I wanted to stay with them in their world.
TRUEBLOOD and FEN!!
You could kiss fast or slow, Trueblood discovered. You could kiss an upper lip independently of a bottom lip and each felt different. Kissing made little noises squeeze through your chest and made your thoughts do somersaults.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
and on Smashwords with the code RD86Z
Happy birthday to us. 😍😍
7+++++ Stars
Look at me, see me, watch me.
And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
This book is by far the best fantasy story i have ever read. The story of Kepten Trueblood - the gentle giant with a heart of gold, a beautiful smile; Fen the feisty Kheiron- who has been through so much but never gave up hope; Raj and Lejo the twins, is worth reading over and over again. I read and reread almost all the chapters.
My father was a flower on the Tree of Life, but I am a sail on her yard.
The writing! Dear lawd! the writing is exceptional, Suanne created a world that i got lost into. The world building is out of this world. The first 20% is all about world building, be patient my friends, learn the language, know the characters and i promise you, you will be rewarded with a story that will stay with you for a lifetime.
So listen, legantos.
Listen to learn it. Learn it to tell it. Tell it to teach it.
The characterization, excels in this book. I fell in love with all the characters. Throughout the story, each character evolves. I felt like i was one of them, i became their friend. GAAAH! it is hard to explain, you just have to read the book to feel it. GELANG!! GELANG!!
I want to know you. I want to hear all your stories.
This book gave me all the feels, i cried, i smiled, i laughed so hard that i cried. And Gods bless Lejo and his cats.
“Look, Pé,” Lejo said.
Trueblood turned back to see his friend beaming above the stray cat held in his arms.
“Isn’t she beautiful?”
“No.”
“She’s been following me for an hour.”
“No.”
“Come on, she has no home and I could give her a great life.”
“You already have three cats, which is three more than my father allowed you. Say thank you and be happy.”
The love between the characters, the friendship, the support, the banter.... GAAAH!! I wanted to stay with them in their world.
TRUEBLOOD and FEN!!
You could kiss fast or slow, Trueblood discovered. You could kiss an upper lip independently of a bottom lip and each felt different. Kissing made little noises squeeze through your chest and made your thoughts do somersaults.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
March 16, 2019
"I bet you're wondering what happens to my pants when I shift."
"That's exactly what I was wondering."
"I don't know. They come with and they come back. It's a great mystery. Or maybe not. Shifting is through the moonstone, the moon is female, and females think of everything."
We're only a week into 2019 and my track record for reads has been, so far, dismal. So when THE VOYAGES OF TRUEBLOOD CAY opened up on my kindle only to suck me in, I was a willing, desperate, victim.
"We can't take beauty and love and goodness for granted. We can't sit around and wait for the world to be made beautiful around us. We must find beauty in a troubled world. We must be the goodness."
This story is unlike anything we've had from Laqueur so far and it's.. monstrous. Massive. Magnificent. This world, the mythos, is epic. It's complex and complicated and creative and kept me completely captive.. and captivated. I was confused at times, I will admit it, but it was a confusion that pushed me on to discover more and to learn -- and also forced me to slow down, to savour. I soaked up the stories, the tellings, pieced together prophecy and followed where the stars lead.
"If you want to know what's in Trueblood's heart, ask him. [..] What he wants you to know, he'll tell you. What he keeps guarded, he'll give you the reason why."
For fans of AN EXALTATION OF LARKS and A CHARM OF FINCHES, this story will feel so familiar. And that's a strange thing to realize considering just how far away this story is from those previous ones. But the story, as told by Gil Rafael, a character from said aforementioned tales, weaves in so many elements, the obvious and the subtle, and enrich the telling and force you to re-experience everything from those previous stories.. as told by Suanne Laqueur. It's a strange, brutal, catharsis. One I imagine the character, who is the author, no doubt felt, too.
Sex can be bought and sold, but gelang has no price. And I want something priceless.
Those familiar elements might feel familiar but they also felt re-imagined, pieced together a little differently. Those old characters are made new again, different, not quite the same, and I love them all over again. Those old hurts are just as painful and I hurt all over again for those who suffered. And those treasured bits of happiness are buffed to new shine and sparkle once more, not overwhelmingly, but maybe.. just out of the corner of your eye. It doesn't overwhelm, it's just there. That's, to me, how this fits in the Venery world. Just on the edges; both out of focus but perfectly placed.
Once he believed in happy endings and tales with a satisfying moral. But now, more than ever, he felt like a walking copy of the Truviad. A book cut off in the middle of a sentence, the narrative left to dangle helplessly without exposition or an arc.
It'll come as no surprise that I cried.. a lot. Like, wow, so many tears were shed. This story, like all of the author's novels, is dark and desperate but equally bold and beautiful. There is loss, there is horror, and this time there is outright magic, not just the simple magics of healing and love as found in her contemporaries; though we have those, too. No detail felt unnecessary, no bit of banter was unappreciated, and everything pays off; and the only price to pay is time.. and maybe a bit of patience. The author will give you all this, for a little bit of that.
Look at me, he thought, reading from the story of his life. Look at me, see me, watch me. And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
I can't say this book will be for everyone. There's a lot of information to process at the onset, and I see from other reviews that this overwhelmed some, or that the world just outright didn't work for others, and as always everyone's take-away is their own. I'm not here to shit on anyone's feet. But oh did this work for me (I mean, you could probably tell that, but whatever).
"Kepten, I think you're starting to like me."
"I hate your guts but the crew enjoys having you around. They won't get any work done if they're moping over your corpse."
I will read this again. You can bet on it.
Thank you to Micky for another fabulous buddy-read. Thanks for always being there for the tough ones! And the funny ones. And the swoony ones. And ones like this which are all the above. x
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
"That's exactly what I was wondering."
"I don't know. They come with and they come back. It's a great mystery. Or maybe not. Shifting is through the moonstone, the moon is female, and females think of everything."
We're only a week into 2019 and my track record for reads has been, so far, dismal. So when THE VOYAGES OF TRUEBLOOD CAY opened up on my kindle only to suck me in, I was a willing, desperate, victim.
"We can't take beauty and love and goodness for granted. We can't sit around and wait for the world to be made beautiful around us. We must find beauty in a troubled world. We must be the goodness."
This story is unlike anything we've had from Laqueur so far and it's.. monstrous. Massive. Magnificent. This world, the mythos, is epic. It's complex and complicated and creative and kept me completely captive.. and captivated. I was confused at times, I will admit it, but it was a confusion that pushed me on to discover more and to learn -- and also forced me to slow down, to savour. I soaked up the stories, the tellings, pieced together prophecy and followed where the stars lead.
"If you want to know what's in Trueblood's heart, ask him. [..] What he wants you to know, he'll tell you. What he keeps guarded, he'll give you the reason why."
For fans of AN EXALTATION OF LARKS and A CHARM OF FINCHES, this story will feel so familiar. And that's a strange thing to realize considering just how far away this story is from those previous ones. But the story, as told by Gil Rafael, a character from said aforementioned tales, weaves in so many elements, the obvious and the subtle, and enrich the telling and force you to re-experience everything from those previous stories.. as told by Suanne Laqueur. It's a strange, brutal, catharsis. One I imagine the character, who is the author, no doubt felt, too.
Sex can be bought and sold, but gelang has no price. And I want something priceless.
Those familiar elements might feel familiar but they also felt re-imagined, pieced together a little differently. Those old characters are made new again, different, not quite the same, and I love them all over again. Those old hurts are just as painful and I hurt all over again for those who suffered. And those treasured bits of happiness are buffed to new shine and sparkle once more, not overwhelmingly, but maybe.. just out of the corner of your eye. It doesn't overwhelm, it's just there. That's, to me, how this fits in the Venery world. Just on the edges; both out of focus but perfectly placed.
Once he believed in happy endings and tales with a satisfying moral. But now, more than ever, he felt like a walking copy of the Truviad. A book cut off in the middle of a sentence, the narrative left to dangle helplessly without exposition or an arc.
It'll come as no surprise that I cried.. a lot. Like, wow, so many tears were shed. This story, like all of the author's novels, is dark and desperate but equally bold and beautiful. There is loss, there is horror, and this time there is outright magic, not just the simple magics of healing and love as found in her contemporaries; though we have those, too. No detail felt unnecessary, no bit of banter was unappreciated, and everything pays off; and the only price to pay is time.. and maybe a bit of patience. The author will give you all this, for a little bit of that.
Look at me, he thought, reading from the story of his life. Look at me, see me, watch me. And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
I can't say this book will be for everyone. There's a lot of information to process at the onset, and I see from other reviews that this overwhelmed some, or that the world just outright didn't work for others, and as always everyone's take-away is their own. I'm not here to shit on anyone's feet. But oh did this work for me (I mean, you could probably tell that, but whatever).
"Kepten, I think you're starting to like me."
"I hate your guts but the crew enjoys having you around. They won't get any work done if they're moping over your corpse."
I will read this again. You can bet on it.
Thank you to Micky for another fabulous buddy-read. Thanks for always being there for the tough ones! And the funny ones. And the swoony ones. And ones like this which are all the above. x
** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
Read
December 23, 2020May I call you legantos?
