| Title | : | The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1620046245 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781620046241 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 410 |
| Publication | : | First published May 19, 2012 |
| Awards | : | Rainbow Award Bisexual Fantasy & Fantasy Romance (2nd Place) (2016) |
High King Sarrica is ruling an empire at war, and that war will grow exponentially worse if his carefully laid plans do not come to fruition. He's overwhelmed and needs help, as much as he hates to admit it, but it must be someone like his late consort: a soldier, someone who understands war, who is not unfamiliar with or afraid of the harsher elements of rule. What he doesn't need is the delicate, pretty little politician foisted on him right as everything goes wrong.
Publisher note: this is a highly expanded, completely re-written version of the free short that was previously available under the same title.
The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court, #1) Reviews
-
Oh my gawssshhh! It happened, y'all. He went back to work! I have alone time again! I mean, sure, he's in danger of getting the plague and shit because Texas decided we are opening in spite of everyone dying and stuff, but hey, I am getting the benefit of having time to write a review for a change. So, you know. It's a wash.
How we Texans think we look:
How we Texans really look:
Yea.
So, I have a lot of reviews to catch-up on. We'll see how that goes. I've gotten pretty lazy lately. And fat. Well, to be technically correct: Lazier and fatter. But, on the plus side I have also stopped wearing make-up because it gets on my mask. And, I dyed my own hair. So, yea. Looking just about how I feel these days.
Alright, so this book was a lot of fun. It's a fantasy, so all the places are different, the names are strange, and we get a bit of info-dumping with the politics and stuff. I think there's even a map at the beginning of one of these. All together- the type of thing I usually avoid because it's a lot of work just to read a book. Usually I'm happier with my fantasy set here - where I know where shit is. But, I was welcoming to the idea of leaving the planet for a while. Who knows why.
Oh yeah. Everyone does because I won't stop bitching about it.
The story is about a guy who has been training all of his life to be married off to a king. He's like totally got this. Except when he meets the king - his affianced - the guy isn't impressed and gives him the old heave-ho. It was pretty brutal and embarrassing. But, to make matters worse, he is forced to hang around in case the king changes his mind and decides to give him a chance. Ouch! That's like hitting on someone and they tell you to come back at closing time and maybe they'll be drunk and desperate enough - and you get forced to do it!
There is a lot of politics and things going on and you get attached to the main character who is a great guy. I was rooting for him, and at the same time thinking he deserved better than how the king was treating him. I wanted his HEA.
Since reading this, I have worked my way through the series and it is worth getting to know the world. There are books with male/male romances, but also books with other combinations. The world is gender fluid and very open in sexuality. All that said, there is not an over-abundance of sex. Just a couple of scenes each book. -
Tongues and More Tongues...
How about a short review?
Enemies to lovers went something like this:
High King: You’re not strong enough to be my consort. Get out.
Consort: I’ve trained my entire life to be your consort. I’ll prove myself to you.
Friends of High King: You’re an idiot, Your Majesty. He’s perfect for you.
High King: Bah!
Consort: I’m off to prove myself on a super dangerous mission which may get me noticed and/or killed.
Mission gets consort noticed by High King.
Consort still doubts that the High King wants him. Over and over and over and over...
High King: You’re just what I need and I want you for more than speaking 14 tongues and doing paperwork. *wonders what all the consort can do with his talented tongue *
Consort: *swoon*
Dangerous stuff. More self doubting by consort. Hero stuff. Sex.
End Scene— -
A gifted tongue is a good thing indeed.
Sarrica, High King of Harken, widower, and father is buried beneath court administrivia when his faithful council attempts to find him a new consort. The past is a hard thing to let go.
Allen, songbird or silver tongue? Born a lesser of son Gaulden, he was reared to be a court asset with training in diplomacy, languages and maneuvering. He gets an opportunity he never imagined and pushes forth even when the odds are seemingly stacked against him.
A world on the brink of war needs both the battle-hardened king and the machiavellian consort.
Strong fantasy and adventure story unfolds as we delve into the politics and intrigue of Harken. Sarrica and Allen are like ships in the night that sometimes collide. Both working towards their goals inharmoniously until an event draws them together again. Divided they were a challenge, united they are formidable.
This is a smooth story that relies on the plot action to drive it. Since Sarrica and Allen are moved along the chess board the romance element is ever-present, but subdued. I enjoyed the court affairs as well as the martial exploits, and it was a quick read as far as pace goes.
Overall, a court intrigue that explores more than the palace.
4.5 Stars
~Copy provided by Netgalley~ -
I have only so far read Megan Derr short stories and novellas and I have really enjoyed them. I didn't particularly enjoy this one.
High King's Golden Tongue is basically a mm mills and boon take on the italian tycoon's power mistress type books. The thing is, with mills and boon novels, they don't take themselves seriously. This does but it doesn't deserve any gravity.
The story follows Allen, a beautiful blond long haired linguist who has been trained to be a consort to the king of discount westeros. The high king, Sarrica, is a tall huge stereotypical top who is also a widower. He didn't want a consort. He didn't give a damn about Allen and so on their first meeting, dismisses him because Allen was not a soldier but also because dun... dun... dun... Allen was nothing like his late husband, Nyle.
Now what I expected moving forward was a battle of wits between Sarrica and Allen where Allen runs rings around Sarrica where eventually an event takes place to make Sarrica realise he could benefit greatly from at the very least befriending his future consort and then eventually they fall in love. It'd've been formulaic but that would have been way more entertaining. What I got was entirely different.
