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The Autumn Apprentice
A disabled young woman opens her heart to a man with a soul full of secrets and magic of the darkest kind…
Kirzemaj Rüdisch, daughter of a wealthy merchant family, is soon coming of age and ready to enter society. Recovering from a curse that left her disabled, Kirze has spent much of her life in convalescence and seclusion, and now she must learn everything all over again.
Under the guidance of Master Andruš Bagadúr, Kirze discovers not only her lost abilities but a wider world beyond her privileged life—and feelings that call all her beliefs into question.
As the reality of the world unravels, Kirzemaj is torn between duty and desire–because the man is twice her age, of an undesirable, foreign background, and has a darkness about him that, even with her new-found knowledge, Kirze cannot explain…
A romantic fantasy, The Autumn Apprentice is set in a world evocative of Hanseatic Northern Europe and inspired by the histories and mythologies around the Baltic Sea.
Kirzemaj Rüdisch, daughter of a wealthy merchant family, is soon coming of age and ready to enter society. Recovering from a curse that left her disabled, Kirze has spent much of her life in convalescence and seclusion, and now she must learn everything all over again.
Under the guidance of Master Andruš Bagadúr, Kirze discovers not only her lost abilities but a wider world beyond her privileged life—and feelings that call all her beliefs into question.
As the reality of the world unravels, Kirzemaj is torn between duty and desire–because the man is twice her age, of an undesirable, foreign background, and has a darkness about him that, even with her new-found knowledge, Kirze cannot explain…
A romantic fantasy, The Autumn Apprentice is set in a world evocative of Hanseatic Northern Europe and inspired by the histories and mythologies around the Baltic Sea.
- GenresFantasy
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2023
3 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Runes
1 book4 followersAlexandra Runes enjoys silence, solitude, and all things speculative in just about any medium. Writing stories has been her main escape route from reality since an early age and which she fuels by copious amounts of tea, Earl Grey, hot. Occasionally she also plays the violin. She shares her hermit’s house with a long-haired husband and two short-haired cats.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 14, 2025
5/5
I admit, I chose "The Autumn Apprentice" on a whim to fulfill the Award Series prompt from The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do, with this book being a semi-finalist of the Self Published Fantasy Book Off, but I'm so incredibly glad that I did! I was genuinely captivated by every second of this book, I loved everything about it and would honestly read more of it if it existed!
Although I loved everything about this book, I think that the worldbuilding was my favorite part. The world of "The Autumn Apprentice" is a Northern European inspired world with influences and stories drawing from Norse mythology, and it was incredibly well done. The way that the characters interacted with the world, especially the religion of the world, made it feel so much more real and made that worldbuilding even better.
I also did genuinely love Kirzemaj, the main character. I loved seeing her develop throughout the chapters and become a truly strong and independent woman despite the duties expected of her from her family and despite her physical disability from the curse she suffered prior to the events of the book. The slow burn romance and the way it played into her development at the end made seeing that development even more enjoyable.
Kirze is real as hell for her feelings about Andruš, that's all I have to say. I get it, Kirze.
Overall, this was such an incredible book! I didn't know what exactly to expect going into it and definitely didn't expect it to be a 5-star read for me, but I'm so glad that that's how it ended!
I admit, I chose "The Autumn Apprentice" on a whim to fulfill the Award Series prompt from The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do, with this book being a semi-finalist of the Self Published Fantasy Book Off, but I'm so incredibly glad that I did! I was genuinely captivated by every second of this book, I loved everything about it and would honestly read more of it if it existed!
Although I loved everything about this book, I think that the worldbuilding was my favorite part. The world of "The Autumn Apprentice" is a Northern European inspired world with influences and stories drawing from Norse mythology, and it was incredibly well done. The way that the characters interacted with the world, especially the religion of the world, made it feel so much more real and made that worldbuilding even better.
I also did genuinely love Kirzemaj, the main character. I loved seeing her develop throughout the chapters and become a truly strong and independent woman despite the duties expected of her from her family and despite her physical disability from the curse she suffered prior to the events of the book. The slow burn romance and the way it played into her development at the end made seeing that development even more enjoyable.
Kirze is real as hell for her feelings about Andruš, that's all I have to say. I get it, Kirze.
Overall, this was such an incredible book! I didn't know what exactly to expect going into it and definitely didn't expect it to be a 5-star read for me, but I'm so glad that that's how it ended!
December 17, 2024
"The Autumn Apprentice" by Alexandra Runes was one of the 2024 Semifinalists for the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off book awards. I decided to read the preview (about 30%) of each Semifinalist to help me decide on my 2025 TBR!
This book is exceptionally nicely written. It has the flavor of historical fiction, like "Pride and Prejudice", and with little clear appearance of fantasy elements thus far. However, I am already engaged in the story line, with a debutante MC facing chronic pain and the threat of public revelation of her frailty and ignorance. Kirzemaj is a character for whom it is easy to sympathize; her life is hardly her own given her physical limitations. Her memories, bright as they are, are almost more painful, for she knows what she lost. This preview revealed her awkward introduction to the tutor whose mission it is to make her presentably less uneducated before her debut.
