Review: A moving male/male romance with fully realized characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2014
The Adorned, a fantasy novel by John Tristan, was a delightful page-turner that impressed me on many levels.The story is set in Kered, where the rich and powerful live at the expense of the poor and amuse themselves with sumptuous feasts and amusements where they are entertained by the Adorned, beautiful young men and women who have been tattooed into living works of art.After his father’s death, Etan is left penniless and makes his way to the city, Peretim. He is attacked by street roughs, loses the little money he has, and is rescued by a rickshaw driver whose master is a bond broker. After Etan’s injuries have healed, the bond broker sees his beauty and offers him to Roberd Tallisk as an indentured servant.Without choices, Etan agrees to a period of five years of indenture, although he is intrigued by the idea of becoming a work of art. In Roberd’s household, he meets Isadel, the beautiful young woman who is highly prized as a “display” by the Blooded, the divine rulers of Kered, and she becomes his friend, as do Doiran, the housekeeper and Yana, the cook.As Etan’s body is tattooed, the Count, Roberd’s patron, considers him as beautiful as Isadel. He learns, on his first display, that the Count has more in mind than simply looking at him, and as his tattoos increase, he finds himself in the position of Isadel’s rival.As revolution threatens Kered, Etan finds himself a coveted plaything of the elite, and is drawn into participating in political intrigue, but his affection is drawn more and more toward Roberd, his master.The world building in this book is beautifully done. The intricacies of the art of the tattoo artist and the descriptions of the living art are fascinating. Etan is a well-rounded, complex and believable character inhabiting a real world that slowly is falling to pieces around him. The secondary characters were also well drawn. I cared about Etan, and worried about whether he would succumb to the lavish attentions of the decadent nobles or opt for exploring his nascent artistry as well as his love for Roberd.As the revolution appears, much is changed, and Etan goes through a complete transformation. Although I was sorry to say good-bye to Etan, I felt hopeful about his future.This is a lovely, well-paced story about men in love. The sex is not graphic, but tastefully described, and the emotional impact, for me, was real.I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an intelligent romance. I look forward to reading more from this author.