Title: A Rival Most Vial
Author: R. K. Ashwick
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance / Fantasy
Release Date: January 25, 2023
Star Rating: 7/10
*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing A Rival Most Vial, which was Lynn’s Books & The Critiquing Chemist’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Summary
Two potion shops, one heated rivalry. Until hate bubbles over into something else.
Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.
Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…
The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.
The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble, they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.
Our Thoughts
So, without much further ado, let us jump straight into our judges’ thoughts!
Julia
I really enjoyed this one a lot!
Especially the first half was my cup of tea, or rather my cauldron full of potions! This is a cozy fantasy, with found family, banter, charming small street shops and a slice of life feel to it.
I adored the slow and harmonic feel to this! Exploring the life of our main character and his friends and getting a glimpse of this new world that feels familiar and fresh at the same time. I love the heroes coming through, shopping for their next quest, and also the magic and alchemy at hand.
There are some adventures and suspenseful scenes, but overall, it’s more of a calm and quiet read. The few quicker scenes definitely struck a good balance for me!
The romance was a bit heavy for me in the second half. It was cute, but I could have done with less, “I’d wanted to take him into the supply closet,” thoughts. I understood it after the first few times. Overall it was nice to see these two slowly getting closer, and if even I, who usually detest romance in my fantasy, doesn’t mind, that speaks for the book surely!
Kerry
I enjoyed the first half of this book immensely; I’m a huge fan of alchemy and/or the brewing of potions. Also, the invention and creation of necessary accoutrements of adventure hunting.
The setting of this book was small and delightful: small streets with a variety of shops and their wares, the stadium for the games of Fireball, as well as a training ground for would-be and experienced adventurers. There’s definitely a wider world out there but the focus here is on residents’ daily lives.
The prose in this book was certainly well written but I did have issues with some turns of phrase in certain parts of the book—descriptive sentences with the words “skintight leggings”, “his pointy ears glowed a rosy pink when embarrassed” (paraphrasing there—sorry).
As well as the worldbuilding, it was the delightful array of side characters who helped me get through the entirety of this book. Though they aren’t all “side” characters as such—they are the crux of Ambrose’s survival, and they all love him in a pure, platonic, and found family way and all are important characters in their own right.
Unfortunately, the romance and the oft written angst, “will I, should I, can I,” and the self-torture of “he won’t, I’m not worth it,” rears its tortuous head.
Now don’t let the fact that I have a heart that’s packed in ice & buried in cement deter you from this book. I can see it doing extremely well amongst the readers who love a good cozy romantasy book.
Lana
Firstly, I love the play on words with this title and it kind of sets the tone for the book. It’s fun, and that was exactly my experience reading this book.
It is a cozy, low stakes taste of life romantasy, packed with all of my favourite tropes. Found family, enemies to lovers, forced proximity with lots of fun banter.
The community of the shop owners in this book is what won me over. The banter, the care, the family like ‘drama’ it all gave me the warm fuzzies.
The main character Ambrose was quite unlikable to begin with, which was a great choice and really established the reason a rivalry would form naturally with their near polar opposite personalities and approach to doing things.
The alchemy and potions were fun, as was seeing all the hero types come through the store. It was fun being on the other side of the tale for a change.
As a romantasy reader, the romance felt like a natural effect of being forced in close proximity and I like that they fought it and themselves for a bit as it added to the tension and was even more sweet when they admitted it.
All in all, this was a fun, sweet read and I would like to read more in this series/world.
Max
I’m afraid this book wasn’t really for me. It was nicely written, but the characters and story failed to grip me. I’m not one for romance stories, but I’m sure fans of the fantasy/romance combination will enjoy it more than I did.
Yaniv
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the premise itself, plus concocting new potions sounded really fun and easy going in a creative kind of way. Personally, I’d read another cozy fantasy in the past few weeks so maybe the effect just wasn’t as strong. I also felt the romance part could have been toned down a bit, and that way the stakes might have been more enjoyable for me. That said, I’m not the target audience, and have no doubt this would be really fun for romantasy lovers.
– – –
And again, you can see the list of all the finalists and their scores here. Our judges are Adawia Asad, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Lana Taylor, Robert Max Freeman, Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene