Rag and Bone

I loved Crispin and Ned in their debut short story, and this novel fleshes both characters out in ways that I wasn't expecting. It was great to return to this world, and there were quite a few appearances from familiar characters. This book spoils the plot of [b:Jackdaw 22885333 Jackdaw (The World of A Charm of Magpies) K.J. Charles https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407489431s/22885333.jpg 42454930] pretty thoroughly, so I'd recommend reading that one first. There are only minor spoilers for Stephen and Lucien's story, though - this one, [b:A Queer Trade 28225450 A Queer Trade (Rag and Bone, #0.5) K.J. Charles https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1450274561s/28225450.jpg 48253219], and Jackdaw could be read as their own series, I think.I guessed what the plot would be from very early on, but the turns it took still surprised me. It's definitely a page-turner. Crispin needed a second mentor so badly that it was easy for him to fall into Dr. Sweet's orbit. It's a pattern which is far too easy for people to fall into, always gravitating towards abusers, and it made for an emotional read, following Crispin's journey towards becoming his own person.Ned and Crispin are great together. I find it incredibly romantic that from their first meeting in A Queer Trade, Ned decided he was on Crispin's side no matter what, and he just stayed there. Their conflict was easy to understand because their characters were both developed so well. It was heartbreaking, though, because they just weren't hearing each other, partly because of their different experiences as marginalized people. Crispin's attitude was formed by his gender nonconformity, that he's never felt like much of a man, whereas Ned has lived all his life in a racist and classist world. I thought it was brilliant writing, the scene in which Crispin is responding to Ned's anger and Crispin thinks he is explaining himself really well, but he isn't saying the things that would make Ned understand what's really going on. It was an amazingly realistic depiction of an argument.Another highlight for me was Ned thinking about masculinity:Crispin wouldn't strike anyone as a tough sort. Some might call him pansyish, even, what with he wouldn't be the first into a fight, talked light, wore his feelings on his sleeve. Ned didn't see a problem with any of that. So what if Crispin cried easy? Ned's father had prided himself on being the toughest mother's son on the docks, and had probably never shed a tear in his life. He'd used gin and his fists to vent his feelings instead. If that was manly, Ned would rather have a molly.In addition to the many other ways in which this book stands out in this genre - great writing, an engaging plot, a black main character, a gender-nonconforming main character - it was so refreshing to read a book about men who don't have anal sex because they prefer not to, and they're both happy with the situation.I loved the ending, and it definitely left it open for the series to continue. I hope there will be more books about these two.