Review: A wonderful romantic fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.I was a bit apprehensive before I started this book. I saw the master/slave relationship between James and Loren I was afraid of how this might turn out. I am so glad that my fears turned out to be groundless.James is truly a good, and honorable man. His people had outlawed slavery, and do not condone it at all, but without his family's luck the vineyards his family, and those his family supports, are suffering. The vines are failing, people are growing ill, and the creditors are closing in. If he loses his estate he will not be the only one to suffer, and he takes his responsibility to his family, and those who depend on his family, seriously. He feels that his only chance to keep everyone safe is to keep Loren enslaved until he helps him retrieve his family's Luck. James isn't always kind, but never once does he take real advantage of Loren's position, and when he begins to feel an attraction to Loren he makes sure not to force his feelings on Loren. James is very aware that there can be no true consent while Loren is his slave. I appreciated that very much, and it made me respect James all that much more. He is a slaveholder, but he is guilt ridden, and ashamed. He tries, as best he can, to treat Loren as an equal, or at least not as an inferior. I did become a bit frustrated with James towards the end, but I think the unfamiliar circumstances, and the pressures he was under can explain some of what he did, and in the end I was very pleased with his character.I also really liked Loren. He is a strong character, angry, and untrusting, but not to the point where holds James responsible for all that humans had done to him. I liked that Loren was willing to watch, and listen to James, and to form an understanding of James based on how James treats both him, and others, and not one based on personal prejudice. I liked his compassion, and his ability to forgive. When circumstances change, the way he treats James speaks highly of his character.The secondary characters are interesting, and well drawn. I liked the variety, and complexity of people, and James' family was especially nice. I even liked his daughter. The politics both of the human, and Elvin world are interesting, and it made for some compelling plot points. I liked that neither race was purely good or evil, and both humans and elves were fallible. The world is well developed, but without any sort of awkward information dumps. I was able to get a real sense of place, and society, and it added so much to the story. Overall a really well done fantasy story. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a story about respect, honor, and the difficult choices people face.