A Taste of Gold and Iron
- Downloads：5334
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-21 08:51:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexandra Rowland
- ISBN：1250800382
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Now an Indie Next pick！ A Most Anticipated Pick for BookRiot | FanFi Addict | The Nerd Daily | io9 | We Are Bookish |
Buzzfeed
“A delicious tangle of romance， fealty， and dangerous politics。”—Tasha Suri
The Goblin Emperor meets "Magnificent Century" in Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron， where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire。
Kadou， the shy prince of Arasht， finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation。
To prove his loyalty to the queen， his sister， Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds， with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard， the coldly handsome Evemer， who seems to tolerate him at best。 In Arasht， where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history， counterfeiting is heresy， and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin。
“A delicious tangle of romance， fealty， and dangerous politics。”—Tasha Suri
The Goblin Emperor meets "Magnificent Century" in Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron， where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire。
Kadou， the shy prince of Arasht， finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen's new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation。
To prove his loyalty to the queen， his sister， Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds， with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard， the coldly handsome Evemer， who seems to tolerate him at best。 In Arasht， where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history， counterfeiting is heresy， and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin。
Reviews
Andorion
，
This review is based on an ARC provided by NetgalleyReviewing A Taste of Gold and Iron is quite the task as I am not a fraction of the writer the author is and so its quite hard for me to find the right words to do justice。 On the surface， A Taste of Gold and Iron does not seem to be a super-original work。 It's about intrigue and plots， of a prince trying to figure out where the threat to the crown is coming from with the help of his guards。 But it’s also so much more than that。 The principal st This review is based on an ARC provided by NetgalleyReviewing A Taste of Gold and Iron is quite the task as I am not a fraction of the writer the author is and so its quite hard for me to find the right words to do justice。 On the surface， A Taste of Gold and Iron does not seem to be a super-original work。 It's about intrigue and plots， of a prince trying to figure out where the threat to the crown is coming from with the help of his guards。 But it’s also so much more than that。 The principal strength of this book lies in its characterization and general quality of writing。 Our two principal PoV characters are Kadou， the prince and Evemer， his bodyguard。 Kadou is a shy， diffident person who balks at having power。 He is kind hearted， always looking to do good， and chronically anxious。 Evemer is the opposite。 Superbly trained， absolutely certain and confident in his abilities and the principles he believes in， he is haughty， unbending， and not the most open minded。 But， that is where the story starts from。 And the way it unfurls is like a tightly wound ball of fabric opening out into this gorgeous tapestry， as little by little all the facets of these two characters and their fascinating interplay is held up to the readers。 The writing is lush， glorying in its beauty and never shying away from evoking emotion。 One aspect I greatly appreciated was its depiction of anxiety and how it can take a constant toll on the life of a person。 This is also a romantic book and the gradual painstaking birth and development of that relationship is what the book builds itself around。 For those readers who prize characterization and inter-character relationships above all， this book is an indulgence。 However， that is not the only praiseworthy part of this book。 The worldbuilding deserves special mention。 The book embraces queerness， with multiple genders existing and being accepted into the everyday social fabric。 With that comes different ideas about marriage， childbirth and kinship， of inheritance and “claims” on a child。 Women can have children with a body-father who is not a husband and who may not necessarily have the same status， and this is not a matter of shame or illegitimacy。 I also liked the idea of the kahyalar， a cohort of guards who are more than guards， sworn to loyalty， trained in every aspect of rule， so that they may also become ministers， generals and officials。 I really appreciated how economics was touched upon and integrated into the magic system。 Basically what I appreciated the most about worldbuilding was how organically it was done。 There was no clumsy exposition or infodumps， there was gradual revelation， and often just hints were given and the reader was allowed to decide for themselves。 In the end， A Taste of Gold and Iron is a superb story about two people finding each other and themselves， set in a richly imagined world。 I rate it 10/10 and 5 out of 5 stars for Goodreads。 。。。more
Holly （The GrimDragon）
，
Review to come！
Mel
，
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I guess I'm not as empathetic as I thought， because I really did not care for how frontloaded Kadou's anxiety disorder was to this book at all。 Maybe in a contemporary novel， or something shorter and more focused， I would have been okay with it， but in a fantasy， no。 There's all this interesting stuff about a counterfeiting ring， and the ability to have sense-memory experiences when touching metals， and all of that is shoved to the side for chapt **I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley。**I guess I'm not as empathetic as I thought， because I really did not care for how frontloaded Kadou's anxiety disorder was to this book at all。 Maybe in a contemporary novel， or something shorter and more focused， I would have been okay with it， but in a fantasy， no。 There's all this interesting stuff about a counterfeiting ring， and the ability to have sense-memory experiences when touching metals， and all of that is shoved to the side for chapters at a time so we can get into the weeds of Kadou's panic attacks。 I'm sure that readers who are able to connect to Kadou on that level will find this book affirming， and that's great， but I can't help but feel that a book with the opposite proportions - the plot taking the lion's share of the pages， and the anxiety disorder getting what's left over - would have made for a stronger， more compelling read。I also found myself increasingly leery of all the ethical back and forth here - yes， we know it's kind of suss to be a prince dating a bodyguard， but we wouldn't be reading this kind of book if we didn't like this kind of thing， so why not just roll with it without much fuss？ Again， for me， it prioritized a discussion you could have anywhere over things that were interesting and particular to this book （like the king-tide！ and the dual gods！）。All this said， it's still a very readable book。 Rowland's writing is spry: uncomplicated， but not unvarnished。 Even if you're a slow reader you're bound to move quickly through this one because of how smooth it reads。 And certain elements （basically everything closest to the plot）， like I said， are very interesting: the concept of a body-father alone would've been worth its own book。As far as my recommendation goes， I think if you have an anxiety disorder and you're looking for kinship in a fantasy， you will definitely find that here。 For me， personally， it didn't work， and I think for anyone who wants a more plot-focused story it won't work either。 But it's not such a taxing read that it's not worth giving it a try。 。。。more
Michaela
，
Review to come
Angela Clark
