Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Cadeleonian Series - Ginn Hale Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Elezar Grunito/Hilthorn "Skellan" Radulf, Kiram Kir-Zaki/Javier Tornesal Characters: Elezar Grunito, Javier Tornesal, Kiram Kir-Zaki, Hilthorn "Skellan" Radulf, Atreau Vediya Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Animal Death, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic, Podfic Length: 2.5-3 Hours

So I just finished devouring the Cadeleonian series by Ginn Hale over the course of, like, less than a week, and instantly went looking for fic (as you do), of which there are sadly only SIX, but one of these six is this amazing Modern AU that is both text and podfic. I haven’t listened to it yet but I just read it and I’m in love, so y’all should also go read it (in whatever form you prefer to consume it). You don’t need to have read Master of Restless Shadows for this one, but probably best if you’ve read through at least the first part of Champion of the Scarlet Wolf.

I know I've been raving about this for the past week but the Caledeonian series by Ginn Hale is so fucking good I fjzoaskfkzladnfkzka

Javier, Fedeles, Atreau and Elezar ????

Kiram, Narsi, Skellan and Aris????????

I will die for them all.

But especially for Atreau I will kill for him also

I refuse to be normal about this

July Book Reviews: Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale

Picked this one up because Alexis Hall (most excellent of authors) recommended Ginn Hale. He was right-- this was great. It’s set in a cavalry military academy in a country which vaguely resembles Fantasyland Early Modern Spain. Nice young man (but also slightly spoilt) Kiram wins entrance to the school on the strength of his talent as an inventor-- no small feat, as he’s a member of a despised ethnic and religious minority. He’s immediately pressured into rooming with Javier (dashingly Gothic, extremely haunted, absolutely infested with demons) since no one else wants him due to the aforementioned demons. and they were roommates. with all the drama that entails.

Contains: heresy, tournaments, a sinister hereditary curse, an unreasonable amount of horses, betrayal, and queer romance. 

Recommended. I liked this book a lot, even though I was going into this thinking that everyone was going to be five or perhaps ten years older. But that’s fine, since everyone’s older in the next books, which is perhaps why I like them better. It’s a mark of Hale’s skill that she can make me enjoy a Baby’s First Crush romance, since I normally don’t get along with them. I see why Hall recommended the series-- these are great and I immediately read the entire rest of the series after this one. 

note: this is technically two books, but as Ms. Hale has called them Lord of the White Hell Book 1 and Lord of the White Hell Book 2 there’s only going to be one book review. one title = one book review. its natural form is obviously one single unpublishably long novel. 

Reading update:

Poetry! Idk anything about poetry but I liked these poems.

I really really loved Lev Rosen’s book Camp, so I picked this one up. Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) was very good, but this is definitely one where I had to be like, “I am not the target audience for this, but it accomplishes what it sets out to achieve.” The main characters are teens, of course, since it’s YA, and they are veeeerrrry sexually active, and I kind of felt like a parent haha. It was a very sex positive book which was good! But it honestly made me a bit uncomfortable—and again, I am not the target audience, as I am very definitely not a teen. The writing itself was great, and the stalker plot was creepy as hell.

I love Ginn Hale. Ginn Hale has never written anything I don’t like. I actually had a different Ginn Hale mlm fantasy in my TBR pile, but I was able to pick this one up recently (for some reason it was kind of hard to find online) and figured I should probably finish one of her duologies before I started another one. I adored this—watching Javier bloom and accept himself was wonderful, and the love Kiram and Javier have for each other is really lovely.

Do you like to cry? Do you like to get so sad as you’re reading that you can’t breathe? Do you like to get angry that the AIDS crisis went on for so long in America because of bigotry? Bonus points if you were a literal child at its height and couldn’t have done a damn thing, but you still beat yourself up as you read because...maybe you could have? Maybe you didn’t have to be so clueless about it?

Anyway this book follows two eighteen year old boys in New York City in 1990. Adam has his first boyfriend and first love who is HIV positive. Ben is kinda/sorta kicked out by his mom in upstate New York and comes to live with his brother in NYC. The two of them keep running into each other. Through the book we get these interludes in first person where a question is posed, and then answered, and it becomes clear—at least, it was clear to me—that this is Adam and Ben talking to each other in the future.

I had to read this entire book in one day because it was too fucking sad to go to bed thinking about it.

Here’s my next book!

A nice cheesy romance. Perfect. Maybe by the time the next AIDS book comes around in my TBR pile (After Francesco), I’ll have recovered.

My new favorite dynamic is when character A is besotted with their genius nerdy boyfriend. Example: Robin Blyth, A Marvellous Light -

“I'd like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you.”

Extra points if character A attempts to show off for their beloved. Example: Javier Tornesal, Cadelonian Series -

“Then if I remember my Mirogoth mythology correctly, the Age of the Demons came,” Javier interjected, his expression bright. Skellan got the distinct impression that he was showing off for Kiram’s benefit.

I started the cadeleonian series totally by chance and even tho I haven't finished the first one yet it's unbelievable how much i already love kiram and javier, they're so precious

ariz plunado?? as in ariz 'the guy who split kiram's arm open' plunado??

Cadeleonian Series Extras!!

 just found out that there are these extras/wip posted on ginn hale’s official website, and i'm posting so more people can read them:

A Very White Hell Solstice  (set after the ending of the Lord of the White Hell series)

Ring in the Northern New Year (set after the ending of the Champion of the Scarlet Wolf series)

First Dance (Master of Restless Shadows)

Javier and Kiram from Ginn Hale’s “Lord of the White Hell” / “Champion of the Scarlet Wolf” series.

let me rant a little about my feelings */////*

SO

I’m a HUGE fan of that author, I adore her style, it’s just the right kind of books for me - i LOVE ‘seeing’ everything when I read, the world is so fleshed out, that on more than one occasion I’ve missed my stop in the underground on the way to work - just because i was totally absorbed in those books \(*..*)/

(I also reread them like 3 times now)))

thus been said, after the last reread (and also after the third book of the series came out) I’ve had an irresistible urge to draw Skellan and Elezar (oh they are so my favorites ❤︎ ) - it’s still work in progress now.

but then I decided that it would be a good idea to add a Javier/Kiram  picture to the set.

and what a disaster it’s been((( still had hard time visualizing them, as it appears. 

but I didn’t want to give up! so, there - not exactly a pair pic to the upcoming Skellan/Elezar one, but I am so very chuffed how those two turned out*///*

i think i’ve never used colors so bold beforeXDD

also, there is a song i used for inspiration ❤︎

Started rereading the Cadeleonian Series. Still in book one of Lord of the White Hell.

They're so young! Babies!

Looking for someone to roleplay Ginn Hale’s Cadeleonian series!

Okay, I know I’ve literally deserted tumblr for like… years. So much have been going on, I can’t tell you.

But it’s currently 4:22AM, I just finished Master of Restless Shadows Book Two, and I’m so fucking emotional that I need someone to roleplay the fuck out of the Cadeleonian Series with me. Pretty please? I’m just dying of love over those boys (especially Elezar and Skellan but truly, I love them all), so pleeeease, anyone willing to roleplay, just let me know!

Love y’all,

Vehuhia

lord of the white hell destroyed me yall

fuck I haven't felt emotion so intensely in so long

I cried so many times and also felt so full of love for Kiram and Javier

I’ve started to wonder if this is one of those authors who has a legion of ghost-writers working for them. These two books were written four years after the Lord of the White Hell ones, as a sequel, and maybe the author became more experienced e.a. but the writing style is again so completely different that something seems odd ... But anyway, those two books are good! Much more enjoyable than the Lord of the White Hell ones. Skellan is adorable, and charismatic enough to make me warm up to Elezar and root for the two of them. “Sadhu” Javier and “Candy shop” Kiram are a lot more fun than they were in the two earlier books. Just shy of a 4* read.

Hi! I just finished the first lord of the white hell book and it was awesome but that ending is killing me. Would you be willing to tell me if Kiram and Javier end up together/get a happy ending? I need to brace myself on the off chance that they don't. (And I feel your pain about the lack of fanfic. Five fics for the entire fandom? I'm gonna die when I'm done with the books)

Hello! That ending for the first book is ROUGH isn’t it? 😂 but yes they do end up together and...have their own sort of happy ending. :’)

AND TELL ME ABOUT IT like people say Capri is small and dead? BITCH YALL THOUGHT.

