This book is very character-driven and does a good job of developing the main characters. However, I found it incredibly triggering in a way I don’t experience normally reading books with TWs and it was very hard for me to read.

I can understand how this book would be triggering for a lot of people (TW: eating disorders, purging, graphic sexual scenes that border on assault), but I really thought that it was an incredibly deep and profound read. I connected with Fierre, especially around his feelings towards his body. The romance in this book was adorable and steamy. The writing was beautiful and intriguing. I think some may be turned off of this book because it is not your traditional queer romantasy book, it instead addresses complex social and political themes and does not shy away from them.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

I have to warn that I found my experience reading this to be pretty triggering. There are detailed descriptions of Fierre starving himself and purging, and the descriptions of his body dysmorphia hit me harder than I expected.

I spent legit hours writing and re-writing this review, because there are so many aspects that I struggled with, and I have finally pinpointed the main issue: The premise is ridiculous.

It wasn't until I read a blurb praising this book for (paraphrasing because I don't remember exactly) "exploring modern eating disorders in a fantasy setting" that I realised the problem. Fierre's ED is something uniquely modern, and the book in set in fantasy medieval pseudo-Scotland. I am not sure it is possible to merge the two in a way that makes sense. I won't go into depth as there are other reviews that discuss this, but the set up to explain the origins of Fierre'e ED is so absurdly convoluted and illogical. (It also bothers me that in the real world, women are far more likely to have an ED and body dysmorphia, but the premise makes it so that only this specific man struggles with unrealistic beauty standards. I appreciate shedding light on men's struggles with ED, but like, if your goal is to explore the causes and effects of eating disorders, deliberately writing women out of the discussion is not it.)

Ignoring the absurdity of the premise, (as much as I can ignore it) I found the depiction of Fierre's ED to be pretty realistic, specifically in his body dysmorphia and the way he feels about food/eating. That's all that I have to say about it that is positive.

The way Fierre's ED was addressed in the plot was completely stupid. There is a big mystery around Fierre's "illness". Aiven notices that Fierre doesn't eat a lot, is extremely thin, passes out after a period of fasting, and has a low body temperature to the point that he's always cold, and Aiven is like "What is this mystery disease? Did Fierre get poisoned?" Aiven is a farmer's son, so surely he knows that you need food for energy? "How would Fierre even get poisoned, he hasn't eaten all night??" Give me a break.

I was very disturbed by the way the author describes Fierre's body, specifically the way he is viewed by the other characters. I can understand the depiction of the nobles ogling him and making inappropriate remarks; they are depicted as antagonistic, so that makes sense. However, I don't understand how Aiven, Fierre's love interest, can look at his thin, malnourished body, and feel anything approaching arousal. Not that Fierre's love interest shouldn't be attracted to him, but I hated how Fierre's body is depicted as ideal and sexually desirable. Honestly, I found it lowkey triggering. By presenting his body this way, it gives the impression that Fierre is justified in starving himself because he succeeded in getting the perfect body.

I am not a prude by any means, but this book has wayyy too many sex scenes. There is this whole thing about how the prince/king is expected to give the noblemen "favours" and the book goes into detail about all the fuckin and suckin. And for some reason, even though this is a normal thing in this kingdom and has been done for generations, the narrative is super slutshame-y towards Fierre. Like, there's a ritual where Fierre has to "confess" his favours before he can be crowned, and his father orders him to "cleanse" himself before meeting him, and all the noblemen slutshame him behind his back (and to his face). (The consent behind Fierre doing these favours is also pretty dubious, but there are other reviews that address that.)
And for all that Fierre starves himself, he has a surprising amount of stamina. This guy can't get through an evening without fainting, but in the same night he can screw non-stop, with no problems getting it up multiple times. I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure malnutrition affects your libido.

