Editorial Reviews for Nominees
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Editorial Reviews for Nominees
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Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)
Tales of Witches and Wyverns is an excellent YA fantasy novel by S. Ramsey! It features likable (dare we say lovable) characters, next-level world-building, and an overall pleasant reading experience. This book stars Enid, a teenage girl with a rich lineage, being descended from Sir Cai (probably better known as Sir Kay) and a powerful witch named Lady Sulis, both staples of Arthurian lore. And that was perhaps one of the pleasant surprises of this book: it's actually inspired by Arthurian lore (the stories of King Arthur and his knights of the round table)! It features a now-liberated version of Merlin (known as “Mr. Ambrose” in this book) and—perhaps more impressively—a powerful, feminized, yet strangely humanized version of Maligant (known as “Malagant”) in this book. However, the Arthurian lore is window dressing to what really drives this book: the characters and their chemistry. There is such great chemistry between the characters in this book! That all starts with Enid and Dylan—candidates for both “Best Couple” and “Best Dynamic Duo.” We learn more and more about Enid and Dylan as the book goes along. We learn about Enid's unique lineage and powers. We learn about Dylan being a betrothed prince and a water wyvern. However, again, that's really all window dressing. What you really need to take away from Enid and Dylan is that they are FRIENDS—practically lifers. And we don't say that lightly. It's not often as a reader that you can feel this degree of friendship, care, love, and camaraderie coming from two characters, yet Enid and Dylan emanate this. And that's even considering that Dylan is absent from the story for most of the book. It really doesn't matter because the power of the relationship is established from the get-go. Enid and Dylan have been friends since the age of nine when Dylan, a new kid on the block, was the first and only person to stand up for Enid when she was bullied. So, naturally, they became great friends. As an aside, Enid's main bully, Tommy, also has his own little arc, which we thought was a nice touch. Another great protagonist in this book is Rhodri, who first appears to us in the human realm as a dog-like creature, cursed by his emotionally and morally-conflicted sister, Ceridwin. The subplot and struggle between the two shapeshifting siblings is interesting and powerful in itself, but what's arguably even more touching and powerful is the bond that Rhodri shares with Enid, having been trapped in the form of her pet for so long. Now, you could make the argument that Rhodri is basically the Jacob Black (from Twilight) of a sort of love triangle, but that wouldn't be 100% accurate. Rhodri's love for Enid is similar but different than Dylan's. Rhodri and Enid share an almost mentor-mentee relationship. Rhodri teaches, looks after, and protects Enid the same way that Enid taught, looked after, and protected him when he was a hound. It also needs to be mentioned that shapeshifting in this book isn't limited to hounds or even wyverns. No, these shapeshifters can turn into a whole bunch of things! Even bears! Another great aspect of this book is the world-building. The alternate Fae/Arthurian realm, which features a magic system called Alchemy, is full of all sorts of strange and extraordinary creatures like the aforementioned wyverns and fae. It doesn't end there, however. There are kelpie, griffins, and even walking plants! Out of all the creatures that inhabit the land of Fae, perhaps the one that caught our attention the most is the Afanc, terrifying aquatic creatures (perhaps comparable to killer-mermaids or sirens) that, if caught, are able to grant a wish, usually at a tremendous cost to the one making the wish. The Afanc operate similar to Starn, the main villain of The Well by Barbara Hill. They prey on a person's wants, dreams, and desires, usually tricking them into making a wish to their own detriment. Can Enid be the noble one who can survive a Afanc encounter and make the right choice? Lastly, we have to talk about the main villain of this book, Malagant, queen of the Unseelie. Malagant is female in this telling of Arthurian lore. Uniquely, she's also an octopus-like creature similar to Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Despite her terrifying appearance, fearsome reputation, and reprehensible acts including the kidnapping of Dylan, Queen Malagant is not pure evil. She's actually quite a tragic and sympathetic character, which is why we said that she is humanized more than the Maligant of Arthur. See, Malagant's monstrous powers are pretty much a curse. They are a double-edged sword that cause her tremendous pain, pain that—if she were given a choice—she would trade away to rid herself of. Now, with that said, she's still a villain that needs to be stopped. And that's where Enid shines. Enid isn't this overpowered female protagonist. She's actually quite weak and vulnerable, especially since she really hasn't come into her own as a magic-wielder yet. However, where she shines is her cunning and intellect. Enid is a thinker and a strategist. She finds ways to get closer to her enemies rather than attacking them outright. She figures out their weaknesses, like when she is able to deduce that her enemy has three hearts. She identifies what creatures like the Afanc actually want and ways to work around their machinations. No, this book isn't perfect. And, no, it's not like nothing we've ever read before. In fact, it shares a lot of similarities with other works like Kelpie by Ashley Chapman and Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse by Aurora Winter. However, this book provides some memorable characters, great chemistry between some of those characters, and top-notch world-building. Check it out on Amazon!
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