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Prince of the Sorrows
- Rowan Blood, Book 1
- Gesprochen von: Christian Leatherman
- Spieldauer: 13 Std. und 28 Min.
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Inhaltsangabe
Without an academic endorsement to make him valuable to the high fey, Saffron will be sent back through the veil to the human world. The place he was traded from as a changeling-baby, and a place he is terrified of. And while getting an endorsement shouldn't be impossible, it's hindered by the fact his literacy is self-taught, using books stolen off of Morrígan Academy's campus of high fey students.
When mistaken identity leads to Saffron learning the true name of brooding, self-centered, high fey Prince Cylvan, what begins as a risk of losing his life (or his tongue) becomes an opportunity to earn the future he wants. In exchange for an endorsement, he and Cylvan form a geis where Saffron agrees to find a spell to strip power from Cylvan's true name. While Prince Cylvan doesn't know Saffron can barely read, Saffron is determined to meet his end of the deal in order to remain in Alfidel—or maybe just to remain by Cylvan's side, as affections grow stronger every night they spend alone in the library together.
But as other human servants soon fall victim to a beast known only as “the wolf”, Saffron realizes he has embroiled himself in a manipulative reach for power like he never anticipated—and even Prince Cylvan cannot be trusted. Between the wolf, uncovering forbidden magic, and his growing feelings for the prince, Saffron will have to decide which is most important to him—his endorsement, the lives of his friends, or the prince’s life and wellbeing.
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Gesamt5 out of 5 stars
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Sprecher4 out of 5 stars
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Geschichte5 out of 5 stars
- Mina
- 09.10.2023
The art of writing good emotional abuse
I usually don´t write reviews or comments but I didn´t want the 2-star review to be the only thing under this amazing book. While everyone has their own opinions I would like to offer a different perspective. I´ll say a spoiler warning beforehand. I´ll try to write it as spoiler-free as I can. This will not be short. Sorry in advance.
Firstly a word of notice - I love love love when fantasy authors include the pronunciation and potential trigger warnings beforehand. If you read the book the most important trigger warning after language and violence in this book is emotional and physical abuse. And that is what most of this book and its characters are really about.
While it is masked in a mystery fantasy story with romance it deals, much like the other books of Kellen Graves, with the consequences and reactions of especially emotional abuse.
So if emotional oppression is nothing for you and you rather have a sword fight and hot makeout sessions ... respectfully stay away from this book this is not it.
Saffron is very innocent and naive at the start of the book but I really can´t blame him. As a human servant who works at a fey school ground, always holding his head low with a veil over his face, he wishes for nothing more than to stay in the fey realm and gain as much knowledge as he can. His most-priced possession is a fairytale book with annotations of someone named Cylvan. When he later meets said person I really can´t blame him for getting all excited, chasing the feeling of what he most wished to become true. Without saying too much - he quickly learns that chasing after those dreams and feelings comes with heavy consequences not only for him but also for his surroundings.
In the second Book "Lord of Silver Ashes" his personality took a big shift because he quickly learned that the fairytales he dreamed of are indeed only fairytales and that fey are more malicious than he thought.
On to Cylvan. Oh my. I love his character with all my heart. To fully understand Cylvan you have to understand his backstory. Since he´s born he is burdened with the expectations of becoming a dark prince. He never once had a chance in life to prove that he is not as evil as the prophecies may foretold, no matter how much he tried. So early on he gets "promised" to his fiance who is supposed to cancel him out and help the kingdom on a better path, keeping dark, evil Cylvan in line.
Over time it becomes clear that his fiance Taran would do everything to keep his place at his side and make Cylvan look worse than he is to everyone else. But even if Cylvan would speak up - who would believe the evil prince over the sunshine fiance. That´s right, no one. So they quickly settle into this kind of abusive relationship where everything Taran does gets smiled upon whilst Cylvan suffers behind his back, behaving like the dark prince he's supposed to be. Even with Cylvan's position as the prince he is powerless against his fate decided fiance.
So at the beginning of the book, Cylvan is desperate. Desperate and frustrated searching for any kind of solution that would save him from his fiance. So when he meets Saffron he´s very quick to form a pact with him for Saffron to help him, at first thinking he could just throw him away after. But over the course of the book though he may seem very arrogant at first he starts to care for this human.
Someone who wouldn´t avoid his eyes but instead hold his gaze, someone who was so entirely excited by everything that is completely normal for Cylvan, and someone who over the course of the book sees Cylvan for who he really is. Saffron who quickly notices the power imbalance between him and Taran and takes him to the upper floor of the library whispering things like: "Taran can´t find you here", "I´ll keep you safe" and "If Taran comes I´ll just jump him.". Saffron who finds his powers thrilling and his black horns beautiful.