For all the important topics addressed, none of them are resolved in a way that can be described as close to satisfying.
- Fierre is told by a bunch of doctors he has never met before that he is starving and he immediately believes them. He no longer worries about his figure and is almost immediately able to eat normally, and when he struggles to eat Aiven handfeeds him ✨sexily✨ and he's able to eat! It's a miracle!! There's also one part where Fierre feels guilt after eating, and thinks sexual thoughts about Aiven to distract himself. Fierre's easily overcoming his ED is one thing, but sexualising his recovery feels so insulting. I am sure there are people who do use sexuality as a coping mechanism for their EDs, but the way it's presented here is so tactless. Like, are we supposed to read these parts and find it romantic? I don't know if any eating disorder specialists were consulted but I highly doubt so.
- He proposes to Aiven and therefore doesn't have to give out sexual favours anymore. Having to give sexual favours is supposed to be a part of their culture that the kings have been doing for generations, but there are no consequences to Fierre deciding to stop this I guess. The weird slutshaming/purity culture thing isn't addressed either. Like, it's all done by the antagonists, but the characters who seem to be "good" aren't particularly outspoken against this.
- It is a significant plot point that this kingdom is hugely patriarchal, and Fierre has been struggling to figure out how to fix this. In the end, Fierre writes a new law to, like, ban misogyny. That's literally it.

I also have beef with how this book tries and fails to be queernorm. Like, I can tell that the setting is supposed to be queernorm, but there are so many contradictions. How is it that women are unable to hold positions of power and do not have equal rights in (straight) marriage, but gay marriage is a normal thing and women can marry women? The characters say "man, woman, and people/person of other nature" (meaning nonbinary people), but there are no nonbinary characters, or any characters who use gender neutral pronouns. It appears that being nonbinary is normal in this world, but in this strictly gendered society with assigned roles for men and women, what roles do nonbinary people occupy? And since being nonbinary is normal in this world, being trans ought to be normal too, right? But Fierre and Aiven meet a trans guy who tells them that he's recently transitioned, and there's a weird fraught silence (as my copy is an ARC, this may not be the same quote in the published copy: "A silence hung tautly above us all.") before Fierre responds and congratulates him. There is no transphobia in this book, but that reaction implies that being trans is definitely not normal or common. This isn't entirely related, but Fierre also later lectures the same guy on the way he talks about women, which I found hilarious. I'm pretty sure he of all men would understand how women are treated.

Anyway, I can't believe I put myself through this ordeal (triggering depiction of an eating disorder) just to experience this ordeal (terrible worldbuilding, unsatisfying resolutions, insulting depiction of recovery).

If you're just reading for some steamy scenes I guess you might like this. Although there is a ton of politics thrown in.

I don't really understand Fierre's position? He's a prince in waiting and then the crown prince but seems to be not in control of anything around him or indeed himself. I get that this is meant to be about him craving love and food, both things he seems to be denied, but I don't understand him hooking up with all the awful lairds when it seems like he can barely stand it or them.

The world just didn't make sense to me and most of the characters didn't either.

This is a very character-driven book, where the plot is more about the main character's growth than any of the external events that provide the backdrop. Despite this, the other characters all seemed fairly one-dimensional. While there are two point-of-view characters, the focus is definitely on Prince Fierre's struggles with self-worth, body image and disordered eating. I'd go as far as saying that Aiven's point of view wasn't needed, at least not in the amount that we got, and maybe slightly weakened the storytelling, as he did not have a lot of growth or development as a character, particularly compared to Fierre. The romance was very heartfelt and convincing, but at times it felt almost too easy; if a book is billed as romance (or romantasy) I expect there to be some meaty conflict around that central relationship.

The depiction of Fierre's disordered eating, body image and self-worth issues was heart-wrenchingly well-written, but the worldbuilding that underpinned it wasn't entirely convincing. I also felt that some of the narration and dialogue around it was a bit too on-the-nose, and again the ending felt rushed and too easy; there was some attempt by the author to show that Fierre's recovery was an ongoing process but for someone who had spent his whole life being brought up to believe one thing, the about turn seemed very sudden.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and a quick read, though suffered from trying to be too many things at once - as well as the romance and Fierre's growth, there are a number of side plots about the ethics of monarchy and taxation, reform of government and misogyny which don't have the time or space to be expanded on, and are tidied up with a neat 'all going to be fine now' bow at the end.

