Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via Gay Romance Reviews. This has not influenced my review.*
This was quick, light, queer, and cute!
The book is set in what is basically our world (France, specifically), but there are divine envoys living among the people who spread inspiration and blessings for the gods, keeping everything flowing as it should. The Muses represent the arts, the Idols represent the body, the Virtues represent justice and law, etc., and their envoys essentially work for them. I’ve probably explained something wrong, but that’s the general gist.
I loved the whole idea of the divine envoys and how they work and have affected life and culture and society, and I especially loved Osten’s non-human form. They sound absolutely gorgeous with their blue skin and peacock markings and wings. I don’t know for sure yet, but this feels like a series that will have different main characters in each book, and if so, I’m excited to learn about some more envoys and their appearances. (But I would also be excited to read more about these two!)
Thibault and Osten were both likeable characters, and their romance was sweet (and sexy). I personally would’ve liked if the book had been a bit longer and shown more of the time Thibault spent with Osten. It would’ve given the events in the story more emotional impact and helped me feel the angst and the connection more. But even so, it was cute as a quick romance.
I liked the nonbinary rep (though I’m hesitant to use that label since Osten doesn’t actually use any label themselves). Osten uses they/them pronouns most of the time and he/him pronouns during sex because they feel more masculine then. To me, it makes perfect sense to feel more masculine or feminine or neutral in different situations, so I really liked seeing that in a book.
The baby dragon, with her spoon collection, was adorable and made me smile.
The story was easy to follow and enjoyable with a touch of action, and it wrapped up nicely in the end.
Overall, this was an enjoyable light romance with a cool premise and some cute moments!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes quick reads, stories that are light and easy to follow, romance, nonbinary characters, a touch of magic, and beautiful non-human characters with animal characteristics.
The characters sound great, and I like how it sounds like these divine creatures kind of affect society or humanity in different ways. Cool concept.
I love the concept of the divine envoys and all that, it’s not something I’ve come across in this way before!
This sounds good! I like that the pronouns change for one of the characters, depending on their situation – since this is true for a lot of people!
Yep, it’s always nice to see different ways of using pronouns or types of gender feelings!