This is not my normal genre, but I think I am going to continue on anyway. I suppose my TBR doesn't HAVE to be 100% epic fantasy. :)
This book is exceptionally nicely written. It has the flavor of historical fiction, like "Pride and Prejudice", and with little clear appearance of fantasy elements thus far. However, I am already engaged in the story line, with a debutante MC facing chronic pain and the threat of public revelation of her frailty and ignorance. Kirzemaj is a character for whom it is easy to sympathize; her life is hardly her own given her physical limitations. Her memories, bright as they are, are almost more painful, for she knows what she lost. This preview revealed her awkward introduction to the tutor whose mission it is to make her presentably less uneducated before her debut.
This is not my normal genre, but I think I am going to continue on anyway. I suppose my TBR doesn't HAVE to be 100% epic fantasy. :)
September 12, 2025
6 stars irl. i mean…just…oh my god. one of the best things i’ve read this year. worldbuilding 10/10 romance 10/10 characters 10/10. just so peak. several points where i had to put the book down and run a lap around my room. sooooooooooo amazing >o<
February 15, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed the slow-burn romance, the calm, immersive atmosphere, and the MC’s inner journey.
September 24, 2024
This is an extremely slow paced romantic fantasy about a disabled young woman whose parents hire a tutor for bringing her out to society.
Kirzemaj Rüdisch is the only daughter of wealthy merchants. She has been a tomboy and a bully in childhood before a curse left her disabled and unable to form coherent sentences. In her nineteenth year, her parents hire a tutor, Master Andruš Bagadúr to educate her so she can be presented to society in six months. Even before her curse Kirze has never been interested in reading or writing, and she is not happy with the present arrangement despite her disability.
Bit by bit, her tutor gets her interested in learning and in questioning the world around her, including her faith, something that she had blindly accepted till then. She is made aware of her privileged existence and the inequalities and iniquities of the world around her. A newfound appreciation for books leads her to challenge everything she had ever believed in, and to look at her tutor with new eyes.
But Master Andruš Bagadúr is not just her teacher; he is almost twice as old as her, and a foreigner, one without any rights. When new laws are being discussed by her bigoted older brother that would make it impossible for Andruš Bagadúr to work, he would have no choice but to leave.
This was, as I said before, an extremely slow paced book. Nothing significant happens in it, and yet, everything does. Kirze's transformation from an unlettered cripple who was afraid to show her face anywhere to a confident young woman assertive of her opinions is gradual. Part of it is due to her education, but in part, it is due to who she was before the curse, the pampered young daughter of wealthy parents. Her curse has no cure, there's only alleviating the symptoms. Kirze will never not be disabled, but she has learned to accept it as well as the many aches and pains that came with her curse.
Andruš is a mysterious character from start to finish. Kirze herself has never been able to read him when she was his student and even later when they meet at formal functions. Though he does reveal his backstory to her, the man himself remains a mystery till almost the very end. Kirze's conservative family, her extremely bigoted oldest brother, her other gay brother and the society where women seek the company of others for the warmth they couldn't find in their marital bed are all brought to life well.
Magic as such is not a big part of the book, though we know it exists. The religion followed by Kirze and her family is a large part of it, and Kirze beginning to challenge its tenets is one of the steps in her character growth.
The descriptions of Kirze's curse and subsequent disability are heart breaking and the subject is treated with care and respect as it deserves to be.
The world building and characters are all well done and the writing held me captive from the start. If you're into low fantasy and disabled rep, I recommend you give this a try.
Kirzemaj Rüdisch is the only daughter of wealthy merchants. She has been a tomboy and a bully in childhood before a curse left her disabled and unable to form coherent sentences. In her nineteenth year, her parents hire a tutor, Master Andruš Bagadúr to educate her so she can be presented to society in six months. Even before her curse Kirze has never been interested in reading or writing, and she is not happy with the present arrangement despite her disability.
Bit by bit, her tutor gets her interested in learning and in questioning the world around her, including her faith, something that she had blindly accepted till then. She is made aware of her privileged existence and the inequalities and iniquities of the world around her. A newfound appreciation for books leads her to challenge everything she had ever believed in, and to look at her tutor with new eyes.
But Master Andruš Bagadúr is not just her teacher; he is almost twice as old as her, and a foreigner, one without any rights. When new laws are being discussed by her bigoted older brother that would make it impossible for Andruš Bagadúr to work, he would have no choice but to leave.
This was, as I said before, an extremely slow paced book. Nothing significant happens in it, and yet, everything does. Kirze's transformation from an unlettered cripple who was afraid to show her face anywhere to a confident young woman assertive of her opinions is gradual. Part of it is due to her education, but in part, it is due to who she was before the curse, the pampered young daughter of wealthy parents. Her curse has no cure, there's only alleviating the symptoms. Kirze will never not be disabled, but she has learned to accept it as well as the many aches and pains that came with her curse.
Andruš is a mysterious character from start to finish. Kirze herself has never been able to read him when she was his student and even later when they meet at formal functions. Though he does reveal his backstory to her, the man himself remains a mystery till almost the very end. Kirze's conservative family, her extremely bigoted oldest brother, her other gay brother and the society where women seek the company of others for the warmth they couldn't find in their marital bed are all brought to life well.
Magic as such is not a big part of the book, though we know it exists. The religion followed by Kirze and her family is a large part of it, and Kirze beginning to challenge its tenets is one of the steps in her character growth.
The descriptions of Kirze's curse and subsequent disability are heart breaking and the subject is treated with care and respect as it deserves to be.
The world building and characters are all well done and the writing held me captive from the start. If you're into low fantasy and disabled rep, I recommend you give this a try.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews