This was okay. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for (mostly based on the cover) and I think my expectations were a little too high. This read like a YA book to me, which is fine, but I think my biggest hang-up was that I never really liked Aelis and the book is entrenched in her experiences and thoughts.

I found Aelis self absorbed and entitled, and while some characters responded positively to her more abrasive approach to people, I thought she was unnecessarily rude. She did have some moments where she was more reasonable after insulting people, but it felt to me like there was a lot of room for character improvement that doesn't seem to be coming because she mostly didn't face any consequences for her attitude. 

I didn't find the residents of Lone Pine particularly interesting either, and her interactions with them take up the bulk of the first half of the book. I did like the love interest (who plays a very minor role and is absent for most of the story) and the huntsman/guide she works with for a portion of the second half of the book. I also thought the plot mysteries were fairly intriguing, and they are what mostly got me through to the end.

The audiobook narrator was good, I think they matched the energy the author intended. 

Not sure if I will continue with the series or not, I had a physical copy of this book and I might just donate it.

I’m so glad I ended up liking this a lot! The first half was a little slow, and I didn’t start vibing with Aelis until a while into the book. But once we met Tun and started getting into Necromancy stuff, I was hooked. Will definitely be continuing in the series. 

I knew this book was right up my alley when I read the synopsis, but this has jumped right up to my favorite new read of the year so far. Aelis jumps off the wagon from the long road from her cushy magic university life to the absolute edge of the country to start her career as a warden, where no one greets her and most everyone is afraid of her and her home for the next two years is a crumbling tower at the edge of town.

What unfolds is a story with gradually increasing stakes and small mysteries that grow in size. Aelis is perfectly realized, and I loved getting glimpses of her schooling and how those lessons can be applied - practically or not - to the situations in which she finds herself in Lone Pine, and how seriously she takes her duty, even if all she wants is a nap, a good book, and a bottle of wine.

The humor, dialogue, and character interactions and relationships are all immaculate. Aelis bonding with Tun in the wilderness was my favorite section, and I can't wait to see more of their friendship in the next book. And, of course, Maurenia, the red-headed half-elf who loves building things and wants to smooch Aelis. After being a Locked Tomb fan, it's nice to see the redhead and the goth girl FINALLY smooch.

To that end, this one absolutely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I don't find it that egregious because the final line did make me laugh out loud in surprise, and the sequel comes out in 3 weeks so I blessedly don't need to wait that long. Which is good, because I have SO MANY QUESTIONS, and I plan on pining over them.

This book started out slow and for a good chunk of it, I had no idea what the plot was going to be. It's thanks to the voice, I think, that I kept reading and once the pace picked up, I couldn't put it down. 

It didn’t draw me in. The world-building is too slim. It felt very episodic in a way that didn’t flow for me and I didn’t like the main character or how she seemed to accomplish everything (accept making people like her but she’s not trying to do that) despite it being her first job ever. It felt a little too easy.

 

This is one of those Fantasy books that I feel like has been very misrepresented both by it's cover (which is beautiful) and it's pitch. The Warden was a cozy fantasy about a wizard sent to a 'back-water' town to become their Warden. This role puts her into basically the position of a sheriff or justice of the peace. She also works as the town medic and assists the town with tasks from reading and writing letters to fixing fences when needed. Unfortunately for Aelis, this town where she is to take up this job is frightened of her. Mainly due to the black robes and Necromancer colors she bears. She graduated with certification from three schools, but the Necromancy school is her primary and scariest one. Over the course of the novel we see her begin to win over the townsfolk, find new friends, and uncover a dark plot.

First off, there is no way this isn't D&D inspired. It could be hard to see for someone who is not familiar with the systems of Dungeons & Dragons, but if you are it's obvious but delightful. Mr. Ford has adapted the idea of the spell slot (that mechanic in D&D that limits a spellcasters abilities per level) into the magic system here. In addition the schools of magic are very much true to the same system that D&D has. For that this book won for me endless marks - I am a DM and lover of Dungeons & Dragons and I just want to get this out of the way. This book is for people like me.

Now to the rest of the book! The characters are fantastic and well drawn. What I would call our primary cast is clearly the strongest and most developed but the others give just enough intrigue and have enough dimension to add to the story. A lot of interesting setup for future books can be seen in these characters, while also helping the cozy feeling of the book with a tight knit, friendly cast. The story itself is much the same! The first portion of this is Aelis arriving and finding her Tower in ruins. Thus we follow her as she begins to make friends, find improvements and performs small tasks. It's not till nearly 40% that we see the meat of the plot begin to appear but it felt so relaxing and fun till that point that I didn't mind at all.

The ending of this book did have me enraged. Not because it was poorly done or because I didn't like it but because CLIFFHANGER MUCH? This is one of those rare occasions where I am so mad I have to wait for another book that I almost wanted to dock a star from this - which would have been unfair so I did not - but what a way to end it! I laid my ereader down and shouted at my husband "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT?"

Final thoughts - ignore the 'action packed' phrasing and the dynamic cover, which again IS BEAUTIFUL. This book felt farm more reminiscent of something like Legends & Lattes to me. Sure there is some fighting and some action later in the book but the vibes and the feels sink this into the Cozy Fantasy genre for me. I recommend this whole heartedly to fans of that genre and my fellow Dungeons & Dragons nerds. This is a fantastic new book to start a new series and I'm pumped to get my own copy, and also anxiously awaiting the next book!