ARC Review: "Behooved" by M. Stevenson ★★★★

ARC Review: Behooved by M. Stevenson

This enemies-to-lovers romantasy, full of tropes like miscommunication and only-one-stall/bed, was so charming, I loved it! Indeed, I am spellbound by this – and this is not surprising. The cover? Gorgeous. The premise of an arranged marriage and a prince cursed to be horse by day and human by night? Compelling. Horse puns? Galore. My mood? Unstable, this was quite a ride hehe ahem sorry.

Riding towards the border astride the husband I’d accidentally cursed, I felt the farthest thing from flawless. I wasn’t a weapon. I was a hairpin, easily bent and readily discarded.
Yet Aric hadn’t discarded me when he saw my flaws. Instead, he’d seen a different sort of strength in me, one I’d never realized I possessed. And his acceptance disarmed me more than any opposition could. He’d reached past my defenses, and I had let him, welcomed him, against the logic of everything I’d been taught. I knew that wanting him was a blade that could be turned against me. To love someone was to throw down your shields, lay your heart bare, and watch as it was cut in two.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
26-year-old duty-bound Duchess Bianca Liliana of the kingdom of Damaria is to wed 28-year-old Prince Aric of Gildenheim as an agreement to cease war and unite the realms. The late Queen passed and Aric is to be crowned. Bianca is considered a disappointment to her family as she has a chronic illness and is unable to do magic, unlike her older sister Tatiana. Aric is known to be a cold and cruel man. Before Bianca leaves, Tatiana gifts her a magic locket and tells her to use it if she is in danger.

Bianca’s journey to and arrival in Gildenheim are far from ideal: from seasickness to falling into the water to being met and escorted to meet Aric instead of him coming to meet him, she already resents the heir apparent. When they do meet, Aric prefers reading to dancing and he is very distant towards her. This suits her fine as she herself has been trained never to conceal her own feelings.

An assassination attempt on their wedding night changes everything. In a bid to save them both, Bianca opens the locket and her husband is caught in the crossfire, turning him into a horse. This makes it look like the assassination is successful and that she murdered Aric. Now on the run (or, more accurately, ride), Aric and Bianca must work together to find Tatiana and break the curse.

When it is apparent that neither Aric nor Bianca initiated this marriage, it begs the question: who did? Who benefits the most from Aric’s death? And is there more to the Queen’s death than initially thought?

“And what if, should you come to understand me, you don’t like what you discover?”
My next words could shatter the thin ice we walked on, sinking us both. And while I could tell myself I needed to understand Aric for my country’s advantage—the unnerving truth was that I simply wanted to. Because he fascinated me, like the endlessly changing swell of waves on the shore. A current that could all too easily pull me under.
“In our vows, I promised to care for you,” I said. “Can you truly care for someone you don’t know?”

This is told from the first-person past-tense POV of Bianca.

OVERALL OPINIONS
Stevenson’s narrative was teeming with magical and gorgeous descriptions, decent pacing and the world-building was nothing short of excellent. There was a good deal of political intrigue, general mystery, magic and of course romance. Moreover, this is an exceptionally brilliant debut and I am sure we shall see more great things from her! While many aspects of the plot were very predictable which is the reason for my 4-star rating, I think many will still enjoy this.

As someone who knows people with chronic illnesses, the representation was done very well here through the main character having an unknown condition inspired by the author’s own struggles with celiac disease. This was a wonderful inclusion that shows anyone can be a hero, and I think those with chronic health conditions will both relate to and appreciate this. In her author’s note, Stevenson says the following:

In Behooved, I wanted to show a fantasy heroine who has symptoms like me—and who still gets to have epic adventures and a happy ending. Disabled people belong in fantasy, just as much as we belong in the real world.

The best part of this story is the relationship between Aric and Bianca, which has both hilarious yet very tender moments. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope but it was done just fine here and is essential to the plot. The lovely thing is their parallels: both Aric and Bianca both come from households with huge expectations that they follow their duties rather than their hearts; they both feel like a disappointment to their parents because Bianca has had ableist views pointed to her her whole life and Aric does not fight and prefers studying (the latter which I like because it makes a change from the stereotypical main male characters). It is beautiful that they help each other see their own strength and worth.

It reminds me a bit of The Emperor’s New Groove because of Aric being turned into an animal and him thinking she has something to do with it – it’s like Pacha and Kuzco “Why would I kidnap a llama?” “I don’t know you’re the criminal mastermind, not me!” haha.

<< Positives >>
🠚 The cover is so pretty I could stare at it all day! I like that the kingdom colours are swapped (Bianca has green behind her; Aric has blue behind him), foreshadowing Bianca and Aric trying to understand each other.
🠚 Very strong main female character.
🠚 Chronic illness representation.
🠚 The dialogue was so amusing, I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to read more of the jokes! I especially laughed at the idea of chickens and puffins delivering messages to Bianca.
🠚 I like the colours and names of the kingdoms. Damaria means “Divine” or “Beloved”, ironic perhaps for Bianca as she is not beloved in her kingdom; Gildenheim means “Golden Home” which is a great choice, giving this sense of prosperity. The blue colour is for Damaria (associated with security, loyalty, wisdom yet can be seen as sadness and coldness), fitting for the fact Bianca is not happy with the situation and is trained not to let people know her real feelings. The green is for Gildenheim (symbolic of nature, growth, balance and hope yet associated with inexperience and greed) and is perfect for the fact they are greatly tied to nature and magic but Aric is inexperienced as a ruler and there is greed via who wants to become the new ruler.
🠚 Aric and Bianca’s relationship as mentioned before is lovely!
🠚 The spice is lovely and sensual.
🠚 Bianca and Tatiana’s bond as sisters was a beautiful thing that was explored. You get the usual annoying but beloved sister, which is realistic and for me relatable. But I also like that it turns out both of them envied the other: Tatiana jealous of how their parents always expect Bianca to follow duty that they would never ask her to do; Bianca jealous of how their parents never expected Tatiana to follow duty.
🠚 The concept of the magical locket was really cool.

