DNF after three chapters, unfortunately.

I can see what the author is trying to do here, in terms of trying to build a world that allows for a thematic exploration of eating disorders, but absolutely none of it makes any sense. The prince is expected to be waif-thin and super feminine in appearance, but apparently actual women are prohibited from holding any kind of positions of power? And all the other characters are buff, mainly lords with roles related to fighting a war - hardly the kind of place that’s likely to want a skinny, weakened ruler.

I’m usually reasonably tolerant of gaps in world-building, but if you’re going to hinge your entire thematic message on it, then you should probably make sure you’ve thought through the implications of how your world works.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and romance in THE TWO HUNGERS OF PRINCE FIERRE. Inspired by medieval Scotland, the political landscape was intriguing and evocative, and I was very interested to see how Fierre grew in confidence both politically and personally. I loved the friends to lovers romance with Aiven, especially how tender and caring their relationship was. The eating disorder parts were quite hard to read personally, especially when it collided with Fierre’s tendency to punish himself sexually as well. I enjoyed how his time on the Isle with the clan of healers was worked into the plot, and how Fierre was making waves to right the wrongs of his father and grandfather before them. The pacing never felt slow or like it dragged, which I really appreciated.

Overall, this is a well written and emotional debut that will work well for fans of Alexandra Rowland and Laura Samotin.

Prince Fierre has a reputation of being a bit free with his body, something he believes is part of his duty. After his father, the king, has his health start failing, Fierre is taking on the role of leadership he was born for.

Fierre has a mystery illness which causes him to have spells, and he has another problem… his best friend, Aiven, a boy from below Fierre’s rank who he is in love with.

I really enjoyed this story. The setting and the characters were wonderful, and the deception keeps the reader engrossed in what happens next. The ending was satisfying, if a bit rushed.

This book tackles eating disorders, so be warned if that is a trigger for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre was a book with many deep themes, all of which I felt were well portrayed and sympathetically explored. However, in some ways, I felt those themes overrode other aspects of the story to too great an extent. The world building was okay, but at times I wanted more background information. Fierre was reasonably well fleshed out, but I would have liked to have gotten to know Aiven in more detail. Their relationship was okay, but the turn to romance felt a bit rushed. There is a lot of sexual content too. At first I did feel this helped expand the story and characters; however, later in the book the balance shifted and it took over from the plot too much, so I found myself skimming through some of the longer sex scenes near the end, waiting to get back to the story. I was glad to see Fierre's eating disorder resolved at the book's conclusion, since it sent a positive message; however, this too felt a little rushed and perhaps a bit too easy. In the end I am giving this book 3.5 stars. It had some nice elements and explored a very worthwhile topic, but there were also some elements within the book that I felt could have been improved.

DNF at 20%

My biggest problem with this book was the sheer amount of suspended disbelief if needed. Take the first few chapters, during the various coronation ceremonies: We’re doing divine right of kings, sure. I was prepared to go along with a religiously mandated eating disorder—the author clearly has something to say, and this is the vehicle they’ve constructed to do that. But during a ceremony, one of the lairds pulls a weapon on an unarmed dignitary which. No?? There’s no way that would fly, and yet it’s just laughed off. Then the Prince faints and, despite Aiven already making it clear how much he hates the lairds “encouraging their ruler to starve,” his first thought seems to be poison??? The fainting Prince has only drunk juice for two days but sure, go straight to poison. Then there is the women. More accurately, there ISN’T the women. Where are the women???? There is evidently minimal Fantasy SexismTM because a woman hold the highest priestly office, but she’s on page for like, thirty seconds. The other women we meet in the first few pages are the household manager and a servant. Just. Please. It’s 2024. (This will be released 2025!) Why is there a whole cast of powerful men and no women.

Neither the characters nor the worldbuilding were interesting enough for me to push through, so I’ve put it aside as not for me.

2.5⭐️

Before I go into my review I would like to point out the trigger warnings and the fact that it is important to check these before reading! If you struggle with food, I would definitely avoid this book as it is one of the main plot points. There is also aspects of non-consensual sexual acts/sexual assault and bullying/slut shaming. There is also quite a few sex scenes so if you don’t like that, I wouldn’t read.

Now, onto the review.

I will say, this was a hard read in terms of the topics explored and explained. Not in terms of the writing style being hard to read. I will say though, I found it difficult to connect with the story and at times found myself getting bored.

This was a quick read and the fantasy world was fun, I guess. It wasn’t too complicated to understand so I caught on to things quite quickly. However, I would have loved to have MORE. More world building, more fantasy aspects, more backstory, and I’d probably like it to be less character-heavy.

