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The Stories of Ys #1
The Lodestar of Ys
Sjurd is convinced that Celyn of Ys is the most irritating man alive. It’s a good thing that Celyn is engaged to Sjurd’s brother, not him, because Sjurd loathes the brat, and it’s quite mutual. When an elopement and the threat of invasion force the two princes together, however, they have no choice but to marry and fake true love to keep their countries safe. Can warrior Sjurd and diplomat Celyn find any common ground?
Word count: 46,051
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Word count: 46,051
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
138 pages, ebook
First published August 25, 2013
75 people are currently reading
1454 people want to read
About the author
Amy Rae Durreson
34 books383 followersAmy Rae Durreson is a quiet Brit with a degree in early English literature, which she blames for her somewhat medieval approach to spelling, and at various times has been fluent in Latin, Old English, Ancient Greek, and Old Icelandic, though these days she mostly uses this knowledge to bore her students. Amy started her first novel a quarter of a century ago and has been scribbling away ever since. Despite these long years of experience, she has yet to master the arcane art of the semicolon. She was a winner in the 2017 Rainbow Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 294 reviews
January 6, 2015
like an awesome bedtime story as you're falling asleep: over before you want it to be.
What hurly-burly this story was! Filled with beautiful imagery and wit and smexy interludes—honestly, I was in love and in rageface extremis all at once.
Because it was too good. I wanted to linger—everywhere—but was not given the chance. The story is lean, and dense, but constrained. As if it were a succulent cut of skirt steak trimmed by an overzealous butcher.
Which is what happened, I reckon. Trimming.
There's no fat. It's all story. Great story, mind—beautiful, clever, funny, delightful story—but such a meager thing, in the end. A poor meal for a starving reader, and heebus chrahai was I starving.
Would this had been 300 pages longer! With more of the Empire, more epic battle, more clever intrigue, more gorgeous settings—and fewer unnecessary (though memorable) side characters in the beginning. If only because those characters—so charmingly-drawn—were never given time to really stretch their legs a bit and be awesome in their own ways before the ruthlessly forward-moving hustle of the tale left them far, far behind.
Bah.
Maybe I'm just greedy.
Maybe, when presented with such wonderfully-imagined fantasy that takes me back to my earliest public library wanderings—plus hot fucking—I can do nowt else but whine, and whine, and whine:
More! More! More!
What hurly-burly this story was! Filled with beautiful imagery and wit and smexy interludes—honestly, I was in love and in rageface extremis all at once.
Because it was too good. I wanted to linger—everywhere—but was not given the chance. The story is lean, and dense, but constrained. As if it were a succulent cut of skirt steak trimmed by an overzealous butcher.
Which is what happened, I reckon. Trimming.
There's no fat. It's all story. Great story, mind—beautiful, clever, funny, delightful story—but such a meager thing, in the end. A poor meal for a starving reader, and heebus chrahai was I starving.
Would this had been 300 pages longer! With more of the Empire, more epic battle, more clever intrigue, more gorgeous settings—and fewer unnecessary (though memorable) side characters in the beginning. If only because those characters—so charmingly-drawn—were never given time to really stretch their legs a bit and be awesome in their own ways before the ruthlessly forward-moving hustle of the tale left them far, far behind.
Bah.
Maybe I'm just greedy.
Maybe, when presented with such wonderfully-imagined fantasy that takes me back to my earliest public library wanderings—plus hot fucking—I can do nowt else but whine, and whine, and whine:
More! More! More!
November 5, 2019
Celyn and Sjurd. Sigh <3
I loved them. They're the perfect 'from hate to love' couple. And best of all, this story is a wonderfully captivating m/m romance fantasy.
It literally had it all:
Princes who need to marry (not always heterosexually) to form alliances, a mysterious enemy who keeps invading kingdom after kingdom slowly creeping closer to the homes of our heroes, and best of all: Flying islands that are kept afloat by some special type of tree that allows the inhabitants of said islands to build flying ships from its wood.
The world building is amazing and the romance totally touched my heart.
Celyn of Ys starts out as a young boy who is supposed to marry a prince from another kingdom. He doesn't mind, knowing it's to be united against the common enemy.
Celyn doesn't really love his fiance Ivarr, though, but who cares? Both guys are friends and like to check out the hot and hunky soldiers during their training sessions.
Celyn's fiance's older brother, however, is a different story altogether. Sjurd is a warrior prince through and through and ready to marry a like-minded princess who is ready to kick some butt to save their kingdoms.
When sad circumstances leave both men without fiances, their kings decree that Celyn and Sjurd need to marry each other.
Too bad that Celyn doesn't have the slightest sympathies for the brooding oaf and Sjurd certainly doesn't want to share his bed with an annoying and spoiled brat.
If only they could escape from the quirky tradition of having to marry on EACH floating island of Ys - complete with one wedding night per island(!!)- to make their union complete.
This is such a wonderful and well developed story. I loved the characters, the setting and the insider knowledge on the flying islands and how the 'magic' works.
Truly one of the best m/m fantasies I've read so far.
5 stars!
I loved them. They're the perfect 'from hate to love' couple. And best of all, this story is a wonderfully captivating m/m romance fantasy.
It literally had it all:
Princes who need to marry (not always heterosexually) to form alliances, a mysterious enemy who keeps invading kingdom after kingdom slowly creeping closer to the homes of our heroes, and best of all: Flying islands that are kept afloat by some special type of tree that allows the inhabitants of said islands to build flying ships from its wood.
The world building is amazing and the romance totally touched my heart.
Celyn of Ys starts out as a young boy who is supposed to marry a prince from another kingdom. He doesn't mind, knowing it's to be united against the common enemy.
Celyn doesn't really love his fiance Ivarr, though, but who cares? Both guys are friends and like to check out the hot and hunky soldiers during their training sessions.
Celyn's fiance's older brother, however, is a different story altogether. Sjurd is a warrior prince through and through and ready to marry a like-minded princess who is ready to kick some butt to save their kingdoms.
When sad circumstances leave both men without fiances, their kings decree that Celyn and Sjurd need to marry each other.
Too bad that Celyn doesn't have the slightest sympathies for the brooding oaf and Sjurd certainly doesn't want to share his bed with an annoying and spoiled brat.
If only they could escape from the quirky tradition of having to marry on EACH floating island of Ys - complete with one wedding night per island(!!)- to make their union complete.
This is such a wonderful and well developed story. I loved the characters, the setting and the insider knowledge on the flying islands and how the 'magic' works.
Truly one of the best m/m fantasies I've read so far.
5 stars!
June 6, 2019
4.25 stars
MCs - Celyn and Sjurd Gaaah! i can't express how excited i was when i saw the MCs names, they are unique. All the characters in this book have very unique names. It is so refreshing!
This book was a pleasant surprise. Thank you Elena for picking this book for us. I would have missed out of some good stuff.
The writing is fantastic, for a book less than 200 pages, this author who is new to me took me to another world with her amazing writing. It flowed smoothly and effortlessly. The dialogue was engaging and the humor so on point, found myself loling hard, Celyn got a mouth on him.
