One of the reasons I got burned out on mainstream speculative fiction was the lack of diversity. Luckily, I’ve since found amazing indie authors who fill that niche whenever I get the craving for a certain genre. This particular open-world urban fantasy may be set in the stereotypical setting of historic England, but Sherwood makes it clear early on that the majority of the cast are flavors of multiracial and/or queer. Also too often underrepresented, the queer element of this novel is not because a romance arc serves as the primary conflict element but instead serves as a driving factor in character history and interpersonal dynamics.
I do look forward to the romance that might be more prevalent in future installments of this series, but this book exists primarily as a solid adventure story that does a wonderful job of introducing us to this world through action rather than sharing background information through the narrative. The narrative language used is evocative of the setting and time period without ever feeling contrived or unwieldy. However, the style also created some distance between the reader and the primary point-of-view character, so I felt I learned more about everyone around Adrien Danvers than about Adrien himself. While his interactions with others allowed me to fill in some of the gaps, this disconnect meant that I enjoyed the story but never felt immersed in it.
The potential romance between two characters is presented as an incredibly slow burn, but it’s appropriate for the setting and how well the characters get to know each other in this story. The pining between Adrien and Hugh is sweet, and the societal limits of England in this book warrant their caution enough that the pining doesn’t become overwrought. Adrien’s partial obliviousness is more of an entertaining delight, especially when combined with the matchmaking efforts of certain apprentices. The current state of affairs might get frustrating if it goes on for too long in the follow-up novel, but I can’t wait to dive into it and continue learning about this refreshing fantasy world.