It’s is an old giantsword. It means “dear reader” and it allows me, the storyteller, to address you throughout the tale-telling.
Shall we begin?
The story of Pelippé Trueblood starts and ends on a ship.
His life at sea was shaped by his decisions and the choices made by those who came before him. His voyage was shaped by legends that began centuries before his birth and the tales he left in his wake.
His life is written and his is a love story.
So listen, legantos.
Listen to learn it. Learn it to tell it. Tell it to teach it.
It’s is an old giantsword. It means “dear reader” and it allows me, the storyteller, to address you throughout the tale-telling.
Shall we begin?
The story of Pelippé Trueblood starts and ends on a ship.
His life at sea was shaped by his decisions and the choices made by those who came before him. His voyage was shaped by legends that began centuries before his birth and the tales he left in his wake.
His life is written and his is a love story.
So listen, legantos.
Listen to learn it. Learn it to tell it. Tell it to teach it.
April 1, 2019
The world needs magic, impossible things that have no price.
In theory, I completely agree with this quote.
But when it comes to reading choices, fantasy is a significant departure for me. Outside of young adult, I've read less than a handful of high fantasy books in my life. I want to, and I've tried quite a few times, but I find the minutiae overwhelming when it's heavy on the worldbuilding details and scant on the character-driven elements. Those magic eye puzzles are often easier to decipher.
And fantasy is a departure for this author as well; all of her previous work has been contemporary. But the quality of that previous work had convinced me that anything she writes is worth diving into. So I figured there was no better place for my next attempt at the genre.
Look at me, see me, watch me. And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
People, I FUCKING LOVED THIS GORGEOUS STORY — the mythology-inspired universe and everything in it, from the equine creatures to the especial jargon. It was all so vividly dimensional and accessible. I adored how much of the worldbuilding was done through meta storytelling, as I met the characters and saw the world through their eyes, while they learned and grew, loved and lost.
And even better, what delighted me to no end… the amazing skills the author has demonstrated in her other books — the profound, sexy, funny, astute, unpredictable, clever, and emotional narrative — remained in full force.
Oh Suanne, kepten my kepten, you strive for excellence at a task which everyone else would settle for being mediocre. Job well done.
In theory, I completely agree with this quote.
But when it comes to reading choices, fantasy is a significant departure for me. Outside of young adult, I've read less than a handful of high fantasy books in my life. I want to, and I've tried quite a few times, but I find the minutiae overwhelming when it's heavy on the worldbuilding details and scant on the character-driven elements. Those magic eye puzzles are often easier to decipher.
And fantasy is a departure for this author as well; all of her previous work has been contemporary. But the quality of that previous work had convinced me that anything she writes is worth diving into. So I figured there was no better place for my next attempt at the genre.
Look at me, see me, watch me. And when I slip out of sight, take the world apart to find me.
People, I FUCKING LOVED THIS GORGEOUS STORY — the mythology-inspired universe and everything in it, from the equine creatures to the especial jargon. It was all so vividly dimensional and accessible. I adored how much of the worldbuilding was done through meta storytelling, as I met the characters and saw the world through their eyes, while they learned and grew, loved and lost.
And even better, what delighted me to no end… the amazing skills the author has demonstrated in her other books — the profound, sexy, funny, astute, unpredictable, clever, and emotional narrative — remained in full force.
Oh Suanne, kepten my kepten, you strive for excellence at a task which everyone else would settle for being mediocre. Job well done.
May 1, 2019
2nd reread finished: 1st of May, 2019
Thanks for the BR Gabi!
*****Infinite stars*****
“A love like that? You only read it in stories.”
This story was incredible.
I will climb the giant masts of the Cay, the Kaleuche and the Khollima and shout it at the sky, calling for the pegasos to spread my words into the world:
THIS STORY WAS INCREDIBLE!
I have been a reader of fantasy all my life. I may turn to contemporary fiction every leap year or so, but where I truly feel at home is here, in stories like The Voyages of Trueblood Cay. It stands with the best of them, not from the MM genre, but with the best the entire fantasy genre can offer.
“Wealth has no scent,” Kepten True always said.
The wealth of this book comes from the incredible worldbuilding and outstanding character development. Wealth may not have any scent, but it has a taste. It was the salty taste of my tears around the wealth of emotions I experienced while reading this book.
“I’m not going to dwell on the horrible because I think you have that covered. You’re with me now and it’s my job to point out the excellent things you did.”
If you experience this book the right way, it will teach you how to bring out the best in you. It is a cornucopia of lessons on how to be, how to act, how to live.
“Everything has a price, Trueblood. Something as priceless as love is worth fighting for.”
A love like in the stories.
It really was.
Down to the last moment this love was surreal but felt so true.
You don't need to read An Exaltation of Larks and A Charm of Finches to start The Voyages of Trueblood Cay. The book stands by itself anchored to the sky by nine brilliant stars. They are Kepten Trueblood and his father, Lejo and Raj, a beautiful white haired Kheiron with sorrow in his heart, a queen and a courtesan and Horselord and his immortal sister.
But if you already read An Exaltation of Larks and A Charm of Finches, or chose to read them before, well done! You're in for the Egg Hunt of the Century.
Suanne, I offer you gelango. You are among the best I ever read! You are valentos.
Read it, people! Highly recommended.
Thanks to the best buddy read in the whole history of the world, anywhere, ever. With Moony and Shile, and our guest buddy readers Hollis and Suanne herself.
Thanks for the BR Gabi!
*****Infinite stars*****
“A love like that? You only read it in stories.”
This story was incredible.
I will climb the giant masts of the Cay, the Kaleuche and the Khollima and shout it at the sky, calling for the pegasos to spread my words into the world:
THIS STORY WAS INCREDIBLE!
I have been a reader of fantasy all my life. I may turn to contemporary fiction every leap year or so, but where I truly feel at home is here, in stories like The Voyages of Trueblood Cay. It stands with the best of them, not from the MM genre, but with the best the entire fantasy genre can offer.
“Wealth has no scent,” Kepten True always said.
The wealth of this book comes from the incredible worldbuilding and outstanding character development. Wealth may not have any scent, but it has a taste. It was the salty taste of my tears around the wealth of emotions I experienced while reading this book.
“I’m not going to dwell on the horrible because I think you have that covered. You’re with me now and it’s my job to point out the excellent things you did.”
If you experience this book the right way, it will teach you how to bring out the best in you. It is a cornucopia of lessons on how to be, how to act, how to live.
“Everything has a price, Trueblood. Something as priceless as love is worth fighting for.”
A love like in the stories.
It really was.
Down to the last moment this love was surreal but felt so true.
You don't need to read An Exaltation of Larks and A Charm of Finches to start The Voyages of Trueblood Cay. The book stands by itself anchored to the sky by nine brilliant stars. They are Kepten Trueblood and his father, Lejo and Raj, a beautiful white haired Kheiron with sorrow in his heart, a queen and a courtesan and Horselord and his immortal sister.
But if you already read An Exaltation of Larks and A Charm of Finches, or chose to read them before, well done! You're in for the Egg Hunt of the Century.
Suanne, I offer you gelango. You are among the best I ever read! You are valentos.
Read it, people! Highly recommended.
Thanks to the best buddy read in the whole history of the world, anywhere, ever. With Moony and Shile, and our guest buddy readers Hollis and Suanne herself.
January 14, 2019
The Voyages Of Trueblood Cay is truly a beautiful and spellbinding fantasy story. I have to be honest and say I don’t read a lot of fantasy. I’m picky when it comes to that genre. I’m not picky when it comes to my unicorn authors. I follow them. No matter what and what a journey Voyage was. All thanks to Suanne Laqueur. Her work and storytelling is from another world. That’s the honest truth. I’ve experienced it with her previous work. Her talent is unparalleled.
I was introduced to Javier Landes in An Exaltation Of Larks and A Charm Of Finches - The Venery Series. In those two phenomenal books he was working on a book. The Voyages Of Trueblood Cay is his creation thanks to Suanne Laqueur.
I went into this story with Javier Landes and his lifes journey in the back of my mind. TVOTC can easily be read as a standalone but for me who’s read the Venery series it became all the more special to me. That’s all I will say on that note;)
TVOTC has everything my hearts desire when it comes to fantasy romance. Yes, there’s romance but to me it’s more than romance. It’s LOVE in captital letters. The story oozes with love in all shapes and sizes. The characters varies. TVOTC tells the story of humans, centaurs which are mythological creatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Then there’s kherions which is a centaur with wings and can shift between horse and man. Fen, one of the main characters, is a kherion who’s has experienced hell and so many losses. Pelippé Trueblood is the son of Kepten True who’s commander of his boat the Cay.
Pé Trueblood’s story is spectacular filled with friendships and love. So much love. How he and Fen come across one another is not my story to tell my dear Legantos which means Beloved Reader. Jump on this Voyage and fall in love with not only Kepten Pé Trueblood, Fen, Raj, Lejo, Abrakam. I could go on. It’s not just Pé and Fen. There’s a perfect ensemble of characters who each has a role to play in this story. They matter.