The world building is magical, i loved experiencing this world through Sjurd and Ceyln eyes.
The characters amazing, no exaggerated evil beings, evil bitchy women... GAAAAHHH! I love love that.
The trope is somewhat enemies to lovers, i found it believable and not forced. Sjurd and Celyn got chemistry.
Ok! Basically what i am trying to rumble on and on about, is that this little gem is worth reading. Highly recommended. Get the Amazon or Smashwords version, those gots bonus chapters.
Thank you Elena, Moony and Teal for the impromtu buddy read. It was worth it.
MCs - Celyn and Sjurd Gaaah! i can't express how excited i was when i saw the MCs names, they are unique. All the characters in this book have very unique names. It is so refreshing!
This book was a pleasant surprise. Thank you Elena for picking this book for us. I would have missed out of some good stuff.
The writing is fantastic, for a book less than 200 pages, this author who is new to me took me to another world with her amazing writing. It flowed smoothly and effortlessly. The dialogue was engaging and the humor so on point, found myself loling hard, Celyn got a mouth on him.
The world building is magical, i loved experiencing this world through Sjurd and Ceyln eyes.
The characters amazing, no exaggerated evil beings, evil bitchy women... GAAAAHHH! I love love that.
The trope is somewhat enemies to lovers, i found it believable and not forced. Sjurd and Celyn got chemistry.
Ok! Basically what i am trying to rumble on and on about, is that this little gem is worth reading. Highly recommended. Get the Amazon or Smashwords version, those gots bonus chapters.
Thank you Elena, Moony and Teal for the impromtu buddy read. It was worth it.
December 11, 2017
How is this book free on Amazon? 😱 Seriously, it was soooo freaking good and I loved every single second reading this book. 👏 And the cover, OMG! Love it!!!! 💚 This book was written for the MM Romance group’s ”love has no boundaries” event and it was really creative and awesome. The world building is just fantastic and magical. 😍 And MCs are sooo witty and exceptional. Loved it so much. 💗💜💗
Celyn is the nephew of King Pryderi of Ys and he has long accepted that he’s going to end up being a political pawn and get married off to some noble family for political advantage. And just at the age of 14, he was betrothed to the younger prince of their neighboring country Axholme and he couldn’t be happier that His fiancé was sweet, kind, loving and shy, totally polar opposite of his annoying and irritating brother of the crown prince, Sjurd. 😁 He really have great pity on the poor soul who has to marry the crown prince as he think he’s the most barbaric, crude and irritating person he’s ever known. 😂
Sjurd is the crown prince of Axholme and the commander of the entire royal army. All he knows is fighting and defending for his country and now he’s on a ship, playing politics for the engagement of his little brother. And he really hates the brat prince of Ys his poor brother has been betrothed to, arrogant, proud, vain and talkative. 😁 Seriously, how can a person talk that much all the time? 😂 All he wanted to do was smash that smartmouth of Celyn and spank his ass scarlet. The people of Ys are crazy pacifist and this brat needs some serious disciplining. 😏 Poor brother of his, he has to tolerate this arrogant brat for the rest of his life. 😁
Both countries have a common enemy, the Empire, and it is coming for all of them. On this side of the ocean, only these two countries are left from the invasion of the Empire and stand free. Both princes are betrothed to others but one’s fiancée ended up giving up her life fighting for her country and one’s ran away with his secret lover and which threw these two archenemies together for a political marriage. 😁 Ys and Axholme desperately need the alliance of each other and there’s no other solution than marrying off these two princes of the countries to solidify their alliance. How can these ever arguing and bickering two princes can fall in love? Can they hope to find true love from this arranged marriage of political benefits? 😉
The character building of these two MCs is phenomenal, 💙 especially Celyn, you can’t help but falling in love with how quick-witted and smart and sassy this prince is. 😁 And Sjurd, the fierce and brave and kind prince (although he really pretend hard to look tough) 😌 I really love how he sacrifices everything to keep his country and loved ones safe. And who knows, our tough prince is an inner romantic! 😏 And no matter how much he tries, Celyn seems to be always there whenever he’s in his most vulnerable times. The world building, OMG, 😱 dreamy, and fantastic and magical. I mean floating islands, flying ships and magical flowers? That’s really awesome! 😍 The relationship between Celyn and Sjurd is not insta .. it’s quite built up and natural. They’ve known each other for over 10 years and never thought of each other as lover potential. The banters between them are just gold, hilarious and witty. 😂👏 And when they finally admitted to be falling for each other and make love, Oooooo, that making love scene was pure fireworks! 💚 Sensual, sexy, titillating and very hot! 😁 And that’s not all, not only they have a very merry HEA, there are two bonus short stories at the end of the novel which leads up to 5 years after their marriage. And there’s a good amount of angst in this story too, oh how sweet and torturous that angst was! 😌 Kept me on the edge all the time. I just love everything about this story. And I still can’t get over the fact that this was free. 😱 There’s another short novella in the series and I can’t wait to read that one. 😊
Favorite excerpts from the novel: 💗💜💗
Fucking Sjurd would be like kissing a lightning storm—terrifying, exhilarating, and so very worth the risk.
For the first time, he wanted this; wanted this courageous, bad-tempered, infuriating man who had kissed him so sweetly in his own quiet garden.
Funny how shut up could sound so like I love you from this man.
“I don’t need to be jealous. You’re mine.” “Agreed,” Celyn said.
Whatever the morning brought, whether it was disaster or more small irritations, he could be strong, because he knew, and would always know, that Celyn loved him.
5 magical, sassy mouthed and fierce princes lover stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Celyn is the nephew of King Pryderi of Ys and he has long accepted that he’s going to end up being a political pawn and get married off to some noble family for political advantage. And just at the age of 14, he was betrothed to the younger prince of their neighboring country Axholme and he couldn’t be happier that His fiancé was sweet, kind, loving and shy, totally polar opposite of his annoying and irritating brother of the crown prince, Sjurd. 😁 He really have great pity on the poor soul who has to marry the crown prince as he think he’s the most barbaric, crude and irritating person he’s ever known. 😂
Sjurd is the crown prince of Axholme and the commander of the entire royal army. All he knows is fighting and defending for his country and now he’s on a ship, playing politics for the engagement of his little brother. And he really hates the brat prince of Ys his poor brother has been betrothed to, arrogant, proud, vain and talkative. 😁 Seriously, how can a person talk that much all the time? 😂 All he wanted to do was smash that smartmouth of Celyn and spank his ass scarlet. The people of Ys are crazy pacifist and this brat needs some serious disciplining. 😏 Poor brother of his, he has to tolerate this arrogant brat for the rest of his life. 😁
Both countries have a common enemy, the Empire, and it is coming for all of them. On this side of the ocean, only these two countries are left from the invasion of the Empire and stand free. Both princes are betrothed to others but one’s fiancée ended up giving up her life fighting for her country and one’s ran away with his secret lover and which threw these two archenemies together for a political marriage. 😁 Ys and Axholme desperately need the alliance of each other and there’s no other solution than marrying off these two princes of the countries to solidify their alliance. How can these ever arguing and bickering two princes can fall in love? Can they hope to find true love from this arranged marriage of political benefits? 😉
The character building of these two MCs is phenomenal, 💙 especially Celyn, you can’t help but falling in love with how quick-witted and smart and sassy this prince is. 😁 And Sjurd, the fierce and brave and kind prince (although he really pretend hard to look tough) 😌 I really love how he sacrifices everything to keep his country and loved ones safe. And who knows, our tough prince is an inner romantic! 😏 And no matter how much he tries, Celyn seems to be always there whenever he’s in his most vulnerable times. The world building, OMG, 😱 dreamy, and fantastic and magical. I mean floating islands, flying ships and magical flowers? That’s really awesome! 😍 The relationship between Celyn and Sjurd is not insta .. it’s quite built up and natural. They’ve known each other for over 10 years and never thought of each other as lover potential. The banters between them are just gold, hilarious and witty. 😂👏 And when they finally admitted to be falling for each other and make love, Oooooo, that making love scene was pure fireworks! 💚 Sensual, sexy, titillating and very hot! 😁 And that’s not all, not only they have a very merry HEA, there are two bonus short stories at the end of the novel which leads up to 5 years after their marriage. And there’s a good amount of angst in this story too, oh how sweet and torturous that angst was! 😌 Kept me on the edge all the time. I just love everything about this story. And I still can’t get over the fact that this was free. 😱 There’s another short novella in the series and I can’t wait to read that one. 😊
Favorite excerpts from the novel: 💗💜💗
Fucking Sjurd would be like kissing a lightning storm—terrifying, exhilarating, and so very worth the risk.
