June 21, 2010
Seventeen-year-old engineering genius Kiram Kir-Zaki is the first full-blooded Haldiim to attend the Cadeleonian Academy Sagrada, and he knows they only admitted him in hopes of winning the Crown Challenge scientific competition. The uptight Cadeleonians stick him with the only roommate he can't corrupt with his heathen ways: Javier Tornesal, cursed by the evil powers of the white hell. The two are instantly attracted, but they must resist and hide their romance as Javier protects Kiram and helps him train for the competition. Then Kiram's uncle Rafie and his husband, the mystic Alizadeh, reveal secrets that could tear the boys—and the country—apart. An intricate world, well-integrated social issues, believable sexual encounters, and an interesting mystery make this dense, languorous tale appealing for any fan of romantic fantasy.
August 1, 2010
When promising young mechanist Kiram Kir-Zaki becomes the first member of his people, the Haldiim, to attend the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he experiences the scorn of the haughty scions of the ruling Cadeleonians, who dominate the school. Despite cultural and religious differences, he befriends a pair of nobles who share his sense of alienation and comes to the attention of upperclassman Javier Torsenal, who has a reputation for mayhem after selling his soul to become the master of a force known as the white hell. The author of Wicked Gentlemen launches a two-volume tale of a young man who believes himself doomed and the stranger who may hold the key to his salvation. VERDICT Lushly detailed, with believable, fully developed characters, this fantasy with homoerotic overtones is reminiscent of Mercedes Lackey's Vanyel novels and should appeal to a similar readership.
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