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 **Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this as an arc！It was kind of hard to follow。。。。 I thought I was going to love this book but it took me so long to get through because I was constantly getting bored。 The Story is a slow burn which usually I can do if there are fantasy or a good story plot to follow but there wasn't a lot of either。 I loved Tenzin probably my favorite character out of the whole book。 I kinda went into this hoping for it to be a lot like RWRB w **Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this as an arc！It was kind of hard to follow。。。。 I thought I was going to love this book but it took me so long to get through because I was constantly getting bored。 The Story is a slow burn which usually I can do if there are fantasy or a good story plot to follow but there wasn't a lot of either。 I loved Tenzin probably my favorite character out of the whole book。 I kinda went into this hoping for it to be a lot like RWRB with the political factors and the queerness but was very let down even with some of the scenes having good humor it just didn't reach its full potential for me。 。。。more
anna b
，
This is the best book I've read in 2022 by far。 So character-driven， light on fantasy worldbuilding though the bits and pieces we do get to learn are so intriguing and really flesh out the characters。 An absolutely joyful amount of romance tropes。My highest recommendation！ If you're looking for queer fantasy romance， read this！ This is the best book I've read in 2022 by far。 So character-driven， light on fantasy worldbuilding though the bits and pieces we do get to learn are so intriguing and really flesh out the characters。 An absolutely joyful amount of romance tropes。My highest recommendation！ If you're looking for queer fantasy romance， read this！ 。。。more
Vini
，
4。5 "even a day by his side is worth a lifetime of misery" sdhaiodjiodgfnsiajfiedshjlkghnajsdhjlasdflksajklfdnlkjdakslnfjkads 4。5 "even a day by his side is worth a lifetime of misery" sdhaiodjiodgfnsiajfiedshjlkghnajsdhjlasdflksajklfdnlkjdakslnfjkads 。。。more
TrippyBooks
，
Thank you Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review ！ I have been trying to finish this book for a month now & each time i pick it up i find i have to force myself to continue reading。 Finally im throwing in the towel。 I found this story moved at a snails pace and there was barely any dialogue between the main leads for the first 40% of the book 。 Our love interest Evemer has a vocabulary that consists of two words， “sir” and “highness” for the first 30% of the book。 I love a good Thank you Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review ！ I have been trying to finish this book for a month now & each time i pick it up i find i have to force myself to continue reading。 Finally im throwing in the towel。 I found this story moved at a snails pace and there was barely any dialogue between the main leads for the first 40% of the book 。 Our love interest Evemer has a vocabulary that consists of two words， “sir” and “highness” for the first 30% of the book。 I love a good slow burn but COME ON。 Miraculously the plot sludges on ， focusing on every character outside of the couple i actually want to see。 There isn’t anything wrong with the writing style and im sure some people will like it （fans of strange and stubborn endurance will love this） it just wasn’t for me 。 。。。more
Claire Jarvis
，
Something is afoot within the Royal Palace。 Loyalties are shifting， in the city coin forgeries are on the rise。 Who can a disfavoured prince trust？ And how can their stoic new bodyguard save them…when they’re not sure they can save themselves？In the early chapters of this book I hoped we were getting a queer Goblin Emperor-type story: eg， use of hairstyle to snub your opponent。 Instead， ATOGAI is 80% romance， with magic and worldbuilding pretty decor， like lavish bathhouse tiling。 It’s a shame， Something is afoot within the Royal Palace。 Loyalties are shifting， in the city coin forgeries are on the rise。 Who can a disfavoured prince trust？ And how can their stoic new bodyguard save them…when they’re not sure they can save themselves？In the early chapters of this book I hoped we were getting a queer Goblin Emperor-type story: eg， use of hairstyle to snub your opponent。 Instead， ATOGAI is 80% romance， with magic and worldbuilding pretty decor， like lavish bathhouse tiling。 It’s a shame， because Rowland’s world had some interesting details about sea serpents and witches who could never lie （or never miss a lie） that were glossed over。 The stakes of the palace intrigue felt low: there was one shady character and I never felt he posed a real threat to the royal family （we were told forgeries could undermine the empire…but we didn’t see that danger play out）。 I like books like Priory of the Orange Tree where there’s a strong romance plot， but a lot of intricate worldbuilding to chew on at the same time。Kadou the prince was a great character。 At the start he wears the reader out with his anxiety and low self-esteem， but his mental health struggles are so cleanly depicted it’s impossible not to sympathise with him。 I was less sure about Kadou’s ex Tadek - was he just a sassy gay sidekick？ He seemed awfully cooperative after his lover mistreated him （repeatedly）， and there wasn’t a lot of nuance。What this book does best is romance-by-tropes， and there isn’t anything wrong with that。 We get interesting characters， we see them play off each other in pretty settings。 It’s entertaining and escapist。 。。。more
Amanda
，
RTC in the next few days but I can confidently say this is my favorite book of the year and possibly a new favorite of all time
USOM
，
（Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: panic attacksA Taste of Gold and Iron is one of those books that so expertly balances romance and fantasy。 This genre mash up has fabulous magic - I love the idea of being able to touch taste metal - with an intriguing political set up。 For those who love a good bit of politics and adventure in their fantasy worlds - this is for you！ At the same time， A Taste of Gold and Iron （Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher。 This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest。） TW: panic attacksA Taste of Gold and Iron is one of those books that so expertly balances romance and fantasy。 This genre mash up has fabulous magic - I love the idea of being able to touch taste metal - with an intriguing political set up。 For those who love a good bit of politics and adventure in their fantasy worlds - this is for you！ At the same time， A Taste of Gold and Iron is deeply character focused with a strong romance story line。 From the beginning， I enjoyed Kadou's character as he struggles to be more than what people expect of him。 Even if he isn't driven by power - like most around him - he deeply cares for those around him and answers。At the same time， there's almost a self-destructive streak within him。 Gotta love that。 I also adored Evemer and seeing both of their perspectives allows us to fall in love with them。 To see the ways in which， as individual characters， they have to find their way to friendship。 When they expose their cracks and doubts to each other amidst chases and danger。 A Taste of Gold and Iron is a story about conspiracy， loyalty， and betrayal。full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind。com/revi。。。 。。。more
Natasja
，