Hello! I’ve been looking for some good books to read and was wondering if you had any recommendations? I seem to just wander around the bookstore not knowing where to start.

I confess I’ve been reading nothing but fics on fics on fics (Drarry exclusively lol) for a good year now, so I haven’t touched original works in ages, though I have several of the latest installments of my favorite series waiting until I run out of good Drarry fic... (please...god...free me from this hell........)

I’ve made several recommendations for excellent M/M original works (you can always check out my reccs tag for any recommendations as well, though it includes original novels as well as manga and fic). I pretty much only read M/M fantasy (with the very VERY occasional M/M scifi or supernatural book thrown in), so I hope that’s what you’re looking for XD

Here’s a “””””””brief””””””” recap of series I particularly enjoy and go back to reread often, along with details on who might like these books and why. They’re all available via Amazon (most as Kindle reads, but some as paperbacks; some are also available from other sources as well in other formats if you prefer, for example, epub) and at reasonable prices (all but one series are under $10 per book, some under $5).

It is entirely possible you’ve read all of these, since I’ve gushed about them many a time before, and if that’s the case, I apologize I can’t rec you anything new! But maybe it’s been a while if you’ve read these before and it’s time for a reread!

The Lord of the White Hell series, by Ginn Hale - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements. But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions. However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram’s as well."] 

Read this if you like... magic and science working together, religion-borne racism and the difficulties of interracial as well as interreligious relationships, snarky aristocrats and a good mystery. And read the second book in the series definitely if you liked Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai or Sore Nari ni Shinken nan desu (I've found I really like stories where the rejected third-party from the main series gets his own happy ending, and Book 2 of this series is one such, building an entire new couple with the midway-through-the-story return of Book 1 couple so you get the best of both worlds.)

The Magpie Lord series by K.J.Charles - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn’t expect it to turn up angry. Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude… and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual. Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn’t the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die."] 

Read this if you like...magic and 19th century UK settings and snarky aristocrats who guard their hearts fiercely. The dynamic is fantastic, and the writing itself is gorgeous.

Whyborn & Griffin series, by Jordan Hawk - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) “Love is dangerous. Ever since the tragic death of the friend he adored, Percival Endicott Whyborne has ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. Instead, he spends his days studying dead languages at the museum where he works. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons after the death of his partner. Now in business for himself, he must investigate the murder of a wealthy young man. His only clue: an encrypted book that once belonged to the victim. As the investigation draws them closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. But when they uncover evidence of a powerful cult determined to rule the world, Whyborne must choose: to remain safely alone, or to risk everything for the man he loves.”] 

Read if you like... magic and the supernatural and 19th century US settings and Eldritch monsters and mystery and intrigue and adventure and era-appropriate treatment of homosexual relationships but with happy endings (and also couples of all types).

The Nightrunner series, by Lynn Flewelling - [GOODREADS BLURB: "When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things--none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows."] 

Read this if you like... magic, spies, fantastic female characters, adventure, and intrigue. Read also if you love looooong series, as it's complete at 7 books!

Scarlet and the White Wolf series, by Kirby Crow - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Scarlet of Lysia is an honest pedlar, a young merchant traveling the wild, undefended roads to support his aging parents. Liall, called the Wolf of Omara, is the handsome, world-weary chieftain of a tribe of bandits blocking a mountain road that Scarlet needs to cross. When Liall jokingly demands a carnal toll for the privilege, Scarlet refuses and an inventive battle of wills ensues, with disastrous results. Scarlet is convinced that Liall is a worthless, immoral rogue, but when the hostile countryside explodes into violence and Liall unexpectedly fights to save the lives of Scarlet's family, Scarlet is forced to admit that the Wolf is not the worst ally he could have, but what price will proud Scarlet ultimately have to pay for Liall's friendship?"] 

Read this if you like... weird twists on old fairy tales with amazing world-building, provided you're willing to put up with a little bit of a slog until the couple really gets on the same page.

