I could not for the life of me get the worldbuilding to make sense. Fierre seems to be a more or less absolute monarch -- okay, but somehow all the "lairds" (we're in a quasi-Scotland? ish? situation?) also have the right to use his body, that is, to rape him. And he has to choose among these lairds for his cabinet, but for some reason he can also choose his one real friend, the son of a farmer, to be his chief advisor. As the ruler, Fierre is for some mystical reason supposed to be perfectly beautiful, which is to say anorexically underweight, and he's either developed an eating disorder as a result, or an eating disorder is an overt part of the job description, but somehow when he faints from hunger at a state occasion everyone is baffled, it is a mystery, who could have predicted such a thing I ask you.

The country Fierre rules is called Eilean-òir. Every time it was mentioned I hung up on how to pronounce it. And please, for the love of all that's holy, a room at court /= "a courtroom."

Gorgeous cover, though.

DNF 30%

I wanted to love this. It's friends to lovers. It's royalty falling for bodyguard/advisor. It's queer. It's got mental health representation. It's got commentary about unrealistic body image.

I think it's mostly writing style. The dialog is clunky so then I'm not connecting with the characters.

I would be interested in future books because I believe this author could get better and better as time goes on.

I loved the premise but the execution was a bit flawed. The pacing is the biggest problem for me. It feels like I'm in a car that breaks and accelerates like crazy, no rhyme or reason. The characters needs a bit more body to them because they feel underdeveloped. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

I could see what the author was trying to do with some of the themes, but this book just really fell flat for me. A lot of the side characters felt one dimensional, and the pacing varied between too fast and too slow.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy!

I thought I would be the demographic for this book, unfortunately. am not. I did not finish. The writing style and overall story line did not and stopped making sense about 10 chapters in.

THE TWO HUNGERS OF PRINCE FIERRE was such an unexpected win for me!
I think I mentioned in a review recently that I’ve found romantasy a bit hit-and-miss as a genre, and it’s been a while since I found one to really sink my teeth into. Another thing I was a little wary of was the setting. It’s a Scottish-inspired fantasy world and, as someone born and living in Scotland, 99% of time I’m really disappointed in (or cringe at) books set here. I didn't have that issue with THE TWO HUNGERS OF PRINCE FIERRE. It has a sort of vaguely medieval, Highlands vibe, blended with a queer normative world, that gives a gloss to the story without bogging down the character-focused story with heavy-worldbuilding.

The eating disorder aspect was the most fascinating part of the story for me, which was surprising, as I was almost as wary of that as the setting. The two compliment each other well though, as Fierre’s starving to prove himself godlike/worthy reminds me of some the medieval Scottish monarchs I remember studying, who were sainted after showing similar piety. So, personally, I really liked the way the plot and the world tied together. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the eating disorder representation, but I do recommend being aware of the various warnings going in. To me, the body dysmorphia etc all felt well portrayed and relatable. I would have like Fierre’s journey towards recovery to have been explored more fully/more slowly, but understood the need to match the arch of the main story.

The only real issue I had with THE TWO HUNGERS OF PRINCE FIERRE was the “mystery illness” mentioned in the synopsis. It’s obvious to the reader, if not the characters, pretty quickly, that the dizziness and other symptoms are a result of undereating. I would have really liked if there had been another thread to follow, with a little more intrigue and maybe a red herring or two, so that I could wonder, as the characters did, what was causing Fierre’s weakness.

Overall, THE TWO HUNGERS OF PRINCE FIERRE was brilliant read and completely unique. It really hooked and completely held my attention, and never felt 'dark' despite the heavy issues it tackles. The characters are really likable, and I loved seeing some themes around eating disorders and sexuality in men which I don’t think I’ve seen explored in fantasy before.