The whole Eating Disorder situation was a bit rough. Prince Fierre is basically forced to starve himself to make him “pretty” to everyone else, he is ENCOURAGED to starve himself, and it’s the norm for him to offer his body to these lords as a favour to them, yet they are just totally degrading to him in return? Like I get wanting to explore situations like that in writing, but it totally could’ve been handled a bit better.

I did not like how quickly his ED was “solved” or how quickly and easily he just stopped it? an ED is a mental disorder, you do not get over it easily or quickly so I felt that was very unrealistic. Because it takes months, even years, for the average person (who has an ED) to heal from that. Even when they have “healed” it sticks with you, and will continue to haunt people (think ptsd, sort of). I know it’s not the case for every person but it is for most individuals. It does just go away.

The romance between Fierre and Aiven is quite sweet and cute, actually. I was surprised by how much I liked their relationship, and I loved how supportive Aiven was. Although, I would have liked a bit more development of Aiven, as to me he seemed to just be there to support Fierre, and didn’t really have his own individualistic storyline, so he fell flat and seemed a little bland.

I felt quite torn about what to rate this book as for me, personally, there were a quite a few flaws, and a few things I did not enjoy, but then I really loved the writing style. It was easy to read but not in the childish way. It was understandable and easily digestible. And the ending was satisfactory.

Overall, this was a decent book that could’ve been great. It definitely had the potential to if certain aspects had been explored more.

I am keeping my review to here since I DNF’d a debut novel, but I don’t seem to be alone in my thoughts just others finished it. First, as others say, watch the content warnings and take them seriously, especially if you are not in the right palace for the book. Second, the world building took quite a bit of suspension of disbelief and some of the pacing was off. I am giving it three stars as I did not finish but much of that was the content and writing style which I was warned about and is more subjective respectively. Still, if people like cozy queer books, I suggest others first, such as Alexandra Rowland.

⭐️ 3.75/5 - rounded up
🌶️ 3/5 - several explicit scenes that serve the plot; steam is present but not forefront

I quite liked this book! The premise, based very loosely in Scottish tradition, follows a young prince as he ascends his throne and the best friend who loves him through it all. Grounded in a culture that considers thinness to be evidence of divinity, Prince Fierre is expected to starve himself to maintain his status and struggles with deep-rooted body dysmorphia. Fierre’s best friend and right-hand, Aiven, must help him learn to love himself and his body despite the king’s cruel disapproval and the lairds’ lustful and controlling interference.

The friendship between Fierre and Aiven was so warm and wholesome. Watching their relationship blossom felt natural, and I loved that the author didn’t try to artificially create conflict through unnecessary miscommunication tropes (a personal pet peeve of mine). This book truly felt character focused and, while the world-building was rich, plot was certainly back seat to relationship dynamics. Some folks might prefer a more plot-driven story, but I personally love a character-focused exploration.

My issues with this book were entirely centered around the last 15% of the story. The ending and conflict resolution did feel rushed — I would have appreciated another 50 pages to let Fierre truly come to terms with his body dysmorphia and reconcile the cultural demands for thinness with developing a health body image. With a little more work to round out the story fully, this book could have been a true 4-star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Solaris books for the ARC!

Darcy Ash’s The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre is an interesting debut novel set in a fictionalized version of Scotland weaving a love story with themes of societal expectations, self-image, and longing. The tale focuses on Prince Fierre and his loyal friend, Aiven, as they navigate the pressures of their kingdom and the depths of their own desires.

In this fictional realm, royalty is expected to maintain a slender, ethereal figure, symbolizing their divine status. This demand leaves Prince Fierre perpetually hungry, not only for sustenance but also for love and passion. The title itself reflects the dual forms of hunger he experiences: the physical hunger imposed by societal constraints and the emotional hunger that drives his love and desires.

The novel deftly addresses serious themes such as anorexia and societal pressure, framing them within a rich narrative and an intricate world. While the worldbuilding is imaginative and allows Ash to explore these issues with nuance, there are moments where it feels underutilized. Some aspects of the plot felt predictable, with a clear trajectory from suppression to the fulfillment of longings.

What stands out is the portrayal of the relationship between Fierre and Aiven. Despite moments of doubt about whether their love is reciprocated, their individual feelings remain unwavering. This steadfastness becomes a source of strength for both characters, grounding them amidst the turmoil of their world.

Ash’s decision to set the story in a fictional reality gave her creative freedom to explore the themes of hunger and love in a way that resonates deeply. The novel’s exploration of eating disorders and self-acceptance within this context is both sensitive and thought-provoking. However, a less predictable narrative might have heightened the emotional impact.

Overall, The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre is a compelling debut that tackles important themes through the lens of a poignant love story. While it could have benefited from more surprising plot developments, it remains a thoughtful and evocative read, with its core relationship serving as a testament to the power of love and self-acceptance.

Yikes, heed the trigger warnings on this one. I appreciate the author trying to tackle disordered eating in a romantasy setting, but it ultimately did not work for me. The worldbuilding is absolutely bizarre (fetishizing thinness in medieval fantasy Scotland???) and the two main characters don't feel well developed. The whole thing honestly feels very much like a fanfic AU - e.g. the odd worldbuilding set up so that all the men in court are sexually involved with the main character, except the other main character who is obviously his true love, and the characters having very little behind them because we're meant to have the basis of whatever fandom to draw on. The book also feels like it's going for a very cozy vibe despite dealing with two incredibly difficult topics, and everything is resolved way too quickly and easily.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Solaris for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book had some interesting parts for me. The standards they held for their royalty was fascinating, especially the dichotomy between the starving poor and the intentionally starving royals.

This story was unique and captured my attention. Unfortunately, after the 50% mark it started to lose me. The pacing shifted as did the tone, and it essentially became too perfect. Everything from relationships, ED, trauma, poverty, etc was all trying to be solved in a very short amount of time which greatly affected the novel, especially regarding court politics and public perception. Most of these issues are social, and while I understand that this is a fantasy novel, social issues are not wrapped up over night.

I also just ended the book with questions. One example is that this society and court system rely heavily on gender roles for people identifying as male and female, yet from brief asides there are non-binary and trans people in this world and it seems to be pretty socially accepted. How would a highly gendered society work if they believed that gender can be fluid, change, and just overall differ from the assumed “norm” how do these characters interact in the stories do they have “roles?”

"Do you think I look pretty in a crown?"

"The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre" is the story of the titular prince and his loyal friend and right-hand man, Aiven. As Fierre prepares to ascend to the throne, his duties constrict ever more closely around him, while Aiven does his best to support his friend, who seems to fade more with every passing day.

This book is greatly concerned with physicality, as Fierre is forced to blur the line between using and abusing his body in order to fit the image of the king as god's vessel on earth. Be sure to heed the trigger warnings for portrayal of an eating disorder, including both mental and physical aspects, and depictions of sexual assault. This was the first novel I've read where the main character has an eating disorder and the story follows his troubles and recovery. I believe it's an important topic, and I felt like it was handled with great care. I do wish Fierre's recovery had been given a little more time and played out less like a perfect therapy session.

I also wish Aiven had been given a stronger arc. He's one of the two main characters, his perspective alternating with Fierre's, and while he does grow a little more into himself over the course of the story, he is mostly there to support Fierre with whatever he might need. It definitely is more character driven than plot driven, which is overall my strongest issue with the book, as I prefer the latter. Some of the (plot-wise) most important action scenes happens completely in absentia of the protagonists, which I found disappointing, and other obstacles are resolved fairly quickly as well, considering how strongly they had impacted the characters.

The romance was definitely cute, and felt cosy despite all the roughness Fierre has to endure. There is a number of explicit scenes, not just between Fierre and Aiven, as Fierre is encouraged to provide royal "favors" to those in his court, but the protagonists also get their fair share. I could have gone for a stronger sense of yearning between the two main characters before they actually get together, but a prince and his right-hand man is always a strong match in my eyes. If you enjoy Freya Marske and Alexandra Rowland, this romance might be for you.

I am also putting this in the category of romantasy-adjacent queer books that pair certain liberal with certain conservative politics in a way I find hard to reconcile re: worldbuilding, but this seems to be a whole trope now, so I am not going to single this book out. Maybe I will write an essay about this somewhere else another time.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

I have incredibly conflicting feelings about this book. This might be the most challenging book review I have written; never before have I felt so torn on what to rate a book. There are aspects of this book that are great: I think the overall direction of the book and the writing style are quite well done, and I overall appreciate that the book wrestles with quite heavy themes. On the other hand, I found the worldbuilding to be bloated and a handful of scenes deeply unpleasant in a way that I didn’t feel were handled well by the book. I can understand why other reviewers are giving them book a solid 4 stars, as much of the characterization and message of the book are quite strong. I can also see why reviewers are giving it 2 stars as other aspects of the book are distasteful and whether or not it succeeds in addressing these points is up to the reader’s determination.

