#and strong complex bonds outside of romance give me a lot of joy to write ngl

[the-darklings]

Do you plan out your stories or is it on a whimp? Or is it a mix of both?

My creative process is basically dropping 5kg of potassium into a cold lake.

It’s sudden, a bit explosive, and always messy. I always come up with endings first, then usually the beginning, and hope for the best in the middle. Some major beats I have from the beginning for foreshadowing etc (in tibyim case: the banishment, the island, but not Dreamfall) but usually a lot of it takes shape as I write it. I’m semi-decent at connecting the threads as I come with them, so that helps to keep the story flowing. It’s always about the end goal and how to get there. So it’s def a mix of things.

For example, I never had plans for Corinthian & Wanderer to be this close but it happened as I wrote it, and I feel like the story became stronger for it. Same with other elements like Dreamfall, Hob, Edward Constantine etc. it’s actually been a really lovely surprise seeing how beloved the platonic element of this story has become as I don’t see such stories being celebrated often in fandom spaces. So honestly, I was fairly worried people will switch off because they’re here for the romance which was already slow to develop.

[mediaeval-muse]

Book Review

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Part of a Series? Yes (Brothers Sinister #2)

Summary: Miss Jane Fairfield can't do anything right. When she's in company, she always says the wrong thing--and rather too much of it. No matter how costly they are, her gowns fall on the unfortunate side of fashion. Even her immense dowry can't save her from being an object of derision. And that's precisely what she wants. She'll do anything, even risk humiliation, if it means she can stay unmarried and keep her sister safe. 

Mr. Oliver Marshall has to do everything right. He's the bastard son of a duke, raised in humble circumstances--and he intends to give voice and power to the common people. If he makes one false step, he'll never get the chance to accomplish anything. He doesn't need to come to the rescue of the wrong woman. He certainly doesn't need to fall in love with her. But there's something about the lovely, courageous Jane that he can't resist...even though it could mean the ruin of them both.

***Full review under the cut.***

Trigger Warnings: classism, ableism, racism, discussions of colonialism and violence, sexual content

Overview: Another Courtney Milan book! I must say, she is quickly becoming my favorite romance writer, and I have great respect for the way she crafts her stories. Every book begins with a crucial scene that gives readers insight into the characters, after which Milan wastes no time in getting to the main conflict. Like those in her other stories, Milan’s characters are unique and memorable, particularly the heroines, who are the right balance of independent and trapped by their societal context. This book, in particular, delighted me precisely because of that complexity. Even though there were some pacing problems that really detracted from the flow and feel of the story, I still enjoyed myself, and I’ll continue reading through the series.

Writing: Like much of the romance genre, Milan’s prose is simple yet descriptive - you get enough to understand what’s going on, without much heightened or flowery language. Of course, I do think Milan crafts it well and with much care. It’s simplicity isn’t a knock against it - I actually quite enjoy the effortlessness it seems to convey without seeming juvenile or unlearned. I also very much appreciate Milan’s structure. Every book I’ve read by her begins with a crucial scene that gives readers insight into the characters, after which Milan wastes no time in getting to the main conflict. As a result, readers aren’t left to wade through a lot of exposition before the action starts, nor are they asked to take in a lot of background and historical context. Milan, through her structure, shows a lot more than she tells, and in my opinion, it’s an absolutely masterful way to begin a novel. However, Milan does have a tendency to reveal a lot of backstory through dialogue. There are moments when Jane or Oliver is telling the other about something in their past, and it’s a lot of words and speaking. I personally prefer backstory be revealed through flashbacks and interwoven into actions or mannerisms, but that’s just my preference. One thing that I found jarring in terms of structure was the sudden jump between things I would consider milestones in the characters’ relationships. For example, Oliver is initially taken aback by Jane’s performance as the unstylish heiress but in the next chapter, he is suddenly able to see through it. We aren’t privy to his thought process as he works it out, which came across to me as abrupt. The same goes for their intentions to marry. Marriage is brought up somewhat suddenly, in my opinion. I would have preferred more of a slow burn.