This book can be divided into neat little bits that don't make much sense. Allen is dismissed by Sarrica a bunch of times. Allen becomes friends with some dude called Tara. Allen then becomes friends with Tara's ex, Rene, who is also Sarrica's brother in law (Nyle's brother). Allen has a one night stand with Rene . Allen goes on a convoluted mission to make Sarrica stop dismissing him. Things go wrong, duh. The great big romantic "reconciliation" happens. Filler. One sex scene. Fin.
I wanted to learn a lot more about discount westeros and the rules behind it. Per different reviews, worlds in Derr's fiction usually have non binary characters. Roles aren't heteronormative. But there's a difference between a progressive fantasy world and a world that doesn't make sense. For instance, Sarrica's last husband bore their children. Does that mean Nyle was trans or is this an mpreg book? Allen was borne of a "dame". What role does a dame play? Surrogate? Allen implied that both his parents and dame taught him, so do the surrogates also have parental roles? I would have appreciated a little more clarity. Now I know writing foreign languages or even made up languages is hard but in this one, Derr wrote English statements differentiated by italics to show the foreign languages? Seriously? In a world where Klingon and High Valyrian are almost universal languages, make up a few phrases please. But then again Allen could speak 14 languages and some dead ones so I guess making up gibberish in 14 languages is a tall order.
What bothered me the most is how little development the whole book has. There's a reason why fantasy books are hundreds of pages. Start with the world building. Always the new character provides a look into how the world works and then introduce the different characters and save the best for last. In this case, Sarrica. Build suspense on him. The main conflict of this book should've been Sarrica's opposition to the marriage. I liked that Sarrica was against it because he thought Allen wasn't suitable. That would have been great to explore. Perhaps I had expectations that were too high.
While it isn't the worst book I've read, I won't be proceeding with the rest of the series. -
This is a substantially expanded version of the original freebie. Like really substantial. Having read the first I could see the bits and pieces of the original that were changed and pieced into this one.
I loved the first version and I love the second version as well.
Prince Allen has a talent for languages. He's been groomed to be an asset to any kingdom and has for the past two years specifically been groomed to be the consort to the High King Sarrica. Too bad Sarrica can't see past his grief and anger. Yeah...Sarrica is kind of an ass to Allen. Lots of hard words and misunderstandings that lead Allen to make a decision to join a mercenary band as their translator.
This is all slow burn and antagonism. I couldn't get enough! And there's another book coming about Lesto.
I really enjoy Derr's writing. Such a great setup for this fantasy world. I loved the backstory and the world-building. Flashes of the first but richer and more detailed in the second.
Don't go into this expecting a lot of sexing, what does happen isn't until almost the end of the story but the build up is beautiful and angsty.
I've been waiting for this one for a while and it didn't disappoint. -
I couldn't put this down. I wouldn't say this strays far from the usual M/M fantasy plotline, but I really enjoyed the whole "silver tongue" concept, and how Allen uses his abilities to fix problems and improve peoples' lives. Derr also does a fantastic job shaking up gender roles and sexual arrangements, continually inviting the reader to assume through names or professions that she is talking about one gender, only to surprise the reader with the opposite--a lot of fantasy and sci-fi writers try, but Derr really succeeded in both imagining the society itself and in gently nudging the reader to examine how much we rely on stereotypes without meaning to.
Though I was worried that the plot would devolve into the dreaded "too stubborn to admit you're in love" contrivance, Derr didn't drag it out to the point of annoyance, and though there weren't a lot of sexytimes, those that did take place were hot and included MANTIES (in black lace, and apparently the hero has a special chest full of them).
My complaints were mostly minor: as is usual for this author, there was a larger than usual number of proofreading errors; more odd, the book hints several times at various family structures common in this culture, including m-preg, threesome marriages, and (maybe) one woman impregnating another, but never actually spells out the 'rules' of how it all works, which ended up being severely frustrating since I love that kind of stuff and really, really want to know how the hell it all works.
Hopefully, all will be explained in the next volume--which I will definitely be reading, preferably the day it comes out--I hope that's enough to make clear that I heartily recommend this for all M/M fantasy fans. -
This was an enjoyable fantasy/romance story. The romance was slow burn so there was as much focus on the political intrigue and the mystery aspects of the story as there was on the romance.
Derr's fantasy world was an interesting one and the story was quite intriguing. High King Sarrica rules an Empire at war with a few different neighbour states. On top of that Sarrica has the added complication of ruling an Empire made up of of kingdoms that speak a variety of different languages! To make life easier the High King's advisors line up a Consort for Sarrica that excels as a Silver Tongue, a master of languages, and court intrigue and politicking. It is seen as a good match as Sarrica is a military man. Prince Allen is selected for the role. As the fourth son of a smaller southern Kingdom he has been training his whole life to marry for the benefit of his family so the chance to marry the High King is an opportunity to good to miss. Things go slightly awry upon Allen's arrival when it becomes clear that the High King's advisors have not lined up the sort of Consort he expected!
It was a fun enough story. It was told from both Allen and Sarrica's POV's and both proved likeable enough characters that were easy to root for and warm to. The romance was very slow burn as the marriage is one of political convenience and neither participant had met before Allen pitches up in court for the betrothal! We got a bit of action and intrigue as Sarrica had to deal with a few hostile neighbours while Allen had to get to grips with the political situation in the court and even got caught up in some action scenes himself.