<i>The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre</i> is a very character-focused story of Prince Fierre and his friend and right-hand man Aiven. Fierre is suffering at the hands of a system which expects very specific behavior from the prince: an unnaturally thin body and the offering of said body to the lairds of the country as a favor. The plot of the book revolves around a blossoming relationship between Aiven and Fierre, as well as Aiven’s attempts to convince Fierre that the system he lives under is causing him great harm. In doing so, the book confronts topics such as eating disorders, class disparity, body dysmorphia, gray areas of consent, and parental abuse.

I found this book to be quite strong in its characterization. Fierre and Aiven are interesting and complex characters, and the romance between them is believable and compelling. I enjoyed seeing their interactions; particularly in Aiven’s sheer devotion to helping Fierre face a huge amount of trauma and unlearn problematic behaviors. Where this was the focus of the book, I found it a rather enjoyable reading experience.

That being said, there are a few aspects of this book that I either didn’t particularly enjoy or that I otherwise feel the need to discuss.

First of these is the worldbuilding. The overall worldbuilding of this book is unwieldy and requires a huge amount of suspension of disbelief to get into; and I found some aspects of it to be ideas I could accept for the sake of the novel and others that I deeply disliked:
1. As mentioned above, one of the expectations of the appearance of the prince of this kingdom is an unhealthily thin body, requiring constant and harmful levels of dieting from Fierre. I have read other reviewers talk about this as a primary issue with the book, particularly given the fact that this fantasy kingdom is clearly based on Scotland (lairds, fashion, names, etc. all generally have a Scottish flavor). While I didn’t find the conflict between Scottish culture and the expectations on Fierre detracted from my reading experience, I can see why it bothered other readers. I was able to set aside some of these concerns as I did like that the book was using this as a vehicle to confront beauty standards, but this won’t work for every reader.

2. In this world, the prince is also expected to offer his body for use by the lairds of the kingdom as they wish. This results in a lot of sexual scenes of lairds that Fierre and the narrative clearly dislike using Fierre in ways that quite frankly just feel icky and borderline nauseating to read. While Fierre is, as far as I can tell, consenting, I found these to be the clearest example ever of the difference between ‘consent’ and ‘enthusiastic consent’. While Fierre is apparently consenting to the degrading treatment by the lairds, he is not apparently excited about it. His power in these situations is dubious; while he is the prince regent and can theoretically tell the lairds to stop, its unclear in the moment if this is the case. Furthermore, throughout the book, Fierre is physically very weak on account of his disordered eating, often passing out or being quite addled. Pairing this with situations of already dubious consent is difficult to read. While the treatment of Fierre by the lairds is criticized by the book, I don’t feel that this worldbuilding added to the book or had a particular point to make. Unlike the expectation of thinness that made a larger point about beauty standards and disordered eating, I could not for the life of me tell you the point of this decision in the book. I don’t expect every book to try to teach the reader a lesson or follow some strict moral code, but when something like this is included, I want to understand why the author felt it was important to include, and this book has left me baffled. Is the point that a devoted relationship with one partner that values you better than socially-pressured sex with awful people who do not care about your well-being? Is the point to depict the difference between people who want you and people who want your body? Objectification? True consent? Healthy versus unhealthy bedroom dynamics? Maybe I’m missing something, maybe there’s a point to this that I’m just not seeing, but I’ve been thinking about this all day and remain at a complete loss. Instead, these parts just felt gross to read and poorly handled by the plot.

There are a few other smaller details that I disliked but that probably don’t merit a whole paragraph discussing them in great detail as I attempt to sort out my feelings about this book. This book places a hefty emphasis on the concept of virginity and, like the topic of the previous paragraph, its difficult to tell why. It wasn’t particularly criticized as a topic nor was it glorified. It was mostly just used to make a character have to tell people around them when they lost it in a way that, again, felt a tad uncomfortable, or at the very least didn’t feel like it added anything to the book. The way this book handles Fierre’s eating disorder is also something that I personally don’t have the knowledge to comment upon but felt rushed, as though disordered eating is a behavior that can be cured rather quickly. I don’t have much to say on this, but it does further make me uncertain how I feel about this book.

In conclusion, if you are interested in reading this book and comfortable with the topics mentioned in the content warning and description of the story, there are things here which are interesting to read about, characters who are compelling, and a story that does, despite some shortcomings, have some charm to it. There are also aspects about this book that are challenging, confusing, or might leave a sour taste in your mouth. Do know your limits before you read this book and be wary if what I have discussed is something that you do not want to address in the books you read.

I am tentatively giving this book a very middle value of 3 stars. I could see a version of this book which handled the sexual expectations placed on Fierre differently getting a 4-star rating from me, and I could also see a version which handled the relationship between Fierre and Aiven differently getting 2 stars. My rating my change as I sit with this book for longer.

