Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa
Published by Watkins Media Limited
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Action, Adventure, Cosy Fantasy, Dystopian Fantasy, Romantasy, Cats, Compulsion, Emotion Magic, Enchantment, Various Magic, Gay Characters, Mental Health Representation, OwnVoices Representation, Queer Characters, LGBTQIA+ Authors, Magic Users, Royalty Characters, Mental Health, Trauma, Mystery
My Rating:
Published on: 8th October 2024
Pages: 400
Disability Representation: Anxiety, arthritis, mental health, trauma and fictional illness.
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The kingdom of Farsala is broken and black clouds hang heavy over the arid lands. Former grand-mage of the high court, Cyril Laverre, has spent the last decade hiding himself away in a ramshackle hut by the sea, trying to catch any remaining fish for his cat familiar, Shoestring, and suppressing his guilt over the kingdom’s ruin. For he played his part – for as the king, Eufrates Margrave, descended further and further into paranoia, violence and madness, his grand-mage – and husband – Cyril didn’t do a thing to stop him.

When Shoestring wanders away and dies one morning, Cyril knows his days are finally numbered. But are there enough left to have a last go at putting things right? With his remaining lifeblood, he casts a powerful spell that catapults him back in time to a happier period of Farsalan history – a time when it was Eufrates’s older sister Tig destined to ascend to the throne, before she died of a wasting disease, and a time when Cyril and Eufrates’s tentative romance had not yet bloomed. If he can just make sure Eufie never becomes king, then maybe he can prevent the kingdom’s tragic fate. But the magical oath he made to his husband at the altar, transcending both time and space, may prove to be his most enduring – and most dangerous – feat of magic to date…

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa has a lot going for it with a clever plot, witty dialogue and various hijinks involving a cat. The story flows well, and Costa has a strong narrative voice. What brought it down to a three-star for me was that the author uses emotional abuse as a plot device. What appears to be a book that carefully discusses the harm done to someone when emotionally abused and coerced is “fixed” as events unfold. Until this point, the scenes about abuse were well written, and it was such a shame to see such an important topic be essentially thrown out and undermined.

This was a fun romp, but it could have been much better with a bit more care.

Thanks for reading my book review for Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa!

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