Gelang means “at hand” or “together with.” While reading and experiencing this magnificent book that’s exactly what I felt. GELANG. WITH EVERY CHARACTER. ALL THE WAY. FROM START TO FINISH.
5 Valentos & Gelangos Stars
I was introduced to Javier Landes in An Exaltation Of Larks and A Charm Of Finches - The Venery Series. In those two phenomenal books he was working on a book. The Voyages Of Trueblood Cay is his creation thanks to Suanne Laqueur.
I went into this story with Javier Landes and his lifes journey in the back of my mind. TVOTC can easily be read as a standalone but for me who’s read the Venery series it became all the more special to me. That’s all I will say on that note;)
TVOTC has everything my hearts desire when it comes to fantasy romance. Yes, there’s romance but to me it’s more than romance. It’s LOVE in captital letters. The story oozes with love in all shapes and sizes. The characters varies. TVOTC tells the story of humans, centaurs which are mythological creatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Then there’s kherions which is a centaur with wings and can shift between horse and man. Fen, one of the main characters, is a kherion who’s has experienced hell and so many losses. Pelippé Trueblood is the son of Kepten True who’s commander of his boat the Cay.
Pé Trueblood’s story is spectacular filled with friendships and love. So much love. How he and Fen come across one another is not my story to tell my dear Legantos which means Beloved Reader. Jump on this Voyage and fall in love with not only Kepten Pé Trueblood, Fen, Raj, Lejo, Abrakam. I could go on. It’s not just Pé and Fen. There’s a perfect ensemble of characters who each has a role to play in this story. They matter.
Gelang means “at hand” or “together with.” While reading and experiencing this magnificent book that’s exactly what I felt. GELANG. WITH EVERY CHARACTER. ALL THE WAY. FROM START TO FINISH.
5 Valentos & Gelangos Stars
Want to read
July 5, 2020THAT moment when you realize you're utter trash for a book series!
I swear I saw this book and had tears in my eyes! T_T
I can't believe I'm allowed to read Trueblood's story!!!
(Hopefully this will be able to fill the endless void that's become my heart.)
Thank you, Suanne!
You're the best! I hope you know that! <333
P.S: I think I just found a new favourite author and I'll make sure to read each and every single one of her books. XD
P.P.S: That cover though! It fits so perfectly!
I swear I saw this book and had tears in my eyes! T_T
I can't believe I'm allowed to read Trueblood's story!!!
(Hopefully this will be able to fill the endless void that's become my heart.)
Thank you, Suanne!
You're the best! I hope you know that! <333
P.S: I think I just found a new favourite author and I'll make sure to read each and every single one of her books. XD
P.P.S: That cover though! It fits so perfectly!
April 30, 2019
“We can’t sit around and wait for the world to be made beautiful for us. We must find beauty in a troubled world.“
Through the eyes and heart and especial penmanship of Pelippé Trueblood, I found tremendous beauty. Beauty in Gemelos and Gelangos. I learned what it means to be together with someone, and to belong. I learned what it means to be Da and what it means to be Kepten, and what it means to be Valentos.
I haven't read the other books in the Venery series, and I can assure you, legantos, this one is 100% standalone. Though at certain points I couldn't help but feel "okay, this moment is significant, this sentence right here is meaningful, and I'm sure it has a connection to the other books, it represents something that happened there." Then again, it might be just my sentimental mind imagining things. :)
“As soon as you go, I’m coming after you. There’s no place you can hide where I won’t find you. Not in this life or the next.”
Sure, this book will make you weep, but it will also make you laugh too. For many chapters we see Pé as a kid, how he lives his life on the ship, with his father as Kepten, his two adopted brothers and all the crew members. We get to know each and everyone, what's their role on the ship and what they mean to each other.
So it's a while when Pé finally gets to meet Fen and it's as memorable as you think. :D They went from hating each other to almost becoming friends, but everything should be as written, because we all know "once you write a thing down, it becomes real."
“What do you see? Fen thought, which left his mouth as, “What the fuck are you staring at?”
“You,” Trueblood said. “All day long, all I do is stare at you.“
Never was there a more heartbreaking and beautiful story in the history of the world, anywhere, ever.
“You found me. You looked for me and you found me and you called me by name. Brought me back home, brought me to your bed and called me by name. Because I am yours and there is no place on this ship or in this world I can hide that you won’t find me.“
Now be good, legantos and listen to this tale. Listen to learn it. Learn it to tell it. Tell it to teach it.
August 19, 2020
This might just be the BEST fantasy book I’ve ever read. It was incredible. Enchanting. Magical. Exquisite. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved it. Xia Xia, you have my undying gratitude for bringing this amazing book — and series, because now that I know The Voyages of Trueblood Cay was a ‘book within a book,’ I’m in danger of becoming obsessed — to my attention. Thank you SO MUCH for this recommendation!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Fantasy has been my go-to genre for as long as I can remember, and I’ve read a LOT of good books over the years. Still, a couple of pages in, I knew this one would outclass them all. The worldbuilding was excellent, and very elaborate. It was so wonderfully crafted, that despite the complex mythology and language — and kheirons, the flying horse shifters — it was very approachable and reader-friendly, not at all over-the-top. Also, let’s not forget the stellar character and relationship development. It doesn’t get much better than this.
As is my wont, I instantly bonded with the most tragic character here — Fen. I was not prepared for the emotional minefield of his backstory! It flayed me alive, but it also gave everything that happened later deeper meaning. I loved his relationship with Trueblood, and the way it changed them both. They were far from perfect, but they were perfect together. 😍 A love like that is truly something you only read in books…
The supporting characters deserve to be mentioned, too. Raj, Lejo, Abrakam, Rafil, little Jindo… they had their own stories, and each of them was every bit as significant and ‘real’ as the MCs.
Suanne Laqueur's writing was LOVELY, very engaging and emotive. I found myself savoring every word. This book was filled with beautiful quotes that will stay with me forever. I wanted to highlight whole passages, but then I realized I could just reread the whole book later. Aaahhh, there should be an extra-special 6-star rating reserved for books like this.
Fantasy has been my go-to genre for as long as I can remember, and I’ve read a LOT of good books over the years. Still, a couple of pages in, I knew this one would outclass them all. The worldbuilding was excellent, and very elaborate. It was so wonderfully crafted, that despite the complex mythology and language — and kheirons, the flying horse shifters — it was very approachable and reader-friendly, not at all over-the-top. Also, let’s not forget the stellar character and relationship development. It doesn’t get much better than this.
As is my wont, I instantly bonded with the most tragic character here — Fen. I was not prepared for the emotional minefield of his backstory! It flayed me alive, but it also gave everything that happened later deeper meaning. I loved his relationship with Trueblood, and the way it changed them both. They were far from perfect, but they were perfect together. 😍 A love like that is truly something you only read in books…
The supporting characters deserve to be mentioned, too. Raj, Lejo, Abrakam, Rafil, little Jindo… they had their own stories, and each of them was every bit as significant and ‘real’ as the MCs.
Suanne Laqueur's writing was LOVELY, very engaging and emotive. I found myself savoring every word. This book was filled with beautiful quotes that will stay with me forever. I wanted to highlight whole passages, but then I realized I could just reread the whole book later. Aaahhh, there should be an extra-special 6-star rating reserved for books like this.
February 2, 2019
Disclaimer - I frequently talk to Suanne throughout her creative process. I love watching her books take shape - it’s one of my favorite things in the world. And I’m honored to be invited to take part.
So when Suanne said she was going to write “fantasy” as one of her characters I thought “well hell. Dream big, woman. Dream big.” In all seriousness - I wondered if she was going too far afield and worried the book would lack her distinctive voice.
Ha! I told her after I read the ARC - this is the most Suanne Suanne-Book I’ve read. I can feel her joy and her imagination and her intelligence and huge heart soaring through each page. This is a love letter to the characters we’ve grown to adore written in the most imaginative and fearless manner.
I know that the process was tough on her. This book involved research and worries and self-doubt. To Suanne it felt that she was stepping outside herself - outside of comfort. But as a reader it feels like she’s truly let her talents off the leash with this one. Effortless swoops and dips. It feels like her biggest and most fun work yet.
You can read this if you haven’t read Suanne’s other work. It is particularly touching to recognize characters you love throughout “Jav’s” Story - But it’s an amazing book either way.
So when Suanne said she was going to write “fantasy” as one of her characters I thought “well hell. Dream big, woman. Dream big.” In all seriousness - I wondered if she was going too far afield and worried the book would lack her distinctive voice.
Ha! I told her after I read the ARC - this is the most Suanne Suanne-Book I’ve read. I can feel her joy and her imagination and her intelligence and huge heart soaring through each page. This is a love letter to the characters we’ve grown to adore written in the most imaginative and fearless manner.
I know that the process was tough on her. This book involved research and worries and self-doubt. To Suanne it felt that she was stepping outside herself - outside of comfort. But as a reader it feels like she’s truly let her talents off the leash with this one. Effortless swoops and dips. It feels like her biggest and most fun work yet.
You can read this if you haven’t read Suanne’s other work. It is particularly touching to recognize characters you love throughout “Jav’s” Story - But it’s an amazing book either way.
