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The Warden #3
Advocate
Aelis de Lenti is back on her home turf, but it's not quite as welcoming as she remembered....
Recalled from Lone Pine to investigate claims of murder by magic against her mentor--legendary Warden Bardun Jacques--Aelis takes to the streets of the grand city of Lascenise, and plumbs the deepest secrets of the Lyceum to clear his name. Certain of her success, she doesn't count on thieves, subterranean labyrinths, or the assassins that dog her steps from the moment she leaves her tower.
Behind all of it lurks a ring of unknown wizards who can seemingly reach anyone with their magic. Without knowing who she can trust, Aelis must gather what allies she can to unravel the web of intrigue, murder, smuggling, and theft originating in the halls of magic power. With an old friend from her college days, a war-haunted gnome thief-catcher, and the advice of her imprisoned advisor, Aelis races to save lives and expose a conspiracy that seeks to change the face of the world.
Recalled from Lone Pine to investigate claims of murder by magic against her mentor--legendary Warden Bardun Jacques--Aelis takes to the streets of the grand city of Lascenise, and plumbs the deepest secrets of the Lyceum to clear his name. Certain of her success, she doesn't count on thieves, subterranean labyrinths, or the assassins that dog her steps from the moment she leaves her tower.
Behind all of it lurks a ring of unknown wizards who can seemingly reach anyone with their magic. Without knowing who she can trust, Aelis must gather what allies she can to unravel the web of intrigue, murder, smuggling, and theft originating in the halls of magic power. With an old friend from her college days, a war-haunted gnome thief-catcher, and the advice of her imprisoned advisor, Aelis races to save lives and expose a conspiracy that seeks to change the face of the world.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2025
About the author
Daniel M. Ford
11 books350 followersDaniel M. Ford was born and raised near Baltimore, Maryland. He holds a B.A. in English from Villanova University, an M.A. in Irish Literature from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, concentrating in Poetry, from George Mason University. As a poet, his work has appeared most recently in Soundings Review, as well as Phoebe, Floorboard Review, The Cossack, and Vending Machine Press. He teaches English at a college prep high school in North East, Maryland.
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December 5, 2024And again. I really love the casts Ford cooks up and Aelis is surprisingly fun to follow into (lots of) trouble.
July 24, 2025
Me for 2.9 books: Aelis is great, but I feel like I really GET her, I wonder why?
Aelis: “The absolute unprofessionalism of my enemies is the most insulting part of it all.”
Aelis: “The absolute unprofessionalism of my enemies is the most insulting part of it all.”
April 11, 2026
As Glen Cook said, “Aelis is my hero.”
This series was so special to me, reading Advocate was one of those experiences where I slowed down reading it because I was so upset at the prospect of the trilogy ending and saying goodbye to Aelis and this lush world.
I love Aelis as a character because she is unafraid to forge ahead, but also sometimes that recklessness has consequences, just as often as it may work out! And Aelis feels the guilt for those consequences and sits with them. I think that’s only one aspect of her charm. I also really enjoyed the dichotomy of how hard she works, often to her own detriment, but also loves to laze around with a bottle of good wine.
I also loved the setting and world building of this trilogy. The world feels so lived in and real, especially when played upon Aelis’ many relationships and connections with people. The magic system is so unique and interesting, I love the way that the author handled necromancy, sort of flipping the normal way of how it is treated in fantasy on its head, but still retaining an air of mystery and a bit of social taboo.
To Daniel M. Ford: Thank you for Aelis, all her friends and enemies, her successes and failures, and this world that I already ache to return to.
This series was so special to me, reading Advocate was one of those experiences where I slowed down reading it because I was so upset at the prospect of the trilogy ending and saying goodbye to Aelis and this lush world.
I love Aelis as a character because she is unafraid to forge ahead, but also sometimes that recklessness has consequences, just as often as it may work out! And Aelis feels the guilt for those consequences and sits with them. I think that’s only one aspect of her charm. I also really enjoyed the dichotomy of how hard she works, often to her own detriment, but also loves to laze around with a bottle of good wine.