<< Negatives >>
🠚 A lot of the narrative is very repetitive. Same doubts from both the main characters and same soothing about it, same choice of words like “our eyes met” and same puns about her “riding” her husband (expected, but please switch it up).
🠚 As mentioned, a lot of the plot was incredibly predictable. For example, the stuff about Marya and her bond with Aric, who was responsible for wanting them dead, Tatiana not being able to reverse the spell. The only thing I did not anticipate was who the assassin is.
🠚 Aric’s reputation of him being a cold and cruel prince – I think some examples should have been presented there (other than the idea that he could have killed his mother to get on the throne). Where else does he get this reputation? What else has he done? Supply this and then consider how he could debunk these claims.
🠚 Some unnecessary cringey innuendo moments too, when Bianca is talking about “eating” and flusters over it. It also feels inconsistent compared to the time she talks about “sword” when she is dancing with Aric which was very confident.
🠚 I thought some mentioned elements would come more into play, such as the green fire greenwitch spell, Bianca’s skill with a rapier that is never shown, the creatures like the birdfish, the terms of endearment that she mentions but never uses any of them.
🠚 Listen! Their first time being when she is literally recovering from wounds cannot have in any way been as comfortable. And then “I’d forgotten my injuries” – gurl how? That’s why you are in that place recovering, that’s why your husband is there comforting you!

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Bianca꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ She is so kind, strong and brave especially because of her condition. I love the moment where she writes the letter saying Aric “might deign to ask her in person” – yasss Queen!

I didn’t know what game my intended was playing, but I was not a woman he could insult with impunity. I was her Grace, Duchess Bianca Liliana, flower of Damaria and scion of my House. I was not some petitioner to be addressed at his leisure and granted the boon of his attention when he felt it convenient. I was the representative of the Council of Nine. His future wife. His equal. And if Aric thought he could insult me without consequence, I would soon show him otherwise.

-ˋˏ ꒰ Aric꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Save a horse, ride a prince – or should I say save a prince, ride a horse? I love that Aric is aspiring to become a good ruler, giving equality to everyone; his desire to teach everyone to read particularly captured my heart. His treatment to Bianca is so sweet and I love that he wants to help her with her chronic health condition.

“You terrify me, Bianca.” Aric was close enough that I could feel the whisper of his breath. “I can’t stop wanting you, even if it breaks me.”

FAV QUOTES
• whoever my betrothed proved to be, I would learn soon enough, and I would match him. Blade for blade. Move for move. Perhaps even heart for heart
• Our eyes locked, his the cold blue of a winter sky. The air went static between us, like the feeling just before lightning strikes.
• The horse turned its head to glare at me over its shoulder. *His* shoulder. The expression dissipated my doubt, though not my shock. That cold annoyance was definitely Aric’s, bizarre though it was to see it on an equine face.
• The sunset colors cast the scenery as something magical, fleshing the world with color like an artist painting over a sketch. My first impression of Gildenheim had been grey and grim, but I realized now that I had seen only an unfinished portrait. The palette of this land wasn’t ugly, merely different.
• I’d let my mask slip—showing Aric too much of myself. There was something about him that found all the chinks in my armor—worse, made me wonder what it would be like to set it aside.
• He’d softened, like dawn breaking over the sky. Talking of things you loved could do that to a person.
• The heat from his palms lingered on my skin like the last notes of a song.
• I squirmed towards Aric and nestled myself against the warmth of his side. Aric stiffened. His muscles were frozen, but his warmth was like a personal hearth, welcome and melting. I sighed and pressed closer, resting my cheek on his chest. Aric’s heart thrummed beneath my ear, a beat as comforting as the familiar swash of the sea. He lay without moving, barely breathing, long enough that he might have turned to stone. Then, just before I crossed into sleep, his arm crept around my waist, so lightly I probably dreamed it.
• “Stay awake, Bianca,” Aric snapped. “They can’t have you. You’re not allowed to die. I *order* you not to die, understand?”
• Before I could lose my nerve, I seized him by the collar with both hands, pulled him in close, and kissed him. Aric froze, his entire body rigid with surprise. Then, all at once, he softened into me, his mouth matching perfectly to mine. I’d thought Aric cold, like stone or steel. Now I realized how wrong I was. He burned like untamed magic, like the slice of a blade against skin. His kiss sang through my veins, lighting every nerve in my body with a cascade of sparks.
• “Say it again.” His voice was hoarse. “That you want me.” | “I want you, Aric.” I drove my gaze into his, showing him the truth. “I want you even if it breaks me, too.”
• She smelled of lavender and bergamot, the scents of home. The softness of her embrace was a familiar comfort. My sister, trying to care for me as always, in whatever chaotic way she could manage.
• I had never desired someone solely because I found them beautiful. Beauty was hollow. It was Aric’s inner life that I loved. The way he’d been gentle and patient, never guilting me when my body needed rest. The way he glowed with passion when he talked about the things he loved. The way he’d opened his heart to me, showed me his scars, the words that had made him bleed—even though I could have used his trust to hurt him more.
• Choosing what I wanted was a risk. Discarding my armor and revealing my heart was a danger. But as Aric kissed me in the spring sunshine, I was finally ready to be brave. I would no longer take the safe road that behooved me, but run instead along whichever path led to the man I loved. It was worth the risk, for now and always.

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I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank M. Stevenson, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Behooved” is out now!