For the first time, he wanted this; wanted this courageous, bad-tempered, infuriating man who had kissed him so sweetly in his own quiet garden.
Funny how shut up could sound so like I love you from this man.
“I don’t need to be jealous. You’re mine.” “Agreed,” Celyn said.
Whatever the morning brought, whether it was disaster or more small irritations, he could be strong, because he knew, and would always know, that Celyn loved him.
5 magical, sassy mouthed and fierce princes lover stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 11, 2016
This novella is certainly creative, but the first half really dragged for me.
There's just a lot here: evil empire, magic, ogres, flying ships (and yet no electricity), alliances, war, arranged marriage, battle, executions. The romance most definitely takes a backseat to the world building and action/political plot.
I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers trope but wish the MCs had gotten together sooner (like prior to 80%). This would have been 2 stars had it not been for the last couple chapters, which finally (finally!) had Celyn and Sjurd connecting.
There's just a lot here: evil empire, magic, ogres, flying ships (and yet no electricity), alliances, war, arranged marriage, battle, executions. The romance most definitely takes a backseat to the world building and action/political plot.
I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers trope but wish the MCs had gotten together sooner (like prior to 80%). This would have been 2 stars had it not been for the last couple chapters, which finally (finally!) had Celyn and Sjurd connecting.
June 5, 2019
In the reading world, we often talk about expectations. Hype. Those things that drive us towards a book but sometimes hurt our actual experiences of it.
The good news is that the opposite can work FOR you, and that was the case with this one.
Sometimes when something is free, it can carry a stigma of worthless. And really, I should know better by now, because some of my favorites have been free (exhibits 1 - 2 - 3 - 4). I tend to go into them like… eh whatever, it will at least be worth the price I paid for it, right?
And that, my friends, was the most delightful surprise of all. The Lodestar of Ys is a charming and well-written story, with characters that wriggled into my heart. And when I say well-written, I mean not only was it edited better than many professionally published novels, but also the narrative was so engaging that it held my interest from soup to nuts. (Ahem, sorry.) It’s always impressive when someone writes high fantasy that manages decent world-building in only 50K words, and even more importantly, in a way that isn’t at all dry.
Highly recommend! NOTE: Be sure to download the version that's available from Smashwords or Amazon, because it contains two great extra chapters for the end.
And if you can find a few friends to enjoy it with you, even better. ❤️
The good news is that the opposite can work FOR you, and that was the case with this one.
It really wasn’t fair… Not fair at all. He wasn’t quite sure what was so unfair, but something definitely was. Or wasn’t.It was almost exactly a year ago when I added this to my tbr, and I have no idea why I did at that time. Who knows how long it might have languished there, or if it ever would have surfaced at all. Then, a friend was in a dry spell (DRY, I TELL YOU — she hadn’t read anything for over a week. The horror!), and I had just finished my last read, so we spontaneously started comparing our shelves for something we could read together. And fortunately, another couple of friends jumped in as well. So, there you have lovely surprise #1 about this reading experience.
Sometimes when something is free, it can carry a stigma of worthless. And really, I should know better by now, because some of my favorites have been free (exhibits 1 - 2 - 3 - 4). I tend to go into them like… eh whatever, it will at least be worth the price I paid for it, right?
And that, my friends, was the most delightful surprise of all. The Lodestar of Ys is a charming and well-written story, with characters that wriggled into my heart. And when I say well-written, I mean not only was it edited better than many professionally published novels, but also the narrative was so engaging that it held my interest from soup to nuts. (Ahem, sorry.) It’s always impressive when someone writes high fantasy that manages decent world-building in only 50K words, and even more importantly, in a way that isn’t at all dry.
Fucking Sjurd would be like kissing a lightning storm— terrifying, exhilarating, and so very worth the risk.Other pleasant surprises — this world was free of gender and sexuality inequalities. These things were just details, no better or worse. Also, minor spoiler —
Highly recommend! NOTE: Be sure to download the version that's available from Smashwords or Amazon, because it contains two great extra chapters for the end.
And if you can find a few friends to enjoy it with you, even better. ❤️
June 6, 2019
**** 4.5 stars ****
If you have any tolerance for fantasy at all, I recommend you read this lovely, intelligent, beautifully-written -- and, amazingly, free -- story.
In a world facing almost certain doom from the forces of a relentlessly expanding empire, two very different men from two very different nations find their lives entwined by political necessity. As their story plays out over the course of a decade and more, their intense mutual dislike evolves slowly -- ever so slowly -- into mutual regard... and eventually something more.
Slyly humorous, and peopled with vivid characters (even the minor ones), this is a story of finding hope and love and joy in the shadow of impending loss, even when your world seems doomed.
This is why I read -- in the dream of finding gems like this. I owe a thank you to my fellow buddy readers, Shile, Elena & Moony. This would have been left languishing on my TBR if you all hadn't provided the push -- and what a loss that would have been.
If you have any tolerance for fantasy at all, I recommend you read this lovely, intelligent, beautifully-written -- and, amazingly, free -- story.
In a world facing almost certain doom from the forces of a relentlessly expanding empire, two very different men from two very different nations find their lives entwined by political necessity. As their story plays out over the course of a decade and more, their intense mutual dislike evolves slowly -- ever so slowly -- into mutual regard... and eventually something more.
Slyly humorous, and peopled with vivid characters (even the minor ones), this is a story of finding hope and love and joy in the shadow of impending loss, even when your world seems doomed.
