Anyone who is not up to date with this story is missing out on a sensual, light-hearted trip that foreshadows great excitement and upheaval in the kingdom’s future and in Temmin’s eventual ascendancy as King.  Also Temmin has finally lost his virginity, and what a way to do so!  It was an exceptionally beautiful chapter.

I tried to make this brief, because so many glowing and relevant points have already been made on MeiLin Miranda’s behalf . . . but I failed.  I apologize.  I would like to express great appreciation for Gavin Williams’s review, because I find that I am most challenged and focused to identify exactly ‘why I like a story so much’ when faced with a good critic.

Temmin’s appeal is no mystery to those of us who identify with him.  First of all, I think MeiLin made an excellent decision in making him the protagonist, because from another person’s perspective, Temmin would be clueless, immature, and annoying. Instead, we get a wonderful glimpse into an earnest, idealistic, and surprisingly ethical character (something that certain people identify with and that others often find refreshing and/or endearing)! Putting us into the beginning of his sexual maturation is rewarding because it is so entertaining.  Not only do we learn about life and love and sex alongside Temmin, we learn about the Kingdom and its expectations.  Anyone who struggles with discovering their own identity, finding their place, and figuring out a complex world can identify with Temmin’s feelings and thoughts.  I also happen to love the learning and schooling part of stories.  Although I’m sure my understanding of character appeal is not comprehensive, I find Temmin to interesting because of the open view we have into his thinking, because of his vulnerability to other people, and because I think he really wants to be a good person, a good prince, and a good king!

If you really dislike Temmin, there are all sorts of personalities in MeiLin’s story.  Temmin is soulful, Ellika is bubbly, Sedra is practical, Teacher is rational, Jenks is down to earth, Harsin is commanding, Ansella is tragic, (and I’ve really enjoyed the recent different sides of her), Issak is seductive, Allis is alluring, but all of them are well developed.  None of them are overly moody or repulsive, and I think it’s a lot easier to pick on the characters that populate real life than it is to detest the charming cast of characters MeiLin offers. 

The beginning of the story takes on a realistic pace of events (which must be hard to do; I very much admire this quality) and is very much relationship driven.  I enjoyed the parallel history given because I thought it was very relevant to the growth Temmin was undergoing.  I also suspect that we read and are reading the best highlights of past history, and that focus on those stories alone might eventually become forced or boring. 

I think the biggest appeal of "An Intimate History" at this point is that it’s full of potential.  It does satisfy for the moment, but what keeps me coming back is the promise.  There is the promise of character development, the promise of intimate moments, the promise of excitement, the promise of relationships, the promise of Temmin learning magic, and the promise of prophecies fulfilled.  I love reading this story because I am convinced every episode that it is addictive, artistic, and amazing!

3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
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