#prince of fortune

[redwhiteandroyalbluesuggestions]

Be compared with many, many other books that come after you

[magicalyaku]

I read one of the worst books this year in September and easily the best one in October. Let's start at the top and work our way down! :D

Prince of Fortune (Lisa Tirreno): This is everything I want in my books. 11 out of 10. Perfection. It's soo cute. The characters are so nice, Aubrey is so capable (I really didn't realize how much I am in awe of characters who have simply learned their skills and are using them confidently). Love stories in times of war are usually terrible for my heart (the suffering and fear something might happen to the characters!), but this story managed to not break me not pieces, my heart was just melting the entire time of cuteness and shit. Pretty sure I started smiling from page one and maybe never stopped. The bonds between the family members and friends are nice and the magic and the whole plot works well. Must be one of the few instances where I actually liked the marriage sub-plot (Aubrey's initial reaction was the best). Also no smutty scenes in here, rather the leadup to the fade to black had me squealing (because cute). Highly recommended.

Legend of the White Snake (Sher Lee): Another good one! Not quite the level of Prince of Fortune, but I enjoyed this one as well. I really liked how the author just had to share alle the cool snake facts she knows. xD But also about Chinese history and culture. She (correctly) assumed her readers wouldn't know, so she just explained the important stuff, be it about shrines or garments. Or cultivation. I encountered cultivation before, in the various summaries of Chinese light novels and never understood what it was (because I only read the summaries duh), but it's everywhere! I naively assumed it wouldn't be in here, though, because it's for the Amerian market or something and literally two pages later they started talking about it. xD But it was fine, I finally know now, right. It's a very solid and charming story with just the right amount of everything. Also, another capable young man. /D

Sorcery and Small Magics (Maiga Doocy): Aaand another good one! Three in an row! Nope, this time the main character is not capable. The opposite actually, but he's fun and it's nice to have a slightly diffent type once in while. (He is capable in his own way, though). I had a rough time not reading him as Avra from Runnning Close to the Wind, because they share some qualities. And I completely misjudged the characters ages going into this, thought they'd much older when they're only students. So I had to do some adjusting in my head. :'D It's a fun and vibrant story with an interesting magic concept. Lots of adventure, a very slow romance (which is good), and a really good showdown (love it when things work out like that)! I'm looking forward to the sequel! :)

The Boy who Steals Houses (C.G. Drews): It took me a whole week to get through the 170 pages of Saint Sorrow Sinner (look below) and that was with a 12-hour flight inbetween. Afterwards, I picked up this one and read its 360 pages within five or six hours. That is the difference in quality. I had my sights on the author's new book Don't let the Forest in but was unsure whether I wanted to buy or borrow it, so I picked up the author's previous work. And boy, it is good. There is a little romance, but it's much more about family standing up for each other. I found striking how well it is written even in the long passages when the protagonist is all by himself with no dialogue. Very emotional stuff. Pretty sure, I shed a tear or two towards the end.

A Tale of Two Knights (James Persichetti (Story), L.S. Biehler (art)): I don't usually include the graphic novels that I read, because then why not include manga as well and then we'd never finish. I have things to say about this one, though. Mainly, it's fine as a comic but I think it would have profited from being a novel. There's just not enough time and depth in the early journey. The latter half with the action was fine but the development of the love story is pretty lacking. Cute, yes, still lacking. It's also a bit odd how the title is about the two men, when a lot of (rightful) focus is given to Morgan. In a (well-written) novel, there would have been a lot of possibilities to expand on this. The character art is a little wonky sometimes. Some panels look really good, others are a bit off. I found it very strange that the party does not carry any luggage at all after they give away their horses. Where do you even hide your canteens? Who decided that this is fine and people on a critical mission can continue on without anything? What I really liked, however, was the color schemes. The different places and daytimes are very pretty in their lighting and coloring. All in all, it was fine. Buut I wish it had been more.

