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Gold Warrior #1-2
Branded
Maen is a Gold Warrior, an elite defender of Aza City, respected by his fellow soldiers and favored by his imperious Mistress for services both in and out of the bedchamber. His loyalty and commitment are unwavering until he recruits Dax, a captivating and challenging Bronzeman who, despite his youth and inexperience, seduces Maen with his fierce hero worship. When they’re captured by enemies of the City, Maen risks everything to save his position, his faith, and even his life. But he loses his lover to the rebels and upon his return to the City is stripped of his rank. In Aza, where a soldier’s only lawful devotion is to the City and his Mistress’s pleasure, the disgraced Maen is placed under the watchful guard of the arrogant Gold Warrior Zander and relegated to preparing a royal history for the new Queen. But his discoveries cast a new and shocking light on the past and threaten to stir revolution in both citizens and rebels. With the help of the lively and inquisitive scribe Kiel, Maen initiates a chain of events that will change their world forever—and offer him the chance to regain both his honor and his heart’s desire.
Formerly published in two The Gold Warrior and Twisted Brand
Formerly published in two The Gold Warrior and Twisted Brand
403 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Clare London
147 books434 followersClare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.
Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.
All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!
Clare also writes as Stella Shaw and launched a new series of rent boy romances in 2021.
Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.
All the details and free fiction are available at her website. Visit her today and say hello!
Clare also writes as Stella Shaw and launched a new series of rent boy romances in 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 31, 2010
Branded, as the blurb states, was originally sold as two separate works. So, as one would assume, it's a long novel and not one you can simply sit down and read for an afternoon, but I found it well worth the time it took to read.
It is set in Aza City, a place where women rule, men are their servants and those that do not measure up, either as citizens of the city, soldiers or human beings in general are exiled or executed; without remorse, without pity and without a fair trial. This is a tale of heartache, struggle, determination, abiding love and the life of a man, his people, and their history.
Aza City, along with the three other cities of this world, was constructed during what is referred to as the Days of Colonization. A time when men and women were considered equal, when they worked together as one for the good of the people and their city. Then as so often happens, even throughout our own history, sickness struck. Killing off many and rapidly decreasing their numbers. This disease though, was a curse to men rather than women, because for whatever reason, the woman seemed to live while the men perished. Decreasing their numbers rapidly, until a scientist, possibly a doctor at the time, a man, found a cure. This cure allowed the men to grow stronger than they normally would and to live longer, healthier lives, without illness. There's a catch though, as there usually is, for even in the realm of fiction, nothing is perfect, otherwise what would be the point of reading it? That catch being that this medicine dulled the emotions and will of men, maybe not at first, but throughout time the dosages and possibly the content of the medicine changed. Women took power and corrupted the delicate balance of equality, making the men their servants. Relegating them to lives that were devoted solely to their mistress, their city and their duty to both. Yet, as is true in real life, an individual's power, choice and freedom can be taken away, but sooner or later, the enslaved will unite and they will struggle against the bonds of servitude and oppression. It is only a matter of time.
Maen is a warrior, a Gold Warrior, the highest rank among soldiers. He is honorable, courageous, well respected, and the property of Mistress Luana. He has no say in his own life, no right to feelings or his own ambitions, he is a slave. Maybe a well known, respected slave, but a slave none-the-less. He is also blindly unaware of his own servitude. Yes, he knows that he must report and obey his Mistress, but he believes with absolute certainty that is how his life should be, that having feelings other than that of devotion to someone or something other than the City and his Mistress would be a horrendous weakness of character. Until he meets a young man named Dax.
Dax is intelligent, handsome and growing into a courageous warrior. He is also inquisitive by nature and questions everything. He questions his duty, the rules, their life, the power of the Mistresses and the value of taking the medicine. He becomes the catalyst of change; change for men, the City and a brave Gold Warrior.
As you can probably guess, the two men fall in love, but this is not a simple happily-ever-after story, permeated with tender love scenes and endearing words, though it does have that. It is a novel rife with action and betrayal. The men are captured, more than once, their lives endangered numerous times, they are separated for long periods, and their love questioned. It is both heart-wrenching and sweet. However, the main storyline of this book, is not of their love and struggle to be together, but of their fight, both together and separately for change. It reminded me more than once of a famous Margaret Mead quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
This story was inspiring, horrifying at times and endearing. One that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys angst filled stories of love and courage.
