A Taste of Gold and Iron

January 1, 2022

Cohost of the Hugo Award-nominated podcast Be the Serpent and author of the LJ-starred A Choir of Lies, Rowland dreams up the tale of a prince who gets on the wrong side of a powerful ambassador to the court and must call on his sister Kadou to help him prove his loyalty to the queen. Kadou investigates a break-in at one of their guilds and discovers a conspiracy that could ruin the kingdom, where myth and history entwine. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 21, 2022
Rowland (Finding Faeries) delivers a breathtakingly intimate narrative in this gorgeous fantasy, in which the political intrigue of a kingdom serves as backdrop to a romance between the softest of hearts. It ought to be a happy occasion when Prince Kadou Mahisti’s older sister, the sultan, gives birth to a daughter, but a break-in at one of the kingdom’s guilds that same night calls Kadou away. Already prone to bouts of debilitating worry, Kadou spirals when a minor confrontation with his niece’s father tragically escalates into an incident that causes the death of several of his bodyguards. His replacement bodyguard, Evemer Hoşkadem, comes off as cold and rigid—and he’s terrible at concealing his sour feelings toward a prince he thinks cowardly. Desperate to regain the perceived lost love of his sister, Kadou throws himself into investigating the break-in, dragging Evemer along with him, and the two are irrevocably bonded as they uncover a plot that puts both the royal family and the stability of the kingdom itself in danger. Rowland brings wonderful depth to the interpersonal relationships; the romance that blossoms between Kadou and Evemer puts fun, familiar tropes alongside soul-wrenching acts of devotion, and the familial bonds are just as well crafted. In exploring what monarchs owe their people, and what individuals owe each other, this achingly tender fantasy wows.

May 1, 2022
Kadou, prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with his sister Zeliha, the queen, and must prove his loyalty to her and their land. He's also at odds with her lover and the biological father of her child, and when Kadou's right-hand man ruins an activity meant to help them bond, she assigns Kadou a new bodyguard to look after him. There's also a sinister plot to undermine their currency by creating counterfeits, considered heresy in their kingdom, to weaken their stance in the world and bring them to ruin. Kadou is determined to find who's responsible and put a stop to it, but this turns out to be complicated and messy. Kadou's coping with anxiety and personal growth are a joy to watch as he fully embraces his talents and comes out of his shell with the help of Evemer, his bodyguard. The slow-burn romance between them is beautifully done and adds a thrilling element to the story that readers will savor. While the plot is wrapped up nicely, Rowland leaves room for a much-anticipated sequel.

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Starred review from June 15, 2022
An anxious young prince must reconcile his duties to his family and friends with his growing fears of failure. Second in line to the Araşti throne, Prince Kadou can intuit the contents of metal alloys just by touching them--a skill that leads him to investigate a counterfeiting scheme in the capital city. His investigation leads to a frightening confrontation with his niece's biological father, a foreign-born noble named Siranos. Kadou takes his concerns about Siranos to his lover, Tadek. Tadek is a kahya--a bodyguard trained in the ways of courtly life--and it is in that capacity that he begins to investigate Siranos. That secondary investigation spirals out of control, leaving three other kahyalar dead, Tadek stripped of his position, and Kadou and Siranos confined to the palace. In the aftermath, the taciturn Evemer, another kahya, arrives to take Tadek's place. Reeling from the kahyalars' deaths and Tadek's dishonorable discharge, Kadou drags Evemer along on a reckless quest to drink and fight his way through the undercity. But when they stumble upon a lead, Kadou and Evemer continue the original investigation, unraveling a conspiracy that leads to the very heart of the Araşti palace. Far more engaging than the court intrigue, however, is the slow burn of Kadou and Evemer's inevitable romance. In crafting their world, Rowland has drawn inspiration from the Renaissance-era Ottoman Empire, with characters described as having "golden" skin and "glossy black hair," and much of the Araşti language is derived from Turkish. Other countries appear to be based on Greece and France. The matriarchal defaults and three-gender system present in Araşti society place the novel squarely among the ranks of contemporary queer fantasy. Kadou is gay, Evemer and Tadek are bisexual, and another of the kahyalar, who is third-gender, is openly asexual. An engaging fantasy/romance set in a large, lush, and inclusive world.

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Starred review from June 1, 2022

The Prince of Arast, Kadou, knows that the biological father of the queen's new child does not like him, and a tragic encounter places him at dire odds with the court ambassador and his sister. As reparation, Kadou takes on the investigation of a break-in at one of the Arastian guilds. Accompanied by his new bodyguard, Evemer, Kadou knows that there is more going on than appears, but outside forces and his own inner turmoil get in the way. Evemer finds his new charge bewildering, frustrating, and difficult to keep safe, yet despite it all, he can't stop his growing attraction to Kadou. As the truth comes to light regarding the investigation, Kadou and Evemer must fight for their lives, their queen and her heir, and the financial safety of Arast. A beautifully detailed world, the power to touch-taste metal, political schemes, and a slow-burn romance wrap together in a lush fantasy. VERDICT Rowland's (A Choir of Lies) latest continues to showcase their captivating prose, immersive details, and complicated characters.--Kristi Chadwick

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.