January 24, 2019
THE VOYAGES OF TRUEBLOOD CAY was a rather overwhelming read in many ways but mostly emotionally and if you’ve read Suanne Laqueur before, you’ll appreciate the phenomena. There’s a definite familiarity that hits once you meet the crop of main characters, it’s not out-right Stef and Jav but Pe and Fen, Raj and Lejos are parts of the Venery journey and you’ll feel a sense of home.
I’ve never felt at ease reading one of Suanne Laqueur’s books because the subject matter always challenges you and I didn’t feel at ease in the Trueblood Cay world. This is a story of family, friendship, there are dark moments and there is a beautiful unfurling of a grudging friendship into everything.
“The khieron is beautiful to me. His face and body and eyes, his story in my heart-these are beautiful things.”
So far, my review could make this sound like a contemporary read, but this is a fantastical conception in a clever but complex world. I had signigificant difficulty getting to and past the first 20% of the book. It was complicated, with heavy world building and I did not feel connected to any character to anchor me to the story in that first part. I felt confused but I had a buddy I was reading this with and we were able to talk out aspects of my confusion. Once I got past 20%, I connected, I settled, I lived in the story. My rating would probably be divided up as 3 stars for that first struggle and 4.5 stars for the rest.
Once I understood the world that this adventure was placed in, I began to appreciate the view, the creatures, the boats, the land and most of all, the characters. The connections, platonic and more are written most beautifully, in a way that your heart literally aches with warmth or hurt...and when it hurt, it really hurt. I needed that buddy of mine to process the beauty, the horror and the devastation.
This story is a vivid, technicolour tale. If you read it, you’ll remember it, I would probably find it difficult to explain the story to you, but that is not necessary in this review. I am glad I read it, I am glad I got to experience the Venery world through this fantasy lens. I remain a fierce fan of this writer’s talent.
“Here. Take it. You’re free. You always were.”
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
I’ve never felt at ease reading one of Suanne Laqueur’s books because the subject matter always challenges you and I didn’t feel at ease in the Trueblood Cay world. This is a story of family, friendship, there are dark moments and there is a beautiful unfurling of a grudging friendship into everything.
“The khieron is beautiful to me. His face and body and eyes, his story in my heart-these are beautiful things.”
So far, my review could make this sound like a contemporary read, but this is a fantastical conception in a clever but complex world. I had signigificant difficulty getting to and past the first 20% of the book. It was complicated, with heavy world building and I did not feel connected to any character to anchor me to the story in that first part. I felt confused but I had a buddy I was reading this with and we were able to talk out aspects of my confusion. Once I got past 20%, I connected, I settled, I lived in the story. My rating would probably be divided up as 3 stars for that first struggle and 4.5 stars for the rest.
Once I understood the world that this adventure was placed in, I began to appreciate the view, the creatures, the boats, the land and most of all, the characters. The connections, platonic and more are written most beautifully, in a way that your heart literally aches with warmth or hurt...and when it hurt, it really hurt. I needed that buddy of mine to process the beauty, the horror and the devastation.
This story is a vivid, technicolour tale. If you read it, you’ll remember it, I would probably find it difficult to explain the story to you, but that is not necessary in this review. I am glad I read it, I am glad I got to experience the Venery world through this fantasy lens. I remain a fierce fan of this writer’s talent.
“Here. Take it. You’re free. You always were.”
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
January 4, 2019
3.75 stars
Time for a little honesty here, I am not going to lie, I struggled with the first 25% of this book. I wanted to give up and pull the plug but I knew I owed it to Suanne to finish. She is a talented writer, I do not doubt that. However, in the first portion there was honestly so much to keep up with that it got a little confusing. There were so many different names to remember and terms I never heard of that I got a little frustrated lol. Trying to keep up with them was work and I found myself turning to her glossary several times, which in my opinion, took away from the story. I know pirates are story tellers so it wasn't surprising that this particular crew had many to share. Unfortunately, diving in and out of those stories took me out of the book as well. However, once I passed that hurdle the book turned and once again I was pulled in and gripped by Suanne's writing.
The main thing I did enjoy most about this book was the different relationships whether it be a bond of friendship, family and love they were all so strong. Suanne has a way of building them so well that I feel like part of their family/crew. I was invested in every single one of them. I loved Trueblood's relationship with his father. It was filled with respect and admiration. I loved his friendship with the twins. They were part of him and he part of them. I loved the relationship with his crew but my most favorite relationship was the one between him and Fen. It was Especial. Their relationship was not instantaneous, it took time to build and I.LOVED.EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT. Ok, maybe not some moments but, I will not say which lol. All these relationships will make you laugh and make you cry. They are all so beautiful in their own ways.
This book will frustrate you, it will break you, put you back together again only to destroy you. But do not fear it will patch you back up. So,legantos buckle up and be prepared to go on an emotional journey. Overall a satisfying read.
Time for a little honesty here, I am not going to lie, I struggled with the first 25% of this book. I wanted to give up and pull the plug but I knew I owed it to Suanne to finish. She is a talented writer, I do not doubt that. However, in the first portion there was honestly so much to keep up with that it got a little confusing. There were so many different names to remember and terms I never heard of that I got a little frustrated lol. Trying to keep up with them was work and I found myself turning to her glossary several times, which in my opinion, took away from the story. I know pirates are story tellers so it wasn't surprising that this particular crew had many to share. Unfortunately, diving in and out of those stories took me out of the book as well. However, once I passed that hurdle the book turned and once again I was pulled in and gripped by Suanne's writing.
The main thing I did enjoy most about this book was the different relationships whether it be a bond of friendship, family and love they were all so strong. Suanne has a way of building them so well that I feel like part of their family/crew. I was invested in every single one of them. I loved Trueblood's relationship with his father. It was filled with respect and admiration. I loved his friendship with the twins. They were part of him and he part of them. I loved the relationship with his crew but my most favorite relationship was the one between him and Fen. It was Especial. Their relationship was not instantaneous, it took time to build and I.LOVED.EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT. Ok, maybe not some moments but, I will not say which lol. All these relationships will make you laugh and make you cry. They are all so beautiful in their own ways.
This book will frustrate you, it will break you, put you back together again only to destroy you. But do not fear it will patch you back up. So,legantos buckle up and be prepared to go on an emotional journey. Overall a satisfying read.
April 16, 2019
3.5 S T A R S
This is going to be the shittiest review because I've waited 1000 years to write this review.
I enjoyed this. The world and mythology were really interesting and unique, and the characters were charming, fun and enjoyable. Especially Lejo. Gotta love another cat lover.
I think (again 1000 years) my main niggle about this was the pacing. It was a little too slow for me. I wish it had been a little more adventurous as opposed to kind of waiting for the adventure to come to the characters..
Also, horses are a weird animal for me.
If you're interested in this I definitely think you should give it a try. I'm the odd woman out on this one.
This is going to be the shittiest review because I've waited 1000 years to write this review.
I enjoyed this. The world and mythology were really interesting and unique, and the characters were charming, fun and enjoyable. Especially Lejo. Gotta love another cat lover.
I think (again 1000 years) my main niggle about this was the pacing. It was a little too slow for me. I wish it had been a little more adventurous as opposed to kind of waiting for the adventure to come to the characters..
Also, horses are a weird animal for me.
If you're interested in this I definitely think you should give it a try. I'm the odd woman out on this one.
August 1, 2022
Once upon a time a legantos (that means a reader) didn’t like fantasy books. Along came a beautiful especial rakantistos (that means a story teller) and the legantos changed her ways.
My fellow legantos, gather around and listen because this is a story you haven’t heard before but it is one you need to.
It is a tale of ships and tall trees. Of winged centaurs and witches. Stealers of stars and twins who know the way to go morally and geographically. Giants with the bluest jackets. Moonstones and silver rings.
Sit and listen.
The fact that a book character with a pseudonym wrote a book based on beloved book characters had my head spinning. Hi Stef, I see you. And Trueblood, it’s so lovely to see you again. Hi twins! Oh and there’s a lark. And a goldfinch.
I laughed and cried. Godsdammit what is this whore shit, it’s horseshit. And I was in awe of the especial penmanship of the rakantistos.
Listen to tell it. Tell it to learn it. Learn it to teach it.
This book is magic. It’s like a voyage on the Iliad with Sinbad the sailor and some myths and legends thrown in along with biblical references.
It is one of those books that you will want to read again and again and again and at each re-read you will find something new, something a bit more magical.
I highlighted the life out of this book:
"We can't sit around and wait for the world to be made beautiful for us. We must find beauty in a troubled world. We must be the goodness."
"A story asks for little. Really all it wants and needs is a listener."
"It's all making love to me. All of it. If we lie down and go to sleep, it'll feel like making love. If we stand here and stare at each other all night, it’s making love."
"If you throw a rock at my head, making love?"
"If you shit on my feet, making love."
"You are my trueblood...And I love nothing the way I love you."
The third read is still as especial as the first. Tears from 90% and I was gnashing my teeth at Suanne Laqueur for putting my poor darling Pè and Fen through so much trouble. Godsdammit!