It is set in Aza City, a place where women rule, men are their servants and those that do not measure up, either as citizens of the city, soldiers or human beings in general are exiled or executed; without remorse, without pity and without a fair trial. This is a tale of heartache, struggle, determination, abiding love and the life of a man, his people, and their history.
Aza City, along with the three other cities of this world, was constructed during what is referred to as the Days of Colonization. A time when men and women were considered equal, when they worked together as one for the good of the people and their city. Then as so often happens, even throughout our own history, sickness struck. Killing off many and rapidly decreasing their numbers. This disease though, was a curse to men rather than women, because for whatever reason, the woman seemed to live while the men perished. Decreasing their numbers rapidly, until a scientist, possibly a doctor at the time, a man, found a cure. This cure allowed the men to grow stronger than they normally would and to live longer, healthier lives, without illness. There's a catch though, as there usually is, for even in the realm of fiction, nothing is perfect, otherwise what would be the point of reading it? That catch being that this medicine dulled the emotions and will of men, maybe not at first, but throughout time the dosages and possibly the content of the medicine changed. Women took power and corrupted the delicate balance of equality, making the men their servants. Relegating them to lives that were devoted solely to their mistress, their city and their duty to both. Yet, as is true in real life, an individual's power, choice and freedom can be taken away, but sooner or later, the enslaved will unite and they will struggle against the bonds of servitude and oppression. It is only a matter of time.
Maen is a warrior, a Gold Warrior, the highest rank among soldiers. He is honorable, courageous, well respected, and the property of Mistress Luana. He has no say in his own life, no right to feelings or his own ambitions, he is a slave. Maybe a well known, respected slave, but a slave none-the-less. He is also blindly unaware of his own servitude. Yes, he knows that he must report and obey his Mistress, but he believes with absolute certainty that is how his life should be, that having feelings other than that of devotion to someone or something other than the City and his Mistress would be a horrendous weakness of character. Until he meets a young man named Dax.
Dax is intelligent, handsome and growing into a courageous warrior. He is also inquisitive by nature and questions everything. He questions his duty, the rules, their life, the power of the Mistresses and the value of taking the medicine. He becomes the catalyst of change; change for men, the City and a brave Gold Warrior.
As you can probably guess, the two men fall in love, but this is not a simple happily-ever-after story, permeated with tender love scenes and endearing words, though it does have that. It is a novel rife with action and betrayal. The men are captured, more than once, their lives endangered numerous times, they are separated for long periods, and their love questioned. It is both heart-wrenching and sweet. However, the main storyline of this book, is not of their love and struggle to be together, but of their fight, both together and separately for change. It reminded me more than once of a famous Margaret Mead quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
This story was inspiring, horrifying at times and endearing. One that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys angst filled stories of love and courage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2010
I'm not going to attempt to summarize or describe the complex, involved plot of this very long novel; others have done that. From fifty thousand feet, I view this as the story of Gold Warrior Maen's slow, sometimes painful, always engrossing evolution from an unthinkingly loyal, chemically programmed sexual slave and "tool" of Aza City and its ruling women to a fully thinking, feeling man. This is a long and circuitous journey, and it incorporates other important and fully developed "stories," like the political intrigues within the City and between the City and the Exile rebels, and the love story between Maen and the former-citizen, now-rebel Dax (though - as other reviewers have noted - the couple is apart for long portions of the book; the romantic element is very important and satisfyingly resolved, but again, this is primarily Maen's story, not the story of the two of them together).
Although this doesn't appear to be one of this author's better-known works, in some ways I see it as something of a tour de force. As other reviewers have noted, the world-building is first rate, fascinating and unique and amazingly rich with detail and depth, and the plot is stunningly intricate and complex. The writing - always this author's strength - is so strong, so consistent; an absolute pleasure to read. It's quite a long novel, but I stayed thoroughly engrossed. The voice of the POV character, Maen, is one of the great strengths of the story; through him I saw and learned about his world (without extraneous exposition), and I experienced the pain and discomfort - and joy - of his experiences, emotions, and evolution.
To my mind the one slight weakness lay in the ending, the resolution of some of the many conflicts (not the romance). Unlike the rest of the novel, it didn't feel 100% "real" - as in, consistent with the nature and motivations of the society and characters; in other words, I was a bit skeptical about it. Given the amazing groundwork the author had laid, I thought she could have achieved the end result in a more effective and believable way. But this didn't materially impact my enjoyment; I was still satisfied overall with the ending.
Overall: not a simple novel, not a quick or easy read, but a truly rewarding and unique one, one that stays in your mind and gives you food for thought - one you don't easily forget (and will, if you are like me, want more of!).
