What do you think of when someone says the word “romantasy”? Medieval worlds full of castles? Dragons and magical creatures? Warriors and queens? The popular subgenre that combines fantasy and romance has slowly become a monolith that promotes a singular aesthetic vision; yet, Verity Guild veers away and paves its own path.
Written by Mai Corland and published last month by Red Tower Books—a publishing house that famously releases indie romantasy books—Verity Guild sets its story in a world inspired by ancient Rome. Rather than a royal court with princesses and knights, there is Kerasea, a high priestess, and Torren, a praetorian. And their enemies-to-lovers plot is absolutely intriguing.
Their forbidden, slow-burning love story is framed by the fact that Kerasea, one of the most revered and spiritually respected individuals in their society as the high priestess of the god of truth, is framed for a murder. And Torren, a common-born imperial bodyguard, is convinced that Kerasea is guilty. Their shared commitment to truth and justice fuels the irresistible push-and-pull between them, especially as readers witness Kerasea’s mysterious background surface.
First and foremost, this book is a murder mystery set in a fantasy world. The secondary element is the romance, but that doesn’t make it any less of a romantasy. If anything, the detective-like narrative heightens the spark Kerasea and Torren share as the story’s fast-paced plot unravels at the same speed as the tension and suspense.
Verity Guild is a locked-room mystery, making the suspicion and political intrigue feel more claustrophobic. I appreciated this element because it positions readers to focus on specific characters and their interactions, highlighting the technical pieces of storytelling that oftentimes become overshadowed in favor of great, elaborate world-building. And naturally, with a contained narrative, there is forced proximity, which is one of my favorite romance tropes. Kerasea and Torren’s unwillingness to work together in the face of their underlying attraction to one another is addictive to read.
One narrative aspect I was not expecting to be so significant is the presence of Pryor’s religious system. The gods in this world are active in an almost chorus-like sense, whispering underneath the actions of the characters. Kerasea’s role as a high priestess brings spirituality to the forefront, especially how it intertwines with her personal identity and backstory.
Verity Guild was a refreshing read amongst romantasy’s saturated population of books. The prioritization of plot over romance without neglecting the building blocks of chemistry is exactly what I ask out of the subgenre. Well, that, and my favorite romance tropes, of course.
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Image taken from Amazon
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