Genre: Fantasy
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
Love, and war—and dragons!
“A sweet standalone romantic fantasy… richly imagined.” — Publisher’s Weekly
Old Forge is known for its dragons—savage little things, more singe than snarl—and Milo Priddy is known for his way with them. When rumblings of conflict appear on the horizon, the dragons start to disappear. Milo is dragonkin, and knows what he must do. It is an uneasy choice, and one he dares not reveal even to his lover, Ellis.
As leader of neighbouring Wellech, Ellis has his own hard choices. His skills are crucial to a secure homeland. More and more, the homeland he and Milo once hoped to share is under threat–not only from outside, but within.
For their own people are sowing mistrust of the magic users, seeding a betrayal of not only the dragons, but their kin.
The Review
Sonata Form is a magical story which brings the delightful character Milo Priddy to life on a grand journey!
Milo is a Dewin, and is headed to take his rite. On his way, he’s assaulted by the three Wardens of Wellech, crossing over the bridge to the Outpost. He’s a dargonkin, who cares and gives special attention to dragons, and follows in the footsteps of his Nain.
Elly Morgan is the supervisor of the wardens and steps in to help. When Milo and Elly were much younger, they were friends, but they lost that connection with one other. Elly’s life is somewhat dark, as he wrested power from a bigoted leader. War and Elly’s position as a warden keep him apart from Milo. But things becomes complicated as his feelings start to become more urgent.
Milo’s a Dewin, and his Mam first chair of the coven. Then there are his magical abilities that also create a barrier between them. With all they have to face, and their time apart, can they find a way to be together to build a new life?
“Sonata Form” is an epic magical fantasy bursting with world building. It’s a story of friendships, love, jealousy, and betrayal, as well as the evils of war and what stems from them. The focus on dragons in this novel is new and different from anything I have read before.
There’s special significance to the musical chapter headings, and several of the characters play a musical instrument. In Milo’s case, a violin.
Cummings also creates an interesting take on the language. It did slow down the reading a bit – it takes some time to adjust to the usage.
The maps of Mstiran Continent and Kymbrygh included in the book give a perfect view of the territories.
I really liked Milo and Ellis. They brought humor, charm and just the right amount of romance to the story. There’s also a host of side characters. Just to name a few: Lilibet Ellis’ Mam, Petra, Dilys, Ceri, Beth, Andras, Zophia, Alek and Glynn. Some go by more than one name.
I hadn’t read a Cummings novel in a long time. I found Sonata Form to be a bit of a challenging read, but very entertaining in a unique way!
The Reviewer
Carole Cummings lives with her family in Pennsylvania, USA. She is the author of the Aisling series and Blue on Black and is the recipient of various writing awards. Several of her short stories have been translated around the world.