Although this doesn't appear to be one of this author's better-known works, in some ways I see it as something of a tour de force. As other reviewers have noted, the world-building is first rate, fascinating and unique and amazingly rich with detail and depth, and the plot is stunningly intricate and complex. The writing - always this author's strength - is so strong, so consistent; an absolute pleasure to read. It's quite a long novel, but I stayed thoroughly engrossed. The voice of the POV character, Maen, is one of the great strengths of the story; through him I saw and learned about his world (without extraneous exposition), and I experienced the pain and discomfort - and joy - of his experiences, emotions, and evolution.
To my mind the one slight weakness lay in the ending, the resolution of some of the many conflicts (not the romance). Unlike the rest of the novel, it didn't feel 100% "real" - as in, consistent with the nature and motivations of the society and characters; in other words, I was a bit skeptical about it. Given the amazing groundwork the author had laid, I thought she could have achieved the end result in a more effective and believable way. But this didn't materially impact my enjoyment; I was still satisfied overall with the ending.
Overall: not a simple novel, not a quick or easy read, but a truly rewarding and unique one, one that stays in your mind and gives you food for thought - one you don't easily forget (and will, if you are like me, want more of!).
March 31, 2016
Book - Branded
Author – Clare London
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 451
Movie Potential - ★★★★★
Ease of reading – very easy to read and follow
Would I read it again – Yes.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I really loved this book, but I have to admit that it's not what I expected. There was way more M/F (explicit) scenes in it than I'd anticipated and this is why I knocked off one of the stars. I read an M/M for the M/M not to have M/F interrupting that so consistently.
But, despite that, this book didn't break my heart. It took a tiny hammer and chisel, then with each chapter chipped away a piece at a time, until the final chapter had it shattering in grief.
THE WORLD
Here's the run down of how the world works. You need to know this, because I'll be using terms in my review that you won't understand otherwise:
Women rule the world. Four women – called Mistresses - first began colonization, in a harsh land, and rule four different cities. There is a Queen and her Queen-Elects, her daughters. The Queen is the only one who keeps their children at home (always daughters). Next, there are the Mistresses – who are like Queens in their own homes and who run an entire 'city' each. Below them are the Ladies of their Household (the term for their home or estate) who have Mistress privileges, but who don't really get involved in the running of the city or the Household.
The men of the world are subservient and always defer to women, when one is around. They are born with a weakness that requires medication that the Mistresses have designed. It's called 'Devotions', that the men take to protect them from the 'disease' they were born with. The medication makes them stay younger longer, live longer, maintains their sexual appetite and keeps them compliant. This is important for a reason.
Now, how the Household is run: three levels of soldiers serve the house and the Mistress and Ladies (in and out of bed) as part of their soldierly duties. The Mistress runs the house, in charge of the city and the Household. The servants are low born people, called Remainders.
The Remainders (servants) are those who were not born of a Mistress or Lady, but bred by two Remainders. These are the really low ranking people of the world, the poor and destitute, the ones who do the low jobs in the city and never get any special treatment.
Next, we have the soldiers:
Bronzemen : these are the lowest level of soldier. They're called 'children' in the novel (which slightly disturbs me) but we're never really told how old they are. I hope, and presume, they're at least 16, if not 18. They're taken from the Central School (where all children are placed after birth to be taught and raised) and to a 'Choosing', similar to an auction. The boys are presented to the Mistresses for inspection and they bid for the boys they prefer, who will then enter their Household. They learn from the Gold Warrior and Silver Guards, how to train, how to be a real soldier and within the first two weeks, are introduced to the Mistresses bed. They are to remain untouched by all but the Mistress and the Ladies, who teach them the ways of the bed.
Silver Captain: these are the second level of guard. These are well trained soldiers, with a lot of responsibility and training. This is when they are most popular with the Ladies and the Mistress, because they are grown men and well versed in their 'duties'. But, as well as being 'available' to their Mistress and the Ladies of the Household, they are also allowed to 'couple' (have sex) with the other soldiers. This isn't frowned upon or even hesitated over; it's perfectly natural for them.
Gold Warrior: this is the top level of soldier. They are the best and most well trained soldier in the guard; they have authority over all the other soldiers, train the Bronzemen when they first arrive and help the Mistress run her Household. No longer as popular as the other two levels of soldiers, they spend less time in and out of beds and more time training, in charge and strategising.
Last, we have the Exiles. As the world implies, these are people who have proven useless to the city or committed a crime. They've been exiled to the harshest part of their planet, where they're expected not to live long. Without the medication of their Devotions, they're expected to die within a few years, because of the sickness men are born with. However, the Exiles run skirmishes in the city, stealing food and other items and trying to get into the heart of the city. These are the most important of the characters, as they are the ones who will make the biggest difference to the main characters.
When it comes to the Devotions, the higher the rank, the stronger the Devotions. Exiles take no Devotions, since they can't get their hands on them. Remainders take a certain amount, morning and night, which is the least volume of Devotions taken by anyone in the 'world'. When a child becomes a Bronzeman, his level of Devotions is changed, to encourage strong virulence and strength of character, while promoting an advanced growth of mind and body. Next, the Silver Guards have their Devotions upped again, in what I assume is an attempt to gain control over their minds as well as their bodies. The Gold Warriors are on the highest dose; the most loyal and emotionless of all the soldiers.
~
Now, here's something that I don't understand. The high born people are born from a coupling of the Mistress and one of her soldiers. Once they're born, they're sent to the Central School, where they are taught and grow up, until they're of age to enter the Choosing, to be selected to live in other Households (the homes of other Mistresses). Here, everything is well taken care of, to ensure there's no interbreeding.
However, this is what I don't understand. The women 'created' the world, once upon a time, and created the system of their world; how it worked and who became what. We're told that all the children are born from the Mistress and her soldiers, but there's no mention of where the Remainders came from. Who had the first child, who became a Remainder? Was it a disabled child, born to a Mistress, or something similar.
~
PLOT
I loved this story. I'm not a fan of first person POV, but I didn't even notice this one. I honestly couldn't imagine this story being told any other way. It works perfectly.
The world building and detail is astounding and brilliant. There is so much attention given to the history, the way the world works and functions, and the roles of all the characters, even if they're not mentioned. There is an unfortunate circumstance of all the women in the novel being obsessed with sex, while the men are treated as sex machines, but it makes sense in the world the author has created. Even if it does get a little old, after a while.
However, I have one niggle. This reads more like a M/F fantasy novel than an M/M. The majority of the sexual contact happens off page and is only mentioned for the first half of the book. After that, there's extensive M/F explicit sexual scenes and much, much fewer M/M scenes. The main character Maen, for example, has more sex with his 'Mistresses' throughout the book than he's had with any of the men he tangles with. I've taken a star off, for this. In an M/M romance novel, even a fantasy once, there should never be more M/F sex than M/M.
The ending was a little unsatisfying. I would have loved an Epilogue, of any length, just to offer a more complete ending. It was a little sudden and left so much unknown. Unless there's another book, this is disappointing. I'd normally knock another star off for this, but I'm too enamoured by the overall story to do that.
~
CHARACTERS
I absolutely love Maen and his dogged single-mindedness. He's a strong character, but mentally weak. He's been on the Devotions so long that it's as though he's been brainwashed. The way he interacts with Grien, who I also adore, is wonderful. The hesitation, the uncertainty and the chemistry they have is brilliant. Part of me totally ships them, but the other part totally ships Maen and Dax.
Dax is a free spirit, wild and wonderful. When he confesses to not taking his Devotions religiously, it makes perfect sense of his erratic behaviour and his doubts about how the world works. I love the way that he starts to open Maen's eyes to the truth. As a Remainder child, he's the exception to every rule about the people that Maen has been taught, which, I think is what puts him such a unique position, to teach Maen what the world should be like, rather than how it is.
Kiel was a brilliant character. So spirited and funny. He had some of the best lines and his rambling was a really nice humorous break from the seriousness of the rest of the story. His hesitant chemistry with Zander, the new-Maen, loyal soldier, was incredible and so well written.
~
OVERALL
The book was a little long. Okay, a lot long. The book is 400+ pages and it felt it. It took me two days to read it, non stop, and there were times when I wondered what else would happen, to drag the story out. I don't mean that in a bad way, because A LOT happened in the book that made sense and was important. It just felt looooong.
The story – well, Maen and Dax's relationship – made me cry more than once. Literally. I was lip-quivering and snivelling a lot, whenever those two were together.
The characterisation and detail were fantastic. The plot was well thought out and executed, in a way that revealed just enough information, just when it was needed. The chemistry between the 'couples' was stunning and there were quite a few twists and turns that I never saw coming. The writing was of a very high caliber and something that I really warmed to, very quickly. This is, very possibly, the first 1st person POV story that I've ever really fallen into. I'm notoriously picked about 1st person, but this one felt so natural.
Overall, a fantastic – if, exhausting – read. I'd read it again. I'd read anything by this author again, no questions asked. And I'd read more of this world and these characters in a heartbeat.
~
FAVOURTE QUOTES
“We keep the city running. We are its veins. But we're neither its brain nor its senses.” His sigh was soft now. “We're nothing.””
“I wanted to be somewhere else; I wanted to be away from here.
I wanted to be dead too.”
“What will you be, Maen?
I will be lost, I thought to myself, close to collapse, my mouth trapping desperate wails of horror and pain inside me. I will be bereft.”
Author – Clare London
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 451
Movie Potential - ★★★★★
Ease of reading – very easy to read and follow
Would I read it again – Yes.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I really loved this book, but I have to admit that it's not what I expected. There was way more M/F (explicit) scenes in it than I'd anticipated and this is why I knocked off one of the stars. I read an M/M for the M/M not to have M/F interrupting that so consistently.
But, despite that, this book didn't break my heart. It took a tiny hammer and chisel, then with each chapter chipped away a piece at a time, until the final chapter had it shattering in grief.
THE WORLD
Here's the run down of how the world works. You need to know this, because I'll be using terms in my review that you won't understand otherwise:
Women rule the world. Four women – called Mistresses - first began colonization, in a harsh land, and rule four different cities. There is a Queen and her Queen-Elects, her daughters. The Queen is the only one who keeps their children at home (always daughters). Next, there are the Mistresses – who are like Queens in their own homes and who run an entire 'city' each. Below them are the Ladies of their Household (the term for their home or estate) who have Mistress privileges, but who don't really get involved in the running of the city or the Household.
The men of the world are subservient and always defer to women, when one is around. They are born with a weakness that requires medication that the Mistresses have designed. It's called 'Devotions', that the men take to protect them from the 'disease' they were born with. The medication makes them stay younger longer, live longer, maintains their sexual appetite and keeps them compliant. This is important for a reason.
Now, how the Household is run: three levels of soldiers serve the house and the Mistress and Ladies (in and out of bed) as part of their soldierly duties. The Mistress runs the house, in charge of the city and the Household. The servants are low born people, called Remainders.
The Remainders (servants) are those who were not born of a Mistress or Lady, but bred by two Remainders. These are the really low ranking people of the world, the poor and destitute, the ones who do the low jobs in the city and never get any special treatment.
Next, we have the soldiers:
Bronzemen : these are the lowest level of soldier. They're called 'children' in the novel (which slightly disturbs me) but we're never really told how old they are. I hope, and presume, they're at least 16, if not 18. They're taken from the Central School (where all children are placed after birth to be taught and raised) and to a 'Choosing', similar to an auction. The boys are presented to the Mistresses for inspection and they bid for the boys they prefer, who will then enter their Household. They learn from the Gold Warrior and Silver Guards, how to train, how to be a real soldier and within the first two weeks, are introduced to the Mistresses bed. They are to remain untouched by all but the Mistress and the Ladies, who teach them the ways of the bed.
Silver Captain: these are the second level of guard. These are well trained soldiers, with a lot of responsibility and training. This is when they are most popular with the Ladies and the Mistress, because they are grown men and well versed in their 'duties'. But, as well as being 'available' to their Mistress and the Ladies of the Household, they are also allowed to 'couple' (have sex) with the other soldiers. This isn't frowned upon or even hesitated over; it's perfectly natural for them.
Gold Warrior: this is the top level of soldier. They are the best and most well trained soldier in the guard; they have authority over all the other soldiers, train the Bronzemen when they first arrive and help the Mistress run her Household. No longer as popular as the other two levels of soldiers, they spend less time in and out of beds and more time training, in charge and strategising.
Last, we have the Exiles. As the world implies, these are people who have proven useless to the city or committed a crime. They've been exiled to the harshest part of their planet, where they're expected not to live long. Without the medication of their Devotions, they're expected to die within a few years, because of the sickness men are born with. However, the Exiles run skirmishes in the city, stealing food and other items and trying to get into the heart of the city. These are the most important of the characters, as they are the ones who will make the biggest difference to the main characters.