The most fascinating thing about Derr's world was the fact that same sex relationships were so common place and accepted that they were never remarked upon as noteworthy. There was also some magical way men could carry children but how it was possible was never really explained as it was something that had become possible at least a generation back. It made for an interesting society and I'd have loved to see it explored a little deeper in this one.
If the story had a flaw it was probably the fact that it lost a bit of momentum in the final third of the book and never really pushed on from its promising start to develop into a really addictive read. It just lacked that special something really!
It did have a bunch of fun secondary characters so I'll be happy to see them take the lead roles in the sequels.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: Michael Stellman did a decent job with the audio. His only flaw was in not making the character voices more distinctive. -
What a great discovery! I have never heard about this book before and found it by accident. I’m so glad I did.
I haven’t read many fantasy MM stories, so there is not much comparison. Still, I find this book a really great read. I truly enjoy the world-building that is quite well-done. If you have read some fantasy books before, you may not find it very inventive and imaginative, but is pretty coherent and well-thought.
And I love the characters, the main ones – Sarrica and Allen, but also the secondary ones – like Rene and Lesto. They are interesting, three-dimensional and remarkable. It’s hard not to like them. Also the secondary romance is so cute and sweet. I can’t wait to read about Lesto’s love interest.
As for the plot, I admit I have a secret sweet spot for arranged marriage motive that this book completely fulfils (and to be totally honest, I don’t think I have ever read a MM book with this motive). Okay, I admit that the deep love of Allan and Sarrica is not entirely believable regarding the short time they know each other and the atmosphere of their first meetings. But I was able to totally ignore this small issue and truly enjoy the whole story.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, hopefully as good as this one. -
GR just chewed up my review, it's gone :(
Just want to mention quickly, instead of re-writing the whole thing:
Loved the book! Great fantasy, fast paced, full of mystery and suspense and danger. Spies are everywhere, keeping the King and his personal guards on high alert. People disappear, people get murdered, Allen marches into the enemy territory to prove himself. Awesomeness.
Only the awesomeness ends at around 85%. Suddenly the subject of spying is dropped and not one person is concerned about the fact that there are still enemies on the loose and they are very possibly in the close proximity to the Royal Family.
Loved the 85% of the book, but had trouble finishing the last 15% :( Hopefully, book two will pick up the investigation.
4 stars.
PS VENONA - Thanks bunches for lending the book to me! :) -
So, I read somewhere that this book started life as a short story and then was built up into a full-length novel. And oh boy, you can tell. There's just so much extraneous detail that adds nothing to the story. There are also plots, side-plots, sub-plots; but nothing connecting the story to itself, just a series of meandering and unrelated happenings. The characters have the potential to be quite interesting, but the MCs spend so little time on the same page that I was not invested in them at all. And apparently there will be a sequel (in true Derr fashion) about one of the other characters, and I'll probably read it because why not. But this was just okay.
-
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I first read this story in it's short form, and while I liked it I felt like I wanted more. I was thrilled to see that the author had decided to expand this into a full novel, and I found I enjoyed it much more. Seeing events from both character's view gave me a much better understanding on who they were, and how they kept misunderstanding each other. How their past lives, and their experiences shaped who they were, and how they interacted with each other. While in the short story I felt like were able to come together too quickly, the novel let me see how each character learned to finally understand each other, and for love to grow. The plot was interesting, and well developed. I liked the complexity to the planning, and the problems that arise from language, and an inability to understand others. a really enjoyable fantasy story. -
2.75 stars rounded up
I admit that I don't remember much of the original story although I did rate it higher than this one. So I'm going to focus on what I feel about this one, and it will not be influenced by the shorter story. Unfortunately The High King's Golden Tongue didn't work well for me. I was a bit lost with the intricacy of the politics, kingdom and court affairs, as well as various characters thrown my way. Or maybe ... I just didn't care enough.
In terms of characters, I liked Allen a bit better than Sarrica though -- when Allen said "I refuse to subject myself to that sort of treatment every time he is in a snit about something, and it seems to me that where I am concerned the snit is permanent. There are plenty of other people I can marry, kingdoms I can assist, without being treated like a punishment", I wanted to shout "YOU GO, ALLEN!" ... I guess I was really impressed with Allen when he showed the High King and the High Commander that he wasn't just a weak songbird.
Unfortunately, I felt distant with the romance since Sarrica and Allen were pretty much apart for the first half, without any delicious sexual tension between them that could at least make me root for Sarrica and Allen to be together. The part with Allen and Rene didn't help the case too, even if it was short, and it helped pushed the plot forward . I guess maybe I was expecting more relationship moments between the two, or at least them learning about each other earlier than it was written here, and felt rather disappointed that I didn't get it.
Having said that, I might be checking out Lesto's story because I liked him enough. I mean, someone who didn't mind being insulted fifty times a week should be interesting, right? *LOL* Also because I have read this one, I might be able to adjust my expectation of the series.
PS: *shudders* I totally NOT liking that particular trope; hope it will stay on the background. -
A beautiful cover for an amazing story...
'The High King's Golden Tongue' started out as a story back in 2012 in the M/M Romance Groups 'Love is Always Write' event on GoodReads and I read the story way back when and then at some point for whatever reason I know not, nor do I really care, why the author made the decision to expand the story into a book. Initially I have to admit I was a little apprehensive because I was concerned that it would feel too repetitive and I'd get bored and end up not liking the story as much as I had but when I saw that it had gone from 41 pages to well over 200, 277 to be exact. I was confident this could not possibly be the case and thankfully I was not disappointed.
