Romantasy Melody
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Series: The Queens of Éire (Book 1)
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy Romance
Spice: Medium
Summary:
Since she was a young girl, Princess Rozlyn has been kept in her tower to protect the citizens of her father’s kingdom from a deadly beast attracted to the magic she was cursed with as a babe. According to a prophecy delivered at her birth, Rozlyn’s curse would be broken once a man was able to love her darkness. Isolated and lonely, Rozlyn feels a deep guilt over her role in attracting the Beast, but she also doesn’t want to attach herself to a man and lose her beloved magic; she’d rather learn to use her magic to protect the kingdom and defeat the Beast of Connacht once and for all. But when her father finally sends a clever, enigmatic storyteller named Jamie to her tower, Rozlyn thinks she’s finally found someone who she’d be willing to give up her freedom and power to in exchange for love and the safety of her people.
Ten years later, Jamie desperately needs help from his estranged wife, Rozlyn. Since their marriage, the Beast of Connacht hasn’t attacked, but in its place other terrible monsters have risen. Jamie knows the presence of Rozlyn’s magic, the magic of the long imprisoned Old Gods, is opening the door for other magical creatures to rise. He now needs her help to release the Old Gods so they can resume their traditional role of protecting Éire from these monsters. But Rozlyn hasn’t trusted Jamie since the night they were married, and she’ll make Jamie prove his sincerity before she sets off on a dangerous quest with him that might finally wrench her magic away from her.
Reaction:
Unbound broke my heart and put it back together, only to break it again. It’s an emotional historical fantasy that’s light on history, heavier on fantasy. Told through alternating POVs and timelines, three storylines come together to tell an engrossing tale of freedom, redemption, and love.
The jacket summary described it as a Beauty and the Beast gender bender retelling, but besides the basic premise of the FMC being cursed instead of the MMC, I didn’t think it related much to Beauty and the Beast. It is a retelling of the Irish folktale of Midir and Étain, and the central metaphor of Rozlyn comparing life to a Fidchell game directly ties back to that story as inspiration.
I really connected to Rozlyn as a character, and her journey is extremely emotional. She might fit the script of “the chosen one” trope, but it was executed in such a way that it was unique and not cliché at all. Her conflict between supporting her well-being and sacrificing it for the greater good was a concept that I think is very relevant and poignant, and not something romantasy books typically focus on.
I also appreciated that the main storyline occurs when Rozlyn is 30 years old and is more than a bit jaded from her experiences. It presented a different type of character from the typical romantasy FMC and allowed for a slow reveal of her backstory in callback chapters. This structure gave the book a tragic, dark atmosphere from the beginning, since the reader was aware within the first couple chapters her initial romance didn’t have a good ending, and slowly revealed why.
If there was one thing I desperately wanted that this book didn’t have, it was a glossary of Irish terms used in the book. Without it I had to use context clues to guess what some of the terms meant. But I was so emotionally invested, this didn’t impact my comprehension or enjoyment of the novel. And while the setting was supposed to be a historical Ireland, the fantasy elements had a much stronger presence, which I didn’t mind but don’t go into this book expecting a totally accurate historical account.
Overall, I thought Unbound by Christy Healy was unique and powerful and I couldn’t put it down. The heart-wrenching love story leans toward a dark romance with imperfect morally gray main characters. A colorful cast of historic mythical monsters and a quest to save the gods provides classic fantasy adventure. And a tortured, determined leading lady drives the plot and central themes to their poignant emotional conclusion. Chef’s Kiss!
What I enjoyed:
· Rozlyn has terribly complicated relationships with everyone in her life except for Galena, a druidess who takes her under her wing. Galena is the only mother figure Rozlyn has ever known, and I love her inclusion in this story because it gives Rozlyn a safe space to be vulnerable, and that vulnerability adds important depth to Rozlyn's character in the story.
· The monsters present throughout the book are all classic monsters in Irish mythology such as the Dullahan and the Merrow, and they are the main connection to Irish history in the novel. I also appreciated that each monster was put in the story for their mythical backstory to provide a specific emotional purpose or lesson in addition to furthering the plot.
· I cannot speak enough on how emotional I was whenever Rozlyn was done wrong by another character, mostly Jamie and her father. I am one of those weird readers who enjoys bawling my eyes out over a book occasionally, and this one did not disappoint.
What I didn't enjoy:
· Nothing!