I also loved the setting and world building of this trilogy. The world feels so lived in and real, especially when played upon Aelis’ many relationships and connections with people. The magic system is so unique and interesting, I love the way that the author handled necromancy, sort of flipping the normal way of how it is treated in fantasy on its head, but still retaining an air of mystery and a bit of social taboo.
To Daniel M. Ford: Thank you for Aelis, all her friends and enemies, her successes and failures, and this world that I already ache to return to.
March 8, 2025
I loved seeing this part of the world that was so important to her foundations, and it was so good to read!
May 23, 2026
Just like the books before, I enjoyed following Aelis so much, she is such a great character, smart and headstrong and determined. I would read five more books about her going on adventures.
June 14, 2025
omg goodreads finally let me star and review this book. it had been freezing me out of it for literally a month…
anyways:
loved this book!!!! it’s definitely my favorite of the three and i’m SO PUMPED FOR THE NEXT ONE (which i’m assuming is going to be called magister, if the naming conventions hold up). i think aelis and the plot and the world rlly came together in this one. not that i don’t like lone pine, but like aelis it was rlly fun being in a city. and the mystery/lawyery stuff was great!!!! also looooved all of the new characters, like literally everyone one of them. one of them i wish had more screen time before being REDACTED but whatever (i just love a bitchy pretty boy… and he’s on the cover sigh). the whole thing was great but them fighting in fancy clothes hit every mark for me. and just the expansion of the conflict is awesome. again, cannot wait for the next one and rlly enjoying seeing this series get better with every book!!!!
anyways:
loved this book!!!! it’s definitely my favorite of the three and i’m SO PUMPED FOR THE NEXT ONE (which i’m assuming is going to be called magister, if the naming conventions hold up). i think aelis and the plot and the world rlly came together in this one. not that i don’t like lone pine, but like aelis it was rlly fun being in a city. and the mystery/lawyery stuff was great!!!! also looooved all of the new characters, like literally everyone one of them. one of them i wish had more screen time before being REDACTED but whatever (i just love a bitchy pretty boy… and he’s on the cover sigh). the whole thing was great but them fighting in fancy clothes hit every mark for me. and just the expansion of the conflict is awesome. again, cannot wait for the next one and rlly enjoying seeing this series get better with every book!!!!
May 3, 2025
If this series doesn't get to continue, it'd be a damn shame. Getting to explore the city and Lyceum and learning more about Aelis' background added so much depth and interest to an already fantastic character. I love that she is a competent, intelligent person who makes mistakes, but has laser focus to fix them, to a fault. She's got a lot on her plate in this book, and while it did drag a little bit in the middle during the Errand Running and Investigation portion of the story, the characters and their interactions and the world-building kept me engaged.
The ending totally threw me for a loop but I really would've seen it coming, all things considered. But sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.
I know there's more to Aelis' story and I truly hope Ford is able to keep going worth this series.
The ending totally threw me for a loop but I really would've seen it coming, all things considered. But sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.
I know there's more to Aelis' story and I truly hope Ford is able to keep going worth this series.
April 29, 2025
A tense mystery plot, surprising twists, and our favorite stubborn bullheaded Warden proceeding to throw herself facefirst into the largest problem she sees? Before this book, I'd have categorized the Warden books as comfortable queer fantasy for me - no show-stopping turns of phrase or brilliantly subtle plotting, but easy to read and get into, good subject matter, and well-written characters - but Advocate's characterization shines through as a true strength. Every new character introduced has depth and heart, and the consequences, successes, and failures of Aelis' stubborn conviction on other people are approached in a heartfelt way many other books would shy away from.
March 5, 2025
I’m really loving this series. It’s a fast paced set of books and light reading. No great underlying message, just the mess Aelis finds herself in. It was fun when she was a fish out of water in the countryside in the first book. It’s just as much fun watching her as the noblewoman who has a stipend from family to pull heavily on throw her clout around once she’s home to the city life that’s natural to her. I have great hopes this series will continue a good long while. It’s just fun!
October 4, 2026
Well, I be damned. I actually liked it.
My first thought upon starting the book was: “No.” Whatever dumb curiosity and a misdirected need for closure had brought me to the third book in a trilogy where the first two had hardly impressed me (and the second I had rated with 2 stars - which is saying much considering I rarely go below 3), I could barely make my way through the first chapter here either as my distaste resettled and the futility of the undertaking seemed to reveal itself. And then, something changed.