When Haru was here (Dustin Thao): I bought the German edition of You've reached Sam and read like 20 pages of it before I put away again because I was not feeling up to it. But when this one came out I had just read two books in a row about depression and grief and was like "What's one more?" It was okayish. Halfway through, I was very frustrated and annoyed, not necessarily with Eric himself but all people around him were just assholes, even Haru, telling him what to do and what not. It redeemed itself towards the end, though, so it was fine.

Saint Sorrow Sinner (The Gideon Testaments 3) (Freydís Moon): This one is not pictured, because we do not support the author here. They had some scandal regarding faking their identity (again) earlier this year, so if you want to know, go look it up, it'll be easy enough to find. I had, however, already purchased this book with the return period just run out and decided I might as well read the end to the trilogy. Maybe I was going in biased because of the author's wrongdoings, but I hated this book. I haaated it, omg. I thought the previous two volumes were interesting. Not easy to read for me, despite their short length, and I disliked the smut scenes in both of them, but there were interesting themes going on. And the action happening at the end of volume 2 had me wanting to read the conclusion. That conclusion was, however, pretty bad. It's short again, yet hardly anything happens except the characters sitting together and eating and bathing. And romancing. That was the thing that put me off so hard. The story is so short, but it needs to include another love story, really? Sophia gets out of the cult and falls for the very first uncoupled human she meets. Hate it! Stories where all characters need to be coupled up. Hate it, hate it! But, oh, of course we also need to do found family. (Really, why not just focus on that.) And it's not just Norse gods anymore and the Christian god and angels, now there's a banshee as well, which is what originally? Irish? But is it actually what is portrayed in the book? Thing is, after the author lied so blatantly about themself, I didn't feel like I could trust anything they write. I don't know anything about religion or being autistic or trans, so I have to take it the way they write it, but I can't trust anymore that this is how those things actually work and that feeling persisted throughout the book and was not a good one.

Two posts more to go before the end of the year!

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

🍾 HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY 🍾

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

QOTD: What’s a cover you’ve loved recently?

[instagram]

Huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for sending me a copy of this one!

I LOVED this book, oh my goodness. It was the perfect balance of romance and political war story and I loved every minute of it.

Sweet little prince Edmund captured my heart from the start. He’s so shy and awkward and anxious and I just felt for him so much. I understood how exhausting he found his duties and social obligations and how desperately he wanted to do well with the position he had.

I loved how Aubrey instantly put him at ease. It was like he could read him intuitively and just knew all the right things to say. I really loved getting to know Aubrey better as a character during the war. He really shone in the second half of this book and I was on the edge of my seat during some of his more climactic moments.

These two were just so perfect together and the way the whole kingdom rallied around them made my heart full.

The war and politics felt really well handled. This was such a gripping read.

[lisatirreno]

EDIT: This is all done now; thank you to everyone who entered! Sooooo I'm doing a giveaway for newsletter subscribers; if anyone wanted to enter, all the details are over here on my IG.

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: October 15, 2024

Middle Grade The Ghostwing’s Lie by Rebecca Mix This is the sequel to The Mossheart’s Promise Something rots within the wood… Ary Mossheart has done the impossible: The terrarium is shattered, and her people are free. When the folk of Terra are welcomed in by the fairies of Siltshore, an abundant treetop village filled with light, food, and peace, Ary promises herself that her days of saving…

[itachi86]

"“Former smuggler,” she added, shrugging. “What did you smuggle?” Aubrey asked immediately. “Oh, all sorts. Spirits, oil, Sabresian books—” “Books?” “Stop,” John said. “Don’t distract him with books.""

-Prince of Fortune

[auslgbtqya]

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno

(2025)

From the Publisher:

Red, White & Royal Blue meets A Darker Shade of Magic in this swoony debut young adult romantic fantasy following a magical young prince and a noble seer who fall in love in the midst of war and intrigue.

Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one day: it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over the nation’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to live up to his nation’s many expectations, including making a perfect diplomatic alliance through marriage. That is, until he meets Lord Aubrey Ainsley.

Charming, romantic, and politically insignificant, Aubrey is a Seer, but not even he could have predicted catching the eye of Edmund, the Prince of Fortune—nor that the anxious prince who talks to plants more than people could feel so right for him. Aubrey’s dream-visions have been full of battle, not love, but to say that Prince Edmund has captured his fancy would be a grand understatement.

As the two become more and more intertwined, the nation of Saben falls under attack. War and dark sorcery loom on the horizon. To save their homeland, Edmund and Aubrey must resist the outside forces seeking to drive them apart and find the power within themselves to create a future for Saben—and each other—they never could have imagined.

[lifeofafemalebibliophile]

Book Review: "Prince of Fortune" by Lisa Tirreno

“Prince of Fortune” by Lisa Tirreno (2024) Genre: Fantasy, YA, Fiction, LGBT Page Length: 426 pages (hardcover edition) Synopsis: Shy Prince Edmund will be a great king one it has been Seen again and again. With rare magic giving him dominion over the nation’s plants and weather, Edmund feels a great deal of pressure to live up to his nation’s many expectations, including making a perfect…

[bogkeep]

here they are: Folly B. Fortune

- they/them (assigned silly at birth)

- the B stands for something different each time you ask

- they're the bastard child of a noble man and a common woman, they were raised by their mother until their father picked them up as a young teen to keep them at court (maybe their mother died or maybe the guy found out about folly and wanted to have them within eyesight)

- because folly was suddenly thrust into a very intimidating and unforgiving environment with rules they didn't know or understand, they ended up, well, making a fool of themself. on purpose. they cover up their anxiety and insecurity by being very fun and charming!

- they have a lot of flings and friends and know so much gossip

- they have several siblings but probably have complicated relationships with most of them

[limeekak]

first kiss !

i'm glad i finally finished it, i confess that maybe (for sure-) i took a little longer than i should have </33

[princessofghosts-posts]

[Headcanon]

In an universe where Nico and Hades relationship was healthy from the start,and Hades had his children multiple times in the Underworld to visit him,when they were little and Persephone wasn't around,I image Thanatos to be the children's babysitter.

Hades was doing something in his office while the kids where there? No problem,he could have Thanatos to watch them for him until he finished everything he had to.

Bianca is painting and has finished the colors? Don't worry,Thanatos will get her the prettiest and expensive ones and the one she liked the most. How? We don't know,but he will.

Nico is running around playing with Cerberus? Thanatos is anxiously following his every move to make sure that he doesn't get hurt,while also playing with him.

The children are exploring the Underworld? Thanatos is with them to make sure they are safe,and don't end up causing trouble to others chthonic gods. Or don't end up too close to extremely dangerous places.

Since Bianca is pretty calm,and don't cause him extremely high level of stress unlike her little brother,she is Thanatos favorite,but he is extremely fond of Nico too.Hades is just glad that someone can help him with their chaotic personalities since Maria never wanted to be with them during their visits.

Now,imaga this Thanatos post-TTC,knowing that Bianca was dead and without memories of him (he was the one to bring her soul in the Underworld if Hades didn't do it himself) while not knowing where Nico went and with who.

He will probably do extraordinary,watching over Nico from afar because he doesn't know what to do anymore,since the children don't remember him. And after they formally met again? They fall back in the same dynamic they had before,because it's came natural even tho Nico doesn't know why. And Thanatos is just happy to being close to him again,so he is extremely protective of him and if Nico ends up in some trouble during his stays in the Underworld,he is the first one to help him.

And as you know most of my headcanons are about the beings of Underworld's relationship with Nico as their prince,and one of the ones I have on them is that Thanatos is like a big brother to Nico,and he call Nico "litte prince". Only he,outside of Hades and later on Persephone,can. Nico doesn't mind but sometimes it can gets embarassing.

