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In this world, women hold the reins of power—both political and magical. This is a Queendom in the truest sense, where the monarch rules without a King. Instead, she may appoint a “Queen’s Man,” a consort who shares her magic and co-rules by her side. It is a position of immense power, though the Queen always retains the final word.
For years, the current Queen has rejected every suitor. While gossip suggests she is simply cold or distant—even toward her own family—there is a more dangerous reason for her hesitation: her magic is so potent that a “weak” man might be driven completely insane if he tried to channel it.
The magic system is fascinating and hooked me from the first chapter. As the story opens, the Queen has finally—and inexplicably—chosen a Queen’s Man. His arrival is shrouded in mystery. The Queendom is just emerging from “the Bleak,” a literal cloud that rolls over the city and freezes time. Everyone falls into a deep slumber, waking up months later without having aged a day.
This is super sus – how could the Queen have summoned a consort when the entire realm was asleep? Who is this man, and where did he come from? It turns out he’s “just a sailor” which makes him even more out of place at court.
Criterious, the husband of the Queen’s cousin and the Guardian of Gharantia, is deeply skeptical of the newcomer. I wanted to like Criterious, but he’s just so immature. He’s obsessed with his wife, yet dismissive of the fact that she is developing “the sight”—a magical ability that shouldn’t exist. He doesn’t seem to care something super weird is happening and is singularly focused on having her drop the visions and come back to him.
Because Criterious draws his power through his wife, he begins to unravel when they are apart. However, they have to be apart because that’s the only time she’s able to have her visions, presumably because when they’re apart she’s more powerful since he’s not siphoning off her magic. Without her soothing magical presence to calm his temper, he acts more like a petulant teenager than a seasoned Guardian. He has no poker face and even less of a filter, making his (justifiable) hatred of the new Queen’s Man much more dramatic than it needs to be. He doesn’t think at all that, hey, some weird mysterious dude showed up and I don’t like him, maybe it’s related to this other weird and mysterious thing that’s going on with my wife that even the hundreds-year-old-mage can’t figure out? Honestly, Criterious.
Then there’s Pilt, our second POV. He’s a young man (likely in the 18–25 range) who is a walking magnet for trouble. We meet him after he accidentally kills one of the Queen’s stags, genuinely believing he was days away from Gharantia’s borders. His storyline is a series of “whoops” moments—from singing illegal songs to stumbling through social faux pas—all while adding a layer of mystery to how he ended up in the Queendom in the first place.
Oh, look, and here come some more mysterious strangers to the shores of Gharantia, I’m sure that’s not related, either, lol. There’s a war brewing and our characters need to figure out why so there’s a chance they can stop it before blood is spilled.
This will be for folks who like old school fantasy, lots of magic, strong character development, and romance stories.
I enjoyed my time with this one and so it’s being marked as safe for now!