Author Gush: Melanie Rawn

King Me

Discovering Dragon Prince on a friend’s bookshelf was one of life’s happy accidents, dear reader. These books are so well written and have devilish turns that each feel natural and leave you feeling satisfied.

I’m not going to lie one of my favorite things about Melanie Rawn’s work is that it somehow manages to tell an engaging fantasy yarn while also adding in some fairly controversial topics and all with actual tact and grace!

Trust Me. I’ll Explain

If I told you her quasi-religious magical consortium required an initiate to ritually lose their virginity from a masked mentor in front of the other magic users or that one of the main male characters gets raped as a major plot point you may be a little turned off of the books. Here’s the thing: most of the time you’d be right because most of the time these would be included for nothing more than shock value. In this book, though, they’re posed as life events that characters have to deal with and that other characters help them through. Trauma comes in many forms, and sometimes doesn’t present itself until years after the fact.

It’s shockingly, and refreshingly human.

I’m going to dip into spoiler territory here (I know I’m a horrible person) so be warned: when the product of that rape inherits the title of protagonist not only does the transition feel entirely natural but also just so damn wholesome. There are only a handful of series or authors who could accomplish this feat and I am in awe that this went off so swimmingly.

Can you see George RR Martin having that happen and end that particular character arc and have you feeling good about the world? If so: take some time to peruse the user manual of reality in a frail attempt to reorient your worldview as it appears to have gone slightly askew.

If He Wrote Your Script Then Yeah, Probably

The family relationships Melanie Rawn depicts are visceral and hard hitting. The magic system is, quite frankly, badass (and even fun to say! Sunrunners. Seriously, try it. I’ll wait) and while it is undeniably a series I’d also be willing to claim that each book within said series could be enjoyed on its own as a standalone novel.

Any one of these points would be a hell of an accomplishment even if the books themselves were utter tripe but to be self-standing stories and good across the board?

Well, personally I think you’d be foolish to not make room on your bookshelf for at least one of these wonderful books so what are you waiting for?

Go pick one up, give it a try, and let me know what you think.