Review - Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa

The central plot of this book involves a mage who invokes a spell that allows him to time travel back to a point in his life where many things that went wrong have not occurred yet. Cyril Laverre is the main character, reliving his life again, given the chance to right wrongs which were made the first time around. The kingdom of Farsala was blighted, and he seeks to thwart his former lover, Prince Euphrates, who he blames for its downfall. As a time travel story, it reminds one of a number of old Twilight Zone episodes or the film "Peggy Sue Got Married".

However, Cyril and Euphrates were permanently bound earlier by a foolish, youthful lovers' vow that can be both a blessing or a curse. We see some convincingly flawed characters as the book progresses: Euphrates was tempted by power, and corrupted its use to his own ambitious ends; Cyril was a foolish lover who missed a lot going on around him, now regarding himself as incompetent or of neglecting things he should have paid attention to. Princess Tigris is a rebellious royal who must learn to control her impulses, and I found her to be by the far the most engaging and interesting character of the book (especially after she is "transformed"). I also was intrigued by the nature of Cyril's Aunt Helene, a reserved elder mage who tries be a responsible guardian for him, while at the same time hiding her awkwardness with expressing emotions by a sharp manner towards him.

In the first two-thirds of the book, there was a bit more angst and self-recrimination from Cyril than I would have liked. Also, not that much occurs, or when it does I'm afraid that I didn't find it that enjoyable. However, we get some strong details for the settings: the flamboyantly stylish and aristocratic kingdom of Farsala, where Cyril's sanctuaries are gardens and woods, and private chambers. This contrasted with the neighbouring land of Cretea, which is held up as quite different and expansive. The ruler of Cretea, King Atticus, presents himself as a picture of humbleness and good character, and we are invited to trust him...

At the two-thirds mark, however, everything picks up. We get startling revelations about both the sinister-seeming Euphrates and the pleasant-seeming Atticus. The action also properly kicks off, as three of the characters must stop a diabolical plot from wiping out the kingdom of Farsala. Cyril discovers his rash hastiness can actually be a strength, and also finds his true potency in magic as a possible future Grand Mage.

The story has cozy moments but it doesn't quite fit the 'cozy romantasy' bill: stakes are high, for one thing (the fate of a kingdom and even the environment, a concern of high fantasy). There is also an unusually bleak beginning with a character committing an act as a last resort of desperation. However, as things move along we see a lot more wit and cheeky dialogue (especially involving Aunt Helene, who often precipitates Cyril falling to pieces) which redeems a lot.

(Thanks to Angry Robot Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.)

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Truly delightful. At times very funny, at times quite moving, and always very sweet, I'm surprised by how much i was taken by these characters. It's definitely a book for those with roots in fanfiction (/positive), the worldbuilding and general plot will likely be lacking for anyone who doesn't value character over everything when reading. Luckily for me character-driven stories are most of what I care about, and the protagonist of shoestring theory truly captured my heart. Really loved the descriptions of rooms/outfits and hints at a greater world behind the characters', and especially appreciated the resolution of the story. I had no trouble with the magic system being freestyled a bit because i found the concept really lovely. Honestly it was such a great time it truly truly warmed my heart, what a beautiful story of (self-)love!

The writing was also really good, very evocative and able to switch between funny moments and more moving ones quite effortlessly. I do particularly appreciate that the characters' arcs were clear and well-written without having the reader being beaten over the head with the beats of growth and the "morale" of the story, something I've seen happen a lot in stories that aim to be cutesy/character-driven. It wasn't twee at all, and Cyril's inner struggles felt both very vivid and very realistic. His inner monologue is well balanced, I think it was exactly the right tone of lack of self-awareness/agonizing self-hatred. It's not easy to do, and it's a pleasure to see that anywhere but especially in a book concerned with power, responsibility and identity. Cyril and Eufrates you have my sword... Great women in this book too!

My only gripe is that there is WAY too much italics being used and it disrupts the reading at times (seriously the italics need to be cut down by at least half, even if I see the vision and tone it's still too much). I also think the stakes/themes are too high/serious at times for this to be marketed at cozy fantasy but I'm not a cozy fantasy fan so what do i know.

Highly rec for anyone wanting a short, sweet, gay time and a colorful story to get sucked into!