Plot: I love, love, love the central conflict in this book, which essentially consists of the dilemma between advancing one’s own fortunes or devoting oneself to another person. The moral conflict in Oliver’s mind between advancing his own fortunes (which is already a high-stakes game, due to his birth) and sympathizing with Jane (who is in the same position he is, as someone who is looked down upon by high class people) was great for developing his character, as was Jane’s conflict between relying entirely on herself versus reaching out to others for help. It was at once a wonderful exploration of individual action within a broken social system, and a commentary on the power associated with social class. I also very much appreciated the subplot in which Jane’s sister, Emily, who suffers from repeated seizures and an over-zealous guardian, meets and falls in love with an Indian man studying law at Cambridge. Emily is confined to her home and finds escape reading books, which have some Orientalist fantasies. When she finally manages to go outside, she meets Anjan, who tells her about the realities of his life as an Indian man living in England during the 19th century. It’s a rare instance (at least, in my experience) in which a romance novel actually addresses British colonialism and talks about why just being defiant doesn’t always work for people, and it does so without Anjan having to explicitly perform emotional labor and teach her about race, class, etc. I’m sure readers of color will have a better take on this, so I’d listen to them. Emily’s story also carries the added layer of how disabled or chronically ill people are treated, and I think Milan does a good job of making clear that Jane is not there to make decisions for Emily, but support her in what she wants. The plot as a whole, though, seemed to jump around a bit too much for my taste. As I expressed above, characters would reach milestones in their relationships somewhat quickly, and I think some events unfolded a bit too rapidly to really feel weighty (the way Jane and Oliver overcome Brandenton, their common antagonist, for example). Much of the stuff with Oliver’s family felt relevant, but dropped in rather than interwoven with the plot more fully. There’s a bit with Sebastian, Oliver’s cousin, who is a joy to read, but his involvement seems to be hinting at the next book in the series rather than being integral to this story. Towards the end, things happened way too fast for any event to have much significance, so it felt like Milan was just trying to wrap things up. A little slower pace would have been satisfactory, or maybe a more streamlined plot.

Characters:  Like those in her other stories, Milan’s characters are unique and memorable, particularly the heroines, who are the right balance of independent and trapped by their societal context. Jane, our heroine, is a rich heiress, but caught in a bind because she simultaneously gains access to upper class circles (via her money) yet is kept outside of them (due to her birth and manners). Oliver, the hero, is an interesting counterpart, since he gains access to the upper class through his education, yet is also kept at arm’s length because of his birth. Seeing the two of them try to navigate the arbitrary rules of “polite” society in order to get what they want was fascinating, as was the way their goals put them at odds with each other. Emily and Anjan, too, were charming characters, and I loved the familial bond between Emily and Jane. I also very much liked the relationship between Oliver and his father, as well as Oliver and his sister, Free (who is the heroine of The Suffragette Scandal). I also found Jane’s companions, the Johnson sisters, to be a pleasant surprise, as I was expecting them to be there as antagonists throughout the whole book, but I ended up liking them when their friendship with Jane was put to the test.

Other Romance: Seeing Oliver and Jane fall for each other through their mutual need to get back at the upper class was a delight, to say the least. And I very much enjoyed that Oliver grew to love Jane’s garish gowns, in his way, when everyone else despises them. Their dynamic was cute, especially the way they joked with each other and when Jane babbles around him, and I think the central message of their story - that nobody is truly alone - was a good one. While I also liked the idea of Oliver having to learn to accept Jane as she was and realize that ambition isn’t everything, I think the plot happened so fast that the pace of him learning that message was a bit off. I think a more gradual development or seeing more inner conflict would have gone a long way.

Continuing With the Series? Yes!

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in historical romance (especially set in 19th century England), stories about social class, ambitious protagonists, heiresses, and strong sibling relationships.