I was extremely lucky （and grateful） to have received an ARC of this beautiful beautiful book。 （Perks of working in a bookstore！）This book is almost entirely flawless。 The plot， the world-building， the characters， everything just fits perfectly。 It is so refreshing and heartwarming to read about someone who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks in a realistic manner。 Alexandra has done an excellent job in making his ‘episodes’ feel real and it literally gave me chills at some point。 The fear-cr I was extremely lucky （and grateful） to have received an ARC of this beautiful beautiful book。 （Perks of working in a bookstore！）This book is almost entirely flawless。 The plot， the world-building， the characters， everything just fits perfectly。 It is so refreshing and heartwarming to read about someone who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks in a realistic manner。 Alexandra has done an excellent job in making his ‘episodes’ feel real and it literally gave me chills at some point。 The fear-creature is so so real and wow， how beautifully written。 I am so in love with Kadou and everything he does， it makes him look like a real person。 I’m in awe。Let’s talk Evemer。 My god。 If he was real I’d wanted him to be mine。 I love the serious， stern， noble knight who is immovable expect for that one person。 He is everything you’d want in a friend， loyalty beyond everything。 The way he’s so hard on himself and disappointed in himself hits close to home in a comfortable way。 In his character Alexandra shows that it’s more than okay to have weaknesses and sometimes rely on someone else， no matter how hard it is。Balancing a kingdom and family can be hard and the Sultan was described epically。 With flaws and all。 It’s wonderful to read about someone who struggles with a role that was meant to be hers。 And how in those roles you can be so lonely that things escape you。 The villains of the story is something I would’ve liked to see more of。 It was fairly quickly resolved in the end and I felt like it could have been more interesting if we had some more chapters dedicated to them。 But I’m not complaining because Kadou made up for everything that was lacking in this book。 It’s not an easy read， it’s not something to read quick。 It took me a week to read and whereas that normally annoys me， it was perfect。 I needed breaks， and I didn’t want this story to be over soon。 It was definitely 4，75⭐️ worthy and I highly， mostly， 100% advise and recommend you read this book。 。。。more
Hope
，
4。5 starsReview to come
Haley Renee The Caffeinated Reader
，
This was a super enjoyable read。 I will say it wasn't the best written for me as far as the fantasy aspects go and it wasn't exactly the slow-burn I hoped for but to say I didn't have 100% fun reading it would be a lie lol。 I'll be writing a longer review on my blog soon！ Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 3。5/5 Cups of coffee from me， rounded up to 4！ This was a super enjoyable read。 I will say it wasn't the best written for me as far as the fantasy aspects go and it wasn't exactly the slow-burn I hoped for but to say I didn't have 100% fun reading it would be a lie lol。 I'll be writing a longer review on my blog soon！ Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 3。5/5 Cups of coffee from me， rounded up to 4！ 。。。more
Etta （Chonky Books Review）
，
I initially saw the cover of A Taste of Gold and Iron floating around various blogs and knew I had to read it before even looking at the synopsis。 In the kingdom of Arasht， Prince Kadou begins a journey to investigate a theft/counterfeiting event to prove his loyalty to his sister and salvage his reputation。 Along for the ride is Kadou’s newer bodyguard， Evemer。 The investigation leads to a lot more than they expected with a quest full of espionage， political intrigue， and a budding romance。Kado I initially saw the cover of A Taste of Gold and Iron floating around various blogs and knew I had to read it before even looking at the synopsis。 In the kingdom of Arasht， Prince Kadou begins a journey to investigate a theft/counterfeiting event to prove his loyalty to his sister and salvage his reputation。 Along for the ride is Kadou’s newer bodyguard， Evemer。 The investigation leads to a lot more than they expected with a quest full of espionage， political intrigue， and a budding romance。Kadou has privilege as the prince yet his life is not perfect。 He deals with crippling anxiety， which affects some aspects of his life。 He has a lot of self-loathing and this prevents him from getting close to others。 Evemer is the more stoic bodyguard who is still likable but takes a while to open up。 As this is a romance story， one builds between Kadou and Evemer。 I love the bodyguard-type romance so I was excited to see how this one would be portrayed。 While this is a slow burn， it was a tad too slow for my taste as I wanted a little more build-up slightly earlier compared to where most of it actually appears。The story is a dual perspective where the readers get inside the minds of both Kadou and Evemer。 As both appeared together in the chapters， I wish there was more distinction when there was a shift。 Since this was an ARC version， I am not sure about the final formatting， so this may not be the same when the novel is officially published。 This duel perspective worked incredibly well， however， when it came to Kadou’s anxiety as the reader sees it from the one going through it and one observing it。 Not only do the two characters go through their emotional journeys， but there is the main scheme aspect to the story。 For this， I wish this was expanded a little more as I figured out this portion more quickly than I expected。 Overall， this was a fun romance story with interesting characters and a magic system。**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。** 。。。more
Emily
，
2。5 rounded to 3So this book was not at all like what I expected！ The romance was great， I really like the trope involved & how the relationship ends up。 The portrayal of Kadou’s anxiety was extremely well done & very authentic in my option/experience。 Finally I found the progressive world to be refreshing， with the usual gender & sexuality stereotypes found in medieval based worlds completely gone。However， there were quite a few issues for me that I found hard to overlook after a while。 The pac 2。5 rounded to 3So this book was not at all like what I expected！ The romance was great， I really like the trope involved & how the relationship ends up。 The portrayal of Kadou’s anxiety was extremely well done & very authentic in my option/experience。 Finally I found the progressive world to be refreshing， with the usual gender & sexuality stereotypes found in medieval based worlds completely gone。However， there were quite a few issues for me that I found hard to overlook after a while。 The pacing was very slow especially in the middle & not a lot actually happened。 The plot was flimsy at best with the villains having no motive for the crimes， it all started with what I thought would be an intriguing political story line full of twists & turns but ended up completely flopping with no depth。 It’s almost like the author couldn’t work out how to finish the idea， so just went with the most obvious route & forced everything to fit。 The world building was non-existent， beyond being told it is based on the Ottoman Empire before starting， outside of the clothes & shoes， there are no real indicators of what the world is like。 We get a few descriptions of the current weather & some floors， but that’s pretty much it。 Also it’s thrown in at one point that there’s 2 moons， but not entirely sure why we are told that as it’s not in any way relevant or influences the story。The constant internal monologue of both Kadou & Evemer got very tedious very quickly。 I lost track of the amount of times you read about them liking the other one but thinking the other one doesn’t like them back & deciding to “nobly” decide not to do anything。 Finally， this is marketed as fantasy， which I guess it is in the loosest possible way。 The fantasy element （the touch-tasting）， is so minor it may as well not have been included。 It could have been a really interesting idea， but again seemed to fall flat with very little real need for it to be included。 Thank you to Tor & Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC。 。。。more
Gemma
，
