Lord of the White Hell, Book 1

Not sure I can rate or review this until I read the second half. But so far it's about a 3 - a little slow, and I'm not sure I see the fascination with Javier, who comes across as your typical Boy With Problems that Excuse His Bad Behavior. But I'm rooting for Kiram to find a happy ending, so I'll read on.

I was surprised that this book was as immediately endearing as it is. You give me a boarding school book with a touch of romance and some supernatural-esque happenings and I am pretty much sold on it. Added to all that in this book is really likable characters. It's not a perfect book and there were some slight problems for me here and there, but over all, it's super fun. However, the second book picks up the morning after the end of this one, there isn't really an ending to this part, and it reads very much like the first half of a book. Really, just be prepared to want/need to pick up the second one as soon as you finish this one. (That's what I did.)

This is a review of both Lord of the White Hell novels, which is the only negative thing I have to say about the books. They read very much like one story split into two parts, and the break felt unnecessary.

I absolutely loved this story. It's exceptionally well-crafted. The world-building was among the best I've ever seen in any kind of novel, the characters all came alive for me, and the plot was very exciting. The romance felt real, and I deeply appreciated that both leads had relationships that were important to them other than their bond with one another.

These books are pretty far out of the norm of MM romance and probably a bit hard to classify. While the romance is central to the plot, the books feel most like YA fantasy, with only one scene that reads like erotica. From the covers and the plot synopses, and from some of the other reviews here, I guessed that Javier was a standard alpha-male romance hero and that Kiram was a sort of wilting flower. I'm not a fan of that trope, so I was thrilled to learn that my guess was completely inaccurate.

As a sidenote, I found myself wanting to read another series all about Alizadeh and Rafie's adventures; they stood out for me as particularly intriguing characters, in a cast of people that I cared about. I do look forward to reading the other novels set in this universe, though. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to spend time in this wonderfully imaginative world, and I highly recommend these books.

Lord of the White Hell: Book One had the same strengths that made me enjoy Ginn Hale's earlier work, Wicked Gentlemen - compelling characters facing a clash caused by belonging to two very different social groups. In Wicked Gentlemen, there was a dissonance between Belimai's demon ancestry and life in Hells Below and Harper's role as a part of the Inquisition. Lord of the White Hell features a pair of young men who come from completely different cultures.

Full Review