Prince of the Sorrows: Rowan Blood, Book 1

This book was amazing! I loved it, I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the world building, I loved the plot, and I loved everything about this book. This book is a high fantasy, romance type novel about a fairy Prince and a human who end up in a deal together about trying to find a way to remove the power behind the Prince's true name. This novel had drama and suspense and foreshadowing and really good character building. This book talked about certain dark tropes, and it discussed Royal politics, which I wasn't expecting. I can't really explain how much I love this book and how excited I am for the next installment in the series. This book was really good It is definitely a 5 star read for me and it's probably one of the best queer books that I have read in a long time. Normally when I read queer books they're usually written by cis female authors who just don't understand the complexities of queer relationships or of being queer in general. However, this book was written by a queer author who understands queer relationships and queer experiences, and understands the in's and out's of everything. I can't really say much more it's just a really good book. I really really can't wait for the next book to come out! I'm super excited for it! I can't wait for more. I really want more to the series. I feel like the length of this book was the perfect length for it to really set up the world, set up the plot, and set everything up with the romance and the story…

I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I clearly enjoyed it, often finding myself reading it for hours at a time, continuously returning to it to read more. Yet ... I don't know how much I really cared about what was going on in the book itself. I loved the developing relationship between Saffron and Cylvan and I feel like that relationship was really the star of the story. Honestly, the characters themselves were really the star. I know there was a plot of some sort, but I feel like it was the characters who pushed it forward. I do wish we got more development and screen time from characters other than Cylvan and Saffron, but this is only the first book in a series and I feel it was focused on laying the groundwork of the main relationship and the world. As for the worldbuilding ... it's pretty basic for a dark faerie tale. There are Fae, there are humans, the Fae are cruel to the humans because why not, it's about what I expected. I am definitely interested in the different types of magic, and I look forward to reading the future books and seeing how it's fleshed out. I appreciated the queernorm world as well. A pet peeve of mine will always be when people write fantasy worlds and still stick to the gender binary and heteronormative society, it just doesn't make any sense. The book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, not enough of one that I'm itching to pick up book two and continue the story, but enough of one that the thought is certainly…

This book overall was such a joy to read. The characters of Saffron and Cylvan were so interesting and I loved their relationship, how it progressed, and the chemistry between the two of them! And the drama, oh man the drama with the plot, the mysteries that needed solved and everything going on with Lord Taran had me HOOKED!! There was a lot of description of what places looked like in the beginning, and I mean a LOT, but I actually kinda liked it? I know Kellen Graves is an artist along with being a writer, as am I myself, and with being an artist you have this idea in your head of what you want your characters and what you want the world to look like visually. So it was just describing the visions of what they pictured into the writing of their book, and it makes me appreciate the setting a lot more. I could visualize everything in their world so well! Overall the story of this just is so interesting with the different kinds of magic and the relationship of humans and fey, I'm really excited to get to reading Book 2!!

Every now and then, I come across a book that has the kind of style I yearn for in my books; indulgent descriptions, whimsy on every page, and a romantic tint to the world. If you're a fan of Holly Black's Folk of the Air series as I am, this is a series you're going to want to dig your teeth into Prince of the Sorrows. This includes: - lots of queer rep - sunshine/broody dynamic - dark-haired, morally grey MC - Ghibli vibes (specifically Howl's Moving Castle) - queerness normalized w/in the society of the story (so hard to find, even in fantasy) - fae worldbuilding from Gaelic (I'm guessing, from the book's Irish Gaelic pronunciation guide) and original creation intertwined with Hades/Persephone roots - luxurious descriptions in clothing, decor, and food that v much made my double Taurus heart giddy While a slower pace than most fantasy tends to be, I didn't find that to be a bad thing. Graves luxuriate in their storytelling, taking their time to illustrate scenes with their words. I have had some fellow readers remark on it being "wordy", but I never found it to be unnecessarily so. Admittedly, I was able to guess a few discoveries, but I was also caught off guard by a few, which is always pleasantly exciting. Saffron is adorable as the ever-hopeful ray of sunshine, and Cylvan never fails to amuse with his cynical (defensive) humor. This was a promising start to what I believe is going to be a lengthier series (11 books??), and while I've come to dislike starting…

The world building, the flowery language, the drama, intensity, and romance of it all is not only addictive, but inspiring. I'm glad I ordered the second to start reading it soon, as I finished this one only moments ago. The characters with their realistic flaws and varying personalities are a lovely read and make the story come alive all the more. The world around them breathes just as much as they do, pulling you into the vision Author Kellen Graves paints. I definitely recommend this story for those looking for a bit of mystery, intrigue, romance, drama, and fantasy in a dark story with light hearted moments.