I love fantasy, it's one of my favorite genres but I am also really fussy about who I read in this genre. I've read a few fantasy novels over the past while and they've been good and I really enjoyed them but this book for me went way beyond 'it's been good and I really enjoyed it'. From the very first page...no wait from the cover because have you looked at that cover? It's gorgeous and such a perfect visual to this story and damn, did it ever do it's job. One look at that cover and I was drawn in and with each word I just wanted to go further and further into this story.
But I'm going to just take a minute here to chat about book covers because we all know book covers are important, oh we can say they don't matter. Hell, I've said it numerous times and maybe to some they don't but truth of the matter is that cover is the authors initial shot at grabbing the readers attention, of making not only a first impression but a lasting one and in that department this cover nailed it and then I started reading the book...
I loved the richness of the descriptions and the way the story just flowed. I am admittedly one of those people that can become easily bored with overly descriptive books...didn't happen. I was anything but bored my mind was busy painting pictures and creating visual images and rolling into production of the mental movie that a well crafted story can effortlessly bring to mind.
For me this story had it all. I found myself so enchanted with Prince Allen. Aside from the fact that he was obviously one smart dude. I mean seriously 14 languages? I always feel impressed with myself if I can keep a grasp on one...English, the one I'm suppose to know...now, back to Prince Allen and why I liked him. I never felt that he was conceited or arrogant about his ridiculously impressive linguistic skills or his station in life as a prince. For me his viewpoint was simply realistic he spent years being taught these things and so to him it only made sense that he would know them and he was incredibly brave and determined, I loved how he treated everyone with courtesy and respect but at the same time he didn't come off as being a pushover or perfect. He had flaws and insecurities just like any normal person.
High King Sarrica was simply a larger than life character and I liked him. I liked that he had Lesto to keep him in check along with Rene. These two were the brothers of his deceased husband Nyal as well as Sarrica's friends and they were the type of friends who told him what he needed to hear which wasn't necessarily what he wanted to hear. Many of the humorous moments in the story came from conversations between Sarrica and Lesto and/or Rene.
The relationship that developed between Allen and Sarrica was to say the least extremely slow in happening but given the events of the story it would have seemed incredibly contrived for things to have moved any faster than they did in the romance department and if you're a fan of the sexy times...well you might be a little disappointed here because there's not much happening in that department until later in the book but all I can say is when it did finally happen my e-reader was smokin'.
Now, if you're a fan of stories that grab you, hold on to you and take you to places you've never been or could never imagine going to...you will not be disappointed with this story and if you've already read the short story trust me it's like the teaser for this book there is so much more to find out and if you still need more, as I apparently do well than you can scoot off to an e-book store in just a few days and get yourself even more when book #2 The Pirates of Fathoms Deep is released for sale in just 6 more sleeps ;) -
I admit I enjoyed the short free version and was not sure it needed to be lengthened.
But this proved me wrong. This was so much better with added length and a few changes here and there.
I adored Prince Allen and King Sarrica. I've always had a soft spot for guys that are both afraid they are the only ones developing feelings. Watching these two hesitate once things developed was perfect for me.
I did find the names a little confusing at times. Often I would think the name was female when it was in fact male and vice versa. But I loved how equal the sexes were in this world. This is truly the kind of world I'd love to live in.
I was a little disappointed that Sarricas children were not given more page time. Apart from two mentions they were mostly forgotten, but Lesto more than made up for them. He was delightful and I can't wait to read his story next year.
Overall another win for me, both in world building and story. Megan Derr even made the sex scene pleasurable lol.
ETA Still a wonderful read. I love losing myself in Megan Derr's worlds
ETA Still love this world, and knowing now that it is not so much Mpreg as Trans men makes things much clearer.
ETA Still my favorite in the series. -
October 2017 reread: I'm pleased to report that this book holds up just as well two years later as it did the first time.
The thing that really struck me this time was just how smart Allen is, and I don't just mean in the "he speaks five billion languages" sense. Allen's figured out who was selling court secrets on the basis of two particular things that people who had associated with the traitor had in their possession, and was able to extrapolate the person's identity based on the cost and locations of availability of those items and his knowledge of noble families. That is BRILLIANT. It's not even something I'd think about as a writer, so I should also extend the accolade to Megan Derr for considering things like that. If I can someday write political intrigue and intricacies even half as well as she does I'll be very proud of myself.
The question I raised about gender in my original review is not answered in this book, but it is answered in the third (
The Heart of the Lost Star), and the answer is that Nyle, Tara and Lord Eseera (among others present in this storyverse but not specifically in this book) are trans men.
***
Original review, October 2015:
I received a copy of this from Less Than Three Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now that is out of the way...
Wow.
WOW.
W O W.
Where do I even start?
I read the short story version of this last year and LOVED it, and, like most people, wished it was longer. Then a few months ago I happened to come across this, on Netgalley. "Hey, is that that short story I read a few months ago? What is it doing here?"
No, it was not the short story. It was A FULL NOVEL-LENGTH EXPANDED VERSION. WHAT. THIS IS A THING I MUST HAVE. So naturally I requested it. And oh boy. Let me tell you, THIS is what I want ALL high fantasy to be. I want my high fantasy to be as queer as a Lord of the Rings slashfic, and this definitely is. How am I supposed to read Brandon Sanderson and George RR Martin after this? It's going to be so boring and heteronormative.