The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre is a fantasy with beautiful natural imagery, and 2 childhood best friends who love each other.

Firstly, I loved the rich descriptions of the fantasy world. It helped shape the story, and make it come to life. I also love the unique traditions and culture.

I also adored the love that Aiven and Fierre held for each other, not even in their physical chemistry (which was amazing) but their care and support for one another.

My only critique would be that the characters didn't completely feel like real people. Perhaps they could have been more dynamic, but to me they felt a bit one-dimensional.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a romantasy with slight political intrigue, set in a luscious world.

My rating is a 3.75 stars but rounded up to 4 on this platform.

“Out of greed and entitlement over this beautiful thing, they ended up destroying it by accident.”

This book is difficult.
The depiction of disordered eating is effective and evocative. Prince Fierre's internal struggle with food, desire, how he is perceived and how it affects his worthiness is incredibly well written. Now, this amazing title is one of the main reasons I requested this book on netgalley – I've been obsessed with “want” and “hunger” and how it relates to queerness for years; and this is, in fact, Fierre's story in relation to his demanding hungers, but everything else, ensemble to external conflicts, fell flat. The characters felt one-sided, the romance had little to no obstacles, the resolve was unearned and unrewarding. The worldbuilding seemed to be on the verge of interesting, and maybe a couple more chapters could've rounded it up to something beautiful, maybe a couple more chapters could've added some actual friction, maybe focusing on a single POV would've added tension. And maybe I'm asking for too much from what is actually great for a debut novel.
As hard as it was to get through some of it, and I mean that in a positive manner, it was fun. Great tropes, queer utopia, happy ending, comforting, good fun. Glad I read it.

This was an interesting concept, but I don’t think it was executed super well. Being set in Scotland made the concept of a man being revered for being thin feel extra unbelievable. The first 75% of the book didn’t really seem to have much importance in terms of the actual plot, it was a ton of world building more than anything for a very simple world. The love story was sweet, it’s always nice to see someone want the good guy. The eating disorder recovery felt particularly unbelievable as well.

Prince Fierre is screwed six ways till Sunday. 4/6 of them are legit 🍆🍆🍆- but not the sexy kind. It’s the, oh-my-god-this-ish-is-gross kind. 😩

I love when political fantasy x romance… but this reads like an A03 fanfic that probably should have stayed buried. 🫣

In my family, food is a love language, but I know it’s important to see the other side of the food relationship spectrum. That being said, I just couldn’t believe this level of nonsense religion. The reasoning felt flippant and underdeveloped.

HEA, yes- but it was a dialogue-heavy struggle bus (and a lot of 🍆🍆🍆🍆 get in the way) to get there.

I appreciate this ARC via Netgalley, (even though it was not the escapism I was hoping for).

This is an honestly fantastic debut queer romance novel. It's booked as "romantasy" because it's in a fantasy setting and it's a romance, but it's a lot more than that. This focuses on a prince and his aide as the prince gets ready to ascend the throne, and all the fun politics therein, but also focuses on eating disorders (not something you see a lot for queer men) and what happens when those you think have only the best in mind for you maybe don't. This does go in for the happily ever after, and honestly, by the end of the book it's more than earned. Pick this up when it comes out this winter, and you'll have an amazing time.

The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre is Darcy Ash’s debut historical romantasy following a prince in unknowing crisis. Prince Fierre has just stepped into the mantle of the crown prince and must bear the weight of his birthright and all the claims it demands of his body. When he starts suffering from a mysterious illness, can he find a cure while also dealing with his secret attraction to his best friend and right-hand-man Aiven as well as all the noblemen vying for his attention and power?

