I’m kind of surprised I liked this because it kind of grated at me at first… and then.
Backstory: It’s the quadrennial Tournament of Dragon-Slayers, where the greatest knights (lacking dragons to slay, having slayed them all) compete for the hand of a Fair Princess… and her dowry.
Isobelle is the princess, with her ladies in waiting friends, viewing the whole affair with a bit of dread because… there are some real asshats in the ranks. Creepy old guys, horny young guys and… ew. Which is when she and her friends visit the Trader’s Fair and come across…
Gwen is an apprentice blacksmith working for her father. Actually… she IS the blacksmith, because her father is still deeply depressed by the death of her mother a couple years ago (and, side not, as a reader, can I say I really liked that it was just portrayed as depression and not drunk?). And Gwen REALLY wants to be a knight. She’s made her own sword, designed and forged her own armor and not only manages to sneak into the tournament, but win her first bout! And that’s enough for her, she’s ready to go back home… except Isobelle recognized the sword at the blacksmith booth. And Isobelle may be flighty at times, but she’s determined. She makes a plan that Gwen will fight as a man of mystery while fitting in with the ladies in court. No pressure.
There’s a lot going on here. There’s also explorations of the importance of storytelling and WHO tells the stories as elite story of Brave Knights differs from the villagers talking about sufficiency. And patriarchy. And who determines your worth and your word. And and and… a lot of things that resonate these days. And if they felt a little unsubtle to me, I’m not the audience.
Now, the bit that grated on me is that it’s set in a very modern Medieval setting. Like Isobelle is wandering the tournament with a cheesecake on a stick, noting the “floppy knight” figure that’s flailing over a bonfire and so on. I’m not really a stickler, but this needs a deft touch. Done well, it’s a sight gag. Done poorly, I find it really dissonant and jarring. Here it’s very much in line with, say, Robin Hood Men In Tights. Knights and dragons and kings… and merch and brunch and… Hell, I was chuckling and enjoying it. It’s stuck in my head in a way other a lot of books done. Recommended.
–Chris B., Seattle, WA
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