Thursday, July 16, 2020

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Queen of Rhodia by Effie Calvin


The Queen of Rhodia is the third book in Effie Calvin's Tales of Inthya series, a series of F-F fantasy romance novels that began with "The Queen of Ieflaria".  I really enjoyed the first two novels in this series (reviewed here and here) - both feature fun F-F romances that feature characters of different temperaments put together by fate and finding they want the other more and more as events unfold and also threaten to put them apart.  At the same time, whereas other such novels would feature significant moments of trouble and heartbreak in these relationships, that's not really a thing either novel did - with the only kind of moment of that lasting just a few pages before it was remedied.  Calvin's books don't seem to be interested in that type of trouble for its lovers, and it makes them a joy to read. 

The Queen of Rhodia brings us back to our protagonists from the first novel, princesses Esofi and Adale, as they've officially gotten married and have been trying to figure out how to raise they're non-human son*.  So it's not quite a romance tale of two women getting together, but instead it's them trying to figure out the next steps of their marriage, especially as they deal with a problematic part of one of their pasts: an abusive parent.  Again, in another author's hands, this could go in a pretty dark direction, but it really doesn't here, and this short novel remains lovely from beginning to end as the two of them try to get through it all and figure it all out, ending on a wonderfully happy ending.  Add in small but important appearances from the main characters of the second book (Daughter of the Sun), and this was a really great book to read when I needed something to cheer me up.

*NOTE:  While the first two books are stand-alone, this one absolutely is not and relies upon foreknowledge of the first book - The Queen of Ieflaria - absolutely in order to work, and reading the second book first is also advisable.  As such, while I'm not spoiling anything above the jump, spoilers for the first book are inevitable in the review below.  Please be advised.  (Not that such spoilers will ruin the enjoyment you get from any of these books mind you).  

--------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------------
Nearly two years has passed since princesses Esofi and Adale first met, and around a year since their marriage.  Since that time, the two have lived in Ieflaria, trying to figure out the next step - with annoying priests demanding an heir in their hair - and raising their son, the baby dragon Carinth.  Carinth is a joyful troublemaker, but he hasn't yet learned to talk or fly, and the two of them worry about whether they're raising him right - after all no human has raised a dragon.....maybe ever?  But overall, the two of them are happy, even if Adale sometimes wishes she knew more of Esofi's past in Rhodia.

But when Esofi's mother Gaella, the Queen of Rhodia, unexpectedly arrives in Ieflaria, Esofi begins to act fearful and afraid of the mother whose power terrified her growing up.  Even worse, it soon becomes clear that Gaella is there to take away Carinth for her own self-interest...and she wont' take no for an answer.  The harsh Gaella immediately puts all of Esofi's progress into question and to help Esofi and their relationship move forward, Adale will have to find a way to make Esofi open up about her past and to move forward as the strong woman Adale knows her to be.....
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The Queen of Rhodia is a novel featuring a successful F-F romance* from its very beginning, and features as a central part of its plot, gods, dragons, and other creatures all trying to figure out how to live with each other and with other beings.  So let's get this clear since I kind of ignored that aspect in the plot summary above and will likely to do so below, these elements are a major part of this book.  At the same time, this is largely the story of one half of that romance trying to move past a childhood of abuse when the abuser returns into their life, and that has to take prime focus.

*Note: Just like in the prior two books, this is a very PG-13 rated romance novel: nothing explicit is seen, and the most displays of affection shown are kisses, hugs, and other embraces.*

When we first met Esofi in The Queen of Ieflaria, it was obvious that her upbringing was not easy or anything like what she sees in Ieflaria - everyone seems a bit terrified of the idea of Esofi being like her mother, who is very blatantly implied to be a cruel stubborn ruler, stuck in her ways.  And Esofi isn't quite like that: she's a bit confused about ways in which Ieflaria differs from what she knows, particularly in its favoring of technology where magic has left the country, but she ultimately wants to learn how to act in this country so she can act for the betterment of its people.  Her upbringing may leave her often choosing duty over love, but she chooses duty not because it is simply the way it's done, but because she cares.

At the same time, that upbringing did leave some marks, marks which become more apparent here when Esofi's mother shows up: why did Esofi not realize the cruelty and bad faith nature of Adale's twin cousins?  Because those are the types of family she was used to.  When she thinks Carinth needs discipline?  Her first reaction is to give him a mild slap, because physical discipline was how she grew up.  And it has left her afraid to even speak of what led to these reactions when Adale brings it up, because she's still both terrified of her mother, and afraid of what Adale will think of Esofi whhen she finds out.

But Gaelle's arrival forces a reckoning for Esofi: as much as she wants to run, and boy does she try to run in this novel, she cannot do so forever.  She must face the mother who essentially abused her - abused all her children - as a child and stand up to her, for her own life and the people she's grown to care about.  This is not an easy decision, and honestly as the book makes clear, the hardest thing for Esofi (as with any abused person) is the decision itself, not necessarily the follow through: after all, abusers' powers over their victims is often not real, but imagined, but it's a very real and dangerous imagination that is hard to break.

Thankfully for Esofi she has Adale, who truly does love and care about her.  Despite Esofi's worries, Adale's actions towards her aren't due to any doubts about Adale's interest in the relationship - but about Adale genuinely being worried for Esofi.  The reverse is not quite true, Adale is still a very insecure person who worries that Esofi may not care for her as much as Adale does and that she may not be worthy.  And so it is significant that in this novel, unlike the last one, it is Adale who will have to step up first and does in fact do so.  Together the two of them can take on and move forward past the past, and it's a wonderful thing when it happens.

I'll say no more since I worry I spoiled too much already (and really I don't think I spoiled anything that you wouldn't have expected when you get to these parts of the plot anyhow - these are not unpredictable books for the most part, and I've left out the details of anything that doesn't quite fit the formula).  Suffice to say both lead characters are great, and the side characters here are also terrific.  Special mention goes to Elyne, a protagonist of the last book who returns with the other co-protagonist (who basically is just cameo-ing in this one) and is still an utter joy in her small moments.  But Adale's lovely parents, the other non-humans the characters meet, and the smaller roles who get moments in this book all get enough development to feel fully real and make this story even more charming.

Is this the best romance story I've read?  Certainly not, and certainly it's not a fantasy romance that you can't afford to miss.  But each installment is short and enjoyable and really something I can use whenever I need a pick me up.  I suspect I'll be purchasing the fourth installment soon.
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