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.

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.