heabooknerd's review
4.0
THE HORSE MISTRESS: BOOK 1 was a really unique and interesting fantasy romance! We have a dominant human man, a eunuch conflicted over his shape-shifting abilities, and a genderfluid horse trainer all being thrust into the role of ambassadors for their village. The world building was fairly basic and tightly focused on the villages of Draebard and Meran but we do get some hints about the larger Eburosi world, so I'm hoping we learn more as the series progresses.
The whole book is told from the POV of Carivel who was born biologically a female but has always felt more like a man in their mind (though Carviel does choose she/her pronouns when asked). But Draebard doesn't allow women to be horse trainers so Carivel has been living in secret as a man. Carivel's genderfluid (or possibly trans) identity is made more complex because of the world she lives in and the fact she hasn't had many opportunities to really explore identity without fear of being discovered or ostracized.
At the start of THE HORSE MISTRESS Carivel is already attracted to Senovo and Andoc but believes nothing can happen between them. As for Andoc and Senovo, they're already together though this isn't something they're completely open about in their village. I enjoyed the contrast between the two -- Andoc is the confident and charming First Warrior poised to be the next Chief one day while Senovo is the brooding Priest who desperately tries to control his wolf and keep it a secret from the village. Adding Carivel to their relationship is natural and easy as all three of them get to know each other.
While I found the trip to Meran and the subsequent trials where Carivel, Andoc, and Senovo all demonstrate their skills interesting, what I really loved about this was the polyamorous relationship between our three main characters. Their relationship was so tender and gentle and I loved how important consent was to each of them. The amount of care and respect they all put into the relationship was so beautiful and made my heart swoon each time they interacted. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next for this trio.
Content Warning: on page funeral and grief; references to past parental abuse; descriptions of suppressing your identity and the fear of being discovered; Senovo was sold as a child slave to the priesthood in his birth village and then was forcibly castrated at 17 as a part of the initiation (this is briefly described on page)
The whole book is told from the POV of Carivel who was born biologically a female but has always felt more like a man in their mind (though Carviel does choose she/her pronouns when asked). But Draebard doesn't allow women to be horse trainers so Carivel has been living in secret as a man. Carivel's genderfluid (or possibly trans) identity is made more complex because of the world she lives in and the fact she hasn't had many opportunities to really explore identity without fear of being discovered or ostracized.
At the start of THE HORSE MISTRESS Carivel is already attracted to Senovo and Andoc but believes nothing can happen between them. As for Andoc and Senovo, they're already together though this isn't something they're completely open about in their village. I enjoyed the contrast between the two -- Andoc is the confident and charming First Warrior poised to be the next Chief one day while Senovo is the brooding Priest who desperately tries to control his wolf and keep it a secret from the village. Adding Carivel to their relationship is natural and easy as all three of them get to know each other.
While I found the trip to Meran and the subsequent trials where Carivel, Andoc, and Senovo all demonstrate their skills interesting, what I really loved about this was the polyamorous relationship between our three main characters. Their relationship was so tender and gentle and I loved how important consent was to each of them. The amount of care and respect they all put into the relationship was so beautiful and made my heart swoon each time they interacted. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next for this trio.
Content Warning: on page funeral and grief; references to past parental abuse; descriptions of suppressing your identity and the fear of being discovered; Senovo was sold as a child slave to the priesthood in his birth village and then was forcibly castrated at 17 as a part of the initiation (this is briefly described on page)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Slavery and Physical abuse
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