I really enjoyed this book， I was intrigued by the premise which is why I requested it and I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would。 It was quite a slow story with lots of world building and character development and usually this isn't something I would go for but it was really well done。 I was fully engaged the whole time， waiting to watch the story unfold。 The main focus of this story was definitely the relationship between the main characters but the overarching plot that ran I really enjoyed this book， I was intrigued by the premise which is why I requested it and I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would。 It was quite a slow story with lots of world building and character development and usually this isn't something I would go for but it was really well done。 I was fully engaged the whole time， waiting to watch the story unfold。 The main focus of this story was definitely the relationship between the main characters but the overarching plot that ran throughout helped keep me interested in the story as I'm not usually a fan of character driven stories。 That being said， the characters were my favourite things in this story。 I loved the development of the relationship between the two main characters I think it was really well done with just the right amount of angst， I was totally invested。 I also really liked the female characters， I liked how strong they were and how they were not afarid to use the power they had for the good of their people。 The idea of babies only belonging to the mother unless delcared otherwise was also a really interesting concept。 The one thing that I would critique a little bit is the ending。 To me it felt like it was over a bit too quick and I would of liked a little bit more of an exploration into the acceptance of the main characters relationship but this is just a minor thing。 Overall I really enjoyed this story， I thought it did some interesting things and the characters are definitely some of my favourites。 Thank you to Black Crow PR and Tor for my gifted copy。 。。。more
Emily
，
A Taste of Gold and Iron is an m/m romance set in an Ottoman-inspired fantasy world， with a loose plot of court intrigue / political mystery。 The romance， between a prince and his bodyguard， is deliciously tropey and heavy on the oaths-of-fealty， so if that's your thing this is probably a book worth reading。 But otherwise， uh。。。 you can go ahead and skip this one。The world-building was sparse， the plot made no sense， the ""mystery"" wasn't， the characters were infuriating idiots with cringey dia A Taste of Gold and Iron is an m/m romance set in an Ottoman-inspired fantasy world， with a loose plot of court intrigue / political mystery。 The romance， between a prince and his bodyguard， is deliciously tropey and heavy on the oaths-of-fealty， so if that's your thing this is probably a book worth reading。 But otherwise， uh。。。 you can go ahead and skip this one。The world-building was sparse， the plot made no sense， the ""mystery"" wasn't， the characters were infuriating idiots with cringey dialogue。 The book is overlong and overwrought， and while I appreciate the concept of Kadou and Evemer's developing relationship， every time I started to feel swept away the terrible writing would pull me right out of the story again。 The writing was so repetitive and overly expository。 One quick thing I'd do to make this story a million times better is cut half the words。 Literally; the book is over 500 pages but should have been closer to 350-375。 This kind of story--I'm reminded a bit of Captive Prince or The King of Attolia--is better told with economical writing， and A Taste of Gold and Iron is anything but economical （ironic considering the intrigue plot revolves around counterfeiting）。 This book felt very similar to Winter's Orbit， which was a space opera m/m romance with a smattering of mystery that I liked but didn't love， but I would definitely say is better than this book。 （I've also seen some comparisons to Mo Dao Zu Shi， and although I haven't read it and am only familiar with the first two seasons of the donghua， I do see where Rowland could have gotten her inspiration for Evemer's character。）By far my biggest gripe with this book， though， is how fucking stupid everybody in it was。 Our heroes， the villains， the side characters。。。 they're all idiots。 And bad at their jobs。 The most infuriating to me was Zeliha， the sultan and Kadou's older sister， who is essentially at fault for everything that happens though this is never quite acknowledged。 I mean， she's warned by her beloved brother that her baby daddy is sort of suspicious， and her response is 'I can't believe you don't trust me， guess I have to exile you now'？？？？ When said baby daddy becomes even more of a suspect later she's like， 'but what possible motive could he have'。。。 GIRL， MONEY？！ POWER？！ The fuck？？？ （World-building sidenote: why doesn't the sultan have any advisors who could have said， 'yeah， there's definitely credence to suspecting your baby daddy， and it's worth looking into at least a little bit' and also 'it would be better politics to gently exile this no-name foreigner who you're not even married to than your second-in-line brother'。） Zeliha has a line about how she tried too hard to be a good sultan that she forgot how to be a good sister， and I was like， girl you were bad at both！ And don't even get me started on Kadou's and Evemer's ""investigative skills"" which amounts to drunkenly stumbling on clues and getting cornered by villains because they were too busy making out。 It's never explained how six kidnappers manage to sneak into Kadou's suite when there were at least three loyal guards there？？ And why the hell do Evemer and co。， after barely escaping Siranos （the baby daddy villain） at the counterfeiting factory， return to the ""safe house"" that Siranos knows they're staying at and NOT TELL ANYONE that Siranos is guilty until the next day？？？ WHY IS EVERYONE TERRIBLE！ Plus， the way all the characters speak throughout the book， at no point was I convinced that these could actually be the upper echelons of a powerful empire。 They all read like quirky YA characters， not like adults trained in diplomacy， sovereignty， strategy， etc。 Even the villains were disappointing。Don't get me wrong， there were some good moments。 I liked the dynamic between Kadou， Evemer， Tadek， and Eozena， though their scenes often went on too long （as did every scene， honestly）。 I liked Tadek's approach to Siranos as， 'My job isn't to be polite， it's to distract this guy with my rudeness long enough for my liege to get away。' I even liked Siranos as the villain in the beginning， when he was an entitled dumbass who didn't bother trying to understand the law of the land he was a guest in （which I thought would be fun when it came back to bite him， but the ending was actually a huge letdown in that regard）。 As I said before， the concept of Kadou and Evemer's romance was right up my alley， even though the execution just didn't totally work for me。 Although the whole ~fake marriage~ angle was dumb， I did enjoy， "Happy wedding， I got you this door，" and I was super down for Evemer's angst about serving Kadou even if he needed to marry and beget heirs with someone else--that's the good shit right there。 I thought the touch-tasting （basically， some people can read the presence of metal through touch， thereby being able to tell how much gold versus copper a coin has， or whatever） and the emphasis on refusing to de-base currency was interesting。 The scene where Evemer has a conversation with a baby was really stinkin' cute。 Kadou's anxiety attacks seemed thoughtfully included and didn't just vanish whenever they could be inconvenient， as often seems to happen in fiction。 There are a couple of side characters described as having dark skin and locs， and the entire cast is Turkish-coded。 The casual inclusion of a nonbinary gender （called oryasilar and using çe/çir pronouns） was nice to see， although could have been better integrated， imo。 There's even a speck of asexual representation in a side character， and Tadek is coded as pansexual （"I like everybody。"）。While I read an advanced copy of A Taste of Gold and Iron that I received in February 2022， so much would have to be changed prior to publication （August 2022） in order to address my critiques that I just don't see happening。 If you're a reader who doesn't mind rolling their eyes and skimming through a poorly written plot in order to enjoy an alright romance-- go for it。 Otherwise， there are better versions of this elsewhere。TW: anxiety and panic attacks， violence and death， captivity， past death of parents， injury depictions， discussion of power imbalance relationships， brief references to self-harm and self-sacrificial suicide， one instance of an insult considered an ethnic slur toward Muslims （（view spoiler）["goat-fucker" （hide spoiler）]）Thank you so much to the publisher for providing this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Sooz
