Review Detail

RPG style teen fantasy with found family, a pretty cover wrap, and lots of heart. The story follows Lucine and Solehan, twin druids who are separated by sudden tragedy that destroys their village (gasp!) and could threaten the entire kingdom (gasp again!). Familiar story beats, but I was surprised by how these and others came to life through the characters, who bring a bold, contemplative perspective as they wrestle with grief, captivity, religious doubt, or even unexpected love. I particularly enjoyed the paladin (defensive tendencies, ideologically conflicted) and the bard (charming, devil-may-care, as bards do).

I did struggle with the writing style. From the first line, the story is so packed with details that it gets in its own way, with the wordiness distracting from the flow. Given the book’s dual release in English and French, I wonder if some of that is due to the translation (although, I’m not sure which version was the “original”, if there was one).

However, I’m rather picky and I’m sure there’s folks who will enjoy the endless, imaginative descriptions and straight-forward narrative. I'd most recommend to younger readers who like fancy words.