If you like historical fantasy that incorporates fantastical elements and aren't bothered by some of the things I mentioned, definitely check it out.įirst off, this book has a lot more romance than I'd ever read usually. I really enjoyed the two main characters, the banter was fantastic and even some of the elements that weren't as great to me didn't spoil my enjoyment. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this fantasy romance and it's one I'd probably recommend with some caveats. I still overall enjoyed it but it did take me out of the story a bit when this happened. I also recognize that this is a debut and it's recognizable as that, with some awkward prose, telling instead of showing or skimming over an encounter and almost presenting a summary of it. I don't think anything is outrageously bad but there's some Eastern mysticism and power dynamics that are just a little awkward to me. My hesitation in giving this a higher rating however is due to the fact that Lucien has been living in China while he's been exiled from England and it felt a bit awkward to me to have some of these elements given the colonial background there. Stephen is more likeable I think, as someone who's capable but not been in a position of power and therefore has had to fight for recognition and respect. I'm not terribly bothered by prickly or arrogant characters so I enjoyed his POV but YMMV on him. He's arrogant, tends toward dominant and has a pretty low opinion of Stephen at the beginning until he gets to know him.
I feel like Lucien is one of those characters that is definitely going to rub people the wrong way. When either character steps over the line (and both do at different points), they're called out for it and deal with it, which I appreciated.
Charles does a good job of establishing the power dynamic between the two men and makes it clear that everything happening is consensual. I enjoyed their banter and while I get that it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, I did enjoy their romance which starts out almost but not quite enemies and definitely delves into lovers territory. On the one hand, I really enjoyed both Lucien and Stephen, who are endearing for their own reasons. I'm pretty torn on my thoughts on The Magpie Lord.
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