The Plight of Lonnie Lovingdove

by Matthew Scura

When the monster wears a crown, who becomes the hero?

In the kingdom of Doane, curfew is law and curiosity is dangerous. On the one night Lonnie Lovingdove breaks the rules, she discovers something far worse than she bargained the king is feeding his people human flesh.

Caught spying in the royal castle, Lonnie barely escapes with her life. But fleeing the kingdom only trades one nightmare for another—a doomsday cult, an unpredictable chaos witch, and thirty battle-worn soldiers with nothing left to lose. They're only hope is to assassinate the cannibal king, and somehow Lonnie becomes the one they expect to wield the knife.

Under the relentless pursuit of the king's army and the weight of impossible expectations, Lonnie must navigate a world of zealots, magic, and desperate men who see her as their savior. She's reckless, she's in over her head, and everyone who gets close to her seems to end up dead.

Can an unlucky girl with a talent for disaster actually kill a king and end a war—or will her curse claim everyone who dares to follow her?

Genres: Fantasy

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2026

About the author

Matthew Scura is an avid reader, writer, musician, podcast host, and business owner living in the Philadelphia suburbs. He writes for both adult and YA audiences—primarily psychological thrillers, speculative fiction and grounded fantasy.

When not with his family or writing, Matthew works for Edge of Cinema, an international video production and digital marketing agency he co-founded in 2009. He also love running, cooking, ripping the occasional Pokemon pack, working on handyman projects, and producing original music out of his home studio.

Reviews

[Nouf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley


☆ 2.75 ☆

I have mixed feelings about this one! i really enjoyed reading part 1 especially the window scene. But in part 2 i was kinda lost at the beginning it took me like a few chapters to realize what was happening. part 3 was my favorite but after that part i lost interest in the story. To be honest i almost DNFed it at 60% but i pushed through because I was curious to see the ending. and I'm happy I did that because I really loved the ending.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in
exchange for an honest opinion.

[Lilith's_Library_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Brutally Fun, Quirky Adventure with a Twist of Darkness

The Plight of Lonnie Lovingdove delivers a wildly original and darkly humorous fantasy that kept me entertained from start to finish. Lonnie’s story begins with an unforgettable discovery — breaking curfew only to uncover that the king is feeding his people human flesh — a premise that’s shocking, absurd, and intriguingly bizarre right from the opening lines.

What follows is a roller-coaster of grim encounters and unexpected alliances. Fleeing the kingdom seems like a smart idea… until Lonnie runs head-on into a doomsday cult, a chaotic witch, and a ragtag band of thirty desperate soldiers. Before she knows it, she’s thrust into a mission to assassinate a cannibal king, end a war, and — somehow — not get everyone around her killed. Trouble seems to follow her like a curse, and the dark humor woven throughout adds a unique flair to the journey

Lonnie herself is refreshingly unpredictable — reckless, overwhelmed, and often hilariously out of her depth. The chaos of the world around her brings both excitement and tension, and the plotting is bold and macabre in all the right ways. The mix of fantasy, satire, and gritty adventure gives this story a distinct voice and makes it stand out in a crowded genre.

While the pacing can feel erratic at times, and certain elements lean deeply into the bizarre (which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea), those same qualities give the book its charm and edge. If you’re in the mood for a darkly comedic fantasy with heart, chaos, and a wildly original premise, The Plight of Lonnie Lovingdove is well worth the read.

⚔️ Four stars — inventive, dark, and unforgettably strange!.

[Julia Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. I received it for free in exchange for my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Mathew Scura. It definitely has dark humor, which may not be everyone's cup of tea but it fits the tone of the book and made it that much better. Lonnie is a peasant who works all day, as does her husband. When it's announced that the king will be having a feast in celebration of the tide of war turning, Lonnie is excited for her and her husband Daniel to go. Lonnie longs for adventures, but there's a curfew, and she already learned her lesson about breaking it. Everyone in the town comes out for the festival, and the king brings pork to feed his people. Lonnie eats her fill, but the meat is too much, and she ends up getting sick behind the king's wagons. That's when she discovers what the king really is feeding himself and his people with. Turns out the king is a cannibal and Lonnie unknowingly ate human meat. She is disgusted and hides in the wagon when the king and his men return to the wagons. This begins Lonnie's real adventure, dungeons, cults, and witches. This story had it all. It's fast-paced, and the world building was fantastic. The scenes at the shire especially. Lonnie is our FMC, but the side characters add just as much to the story. I loved that Lonnie, who was just a peasant who had nothing and lost everything, had the fortitude to lead a revolution.
4 stars !

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Plight of Lonnie Lovingdove” is a darkly funny, surprisingly heartfelt adventure that I genuinely enjoyed. Lonnie’s life unravels the moment she breaks curfew and discovers the king is feeding his people human flesh, and from there the story only grows stranger. Scura leans into the chaos—cults, a chaos witch, the last scraps of a doomed army—and yet the book never loses sight of Lonnie herself. She’s not a chosen one or a fearless warrior; she’s just trying to survive long enough to make sense of the mess she’s been thrown into. That vulnerability makes her easy to root for, even as everyone around her seems destined for a horrible end.
The tone walks a clever line between grim and playful, and I liked how the absurdity never undercuts the danger. The world feels unhinged in a way that suits Lonnie’s unlucky orbit, and the pacing keeps the tension humming. There were moments where I wanted a bit more depth or space to breathe, but the momentum and personality carry the story well.
Overall, it’s a sharp, odd, engaging read. I enjoyed it, and I’m happy to recommend it. A solid, distinctive 4‑star experience.

[Khlood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley.

I had different expectations for the book at the beginning, and I think that interfered with me enjoying it as it was. The writing at the beginning felt really sloppy, and I couldn't feel the connection between Lonnie and Bally with their fast paced friendship. However, I enjoyed the weirdness of the overall feel throughout the whole story,
I liked the part where the MFC was talking about her curiosity and was trying to explain it to others, and how it ties with her being lucky.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Cassie Dalmas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good first release. My problem is that I don’t connect well when male authors write FMCs. So the rating could just be reflective of that. The latter half of the book was much better than the first half as the MC evolved. I read it as more of a dark comedy to start versus a dark fantasy. Some aspects felt disjointed. Additionally, some editing errors, but I understand that comes with self publishing.