MeiLin Miranda manages to combine history, fantasy, and sex in a very original and addictive coming of age story. Rather than the sex taking away from the plot and rendering the story second rate, as it so often does in other stories, it instead adds another dimension to the writing.
We’ve all read histories that focus on wars, treaties, and social class, but An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom uses those as a background for the relationships that have defined the world. The relationships between the people of the kingdom have as much, or more, bearing on the histories as the politics do. MeiLin Miranda tells her story from the perspective of the people, and in doing so, weaves a fantastic story that is far more interesting than any mere history could ever be.
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MeiLin Miranda has managed to create a whole world surrounding a young man coming into his own. It not only has insights into human nature, silly and fun tidbits (like how much Temmin manages to eat), and intriguing and well-developed characters, it also has an entire mythos and history surrounding the royal family. There are customs, laws, dances – even fighting styles! To read this story is to be immersed.
While some might complain about the sex, I believe that it is used as a plot device, and not a distraction from the plot. So much of real life and real history revolves around sex. I think it is very brave of MeiLin to put it in. To me, it does not interrupt the plot, and only enhances it. Also, frankly, it’s exciting and never boring.
I like the switch from Temmin’s life and world to the Intimate History of his family. I think the two parallel each other well, and he learns about himself and his life within those stories. Of course, I am also the kind of person that reads several books and watches several movies at the same time!
Bottom line, read this if you want great writing with fantastic creativity, and a little exciting sex mixed in.
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I don’t read a lot of fantasy because I find most of it painful. The genre is full of unbelievable characters, stilted dialogue and hackneyed plots. Erotica is even worse. That said, Meilin actually makes me care about these characters. I feel like I could meet them some day in an alternate universe. There is magic and sex, and frequently the sex is hot, but it doesn’t overpower the plot. You can also tell that MeiLin has a plan for where the story is going, unlike many authors who seem to "wing it." I can’t wait to find out how Temmin develops and how many of the foreshadowed events will be woven into the tapestry of the story. Yes, it takes a few chapters to get the story rolling but that’s due to its complexity and richness. You don’t understand why there is a "story-within-a-story" at first, but everything has a purpose. I encourage you to jump in, but since there is so much written, you may want to clear your calendar first!
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