I felt like this was a very misguided book. I have no idea who this book is for or who the ideal readership audience is who will actually appreciate it. The prose and writing itself is perfectly fine, but the story is what is raising eyebrows for me. There’s barely a plot and just a bunch of events or occurrences that happen to run together enough to make a storyline. Its subjectmatter is too heavy to be cute or cozy, and while queer with a HEA, it doesn’t particularly deliver queer joy.

I had no idea how literal the title actually is. It talks about the two things Fierre hingers for—Aiven and food. Because in his kingdom slenderness is beauty and beauty is divine, he as the prince is expected to be the personification of divinity where he must have the slim and frail figure to embody his nobility. Thus, Fierre suffers from disordered eating (which is largely the focus of the book) where he barely eats anything and purges himself to maintain his figure with the encouragement of his father and physician. While the book does not glorify this, I don’t think it handles it as deftly as it should have given how easy it was to get Fierre to see the error of this way of thinking and change. Yes, there is an in-book logic behind this distorted idea of divinity and the disordered eating, but the quick resolution does not match the gravity of the situation.

So there’s already this heavy focus on disordered eating, but the book also chooses to add on top of that the idea that as prince he must use his body as a reward to be given to noblemen he favors or needs favors from. With this mindset, the powerful lairds demand use of his body which while I don’t this it crosses the line to sexual assualt in the book, it may touch that line for some readers. And of course, Prince Fierre is someone who wants to be dominated in bed so that adds another conflict in himself. Then tacked on is the misogyny and their society’s treatment of women that goes completely unexplored but is also somehow resolved with the quick signing of a document at the end. The book should have stuck to the one issue (disordered eating) and gone without the others it could not take on adequately.

I did actually like the romance between Fierre and Aiven. These are two men pining for each other in silence while in close proximity, separated by station as noble and peasant. Not much development happens though as most of it occurs before the events of the book, and this was just the final culmination. Because this is a historical MM romantasy, it is being compared to Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light anf Foz Meadow’s A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (both 5-star reads for me), but I don’t really think that’s a fair comparison. This book is only a fantasy romance in the sense that it has a romance set in a historical but fictional (and non-magical) quasi-Scottish island.

Like the titular character, The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre has issues I’m not sure it adequately surmounts. I liked it well enough but can’t really recommend it.

*Thank you to Solaris for the eARC via NetGalley

DNF. I couldn't for the life of me get the motivation to finish this book. It started with high hopes, but the pacing, the dialogue got me off rithm and the characters couldn't bring me back to finish it.

This is a fantasy MM romance told in alternating first person POV. The setting is a secondary world inspired by medieval Scotland. The story is engaging and hums along nicely without getting bogged down in exposition or worldbuilding, which is no mean feat for a fictional world. Fierre is expected to be a physical representation of the divine, and for this culture that means an ethereal waifishness attained through starvation. His body doesn’t truly belong to him, and this manifests not just in the starvation but also the expectation that he be sexually available to the nobles.

There’s a bit to unpack here, and I think I see what the author is aiming for - his father’s criticisms of his appearance and the expectations of his role makes Fierre feel like his body doesn’t really belong to him. It has become something to be wrangled into submission, and these unsafe encounters with the lords connect him with physical sensations he’s otherwise detached from. In all the story was entertaining, with great character growth and an emotionally satisfying ending.

The fantasy realm this story takes place in values waifishness in their royalty, so it's no surprise that Prince Fierre has serious disordered eating. Heed the TWs on this one.

Newly annointed Prince Fierre surprises his lairds by naming his best friend (and farmers' son), Aivan, as his second in command. As Aivan and Fierre uncover plots and work to better the lives of the laborors over the elites, they also admit their love for one another.

I really enjoyed the unwavering trust and commitment they had for each other, right from the start. There was no 3rd act breakup, no misunderstanding due to lack of communication, which I really appreciated. And Aivan's "touch him and die" instincts, while also trusting Fierre completely was endearing, making him by far my favorite character.

I could see this debut novel becoming a series.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @solarisbooks. The opinions are my own.

The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre will be released on January 30, 2025.

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.