I really enjoyed this! It's a quiet novel, and I mean that in a good way. It's not really an action packed novel, it's really a book that focuses on the relationship and the characters. I think given the subject matter of ED/diet culture that was the right choice. It really lets you into the head of Fierre. His and Aiven's relationship was just so cute and swoon worthy. Honestly it had the right amount of jealousy and pining in the background, as well as a subplot about Fierre learning about his kingdom and how to improve the conditions of his people. It feels like a warm story. I think people will fall in love with this. I definitely want to read more from this author. I love when you can really tell an author cares deeply about the story they're telling.

3 stars
I enjoyed the romance between the two MC's, it was sweet and the writing was good which helped the story flow. I just wouldn't want to give this more than a 3 at the moment despite the cute moments.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Darcy Ash debuts with The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre, a novel marketed as a queer romantasy. Readers follow Fierre as he comes into his role as Prince Regent in a Scottish-inspired land where rulers are expected to be slim and also to bestow their bodies upon the nobility as a sign of favor. The secondary perspective is Aiven, a farmer's son elevated from his station by his friendship with the prince. Aiven recognizes the problems with the demands on Fierre's health and with the demands of the nobility on the working class.

The author includes a content warning at the beginning of the book. It is meant. Please take care of yourself when reading.

The publishers, I think, have done this book a disservice by marketing it as romantasy. Romantasy is the current buzzword, but that's horribly unfair as this is absolutely a dark fantasy romance. The driving factors of this book are a societally driven battle with an eating disorder that threatens the life of our main character. The scenes surrounding this illness are graphic and the little nagging negative thoughts pervade throughout the body of the text. Combined with multiple instances of extreme dubious consent sexual content to include non-negotiated object penetration and societal pressures to use one's body as a bargaining tool to secure alliances... well. This does not a cozy, hopeful romantasy make. I would not even argue that the romance is the core of the story. The story is Fierre learning to value himself.

I was buying into the story for a majority of this time. The content, while difficult, was well written. I was bordering 4 stars. But then the last third to quarter of the book happened. Fierre's transition to believing his eating habits are problematic is nearly instantaneous. His healing is completely tied up in his budding relationship. The depiction of the problems was reasonable. The depiction of the resolution was rushed to end the story and, as a result, did not have the proper care or time given for such a topic.

I would hesitate to recommend this one broadly since I feel pretty negatively about how Fierre's healing was handled combined with the graphic quality of his suffering. If there was someone who was aware of the content going in, I will say that Darcy Ash has great potential as a writer. I hope to tune in for the next one where, I hope, pacing has been a bit more sorted.

This book really bummed me out. Content warnings for disordered eating, sexual assault, and body and sexual history shaming.

I understand the author was trying to make a thematic point about society making your body not your own in controlling your size and sex life, but I don't think the assaults and disordered eating were the way to go about this in a seemingly lighthearted, relatively short book. To be fair, I did go into this book knowing the content warnings, but I don't think sufficient care and gravity were given. For example, I personally believe that there needs to be a compelling reason for a sexual assault to be depicted in a scene in a book or other media rather than being mentioned or referenced retrospectively. I had a hard time seeing why these scenes were necessary, especially with the details provided. I don't think the author intended to do this, but it felt like these scenes were trauma just to elicit an emotional response from the reader to associate as a connection to the character that otherwise would result from deeper characterization and storytelling.

The writing style itself is unobjectionable, especially for a debut, but the world building was weak. I don't typically expect intricate worlds for short fantasy romance books, but I feel it was necessary to justify the really tough scenes the reader was being put through. If you take the assault and ED scenes out of the book, you're not left with much. Moreover, the resolution of the conflicts of the book (the content warning topics) felt really flimsy. Again, if you're going to utilize these heavy topics as conflicts, more time and care are needed for their resolutions, in my opinion. At the end, I didn't feel uplifted or satisfied with the ending; it was just a sad tale with seemingly no point to the suffering of the prince MMC.

