TALES OF WITCHES AND WYVERNS

In Ramsey’s YA debut, a teenage girl quests through Afallon, the island of Arthurian legend, to rescue her best friend.

Fifteen-year-old Enid Davies and 16-year-old Dylan Roberts live near the Welsh town of Celliwig. They have been best friends for the last nine years, ever since Dylan rescued Enid from bullies. Lately, something more than friendship has sparked between them, but Dylan must leave Celliwig to attend school in London. Enid takes solace in Bendith, an enormous hound she befriends in the woods, and she wonders if things will change between her and Dylan. They certainly will: On the evening of Enid’s 16th birthday party, Dylan is revealed as a shapeshifting wyvern (a species of dragon) prince from Afallon Isle, the Avalon of Arthurian legend. He is abducted back to his homeland by the evil queen Malagant. Transported through a fairy circle that is activated by the wizard Merlin himself, Enid journeys to Afallon to rescue Dylan, accompanied by Bendith and Dylan’s cruel and conceited cousin, Aeddan. Opposed by implacable creatures from Welsh mythology, can Enid and her companions win through to face Malagant and free Dylan? Ramsey’s prose style is straightforward though somewhat excitable, with numerous stock recourses to eyes “narrowing,” “widening,” “bulging,” and “blazing”; hearts get a workout “hammering,” “soaring,” “pounding,” and “racing.” Enid and Dylan evince natural voices when writing letters to each other, but their actual speech tends toward the stilted over-formalism of high fantasy: “I’m so sorry you had to endure any of it. Was it merely a coincidence that you and Dylan ended up in the same spot?” The book’s greatest strength lies in Enid’s character. She exhibits a teen’s doubts and insecurities but is fiercely loyal, determined, and compassionate. In a world filled with powerful creatures, she looks into the hearts of those around her and solves problems by using her intelligence. It is through Enid’s personality that commonplace tropes such as love triangles and enemies becoming friends take on a persuasive magic. The story itself moves quickly, racing through peril and uncertainty. All told, teen fantasists will find much to like here.

Plucky and perilous—a fast-moving fantasy romance adventure.