My fellow legantos, gather around and listen because this is a story you haven’t heard before but it is one you need to.
It is a tale of ships and tall trees. Of winged centaurs and witches. Stealers of stars and twins who know the way to go morally and geographically. Giants with the bluest jackets. Moonstones and silver rings.
Sit and listen.
The fact that a book character with a pseudonym wrote a book based on beloved book characters had my head spinning. Hi Stef, I see you. And Trueblood, it’s so lovely to see you again. Hi twins! Oh and there’s a lark. And a goldfinch.
I laughed and cried. Godsdammit what is this whore shit, it’s horseshit. And I was in awe of the especial penmanship of the rakantistos.
Listen to tell it. Tell it to learn it. Learn it to teach it.
This book is magic. It’s like a voyage on the Iliad with Sinbad the sailor and some myths and legends thrown in along with biblical references.
It is one of those books that you will want to read again and again and again and at each re-read you will find something new, something a bit more magical.
I highlighted the life out of this book:
"We can't sit around and wait for the world to be made beautiful for us. We must find beauty in a troubled world. We must be the goodness."
"A story asks for little. Really all it wants and needs is a listener."
"It's all making love to me. All of it. If we lie down and go to sleep, it'll feel like making love. If we stand here and stare at each other all night, it’s making love."
"If you throw a rock at my head, making love?"
"If you shit on my feet, making love."
"You are my trueblood...And I love nothing the way I love you."
The third read is still as especial as the first. Tears from 90% and I was gnashing my teeth at Suanne Laqueur for putting my poor darling Pè and Fen through so much trouble. Godsdammit!
Want to read
December 13, 2018-Not rating- (I stopped reading it around 27%)
BETA copy provided to me by author Suanne Laqueur in exchange for honest feedback & review.
Let me tell you at this first... Suanne is in my Top 5 authors! Last year I read 5 books of hers and they were all in my Top 10 list 2017... So what went wrong with this book? I guess this is "it's not you, it's me" type of thing... Also I believe I read this book in the wrong time, because lately I'm not in the mood for fantasy stories. (Before I start to read this book I didn't know that it was a fantasy story and I rarely read fantasy / PNR books.)
Ugh I'm feeling so terrible for taking this decision but trust me this was not an easy one... So I hope Suanne will forgive me for this... :(
Ps.
Please, read my review but I'm begging you, please this won't stop you for reading this book. Suanne is an amazing person and writer. You should seriously give a chance to her books. ;)
BETA copy provided to me by author Suanne Laqueur in exchange for honest feedback & review.
Let me tell you at this first... Suanne is in my Top 5 authors! Last year I read 5 books of hers and they were all in my Top 10 list 2017... So what went wrong with this book? I guess this is "it's not you, it's me" type of thing... Also I believe I read this book in the wrong time, because lately I'm not in the mood for fantasy stories. (Before I start to read this book I didn't know that it was a fantasy story and I rarely read fantasy / PNR books.)
Ugh I'm feeling so terrible for taking this decision but trust me this was not an easy one... So I hope Suanne will forgive me for this... :(
Ps.
Please, read my review but I'm begging you, please this won't stop you for reading this book. Suanne is an amazing person and writer. You should seriously give a chance to her books. ;)
October 15, 2019
Fantasy at its finest, this book is heartbreakingly beautiful. It is a story told by Javier Landes, a main character in An Exaltation Of Larks and A Charm Of Finches (The Venery Series). The Voyages Of Trueblood Cay is his creation, a love letter of sorts, thanks to the incredible Suanne Laqueur. This book has it all: centaurs, giants, mythological gods, unfathomable tragedy, spiritual symbolism and love... so much love. This review doesn't do justice to the way Suanne writes, connects and creates. She is a master storyteller: gives and takes, breaks and mends, destroys and builds, hurts and heals. I could go on and on. Bottom line, read this book. It is amazing and I would give it 9 stars if I could (read the book and you will understand). It can be read as a stand alone but you would maximize the experience if you read The Venery Series first - which you should do anyways, STAT! I have so much love and appreciation for Suanne's talents and am truly grateful that she shares her magical and amazing mind, through words, with us. This book will be in my Top 10 Reads for the year.
January 24, 2019
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
First of all, let me tell you that you will get so much more out of this book if you have read the books in the Venery series. In fact, I doubt that I would have cried like a baby towards the end had I not read the books and had I not already been traumatized by parts of them. So yeah, thank you Suanne for that. You owe me a pack of Kleenex.
Now, onto the nitty gritty. This book is not generally the type of book I read... or that most people read, to be honest. It's simply different, even from fantasy, IMO. At times, it reminded of the epic tales we studied in high school for my epic class, other times it even resembled a sacred text. And then a character would tell the other to fuck off and I'd be like, "nope, not bible-like, are you?". I absolutely loved that this book was nothing like anything I had ever read before and I applaud the author for being so brave to put out there something that hardly fits into one, if even several, categories.
For all of you who have not read this yet, this book was written, vicariously, by Jav, our Jav (read, MY Jav. Not up for debate guys. I'll only share him with Finch), and is a fantastic creaction that incorporates basically parts of his life, of the people who made it such, and the things that left a mark in him, all packaged in this otherwordly story of Kheirons and giants, and krakens and gods.
It was truly a joy to read this book and find the themes of the Venery series hidden, or other times showcased, in another light. Also, this book is the reason why I currently go around wearing nine rings, to the stupor of my coworkers and family who always knew of my reluctancy for jewerly. But anywaaaaay, the rings, the Gemelos, gelang, valentes, khe l'khe... I was literally trembling of joy every time I spotted something in the narration that reminded me of Finch, Jav, even the unisphere for hell's sake! I was one giant mess of emotion at the mere mention of an object, a sentence etc. Not to talk about Trueblood and Fen talking LATER. Half the Kleenex box was immolated for that moment.
Now, before you guys think this is a tear-jerker, let me reassure you it is not. Especially the first half of the book, I didn't feel very emotional. All characters were introduced and the pacing was kind of slow, but never boring because the style just keeps you reading. I liked how we saw kind of the old guard of the ship, and how Trueblood came to be kepten. It made the second half of the book more meaningful and added "chronicles" to the list of genre this book belongs to, or rather that belong to this book.
Onto the characters. Trueblood. This single word brought me to my knees for years after reading Larks. This was a magnificent tribute to Jav's Trueblood. I liked how we see him basically from his birth to the present, growing, learning, making mistakes, and learning the ambiguity of life, its grief, and finally love and gelang.
Then there is Fen, my beautiful broken foal. I adored his character and out of all of them I liked his character's arc more. He truly blossomed and seeing him reach happiness with Trueblood... it gave me a sense of peace.
In conclusion, this book was different from anything I've ever read before, and yet it captivated me, and made me care about its characters in ways I hardly do. Finding so much of Jav's life, and the themes that already in Venery had given me so much, that was priceless. Things like valentos, or don't you love me anymore, that made me realize how much of the writer was bleeding on the page.
Suanne Laqueur managed to create a wonderful piece of art that tugged at my heartstrings and made my head spin, joining different books through the emotions it caused in me and making me feel honored once again to having been part of this epic journey.
First of all, let me tell you that you will get so much more out of this book if you have read the books in the Venery series. In fact, I doubt that I would have cried like a baby towards the end had I not read the books and had I not already been traumatized by parts of them. So yeah, thank you Suanne for that. You owe me a pack of Kleenex.
Now, onto the nitty gritty. This book is not generally the type of book I read... or that most people read, to be honest. It's simply different, even from fantasy, IMO. At times, it reminded of the epic tales we studied in high school for my epic class, other times it even resembled a sacred text. And then a character would tell the other to fuck off and I'd be like, "nope, not bible-like, are you?". I absolutely loved that this book was nothing like anything I had ever read before and I applaud the author for being so brave to put out there something that hardly fits into one, if even several, categories.
For all of you who have not read this yet, this book was written, vicariously, by Jav, our Jav (read, MY Jav. Not up for debate guys. I'll only share him with Finch), and is a fantastic creaction that incorporates basically parts of his life, of the people who made it such, and the things that left a mark in him, all packaged in this otherwordly story of Kheirons and giants, and krakens and gods.
It was truly a joy to read this book and find the themes of the Venery series hidden, or other times showcased, in another light. Also, this book is the reason why I currently go around wearing nine rings, to the stupor of my coworkers and family who always knew of my reluctancy for jewerly. But anywaaaaay, the rings, the Gemelos, gelang, valentes, khe l'khe... I was literally trembling of joy every time I spotted something in the narration that reminded me of Finch, Jav, even the unisphere for hell's sake! I was one giant mess of emotion at the mere mention of an object, a sentence etc. Not to talk about Trueblood and Fen talking LATER. Half the Kleenex box was immolated for that moment.
Now, before you guys think this is a tear-jerker, let me reassure you it is not. Especially the first half of the book, I didn't feel very emotional. All characters were introduced and the pacing was kind of slow, but never boring because the style just keeps you reading. I liked how we saw kind of the old guard of the ship, and how Trueblood came to be kepten. It made the second half of the book more meaningful and added "chronicles" to the list of genre this book belongs to, or rather that belong to this book.