The story follows Allen, who speaks fourteen languages and has trained all his life to make a good political marriage, and who is chosen to be the new consort for Sarrica, the High King. But Sarrica is still smarting from the death of his first love, Nyle, and is determined that if he must marry again, he will only marry a soldier. Allen is the complete opposite of a soldier and Sarrica refuses to give him a chance to prove his worth, and ends up unintentionally insulting and upsetting him at every turn. Allen decides he must do something to make Sarrica see that he is a worthy consort...and everything goes to hell. And then Sarrica and Allen must juggle murder, betrayal, ambush and a volatile court as well as their tattered excuse for a relationship.
Basically it is about two idiots who can't communicate properly with each other who must deal with their own personal angst while also preventing wars within the empire and it is GLORIOUS. I loved every single word and I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a while. I've basically done nothing but read this for two days.
The only complaint I have is that it was never really explained how Nyle, Tara and others (?) could bear children. There's some interesting gender things happening there and I would really like to know more.
All in all, this book was everything I was hoping for and it reading it has made me stupidly happy.
BUT WAIT!
THERE'S A SEQUEL?
...ABOUT LESTO?
WHAT IS L I F E?! -
Me when I saw the overall rating for this book here:
And I just... I don't get it.
Not even a little.
Like, girl. There is fanfiction out there plotted better than this.
And I'm so disappointed, because I was really looking forward to reading this book. (This describes my reading year so far in general, let's be real.)
I HID THE BIG SPOILERS, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT - SORRY NOT SORRY
First off: This book was so boring. But it didn't have to be! There were plenty of times where something would be about to happen - - but then it would just fade to black and we'd come back after the thing had already happened to hear how it's wrapping up. LIke ????????????? I don't want a book full of just in-between bits. I want to experience the action with the characters so that I see them shine or fail and I come to care about them. All of the main characters become wounded at different points throughout the story off-screen and I just don't even care because we just hear about it like "oh yeah during the battle Sarrica was almost assassinated but don't worry he's okay and he's already got his sass back".
Secondly: The romance. Um. Where??? What romance?????? Seriously. Our two "lovebirds" - Sarrica and Allen - are apart for over 60% of the book and when they are together they are infuriating eachother. But not infuriating in a way where the reader (me) is sitting there going "oh my god they have so much tension it's gonna be so good when they are forced together by circumstance and then angry-kiss". Nope. Nooooope. Instead the reader (me) is sitting there going "this guy is an actual asshole and why are you wasting your time?". No chemistry whatsoever. Zerooo. They stay mad at eachother and Allen makes a bunch of stupid decisions and then Sarrica saves him and they kiss a couple of times then they get married and then Sarrica's gone for six months???? then there is an explicit sex scene.
And okay. Let's talk about the sex scene. Because I was going ??????????? the whole time. For both of them. (there's two scenes back-to-back) There's no build-up. Allen and Sarrica kiss/make-out a few times through the second half of the book and it's not really hot and heavy - hell, Allen's sex scene with Rene is entirely off-screen. But then they're kissing in a corner of their victory banquet and Sarrica's like "I'm gonna suck your dick so good in a lil" out of the blue in the middle of a kiss then the last twenty pages are suddenly on-page boning???
Now let's get graphic for a minute. So. I got the impression that the author doesn't understand how messy sex is. These characters don't use condoms, so there isn't anything to contain their "spills" - remember this, I'll get to it in a second. So the morning after they visit the Bone Zone, Allen wakes Sarrica up with more sex. Immediately after, a servant informs them that breakfast is ready and Allen rolls off Sarrica and out of bed and puts on lace panties and a "dressing robe" and goes to have breakfast. Without cleaning off at all. Like he's eating by the time Sarrica puts on a robe and joins him. LIKE??????? BOY I HOPE YOU'RE SITTING ON A TOWEL OR SOMETHING TO SOP UP YOUR MAN'S OOZE
Thirdly: Everyone is the same. All of them. The main cast have all of the same personality traits and everyone's hot and they all get paired up into couples by the end. EYE ROLL.
And finally: Nyle. Nyle was Sarrica's first husband who died. For over half of the book we are told how he was the love of Sarrica's life and no one will ever come close to how he felt about Nyle. But then when he falls in love with Allen, suddenly multiple characters (and eventually even Sarrica) start talking about how Sarrica and Nyle were headed to divorce and that Nyle died on the battlefield because he was trying to put distance between them; that they fought all the time and were toxic together; etc.
And this really really bothers me. It is okay to find love after loss. It doesn't diminish the love you felt for the deceased and it doesn't tarnish the love for your current partner. I hate that the author felt like they needed to tear down what was lauded as the love of Sarrica's life - his soulmate - just because he found a new love.
I won't be continuing with this series. :( -
2.5 stars
This had a promising start but stalled out about halfway through and never quite got back on track.
As a fantasy, this is pretty decent. There are some aspects of the world building that could have been better explained - or explained at all - such as . Considering this is "fantasy" - or perhaps it's more accurate to say AU-historical, but still many readers shelved it as fantasy - not explaining how that situation worked understandably led some to think that . There were enough clues there that I was able to piece it together after someone reminded me that there are a lot of trans characters in this series, and it was confirmed by other readers, so it got cleared up pretty quickly. I'm just grateful GR was sending notifications that day.