Captive Prince, by C.S.Pacat - [GOODREADS BLURB: "Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, but when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful, manipulative and deadly, his new master Prince Laurent epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else..."] 

Read this if you like... phenomenal skill with the written word (I mean REALLY TOP NOTCH), fantastic characters with real evolution in relationships, amazingly intricate political intrigue (guaranteed to keep you guessing the whole way), enemies-to-friends-to-"I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly"-to-...well, I won't spoil things 8D Please note the 'slavery' aspect that is heavily featured in Book 1. There is NO RAPE between the main characters, but there are forced sexual scenes between Damen and another minor character (n.b. minor as in not major, not minor as in a kid), and well, Laurent just isn't a very kind 'master', nor does he pretend to be. This is not your typical 'omg the slave falls in love with the master and vice versa!!' dreck, but do be aware that the first book deals intimately with those themes as Damen must play his part.

Wytch Kings series, by Jaye McKenna - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) "Prince Garrik is the Heir Presumptive of Altan, next in line to be crowned Wytch King. There’s only one problem: in order for Garrik to be crowned, he must possess Wytch power of his own, and thus far, whatever power Garrik might possess has shown no sign of awakening. As things stand, it is Garrik’s younger brother, Jaire — a dreamer completely unsuited to wear the crown — who will take the throne after their father. Concerned about the future of his kingdom, the Wytch King demands that Garrik’s power be forcibly awakened. Hoping to protect his brother from the burden of rule, Garrik allows the attempt — with disastrous results. Now, Garrik must learn to control the fiery dragon that rages within him before he destroys everything he loves. Wytch Master Ilya has been alone for years. Learning to control the icy beast slumbering within him has already cost him his family and his lover, and Ilya will never open himself up to that kind of pain again. Summoned to Altan to avert disaster if he can, Ilya has no intention of allowing anyone to thaw the ice in his heart. When he meets Prince Garrik, sparks fly, and Ilya finds himself fighting feelings he thought he'd buried, long ago. Can Garrik’s fire melt Ilya’s icy heart? Or will Ilya be forced to use his ice to quench the flames that burn within Garrik once and for all?"] 

Read if you like... DRAGON SHIFTERS. There's really not much more I can say to encourage you to read this series (there are five so far!) other than to say HERE THERE BE DRAGONS, AND LOTS OF THEM, AND HOT GUYS WHO TRANSFORM INTO THEM. The plots are interwoven, with side characters from previous books showing up as MCs in subsequent ones, so you get to see major characters fleshed out, even if not right away.

Mermen of Ea series, by Shira Anthony - [GOODREADS BLURB: (Summary of Book 1) "Taren Laxley has never known anything but life as a slave. When a lusty pirate kidnaps him and holds him prisoner on his ship, Taren embraces the chance to realize his dream of a seagoing life. Not only does the pirate captain offer him freedom in exchange for three years of labor and sexual servitude, but the pleasures Taren finds when he joins the captain and first mate in bed far surpass his greatest fantasies. Then, during a storm, Taren dives overboard to save another sailor and is lost at sea. He’s rescued by Ian Dunaidh, the enigmatic and seemingly ageless captain of a rival ship, the Phantom, and Taren feels an overwhelming attraction to Ian that Ian appears to share. Soon Taren learns a secret that will change his life forever: Ian and his people are Ea, shape-shifting merfolk… and Taren is one of them too. Bound to each other by a fierce passion neither can explain or deny, Taren and Ian are soon embroiled in a war and forced to fight for a future—not only for themselves but for all their kind."] 

Read if you like... MERMEN SEX. Again, not much more I can say to encourage you to read this XD There's mermen having sex in mer form, there's mermen having sex in human form, there's just lots of mermen and rather a lot of sex too. But there's also interesting plot! Though lbr if you're going to read this, it's for the mermen XD

But if youre carried off by a frogwife dont expect me to come dog-paddling to your rescue. You know you would. Javier shot Kiram an arrogant and self-satisfied smile. He caressed Kirams cheek.

Champion of the Scarlet Wolf Book Two (The Cadeleonian Series 4) / Ginn Hale