#but at the same time. the core appeal of a slowburn is the time and effort and history it takes to build something lasting and powerful

[the-crooked-library]

i think the primary reason why K/S has such overwhelming appeal is and always shall be that it is, at its core, a soulmate bond that has to be forged. the only way a t'hy'la bond can manifest is through shared toil, hardships, and undying devotion; it must be given effort and put together piece by piece - but at the same time, by the nature of its creation, it alters all realities on a cosmic level, to the point that Kirk and Spock must meet in every universe.

t'hy'la is not spontaneous. it is not a soulmate mark, it doesn't spring to life at first sight or first touch or first word. it is destined - because it is chosen, time and time again. you cannot have one without the other

[genuflectx]

A Marvellous Light ("Terato" Book Review)

You can thank my fiancé for me reading this one, because this really isn't my usual cup of tea when it comes to literature! It's not "terato," not even exactly "exophilia" either, however I think its general themes might appeal to some people of those communities- even I was a bit shocked and impressed by it.

The first half has vague spoilers, such as descriptions of sex and if there was a happy end or not. Under the cut you’ll find a longer review with detailed spoilers.

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske has a simple plot at its core. Robert "Robin" Blyth is a typical well-to-do Edwardian jock who, due to a clerical error, is introduced to the secret world of magic. He meets Edwin Courcey, an icy and bookish magician with subdued powers- something Edwin's family looks down on him and teases him for. When Robin is attacked and cursed because of his accidental introduction to the magical world, Edwin feels responsible for him and does everything he can to find out how to remove that curse, with plans to remove Robin's memories after. Along the way a terrible magic conspiracy is revealed that the two become slowly more involved in. While also becoming quite "involved" with each other.

Pros and cons time! But.. I don't particularly have a lot of cons.

PROS ★ ★ ★ 

If I wanted to describe it in fanfiction tropes or tags, I would say: slow burn, magic kink, jock/nerd. Fun combinations.

Marske is really well spoken with her prose, and pacing seems to be a strong suit. Despite being her first published book, she really has mastered the craft of storytelling!

Highly romantic. Sexual content itself is built upon a strong foundation of slow built romance.

Multiple gay sex scenes, with some veeery interesting usage of magic as a kink. Something I've never seen before (but I've never been in any fandoms with magic, so maybe it's common in those?).

Because Robin is non-magical and Edwin is, it can sorta feel like that human/non-human gay relationship you might be craving. However, since they are both still technically humans, it doesn't really count as terato or exophilia explicitly.

A very rich magical world intertwined with the Edwardian period. It feels really unique, and the magic itself has rules and limitations, meaning magic isn't the end-all-be-all when it comes to power. Which... plays right into the underlying plot.

Themes of the rich (and rich men) being idiots and ignoring the importance of domestic magic and the magic of women. Marske is writing a period piece- and I appreciate her desire for accuracy while also clearly trying to find ways around it.

Ends on a happy note with potential for the next book and the main characters do not die.

CONS ★ ★ ★ 

The biggest turn off for some readers might be the prose. Yes, it's well written and well paced for what it wants to accomplish, but it is an Edwardian period piece that can still be pretty wordy. I don't think it's overly flowery, but someone else might find it harder to read if they don't really want to know what happens next.

While probably realistic for a bunch of rich white English gentlemen of that period, a large part of the book tends to feel like they're just piddling about reading books, chatting, and eating breakfast. That might be boring for some readers.

Somehow, the main villain should have both been obvious and was too obvious at the same time. I don't know if that is genius or lame. I guess it depends on what perspective you take.

This is a very "relationship" based plot; character relationships take the forefront over plot or action, as you'd expect with slowburn. If you go into it more interested in the romance and sex you might have a better time than if you go into it wanting to devour something plot heavy- it truly is just not plot heavy, unless you consider their romance the actual main plot.

★  ★ ★  WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO TERATO FANS?

Yeah! If you like magic stories! If you don't care for magic- or don't care for Edwardian period pieces- then maybe not for you. But if you do, then this is a darn good read. Marske is extremely competent in her craft, the romance builds slowly and the sex scenes feel both loving and exotically satisfying.