Even so, exposition is needed for a reason. Readers shouldn't have to rely on other readers to get a full picture, and while I saw that this is explained in more detail later in the series, it's still a pretty big gaping hole in the world building for this book. Exposition is like brakes on your car - it keeps you from careening off course, and relying on someone else's car brakes is poor engineering. ... Ok, this isn't usually how cars work, so this isn't a perfect metaphor, but hopefully it makes sense nonetheless. If you can go into all the details on which countries like/hate each other, and which ones have treaties for what, and why so-and-so is plotting against the crown, then you have time to explain something that's pretty darn important to how families are structured in this world, especially considering this is an expanded version of the original short story and adding a line or two to fill in that hole wouldn't have taken much effort. On the one hand, I love that it's no big deal. On the other hand, it can still be no big deal and explained properly, so there's really no reason to not do so.
Anyway, I did really like how this started out. Arranged marriages aren't usually my thing, because either one or both characters are usually being forced into it and rebelling against it, which makes it feel icky. The characters here though understand this is a matter of state and approach it as such. Well, Allen does. Sarrica eventually does once he gets his head out of his butt, but even he wasn't opposed to an arranged marriage so much as he was convinced his council had picked the wrong guy for the job. So I was interested to see how Allen would prove himself capable and how Sarrica would eventually thaw out and extend an olive branch. But then Allen does a rash thing, causing a bunch of stuff to happen elsewhere (interesting and exciting stuff, granted, though it was resolved off page) and all of that relationship development gets hopped right over. The characters spend more time apart and with other characters than they do together, but suddenly, they're all swoony and moon eyes and why do the MCs in M/M all turn into the exact same lovey dovey couple in every single book, regardless of genre or time period? (This is why I adore Kim and Will from KJC's Will Darling Adventures; they remain very firmly Kim and Will even in the throes of love.) I just could not get into the romance aspect at all. It felt shoehorned in and rushed, and when I saw the last chapter was going to be , I had to have a pep talk with myself to actually read it. Thankfully, that didn't take up the entire chapter, so it could have been worse.
Then there are subplots that happen with a traitor working with ... someone, don't know who ... to bring down the empire for reasons unknown. That's never resolved. What happened to the men they took captive in the mountains, exactly? What was the traitor's eventual punishment? How about the smugglers? It's like all of these got forgotten as soon as war - which all happens off page - comes a'knocking. I suppose all these could maybe get addressed in later books in the series, but it did feel more like it was dropped instead of left for later.
There's promise here, the writing is well done and easy to read, and I liked Allen, Rene, Tara and most of the characters, even Sarrica. I just think this would've worked better if the page time spent on the characters having doubts about each other would have been spent on the characters actually talking to each other. -
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*
This is the third Megan Derr book I've read, and I'm starting to think I can't go wrong with her. And like the others I've read, it was fluffy, but it was so much more than just fluff. It didn't slack on the plot or the characters or the writing, but it still just made me smile and laugh and feel happy.
This book was just so damn funny. And the characters were all so likeable. I thought Lesto and Rene especially would be jerks since they were close to the king and the brothers of the king's later consort (and because that's just how things seem to go in these royal court books), but nope. They were awesome, and I loved them, and I loved everyone. I even got a little bit emotional at times, not because I felt sad, but because I liked the characters so much and they were all trying so hard and doing their best; I felt for them when they were feeling upset or worried or guilty, as well as when they were touched or excited or happy. I don't even normally like series with different main characters in each book, but, with this one, I'm glad the other books are about different characters because I really do want all their stories! I'm pretty sure I'd read a book about any character in this series. Literally I would even read a book about Myra, and I'm pretty sure he had like two whole sentences. (Ok I wrote that as a joke because I didn't think there would actually be a book about him, but I just checked, and it turns out the fourth book is going to about him. Now I'm excited because I really do want to read a book about him, haha. Though I must say, I'm disappointed there's no book about *SPOILER* *END SPOILER* [yet?] because they were probably my favorite characters in this book!)
I also loved the use of the dual perspectives (Allen's and Sarrica's) to show the misunderstandings between characters, like how Allen though Sarrica must be thinking XYZ of him, but Sarrica was actually acting a certain way because of ABC. I like when books do that because, in real life, we really don't know what people are thinking/feeling or what their reasons or motivations for things are, and so we probably do misinterpret plenty. But I never felt like it went too far into the miscommunication. It was believable. And the romance itself was ultimately sweet and a bit of a slow burn, though not a particularly tension-filled one.
So overall, I loved the characters, I loved the relationships among them, I loved the humor, and I definitely enjoyed this book!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes M/M high fantasy, lovable characters, humor, and sweet books that make you smile.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
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First Thoughts:
This was so much fun, and all the characters were so lovable! Full review soon. -
My feelings on this book are slightly confused. I actually enjoy being inundated with details on fictional geography and politics, so the world-building was a plus for me. Allen and Sarrica grew on me, and the main cast in general was easy to like. Also, I'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers theme, and Allen in particular was a lot of fun.
There are a couple of things I'm not really sure about, though:
- Apparently at least some men in this universe can bear children. I don't have an objection to "mpreg," and I don't expect an exhaustively detailed, scientifically plausible explanation, but I need *something*. Throw me a bone, because I need some way to wrap my head around the notion of pregnant dudes when my brain stubbornly demands at least a bare outline as to how this is supposed to work. Magic? Fantasy medicine? Everyone is born with a uterus? I don't think I'm patient enough to dig into subsequent books to find out of the mystery of the man pregnancy is ever explained.
