Author: 

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

What I liked about this book:

TTS is a well thought out piece with a fantastic setting, and characters that kept making me want to read more. Malory is dark and foreboding, and told from the gaze of the unreliable narrator, Roslind, a real charmer. Roslind himself is shy, quiet, and hasn't quite found himself yet. It's easy to tell their relationship is not a healthy one, but that didn't stop me from rooting for them.

The villain, Bartholomew, is solidly written and terrifying. He sends a shiver down my spine. He also KILLED ONE OF MY FAVORITE SIDE CHARACTERS. Anyway I digress. The characters here are lovely and I really liked both them and the world they've been plopped in. It's got a great and realistic overarching conflict, and everything feels very realistic.

What I did NOT like about this book:

The pacing in this novel is...wonky. It only takes a few chapters for Malory and Roslind to become a thing, which gave little time for the clear danger hinted at so tantalizingly in the summary to develop. I would have liked to see more here in this vein.

If I were Roslind, I'd probably be a little more conflicted, and although, yes, this is primarily a romance novel, everything developed a little too fast for me to get a feel for the characters. They were so great that it was forgivable to get to know them after, but it would have been far more poignant had it happened before that kiss.

There were also a few plot holes. I know that the monastery is neutral territory, but no one really seems all that conflicted about Malory being there. I'd like to see this explored more.

Overall:

These are nitpicky complaints. If you're bored and like romance, especially when it's gay, I recommend giving this book a look-see. It's one of my favorites.

Rating:

A solid 8/10 that could probably easily reach 9/10 or 10/10 if the pacing was better, but this is a first draft so I gave it an extra star.