I’m not entirely sure what. Perhaps I had been unfair to the previous books, or perhaps (more probably) the differences in the third one just did it good. The writing and the leading character, Aelis, still felt too YA for my taste, but moving the action to a wholly new place and filling the book with conspiratorial mysteries and tangible dangers certainly helped. I still don’t much like Aelis’s arrogance, but Ford throws more challenges to her behaviour than before so that it starts feeling less like the self-obsessed assurance of a spoiled YA protagonist and more like a personality trait with its positives (can get things done) and negatives (most will hate you for it).
Aelis is still a pretty challenging person to like, made more problematic by how clearly the third book draws the Wardens as something akin a special police force, armed with deadly magic and the right to cast and trespass wherever the fuck they want. There seems to be so little indeed that they’re not allowed to do outside their colleges that one might wonder why there’s even a need for a criminal conspiracy amongst the wardens as it feels hardly different from most things Aelis walks away with unpunished. I guess if the victim happens to be one of the wizards/wardens themselves, things are suddenly serious. Remind you of something?
Aelis is little different. While she might balk at the most depraved uses of the wizardly abilities and cling to her humanistic ideals, she has no problems whatsoever using her position as an accomplished member of the special police and as the daughter of an ultra-rich and ultra-powerful family as freely as flossing her teeth (freer even considering the setting) in order to manipulate people around her into doing exactly what she wants, especially if they are on a lower social rung than her. Big sums of money exchanging hands is part of the proceedings and of a similarly low challenge to her (see before: ultra-rich). “Wardens do not answer to any civil authority this side of [whatever],” she cries, as she brushes aside another person who demands she explains what she’s doing. As long as she’s on the side of good - and her side is always good - she feels that she has to explain herself to no-one and it would be better for everybody if they just fell in line.
This paints a horribly unequal world that the author seems to somewhat acknowledge through the criticism of the wardens and the social inequality through Aelis'es new sidekick, and yet her actions are too justified within the narrative for it to matter, drawing the book close to some kind of copaganda as Aelis speeds through all the rules and correct procedures that should be in place because those simply do not work and hence corruption is merely the name of the game.
And mind you, playing within the rules of a broken system will not by itself fix the system in the real world either, especially if those interested in having it broken are doing their utmost to keep it so, but Aelis doesn’t seem to believe that anything she is doing is actually wrong or even that the system is broken, only that some people are bad and others just do not understand why the system is actually okay. Considering how many advantages Aelis has gained from the system, even if she has also worked hard to make the best use of them, it is not then a surprise that she is also dedicated to keeping the system the way it is, just with fewer bad apples.
But as I said, there’s a certain awareness of the problems, especially through the new sidekick - a gruff gnomish war-veteran with PTSD, a drinking problem and the perfect personality to conflict with Aelis in amusing and sometimes touching ways. He might be my new favourite, and he certainly is better than the elven romantic interest whose relationship with Aelis I’ve never managed to believe in (even though it was one of the original draws of the series) but whose presence is luckily kept to a minimum (I’ve rarely been as thankful for one of the “good guys” to be cursed). A character that exists mainly to be desired at a distance as the hot elf or to have uncomfortable discussions with when together, she and Aelis bicker and fuck for a chapter and then she’s out, only to revisit in the throw-away thoughts of Aelis alone, and isn’t that better (well, as long as you also find their relationship an unfortunate drag).
Some surprising twists (e.g., a certain death), some touching moments (e.g., Aelis getting nostalgic while giving a young wizarding student tips during a carriage ride), a crime I was actually invested in getting solved, and a book filled with characters I wanted to hear more of, I cannot believe I enjoyed it so. It is wild how little this book has to do with the previous two and their heady world-ending danger, but then again I didn't really like those much so I'm not exactly complaining. Sure hope this is a sign of more good things to come.
Well, the final hour back in the village wasn’t quite as good. Oh well. Still fun.