The main characters were also not well fleshed out, and the only connection I had with the prince MMC was pity that seemed really obligatory with what the character was being put through. The other MMC was just nice, and that's really all I can say. That's not to say I'm disappointed in the second MMC being nice and kind to the prince MMC, who is being put through so much, but 'nice' is not a distinguishing characterization. Their relationship isn't instalove, but the development of their friendship is off page before the book starts.

As far as what ought to be done to better this book before publication, I suppose choosing one of the content warning topics and removing the others to give more time and attention to that singular heavy topic. Or, if all of these pieces are needed to tell this story, a longer book with more development to suitably address these issues.

Thank you, Solaris, for the arc!

Darcy Ash’s “The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre” is an enthralling and emotionally charged fantasy novel that takes you on a thrilling adventure through the political and personal struggles of its protagonist, Prince Fierre. Set in a vividly imagined world, Ash masterfully weaves intricate world-building with deep character exploration, creating a story that feels both intimate and epic.

The title itself hints at the central conflict: Prince Fierre is torn between two opposing desires, or “hungers.” One is the hunger for power and control in a world filled with political intrigue, and the other is a deeper, more primal hunger for personal connection and meaning, especially in his relationships with those closest to him. Ash skillfully navigates these dual conflicts, making Prince Fierre a complex and relatable character.

What I loved most about this book was its depth. Prince Fierre is no typical brooding prince figure—he’s layered, human, and struggles with both external expectations and internal desires. The relationships in the novel, particularly with Fierre’s family and his love interests, add an emotional richness that makes the stakes feel very real. You’re not just reading about kingdoms at war; you’re reading about people torn between duty and their own inner needs.

The world-building is another standout feature. Ash doesn’t just present a fantastical setting for the sake of it; the politics, cultures, and social structures are all intricately connected to the characters’ personal journeys. The pacing is steady, with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged, but it never rushes through the emotional beats that give the story its heart.

That said, there are a few moments where the plot slows down a bit, particularly in the middle of the book. Some of the political machinations feel a bit repetitive, and the story does lean into some familiar fantasy tropes. But these are minor flaws in what is otherwise a well-crafted and immersive read.

Overall, “The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre” is an impressive debut that will appeal to fans of character-driven fantasy with plenty of emotional depth. If you’re a fan of novels where the stakes are high, but the emotional stakes are even higher, this one’s definitely worth checking out.

I really wanted to like this and at first I did find it compulsively readable, but I DNF’d at 55% because I just grew tired of the relentless angst.

This book felt like fanfiction to me. The writing was great but the characters lacked any sort of depth or backstory for me. It felt like the king of whumpy angst story I’d seek out for established characters, and I think if it WAS fanfiction for characters I loved, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. But as it was, the characters and plot lacked enough substance to keep me engaged even if the writing quality on a word basis was good.

Well, I'm a bit disappointed.
I requested this from Netgalley because it sounded very, very unusual and the premise sounded pretty cool; but yeah, maybe I underestimated how much disordered eating on page could have an effect on me (yep, that's one of my only triggers; I usually DON'T mind it, especially if the ED rep is well-done, but sometimes it makes me feel rubbish about myself and I have to give into the urge to skim). Also, I'm pretty sure I wasn't precisely in the mood for fantasy, especially of the complex variety, and I should have listened to myself. Oh well.

There were a couple of very positive things: I loved the dynamic between the two MCs, and I really liked both Fierre and Aiven as MCs. Their slow-burn relationship was my favourite thing of the novel: I decided to read through to the end (okay, yes; I also skimmed a lot) just because I needed to see them reach their HEA.
On the other hand, the world-building and the whole complex, political landscape left me VERY very confused. Again, maybe it was my brain's fault; maybe it was just a smidge too messy for my liking.

And yeah. Like I said; I enjoyed bits of this novel, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a queer high fantasy romance (and unlike me, if you have the bandwidth for a complicated, and quite fascinating in some ways, world-building); especially considering it's a debut.

