a good short tale of becoming a Knight, but several instances where sexual acts are referred to as if just some slight foible of humanity and not the deadly thing they are. ( )

This review was originally posted on Hot Stuff for Cool People.

This is a really simple book, stylistically, written in an uncomplicated way that’s reminiscent of fairytales or even children’s fantasy stories, although it’s neither of these things. This is definitely an adult book, and held a lot more emotional impact for me than almost any true fairytale I’ve ever read. Although the writing is straightforward, it’s neat and clean, and the short descriptions are so finely written that every image, scene, and character was crystal clear to me. The adventures that Adelrune undertakes are believable, and, although some mythical things are mentioned, each one feels interesting and new, not as if it’s something that’s been written over and over.

Before I started reading this, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the book because I knew there was a weird time skip in Adelrune’s life. But this was handled really well, just like pretty much everything else in the book. It’s just a really lovely, captivating stand‐alone fantasy novel. ( )