When it comes to the Devotions, the higher the rank, the stronger the Devotions. Exiles take no Devotions, since they can't get their hands on them. Remainders take a certain amount, morning and night, which is the least volume of Devotions taken by anyone in the 'world'. When a child becomes a Bronzeman, his level of Devotions is changed, to encourage strong virulence and strength of character, while promoting an advanced growth of mind and body. Next, the Silver Guards have their Devotions upped again, in what I assume is an attempt to gain control over their minds as well as their bodies. The Gold Warriors are on the highest dose; the most loyal and emotionless of all the soldiers.
~
Now, here's something that I don't understand. The high born people are born from a coupling of the Mistress and one of her soldiers. Once they're born, they're sent to the Central School, where they are taught and grow up, until they're of age to enter the Choosing, to be selected to live in other Households (the homes of other Mistresses). Here, everything is well taken care of, to ensure there's no interbreeding.
However, this is what I don't understand. The women 'created' the world, once upon a time, and created the system of their world; how it worked and who became what. We're told that all the children are born from the Mistress and her soldiers, but there's no mention of where the Remainders came from. Who had the first child, who became a Remainder? Was it a disabled child, born to a Mistress, or something similar.
~
PLOT
I loved this story. I'm not a fan of first person POV, but I didn't even notice this one. I honestly couldn't imagine this story being told any other way. It works perfectly.
The world building and detail is astounding and brilliant. There is so much attention given to the history, the way the world works and functions, and the roles of all the characters, even if they're not mentioned. There is an unfortunate circumstance of all the women in the novel being obsessed with sex, while the men are treated as sex machines, but it makes sense in the world the author has created. Even if it does get a little old, after a while.
However, I have one niggle. This reads more like a M/F fantasy novel than an M/M. The majority of the sexual contact happens off page and is only mentioned for the first half of the book. After that, there's extensive M/F explicit sexual scenes and much, much fewer M/M scenes. The main character Maen, for example, has more sex with his 'Mistresses' throughout the book than he's had with any of the men he tangles with. I've taken a star off, for this. In an M/M romance novel, even a fantasy once, there should never be more M/F sex than M/M.
The ending was a little unsatisfying. I would have loved an Epilogue, of any length, just to offer a more complete ending. It was a little sudden and left so much unknown. Unless there's another book, this is disappointing. I'd normally knock another star off for this, but I'm too enamoured by the overall story to do that.
~
CHARACTERS
I absolutely love Maen and his dogged single-mindedness. He's a strong character, but mentally weak. He's been on the Devotions so long that it's as though he's been brainwashed. The way he interacts with Grien, who I also adore, is wonderful. The hesitation, the uncertainty and the chemistry they have is brilliant. Part of me totally ships them, but the other part totally ships Maen and Dax.
Dax is a free spirit, wild and wonderful. When he confesses to not taking his Devotions religiously, it makes perfect sense of his erratic behaviour and his doubts about how the world works. I love the way that he starts to open Maen's eyes to the truth. As a Remainder child, he's the exception to every rule about the people that Maen has been taught, which, I think is what puts him such a unique position, to teach Maen what the world should be like, rather than how it is.
Kiel was a brilliant character. So spirited and funny. He had some of the best lines and his rambling was a really nice humorous break from the seriousness of the rest of the story. His hesitant chemistry with Zander, the new-Maen, loyal soldier, was incredible and so well written.
~
OVERALL
The book was a little long. Okay, a lot long. The book is 400+ pages and it felt it. It took me two days to read it, non stop, and there were times when I wondered what else would happen, to drag the story out. I don't mean that in a bad way, because A LOT happened in the book that made sense and was important. It just felt looooong.
The story – well, Maen and Dax's relationship – made me cry more than once. Literally. I was lip-quivering and snivelling a lot, whenever those two were together.
The characterisation and detail were fantastic. The plot was well thought out and executed, in a way that revealed just enough information, just when it was needed. The chemistry between the 'couples' was stunning and there were quite a few twists and turns that I never saw coming. The writing was of a very high caliber and something that I really warmed to, very quickly. This is, very possibly, the first 1st person POV story that I've ever really fallen into. I'm notoriously picked about 1st person, but this one felt so natural.
Overall, a fantastic – if, exhausting – read. I'd read it again. I'd read anything by this author again, no questions asked. And I'd read more of this world and these characters in a heartbeat.
~
FAVOURTE QUOTES
“We keep the city running. We are its veins. But we're neither its brain nor its senses.” His sigh was soft now. “We're nothing.””
“I wanted to be somewhere else; I wanted to be away from here.
I wanted to be dead too.”
“What will you be, Maen?