This is why I read -- in the dream of finding gems like this. I owe a thank you to my fellow buddy readers, Shile, Elena & Moony. This would have been left languishing on my TBR if you all hadn't provided the push -- and what a loss that would have been.
June 5, 2019
If this is the kind of book I can expect to find after a week-long pause from reading, I might start taking more of them. Especially since it seems that I can get unexpected buddy reads out of it.
I was kidding! Just kidding! Put away that straight jacket, thank you.
Pretty much the opposite, really, this book was exactly what I needed to be reminded of why I love reading.
The writing was excellent, with just the right kind and amount of humor, the world-building truly amazing, and the plot perfectly executed. I really liked how all the characters were portrayed, the main ones and the secondary ones, and I loved how the relationship between Celyn and Sjurd developed.
On the last note, make sure to read the two extra chapters at the end, Homecoming and Hounded. They are already included in the Kindle and Smashwords files, but not in the one on the M/M Romance Group’s site. You can also find them separately on the author’s site. They are a lovely addition to the main story, you don’t want to miss them.
I almost did, and that’s another thing I need to thank my BR friends for. Apart from saving me from myself, I mean. When I was blissfully thinking that, since I wasn’t in a book slump, it was healthy to stay away from my books for so long. Thank you for coming to my rescue, Moony, Shile, and Teal, I promise to take better care of myself in the future. 😘
I was kidding! Just kidding! Put away that straight jacket, thank you.
Pretty much the opposite, really, this book was exactly what I needed to be reminded of why I love reading.
The writing was excellent, with just the right kind and amount of humor, the world-building truly amazing, and the plot perfectly executed. I really liked how all the characters were portrayed, the main ones and the secondary ones, and I loved how the relationship between Celyn and Sjurd developed.
On the last note, make sure to read the two extra chapters at the end, Homecoming and Hounded. They are already included in the Kindle and Smashwords files, but not in the one on the M/M Romance Group’s site. You can also find them separately on the author’s site. They are a lovely addition to the main story, you don’t want to miss them.
I almost did, and that’s another thing I need to thank my BR friends for. Apart from saving me from myself, I mean. When I was blissfully thinking that, since I wasn’t in a book slump, it was healthy to stay away from my books for so long. Thank you for coming to my rescue, Moony, Shile, and Teal, I promise to take better care of myself in the future. 😘
October 26, 2013
An entertaining feel-good story, but a bit draggy and childish (the writing style as well as the characters and plot) as well. I missed depth overall. The institution of marriage never held much appeal for me. So unfortunately, the main characters having to visit dozens of countries and marry over and over again, didn't make me swoon and smile about fond memories of white, princess dresses and childhood dreams of Walt Disney romance.
April 26, 2021
I'll review later but I'm calling it now. DNF @ 47%.
*deep sigh* I feel better now.
Edit for review:
Ok, so technically I made it to 54% of this thing, if you don't count the two little short stories that were added at the end and make up the last 12% of the book. 54% of this story and while it started out promising, it quickly started to veer off path and I went from mildly interested to disliking it to severely hating it by the time I called it quits.
I've enjoyed the other short stories I've read by this author, so I was expecting to enjoy this one too. Unfortunately, the world building was erratic at best, and the MCs had zero chemistry and acted like kindergartners with wet undies and spilled apple juice after an interrupted nap. Well, I guess whatshisname wasn't as bad as the other one, but still. Anyway, list time!
1) First, how the frack do you even pronounce Ys? Is it "whys"? Or "Ees"? Or like "eyes"? "Yeez"? Who the hell knows. And once again, if it wasn't for the cover art, I'd have no idea what Ys even is supposed to look like for a bulk of the first half of the story, which doesn't even take place in Ys. I also kept waiting for the titular Lodestar to make an appearance, but other than a ring that Sjurd had around his neck made of the stuff (given to him by someone not from Ys) and a brief explanation at the beginning about how their ships fly, nada.
2) The Evil Empire that's Evil because Reasons. *shrug* And they're so super evil that they can just waltz into a kingdom, kill all the leaders and heirs and take over the land, but then wait around for ten years to take the last two remaining kingdoms (one of which is not only pacifist but has technology that would greatly benefit a conquering nation, so you think that'd be their next target) while fighting battles on the border of only one of them. For that matter, the war is so hot and heavy that Sjurd's peeps just shrug and go "oh well, kids these days" when one of their two princes takes off to grow turnips with his boyfriend. I guess because he's the spare? But how can you have a spare when there's an enemy that targets the heirs? Ivarr felt no responsibility at all towards his people? He was one of the few characters I liked at the start of this thing and he just shirks his duties. Ok, PTSD, yadda yadda. But naw, man. No one gave a crap that he just took off. NO ONE!
3) Speaking of heirs, Sjurd's first arranged marriage was for the purpose of him producing heirs with his wife. But for some reason that didn't make sense at all Ivarr wasn't supposed to produce heirs, because you always run the risk of too many heirs with an enemy running around who likes to kill them. Uh-huh. But then after Sjurd's fiancée (another character I liked) is conveniently murdered, he's not expected to marry anyone else right away and then eventually gets wedded to whatshisname, who he definitely can't produce heirs with, when there's a perfectly good princess he could marry that would serve the exact same political purpose as him marrying whatshisname while also having the added benefit of PRODUCING HEIRS. WTF are y'all smoking? How does that make a lick of sense? You can't just do this crap because "the author says so." That's not a valid reason. It needs to make sense in the universe that's been created and it doesn't. At all. Ok, so no one in this world cares about sexuality or gender and that's awesome. So guys can marry guys, no big deal. But then how are heirs determined if the only prince who's around marries another guy? I don't know, because it's never explained.
4) Now, let's talk about Sjurd and whatshisname. So this is enemies to lovers. But they have zero reasons whatsoever to be enemies. None! The first time they meet, whatshisname valiantly defends his then-fiancé against a very rude man who ends up being Ivarr's brother. So instead of being impressed that his brother has a fiancé who'll speak up for him, Sjurd gets all butt hurt for some silly reason. Then several time jumps later, they still hate each other. Ten years have passed. TEN! I'd expect something else to have happened to keep this ridiculous animosity going. And these characters go from 14 to 24 and 21 to 31 and don't change at all. At least whatshisname actually can exercise restraint at times, but Sjurd is just a selfish little snot who complains about everything, constantly puts whatshisname down (in public!) and acts like a brat who broke his favorite toy. But Sjurd doesn't even start out like that. He's likable at the beginning. But every time he's around whatshisname, he turns into an obnoxious poop head. They do have one little tender moment, but instead of that being the point where the ice starts melting so I could start to give a crap if these two got together or not, it just gets chillier. Why? Animosity does not equal sexual tension. Not in my book.
5) Then they have to go to every single island in Ys and get married on each one so it can be official and THERE'S A WAR GOING ON Y'ALL DON'T HAVE A MONTH FOR THIS BULLCRAP. I just saw chapter after chapter of island after island with wedding after wedding with Sjurd acting churlish and whatshisname acting put upon and I wanted to murder something. Preferably Sjurd. Preferably like this:
6) Add on top of this the unending war that gives this all a bleak tone even though we don't actually see any of the war, and I was done. There was nothing to like about any of this and it wasn't worth the effort to keep pushing. I could feel the awful draping over me and weighing me down and I was going to a bad place. It was time to bail.