All in all, definitely not for me, but who knows, I'm sure there are readers out there that will love it more than me.

TWs/CWs: eating disorder (starvation, induced vomiting), body shaming (internalized and by others), abusive parent, sexual assault and aggressive language, sex used as a means of self-harm, violence, slut-shaming.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Prince Fierre has to look like a delicate, other-worldly creature to be good enough to be this books version of effectively a king. This sums up 90% of this book.

I don’t think this book was for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy the portrayal of an eating disorder, and I don’t think it approached it with enough nuance to be meaningful.

Other people tell Fierre to starve himself and he believes them blindly. He’s mysteriously ill and only seems to be getting worse. And when someone tells him to stop starving himself, he’s magically mostly fine. This drove me up a wall and I couldn’t get past it.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I rate this book 4.5 stars and 4 chili peppers for spice. This was a really fascinating read. Normally eating disorders are mini side plots but this whole book revolved around it. This story was full of interesting characters and fictional folklore. I also love a friends to lovers trope and Fierre and Aiven were the sweetest characters with each other. I honestly could have kept reading more stories with these two main characters!

It is very rare for me to DNF a book, but after pushing myself to get to 39% I had to throw in the towel. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The authors vision is very clear and I like the way that they wrote Fierre's experiences of abuse, disordered eating, and his lack of self confidence. These are topics that aren't explored to this kind of depth often, and especially not in the context of gay/queer characters. I imagine if I had continued the story, I would've seen more of Aiven helping Fierre recognize his disordered eating and help him gain self confidence. But dang, I am almost halfway through and this actually happening still seems far.

What I cannot get behind is the actual world building. This is a society where it appears the only purpose of the monarch is for them to starve themselves, which is baked into their religion apparently, as proof of their commitment to their role. No one, not even the royal physician, sees anything wrong with the Prince Reagent passing out due to a lack of energy and muscle tone. The Prince also appears to be expected to give sexual favors to the other Lairds and between that and the starving for beauty ideals, Fierre is not a Prince so much as he is a literal just sex doll in the world.

The execution just left a lot to be desired, but I think that if the story took place in a less repugnant society, but Fierre still had to deal with his disordered eating and unhealthy relationship to sex, I think this could have been a wonderful story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has been on my radar for a while, and even though my rating is 3.5 stars, I feel that it has been misunderstood and underhyped. I devoured this book during my vacation, and I enjoyed it a lot! I thought it would be a fluffy read focused on the friends to lovers romance and bodyguard-Prince trope. It was like this, but it was certainly not a fluffy read. The themes of the book are serious, and Fierre's portrayal was very raw and emotionally devastating.

Fierre is the equivalent to Crown Prince, and I believe he holds the title of Prince Regent, which means he isn't the king yet, but it is he who rules. I really liked Fierre! It is clear that the author paid a lot of attention and some blood, sweat, tears on this character development and portrayal. He has an eating disorder and a lot of confidence issues. Whereas I don't have an eating disorder, I did relate to his obsession with his weight and how nothing he ever did would be enough. He doesn't believe he is worthy of much. Love from his subjects? He says they would love any Prince. Attention from his admirers? It wasn't enough to make him realize he is beautiful, and it wasn't them he needed attention from. Parental love? Ha, forget about that. His father is a major jerk who I wanted to throw in the sea and never look back. Since Fierre doesn't think he's deserving much, he made a lot of bad decisions to self-sabotage himself but also because he needed an escape. He just chose wrong kind of escape. But I loved how he stood up for himself and how he never lost sight of who he was including his title.

Aiven, the best friend, loyal bodyguard, and overall awesome. He is the person you want in your life. Someone who loves you unconditionally, someone who has your back, and someone who wants the best for you no matter what form it has. The only minus is that apart from his love for his family and Fierre, I cannot tell you much about him. It felt like his love for Fierre took most place of Aiven's character portrayal, and I just need my characters to be more than their feelings for one person. Sure, he is excellent at his job, moral, and smart. In fact, he is the only with braincells in the entire court, but I wanted more of him that did not center on Fierre.

Generally, this is my feedback, too. I wanted more of everything. Aiven's portrayal to be about Aiven. The court to be more interesting and deeper. I cannot believe how it was only Aiven who saw and reacted to the fact the King and Prince Regent have been starving themselves to match some vague description of divine elegance that royals are supposed to have. It felt like what the Lords of the court only wanted was to get into Fierre's pants...

However, I can also say that it was a refreshing read. With serious, personal themes and character portrayal that stands out in the saturated market, I feel like this could open the market to more "unconventional" and unusual storytelling and bend the genre and trope boxes. Not everything should be about war and rebellions...

This has been one of my hardest books to read this year. And not precisely because it relied in so many hard topics like anorexia or themmes of abuse (there´s a fair warning at the beginning of the story and I more or less knew what to expect).

This book was hard to read because... How do I put it bluntly? The worldbuilding is disgusting.

And let me clarify here something beforehand: I liked how this author narrated, I think that was solid. And I also loved both protagonists and their slow burn romance (probably those are my two main reasons why, for me, this book is approved... even though I would probably not recommend it to anyone lightly).

Allow me to explain: This is the story about a prince named Fierre, who lives in a kingdom where the custom is that the king must be thin to be admired, and thus Fierre during the whole story is encouraged by side characters to starve himself. Not only that, but all people in palace (except for Aiven, the love interest) treat Fierre as a whore. So with this scenario, we end up having a story with several scenes of r4pe (on and off page), abuse in many levels and Fierre is introduced as a naive character who just... kinda goes with the flow because he wants to feel pretty and liked?

The book ends well, mind you, even if Fierre manages to surpass his illness in a very fast / very fairytale like manner. But it was a continued trauma to get there.

I HATED this worldbuilding. I understand the author wanted to write something to bring awareness about eating disorders, but for me this one was a complete and absolute miss. I think if the story would have been just about Fierre and his eating problems, with the love story as a subplot, and removing all this nonsensical fantasy world, the book would have been so much better. But, right as it is, I don´t think I´ll ever be rereading.

I knew by 15% that I wasn't going to be finishing the book, but wanted to give it a real shot, since I had an ARC. By 50% I was ready to throw in the towel and DNF.

For the most part, the prose itself was fine. Like, on a paragraph by paragraph basis, no issues. It was the whole structure, the world, that I couldn't deal with. I know that at least one of the POV characters saw the problems that I saw, and presumably by the end of the book there would be progress towards fixing the issues, but... I just could not deal with it anymore. So, here are my main issues (none of this is spoiler-y because it's all revealed within the first like 20%):

-I hated that the religion of this country depended upon the rulers being physically weak and anorexic. It's pretty clear that the plot is working to, like, end that, but as a whole concept it doesn't make sense, and reading it feels awful. I'm not, like, opposed to reading books dealing with eating disorders, but when it's an entire religious, political, and cultural structure pushing one single individual to be extremely unhealthy, it's too much for me.

-The prince is expected to fuck ("bestow favors upon") his ministers/lairds. Not one particular one, just whoever will be useful for their army or money or whatever. Doesn't matter if these men (because they're all men) are awful, despicable people. It'd be one thing if Fierre was having fun and enjoying himself, but he is NOT. The whole thing made my stomach turn (over and over). The story did establish that he doesn't have to do it anymore if he chooses a consort, so I'm assuming that's where this goes with Aiven. Great! I don't want to read any more in the meantime.

If you removed Fierre and Aiven from this story, I enjoy them as characters. But, like, literally everything around them was pretty repugnant.

This was not for me. Poorly executed and not very well written. Some may enjoy it however if the summary sounds intriguing to you but had to DNF at 15%