Unfortunately, I don't think this was for me, and I honestly felt a little uncomfortable whilst reading it. I fully recognise that the book's themes and topics are supposed to be uncomfortable, and I am not in any way saying that these topics should not be explored in fiction. For me personally, I didn't really like the world-building, and I found the narrative style did not support the heaviness of themes.

I was not able to completely read this book by the archive date or release date, but let me tell you that I was hooked. Darcy Ash does a fantastic job at getting you hooked in the beginning and I am obsessed with this title and its characters. Not only will I be highly recommending that my library purchase this book, I will be budgeting to buy it personally as well. I definitely recommend giving this book a read if you can.

I picked this because the blurb compared it to Fox Meadows who I love, but this book was just lackluster. I’m sure it will work for some people but if you’re expecting high fantasy and intrigue this isn’t really it. The over emphasis on the messaging took away from the story and the characters, it’s almost as if the messaging was a character itself. DNF.

~2.5~

Unfortunately, due to time conflicts, I could not finish this book (stayed about 16%) before it expired.

I do have to say, what I read was funny and actually quite interesting; plus the writing wasn't too heavy.

It seems like a good story could flourish from this and maybe one day I'll actually finish the book.

Thank you for the opportunity, nonetheless!

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Solaris | Solaris Nova that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on April 7th, 2025)

I wanted to like this but I had a hard trying to get into this story. I think I decided that it wasn’t for me and that’s alright.

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this book!

this book tackles a LOT and i'm not quite sure how i feel about all of it. fierre is dealing with an eating disorder that's been imposed on him by his father and doctors (??) and is expected to offer himself up to older noble men as a part of his duties to his country (??) and i find the resolution to both of these significant plot points that carry throughout the book to be rushed in right at the end. it's not the content itself that was the problem, but rather the way is resolved. i think the relationship between fierre and aiven, they had good chemistry and their romance kept me in this book for a lot of the time.

In this brilliant debut novel, Darcy Ash’s new queer romantasy novel brings a beautiful kingdom to life in this unique and intense story. As Prince Fierre prepares to take the throne, he struggles with a mystery illness, greedy lords, and possibly unrequited love with Aiven, a former farm boy and now his right hand advisor. Inspired by Scotland but totally unlike other fantasy worlds, the political intrigue and personal struggle of this novel really brings the emotional nature of this powerful new release to life. Readers should be advised that one character suffers from an eating disorder which addresses both the physical and mental aspects of an ED in graphic detail (by both the individual and by other people witnessing their ED), and violence, sexual assault, slut shaming, and bullying are also present throughout the book in varying degrees of intensity and detail. The characters are well-written and fascinatingly complex, while the world-building is really the star of this novel for the complex political settings and interesting cultural traditions and backdrop. Intense and immersive, this powerful and unique new novel has a strong emotional storyline that the readers will really get drawn into as it progresses and as Fierre and Aivan grow in the face of their new circumstances.

DNF. The portrayal of the main character’s eating disorder felt shallow. I was so looking forward to seeing ED explored in a male protagonist, but the worldbuilding was so strange, this never quite hit the mark.

This book had an interesting element in the ED rep. Everything else felt basic fantasy! I would recommend it for fans of romantasy and light fantasy where the fantasy is more a setting than a whole element.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

In The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre, Prince Fierre is caught between his struggles and the weight of expectations from both his noble court and his growing feelings for his best friend. Set in a Scottish-inspired fantasy world, this gripping tale explores themes of self-love, queer joy, and healing from disordered eating.

🔹 A Royal Struggle – Prince Fierre is haunted by a mystery illness, but his struggles extend beyond health. Surrounded by lords demanding favours, he also has to contend with feelings for his best friend, Aiven—a former farm boy and now his trusted enforcer.

🔹 A Forbidden Love – As Fierre confronts the yearning for Aiven, someone with no noble blood but a heart full of loyalty, he's forced to face his insecurities and desires in a world that prizes nobility over love.

🔹 Healing and Self-Love – Set against a backdrop of glittering aesthetics, this book masterfully blends queer romance with personal growth, showing the struggles of learning to love yourself amidst society’s cruel standards.

Perfect for fans of:

✔️ Queer romance with a happily-ever-after
✔️ Books like A Marvellous Light & A Strange and Stubborn Endurance
✔️ Stories of self-discovery and healing

A compelling and tender exploration of overcoming personal demons while navigating love and identity. Prince Fierre’s journey will have readers turning pages for the triumphant finale they’ve been waiting for.