My first thought upon starting the book was: “No.” Whatever dumb curiosity and a misdirected need for closure had brought me to the third book in a trilogy where the first two had hardly impressed me (and the second I had rated with 2 stars - which is saying much considering I rarely go below 3), I could barely make my way through the first chapter here either as my distaste resettled and the futility of the undertaking seemed to reveal itself. And then, something changed.
I’m not entirely sure what. Perhaps I had been unfair to the previous books, or perhaps (more probably) the differences in the third one just did it good. The writing and the leading character, Aelis, still felt too YA for my taste, but moving the action to a wholly new place and filling the book with conspiratorial mysteries and tangible dangers certainly helped. I still don’t much like Aelis’s arrogance, but Ford throws more challenges to her behaviour than before so that it starts feeling less like the self-obsessed assurance of a spoiled YA protagonist and more like a personality trait with its positives (can get things done) and negatives (most will hate you for it).
Aelis is still a pretty challenging person to like, made more problematic by how clearly the third book draws the Wardens as something akin a special police force, armed with deadly magic and the right to cast and trespass wherever the fuck they want. There seems to be so little indeed that they’re not allowed to do outside their colleges that one might wonder why there’s even a need for a criminal conspiracy amongst the wardens as it feels hardly different from most things Aelis walks away with unpunished. I guess if the victim happens to be one of the wizards/wardens themselves, things are suddenly serious. Remind you of something?
Aelis is little different. While she might balk at the most depraved uses of the wizardly abilities and cling to her humanistic ideals, she has no problems whatsoever using her position as an accomplished member of the special police and as the daughter of an ultra-rich and ultra-powerful family as freely as flossing her teeth (freer even considering the setting) in order to manipulate people around her into doing exactly what she wants, especially if they are on a lower social rung than her. Big sums of money exchanging hands is part of the proceedings and of a similarly low challenge to her (see before: ultra-rich). “Wardens do not answer to any civil authority this side of [whatever],” she cries, as she brushes aside another person who demands she explains what she’s doing. As long as she’s on the side of good - and her side is always good - she feels that she has to explain herself to no-one and it would be better for everybody if they just fell in line.
This paints a horribly unequal world that the author seems to somewhat acknowledge through the criticism of the wardens and the social inequality through Aelis'es new sidekick, and yet her actions are too justified within the narrative for it to matter, drawing the book close to some kind of copaganda as Aelis speeds through all the rules and correct procedures that should be in place because those simply do not work and hence corruption is merely the name of the game.
And mind you, playing within the rules of a broken system will not by itself fix the system in the real world either, especially if those interested in having it broken are doing their utmost to keep it so, but Aelis doesn’t seem to believe that anything she is doing is actually wrong or even that the system is broken, only that some people are bad and others just do not understand why the system is actually okay. Considering how many advantages Aelis has gained from the system, even if she has also worked hard to make the best use of them, it is not then a surprise that she is also dedicated to keeping the system the way it is, just with fewer bad apples.
But as I said, there’s a certain awareness of the problems, especially through the new sidekick - a gruff gnomish war-veteran with PTSD, a drinking problem and the perfect personality to conflict with Aelis in amusing and sometimes touching ways. He might be my new favourite, and he certainly is better than the elven romantic interest whose relationship with Aelis I’ve never managed to believe in (even though it was one of the original draws of the series) but whose presence is luckily kept to a minimum (I’ve rarely been as thankful for one of the “good guys” to be cursed). A character that exists mainly to be desired at a distance as the hot elf or to have uncomfortable discussions with when together, she and Aelis bicker and fuck for a chapter and then she’s out, only to revisit in the throw-away thoughts of Aelis alone, and isn’t that better (well, as long as you also find their relationship an unfortunate drag).
Some surprising twists (e.g., a certain death), some touching moments (e.g., Aelis getting nostalgic while giving a young wizarding student tips during a carriage ride), a crime I was actually invested in getting solved, and a book filled with characters I wanted to hear more of, I cannot believe I enjoyed it so. It is wild how little this book has to do with the previous two and their heady world-ending danger, but then again I didn't really like those much so I'm not exactly complaining. Sure hope this is a sign of more good things to come.
Well, the final hour back in the village wasn’t quite as good. Oh well. Still fun.