- The romance had its moments, but it didn't get the same level of attention and development as other parts of the book. I felt that it went from glacial (both in feel and in tone) to picking up steam very quickly.
This story did hold my attention, and I enjoyed it. I'm not sure that I will read more books in the same universe right away, but I'll take it under advisement. -
AT first i really liked this book and had some good expectations. yeah well it turn down hell from there as i read through it it got more and more ridicules that the last 10 % was soo hard to go through i breathed a sigh of relief when it was over the language problem that almost destroyed the kingdom was the most ridiculous thing i read also the relationship development which wasn't there at all between the MC's the way they ''fell in love'' i don't even know what to write the bottom line is what comes to mind when i think about this book is : seriously!!???!
-
After reading some reviews it looks like I might have misunderstood part of the story. I wanted to say I liked that the author did not make a huge deal about the mpreg part, or thought that it's something that needed to be explained, it was a natural part of the story. But apparently there's no mpreg? Turns out the King's late husband was trans. Which wasn't said anywhere, and why would it be. Trans people don't go around introducing themselves like Hello I'm Pete, I'm trans. So I get it, but it might be important when it comes to worldbuilding. It didn't really hinder my enjoyment, especially since I only found out after I finished the book. lol
Otherwise the worldbuilding is great, that's the biggest reason I enjoyed the book. But what was more great is the King's relationship with his brother-in-laws. They acted like true brothers, and provided lots of humor.
While the plot was going forward with the war and everything, the romance somehow lagged always one step behind. It couldn't keep the pace, thus some vital steps were missing. Allen and Sarrica fell in love even though they weren't liking each other at first, then weren't even talking because the war took over and they were separated for a long time. It's like they somehow fell for each other telepathically.
Overall I enjoyed it, can't wait to read the rest of the series. -
“'I'm certain that in His Majesty's position, I would not have been any better', Allen replied. 'There is no goodbye quite as firm as saying hello to someone else.'”
I am mad.
I will admit, part of it is my own fault. I know the kind of books I don't like, and I also know about my habit of not really looking too much into a book before I decide to read it. Still, I don't know what I was thinking when I added this book to my list AND to my book order. It doesn't look, at all, like the kind of books I usually go for, way too romancy for me.
Although, it's possible that the LBGT factor weighed a lot in that decision, and also probably the Captive Prince-vibe of it all. I can't actually remember.
So yeah, I have a few things to say about this book:
1) The world-building. From the universe itself to the way it was introduced, it all felt a little clumsy and not engaging enough. I honestly wasn't able (also not interested enough) to keep track of which noble was from where, who they were allied with, who they felt hostile towards... The whole thing seemed pretty thin. Like, if you're going for world-building, really go for it, you know? Go full out or just don't bother.
2) It lacks polish. Putting aside the overwhelming presence of typos, I just couldn't find the story, as in, the little side-plot about how Harken is on the cusp of war or whatever, compelling enough. Not only are some things and personal bullshit dragging on forever but, there are some scenes, when you're writing a certain type of story, that you can't just cut out. The way the king's army found Amorlay Fortress and rescued Allen and Rene, as well as the following take-over of said Fortress is one of them. That's basic story-telling. You can't just expect your reader to go along like "Okay. Just like that", and move on without asking any question. It doesn't work.
Which, subsequently, leads me to another point:
3) I hear it was a 12k novel that was expanded and boy, can you feel it!
4) Also, just curious, how can you expect me to ship a pairing if they're never in the same room?! To be fair, I did manage to ship some pairings of the same kind before, mostly because of unexplored potential, because imagine what could have happened if they'd both realised how good they'd be together... But, it shouldn't happen with your main pairing. And having everyone and their mother claiming that the two would be perfect together, when some characters don't even know Allen and Sarrica that well or at all... Well, again, that's not how you construct the basics for your main pairing. It's not enough.
There are a few positive aspects, though: I found it irresistibly amusing how Harken's Court is just so chill. You'd expect a Game of Thrones level of scheming and plotting, but everyone is always teasing and smirking, like they're all just big, dumb, goofy kids. It's refreshing ; Again, the LGBT-ness of the story and its characters, as well as the fact that you can find female characters in every type of social and political position...
I did like how Sarrica's grief was handled and his guilt about moving on, just as I liked the way both characters had their insecurities.
But, the whole thing was just too scattered and not compelling enough for my interest to take hold. -
Original read in 2015, re-read (several) in 2015 and 2016
*Review for
BookWinked
Now, you might remember a short story Megan Derr wrote for the Love is Always Write anthology, back in 2012. It was called The High King’s Golden Tongue. It’s one short, but very amazing story. I for one was very happy to hear the author decided to expand it. There was a happy dance involved when I got the ARC to review!
Okay, first things first. The story is greatly expanded. As in from short-ass to long-ass. A lot of things have been added to the story, along with several new plot angles. The basic story line from the first edition is the same, however.
It’s still Allen – a prince from Gaulden – who has been chosen to be the High King’s consort. Sarrica is still not very happy to be saddled with a new consort. Allen, in turn, is still determined to prove himself.
In this new version we get to see the actual meeting. Little things have been added to the original story. Like Allen working hard to make a place for himself and making friends. Sarrica is still very much the ass, but we get more insight into him as well, as both main characters share the story and it’s seen from both their point of views.
There is a whole new subplot, as well as several small side stories – like that of Tara and Rene. It is very well done. It’s a long story in which a lot happens with characters that fit the story.
