I really loved this fantasy mm book. To me it seemed like a combination of The Belgariad meets the Star Wars mythology; only with gay characters. It is one of those books where the romance is there, but the saga has equal billing. Farrell and Miceral are a solid romance, complete with OTT sappiness; which I loved. Sometimes that can be annoying, but I was so invested in this couple that it just came off as sweet. There is some wonderful world building with unicorns, giant falcons, good and evil gods and humans. Farrell’s destiny is front and center of the story; the romance almost a subplot. I loved the courting, although it is kind of an insta love/destined lovers thing. But their banter and shyness comes off really sweet. However, this is not just a sweet romance. There is action at the beginning and the end of the story, with the middle primarily around the romance and setting up the relationships that I am sure we will see in the subsequent books. As a result, it tends to drag a little in the middle as we get to know all the characters.
That said, there is conflict, death and destruction throughout the story and Farrell comes off sort of blood thirsty at times; he is more Belgarath in that way. He has his eye on the "long game" and if people have to die to achieve it, so be it. I really look forward to the next book, especially in audio format. Joel Leslie is a master performer of these type of characters. His range of voices and accents lends itself very well to the fantasy genre.