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

thank you so much to netgalley, rebellion publishing, and darcy ash for approving me for an arc! i genuinely wasn’t expecting to love this book so much, but i was completely hooked once i got past the first few chapters. the relationship between fierre and aiven was so soft and sweet, and their dynamic was gorgeous to read. lower stakes and an easier resolution than one would expect from a romantic political novel about a soon-to-be king, but somehow that didn’t take away from the plot for me. overall, i really enjoyed it!

This book didn't work for me and it wasn't just because of the triggers, I found the way that aspects of things were handled weren't done well. I originally picked it because I loved the cover but I couldn't finish it, DNF at 41%

In The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre by Darcy Ash, the author has created a story that is both complex and healing. The novel is set in a Scottish like fantasy kingdom that sets up the main idea that the king must be the pinnacle of perfection. From there, Darcy Ash writes a story that combines disordered eating with healing and a romance between Fierre and his best friend, Aiven.
Told from both Fierre’s point of view and Aiven’s, the novel had me hooked from the first chapter as we see the vulnerability and awareness of Fierre. The relationship between the two is well built, allowing time for the two to realize their feelings as Fierre also learns the truth of his mystery illness. I appreciated the exploration of disordered eating and the complexity around healing. Those ideas, hunger, also ties well into the world and the title of the novel.
Ultimately, if you like novels that are complex and healing, this story might be for you. It is a beautiful gay romance that also handles ideas of disordered eating with sensitivity and exploring the idea of nobility having to be perfect. I love how the characters react and deal with those issues but most of all, I love how they come together and work to change, to heal both themselves and others.

Loved it, well plotted, great characters and world building
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a strange one to review. When I started this, I was convinced I'd hate it. The first few chapters were a slog to get through and I was sure that the whole book would be a disappointment. However after the first five or six chapters it began to pick up and I got attached to the characters and the relationship. It still wasn't quite what I was hoping for but I enjoyed this as a whole and think it was a beautiful and well written story.

Truthfully, it just wasn't quite what I expected it to be - I was hoping for a bit more fantasy and a bit less ED. I just couldn't get into the story, I guess first because the ED was so omnipresent and second because the world building quite lacked. The romance was ok but good have been handled even better.

Before reading this book, make sure to read the content warnings, and please take them seriously. There are a lot of really hard to read scenes in this story, so be prepared. 

The story in The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre is quite simple, our main character Fierre is in love with his best friend Aiven, he's also a freshly crowned Prince, sleeps with his lords and has an eating disorder created by his family's traditions. And that's it. There's nothing more to this book. There are mentions on how Fierre wants to be different from his father, he tries to know more about his subjects and make some changes, but it quickly goes back to his hunger. The story is missing something more. There's some intrigue that appears almost at the end, but everything is resolved very quickly and in one case off-screen. 

Fierre is our first narrator, he can be annoying at times, but I mostly felt pity toward him and I could clearly see why he's behaving this way. The second narrator is Aiven, Fierre's best friend and newly appointed right-hand man. He was a little too basic for me, too stereotypical and missing some character. 

I also had a problem with the world building, there's not a lot of it. It feels not completed, like the author created things so they matched the story. 

I'm lacking the knowledge on eds and psychology, so I won't rate how this topic was presented in this book.

Content Warnings: Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating, Purging, Body Dysmorphia, Sexual Acts as Currency (Sexual Favors)

I think the romance between main characters Fierre and Aiven was the real strength of this book. The relationship felt like it grew naturally and genuinely from childhood up until the present. I also thought, overall, Fierre and Aiven were engaging characters.

Unfortunately, I think the lack of worldbuilding was a detriment. For example, while the devastation of disordered eating and body dysmorphia are excellently conveyed via Fierre’s character, it’s weird how accepting everyone is of his behavior given that he’s ONLY a third generation to be held to such standards. Same with the sexual favors aspect, which seems to have come about at the same time. If these had been a longer standing traditions baked into the core of royal duties, it’d make sense – but for people to still be alive who can remember when it WASN’T like this and that not being more well known or addressed just felt like bad storytelling.

This book had a very interesting premise, but my overall impressions from the book were dampened by the fact that the said premise seemed to be clashing with the setting and the inspiration it draws from. For a UK based reader, at the end of the day I find it hard to immerse myself with a version of Scotland that glorifies being thin… if it was exactly the same stuff but set somewhere in the galaxy far, far away I think I would have less of a brain itch about it.