Just because magic stories aren't exactly my thing I might personally not read book 2, but I absolutely know my fiancé will because they adore this book and could not put it down. In their words, they believe it is one of the most romantic books they've ever read.

★  ★  ★  FINAL RATINGS:

Monsterousness: 0/10 Eroticism: 10/10 Story: 7/10 Characters: 10/10

MY FINAL SCORE: 9/10 (Not my favorite genre, but really good!!)

Heavier spoiler time!

I initially wasn't sure how I felt about the characters, I think ultimately the beginning is the story's weakest part. I feel that these are characters you grow to love more over the story's length, and when you are first learning who they are and getting that early exposition on magic it's sorta "eh" compared to the meat of the book... i.e. the rest of their relationship. Because yes, it's really their relationship that carries it. And that's not a bad thing! I actually prefer character-driven stories. But I think that's just something to keep in mind about this book (and probably the series), that relationships heavily take the forefront and the underlying plot is second to that. In this book, Edwin's past relationships and icy personality melting for Robin are more important than actually doing footwork to discover what happened to Reggie, the missing person, for example.

About 40% through the book however, I did have the realization that nothing was really happening or moving forward. It was a lot of playing little games, chatting over breakfast, and reading books. Sure, all this leisure is likely pretty realistic for their social status, but it does not necessarily make it an engaging read. Luckily, I think watching Robin and Edwin slowly fall for reach other to have encouraged me enough to keep reading to see them get even closer, but I do think that this might be a detriment to others.

It's not completely explicit, but rather something the reader needs to make a conscious effort to notice, that women and domesticity play a large part of this book's universe. By that I mean no one is going to beat you over the head to say "PAY ATTENTION TO THE SERVENTS AND LADIES" but they do play very important roles, in spite of accurate world views from the men that the women are too dumb to be taught. It is a domestic spell which allows Edwin to remove the curse from Robin's arm. It is a group of women- ignored by their misogynistic male magician counterparts- who discover the Last Contract and realize its potential for misuse. It is a pair of intelligent sisters who aid Robin and Edwin when the two are lacking friends. If you are a shallow reader you might take characters' opinions (including main characters) on women at face value, but their opinions compared to the actual actions and personalities of the women and servants is meant to show how wrong these spoiled Edwardian men are.

I really don't have much else to say! I thought the slowburn romance was great and using magic as a kink unique, especially the kind of magic they used. Overall it was a good book.

[mikami]

To be honest I can’t bring myself to ship anyone with Light because I can’t see him caring that much about anyone or putting anyone above himself. What makes Mikami work for you? How do you imagine a relationship between them that feels in character? (This isn’t any shade. I genuinely want your insight)

That is honestly part of the appeal for me!

I think it is really interesting to take a character who does not easily form connections (outside of his family) and put him in a situation where he is forced to gradually confront the individuality and complexity of another person!

Though I think MikaLight can develop in very different ways depending on the scenario in which you make them meet, that is almost always the core component of the ship for me:

Two people who get closer because they believe the other to be similar and who then slowly come to understand that that's really not the case below the surface.

Because on first glance, they have a lot in common! Even though Light has like 200% more social grace than Mikami, they're both people who are booksmart workaholics aiming to improve on the criminal justice system by generally enforcing stricter punishments. Their disillusionment with society hits on a lot of the same notes.

So initially Light is drawn in by having an equal who mirrors himself to a degree (while also being amusingly socially inept) - and it's only over time that they have to find out that the reasons they came to their positions, their personal hang-ups and fear, etc are just... completely different.

It's a slowburn concept in which the personal investment is creeping and by the time they realize that being affiliated isn't easy, that it in fact hurts to get to know someone more closely, they're already in a little too deep and too stubborn to give up on it.

I am just really into the idea of these two isolated people seeking themselves in someone else only to have that mirror completely break down, challenging their stunted sense of empathy.

It's low-key, it's slow, it's not outwardly passionate, it's difficult, it's eating them up inside ... but once they get past that it's ultimately also a relationship that I can see work.

Because they do share so much in common! They do have a lot to talk about! They do have lifestyle preferences that would make living together pretty easy! They do just click on the most basic domestic level! They're people who could have a satisfying daily life together - but to get there, they have to brave the challenge that is even worse to them than being known - accepting to know another.