Right, I haven't cried this much over a book since [b:Men of Tattoos|10758994|Men of Tattoos|Yuiji Aniya|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311374641s/10758994.jpg|15670331]. But while Aniya Yuiji sets out (successfully, very successfully ;_; ) to break your heart and leaves you to ponder the pieces (it's great though! Go read it!), Amy Lane is a bit kinder - this is not a tragedy, but a fairytale about recognizing love and defining the nature of that love, with the undercurrent of darkness that is a part of (non-bowdlerized) fairytales breaking through here and there and a good deal of smexing thrown in.

I was a little worried about the bear prince part, but found it oddly convincing and not as unneccessary to the story as other reviewers - it's indeed about choice and an interesting take on the elements in the original tale of Snow-White and Rose-Red (for another slightly icky take there is [b:Tender Morsels|13793307|Tender Morsels|Margo Lanagan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337261153s/13793307.jpg|2687395]; slightly icky because in that story, too, the figure of the bear is simultaneously linked to companionship, menace, and muddled sexuality - just as the original intended, probably). The ending of Hammer & Air is beautiful in its absoluteness, but suffused with the knowledge that even HEAs will have to end one day. And now I made myself tear up again, dammit. ( )

Read for m/m team bingo challenge.

Read for m/m team bingo challenge. ( )