I loved the original story, but I adore this one. It was well written and Allen is quite the character. It’s clear from the start that he’s not perfect, but a hard worker and strong. There is steel under all that prettiness. He’s just one of those characters that needs love. He’s very skilled and it was fun to see him working the many languages.
It was also good to see the story from Sarrica’s point of view. He becomes more human and understandable, whereas in the original story the change in him was really fast. We also get to see his kids. There is a strong hint that there is mpreg in this world, but it’s not expanded upon.
There are quite the cast of characters that make up this story and it was well done how they balance the story out. Rene and Tara’s story was a lot of fun. Tara is such a chatterbox, but an endearing one.
Also… Lesto. That man is both aggravating, tough, sweet and very much in need of a lover to distract him. Good to know he’s getting his own story sometime next year!
There was something that bothered me a bit. I love it when Megan Derr writes long stories, but this version lacked a bit of balance to the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but 75% of this book focusses on getting Allen and Sarrica together and Allen’s self-doubts about his role and about Sarrica. Their romance is a comedy of errors and miscommunication. As this story is so greatly expanded it would have been nice to see a bit more of Allen and Sarrica together, because at some point I really really wanted to shake some sense into Allen. For all his language skills, sometimes he is just horrible at communication.
Apart from that, all I can say is: it will be a long ass wait for Lesto’s story!
Why you should read it: if you loved the first edition of The High King’s Golden Tongue, you will love this new version with its added story, details, new characters and more of Allen and Sarrica!
As a side note: I know it’s a bit evil posting this review now when the story won’t be released until November 4, but I couldn’t help myself, so here’s a chocolate cookie to make up for it!
** A copy was received by way of author ** -
Fantasy on audio, seems to work really well for me...
I first read this book 2 years ago and I loved it wrote it an absolutely rave 5 star review about which I would change nothing and since it was a long one...the word 'rave' usually equals long in my world so here's the link if you're curious...
The High King's Golden Tongue
I'm just going to keep it short and sweet here and chat a bit about how much I enjoyed listening to this story on audio narrated by Michael Stellman. I loved listening to this book on audio and Michael Stellman definitely did it justice and listening to him retell this story as the visuals played out in my mind was definitely a delight.
Since reading this first book I've gone on to read 'The Pirate of Fathoms Deep' and 'The Heart of the Lost Star' books 2 and 3 of this series and I've loved them all and truly can't wait to listen to them on audio...please, oh please let them be released on audio.
In the 3 or 4 years since I first sampled the audio pool, I've gone from 'no thanks not for me' to 'oh hell yeah, it's on audio!' and one of the things I've discovered is that I especially enjoy listening to audio books from the fantasy genre and Megan Derr's 'Tales of the High Court' series has definitely established it self as a favorite with me.
'The High King's Golden Tongue' was a wonderful start for the series when it was an e-book and continues to do the same for the audio release. If you're a lover of the fantasy genre this is a series well worth checking out...highly recommended. -
4 stars
Enjoyable fantasy in a fascinating world ... I'm looking forward to exploring more in #2. Though I liked the romance, I wanted Allen and Sarrica to have more time together just themselves. Maybe not quite enough focus on the romance for me? -
This I loved. Wow. I am so excited to see that there is another book coming out and coming out really soon!
Very good. I must go find more books by this author, now. -
An entertaining high fantasy read with a romance (subplot? plot?).
The world building was very well done - detailed and rich. I enjoyed the main characters and the more critical secondary characters a lot, with their distinct personalities.
There were too many other characters for me to handle though. Especially combined with locations and titles, I got lost pretty quick. I fuzzed out like 90% early on because I assumed they were there for color (showing how adept Allen is) but then some came back and I was ?? ...well whatever, I enjoyed it anyway.
It was less political intrigue and more political maneuvering at times. Which is fine, it was a fun read.
Overall, it was a well written book with an engaging story and sweet romance.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/ -
3.5-4 stars
This was an enjoyable read, I really like Megan Derrs world building. I was confused about who was doing the birthing of babies haha, as I can see from other posts I wasn’t the only one. This is very much a gender fluid world and while that is awesome it does lead to confusion for us who live in a world where we are so defiant on genders to give us context clues. With that said I think there wasn’t specific talk of it but when they brought up Nyle carrying their children…. I was guessing that meant Nyle was transgender? Still not clear, and I know this isn’t an mpreg book. It would have been nice for some context or author note at the beginning instead of being a tad confused. I have noticed there isn’t really talk of gender either. I think this does bring a good and new perspective, which would be cool to see normalized.
Michael Stellman did a good job narrating…but I will say he doesn’t change his voices so it’s not that easy to follow along if you don’t have the actual book in front of you.
I also was a little annoyed with Sarrica always bringing up Nyle… yes I get he was your first love and all that but jeez.. we are having a romance about Allan and you not Nyle..
Other than that though, this book is addictive, the writing is well done and it was hard to put down once I started! -
This was so easy and enjoyable to read! There were a few tiny flaws (I really didn’t understand how they fell so deep in love in such a short amount of time? Just me? And I also would’ve loved to see more of Bellen and Nyla!). But other than those minor details, this was great and I’m super jazzed to get onto the rest of the series!
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Finished this last night and didn't want it to ever end. Whyyyyyy did it ennnnnnd??? I hear there is a second book about Lesto coming and I will be gobbling that up, yes, but I still need more of these guys. Because...because...because I DO! So to sum up: Loved it. Like whoa.