Onto the characters. Trueblood. This single word brought me to my knees for years after reading Larks. This was a magnificent tribute to Jav's Trueblood. I liked how we see him basically from his birth to the present, growing, learning, making mistakes, and learning the ambiguity of life, its grief, and finally love and gelang.
Then there is Fen, my beautiful broken foal. I adored his character and out of all of them I liked his character's arc more. He truly blossomed and seeing him reach happiness with Trueblood... it gave me a sense of peace.
In conclusion, this book was different from anything I've ever read before, and yet it captivated me, and made me care about its characters in ways I hardly do. Finding so much of Jav's life, and the themes that already in Venery had given me so much, that was priceless. Things like valentos, or don't you love me anymore, that made me realize how much of the writer was bleeding on the page.
Suanne Laqueur managed to create a wonderful piece of art that tugged at my heartstrings and made my head spin, joining different books through the emotions it caused in me and making me feel honored once again to having been part of this epic journey.
January 24, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is a truly unique book. The story connects to the Venery series, as a book within a book. In the Venery series, the character Javier is an author who writes under the pen name Gil Rafael. Here in The Voyages of Trueblood Cay, we are reading a story that Javier has written. While this book can be read as a standalone, it will be all that much richer if you have read the Venery series. As you are told this story, you will be able to peer through the looking glass to find echoes of the finch and the larks, the twins, Philip “Flip” Trueblood — the catalyst for the entire story, and even Javier himself, as well as have déjà vu at times as the stories overlap or perhaps run parallel although in different worlds.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
5 stars
The Voyages of Trueblood Cay is a truly unique book. The story connects to the Venery series, as a book within a book. In the Venery series, the character Javier is an author who writes under the pen name Gil Rafael. Here in The Voyages of Trueblood Cay, we are reading a story that Javier has written. While this book can be read as a standalone, it will be all that much richer if you have read the Venery series. As you are told this story, you will be able to peer through the looking glass to find echoes of the finch and the larks, the twins, Philip “Flip” Trueblood — the catalyst for the entire story, and even Javier himself, as well as have déjà vu at times as the stories overlap or perhaps run parallel although in different worlds.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
January 20, 2019
Ah legantos, you don't mind if I borrow your word, Ms. Laqueur, do you? 😉 This book was an undertaking. I'd originally started it back in December, and I'm sort of ashamed to admit that I was too overwhelmed with holiday happenings to give it the attention it deserved so I decided to push it off until afterwards...fast forward a bit until yesterday (yikes, what happened there??) I'm happy to report I was able to jump back in and read this in the blizzard of 2019.
This was a bit of a departure from Ms. Laqueur's normal contemporary romance style--plunging full-on into fantasy. Not a problem for me, I quite enjoy losing myself in a mystical world of fantastical creatures at times...and gelang. I was happy to see some little Easter eggs from the Venery series thrown in for those of us who have been long time readers.
An enjoyable read and many thanks for this preview copy for review purposes, 3.5 stars.
This was a bit of a departure from Ms. Laqueur's normal contemporary romance style--plunging full-on into fantasy. Not a problem for me, I quite enjoy losing myself in a mystical world of fantastical creatures at times...and gelang. I was happy to see some little Easter eggs from the Venery series thrown in for those of us who have been long time readers.
An enjoyable read and many thanks for this preview copy for review purposes, 3.5 stars.
December 30, 2018
This is a fantasy story from Javier Landes' pen name, Gil Rafael (this should sound familiar if you've read the Venery series by Suanne Laqueur, and the same goes for the lark and finch references). In the backdrop is a world with mythical beings, folklore and a nautical voyage. Everyone has a background story, but the focal characters are Fen and Trueblood. I loved the slow burn aspect in the development of their relationship. The writing is definitely Suanne Laqueur's style so it is beautiful, engaging and slaying. I'm not new to fantasy, so this one was a bit slow at the beginning and the world building wasn't quite as elaborate because it is more story and character driven. There's a lot of names and terms to keep track of as well so it is not meant to be a skim through read. A few times I got a little sidetracked in trying to keep up with each of the details. The intricacies woven into the plot are definitely thought provoking and poetic. My heart clenched through all of the father-son portions. And the ending suited the storyline perfectly, where I didn't know if I should weep with sorrow or joy or all of the above.
January 31, 2019
RTF
My heart is full of love. What a phenomenally great book. It’s early in the year but folks it’s going to be hard to top this one.
This book is a book about love in all its forms: parent and child, friendship and romantic relationships - the whole spectrum of love is represented in this beautiful story.
This fantasy novel can be considered a book within a book: Gil Rafael is the pen name of one of the MCs of the Venery series - Javier. In Larks and Finches Javier is writing, pausing and then finishing Trueblood and as readers we get to recognise characters and events from that series in this narrative.
Laquer is a phenomenally good writer: on the one hand we are able to appreciate her character and story driven penmanship and on the other this sounds and feels exactly like Javier.
I highly recommend this book and I highly recommend reading it in the context of both Larks and Finches. The writing is masterful, the characters unforgettable and the story filled with love.
My heart is full of love. What a phenomenally great book. It’s early in the year but folks it’s going to be hard to top this one.
This book is a book about love in all its forms: parent and child, friendship and romantic relationships - the whole spectrum of love is represented in this beautiful story.
This fantasy novel can be considered a book within a book: Gil Rafael is the pen name of one of the MCs of the Venery series - Javier. In Larks and Finches Javier is writing, pausing and then finishing Trueblood and as readers we get to recognise characters and events from that series in this narrative.
Laquer is a phenomenally good writer: on the one hand we are able to appreciate her character and story driven penmanship and on the other this sounds and feels exactly like Javier.
I highly recommend this book and I highly recommend reading it in the context of both Larks and Finches. The writing is masterful, the characters unforgettable and the story filled with love.
December 28, 2018
Listen to tell it. Tell it to learn it. Learn it to teach it.
A fantasy tale, in a folk style telling of stories on board ship I was completely absorbed in this alternate world. It is an intricate story with a lot of names to recall but the main characters soon become familiar and adored.
I really liked the way it was told. I wasn't expecting to become so emotionally involved but by the end I was a wreck, a total mess, and I loved it.
Fans of Laqueur will recognise characters, after all, this is a book from within a book. The Kepten and the Kheiron in particular are reminiscent of Will and Erik in the way they communicate.
Under it all this is a story of destiny, of redemption, the power of love and the lengths we will go to for those we love. The bonds between friends, fathers and sons and a mother's love. You will laugh and cry, with them and for them, and you wont forget them.
A fantasy tale, in a folk style telling of stories on board ship I was completely absorbed in this alternate world. It is an intricate story with a lot of names to recall but the main characters soon become familiar and adored.
I really liked the way it was told. I wasn't expecting to become so emotionally involved but by the end I was a wreck, a total mess, and I loved it.
Fans of Laqueur will recognise characters, after all, this is a book from within a book. The Kepten and the Kheiron in particular are reminiscent of Will and Erik in the way they communicate.
Under it all this is a story of destiny, of redemption, the power of love and the lengths we will go to for those we love. The bonds between friends, fathers and sons and a mother's love. You will laugh and cry, with them and for them, and you wont forget them.
February 27, 2024
5 Stars - Utterly beautiful
Content warning: murder, child abuse, rape, physical violence. There is plenty of seriously dark stuff.
What a beautiful book this is. First of all there's the writing, that is just utterly beautiful, poetic, full of truth. I haven't read writing so lovely for quite a while and it brought me so much joy.
Then the world building and the world itself just made me happy. Suanne Laqueur has brought together parts of different mythologies and combined them to create a whole complex culture, including a unique language (based on Esperanto, which is a detail I just love!) to create a world you want to immerse yourself into and never leave again. There's a tree of life, there are gods that make stupid mistakes, there are all sorts of horsefolk.
The story I loved - it's a modern take on a legend or tale in that there is a prophecy, a destiny, a fated love. But there is so much more to it than a formulaic checking off of all of the plot elements the genre would require. The different elements of the story come together so beautifully and I am in awe of just how well constructed the plot was. Laqueur also clearly cares about the characters that are destined to become more than they ever intended. She cares about them deeply and we understand that fate can ask a lot and maybe too much and that it hurts. But they persist, and, if I may spoil a tiny bit: all will be (pretty) well in the end and that is how such a story should end indeed.
Which brings me to the next point: the characters! Good grief, I find it really hard to put into words just how WONDERFUL they all were. Some of them really are put through the wringer and they become damaged, and badly so. But still, they stay honest, vulnerable, open. While reading this I kept thinking that Laqueur captured just so well how being the best version of yourself is really the only way to go. Don't be petty, don't be a jerk, if you like someone, open up to that person, be vulnerable. And it will reward you with true, meaningful relationships. Big love, but also real friendship, honest companionship. You know a book is special when it inspires you to want to be a better person.
Honestly, the longer I kept reading, the more I wanted this book to never, ever end. This is most definitely one of the best books of the year for me, and it is likely that I will reread. (Which happens very rarely these days.)
If you even remotely like Fantasy (and even if you don't) this is very, very heartily recommended.