"I told you already Thanatos,I'm fine! You don't need to drag me back,I can walk by myself."

"You and your father argued,you wanted to leave and accidentally shadow-travelled all the way to China,met a Chinese god –I don't even want to know about it but I'm sure your father will be happy about it– stayed there 2 days because you just wanted to,bought another 20 bags of designer clothes –they are heavy by the way– and only come back home because your father told me to come and get you. So,I'm sorry little prince but I can't do that."

"At least you didn't list my near-dead experience,that wasn't a funny one."

"W H A T?!"

Really,just Thanatos dragging Nico home everytime something happens,and Nico coming back with insane lore to dump on him,every single time. Nico's shenanigans are on a whole different level of insanity that Thanatos wasn't prepared for when he accepted to by their babysitter back in their childhood days. Thanatos doesn't mind,deep down,and for Nico,Thanatos is his favorite chthonic god for this reason.

(I will probably write something about it in the future on Ao3 now that my head gave me the idea. It would be pretty funny-)

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

My favourite character type: Metaphorically Tortured and Literally Covered in Blood

Jang Uk from Alchemy of Souls counts, even though I don't think he's ever simultaneously tortured and covered in blood, but that is only because that series doesn't use a lot of blood. Dude was mentally tortured and literally killed 86 people in one go, there should be blood.

In order: Jang Uk & Naksu/Mu-deok/Cho Yeong Alchemy of Souls, Han Ri-ta & Kim Do-ha Moon in the Day, Kang Cheol W: Two Worlds, Myul Mang/Kim Sa-ram Doom at Your Service, Lee Chang & Seo-bi Kingdom, Lee In Captivating the King, Lee Rang Tale of the Nine Tailed/1938, Jang Man-wol Hotel Del Luna, Moo-yeon/Yoon Seok-ha 100 Days My Prince, Duke Su The Double, Do Hyun-soo Flower of Evil, Zhu Yan Fangs of Fortune

Each time I asked myself, "Are they actually covered in blood or did they just get a little on them? Are they sufficiently tortured or do they only have minor mental turmoil?" These are very strict, scientific criteria.

[magicalyaku]

Greetings! Welcome to my 2024 reading wrap up! Or my awards ceremony for books (and bookish media) I enjoyed the most. Looking back to my introduction to this post last year, I wrote that I'd try to write better reviews. I didn't do that. And I'd try to better remember what I read. I didn't to that either. Hmmm ... New year, new luck or something. Nevertheless, thank you to everyone who took time to look at my posts and read some of them! May the good books find you!

The one goal I accomplished 2024 was to read less (reading is fun but I have other things that need doing unfortunately), though it was not necessarily out of my own free will. I was just tired (work was annoying). I read a total of 64 books, including two graphic novels (not counting any manga), four non-fiction books and three audiobooks. 13 were borrowed from the library and 18 were sequels or spin-offs. I only DNFed one book and disliked two more (as if not to say, I hated them with a passion~).

The only pieces related to literature I hated more were two plays I saw: adaptions of Oscar Wildes's The Importance of Being Earnest and Eugène Ionesco's The Bald Soprano. I like both pieces but the adaptions had atrocious endings (The Importance of Being Earnest suddenly had vampires out of nowhere and The Bald Soprano had its final scene edited to 20 minutes of telling us how important love is ...) I didn't think I could walk out of a theatre that appalled and filled with hatred.