7) I'm glad I read Emyr's Smile first now. At least that one was cute and had MCs I liked and could root for.
8) What *is* his name? Cylon? Klingon? *looks it up* Celyn. Yeah, I'm not going to remember that.
9) In the end, this just had too much and not enough going on. There were unnecessary complications to the storytelling that couldn't be satisfactorily fit into the confines of a novella, and the end result is that it felt overstuffed (war, magic (kind of), floating islands, arranged marriages, etc) and stretched too thin since none of this stuff got the space or time it needed to breathe or be adequately used.
At least it was free.
*deep sigh* I feel better now.
Edit for review:
Ok, so technically I made it to 54% of this thing, if you don't count the two little short stories that were added at the end and make up the last 12% of the book. 54% of this story and while it started out promising, it quickly started to veer off path and I went from mildly interested to disliking it to severely hating it by the time I called it quits.
I've enjoyed the other short stories I've read by this author, so I was expecting to enjoy this one too. Unfortunately, the world building was erratic at best, and the MCs had zero chemistry and acted like kindergartners with wet undies and spilled apple juice after an interrupted nap. Well, I guess whatshisname wasn't as bad as the other one, but still. Anyway, list time!
1) First, how the frack do you even pronounce Ys? Is it "whys"? Or "Ees"? Or like "eyes"? "Yeez"? Who the hell knows. And once again, if it wasn't for the cover art, I'd have no idea what Ys even is supposed to look like for a bulk of the first half of the story, which doesn't even take place in Ys. I also kept waiting for the titular Lodestar to make an appearance, but other than a ring that Sjurd had around his neck made of the stuff (given to him by someone not from Ys) and a brief explanation at the beginning about how their ships fly, nada.
2) The Evil Empire that's Evil because Reasons. *shrug* And they're so super evil that they can just waltz into a kingdom, kill all the leaders and heirs and take over the land, but then wait around for ten years to take the last two remaining kingdoms (one of which is not only pacifist but has technology that would greatly benefit a conquering nation, so you think that'd be their next target) while fighting battles on the border of only one of them. For that matter, the war is so hot and heavy that Sjurd's peeps just shrug and go "oh well, kids these days" when one of their two princes takes off to grow turnips with his boyfriend. I guess because he's the spare? But how can you have a spare when there's an enemy that targets the heirs? Ivarr felt no responsibility at all towards his people? He was one of the few characters I liked at the start of this thing and he just shirks his duties. Ok, PTSD, yadda yadda. But naw, man. No one gave a crap that he just took off. NO ONE!
3) Speaking of heirs, Sjurd's first arranged marriage was for the purpose of him producing heirs with his wife. But for some reason that didn't make sense at all Ivarr wasn't supposed to produce heirs, because you always run the risk of too many heirs with an enemy running around who likes to kill them. Uh-huh. But then after Sjurd's fiancée (another character I liked) is conveniently murdered, he's not expected to marry anyone else right away and then eventually gets wedded to whatshisname, who he definitely can't produce heirs with, when there's a perfectly good princess he could marry that would serve the exact same political purpose as him marrying whatshisname while also having the added benefit of PRODUCING HEIRS. WTF are y'all smoking? How does that make a lick of sense? You can't just do this crap because "the author says so." That's not a valid reason. It needs to make sense in the universe that's been created and it doesn't. At all. Ok, so no one in this world cares about sexuality or gender and that's awesome. So guys can marry guys, no big deal. But then how are heirs determined if the only prince who's around marries another guy? I don't know, because it's never explained.
4) Now, let's talk about Sjurd and whatshisname. So this is enemies to lovers. But they have zero reasons whatsoever to be enemies. None! The first time they meet, whatshisname valiantly defends his then-fiancé against a very rude man who ends up being Ivarr's brother. So instead of being impressed that his brother has a fiancé who'll speak up for him, Sjurd gets all butt hurt for some silly reason. Then several time jumps later, they still hate each other. Ten years have passed. TEN! I'd expect something else to have happened to keep this ridiculous animosity going. And these characters go from 14 to 24 and 21 to 31 and don't change at all. At least whatshisname actually can exercise restraint at times, but Sjurd is just a selfish little snot who complains about everything, constantly puts whatshisname down (in public!) and acts like a brat who broke his favorite toy. But Sjurd doesn't even start out like that. He's likable at the beginning. But every time he's around whatshisname, he turns into an obnoxious poop head. They do have one little tender moment, but instead of that being the point where the ice starts melting so I could start to give a crap if these two got together or not, it just gets chillier. Why? Animosity does not equal sexual tension. Not in my book.
5) Then they have to go to every single island in Ys and get married on each one so it can be official and THERE'S A WAR GOING ON Y'ALL DON'T HAVE A MONTH FOR THIS BULLCRAP. I just saw chapter after chapter of island after island with wedding after wedding with Sjurd acting churlish and whatshisname acting put upon and I wanted to murder something. Preferably Sjurd. Preferably like this:
6) Add on top of this the unending war that gives this all a bleak tone even though we don't actually see any of the war, and I was done. There was nothing to like about any of this and it wasn't worth the effort to keep pushing. I could feel the awful draping over me and weighing me down and I was going to a bad place. It was time to bail.
7) I'm glad I read Emyr's Smile first now. At least that one was cute and had MCs I liked and could root for.
8) What *is* his name? Cylon? Klingon? *looks it up* Celyn. Yeah, I'm not going to remember that.
9) In the end, this just had too much and not enough going on. There were unnecessary complications to the storytelling that couldn't be satisfactorily fit into the confines of a novella, and the end result is that it felt overstuffed (war, magic (kind of), floating islands, arranged marriages, etc) and stretched too thin since none of this stuff got the space or time it needed to breathe or be adequately used.
At least it was free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2013
4.5 stars – I thought this was a pretty stunning fantasy read, especially for being a short novel (and free!)
Lovely world-building, concisely written to include so much so well without feeling jam-packed. This is very much an enemies-to-lovers story of two princes from two kingdoms who, to align against a common enemy, are forced to marry. The tension was drawn out well, and at 50%, I was left wondering how that Romance-Book-ending was going to come, but that made the journey for cheery diplomat Ceylan and grim soldier Sjurd even more satisfying as their walls *very very slowly* came down.
The setting details were gorgeous, especially as the two travel from floating island to floating island for a marriage trip that will publicly solidify their union.
I thought it was a great read, and it had all the trappings of a rich m/m fantasy novel, but at probably half the length. (At 46,000+ words.) I definitely could have read more, but mostly because I loved the world the author built, as well as the characters and their relationships.
Definitely one of my favorites from the year’s Love Has No Boundaries story event. I’ll have to keep an eye on this author. She wrote in her blog about her first fantasy novel coming out from Dreamspinner early next year. I look forward to checking it out.
The full ebook version of this story can be downloaded for free here.
ADD: The author has some follow-up side stories on her blog here, here, and here.
