THE BENIGHTED

This first installment of a fantasy series set in a pseudo–Middle Ages realm follows a princess as she becomes forced to battle treachery in her father’s kingdom.

Twenty-three-year-old Skylar Mandolyn’s seemingly idyllic royal life is turned upside down when her father appoints an adviser to help him rule the kingdom. Although the king trusts the judgment of his adviser, Cross Lutherus, explicitly, the princess sees the man for what he is—a manipulative snake who is attempting to isolate the monarch from his family and friends. When Skylar’s brother and heir to the throne, Brayden, dies under mysterious circumstances, she and her personal knight, Sir Harlin Brien—a soldier whose sole mission is to protect the princess—realize a meticulously planned, grand-scale conspiracy has been unleashed. With Skylar now the only heir to the throne, Lutherus begins a not-so-subtle campaign to get her to agree to marry a prince from a nearby adversarial kingdom, effectively saving her realm from war but also quite possibly dooming all of its residents to enslavement or death. Skylar has no intention of signing any nuptial agreement, even after her father is murdered and Harlin is wrongfully convicted of the crime. When Lutherus confines Skylar and attempts to torture her into signing the agreement, she realizes time is quickly running out. If she—or Harlin—can’t stop the treacherous plot, her kingdom and her people will be lost forever. While the premise and setting don’t necessarily bring anything new to the category, the dynamism between Skylar and Harlin is electric and powers Dunnewin’s narrative throughout. Additionally, both characters are identifiable and endearing in their own ways and have plenty of room to grow and evolve in future installments. Lastly, the author’s focus on description in these pages undeniably strengthens the immersive nature of the read: “The large iron portcullis was already pulled up for the wagons that would be entering later with fresh food for the kitchens, allowing Skylar and Harlin to ride out past the wall without being stopped. They continued on down through the cobblestone streets of Correnth, past the creamy cement walls and the sienna-brown and salmon-colored roofs, the green hedges and wrought-iron fences.”

Two main characters filled with potential make this a promising start to a fantasy saga.