The Eldritch Heart is my favorite book I’ve ever read for a blog tour! Full stop. This is not just because the two main characters are unfailingly badass, it is because this world does something I was afraid I’d never see in a YA and like again. It explores old tropes and remakes them.
We’ve all heard of prophecies for people who will save their kingdom. But do any of them have a badass lesbian protagonist at the forefront? Probably not.
Do we have writings centered around a lesbian relationship? Sometimes. But are they filled with humanity and honesty and non-fetishization? Definitely not.
This writing style is some of the best that I’ve seen from a debut author. He characterizes people both important and small with depth and humor. His settings are diverse and his story is filled with intrigue. This is one of those stories that are very plot heavy but driven by characters. There is nothing worse than a fantasy story where characters are shoved to do things by the plot like socks in a washing machine. On the other hand, Cox weaves his characters through situations that showcase their depth without being their omnipotent God.
Princess Oona Talomir enjoys the little things that come with her station: a handmaiden, her lavish bedchamber, and scores of fancy dresses―the duty to win a decades’ long war, not so much.
Oh, did I mention assassins?
Seers foretold the conflict would end by her hand. From the moment she drew her first breath, the neighboring kingdom has been trying to kill her so she could not grow powerful enough to destroy them. The king, fearing for his daughter’s life, has kept her confined to the castle grounds for most of her sixteen years. With the tide of war turning against them, the burden of her crown becomes too much to bear, yet one thing lifts her spirits amid the gloom.
Her servant girl, Kitlyn.
Alas, in a kingdom obsessed with the god of purity, she is terrified to confess her forbidden love. When her father makes a demand she cannot abide―marry a prince to forge a military alliance―Oona panics. He is handsome and honorable, but he’s not Kitlyn. Unable to admit why she cannot obey, Oona does the only thing she can think of, and runs away.Alone and unprepared in the wilderness, she prays the gods will let Kitlyn find her—before the assassins do.
Author Bio:
Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.
Hobbies and Interests: Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
Great review, Morgan! This sounds like a fun and compelling read! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteYour blog is so cute - I love this review <3
ReplyDelete- Becca @ PrettyLittleMemoirs.com
Awwwww thanks Becca!
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