This is a delightfully fun classic fantasy novel, beautifully narrated by Brenock O'Connor and made compulsively readable by the mysteries - big and small - woven throughout.

It's a bit slow to start and probably a bit too long, but it nonetheless had me hooked till the very end; the worldbuilding is fascinating, hinting at much more to come, the plot engaging, well-paced and full of fun twists and turns (though Lukan's exceptional luck does ocassionally lean towards glaringly obvious plot armour). Lukan is pretty generic as fantasy protags go, but not offensively so, and Flea - the street urchin turned Lukan's guide/sidekick/friend - is a highlight among the supporting characters, bound to become a reader-favourite. Their dynamic is deeply endearing. I do have some criticisms - kinda sucks that the only fat character in the story is a stereotype, for example - but I definitely want to see where it all goes from here.

Overall, yeah, it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre, but it sure is FUN, so [shrugs] I really can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, especially with the great setup at the end of this book 🫶

(Thanks to Quercus Audio and Netgalley for the ARC!)