April 28, 2025
Dicker als die beiden Vorgängerbücher in der Serie, und es ist auch mehr los. Aelis wird in die Stadt gerufen, einen alten Mentor zu verteidigen, und merkt bald, dass sie gegen starke Gegner kämpfen muss. Gleichzeitig muss sie auch ihrer Freundin helfen. Dabei helfen ihr alte und neue Freund:innen. Sehr flüssig zu lesen, die Story ist diesmal auch abgeschlossen, lässt aber genug Platz für Fortsetzungen.
September 14, 2025
Really great old school sword and sorcery vibes. This felt like reading the OG Dragonlance or Belgariad books but queerer. With an added bonus of competence porn- basically watching someone with skill, dedication, moral compass, and power assemble a team to kick ass and take names. What's not to love? Looking forward to the fourth installment.
March 29, 2026
My favorite so far in the series, this third book was a lot less cozy than the previous one and had a dark academic vibe that was great fun. An excellent (and satisfyingly long) audiobook that had me cheering out loud on the street while waiting for the bus during the denouement.
August 21, 2025
The narrative is solid, there aren’t any missed plot points that you’re like why was the point of that? I like that we get more of a look into Aelis’s world
April 27, 2025
Find my full review here:
https://infinitefreetime.com/2025/04/...
https://infinitefreetime.com/2025/04/...
August 14, 2025
Rarely have I found a series that gets better with each book. This series most certainly is one. this is definitely in my top three favorite series.
March 30, 2025
I’ve been with this series since the first book and I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed all three of them. Daniel Ford definitely has a winner with this trilogy.
In this book, Aelis needs to leave her quaint little town to go back to the big city. Back to the university to help a former teacher accused of murder.
After seeing Aelis in her little town, it was an interesting change to see her in civilization. Back to where she began.
One thing Ford does well is creating a setting that feels real and lived in. His world building is top notch.
Another good thing that can be said is his characters. They are all a bunch of well rounded and eclectic characters that you live to see come onto the page.
There are only two downsides to this book.
The first is, about halfway through the book, it slowed a bit. He finished strong, though.
The second is, that at the moment, this is the last book in this series.
I would really love for there to be more.
In this book, Aelis needs to leave her quaint little town to go back to the big city. Back to the university to help a former teacher accused of murder.
After seeing Aelis in her little town, it was an interesting change to see her in civilization. Back to where she began.
One thing Ford does well is creating a setting that feels real and lived in. His world building is top notch.
Another good thing that can be said is his characters. They are all a bunch of well rounded and eclectic characters that you live to see come onto the page.
There are only two downsides to this book.
The first is, about halfway through the book, it slowed a bit. He finished strong, though.
The second is, that at the moment, this is the last book in this series.
I would really love for there to be more.
April 2, 2025
It was interesting to see Aelis in her "natural" environment. To see the type of life that she lived, and it made so much sense now why she had such a hard time adjusting to Lone Pine. The story has definitely left room for the series to grow, and I hope we met some of the characters again. I really enjoyed reading about Bardun Jaques and would love to see more of his backstory at some point.
ARC from Netgalley
ARC from Netgalley
August 4, 2026
Amazing series needs continued
I Absolutely enjoyed book 3 as much as the others. Seeing Aelis in the city is amazing. I’m not great at reviews but Aelis is a fun and interesting character especially as she self reflects in this book. I would absolutely love this series continued as there’s so much to explore and expand on.
I Absolutely enjoyed book 3 as much as the others. Seeing Aelis in the city is amazing. I’m not great at reviews but Aelis is a fun and interesting character especially as she self reflects in this book. I would absolutely love this series continued as there’s so much to explore and expand on.
March 1, 2025
Called back to the city of her university days to assist a dear professor and mentor on trial for murder, Aelis finds herself in the middle of a grand conspiracy that has been dogging her since her assignment to Lone Pine that may involve familiar faces. All the while, Maurenia is still stuck in the forest glen, trapped by whatever magic had bound its previous occupant. Between investigating her mentor's case, uncovering a shadowy group of powerful wizards, and attending to her duties as a Count's daughter. Aelis searches for answers to Maurenia's entrapment.
