With her death foretold, Althea Zoltaire only has three years to become what she’s always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.
The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.
All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.
Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr – or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?
If you like fierce sword-wielding heroines and brooding, tortured heroes, you will devour this sexy, addictive fantasy adventure.
The warsword way
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book, especially with the weird fantasy gender roles. However, even though the men forced women to give up their blades because of some prophecy, it’s filled with strong female characters, each likable in their own way. Especially the FL’s sister—she overshadowed her in almost every scene.
so pick me…choose me
Thea is totally the definition of a ‘pick me’ girl, and yeah, it’s annoying, especially at the start. But hear me out—I think that’s the point. And one more thing… I actually think the romance between the pick-me girl and the brooding, kinda sexist ML works well together. It’s like, when you mildly dislike both main characters, but because you don’t fully vibe with either of them, you’re like, ‘yeah, this works.’
Aged up?
It seems like a common complaint that the FL, even though she’s 24, constantly acts like a teenager. I’d agree that she’s definitely immature, but an immature 24-year-old isn’t rare! The thought never crossed my mind that it was unrealistic because… have y’all not met a 24-year-old who still acts like they’re 18? Yes, the FL is immature and annoying, but I never found it unrealistic haha.
Honestly, I had quite a few complaints about this book, but overall, I still enjoyed it. What really pushed it to 4 stars for me was the writing—I haven’t read a book with so many quotable lines in a while.
tldr: I think this book does romantasy really well—it’s well-written, albeit predictable. Still, it’s an enjoyable and easy read. It might not blow you away, but it’ll leave you pleasantly surprised. Honestly, it’s the perfect remedy for a romantasy reading slump.
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