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An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom - The Tale of Two Kingdoms by MeiLin Miranda

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Rated 7.57 out of 10 Statistics

Information

Chapters: 44

Genre: Fantasy / Drama

Audience: Over 18

Updated: Completed

Content Advisory

Frequent Sexual Content

Occasional Coarse Language

Occasional Violence

Statistics

Overall Rating: 7.571

Average Rating: 7 (Guests), 8.33 (Members)

Ranking: #19

Rating Count: 12 (3 Guests, 9 members)

1 indicates a weighted rating.

An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom - The Tale of Two Kingdoms by MeiLin Miranda product Read This

"Intriguing"

Rating: 9 / 10

With the second book in this series well underway, new readers will have a good amount to get into.

Cleverly crafted as a story within a story, this tale takes us into a new world of history as well as the present, without any need to suspend belief. Ms. Miranda's style is eloquent and clear, carrying the reader into Temmin's everyday life with seamless shifts into the past.

As mentioned in the listing, mature content appears, but this is handled with grace by the author. While detailed, each scene flows with the story and is never portrayed gratuitously.

Bonus stories are offered to readers and always delivered with Ms Miranda's unique, quirky voice. Comments are almost as fun to read as the story itself and the author interacts frequently while still sticking to a regular posting schedule.

There's a wiki available for characters and keeping track of all 'the bits' - even a facebook group started by fans. A gallery houses artwork of some of the characters and readers are encouraged to engage in polls and spot competitions.

The only thing I don't like about the site is the time it takes to load all the flashing pieces on the side. I find it can also sometimes be distracting. But, it's a popular site with many extras on offer, so I can't complain too much.

Even if you forget all the extra bits for fans, the story itself is riveting, the writing engaging and I would definitely love to have a copy on my shelf. As I would never vote a full 10 for anyone but a Tolkein, Jordan or similar (sorry, Meilin ducks), i rate this story a full 9.

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An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom - The Tale of Two Kingdoms by MeiLin Miranda product Read This

"Intriguing Enough to Merit Trying the Revised Print Edition"

Rating: 7 / 10

I started reading An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom out of curiosity and not expecting much, but I found myself pleasantly surprised for a time.

Like Tales of MU, I appreciate how Mei Lin openly discusses non-mainstream sexualities in the story, though I have misgivings about how they are portrayed. As far as I read, which was quite extensively, often non-mainstream sexualities were treated as coping mechanisms for trauma or family issues. I think this can be dangerous, because while she acknowledges and even celebrates these sexualities, it portrays them as "not normal" and without possibility of being natural orientations of their own. Admittedly this may have changed since the last time I read.

I was intrigued by several of the story lines, especially the ultimate role and fate of Teacher, and the eldest royal daughter’s relationship across time with a strong woman leader. I also appreciated her deft use of violence that is realistically brutal, but doesn’t wallow in it like a gore-fest. Near the end of my time reading, I found myself dragging with the pace and quantity of the story, but I liked it enough that I think I’ll pick up the revised print edition.

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