Worst Books:

Heir to Thorn and Flame (Ben Alderson)

Saint Sorrow Sinner (Freydís Moon)

Favorite Character: Patrick Collins (A Ferry of Bones & Gold/Soulbound series) (let's be honest, it's the same type every year)

Favorite Covers (or maybe: just give me a pretty illustration):

Memorable Quote: "If it can learn to talk, then it can learn to be good." (The Prince of Nowhere)

Highest Emotional Investment (aka The cutest shit and please please please don't break my heart Award): Prince of Fortune

The Wildest:

A Ferry of Bones and Gold

Running Close to the Wind

Favorite Books:

Prince of Fortune (Lisa Tirreno)

Icarus (K. Ancrum)

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (KJ Charles)

Running Close to the Wind (Alexandra Rowland)

The Diablo's Curse (Gabe Cole Novoa)

Sorcery and Small Magics (Maiga Doocy)

A Ferry of Bones and Gold (Hailey Turner)

The Prince of Nowhere (Rochelle Hassan)

Cursebreakers (Madeleine Nakamura)

More Books I greatly enjoyed:

Into the Glittering Light (Kelley York)

The Boy who steals Houses (C.G. Drews)

This Fatal Kiss (Alicia Jasinska)

Tadek and the Princess (Alexandra Rowland)

Darker by Four (June CL Tan)

The Paris Affair (Maureen Marshall)

Legend of the White Snake (Sher Lee)

Upside Down (N.R. Walker)

The Prince's Assasin series (Ariana Nash)

Most used name: Dylan (at least 3 times)

Most used twist: The person I'm talking to is actually dead! (3 times)

Bonus! Queer story-focussed games I loved in 2023 and 2024:

Haven

I was a Teenage Colonist Exocolonist

All(?) the aro/ace books I read:

Dear Wendy (Ann Zhao)

Upside Down (N.R. Walker)

Ace Voices (Eris Young)

How to be Ace (Rebecca Burgess)

Don't let the Forest in (C.G. Drews)

The Eidolon (K.D. Edwards)

I want to be a Wall vol.3 (Honami Shirono)

Fallen Thorns (Harvey Oliver Baxter)

Little Black Bird & Tall White Tenement (Anna Kirchner)

That's it! While 2024 was not my best year, in terms of books I'm still content. I'm pretty good at picking the ones I will enjoy, so I usually have fun reading and what else would I want? I will continue to read in 2025 (not sure in which form I will share here yet), and I will continue to write! None of the aspec books really captured what I wanted to read, so I guess I have to start writing that myself. :'D Here's to hoping that you find the books you want and the books you need this year. Happy 2025!

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Prince of Fortune by Lisa Tirreno

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

[instagram]

Thank you Simon & Schuster Childrens and Netgalley for providing me with an a-ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book, oh my goodness. It was the perfect balance of romance and political war story and I loved every minute of it.

Sweet little prince Edmund captured my heart from the start. He’s so shy and awkward and anxious and I just felt for him so much. I understood how exhausting he found his duties and social obligations and how desperately he wanted to do well with the position he had.

I loved how Aubrey instantly put him at ease. It was like he could read him intuitively and just knew all the right things to say. I really loved getting to know Aubrey better as a character during the war. He really shone in the second half of this book and I was on the edge of my seat during some of his more climactic moments.

These two were just so perfect together and the way the whole kingdom rallied around them made my heart full.

The war and politics felt really well handled. There was a small part towards the middle of this book where I grew a bit restless with it and I’m still not sure if it was my mood or something with the book itself. Regardless, it was only a small blip in a fantastic, gripping read.

[lisatirreno]

So, um, I haven't quite worked out yet how to be a real person on tumblr (I'm used to hiding behind a user name on here and hyper fixating on whatever weird things I like) but I thought I'd better mention that the absolutely gorgeous cover Atheneum have given my book is up online now. I'm slightly obsessed with it.

Cover design is by Becca Syracuse and the art is by Serena Archetti. I love it so much.

[lgbtqreads]

August 2023 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction Translator and winner of Columbia’s Henfield Prize Mariam Rahmani‘s LIQUID, pitched as a subversion of the marriage plot novel for fans of Paul Beatty, set in Los Angeles and Tehran, in which an early 30s queer Muslim adjunct professor sets out to marry rich, resolving to suffer through 100 dates in a single summer, to Evan Hansen-Bundy at Algonquin, in a pre-empt, by Danielle…