Thief, Acolyte, Consort by James Paige

I've been somewhat torn about reviewing this novel, written by someone I very much look up to in the world of computer game design. We're not exactly friends, but we've had a few interactions with much kindness and generosity from his end.

This book is a fantasy romance, set in a fantasy world. It should be right up my alley, but I would have prefered more juice. A traveling thief, protagonist Cat ends up in a new city with a curse on it that makes fire impossible in certain areas. Every character is from a rich variety of size and race: lizards, golems, people with horns, etc.

Each year there's a new king, and that king gets sacrificed so their soul can serve the magic of the city. Cat falls in love with a professor from the school of magic, who becomes the new king. Sorry if that's a spoiler, but it happens within the first 20 pages of the book. Both characters are female, so it's a queer romance. I feel like the genders of most characters were decided by the roll of a dice. The narrator has limited knowledge, typically leaning on Cat's perspective who can somehow discern every character's chosen pronouns (she, he, or they) without having to ask.

Nobody bats an eye at the fact that Cat's in a gay love affair. And perhaps that's how it might be in an ideal, fantasy world. But I think if gender is a social, then perhaps gender identity would have some kind of social impact. Thus, I found most of the potential 'juice' of this novel wasted.

I thought the writing and story-telling were heads above your typical first novel, self-published. The narrative style reminded me of Lloyd Alexander in a good way. If this is your cup of tea, you should check it out.