Lovely world-building, concisely written to include so much so well without feeling jam-packed. This is very much an enemies-to-lovers story of two princes from two kingdoms who, to align against a common enemy, are forced to marry. The tension was drawn out well, and at 50%, I was left wondering how that Romance-Book-ending was going to come, but that made the journey for cheery diplomat Ceylan and grim soldier Sjurd even more satisfying as their walls *very very slowly* came down.
The setting details were gorgeous, especially as the two travel from floating island to floating island for a marriage trip that will publicly solidify their union.
I thought it was a great read, and it had all the trappings of a rich m/m fantasy novel, but at probably half the length. (At 46,000+ words.) I definitely could have read more, but mostly because I loved the world the author built, as well as the characters and their relationships.
Definitely one of my favorites from the year’s Love Has No Boundaries story event. I’ll have to keep an eye on this author. She wrote in her blog about her first fantasy novel coming out from Dreamspinner early next year. I look forward to checking it out.
The full ebook version of this story can be downloaded for free here.
ADD: The author has some follow-up side stories on her blog here, here, and here.
July 22, 2019
I read this back when it first came out, as a free gift to us during one of the M/M group writing events, but just did a reread and realized I never reviewed it. The early chapters skip forward over time, through change and loss, to the heart of the book that brings our two princes together. Celyn and Sjurd meet in a simpler time when Celyn is still a youth, and Sjurd is a soldier but with less weight on his shoulders. They loathe each other at first sight.
As an implacable magic-swallowing Empire advances on both their kingdoms, time and maturity and loss change them. Then they find themselves in a position where the logical answer for both their kingdoms is for them to become betrothed. Sadly, they still loathe each other...
I really enjoyed the characters, the world-building and the progression of this story. The end would have to be considered a bit of an HFN - our main characters are solidly in love, but their world is far from truly stable. I would happily buy a sequel to this at any time, but I am grateful for the free gift of this story (which includes two little epilogues down the road in the revised book). It's solid enough for me to be willing to leave these two young men there, still side by side. Recommended for those who enjoy high fantasy and don't mind a bit of a tentative plot ending.
As an implacable magic-swallowing Empire advances on both their kingdoms, time and maturity and loss change them. Then they find themselves in a position where the logical answer for both their kingdoms is for them to become betrothed. Sadly, they still loathe each other...
I really enjoyed the characters, the world-building and the progression of this story. The end would have to be considered a bit of an HFN - our main characters are solidly in love, but their world is far from truly stable. I would happily buy a sequel to this at any time, but I am grateful for the free gift of this story (which includes two little epilogues down the road in the revised book). It's solid enough for me to be willing to leave these two young men there, still side by side. Recommended for those who enjoy high fantasy and don't mind a bit of a tentative plot ending.
June 13, 2018
This is gay romance meets high fantasy. Literally "high" as half the setting is a series of floating islands way up in the air over the ocean. It felt almost but not quite steampunk. This enemies-to-lovers romance is deceptively simple as it’s actually full of delicately handled themes like PTSD, the politics of invasion, and the handling of refugees. The setting is spine tingling and glorious, and the romance is delightful.
As an author, Durreson tends towards shorts and novellas, and my only complaint is that I wish this were longer with perhaps more developed side characters. But that's a very minor quibble.
As an author, Durreson tends towards shorts and novellas, and my only complaint is that I wish this were longer with perhaps more developed side characters. But that's a very minor quibble.
August 27, 2013
Absolutely wonderful. The author manages to create a very involving fantasy universe, with distinct cultures, complex geopolitical conflicts, an array of memorable side characters, 17 different wedding ceremonies (for the same couple), high-skies adventure, and a relationship that evolves over close to a decade--all in a mere 150 pages or so. The descriptions of the floating islands of Ys are particularly magical. The main couple is very likeable, and the author does a great job with the enemies-to-lovers theme, which in other books too often relies on a handful of overly familiar cliches.
Really, this is an impressive achievement. I would love to read more stories set in this world, and even return to this sexy and adorable couple.
Really, this is an impressive achievement. I would love to read more stories set in this world, and even return to this sexy and adorable couple.
January 24, 2020
Highly imaginative and original.
And a fabulous ‘enemies-to-lovers’ romance!
Loved both, Sjurd and Celyn and will no doubt revisit their universe at one point.
And a fabulous ‘enemies-to-lovers’ romance!
Loved both, Sjurd and Celyn and will no doubt revisit their universe at one point.
August 26, 2013
I almost didn't read this based on the title. I don't get along well with names I have no hope of ever pronouncing. They make my brain hurt. For some reason it just makes it difficult for me to keep track of who is who. Throw in complicated location names and my brain begins to melt out of my ears. The title (the blurb too) seemed to promise that there would be plenty of these. I wasn't wrong. However, I am thrilled that I read this anyway.
This was amazing. I thought the world building was great, and I loved the story. The characters, particularly Celyn, were oodles of snarky fun. All of the characters, even the secondaries, were well developed. The character interactions were amusing. And I greatly enjoyed the bickering between Celyn and Sjurd. The writing made it so easy for me to fall into this. As always, I wish it were longer. For different reasons this time. The story is well developed, there is plenty of plot, the relationship develops slowly, and there is a good conclusion. But, it's all so great that I didn't want it to end. Particularly because of the world building. I did not want to leave Ys.
If you like Fantasy then you should definitely give this one a go. It was such a good read!
4.5 Stars
This was amazing. I thought the world building was great, and I loved the story. The characters, particularly Celyn, were oodles of snarky fun. All of the characters, even the secondaries, were well developed. The character interactions were amusing. And I greatly enjoyed the bickering between Celyn and Sjurd. The writing made it so easy for me to fall into this. As always, I wish it were longer. For different reasons this time. The story is well developed, there is plenty of plot, the relationship develops slowly, and there is a good conclusion. But, it's all so great that I didn't want it to end. Particularly because of the world building. I did not want to leave Ys.
If you like Fantasy then you should definitely give this one a go. It was such a good read!
4.5 Stars
February 22, 2021
This is such a lovely story about the opposites that attract.
Celyn and Sjurd are well-written characters. There is much more to them than it seems, and we can gradually discover their complex personalities as they get to know each other better. I think they make a very interesting couple together. I also liked the supporting characters. I admit that I was counting on meeting Ivarr and Hrolf again at the end.
The plot is also very good and well thought out. The atmosphere of danger is present and clearly perceptible all the time. All dramatic events are very well written. I also think that the reason why Sjurd and Celyn have to be together is very well founded. The romance of these two is also well constructed. I had no doubts that they were interested in each other, even if they didn't want to admit it themselves.
It's not a long story, but all the elements - characters, romance, plotline - are well developed. Sometimes when I read shorter stories I am left feeling unsatisfied, I see the potential in the story, but I feel that it has not been fully used. But that wasn't the case here. And although I will miss these characters and would like to meet them again, I believe that this short story gave me everything I wanted. I give 3.5 stars because I don't think this story will stay with me for long, but at the same time I hope I'm wrong and maybe I'll change the rating.
Celyn and Sjurd are well-written characters. There is much more to them than it seems, and we can gradually discover their complex personalities as they get to know each other better. I think they make a very interesting couple together. I also liked the supporting characters. I admit that I was counting on meeting Ivarr and Hrolf again at the end.
The plot is also very good and well thought out. The atmosphere of danger is present and clearly perceptible all the time. All dramatic events are very well written. I also think that the reason why Sjurd and Celyn have to be together is very well founded. The romance of these two is also well constructed. I had no doubts that they were interested in each other, even if they didn't want to admit it themselves.
It's not a long story, but all the elements - characters, romance, plotline - are well developed. Sometimes when I read shorter stories I am left feeling unsatisfied, I see the potential in the story, but I feel that it has not been fully used. But that wasn't the case here. And although I will miss these characters and would like to meet them again, I believe that this short story gave me everything I wanted. I give 3.5 stars because I don't think this story will stay with me for long, but at the same time I hope I'm wrong and maybe I'll change the rating.
February 22, 2016
I ended up calling Sjurd Squirt Squid "Sword". I can't get past Sjurd *sigh*
~~*~~
I want to read this book for a long long time. Or at least another 2-3 hundred pages :)
The story slowed down considerably towards the middle of the book, but it was never boring. It reminded me of Kirby Crow's "The Peddler and the White Wolf" - not rushed, not sprinkled with sex or murder in every chapter, yet still wonderful in almost each and every way.
A great enemies-to-lovers progression.
The Islands are incredibly beautiful, the universe is begging to be explored more carefully and much deeper, with added history of countries and the conflict.
I truly hope there is going to be more from ARD. Amazing work.
~~*~~
Original picture, that prompted the story
~~*~~
I want to read this book for a long long time. Or at least another 2-3 hundred pages :)
The story slowed down considerably towards the middle of the book, but it was never boring. It reminded me of Kirby Crow's "The Peddler and the White Wolf" - not rushed, not sprinkled with sex or murder in every chapter, yet still wonderful in almost each and every way.
A great enemies-to-lovers progression.
The Islands are incredibly beautiful, the universe is begging to be explored more carefully and much deeper, with added history of countries and the conflict.
I truly hope there is going to be more from ARD. Amazing work.
~~*~~
Original picture, that prompted the story
August 28, 2013
I loved the world building, but the characters stole the show for me. Celyn's personality was made so clear through his voice and I loved every snarky bit of it. Sjurd's reactions to Celyn had me grinning but I also liked how his vulnerable side was revealed.
The storyline around the battles with the Empire was well done. I felt the urgency, fear, and at times, resignation, but also the determination and flickers of hope.
On the lighter side, the wedding trip was a great way to show the developing feelings the MCs had for each other. I love the slow build with all the UST. Usually, I'm yelling at the characters "Get on with it already, how stupid are you?!" But this was perfect.
One for my favorites shelf.
The storyline around the battles with the Empire was well done. I felt the urgency, fear, and at times, resignation, but also the determination and flickers of hope.
On the lighter side, the wedding trip was a great way to show the developing feelings the MCs had for each other. I love the slow build with all the UST. Usually, I'm yelling at the characters "Get on with it already, how stupid are you?!" But this was perfect.
One for my favorites shelf.
May 21, 2022
4.5
I loved this! As usual, Amy Rae Durreson managed to create an expansive, complex fantasy world without smothering the reader with pages-long info-dumps. 👏 Now I want to travel to Ys on one of their flying ships and see those beautiful floating islands (and maybe live there as well 😂).
Celyn and Sjurd were lovely together, once they got together 😉 but I also really enjoyed the relationship development — the snark, the pining… This was slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, arranged-marriage done well! 😍 The bonus chapters were sweet, it was great to see those two some years down the road.
The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, however, at least in regard to the war with the Empire. That’s only a minor niggle, though.
I can’t believe this is a freebie! 🤯
I loved this! As usual, Amy Rae Durreson managed to create an expansive, complex fantasy world without smothering the reader with pages-long info-dumps. 👏 Now I want to travel to Ys on one of their flying ships and see those beautiful floating islands (and maybe live there as well 😂).
Celyn and Sjurd were lovely together, once they got together 😉 but I also really enjoyed the relationship development — the snark, the pining… This was slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, arranged-marriage done well! 😍 The bonus chapters were sweet, it was great to see those two some years down the road.
The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, however, at least in regard to the war with the Empire. That’s only a minor niggle, though.
I can’t believe this is a freebie! 🤯
November 27, 2017
Marriage-of-convenience, m-m romance, in a fantasy setting where magic makes ships sail between islands that float in the air.
The threat of a neighboring, evil empire more or less forces our heroes to get married against their will, to help protect the good guys against magic-destroying hounds, ogres and invading hordes.
I went into this expecting brain candy in a light fantasy setting, predictable, shallow and touching on all of the usual cliches. Nice guy has to marry tall, dark and grumpy with lots of muscles. They hate each other's guts, then grudgingly become friends and eventually lovers, with the required HEA. Or at least a HFN.
I got all that, but on top of that there was actually a plot. Well, at least until the romance smoop and sillyness took over. And some pretty decent world building.
So, if you are looking for some pretty well written romance smoop, that has a decent plot, is not cringe-worthy, with a little porn thrown in and some suspense, this works well.
Free on Amazon, including two additional short stories, Homecoming and Hounded. Those are mostly fluff and porn and don't add to the story.
The threat of a neighboring, evil empire more or less forces our heroes to get married against their will, to help protect the good guys against magic-destroying hounds, ogres and invading hordes.
I went into this expecting brain candy in a light fantasy setting, predictable, shallow and touching on all of the usual cliches. Nice guy has to marry tall, dark and grumpy with lots of muscles. They hate each other's guts, then grudgingly become friends and eventually lovers, with the required HEA. Or at least a HFN.
I got all that, but on top of that there was actually a plot. Well, at least until the romance smoop and sillyness took over. And some pretty decent world building.
So, if you are looking for some pretty well written romance smoop, that has a decent plot, is not cringe-worthy, with a little porn thrown in and some suspense, this works well.
Free on Amazon, including two additional short stories, Homecoming and Hounded. Those are mostly fluff and porn and don't add to the story.
January 31, 2022
Lovely, lovely, entirely lovely! I adore this world that we're plopped down into the middle of, and how all things are presented as fait acompli, no overly explaining exposition, no apologizing for gender preference, no long political or ideological debates. Just story and wonder and love. More please, Ms. Durreson!
June 27, 2015
Difficult one to rate. There's a lot of world building here and quite an intense war going on and yet an almost total absence of the human element. There's enough there that I wanted to carry on but at the same time I skipped large chunks of text seeking the sparks of personality. Despite all the interesting world building, technologies and magics which deserve credit, the story itself is actually quite boring. And the threat being 'The Empire' meant I kept hearing the Star Wars theme music in my head!
There's large time jumps to the point where the story felt disjointed and even with the years passing the characters didn't seem to develop. Sjurd is supposedly doing his duty but is churlishly rude and is a competent prince/solider who doesn't bother to read intineries or missives from his king? A character dies but it has no impact on the reader. Most people named remain faceless with a passing reference to them later by when you struggle to remember their pertinence.