I was so so excited to receive an ARC of this book, as I have rabidly followed Aelis' story since I first got my hands on the Warden. I was really excited to explore more of the world Daniel M. Ford has built and see the Lyceum and the surrounding city that Aelis has so much reflected upon in the last couple of books, even if I was sad to be leaving behind Lone Pine and its cast of loveable characters.
Unfortunately, as was my experience with Necrobane, this book captured me in the very beginning and then slowed waaayyy down until about the last 25% of the book, where I was then fighting for my life to turn pages fast enough to see what was happening. It was a slog to get through in the middle, as we followed Aelis around her various missions in her investigation. At times it felt repetitious as Aelis repeatedly went to the clothier, or asked her friends for help. It wasn't the worst possible form of repetition and slowness, but it did mean it took me FOREVER to get through a book I could've flown through.
However, Ford's strength does really seem to be in creating very enjoyable characters while also not making them the shiniest, most perfect people. Aelis continues her pattern of being so incredibly aggravating while also being deeply understandable. Her laser focus on her task at the expense of everything around her had me screaming and wanting to reach into the pages to shake her, but her unwavering devotion not only to her mentor, but to her principals is what makes me continue to love her. Mihil was a great addition, filling in a Tun/Dobrusz Brothers shaped hole and it was so fun to meet Aelis' college friend Miralla.
The ending had me gasping and screaming, as Ford through some curveballs into the mix and now I'm interested to see where Aelis' story goes next.
I was so so excited to receive an ARC of this book, as I have rabidly followed Aelis' story since I first got my hands on the Warden. I was really excited to explore more of the world Daniel M. Ford has built and see the Lyceum and the surrounding city that Aelis has so much reflected upon in the last couple of books, even if I was sad to be leaving behind Lone Pine and its cast of loveable characters.
Unfortunately, as was my experience with Necrobane, this book captured me in the very beginning and then slowed waaayyy down until about the last 25% of the book, where I was then fighting for my life to turn pages fast enough to see what was happening. It was a slog to get through in the middle, as we followed Aelis around her various missions in her investigation. At times it felt repetitious as Aelis repeatedly went to the clothier, or asked her friends for help. It wasn't the worst possible form of repetition and slowness, but it did mean it took me FOREVER to get through a book I could've flown through.
However, Ford's strength does really seem to be in creating very enjoyable characters while also not making them the shiniest, most perfect people. Aelis continues her pattern of being so incredibly aggravating while also being deeply understandable. Her laser focus on her task at the expense of everything around her had me screaming and wanting to reach into the pages to shake her, but her unwavering devotion not only to her mentor, but to her principals is what makes me continue to love her. Mihil was a great addition, filling in a Tun/Dobrusz Brothers shaped hole and it was so fun to meet Aelis' college friend Miralla.
The ending had me gasping and screaming, as Ford through some curveballs into the mix and now I'm interested to see where Aelis' story goes next.
June 12, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyable sword and sorcery shenanigans, new interesting characters introduced, a plot that rattles along and never lets up and a main character you always root for. Even when her inner monologue gets a wee bit squishy, her inner arsehole usually -thankfully-prevails, and the villains get the arsekicking they richly deserve. Extra kudos for some primitive proto social awareness poking through the medieval hierarchical horseshite.
June 12, 2025
A nice change in pace with this pseudo-police procedural plot. Still enjoying the heck out of how competent and action oriented Aelis is.
April 28, 2025
Advocate follows Aelis out of Lone Pine and into the city of her wild College years, but she's no longer a student with something to prove. Now she's a Warden who has to prove that her most esteemed teacher should not be executed for murder. With her typical bull-in-a-teashop approach, Aelis is soon tangled in a shadowy conspiracy and murder plots galore. A new cast of characters joins her in the mayhem, though some old faces also pop up.
Plot-wise, this book feels like a fantasy action crime thriller, with Aelis' investigation punctuated by assassination attempts and a lot of shouting at suspects who are either incompetent, malicious, or both. It's fast-paced, and Aelis is actively pushing the plot forward one checklist item at a time.
