An engaging, character-driven tale of romance and clashing swords.
In Buckley’s debut fantasy novel, a warrior princess fights to forge her own path while a warlord threatens her kingdom.
Princess Waenia Wyvarian is the only child of the King of Thiros and heir to the throne. Taking in the orphan girl after violence shattered his family, King Secarion raised Waenia to “break bones.” She also has a power inside her, one she doesn’t fully understand—this is part of the reason the 13-year-old can take down full-grown knights. When she reaches her 20s, her father wants to marry her off to Prince Malvaris of the neighboring kingdom Alambia to be her king in Thiros. The true purpose behind the marriage is uniting the two kingdoms, whose respective kings are brothers-turned-enemies who haven’t spoken in a decade. When the kingdoms are joined, their united people will then be able to make a stand against the fearsome warlord Luvian Veskar, the so-called God-King who’s been ravaging kingdoms in the west and is headed toward Thiros. Waenia adamantly refuses to wed the unappealing Malvaris, an arrogant and contemptible man not fit for a throne. She’s already drawn to a charming stranger she’s just met, who she soon learns is Alambia’s High Commander, Lord Darrion Rhoane. Is it possible for Waenia and Darrion to defy everyone and simply be together? Or is the engagement with Malvaris the only way to show that these two kingdoms have the strength to fend off Luvian? The warlord may have a particular reason for storming Thiros—he evidently knows about something special that’s hiding inside a cave, which Waenia and some others have kept secret for years.
Buckley’s novel, which kicks off a series, takes its time establishing a dynamic cast. Waenia harbors a mysterious past and is skilled with weapons; she’s slowly forging (with the help of the endearing alchemist Fenndralf) a powerful staff that “drinks the sun” and “burns with it.” Secarion’s devotion as a father shines through, belying his harsh exterior, and Darrion makes for an appealing romantic interest who, with kingdoms gearing up for a battle, plays an integral role throughout. Much of this first installment teems with questions and mysteries regarding such things as the source of Waenia’s power, whatever is in that cave, and Darrion’s hatred of Waenia’s father. (Happily, readers are given quite a few answers.) The narrative, which begins in Thiros, gradually expands outside the kingdom and organically ushers in new places and characters. The action scenes are quick and sharp, though not abundant, and there are hints of magic as well, mostly in the cast’s compellingly complex and interwoven histories. The author’s sublime, minimalist prose style enlivens every scene: “A volley hissed through the air. She yanked the reins too late. Sybella reared, screaming. Waenia’s balance broke—then she was airborne… The stars spun. The ground twisted. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.” Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of ground still to cover by the end, which comes in the form of a doozy of a cliffhanger.
An engaging, character-driven tale of romance and clashing swords.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2025
ISBN: 9798264464683
Page Count: 488
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
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