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A review by stardustandrockets
Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is one raging dumpster fire after another and I can't quite figure out exactly how I feel about it. It seems so unnecessarily dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. I thought it was going to be like RWRB, but it's way messier. Which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it might be.
Carter is one messy human—which makes sense after being cheated on for years and being made to feel inadequate. Edgar is a closed-off royal who doesn't trust easily and has to watch his every step because he's in the public eye. He falls for Carter the first time they met and the rest is on fire.
Each chapter is more drama-filled than the last it seems. I didn't think anything could get more dramatic that puking up your soul on International television, but boy was I proven wrong. Several of Carter's "fuck ups" seemed to come out of left field and gave me whiplash, leaving me thinking, "How did we get here?" I liked this one okay *at this point I haven't finished yet*, but I don't think it'll be one I'll own (unless I find it at a used bookstore).
I had high hopes, but going in expecting it to be RWRB may have been too high of an expectation. Idk. It feels to me that this one could have been longer and a bit more fleshed out and less disjointed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it overall. James was definitely a bright spot for me in this book because he was witty, sarcastic, and everything I'd want in a gay, Alfred-esque, butler-type character. Though things felt a bit rushed and the pacing was weird, I give it 4 stars despite all of that. It was a fun read and definitely a palate cleanser after reading so much dark academia.
Carter is one messy human—which makes sense after being cheated on for years and being made to feel inadequate. Edgar is a closed-off royal who doesn't trust easily and has to watch his every step because he's in the public eye. He falls for Carter the first time they met and the rest is on fire.
Each chapter is more drama-filled than the last it seems. I didn't think anything could get more dramatic that puking up your soul on International television, but boy was I proven wrong. Several of Carter's "fuck ups" seemed to come out of left field and gave me whiplash, leaving me thinking, "How did we get here?" I liked this one okay *at this point I haven't finished yet*, but I don't think it'll be one I'll own (unless I find it at a used bookstore).
I had high hopes, but going in expecting it to be RWRB may have been too high of an expectation. Idk. It feels to me that this one could have been longer and a bit more fleshed out and less disjointed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it overall. James was definitely a bright spot for me in this book because he was witty, sarcastic, and everything I'd want in a gay, Alfred-esque, butler-type character. Though things felt a bit rushed and the pacing was weird, I give it 4 stars despite all of that. It was a fun read and definitely a palate cleanser after reading so much dark academia.
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Sexual content