I will be lost, I thought to myself, close to collapse, my mouth trapping desperate wails of horror and pain inside me. I will be bereft.”
March 17, 2016
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes.
My rating 3.5: This book begins with a glimpse of Maen’s life as a Gold Warrior in the Aza City, a place where the women are the rulers and men are born to serve them. Though Maen’s main function aside from being a warrior and leader is to serve his mistress, there is something missing from his life. Having a relationship is something that doesn’t happen and would be seen as selfish, but Maen slowly becomes drawn to a young Bronzeman, Dax, who challenges everything about their society and what they were taught from a young age. After being captured by exiles, Maen sees a whole new side of the world he lives in and can no longer just obey blindly and continue to take the devotions that are prescribed to every man.
I was initially hesitant about reading this book due to its length; however, I love m/m fantasy, so I took a chance on it, and I’m not sorry that I did. The sex scenes between the two MCs were hot, and the extensive world building, which flowed seamlessly, added rich texture to the story. Though I loved the first part of the book, there came a time toward the middle when I began to wonder where things were going. I think I would have liked the story more if Maen’s character was stronger, rather than a servant to his city and mistress. For a moment, I thought he’d woken up, but then he makes some decisions that made no sense to me. Instead of running off with his lover, he continues playing the loyal soldier. I imagined going off his devotions would give him more drive to take charge of his destiny, but instead he just keeps following the program without making any apparent plans to change his lot. I also couldn’t fathom how he could stay with his mistress when she so cruelly proclaims her intentions to kill Dax.
Additionally, I found Maen’s various sexual liaisons a bit tiresome. There wasn’t the same spark as when he was with Dax, so it just annoyed me to see him with other men and women, when his heart wasn’t in it. Finally, though I don’t have any problem reading M/F, I rarely run into a book I expect to be M/M that has so much M/F sex in it. Despite my issues with the characters and plot, I never lost interest in the book and I enjoyed the happy ending.
November 8, 2016
This title was originally reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®
First of all, I want to warn you - If you are a die hard M/M and Gay Fiction reader, there is het sex described in this story. It is not explicit, more lyrical I guess would be a good way to describe it. There is also man on man action... eventually. The sex, however, plays an important role in the story -- both MF and MM -- due to the way the world is structured.me.
For complete Review see http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?p=4...
February 1, 2016
This book started off quite interesting, with the premise that women are viewed as more important in society than men, and men are their slaves (including their sex slaves). I haven't ever read a book that has such flipped gender roles like this before and it was really interesting to me. However by the 30% mark I was really struggling to continue, despite a lot of motivation to carry on. There is no real 'theme' in this book, and I think that is where the problem lies.
You could class this as a 'romance' book, but the main character does not show any real chemistry or feelings towards his supposed love interest. It really went from 0 to 100 with their first sex scene, and felt really out of the blue. In fact, there is more chemistry between the main character and a fellow soldier.
You could class this as a fantasy book, but there is no quest or goal of the main character, he just sort of flits around with no goal in life other than to please his queen. Because of this, there is no plot that presents itself to the reader, and you aren't left wondering "Oh I wonder what happens next. Will he...?"
The book doesn't fit any other themes, and so you are left with this kind of awkward book that, although is written well and has an interesting world, doesn't fit into any category or theme, and therefore doesn't lend itself to holding the interest of the reader. I unfortunately had to stop the book barely a third of the way in due to a lack of interest.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
You could class this as a 'romance' book, but the main character does not show any real chemistry or feelings towards his supposed love interest. It really went from 0 to 100 with their first sex scene, and felt really out of the blue. In fact, there is more chemistry between the main character and a fellow soldier.
You could class this as a fantasy book, but there is no quest or goal of the main character, he just sort of flits around with no goal in life other than to please his queen. Because of this, there is no plot that presents itself to the reader, and you aren't left wondering "Oh I wonder what happens next. Will he...?"
The book doesn't fit any other themes, and so you are left with this kind of awkward book that, although is written well and has an interesting world, doesn't fit into any category or theme, and therefore doesn't lend itself to holding the interest of the reader. I unfortunately had to stop the book barely a third of the way in due to a lack of interest.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
Although I typically avoid books with M/F scenes and non-exclusive pairings (neither of which I was aware of as devices in the book before I started to read, honestly), the world London builds around this pulls you right into the mentality of Aza City and lets even a pairing-picky reader like me not just steamroller through MF/non-exclusive scenes, but find ways to enjoy them.
