An enchantress lives in a castle in the mountains, alone but for her menagerie of mythical creatures. To the people below, they are barely-remembered beasts of old tales and she is not much different. Her solitude is shattered when a man knocks on her door with a baby in his arms.
This is a beautiful book, mystical and magical. There is romance, but it is not a romance – it is more of a coming-of-age as Sybel leaves her mountain home and discovers the world outside her gates. She is at once powerful and fragile, scheming and naïve. She is ill-used and makes mistakes, but rises above like the Liralen, the legendary bird she has never been able to call.
The setting is fantastical and familiar, a typical agrarian kingdom with a touch of magic on the side; the prose is powerful and dreamlike, timeless in its simplicity. Normally I rate books on how much I want to read more, but the ending was so perfect it defies this. If you enjoy fantasy beyond heroic quests and sword fights, please read this.
Five magical stars
I received a copy of this story from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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