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Lovers and Beloveds

MeiLin Miranda

Why we're reading this: "Lovers and Beloveds" grew out of the webserial "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom," and was 100…more
[close] "Lovers and Beloveds" grew out of the webserial "An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom," and was 100% crowdfunded by its fans.

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Sep 20, 2010 Jan rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, romance, indie, fantasy-romance

Lovers and Beloveds is the coming of age story of Temmin, next in line for the throne of Tremont, intertwined with tales from a Magic Book called An Intimate History of The Greater Kingdom (which gave the series its name).

This book was first serialized online, and when I started reading that version, I could never get past the first chapters because Temmin annoyed the heck out of me. Not that he's a very annoying character, but because he's a very typical spoiled male teenager, and I just don't ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2010 A.M. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, fantasy

Prophecies, magic, curses and Gods — Lovers and Beloveds has all the trappings of a strong coming-of-age fantasy novel. It offers an impressive depth and breadth in terms of world-building, mixing hints of Victorian aristocracy with Ancient Greek religion to create a compelling, evocative setting. But most of all it offers an intimate view into the daily lives of those who have shaped and will shape the Kingdom of Tremont, intertwining the history of Temmin’s ancestors with his current experienc Prophecies, magic, curses and Gods — Lovers and Beloveds has all the trappings of a strong coming-of-age fantasy novel. It offers an impressive depth and breadth in terms of world-building, mixing hints of Victorian aristocracy with Ancient Greek religion to create a compelling, evocative setting. But most of all it offers an intimate view into the daily lives of those who have shaped and will shape the Kingdom of Tremont, intertwining the history of Temmin’s ancestors with his current experiences at court.

This dual narrative — jumping between present times and Temmin’s ancestors – is part of what makes the story so addictive. Lovers and Beloveds is in part a character study of Temmin and his formal training as Heir, but there is a larger story at play, too, which only becomes evident through the parallels between Temmin’s behaviour and his ancestor’s mistakes. Much of this revolves around religious, moral and sexual themes, in which Temmin is largely innocent and ignorant — and while the sex is often explicit and occasionally non-consensual, it is handled gracefully and is crucial to the plot.

But what is perhaps most striking is that both setting and cast have received equal care and attention; the Prince and his companions are as vivid in my mind as the city itself. Temmin is a believable teenager, awkward, petulant, trying hard to do what is right but often distracted by what is tempting. The strong bench of supporting characters are also well-developed, with histories of their own. My personal favourite is Teacher, a dark mysterious figure bound by magic to obey the King’s commands.

Perhaps my only nitpick is that the beginning is a little slow, but certainly history buffs would enjoy the scene-setting, and as soon as Prince Temmin arrives in the royal capital, the novel becomes highly engrossing.

In sum, the story is highly polished and delightfully told — if you love history and strong characters, and aren’t afraid of sex, then this is a book for you. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Najela rated it really liked it

I read this off and on since 2007 as a web serial, but I could never seem to catch up. So imagine my surprise 5 years later when the author is running a kickstarter campaign for book two. This story is so much more cohesive than the web serial I remember reading back then. I'm blown away by the amazing world building and it's one of my favorite parts of the novel. The main character, Temmin, is a bit annoying and naive, but I'm interested in seeing him become a great king. The author did some co ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2010 Nemesis marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: trope-coming-of-age, genre-fantasy, free-online, type-online-fiction, type-self-published, __priority-reads

Sep 19, 2010 MeiLin Miranda added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: my-writing

Oct 02, 2010 MeiLin Miranda added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Oct 15, 2010 Capriox Bovidae rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Nov 07, 2010 Nancy Brauer marked it as to-read

Jan 25, 2011 Clare K. R. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-books, fantasy, weblit, queer

Apr 10, 2011 MeiLin Miranda added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Apr 26, 2011 Eric Bercegeay is currently reading it

Jun 05, 2011 Capriox Bovidae rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Mar 05, 2012 Terry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Mar 10, 2012 Jim Zoetewey rated it it was amazing

Aug 17, 2012 x marked it as to-read

Mar 08, 2013 Senna Black rated it liked it

Shelves: naughty, het, slash, plotty, fantasy, self-pub

May 30, 2013 K Fray added it

Shelves: own-ebook

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