Mess of a story with worst ending ever

Aqib is a young man of a diminished family, their last hope to ascend back to relevancy. Lucrio, on the other hand, is a warrior from Daluz, part of a delegation to Olorum. One night they meet and fall in love.

A Taste of Honey begins as a carnal love story but soon moves towards social critique. It's only too bad it's done in so hamfisted way. The story magnifies traditional gender stereotypes, adds in toxic masculinity and builds on that.

While it does break the mold in places - Aqib running family while his wife pursues career, intellectual endeavours being the realm for women - it doesn't really manage to explore either the romantic or the societal plot line.

The world is a weird mix of antiquity and science fiction: Dalucians seem like Romans, Olorum might be a bit Greek, but their gods are definitely technologically advanced with their holograms and transhumanism.

The language of the book is theatrical and reminds me of Russian classics, and not in a good way. The structure mixes the timeline for no apparent reason, and the ending is a complete letdown.