I have received a review copy via NetGalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
Content warning: murder, child abuse, rape, physical violence. There is plenty of seriously dark stuff.
What a beautiful book this is. First of all there's the writing, that is just utterly beautiful, poetic, full of truth. I haven't read writing so lovely for quite a while and it brought me so much joy.
Then the world building and the world itself just made me happy. Suanne Laqueur has brought together parts of different mythologies and combined them to create a whole complex culture, including a unique language (based on Esperanto, which is a detail I just love!) to create a world you want to immerse yourself into and never leave again. There's a tree of life, there are gods that make stupid mistakes, there are all sorts of horsefolk.
The story I loved - it's a modern take on a legend or tale in that there is a prophecy, a destiny, a fated love. But there is so much more to it than a formulaic checking off of all of the plot elements the genre would require. The different elements of the story come together so beautifully and I am in awe of just how well constructed the plot was. Laqueur also clearly cares about the characters that are destined to become more than they ever intended. She cares about them deeply and we understand that fate can ask a lot and maybe too much and that it hurts. But they persist, and, if I may spoil a tiny bit: all will be (pretty) well in the end and that is how such a story should end indeed.
Which brings me to the next point: the characters! Good grief, I find it really hard to put into words just how WONDERFUL they all were. Some of them really are put through the wringer and they become damaged, and badly so. But still, they stay honest, vulnerable, open. While reading this I kept thinking that Laqueur captured just so well how being the best version of yourself is really the only way to go. Don't be petty, don't be a jerk, if you like someone, open up to that person, be vulnerable. And it will reward you with true, meaningful relationships. Big love, but also real friendship, honest companionship. You know a book is special when it inspires you to want to be a better person.
Honestly, the longer I kept reading, the more I wanted this book to never, ever end. This is most definitely one of the best books of the year for me, and it is likely that I will reread. (Which happens very rarely these days.)
If you even remotely like Fantasy (and even if you don't) this is very, very heartily recommended.
I have received a review copy via NetGalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
January 18, 2019
This is not your typical Suanne Laqueur book. Yet it is. Absolutely.
After I read the first chapter, I put the book on hold for a few weeks because I was in the mood for contemporary and was right in a reading flow. t didn't fit yet.
But after those few weeks I picked it back up because I was curious. Curious about Trueblood, curious to see what had become of the author's memories. And I got what I had been looking for. A fantastic and fantastical story, epic, layered, sad, happy, dark and light. All packed into one big story. One I am looking forward to reading again. And again.
Bonus tip: Now go and (re-)read An Exaltation of Larks. Because that's were you can (re-)discover where lots of little parts come from. The people that helped shape this story. For those of you, who easily cry: Keep your tissues ready because it's going to be hard. But wonderful.
After I read the first chapter, I put the book on hold for a few weeks because I was in the mood for contemporary and was right in a reading flow. t didn't fit yet.
But after those few weeks I picked it back up because I was curious. Curious about Trueblood, curious to see what had become of the author's memories. And I got what I had been looking for. A fantastic and fantastical story, epic, layered, sad, happy, dark and light. All packed into one big story. One I am looking forward to reading again. And again.
Bonus tip: Now go and (re-)read An Exaltation of Larks. Because that's were you can (re-)discover where lots of little parts come from. The people that helped shape this story. For those of you, who easily cry: Keep your tissues ready because it's going to be hard. But wonderful.
February 2, 2019
I finished this book over 24 hours ago and am still speechless. I'm not really sure how I can describe it (or my emotions while reading it), but I'll do my best (as the author rues the day that she gave me an ARC, since that's the whole point).
Where do I start? This was a book within a book, a fantasy within a fantasy... No, none of that does it justice. Let me tell you what I know to be true without giving anything away. Laqueur thoroughly, tirelessly researched numerous mythologies, combined them to create her own, and then set a love story there. A story that one of her former characters "wrote," to tell his own healing tale. In a time when mythological events were not so distant and magic and her creatures roam the earth, although Fen and Trueblood are each a step away from the control of a dynasty, they live in very different realities. Each is a player in his own epic story that will eventually become a tale passed through the ages, though they don't know it.
To be clear, fantasy is not my favorite genre. It takes a while to get going (I'm impatient) and spends a lot of time on setting (I'm a character-driven reader). Yes, this was a fantasy, but it was more than that. It's about being true to yourself and your destiny. About embracing love when it knocks at our door, no matter its form or how long it may last. And how our connections to others and our actions make us who we are and have the ability to change the world, even if only to one other person.
Only Suanne could make me sob over a pegasus (called pegaso in this story, but yeah, same thing) and a lark. You read that right, I ugly cried like a baby over these. I lost myself in the world of her creation and fell in love with her characters. The way that everything fit together at the end- the stories, the characters, the mythos- was perfect. Beautiful. A work of art.
Once again, Laqueur pours all of her heart, soul, effort, and intelligence into a novel that leaves me speechless.
(P.S. I'm at a 4.5 on this story. A 4 for the first part (because it was world building and I'm a restless reader) and a 5 for the second half.)
Where do I start? This was a book within a book, a fantasy within a fantasy... No, none of that does it justice. Let me tell you what I know to be true without giving anything away. Laqueur thoroughly, tirelessly researched numerous mythologies, combined them to create her own, and then set a love story there. A story that one of her former characters "wrote," to tell his own healing tale. In a time when mythological events were not so distant and magic and her creatures roam the earth, although Fen and Trueblood are each a step away from the control of a dynasty, they live in very different realities. Each is a player in his own epic story that will eventually become a tale passed through the ages, though they don't know it.
To be clear, fantasy is not my favorite genre. It takes a while to get going (I'm impatient) and spends a lot of time on setting (I'm a character-driven reader). Yes, this was a fantasy, but it was more than that. It's about being true to yourself and your destiny. About embracing love when it knocks at our door, no matter its form or how long it may last. And how our connections to others and our actions make us who we are and have the ability to change the world, even if only to one other person.
Only Suanne could make me sob over a pegasus (called pegaso in this story, but yeah, same thing) and a lark. You read that right, I ugly cried like a baby over these. I lost myself in the world of her creation and fell in love with her characters. The way that everything fit together at the end- the stories, the characters, the mythos- was perfect. Beautiful. A work of art.
Once again, Laqueur pours all of her heart, soul, effort, and intelligence into a novel that leaves me speechless.
(P.S. I'm at a 4.5 on this story. A 4 for the first part (because it was world building and I'm a restless reader) and a 5 for the second half.)
December 18, 2018
This story broke my heart and stitched it back together... multiple times. I know fantasy isn’t for everyone (and not what this author typically writes), but in the end, it’s a love story - a story of love between brothers, between father and son, and between one lover and another.
Suanne is a master (especial?) storyteller, weaving plot lines and worlds with unforgettable characters and a love for the ages.
I was invited by the publisher to review the book.
Suanne is a master (especial?) storyteller, weaving plot lines and worlds with unforgettable characters and a love for the ages.
I was invited by the publisher to review the book.
February 21, 2021
Wow, I don’t have the words yet.
I love all Suanne’s books but this was unlike any other she’s written because of the fantasy genre. That said it still had the heartbreaking, emotional, unique and powerful storyline that’s the essence of Suanne’s writing.
I will agree with others saying the first 15-17% was a bit tough to get through. It was all back story told through legends and world building which was an essential part of this incredible storyline but I was slightly confused a time or two. But taking it all in slowly helped and once I better understood this world and it’s legends I was sucked in.
Just like her world building, her character development was phenomenal. So many great characters. Pelippé and Fen, Lejo and Raj, Kepten True, Abrakam. This wasn’t just a story about romance and finding that one great love. It was about friendship and family, the family you’re born with and the family you choose and what that family will sacrifice for each other.
Of course Suanne’s stories are never easy. The pain and loss and abuse always is heavy. My heart never survives and there was no shortage of tears from me. But the love and laughter was these as well, mending it back together.
I love all Suanne’s books but this was unlike any other she’s written because of the fantasy genre. That said it still had the heartbreaking, emotional, unique and powerful storyline that’s the essence of Suanne’s writing.
I will agree with others saying the first 15-17% was a bit tough to get through. It was all back story told through legends and world building which was an essential part of this incredible storyline but I was slightly confused a time or two. But taking it all in slowly helped and once I better understood this world and it’s legends I was sucked in.
Just like her world building, her character development was phenomenal. So many great characters. Pelippé and Fen, Lejo and Raj, Kepten True, Abrakam. This wasn’t just a story about romance and finding that one great love. It was about friendship and family, the family you’re born with and the family you choose and what that family will sacrifice for each other.
Of course Suanne’s stories are never easy. The pain and loss and abuse always is heavy. My heart never survives and there was no shortage of tears from me. But the love and laughter was these as well, mending it back together.
March 10, 2021
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This is one of those books that's so hard to review because it's so different and almost kind of ethereal and fairytale-esque in a way that defies description.
The story starts off by kind of summarizing and giving us snippets of Trueblood's childhood and teen years and getting the reader accustomed to the world and its mythology. Eventually it gets to Trueblood when he's 19 and becomes more focused and set in one time. The characters discover they're part of an important prophecy and set off by ship to fulfill it.
