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here's another call for you to read the aurelian cycle by rosaria munda because i have not stopped thinking about it ever since i read it <3
pitched originally as "plato's republic with dragons," the aurelian cycle is a book full of political intrigue and sooooo many fucked up characters. like. literally everyone is messed up in some way. also, the author studied political theory at princeton and it shows!!! there's a bunch of stuff about differing regimes and how better isn't always enough, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
i love the characters with all my heart as well..... antigone sur aela my beloved!!! and lee!!! and griff!!!! and DELO!!!! i love delo so much actually. just. delo <333 griff and delo aren't introduced until book 2, but they're both written soo well.... if you're into any kind of complicated layered tragic traumatized character you'll LOVE this series. the romantic relationships are amazing too istg!! and they're not JUST ships, the characters have so many different dynamics within the relationship that aren't limited to just romance.
so many moments where you're just like. woah. the fuck. did that actually just happened tf that's so messed up. rosaria munda knows how to write tension SO well!!
as for the plot itself, the premise is this: callipolis is a post-revolutionary country, led by a new regime that allows peasants to ride dragons for the first time. we follow lee, a dragonborn royal whose family was killed in front of him as a child, and miraculously survived the revolution despite his lineage; as well as annie, a serf from the highlands who faces discrimination due to her gender and social status. the actual blurb is a lot better, so if you're interested, go check it out!! z-library and/or libgen should have it :)
anyway if you do end up reading the aurelian cycle (which you should 100% do) PLEASE send me your reactions. please please i'm begging you.
ok now go read the aurelian cycle by rosaria munda <33