This book was a good. I enjoyed parts of it while others I found weren't paced the best. But I did like the characters and the chemistry between them as they grew and developed with one another. It was a good story based on Scottish mythology and I did enjoy it overall, just not as much as I wish I had

I'll start out by saying I was not surprised by anything that happened in this book, and at the same time I read it in one sitting because I absolutely could not put it down. This is a classic palace intrigue romance, with manipulated royals, nobles with ulterior motives, and all sorts of drama that only nobility could get up to. At the same time, it's a classic coming-of-age story, with our leads overcoming some very uncomfortable and sometimes devastating situations.

But through it all the relationship between the two leads shines through. The mutual pining. The strength they give each other. The complications imposed by the petty and desperate people around them. It's all there, it's all expected, but the way Fierre and Aiven work through all of it is tender, heartwarming, and has just enough tension to keep you wanting to see how the rest of the story unfolds.

I will say I think this book suffers from being too short--there were details and side characters that felt truncated for the sake of the plot, and I think we could have slowed down and spent more time exploring the world with our main characters. I hope if the author writes more they'll get more wordcount to play with.

A note about the ED and sexual assault content warnings: These are depicted on the page, so please take care if these are subjects that can trigger you.

I raced through this book in less than two days—it was impossible to stop reading! The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre balances deep, emotional themes like disordered eating, family trauma, and the lingering shadows of sexual assault with an undercurrent of sweetness and light. Fierre’s journey is so raw and tender, and his love for Aiven is the perfect combination of slow-burn and deeply satisfying.

It’s the characters who truly shine. Watching Fierre learn to love himself while confronting the harsh expectations of his position felt so real and hopeful. Despite tackling such heavy topics, the book is brimming with moments of joy, humor, and heartwarming romance that left me smiling through tears. If you want a queer fantasy that’s equal parts healing and heart-melting, this is the one!

Fierre and Aiven! They've been through tough times but managed to make it out alive.

I thought facing an impossible cultural beauty standard was a really interesting way to add interest to the various challenges these two faced. I've seen actual cultures horrendously force-feed girls into gaining weight so that their prospects for marriage are higher, and I cringe imagining it. This took the other route, where being slender is a virtue.

I do wish a bit more had explained in this regard. What is the 'look' that Fierre is trying to achieve? How is it defined? Where did it first appear in this world's history? How was it popularized? Given that it was such a large part of the book, I think these were questions were left unanswered, unless I'm mistaken, so I had a hard time connecting with what I was reading.

It frustrated me towards the beginning, when I felt, if Aiven is our hero, that he could have done more to step in and stand up for Fierre. There was a moment where Fierre's heart stopped, and the next day it was only 'do you feel better?' It was kind of underwhelming.

But overall I think Fierre and Aiven had good chemistry. And I enjoyed reading about them finding their way towards one another, and Fierre learning to value himself more.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre was such a good story. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because I couldn't put it down for a second.

When I saw this I had to have it, Thank you netgalley and to the publisher. I was captivated by the authors writing and the plot of the story. From the very beginning I was taken in. I found the pacing to be mid-level and it was perfect. I can’t wait to see what else the author writes.

it's easy to hate this book. the prince is basically encouraged to starve himself, and it's custom for him to offer his body up for the more influential(read: greedy, degrading, self-interested) lords of the court. even if he doesn't really want to. also, cue people encouraging Fierre's eating disorder.

it's also frustrating because it's supposed to be a custom, where the lords can use the prince's body because it's a 'favor' from the prince to them. what do the lords do in return though? be degrading??

the characters and setting are intentionally made to be unlikable, BUT the writing is impeccable. it's beautiful, but not purple prose. a fine balance. it describes the symptoms of anorexia really well - show, not tell. it's impressive, especially for a debut.

and Fierre's character might resonate with many. wanting to be skinny and beautiful and perfect. insecurity when you think you're too fat. sexual harassment. Fierre struggles with these for a good half of the book, but it makes his experience feel so real.

the romance is sweet and cute, and it's good to see Aiven being supportive and loving Fierre unconditionally. surprisingly, not many obstacles in their relationship.

one more thing to detest was how easy Fierre stopped his eating disorder?? like Fierre just listened to some people for 2 measly days and now he suddenly realizes everything he learned about his whole life is actually wrong. like how do you believe in stuff so easily and how do you suddenly overcome anorexia like you've never been afraid of food before?

4 stars

cw: anorexia, purging, grey areas(mc doesn't want to but is obligated to have sex), sexual content, and violence