This was a fun read (and I'm particularly fond of a cat being called Shoestring).
This appears to be marketed as a cosy fantasy which doesn't feel quite right - there's quite a lot of action and it's a lengthy plot. I feel the beginning could have been tightened up as it took a while to get into, but after about 20% I was flying through the pages. It had one of the most intriguing first chapters I have read in a while!

I was expecting a rather cute and little silly story with high stakes background, and it is exactly what I got! "Shoestring theory" follows Cyril, Grand Mage, when he tries to go back in time and prevent his husband grom becoming a cruel despot. Of course, things don't exactly as planned and he has to make adjustements along the way.

If Cyril's goal is quite clear cut at first, we quickly realise that if he wants to succeed, he'll need to go through his own inner journey and see the mistakes and wrong assumptions he made in his life, especially regarding his husband. I will not lie, once I reached a certain point in the story, I knew what was going on and felt slightly annoyed it was so straightfoward. But the story is still great.
We feel Cyril's love for his husband despite all that happened, his flaws and how his insecurities played with him; we also feel Euphrates's (the husband) love for Cyril, and, of course, the different kind of love woven with other characters.

Even though the relationship between Cyril and Euphrates is at the core of the story, I feel like it is more a tale about owning your mistake and becoming more active to hope for change than a romance. There isn't really any doubt about the feelings, they don't change that much aside from the realisation the characters must go through.

Mariana Costa's style of writing is great, easy flowing but sometimes heavy on the internal monologue placed at times where it slows down the story. I didn't mind much, but if this is something that can bother you, you might want to steer clear.

The author also seems to have taken quite a pleasure to use a lot of Ancient Greece and Antiquity names, for the characters (Cyril, Tigris, Euphrates, Helene, Atticus...) or the place (Cretea and Frasala). It was a bit disconcerting at times, but also fun. I must say world building wise, there isn't much to say, it is a classical fairy-tale fantasy like world, with the months we know as well as a few other "real world's' references. Again, I didn't mind it but I think it would have been great to have a more defined world. The magic's nice though !

All in all, the book lived up to my expectation as a nice and fun read, cosy but with higher stakes, a but silly with flawed characters doing their best (at least sometimes and for some of them).

I enjoyed this book but I took me a while to get into! Once I was hooked I was hooked though!

I definitely think it could have been better paced at the beginning to allow readers to be dragged in but the rest of the execution was perfect!

Overall a solid book!

Not bad at all it was a little slow but I still really enjoyed it a lot. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I ended up liking it more than I expected to. It seemed appropriate for the middle school and up audience and it was a really cute book in the end.

What if The Sins on Their Bones was a cozy fantasy? I had never considered that possibility before, but this book somehow provides the answer. I adored it!
This is the story of Cyril, a former Grand Mage of the Kingdom of Farsala, whose cat familiar, Shoestring, dies. Knowing that he is likely to follow, Cyril uses all his magic to travel back in time and attempt to amend all his failures—primarily his inability to prevent his husband and king, Eufrates, from descending into madness and cruelty.
This book is marketed as cozy fantasy, and it does have that kind of vibe—yet the stakes seem higher than in the average book in the genre. While we may feel confident that things will turn out okay, the reading experience is far from boring. The story is full of emotion, particularly in terms of the characters' personal growth. There are also plenty of funny moments, and the pacing is extremely smooth.
What truly made me love this book, however, were the characters. Cyril is such a gem. The book is essentially told from his POV, and it was great to see him trying to correct his wrongs and navigate this second timeline. I also adored how the romance was handled. The author skillfully blends various tropes. Cyril and Eufrates are so different from each other (it’s deeper than just grumpy sunshine), yet together they are everything. Given how estranged they were at the beginning of the story, I was curious how the enemies-to-lovers trope would work plausibly. Yet it did, largely because they never truly stopped loving each other. The level of pining in this book is incredible, and it’s essentially why I rate it 5 stars.
Speaking of characters, I must also mention Tigris, Eufrates’s sister, whose dynamic with Cyril is impeccable. The book generally has a strong found-family feeling, and I’m all for that.
Overall, it was a sweet, funny, and heartwarming read. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy fantasy with plenty of pining and warm, cozy vibes.