The world building is wonderfully crafted with a good balance of explaining what’s unique about this post-dystopian world and just letting the reader figure it out through context. A few prime examples of this are the men’s “devotions,” which sound like they could be innocuous utterances of faith and loyalty to the city, but are actually a nefarious tool used by the Queen and Mistresses. Another example is the very structure of the society of Aza itself, which plays a key role in the climax of the story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
Although I typically avoid books with M/F scenes and non-exclusive pairings (neither of which I was aware of as devices in the book before I started to read, honestly), the world London builds around this pulls you right into the mentality of Aza City and lets even a pairing-picky reader like me not just steamroller through MF/non-exclusive scenes, but find ways to enjoy them.
The world building is wonderfully crafted with a good balance of explaining what’s unique about this post-dystopian world and just letting the reader figure it out through context. A few prime examples of this are the men’s “devotions,” which sound like they could be innocuous utterances of faith and loyalty to the city, but are actually a nefarious tool used by the Queen and Mistresses. Another example is the very structure of the society of Aza itself, which plays a key role in the climax of the story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
April 21, 2016
So I want to start of this review by saying I really loved this world the author created in this book!
This was a long book and there were parts that did drag for me a little bit. Without going into too much detail and giving away any spoilers there was also a few parts in this book I honestly was just not a fan of.
But I did really like how this author wrote these characters and a lot of this story! There was steam in this book along with some M/F scenes also. Which to be honest threw me of this story a little. I loved the two MC's together which I have to say they were so good as a couple. I am really trying to not give away any spoilers so I will leave this review with..
I thought this author did such a amazing job with the detail in this world and making me feel like I was really there with the characters as I was reading this book! Yes there were parts that dragged and some I honestly was not really a huge fan of but other then those parts I really liked this book!
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
This was a long book and there were parts that did drag for me a little bit. Without going into too much detail and giving away any spoilers there was also a few parts in this book I honestly was just not a fan of.
But I did really like how this author wrote these characters and a lot of this story! There was steam in this book along with some M/F scenes also. Which to be honest threw me of this story a little. I loved the two MC's together which I have to say they were so good as a couple. I am really trying to not give away any spoilers so I will leave this review with..
I thought this author did such a amazing job with the detail in this world and making me feel like I was really there with the characters as I was reading this book! Yes there were parts that dragged and some I honestly was not really a huge fan of but other then those parts I really liked this book!
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
August 5, 2012
I wavered between a 4 and 6 on this one. I think the story was very well written and I really liked the fact that this story focused on the evolution of the main character and his growth in his society. World building in this book is excellent, and the actions of the main character make sense in his world. I also like the fact that while this book is m/m the focus of the story isn't all on their relationship, but on the main character and how he reacts to what is happening around him.
I think what holds me back from a 5 star rating is that the ending was a little too contrived-with everything working out for the hero-and I am not sure it would have been that easy.
I think what holds me back from a 5 star rating is that the ending was a little too contrived-with everything working out for the hero-and I am not sure it would have been that easy.
April 12, 2014
The writing is poor, but the real reason I gave it one is that is child pornography in the guise of erotica. The culture she has set up sells male children at the age of "16" as stated once in the book, while describing 12-13 year old boys to mistresses. These mistresses than initiate the boys with there first sexual experiences and are than given to the ladies of the household to share and use at will. The main character is in his 20's because it has been ten years since he was bought by his mistress, and the boy he falls in love based off the physical description sounds about 13 but you are supposed to think he 15/16.
March 24, 2013
I was immediately swept into a vibrant, realistic world where women rule and men are slaves. The characters are intriguing, the setting is astounding, and the plot is fast-paced and believable. At it's heart this is a story of true love, with all the requisite passion and heartbreak included. In spite of being long for an ebook, I read it over two (otherwise busy) days and dreamt about it the night in between. A wonderful read.
January 24, 2016
Received through NetGalley for an honest review.
Maen has always been a soldier to his Mistress and Queen. But he changes when he sees a boy, Dax. He will have to fight the conflict of his heart. To follow the way he has lived by or his heart.
This book contains m/f and m/m. Suggest only for adults.
Maen has always been a soldier to his Mistress and Queen. But he changes when he sees a boy, Dax. He will have to fight the conflict of his heart. To follow the way he has lived by or his heart.
This book contains m/f and m/m. Suggest only for adults.
May 17, 2012
I never did rate this after I read it the first time, but I still remember how intense it was, so I may be reading it again in the near future.
April 1, 2013
Interesting world and characters but it does drag a bit in spots.
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