The story needs filler, little plot irrelevent moments to give humour and ground the characters, let us see who they are, what they like and stand for. They travel to thirty islands to stage wedding ceremonies which gives leeway for different traditions and a bit of fun but instead each place blends into the other, nothing and no-one stands out.
I liked the change from the two being unimpressed with each other to becoming lovers but can't help putting it down to a sip of over-strong scrumpy and convenience, there's not enough shown to make me truely feel for them.
Overall the effect is of a long space saga being boiled down to fit into novella format. A great outline and world vision but cutting out those bits that keep a reader engaged. The story isn't long enough to encompass the years it covers and the big looming threat of attack was dealt with so quick and easily I had to re-read the page to figure out it was actually over with!
There's large time jumps to the point where the story felt disjointed and even with the years passing the characters didn't seem to develop. Sjurd is supposedly doing his duty but is churlishly rude and is a competent prince/solider who doesn't bother to read intineries or missives from his king? A character dies but it has no impact on the reader. Most people named remain faceless with a passing reference to them later by when you struggle to remember their pertinence.
The story needs filler, little plot irrelevent moments to give humour and ground the characters, let us see who they are, what they like and stand for. They travel to thirty islands to stage wedding ceremonies which gives leeway for different traditions and a bit of fun but instead each place blends into the other, nothing and no-one stands out.
I liked the change from the two being unimpressed with each other to becoming lovers but can't help putting it down to a sip of over-strong scrumpy and convenience, there's not enough shown to make me truely feel for them.
Overall the effect is of a long space saga being boiled down to fit into novella format. A great outline and world vision but cutting out those bits that keep a reader engaged. The story isn't long enough to encompass the years it covers and the big looming threat of attack was dealt with so quick and easily I had to re-read the page to figure out it was actually over with!
February 12, 2023
I can no longer tag ARD's books as "surprise goodness," because where's the surprise when you know you can count on everything by a given writer being good? That having been said, Lodestar was published before the first Reawakening book, and it's not as fully realized; I'd probably have given it 5 stars if the author were almost anyone else, but too bad, Amy Rae Durreson, you set a high standard for yourself and I grade on a curve.
Like the Reawakening series, this is fantasy with romance, not straight-up romance, which leads me to
Like the Reawakening series, this is fantasy with romance, not straight-up romance, which leads me to
September 13, 2013
Bold mix of elements that are diverting and highly entertaining.
The worldbuilding is great with a melange of Errol Flynn, LOTR and Peter Pan. I love sailing, so this story immediately made me excited when it turned course during the exploration of the Ys isles. In contrast to Axholme, the militaristic country holding off the Empire's advances, the bucolic beauty is gorgeous and reminds me of sailing island to island in the Caribbean.
The development of Celyn and Sjurd's relationship is wonderful. Paced beautifully, and just humorous to watch. The transition from bickering allies to lovers is filled with both heartache and joy. This isn't all about romance, it has a strong action/adventure emphasis as we become acquainted with the heroes through the warring plot. Plus, I like the fact that it was more of a political than front lines story.
The worldbuilding is great with a melange of Errol Flynn, LOTR and Peter Pan. I love sailing, so this story immediately made me excited when it turned course during the exploration of the Ys isles. In contrast to Axholme, the militaristic country holding off the Empire's advances, the bucolic beauty is gorgeous and reminds me of sailing island to island in the Caribbean.
The development of Celyn and Sjurd's relationship is wonderful. Paced beautifully, and just humorous to watch. The transition from bickering allies to lovers is filled with both heartache and joy. This isn't all about romance, it has a strong action/adventure emphasis as we become acquainted with the heroes through the warring plot. Plus, I like the fact that it was more of a political than front lines story.
March 12, 2024
I enjoyed the world building and the political plot lines but the romance didn’t work for me at all. I’m not a fan of perpetually grumpy characters. The conflict felt forced, I didn’t enjoy it or buy it. Sjurd learned early on that Celyn wasn’t the brat he initially labeled him. He discovering Celyn was a kind, patient, tolerant, mild mannered and friendly young man yet Sjurd continued to be abrasive, petty, rude and mean to him for years despite Celyn treating him with kindness and empathy. Why Celyn ever fell for Sjurd was a mystery to me. Oh wait, no it isn’t! he found Sjurd physically attractive! Who cares if the dude is a complete ass, tantruming to the point of undermining the political reasons for their marriage and treating Celyn and the entire population of Ys rudely, he’s hot after all 🤮🙄 Even after Sjurd falls in love with Celyn, he continues to snarl at him for no reason and, for some unfathomable reason, Celyn finds it sexy 🤢🤮🙄 He’s also caveman possessive in the added chapters at the end which didn’t endear him to me either.
Take my impressions with a grain of salt, I’m clearly an outlier with this one 🤷🏻♀️
Um… 2 stars? 2.5? Less than 3 anyway. Bottom line: I really liked the world building, Celyn and the non romance parts of the story, so 4 stars for all that. Sjurd’s toxic masculinity and Celyn’s acceptance of being treated so rudely ruined it for me. But Sjurd was so hot and the sex was phenomenal, right? 🙄🙅🏻♀️
Edited to add: Phoebe’s review articulates my feelings even better than I do 😅 Much, much better 🤣
October 29, 2019
Piemīlīgs ceļojums fantāzijas pasaulē.
August 5, 2023
I loved this romance. An all-round lovely read, with a unique world, a fun pairing that started off antagonistic and ended up really sweet, some decent smut and lots of heartwarming feels at the end. I'll be rereading this for sure and I'm going to check out the author's other books ASAP. If you enjoy queer romance in creative fantasy worlds, don't miss it. It's free too!
September 6, 2019
this was a fantastically believable enemies-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of a pseudo-Wales made up of a collection of floating islands in the sky. the romance and characters were really fun, but i knocked off a star because the war plot was tied up just a little too quickly and neatly for my liking.
January 21, 2020
I was in a book slump after finishing reading Felix Castor series and nothing picked up my interest. Not even old favourites... So Ele suggested this one and I couldn't be more grateful. I read it in one go once I had time to sit and read.
This was really good. I loved it and wanted more when I finished the book.
I hadn't read anything by Amy Rae Durreson before and her writing has been a great surprise. I like her style and the vivid and surprising world she has created in this Lodestar of Ys.
I loved Celyn voice and his humour... I even was fond of "The Oaf" at the end, despite finding him innecesaryly harsh at times. I understand they were fighting a war, but wars not always are won in the front, and everyone trying to put an end to that have their own value although they aren't wielding a sword.
This was really good. I loved it and wanted more when I finished the book.
I hadn't read anything by Amy Rae Durreson before and her writing has been a great surprise. I like her style and the vivid and surprising world she has created in this Lodestar of Ys.
I loved Celyn voice and his humour... I even was fond of "The Oaf" at the end, despite finding him innecesaryly harsh at times. I understand they were fighting a war, but wars not always are won in the front, and everyone trying to put an end to that have their own value although they aren't wielding a sword.
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