Regarding the characters, it's cool to see Archmagister Bardun Jacques, since Aelis has referenced him frequently throughout the past two books. It's also cool to see some of Aelis' family show up. Throughout these three books, Aelis uses her family's wealth to her advantage even as she adamantly seeks to prove that her abilities and career are hers alone. I like how different characters call this out, and I think Aelis is finally starting to understand that. I also enjoy how committed Aelis is to her duty. She is intense and often abrasive, but she genuinely wants to live up to the Warden ideal - to serve and protect. It's been fun getting to see her grow into this over three books now. Hopefully she eventually learns how to be more considerate of her friends, but that's likely a long ways away.
I hope there will be more books in this series, and I hope we get to spend more time in Lone Pine before Aelis' next posting. Overall, this book was a good entry to the series!
Plot-wise, this book feels like a fantasy action crime thriller, with Aelis' investigation punctuated by assassination attempts and a lot of shouting at suspects who are either incompetent, malicious, or both. It's fast-paced, and Aelis is actively pushing the plot forward one checklist item at a time.
Regarding the characters, it's cool to see Archmagister Bardun Jacques, since Aelis has referenced him frequently throughout the past two books. It's also cool to see some of Aelis' family show up. Throughout these three books, Aelis uses her family's wealth to her advantage even as she adamantly seeks to prove that her abilities and career are hers alone. I like how different characters call this out, and I think Aelis is finally starting to understand that. I also enjoy how committed Aelis is to her duty. She is intense and often abrasive, but she genuinely wants to live up to the Warden ideal - to serve and protect. It's been fun getting to see her grow into this over three books now. Hopefully she eventually learns how to be more considerate of her friends, but that's likely a long ways away.
I hope there will be more books in this series, and I hope we get to spend more time in Lone Pine before Aelis' next posting. Overall, this book was a good entry to the series!
December 14, 2025
A long trainride through the cold and snow was the perfect situation for me to read this third novel of Ford's series. And, of the Warden series to date (as I assume more will be forthcoming - one hopes!), Advocate is the most assured and complete of the three. While setting up a grand arc, Ford also allows his characters time to develop (sometimes surprisingly so) and rounds out his world as readers meet previously discussed characters and travel to places only hitherto discussed. I have to say that I don't find his dialogue especially sharp or convincing - there are passages with several older male characters who are supposedly in patrician or mentor roles which are enormously unconvincing, for example. Nevertheless, the entire mixture of action, adventure, mystery, and character development is a convincing ensemble and a very enjoyable read. And more - while I had regarded the prior two novels as somewhat "cozy" reads, in the sense that there was enjoyment but little challenge or true conflict - here the narrative arc bends and breaks the cozy trajectory to set foot in more substantial dramatic conflicts.
So, overall? Really good, and definitely worth reading if you've read the prior two - no question!
So, overall? Really good, and definitely worth reading if you've read the prior two - no question!
March 18, 2026
first time in a while i’ve finished a book and been this genuinely devastated that i’m all caught up on an ongoing series (i assume, given that the shadow congress plot has only just really begun) because ugh, i love this world and these characters.
i know i’ve said it before but i adore aelis. her commitment to her ideals and her unwavering spicy attitude is so genuinely refreshing. i feel like when a character is that abrasive they tend to get knocked down a peg or two, but aelis always just barrels on. like she said, she doesn’t have good plans but she’s great at executing them. also LOVED delphine, hope we see more of her!
really felt the emotional absence of tun and maurenia and pips, and really all of lone pine. so i admit i cheered (quietly, because i was reading at work in my downtime) when tun came in to back up the crew during that final confrontation with urizen. and it also was fun to meet these new characters (miralla!!! we finally got to meet her!!! and mihil was a delight) and get to know them too. bardun jacques was a treat. i hope he enjoys his retirement.
ready for more, sad i don’t have any. i WILL be there day one if/when the next book in the series comes out.
i know i’ve said it before but i adore aelis. her commitment to her ideals and her unwavering spicy attitude is so genuinely refreshing. i feel like when a character is that abrasive they tend to get knocked down a peg or two, but aelis always just barrels on. like she said, she doesn’t have good plans but she’s great at executing them. also LOVED delphine, hope we see more of her!