But somewhere around the end of the book Cylvan somehow seems to be replaced by an evil twin who lost all his "character development". Absolutely not. It´s still there but Saffron was Cylvan's safe space, his hideout. In a moment of weakness, Taran took hold of him again and took away his safe space. Cylvan at the end of book one is described by Saffron as: "The broken Cylvan in front of him was tired, scared, crumbling beneath the weight of Taran´s emotional abuse. - His fingers delicately touched Cylvan´s face, careful not to catch his nails on any edges barely holding together. As if Saffron´s final request was finally enough to shatter him beneath the weight. One nudge from collapsing. Breaking. Crumbling into dust."
By the end of the book without many spoilers, you realize that Cylvan throughout the book is a product of the emotional abuse and burden he endured most of his life. And that his character development is him getting a taste of freedom, free from prejudices and expectations.
However, this does not excuse some of the things he did, it still gives us insight that what he did came from a place of frustration, desperation, and fear. The real threat in this book series is not the wolf or the veil. It´s the emotional abuse and burden behind the characters. But overcoming those takes so much more strength than any physical battles.
In book 2 we already had a huge character development from Saffron overcoming certain charms and finding more on the fey berries. I´m looking forward to reading the 3rd book of the Rowan Blood Series and watching how Saffron and Cylvan help each other overcome their oppressors together. I love them both with all my heart. May they find peace in the end.
"The way Cylvan´s eyes lit up with every excited contribution Saffron made, made Saffron´s heart race. Every time Saffron taught Cylvan something he didn´t already know, and he looked at Saffron with glowing curiosity and pride, Saffron nearly melted. Had Cylvan ever been able to discuss that obsession of his so freely with someone else?"
- a sneak peak to book 2 ;P
In conclusion:
Am I biased? Absolutely.
Will I beg everyone to give them both a chance? Absolutely.
As someone who loves psychology, I deeply respect Graves for the authentic and absolutely stunning writing of this book. I can only recommend their other book "The Fox and the Dryad" as well.
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Gesamt2 out of 5 stars
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Sprecher4 out of 5 stars
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Geschichte2 out of 5 stars
- Fuchsverse
- 10.06.2023
The characters really bother me
While reading, I was already wondering how many stars I would give this book. Two or three or something with a comma five? In the end I give it two, because even a somewhat nice writing style can't save everything.
Yeah, the writing was mostly nice, but sometimes there was too much description of clothing and surroundings. Not that such things aren't good and great and also somehow important, but at these points it was long-winded and unnecessary. (But still well written)
Especially the "dream sequences" were stunning and made my heart beat faster - so well written! Also that they didn't shy away from addressing all those serious issues found in the content warnings, which I loved. (And that they are properly addressed!).
I think the story itself is very exciting. I also really like the Fae world in general, it's all full of mischief and those little subtleties that are beautiful on the outside and rotten on the inside. I LOVE it when this is also picked up so well and faes are not portrayed as the ultimate awesome and beautiful things. The author did a really good job with this.
The aspects of magic were also wonderfully addressed and crafted.
What I didn't like so much, however, were the main characters - I can't say too much about the others, as they really only played minor roles.
Saffron unfortunately got on my nerves quite a bit from the beginning, but at least his character was consistent in that. I don't know if it's his upbringing or the world ... but he acted like a teenager in the height of puberty in many aspects. Like he was at the mercy of his hormones. He has to giggle or laugh about everything, has these adolescent daydreams of "I love this star and we're getting together and this and that and he's so perfect" (you know who I mean if you've read the book). He's so endlessly naive somehow ...
And then Cylvan, who at first is so arrogant and just typical Fey and Prince and then ... suddenly so in love and nice and great and hach. WHAT?! (that shouldn't be a spoiler, it's romance between them)
And this change of feeling comes so suddenly and where is the chemistry and where is it really built up and why is it all so overdone and so cheesy in my eyes that I want to break? Hurr ...
Somehow a character of Cylvan is built up and then disappears completely - as if a twin brother had stepped in.
Still, the end of book one was exciting and I'll keep reading because the story itself is really nice and shows once again that you don't necessarily have to save the world to create a nice fantasy setting! <3
Ugh, is this my genre? No.
Do I actually know that and still try to read it again and again? Yes.
Does it always backfire at least halfway? Yes.
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1 Person fand das hilfreich