，
This is one of those books that gets better and better as it goes on - the way the plot thickens and the romance develops， it was hard to put down。 I really fell in love with the characters and they definitely kept me turning pages。 I was surprised to discover so much humor in the book。 It’s a serious tone for most of it but some of the characters are pretty funny - one in particular was especially enjoyable。 It was far more character-driven than I’d expected。 And the pace was surprisingly swift This is one of those books that gets better and better as it goes on - the way the plot thickens and the romance develops， it was hard to put down。 I really fell in love with the characters and they definitely kept me turning pages。 I was surprised to discover so much humor in the book。 It’s a serious tone for most of it but some of the characters are pretty funny - one in particular was especially enjoyable。 It was far more character-driven than I’d expected。 And the pace was surprisingly swift for such a long book。I liked Prince Kadou from the start。 He’s sweet， sensitive， dutiful， and a loving， loyal brother。 He also suffers from panic attacks （which he attributes to cowardice rather than trauma）， anxiety and abysmally low self-esteem。 I found him very relatable and sympathetic。 I LOVED watching Kadou and Evemer’s relationship unfold。 （The romance is so slow burn that it doesn’t even really begin until halfway through。 AND I WASN’T EVEN MAD ABOUT IT。） The dual （third person limited） POV worked well here， allowing us to see exactly how and when Evemer’s opinion of Kadou changed。 I loved how we see him go from initial disdain to confusion to gradual understanding to attachment to care to desire。 Their feelings for one another were based in them getting to know each other and spending so much time together。 It was the most natural progression and was very believable。 The ending leaves the reader in a weird place， in my opinion。 It left me wondering if my ARC was missing the final chapter or epilogue。 I would have liked for things to have been wrapped up differently。 It was a full 5 star read up until the end。Full review here: https://susanreadsstuff。blogspot。com/。。。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital arc。 。。。more
Erin
，
Wow what an incredibly well done book！ This is easily taking a spot as one of my favorite reads of the year so far！On the fantasy side of the story， while this was not necessarily the deepest and most fleshed out world building I've read in a fantasy book， I still felt like it was pretty solid and I really enjoyed the world。 This is a world based around the Ottoman Empire， and I for one know very little about the Ottoman Empire so I cannot speak to the accuracy of anything taken from that world， Wow what an incredibly well done book！ This is easily taking a spot as one of my favorite reads of the year so far！On the fantasy side of the story， while this was not necessarily the deepest and most fleshed out world building I've read in a fantasy book， I still felt like it was pretty solid and I really enjoyed the world。 This is a world based around the Ottoman Empire， and I for one know very little about the Ottoman Empire so I cannot speak to the accuracy of anything taken from that world， but I did find it to be a new and refreshing base for a world as I have not seen that in fantasy before。 You get dropped into the story initially without much explanation of terms and such， but I found it very easy to follow and pick up what everything was in the story。This world is also a pretty low fantasy world。 There are two types of magic talked about in this story; being able to touch taste metals and being able to detect lies。 Both were pretty interesting and I liked how they were used in the story， but I do think it would have been cool to see them both a little more often， especially the touch tasting as that one was pretty unique！My favorite part of the world of this book was that the country the book takes place in is a very economics focused country！ We so often see countries in fantasy books that have large armies and fight wars and such that it was nice to see the focus be on something else for a change。 There are several times the book talks about the details of how they have built up their reputation for trustworthy metal pieces and how it all works， and while I could see how some readers might find this a tad boring， I was very into it。The main driving plot of this book was an investigation into a break in that occurred right before/right at the start of the book。 As someone who enjoys a good mystery plot， I quite enjoyed this being our main plot。 It wasn't necessarily the most twisty mystery as I had pretty much figured out at least partially who was responsible （or at least I had strong suspicions）， but nonetheless I enjoyed reading about it。 The main antagonists of the mystery though did end up being a little cartoony in a major scene towards the end of the mystery plot。Despite a few quibbles， the romance more than made up for those and made me fall in love with this book。 The romance is between Kadou， the prince， and his newly appointed bodyguard， Evemer。 The slow burn unfolding of their relationship is incredible。 The way we see the two of them transform from disdain， to friendship， to in love was so good。 Rowland does an amazing job of building the friendship of these two before we get to the romance part。 The story alternates POVs between the two characters so we really get to see their changing opinions of each other as they slowly get to know each other and as some of their incorrect initial assumptions fall away。 Beyond the friendship， everything about their relationship is just so incredibly respectful。 Bodyguard romances， especially when the one being guarded is the prince， inherently involve power dynamics that if not handled well could easily turn problematic， but the way that dynamic was confronted and talked through in this book was so incredibly well done。 The two characters just have so much respect for each other and their standings and so much self awareness about the situation and this is all fleshed out in a way that didn't feel weirdly clinical in any way and felt like completely organic and in character discussions。While I thought both Evemer and Kadou were wonderfully done characters， I want to specifically highlight Kadou for the author's portrayal of his anxiety。 In this world what we as modern readers easily recognize as anxiety attacks， Kadou interprets as him being cowardly。 And I just thought this aspect of his character was very well done。 The portrayal of how the anxiety attacks affect Kadou were really realistic and I thought the "cowardly" interpretation was an interesting angle to explore them in a world where anxiety isn't a diagnosed or known condition。 。。。more
Catrina
，
Ordered from Book Depository
Lu
，