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did, but it was such a satisfying and cozy fantasy that I don't regret a thing.
Shoestring Theory is about bad decisions. About time travelling and love and letting people back you up even when you don't deserve it. It had magical elements but they never overshadowed the plot, which was perfectly paced. And its characters? They will steal your heart. Seriously. They did shady things but they were still so fun to read about and flawed enough to be relatable and they kept the plot moving to the extent I couldn't stop reading.

Yes!!! <33
What else does a reader need besides cozy books with a scifi element? The cat is just the cherry on top.

The time travel in this book was executed brilliantly and the writing was evocative. I’m so happy this book exists and I’m sure readers will feel the same when it eventually releases.

The Shoestring Theory is like being given a hug from multiple timelines and if you look to your left, there’s a cat.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the exact sort of book I'm looking for in cosy fantasy - exciting with high stakes but not taking itself too seriously. Charming and cosy and intriguing with a harebrained plot that still somehow makes perfect sense by the end.

As soon as I saw the premise, I knew I HAD to read this book. I'm a huge fan of time travel, second chances, complex relationship dynamics and Shoestring Theory really delivered on a fun plot, endearing main characters and a compelling how-to-stop-the-world-from-ending mystery to solve which made it hard to put this book down! I absolutely love Mariana's writing style and while some parts could be predictable by some people, it really didn't detract from my enjoyment of this at all. The first 30% packs so much that it made the rest of the book super duper fun to read.

I absolutely love the bits we get of Cyril and Eufrates in the future, the past, and the new present. Their relationship is the highlight for me, and obviously, is central to the plot too. Eufrates was a delight to see through Cyril's POV, and it was fun to see Cyril have to navigate through reliving his youthful love for Eufrates while knowing what happens in his original timeline. The rest of the cast round our leads really well, and I absolutely love Tig's banter with both Cyril and her brother.

Honestly, my only major complaint is that this is only 400 pages because I could've easily read another 100 pages of this cast. The pacing wasn't too jarring, but I did get to the ending with a "Wait, can't we see more, please?" feeling. 🤣 That said, it is a fabulous standalone that also leaves room for a sequel if desired, which is always satisfying to me. Another minor complaint is that this reads a teeeny tiny bit YA-leaning, but that's not bad either.

I see that this is comped to Legends & Lattes and marked as a cozy fantasy and feel like that brings in the wrong expectations so I'm glad I only saw that post me finishing the book. While it is really easy to read like L&L is and there are some cozy elements, a better tone and plot comparison to me would be The Sins on Their Bones with needing to stop an evil ex-husband, but TSTB goes much darker than here as well as specific danmei titles, but maybe that's a bit too niche. 😂

I really can't wait to see what Mariana writes next!

I absolutely loved this queer fantasy debut by Brazilian author and professional illustrator @marinscos and published by @angryrobotbooks.

This book delivered on so many levels for me. The writing style was wonderful, with Costa able to weave so much magic and humour into the scenes, while at the same time as exploring dark and difficult moments throughout. The gay romance was moving, with the time travel element adding depth and complexity.

I adored Cyril and his journey, but the whole cast is intriguing and develop in their own way through the story. The twists had me second-guessing myself throughout, and I really couldn't put the book down. With great world-building and an interesting magic system, plus a queer-normative and diverse setting, Costa creates a place I really hope to visit again in future books!

It's a strangely cosy fantasy story, despite some dark and possibly triggering scenes, and it explores themes like grief, guilt, self-worth, trust, independence, sacrifice, and of course, love in all its forms. It leaves you feeling bittersweet and hopeful, and many of Cyrils points of growth and realisation really moved me.

I genuinely loved reading Shoestring Theory, and I hope to see more from Costa very soon! Thank you to @angryrobotbooks and @marinscos for this wonderful e-ARC - my opinions are my own, honest, and freely given.

This book is very inner monologue heavy...like to the point that I found it a little boring. So much I'd happening up in the characters' thoughts, and not enough is actually occurring. Was really looking forward to this one, but it wasn't my vibe.

⭐️⭐️.25/5

Shoestring Theory had potential, but the execution did not work for me. The characters and the character development felt odd and inconsistent. The book is marketed as cozy, but it felt more like an action-packed fantasy with high stakes and a few cozy moments. I appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation and lovely queer romance, but I also wanted to see more development of the world and magic system. I would still recommend this book to readers who have already had their eye on it!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!