really felt the emotional absence of tun and maurenia and pips, and really all of lone pine. so i admit i cheered (quietly, because i was reading at work in my downtime) when tun came in to back up the crew during that final confrontation with urizen. and it also was fun to meet these new characters (miralla!!! we finally got to meet her!!! and mihil was a delight) and get to know them too. bardun jacques was a treat. i hope he enjoys his retirement.
ready for more, sad i don’t have any. i WILL be there day one if/when the next book in the series comes out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2025
(ngl when I first saw the cover I thought Maurenia had transitioned and was slightly confused)
I really enjoyed getting to see Aelis back in her element and up against forces she’s more suited to fighting against. I also really liked the expanded cast - as much as I missed Tun and Pip and all the Lone Pine crew, it was very fun to get some more info on Aelis’s professors and her family, and I ADORED Mira. I was kind of hoping for a redemption arc for Amadin or at least for him to stick around to be frenemies with Aelis, but alas. We better see Mira and Mihil again at least.
My one qualm was that I wanted the court case to go longer and be a bit more dramatic. Yes, I am heavily biased, but it made me very sad that the promised wizard trial only lasted one chapter, which was mostly Aelis breaking rules (which I normally love).
In conclusion… was Humphrey really that much of a loser or is he being saved for later books?
I really enjoyed getting to see Aelis back in her element and up against forces she’s more suited to fighting against. I also really liked the expanded cast - as much as I missed Tun and Pip and all the Lone Pine crew, it was very fun to get some more info on Aelis’s professors and her family, and I ADORED Mira. I was kind of hoping for a redemption arc for Amadin or at least for him to stick around to be frenemies with Aelis, but alas. We better see Mira and Mihil again at least.
My one qualm was that I wanted the court case to go longer and be a bit more dramatic. Yes, I am heavily biased, but it made me very sad that the promised wizard trial only lasted one chapter, which was mostly Aelis breaking rules (which I normally love).
In conclusion… was Humphrey really that much of a loser or is he being saved for later books?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2025
Borrowed right after it came out - whenever that was - as I was eagerly awaiting the next book in this series, and I read it right away. BUT! KU keeps annoyingly auto-adding books I read on Kindle to my reading challenge, so then I forget to actually add them to my Goodreads (and then when I do I get a double count which I have to fix manually, as I'm doing now). I thought I had already reviewed this, but apparently not, and now it's been a while and 30+ books later I don't recall what I would want to say about it as much as, I still really love this series, and I hope there's still more yet to come.
January 15, 2026
Aelis de Lenti has been recalled to Lascenise to serve as an advocate for her mentor Bardun Jacques who has been accused of murdering a fellow warden among other crimes. Aelis knows this is a set-up by a conspiracy of archmagisters, but proving it will be a beast, especially with teams of assassins trying to knock her off, a uncooperative bureaucracy, and traitors among the Wardens. But she is back on her own turf and has allies that her opponents had not counted on. But can she get her mentor off and free her love from durance vile? Well read this volume and find out!
April 23, 2025
Is book four out yet?
What a fantastic page-turner. The new characters are wonderful, the returning characters are just as charming and fun as before, and the story moves with a relentless pace that mirrors the warden’s return to city life. The reveals at the end are a little too telegraphed for my taste, but the conclusion is no less satisfying for it.
Eager to see where the series goes next!
What a fantastic page-turner. The new characters are wonderful, the returning characters are just as charming and fun as before, and the story moves with a relentless pace that mirrors the warden’s return to city life. The reveals at the end are a little too telegraphed for my taste, but the conclusion is no less satisfying for it.
Eager to see where the series goes next!
May 1, 2025
This was a fun read; it was exciting to explore more of this world, see a glimpse of Aelis’s earlier life and family, and meet a few more wizards. The pacing did get a little slow at times (Aelis sort of just running errands- arcane ones and sometimes dangerous but still), but I never felt bored, and these sections ended up relevant to the plot. The one thing I got a little tired of was Aelis throwing her money at everyone, but there were some moments of awareness about this and I get that it’s a part of her character. I enjoyed the other characters immensely, and I’m hoping there’s another book to follow. It seems likely, since the ending doesn’t wrap everything up entirely, and definitely leaves room for a follow-up or another confrontation.
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