Thank you so much Macmillan/Tor-Forge， Tordotcom， for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review。Set in a world inspired by the Ottoman empire， Kadou， is the shy prince of Arasht and after an altercation- with his sister's lover and niece's father- that resulted in his humiliation， he's determined to prove his worth by investigating a break-in at one of their guilds。 With the help of his new bodyguard， the cold Evemer， who dislikes him。 In a world where counterfeit is almost he Thank you so much Macmillan/Tor-Forge， Tordotcom， for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review。Set in a world inspired by the Ottoman empire， Kadou， is the shy prince of Arasht and after an altercation- with his sister's lover and niece's father- that resulted in his humiliation， he's determined to prove his worth by investigating a break-in at one of their guilds。 With the help of his new bodyguard， the cold Evemer， who dislikes him。 In a world where counterfeit is almost heresy and where some have the power to touch-taste metals with their fingers， Kadou and Evemer have to uncover a conspiracy threatening to bring ruin to their kingdom。 And， in the meantime， getting to know each other better and fall in love。I loved reading this book！ The story is told by two POVs， Kadou's and Evemer's， who， at first， couldn't be more different。 Kadou is passionate， but shy and insecure， while Evemer is cold， confident and sure of everything around him， his duties and responsibilities。 Slowly， though， following them investigating， finding clues， working together， the reader is able to know them better。 Kadou is a wonderfully realistic rep for mental health， suffering from panic attacks and anxiety and I've found so relatable reading how he struggled with intrusive and negative thoughts， his "fear Monster" and following fighting against it and trusting others and mostly himself。 Interesting reading how burdened he feels by his duties and responsibilities， towards his sister Zeliha and the whole kingdom and how he will learn to listen to himself and his desires and dreams too， in a journey of self worth and self love。On the same journey is Evemer， whose character appears cold and "a stone wall"， a strong contrast with Kadou and Tadek， Kadou's ex lover and friends。 Evemer too will embark in a journey to understand himself and people around him better， learning he's not a burden and he's loved too。Their personal journey follows and interwines itself with their investigation， in a world where counterfeit is almost heresy and could bring financial ruin to a kingdom， with an intriguing and really original magic system， between kidnappings， deaths， guilt， adventures and so much more in a rollercoaster of twists。My only "complaint" is how the pacing felt a bit off， too slow sometimes and too rushed in others， but overall this book is pretty Amazing。This book has everything！ Queer romance， dangerous politics， fealty， loyalty， enemies to friends to lovers， lovely queer rep and a brilliant mental health rep。 The characterization， the characters' growth， interaction， the magic system， the plot twists and siblings love made this book absolutely fantastic。A marvellous story， a true slow burn and an intriguing worldbuilding。 。。。more
Jessie
，
4。5There are some people who love tons of intricate worldbuilding and heavy plot in their fantasy。 There are others that don't need that if the characters and relationships are well done and I'm one of the latter。 Of course there are books where all of that is woven together and balanced perfectly， but for me， as long as the relationships and character growth are done well I don't really need a ton of plot。 Such is the case with A Taste of Gold and Iron which takes place in a fantasy world that 4。5There are some people who love tons of intricate worldbuilding and heavy plot in their fantasy。 There are others that don't need that if the characters and relationships are well done and I'm one of the latter。 Of course there are books where all of that is woven together and balanced perfectly， but for me， as long as the relationships and character growth are done well I don't really need a ton of plot。 Such is the case with A Taste of Gold and Iron which takes place in a fantasy world that is， in my understanding， based on the Ottoman Empire。 This is a queer romance within a fantasy world and the romance takes stage front and center， the world unfolding around it。 Kadou is the prince of Arasht， who， after a humiliating and deadly altercation with the body-father of his sister， the queen's newborn daughter， must team up with his new bodyguard， the stoic by the rules Evemer， to prove his loyalty。 There is a side plot here involving an investigation into counterfeit money （which is a clever way to integrate some of the magic system in this world because some people can "taste" different metals through touch although that isn't super developed）， however to say this isn't super developed is an understatement。 The entire plot exists to bring Kadou and Evemer together through all our favorite tropes: forced proximity， oh no one of them is injured， there's only one bed and looks like we have to kiss to distract everyone！ The character development here is where the book shines。 Kadou sees himself as a failure and his battle with anxiety in this book is so well done。 Kadou lacks the terminology to label what happens to him when he has panic attacks and instead conflates them with cowardice。 It is extremely lovely to watch him grapple with this part of himself。 Evemer is stoic and rule following almost to a fault but Kadou gradually gets him to open up and once they finally let themselves get vulnerable with each other， the sparks really fly。 My heart was melting the entire time。 This book ends rather abruptly and I'm curious if this is a standalone or if we will get more？ I think there could be some really cool stories from this world which has a lot of potential。 If you like character driven fantasy romances then I would absolutely recommend this book。 Thank you so much to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Svea
，
A rich fantasy world inspired by Turkish culture and a queer romance between a prince and his bodyguard at its center？ Sounds wonderful， sounds fun， sounds like a must read for me！ I haven't read anything by Alexandra Rowland before so I went into "A Taste of Gold and Iron" with very few expectations。 It turned out to be a charming story with interesting ideas and relying on a lot of tropes I enjoy but that in the end failed to really engage me for a lot of reasons。It tells the story of Kadou， t A rich fantasy world inspired by Turkish culture and a queer romance between a prince and his bodyguard at its center？ Sounds wonderful， sounds fun， sounds like a must read for me！ I haven't read anything by Alexandra Rowland before so I went into "A Taste of Gold and Iron" with very few expectations。 It turned out to be a charming story with interesting ideas and relying on a lot of tropes I enjoy but that in the end failed to really engage me for a lot of reasons。It tells the story of Kadou， the little brother to the sultan of Arasht， and his new personal attendant and bodyguard Evemer， assigned to him when Kadou is being blamed for very unfortunate events leading to the death of innocent soldiers。Tigether they investigate a break-in that turns out to be much more than it first seemed to be。 Their romance， which is central to the book， is very slow burn， though that's not a complaint because I love those the most and they play with lots of aforementioned fun tropes。 It's a very very mild spin on an enemies-to-lovers romance， there's only one bed for them both to sleep in at some point， they have to kiss once to not get caught while spying。。。 and so on and so forth， you get the gist。 Quite frankly， it reads very fanfictiony at times and it took me out of the story a lot even though I actually like a lot of these tropes。 Maybe it's because the characters as a whole are rather one-dimensional and not very complex， and while I liked them just fine， I was never really invested in them and their story which is a bit of a problem in a book that centers romance and relationships。 I did enjoy the focus on mental illness， anxiety disorder， panic attacks with Kadou's character and the struggles that come with it。 Other than that， Kadou is just way too perfect and nice and wonderful to be believable - he's a prince， but of course he rejects every privilege that comes with it and the reasons for that are never really explained。 It's just because he's woke， I guess？ Evemer is the classic honorable stoic dude who lives for his duties， and I enjoy these types of characters。 He's not much more than that， though。 The side characters are mostly forgettable， sadly。The plot is very simple and suffers immensely from a lack of actual world building and the absolutely goofy， borderline cartoonish villains with no actual reason for what they do。 It's obvious from page 1 that the plot is only really a backdrop for the romance， and it's almost laughable how quickly the central conflicts are solved。 If you want an engaging plot with your romance than you have to look elsewhere。 It's really only there to get Kadou and Evemer from one tropey scene to the next tropey scene。 Also， it's just not very exciting - the main crime is all about counterfeiting coins， the mystery around it cannot be called an actual mystery because it's so obvious it makes all the characters look a little stupid， and the resolution is barely worth a throwaway chapter to the author。 There are some decisions made by the characters in the book that didn't make sense to me either - like characters not immediately acting on new crucial information in favor of some fun banter scenes to further the romance， or literally anything the villains do at any point。The dialogue feels mostly very contemporary for a fantasy novel with medieval-ish setting， the supposed banter between the characters is sometimes a little cringey。 This is， I guess， a general gripe I had with the writing。 It's probably just that Rowland's writing doesn't fit this specific reader。 I was a little confused by the constant pov switching between Kadou and Evemer during chapters， with no clear indication and often written in a way that didn't make it clear that it's the other character's perspective now。 Which also tells you how distinctive their voices are。 The pacing is incredibly slow， too， and yes， I do love slow burn romances and slow burn plotlines when done well but this book is just way too long for its actual content。 The world building is mostly nonexistent， but what little there is is thrown at the reader in a kind of noncontextual way， never really explaining anything， relying on the reader to figure out what all these words and titles and concepts mean on their own。 It's once again obvious that this is primarily a romance book， and the world is built around this romance - I'm sure that the author put a lot of thought into this world but it's just not on the page。 This also leads to weird inconcistencies like an actual， legal wedding apparently only needing two people to exchange vows real quick all alone in a corner of some room yet the annulment or divorce of said marriage requiring a shit ton of bureaucratic work and at least one priest。 That just makes no sense， and there is nothing in the text even trying to make it make sense。 There is some magic in the book， basically truth sensing and touch tasting， that are never fully explained either - and considering the title of the book plays on the magic of touch tasting， which one of our main characters possesses too， it's surprising how little space it actually takes in the novel。 Overall， this is a book with lots of potential and interesting ideas。 It's diverse， too， which is always a major plus， even though one of the side characters is more of a caricature of a queer man than an actual， you know， queer character。 The writing wasn't for me and it relied too much on tropes， with a weak and unexciting plot， laughable villains and lacking worldbuilding。 I'll most likely be in the minority here with my opinion， though。 Generally， if it were about 100 to 150 pages shorter I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more。 As it is， I can't give this more than 2 stars。Many thanks to Pan Macmillan， Tor and Netgalley for the arc！ 。。。more
Natasha Leighton
，
Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron follows Kadou， a shy prince who finds himself embroiled in political intrigue after a hunting accident ends in disaster。 Now he’s trying to win over his sister， the Sultan and prove his loyalty by taking on an investigation involving counterfeiting。 Evermer is a newly trained and recently promoted guard who’s first new assignment is as guard and protector of Kadou。 Having heard about the hunting incident， the stern Evermer finds himself disliking the Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron follows Kadou， a shy prince who finds himself embroiled in political intrigue after a hunting accident ends in disaster。 Now he’s trying to win over his sister， the Sultan and prove his loyalty by taking on an investigation involving counterfeiting。 Evermer is a newly trained and recently promoted guard who’s first new assignment is as guard and protector of Kadou。 Having heard about the hunting incident， the stern Evermer finds himself disliking the prince。 But after a violent altercation brings the pair closer together， they manage to uncover a conspiracy which could destroy to their kingdom’s financial standing and bring ruin to their country。 This was a really well developed and well written LGBTQ+ romance and I loved how normalised all of the LGBTQ+ relationships and gender fluid pronouns were。 It is set in a world surrounded by politics and royals but the way in which royal adjacent events such as arranged marriages were handled was really intriguing （and it’s not all cis-het marriages either。） The world building is incredibly detailed and utterly vivid which I loved， though it is pretty light on the fantasy aspect—some characters can sense “taste” different metals as well as rare individuals who know when people are lying; but aside from this there’s no other fantasy elements which I was a little disappointed by。 As such this reads more like a political/ mystery romance than fantasy so do bare in mind if you do pick this one up。 That being said I did really enjoy it， the extraordinarily detailed world building and the deliciously slow-burn， bodyguard romance were treated too。 Kadou was such an endearing character and despite trying to deal with severe anxiety and near violent panic attacks almost single-handedly;his unwavering loyalty to his friends and loved ones （even in the face of danger） made it virtually impossible not to love him。 He definitely goes on journey throughout the novel but it’s a good one。 Kadou’s attempts at befriending the stoic Evermer were absolutely adorable and I enjoyed watching Evermer’s perspective （and negative opinion of Kadou） slowly thaw into an utterly swoon-worthy romance—trust me the chemistry between them is literally off the charts！ I was also swept away by how much I loved the supporting characters—specifically Eozena， Tadek and Evermer’s mum who I’d absolutely loved to see more of。 The mystery behind the conspiracy and the person responsible was rather easy to guess but， there were still a few twists amid the action filled scenes I definitely didn’t see coming which I very much enjoyed。 Overall， a really fun， heartwarming LGBTQ+ bodyguard romance that political intrigue and mystery lovers are bound to enjoy。 Also， a huge thank you to Blackcrow PR and Tor books for the arc。 。。。more
Hailey Miller
，
Holy info dump Batman。 DNF。 I was so excited for this book but I feel like I needed to take notes to remember what is wha t
Cassidy Washburn
，
Oh my godExcuse me while I pull myself together after this swoon worthy read。 A Taste of Gold and Iron is a soft political fantasy following Kadou， a shy prince from a powerful kingdom， and his newly appointed guard， Evemer as they fight to prove their loyalty to Kadou's sister， the Sultan。 This is a character driven fantasy that features a hate to love queer romance and a well developed world。 If you are looking for a romantic standalone fantasy， this is the one for you。 Oh my godExcuse me while I pull myself together after this swoon worthy read。 A Taste of Gold and Iron is a soft political fantasy following Kadou， a shy prince from a powerful kingdom， and his newly appointed guard， Evemer as they fight to prove their loyalty to Kadou's sister， the Sultan。 This is a character driven fantasy that features a hate to love queer romance and a well developed world。 If you are looking for a romantic standalone fantasy， this is the one for you。 。。。more
Kris
，
