SideQuested: Book 1

by K.B. Spangler, Alexandra Presser (Illustrator)

The course of true love never did run straight…For fans of The Owl House and Critical Role comes the first volume in the lighthearted and epic adventure SideQuested!

Magic makes the world go ’round, but no one in Charlie Goldskin’s world knows precisely where magic comes from. This isn’t Charlie’s problem. She’s the adopted daughter of a woodcarver and is training to be a librarian. It’ll be a quiet life, but that’s fine with Charlie as magic is summoned through conflict and she would like to avoid that, thank you very much!

Then her birth father shows up to take her from her village and bring her to the King’s court.

Prince Leopold is gifted in the noble arts of diplomacy and combat, but he’s never met anyone like Charlie. Falling in love with her wouldn’t be an issue, except he’s already engaged, and his fiancée is the daughter of a very powerful evil witch. Charlie, panicking, decides to break the news to Princess Robin...but then she finds love at first sight, too. To resolve this love triangle, the teens are sent on a quest to discover the source of magic! So much for Charlie’s plans for a quiet life...

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels

304 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 17, 2026

About the author

K.B. Spangler lives in North Carolina with her husband and two completely awful dogs. They live in the decaying house of a dead poet. She is the author and artist of the webcomic, "A Girl and Her Fed," and author of novels and short stories. All projects include themes of privacy, politics, technology, civil liberties, the human experience, and how the lines between these blur like the dickens.

If you enjoy mysteries, you want to read the RACHEL PENG books.

If you enjoy fantasy adventures, thrillers, and necromancers with ADHD, you want to read the HOPE BLACKWELL books.

If you enjoy sexy romances with sexy people who solve unsexy crimes, you want to read the JOSH GLASSMAN books.

And if you enjoy coming-of-age stories with intergalactic intelligences, you want to read STONESKIN.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Edelweiss/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I am confused. About this book. About my feelings. On the one hand this was fun. On the other hand, it dragged. It was confusing. I struggled at times to keep up with things. And people who know me know that I am generally not in the mood for talking animals especially those with attitude. Also this whole book is actually a prelude? I mean, there is talk about quest and then continues for around 200 pages with backstory (which I loved) lore (which I also loved) but the book ends with the quest starting, um...
But I did like shipping Robin with Charlie (they need to kiss ASAP). I had a good giggle over the prince and how dumb he was/his reaction but also loved to see him grow more mature. The art was fabulous and the expressions perfection. Love that our MC's job was librarian (or she was training to be it) and was mad about books. Dragons dragons dragons! Robin's mom was A-Plus, I really enjoyed meeting her and love her design. That bonus story gave much clarity + I enjoyed the parallels. So yeah, not all bad. I did have fun.

[M D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you ro Edelweiss for the advance copy. Despite the slightly cumbersome start, I found this to be a funny, turn on its head questing adventure. the message does feel a bit heavy-handed at times,and the flow is a bitt stuttered here and there. But overall thos was a fun and quick read. "Youth is a condition, not an excuse."

[Brenda]

Review to come