I've seen a lot of reviews that talk about how beautiful this book is, but I want to make this clear: parts of this book are beautiful, and as a whole it's beautiful, but other parts are horrifying, disturbing, and tragic. There is child slavery and rape, trauma, grief, suffering, and both physical and emotional pain. Characters endured terrible things. Characters did terrible things themselves, sometimes out of desperation or love.
The characters were wonderful. Trueblood was kind, fair, and understanding. Fen was surly at times, struggling with guilt and trauma and fear of intimacy, but with good intentions in life. Raj and Lejo were fun, loyal, and sweet. Everyone felt distinct and complex.
The relationships were touching. The romance between Trueblood and Fen took a while and had a rocky beginning, but that was because there was always this thrum of want and tension between them, even when Fen didn't want to admit it. And once they finally got close and admitted their love, it was such a beautiful, solid relationship. The friendship bond between Trueblood and the twins (Raj and Lejo) was just as beautiful and strong in a different way. There was also the way Fen came to view them like family, and the way Trueblood looked up to his father, and how Abrakam was always there for all of them as a guardian figure, and the young love and explorations between characters in the past, and all of it was just so sweet.
The world was fantastical. Trueblood was descended from giants. Fen was part of a race of beings who could shift between human, horse, or half (like a centaur) form and also sprout wings and fly. There were also centaurs and minotaurs and krakens and gods and a giant tree that grew an almost magical substance with a sort of healing property and mythical ships that would show up right when they were needed. There was so much uniqueness and mythology to this world.
But as I said, there was also sadness. Every character had their struggles, their traumas, whether it was living with chronic pain and a drug addiction, or being kidnapped and sold into slavery as a child and doing terrible things to get out, or losing loved ones, or selling their souls for someone they loved.
Storytelling was a big theme throughout the book. The POV was that of an omniscient narrator telling us, the readers, the story of Trueblood and Fen, but it mostly felt like 3rd person limited through the alternating POVs of Trueblood and Fen.
This is technically part of a series, but this is the book that a character in that series has written. You can definitely read this without reading that series, it functions as a standalone, and I know this because I have not read that series.
Overall, this was a fantastical, magical sort of book with lovely characters and touching relationships that had a lot of heaviness and hardship but also a lot of beauty and love.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Child rape and slavery (rape not really depicted on-page I don't think, but mentioned a lot). Corporal punishment.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: eBook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes stories that are beautiful but also have a lot of heaviness, fantasy worlds, storytelling as a theme, and loving relationships of all kinds.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
This is one of those books that's so hard to review because it's so different and almost kind of ethereal and fairytale-esque in a way that defies description.
The story starts off by kind of summarizing and giving us snippets of Trueblood's childhood and teen years and getting the reader accustomed to the world and its mythology. Eventually it gets to Trueblood when he's 19 and becomes more focused and set in one time. The characters discover they're part of an important prophecy and set off by ship to fulfill it.
I've seen a lot of reviews that talk about how beautiful this book is, but I want to make this clear: parts of this book are beautiful, and as a whole it's beautiful, but other parts are horrifying, disturbing, and tragic. There is child slavery and rape, trauma, grief, suffering, and both physical and emotional pain. Characters endured terrible things. Characters did terrible things themselves, sometimes out of desperation or love.
The characters were wonderful. Trueblood was kind, fair, and understanding. Fen was surly at times, struggling with guilt and trauma and fear of intimacy, but with good intentions in life. Raj and Lejo were fun, loyal, and sweet. Everyone felt distinct and complex.
The relationships were touching. The romance between Trueblood and Fen took a while and had a rocky beginning, but that was because there was always this thrum of want and tension between them, even when Fen didn't want to admit it. And once they finally got close and admitted their love, it was such a beautiful, solid relationship. The friendship bond between Trueblood and the twins (Raj and Lejo) was just as beautiful and strong in a different way. There was also the way Fen came to view them like family, and the way Trueblood looked up to his father, and how Abrakam was always there for all of them as a guardian figure, and the young love and explorations between characters in the past, and all of it was just so sweet.
The world was fantastical. Trueblood was descended from giants. Fen was part of a race of beings who could shift between human, horse, or half (like a centaur) form and also sprout wings and fly. There were also centaurs and minotaurs and krakens and gods and a giant tree that grew an almost magical substance with a sort of healing property and mythical ships that would show up right when they were needed. There was so much uniqueness and mythology to this world.
But as I said, there was also sadness. Every character had their struggles, their traumas, whether it was living with chronic pain and a drug addiction, or being kidnapped and sold into slavery as a child and doing terrible things to get out, or losing loved ones, or selling their souls for someone they loved.
Storytelling was a big theme throughout the book. The POV was that of an omniscient narrator telling us, the readers, the story of Trueblood and Fen, but it mostly felt like 3rd person limited through the alternating POVs of Trueblood and Fen.
This is technically part of a series, but this is the book that a character in that series has written. You can definitely read this without reading that series, it functions as a standalone, and I know this because I have not read that series.
Overall, this was a fantastical, magical sort of book with lovely characters and touching relationships that had a lot of heaviness and hardship but also a lot of beauty and love.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Child rape and slavery (rape not really depicted on-page I don't think, but mentioned a lot). Corporal punishment.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: eBook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes stories that are beautiful but also have a lot of heaviness, fantasy worlds, storytelling as a theme, and loving relationships of all kinds.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
February 24, 2019
Best read of 2019
I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book but I'm so glad I did,I was a bit confused at first with the language and phrases but as you get into the story they just make sense,got to be one of my favourite reads this year
I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book but I'm so glad I did,I was a bit confused at first with the language and phrases but as you get into the story they just make sense,got to be one of my favourite reads this year
May 4, 2021
I am positive that I'm under-rating this book, but I'm going to allow it since there's plenty of room to spare in its current stats :) But let's start with the good because there's lots of it:
1. The mythology is both magical and presented as the real-life history of this world, which is AWESOME. The way it all dovetails together in both small and large details is brilliant and so fun to discover. This is why it deserves all those 5-star ratings and why I keep trying to make myself knock my own rating up. I loved it so much, and the writing style is perfect for it.
2. I fell in love with the ship's crew. Their personal history together, the way they interact, their traditions both as sailors in general and specifically The True Way of Trueblood's long-reigning family leadership -- it's beautiful. Practically deserving of 5 stars in and of itself.
I was also fully invested in the romance and onboard with all the elements of their slow-building relationship.
BUT
The ending went sideways for me. In all the ways. Like just about every single beat that played out over the final 10% was not to my liking! That's so personal and such a subjective complaint, but I can't help it. There was a jarring emotional shift, and then I spent however many pages feeling unsettled, and then I did not feel soothed by the end. Is it this book's job to soothe me?? Of course not. It's mythologically-inspired for god's sake!! Not a genre known for its "soothing" endings 😂 But something about it just didn't sit right with me.
This was quite possibly due to the preceding issued I had with TRIGGER WARNING: This becomes clear pretty early on, but it's a vague background detail for the majority of the book. And then it's not. And it's even more horrifying in detail than I could have made it in my worst imaginings. So I was definitely primed to be unsettled (even though there's nothing about that last 10% that has anything to do with the trigger warning).
Despite what may seem like a lukewarm rating, I was so impressed with this book that I was ready to jump straight to this author's contemporaries from this "series" (there's no real connection) because I now trust her to pull off that kind of epic and keep me enthralled the whole way. But holy shit, those trigger warnings.
1. The mythology is both magical and presented as the real-life history of this world, which is AWESOME. The way it all dovetails together in both small and large details is brilliant and so fun to discover. This is why it deserves all those 5-star ratings and why I keep trying to make myself knock my own rating up. I loved it so much, and the writing style is perfect for it.
2. I fell in love with the ship's crew. Their personal history together, the way they interact, their traditions both as sailors in general and specifically The True Way of Trueblood's long-reigning family leadership -- it's beautiful. Practically deserving of 5 stars in and of itself.
I was also fully invested in the romance and onboard with all the elements of their slow-building relationship.
BUT
The ending went sideways for me. In all the ways. Like just about every single beat that played out over the final 10% was not to my liking! That's so personal and such a subjective complaint, but I can't help it. There was a jarring emotional shift, and then I spent however many pages feeling unsettled, and then I did not feel soothed by the end. Is it this book's job to soothe me?? Of course not. It's mythologically-inspired for god's sake!! Not a genre known for its "soothing" endings 😂 But something about it just didn't sit right with me.
This was quite possibly due to the preceding issued I had with TRIGGER WARNING: This becomes clear pretty early on, but it's a vague background detail for the majority of the book. And then it's not. And it's even more horrifying in detail than I could have made it in my worst imaginings. So I was definitely primed to be unsettled (even though there's nothing about that last 10% that has anything to do with the trigger warning).
Despite what may seem like a lukewarm rating, I was so impressed with this book that I was ready to jump straight to this author's contemporaries from this "series" (there's no real connection) because I now trust her to pull off that kind of epic and keep me enthralled the whole way. But holy shit, those trigger warnings.
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