ARC provided by Netgalley。 3。5/5。This is a romance first and foremost， and a political drama/fantasy second。The main characters are definitely endearing。 No huge complaints about Evemer。 He is the bodyguard trope， pretty much on its face， which is fine with me。 Kadou was sweet， though I do wish there was just a tad more exploration of his anxiety。Stuff I liked:- I mean， look at that cover- very gay <3 unapologetically <3 no homophobia in sight。 gender inclusivity too。- Kadou isn’t a useless “i n ARC provided by Netgalley。 3。5/5。This is a romance first and foremost， and a political drama/fantasy second。The main characters are definitely endearing。 No huge complaints about Evemer。 He is the bodyguard trope， pretty much on its face， which is fine with me。 Kadou was sweet， though I do wish there was just a tad more exploration of his anxiety。Stuff I liked:- I mean， look at that cover- very gay <3 unapologetically <3 no homophobia in sight。 gender inclusivity too。- Kadou isn’t a useless “i need to be rescued all the time” type。 he’s actually really capable。- banter between all the characters was genuinely a joy to read- Tadek！！！！！！！ give this man an award- “there is only one bed” ……。 need I say more- oaths of fealty？？？ NEED I SAY MORE- lots of other fun “ao3 tag” type of romance tropes that had me screaming- some of the lore around the faith systems and how it’s integrated into the world building。 I just like that sort of stuff in secondary worlds。- moments in the prose where the descriptions really lifted off the page， whether it was describing an emotion or atmosphere。 you can feel the heart-pumping descent into these characters’ feelings。In terms of the fantasy， it’s very sparse。 Touch-tasting is an interesting concept but I would have liked to see it explored in the narrative a bit more than it was。 It’s kind of just there to colour the world， but it left me with questions on a societal/historical level。 （this could just be a personal thing， though。）What left me wanting the most was the political intrigue， which held me back from fully loving the whole thing。 The character writing for the key peripheral characters wasn’t prominent enough for me （Siranos， for example？）。 Considering this book is so long， I expected some more twists and turns， and to have a mystery that would unravel in unexpected ways。 some more mind games would have been nice。I usually enjoy slow burn political intrigue。 for me， the excitement of that drama comes from knowing who all the players are， what their stakes and motivations are， and then watching as people try to outmaneuver one another until it eventually spirals。 so I would’ve liked to spend a bit more time fleshing out the antagonistic characters and maybe having at least one or two “red herring” moments to heighten the mystery。 Instead the story sort of meanders between major plot beats and in some instances， esp towards the end， it feels like the characters are just sort of reacting to the things around them。TL;DR the romance was fun。 if you don’t mind a slow burn， it’s enjoyable。 wish the political drama was fleshed out more。 。。。more
Laura
，
The title is one of those A [something] of [something] and [something] titles that have sprung up in an unending stream over the past few years。 Don't publishers realize that it makes the books difficult to tell apart？ Or maybe that's the point？ Anyway。。。I loved the fact that Ashet's sister is the Emperor， and that her child is hers - she will determine how much， or how little， of a role the "body father" will play in their lives。 Ashet is clearly happy to be away from the center of power， just The title is one of those A [something] of [something] and [something] titles that have sprung up in an unending stream over the past few years。 Don't publishers realize that it makes the books difficult to tell apart？ Or maybe that's the point？ Anyway。。。I loved the fact that Ashet's sister is the Emperor， and that her child is hers - she will determine how much， or how little， of a role the "body father" will play in their lives。 Ashet is clearly happy to be away from the center of power， just kind of doing his thing but then his chief bodyguard takes things a little too far and suddenly this favorite is replaced by stoic， strong， enigmatic Evermer （whose internal dialog is wonderful）。 Tadek， the former chief bodyguard， is demoted to secretary or something like that。 The interplay between the three is really fun to read， above and beyond the plot of Who is Counterfitting Coins and Who Broke Into the Shipbuilders Property。 One of the best parts is Ashet's panic attacks: the description feels so very read and the way Tadek takes care of Ashet is what anyone suffering from such an attack would want。 The strong women are also role models of how to be unapologetic for their role or their power。 So why three stars？ The world building and characters were all good。。。 the plot was recycled。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
CristoC
，
Note to self: beware of gorgeous coversI’m so disappointed， I was expecting so much more and was given so little。 I was promised a fantasy with gays and was given a not-quite-fantasy-with-economic-crisis-to-avoid with disaster-and-dull-gays。 The main problem I had with this book is that I found it extremely boring; the plot is basically non existent， and based on economics and finance of all things。 I mean， I should have probably guessed it would be about that， it says “financial” in the blurb， Note to self: beware of gorgeous coversI’m so disappointed， I was expecting so much more and was given so little。 I was promised a fantasy with gays and was given a not-quite-fantasy-with-economic-crisis-to-avoid with disaster-and-dull-gays。 The main problem I had with this book is that I found it extremely boring; the plot is basically non existent， and based on economics and finance of all things。 I mean， I should have probably guessed it would be about that， it says “financial” in the blurb， but…I did not expect the main character to drunkenly talk about coins and economics for I don’t know how many pages， and I did not like that。 The already poor plot is further aggravated by the comically predictable antagonists and by events that are meant to advance it but that are scarce and that lack real value， inserted between even more boring events that should emotionally bring the main character and the love interest emotionally closer together。 The writing style didn’t really help， I found it to be too descriptive， too verbose， and we read more about the characters thinking， and talking about doing things， and about doing them carefully， and being safe while doing them blablabla… than about said things， and a slow and underwhelming pace inevitably ensues。About the main characters…they were sadly outshined by some of the side characters， and I’m afraid that the real star of the book was really Tenzin。 Who appears near the end of the book。 For a few pages。 And yet she manages to have more personality than the main characters， who are faceless and inconsistent， and worse of all， have not an ounce of the chemistry you would expect two romantically involved people to have with each other。 I won’t even talk about the antagonists because they were just embarrassing。 Apart for the fact that I empathized with one of them because of his confusion about the politics and culture of the main characters’ country， being he from another country。 Me too buddy， me too。The world building was very chaotic and confusing， especially all the name and info dumping in the first pages and the following lack of insight on it to better understand it， and that made it feel less like a fantasy and more like an alternate universe。 possible spoilers aheadThere also were a few things that made me confused （apart from the economic rambling）， like the kidnapping scene？ We know that the prince’s room is guarded。 By very trusted people。 Then how do multiple thugs manage to enter his room and try to kidnap him？ That scene was very confusing。 Also， this might be an empty critique， but seeing how willing the “Aunts” from the temples are to provide free psychiatric sessions， why has Kadou never bothered to visit them？ I’m sure they’d be happy to help him about his problem。I received this eARC from NetGalley and this represents my honest opinion。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Taste of Gold and Iron
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Taste of Gold and Iron&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft