What do you think?
Rate this book
The Floating Isles #1
Quests and Quandaries
The Floating Isles were created millions of years ago when a beetle the size of a continent churned up mud from the seabed for a perch. And things have only gotten weirder since.This is a tongue in cheek account of a princess forced to go on a quest, very much against her will. With the proverbial band of sidekicks at her side, Rahni leaves the familiar comforts of home for the mysterious Eigen States, a place where, of course, nothing is as it seems. Or else it wouldn't be much of a quest. Rahni is determined not to let the laws of the land dictate anything, least of all how seriously she has to take the whole matter. Her dearest wish is to get through the quest with as few near scrapes and mortal enemies as possible. If she has to go on a quest, she wants it to be bland, with no nonsense about holding the fate of the world in her hands. Naturally, nothing goes quite as she plans. But what else is new?
- GenresFantasy
282 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2018
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Alda Yuan
10 books8 followersAlda Yuan is an attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center based in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated with her JD and probably several complexes from Yale Law School in 2018.
She lives with her cat, an adorable orange menace who only occasionally answers to the name Artemis.
She lives with her cat, an adorable orange menace who only occasionally answers to the name Artemis.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 21, 2019
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
The Buzz
This summer I jumped on board an indie fantasy reader challenge. Into the Wildbarrens and Quests and Quandaries were two author requested reads that totally fit the requirements. They are both road trip stories set in epic fantasy worlds... They aren't your traditional fantasy reads and are perfect for readers who love something a little different!
As a graphic designer I can't say that either of these covers are even decent. I loathe them. However, I know how hard it is for indie authors to find talented cover artists. I highly suggest it, but it can cost a pretty penny. I do however find the titles both decent in their own ways... If a little vague.
A few suggestions cover design wise... One thing both Into the Wildbarrens and Quests and Quandaries have in common is an ugly green for their cover color. A cream color cover with a dark green type would show up sooooooooo much better! Think about it. Go to your cover and shrink it down and imagine scrolling through Amazon... hard to read, right? Nothing to drawn you in, yeah? Text only covers are fine, but make them readable, noticeable and reducible.
The Premise
Rahni lives on the Floating Isles not far from the mysterious Eigen States. A place where the borders of the land doesn't change much but all the countries around it do! It's split between Fairyland and the Evil Empire and this princess will have to travel through both before she's through. TBH the thought of a tongue in cheek epic fantasy wasn't something I got excited about... but somehow Alda Yuan pulled it off! She totally subverts your typical fairy tales. While it wasn't to my taste I did find her twists quite fascinating.
There is this undercurrent about realigning good vs evil in Quests and Quandaries and Rahni's role in this realignment was intriguing and quite serious despite the pithy feel of the narrative. Her companions are fun takes on the typical quest companions and I quite loved the talking lizard and the wolf. I also found some of their quest moments to be fun and wanted to see where they lead, like the Vulture of Veracity. Quests and Quandaries is hands down quite a different sort of road trip epic fantasy quest. It's in a world that you haven't seen made up like this but which clearly has a love of fairy tales threaded through it.
My Experience
Rahni... oh Rahni... How I disliked you!! GAHHHH I just hated her attitude. Everything was pithy! Everything! If I were her companion I would have put myself out of my misery.
“Oh I always see the sensible path. Rarely do I take it though.”
However, she kind of grew on me?! I can't say that I came to like Rahni but I understood her and her point of view. It would be crazy to be caught in this fairy tale world and be forced to play out the same patterns for eons.
“If assassins don’t look like assassins, how do you know they mean to kill you?”
There are also all of these little asides marked with links to thoughts Rahni has through the entire story. If you enjoy this sort of thing then it really adds a lot to Quests and Quandaries. I found the end to be a little anti-climatic. I wanted Alda Yuan to subvert herself at the end and not have the elixer turn out that way. But that is the world Rahni lives in...
Quests and Quandaries, the first book in The Floating Isles series, has a feel that is quite unique. If you enjoy pithy humor and a woman who does things her way rather than the assumed way then Rahni is the princess for you!
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Writing Style
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ World Building
D Cover & Title grade
Thank you to the indie author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. Read my special perspective under the typewriter on my reviews...
Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!
April 9, 2019
Received from Author
It's one of those books, that is pure bliss to read. Quests and Quandaries is set in a fantasy world and we follow a very special princess. She never goes through the royal event without causing trouble, she is stubborn, strong-willed, very independent and one of my favorite characters. :) She doesn't do anything is supposed to do. Her parents force her to go on a quest to The Floating Isles, to retrieve an item, the same kind of quest her father had to partake, and even curse her to force her to go. Rahni reluctantly agrees- she has no choice. It's the start of a wonderful adventure, where nothing is what it seems. :)
The book is full of action, adventure and LOL moments. :) I love the characters in the story, especially the princess, she has spunk. :)
Highly recommend it!
It's one of those books, that is pure bliss to read. Quests and Quandaries is set in a fantasy world and we follow a very special princess. She never goes through the royal event without causing trouble, she is stubborn, strong-willed, very independent and one of my favorite characters. :) She doesn't do anything is supposed to do. Her parents force her to go on a quest to The Floating Isles, to retrieve an item, the same kind of quest her father had to partake, and even curse her to force her to go. Rahni reluctantly agrees- she has no choice. It's the start of a wonderful adventure, where nothing is what it seems. :)
The book is full of action, adventure and LOL moments. :) I love the characters in the story, especially the princess, she has spunk. :)
Highly recommend it!
March 30, 2019
Review originally written for my blog
After finally logging into my e-mail it turned out that despite my hiatus from blogging, I’d still been receiving plenty of review requests. This one caught my eye because I loved the title and it sounded like a lot of fun. Also, after expressing interest not only did the author send me the review copy, but she also sent me a photo of her cat so naturally, I moved it right to the top of my to-read list.
So, this is a book that you definitely don’t want to judge by its cover. As it’s self-published it doesn’t have a super fancy cover but it’s a nice clean minimalist design and I love the addition of the seal in the bottom right representing the author’s surname. This is the first in a serious of books set in the Floating Isles and is a great start.
The worldbuilding in this is very interesting, although we don’t see much of the floating isles themselves as the majority of the story takes place in the Eigen States which conform to the stereotypical fairytale lands. All the familiar tropes appear, but don’t conform to the stereotypes. The quest itself for the magic elixir is even shown to be just for “the sake of the story” as Rahni’s parents even mention having a room full of them back home. I’d have enjoyed learning more about the Floating Isles themselves but I imagine that’s something we’ll see more of in future books.
One of the things that I loved best about this book was the relationship between Rahni and her best friend, Jak. There is absolutely no romantic subplot between them, just a strong healthy friendship which is something I really enjoyed. Rahni herself reminds me a lot of myself as a young teen and for that reason, I both loved her and found her annoying. I definitely feel that if I’d read this book back when I was around 13, I would absolutely adore her.
One final thing that I liked was that there are footnotes, I’m a huge fan of footnotes. Now, since I was reading on my Kindle I actually skipped most of them as mine isn’t touchscreen and the buttons are kinda broken so it’s a hassle to do anything other than turn the pages, however, I did enjoy the few that I read.
The plot itself is your standard “journey to recover magical item” story with adventures along the way. If you’re looking for a book with a great story then this isn’t for you, but if you want to enjoy fun characters in an interesting world then I’d definitely recommend this.
After finally logging into my e-mail it turned out that despite my hiatus from blogging, I’d still been receiving plenty of review requests. This one caught my eye because I loved the title and it sounded like a lot of fun. Also, after expressing interest not only did the author send me the review copy, but she also sent me a photo of her cat so naturally, I moved it right to the top of my to-read list.
So, this is a book that you definitely don’t want to judge by its cover. As it’s self-published it doesn’t have a super fancy cover but it’s a nice clean minimalist design and I love the addition of the seal in the bottom right representing the author’s surname. This is the first in a serious of books set in the Floating Isles and is a great start.
The worldbuilding in this is very interesting, although we don’t see much of the floating isles themselves as the majority of the story takes place in the Eigen States which conform to the stereotypical fairytale lands. All the familiar tropes appear, but don’t conform to the stereotypes. The quest itself for the magic elixir is even shown to be just for “the sake of the story” as Rahni’s parents even mention having a room full of them back home. I’d have enjoyed learning more about the Floating Isles themselves but I imagine that’s something we’ll see more of in future books.
One of the things that I loved best about this book was the relationship between Rahni and her best friend, Jak. There is absolutely no romantic subplot between them, just a strong healthy friendship which is something I really enjoyed. Rahni herself reminds me a lot of myself as a young teen and for that reason, I both loved her and found her annoying. I definitely feel that if I’d read this book back when I was around 13, I would absolutely adore her.
One final thing that I liked was that there are footnotes, I’m a huge fan of footnotes. Now, since I was reading on my Kindle I actually skipped most of them as mine isn’t touchscreen and the buttons are kinda broken so it’s a hassle to do anything other than turn the pages, however, I did enjoy the few that I read.
The plot itself is your standard “journey to recover magical item” story with adventures along the way. If you’re looking for a book with a great story then this isn’t for you, but if you want to enjoy fun characters in an interesting world then I’d definitely recommend this.
April 8, 2019
Read even more book reviews at: www.lifeofafemalebibliophile.com
Quests and Quandaries follows a princess who turns seventeen and is destined to go on a quest on her birthday. Reluctantly she sets off on a adventure all the while meeting new people, making new friends, visiting new lands, and fighting off enemies.
Rahni is not your ordinary princess, she’s sarcastic outspoken, brash, and is far from being prim and proper like most princesses. To be honest, I found her character somewhat annoying for first half of the book until she finally grew on me. She’s not particularity kind and is harsh to even her closest friends. It’s she goes on the journey that her barriers are broken down and she learns to work alongside others instead of putting herself first. And we as readers watch her character and the others continue to grow over the course of the story as team and as individuals. I liked seeing how they would take on each new obstacle and how they grew to trust each other.
This book is pure fun and what I loved about it that the story doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has a lot of entertaining aspects such as witty dialogue, action packed fights, and interesting lands. The magical lands were my favorite fantasy element of the story. Each land brought new characters and lots of surprises. They reminded me of fantasy lands I grew up with in childhood favorites such as Narnia and places within Ella Enchanted.
My only complaint is that I felt that there were too many footnotes. I liked having them because it gave context to various situations and added flair to the characters, but there were so many of them that I felt it disrupted the reading pace of the story. Other than that I enjoyed this book! It’s fast-paced and it keeps the reader engrossed!
Recommended if you like adventure quest tales!
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Quests and Quandaries follows a princess who turns seventeen and is destined to go on a quest on her birthday. Reluctantly she sets off on a adventure all the while meeting new people, making new friends, visiting new lands, and fighting off enemies.
Rahni is not your ordinary princess, she’s sarcastic outspoken, brash, and is far from being prim and proper like most princesses. To be honest, I found her character somewhat annoying for first half of the book until she finally grew on me. She’s not particularity kind and is harsh to even her closest friends. It’s she goes on the journey that her barriers are broken down and she learns to work alongside others instead of putting herself first. And we as readers watch her character and the others continue to grow over the course of the story as team and as individuals. I liked seeing how they would take on each new obstacle and how they grew to trust each other.
This book is pure fun and what I loved about it that the story doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has a lot of entertaining aspects such as witty dialogue, action packed fights, and interesting lands. The magical lands were my favorite fantasy element of the story. Each land brought new characters and lots of surprises. They reminded me of fantasy lands I grew up with in childhood favorites such as Narnia and places within Ella Enchanted.
My only complaint is that I felt that there were too many footnotes. I liked having them because it gave context to various situations and added flair to the characters, but there were so many of them that I felt it disrupted the reading pace of the story. Other than that I enjoyed this book! It’s fast-paced and it keeps the reader engrossed!
Recommended if you like adventure quest tales!
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
April 3, 2019
I really like the sort of self aware, satirical angle this book took. It was refreshing to see a character acknowledging how things turn out a specific way, because that's how quests and epics always go in the stories! The characters and different lands were lots of fun as well. I particularly enjoyed when Rahni watched how her world came to be (a beetle created her land, and the world is suspended by wires). Cementing a mythological story as "truth" was very cool.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was all the footnotes. There were 324 footnotes and they're very hard to open and read on a kindle device. I was curious to what they contained, so I read them all. Unfortunately, only about 10% actually answered a question a reader might have in the relevant scene. Most of the footnotes did not add anything to the story, and some of them even confused me more by mentioning characters not in the book! Furthermore, it would have been nice if the 4 rules *were* footnoted whenever they were mentioned, but they were not important enough to get footnotes I guess. The rules are read once towards the beginning, and rule #4 isn't brought up again until the end. I had no clue what the rule was by then!
That being said, the footnotes only brought this book down by one star. It's still a hilarious fantasy book that I would recommend to those who don't take their tropes and cliches too seriously.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was all the footnotes. There were 324 footnotes and they're very hard to open and read on a kindle device. I was curious to what they contained, so I read them all. Unfortunately, only about 10% actually answered a question a reader might have in the relevant scene. Most of the footnotes did not add anything to the story, and some of them even confused me more by mentioning characters not in the book! Furthermore, it would have been nice if the 4 rules *were* footnoted whenever they were mentioned, but they were not important enough to get footnotes I guess. The rules are read once towards the beginning, and rule #4 isn't brought up again until the end. I had no clue what the rule was by then!
That being said, the footnotes only brought this book down by one star. It's still a hilarious fantasy book that I would recommend to those who don't take their tropes and cliches too seriously.
September 21, 2020
This was a fun read and I'll come back with a full review soon.
*EDITED*
I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Alda!
When I first read the synopsis for the novel, I was immediately intrigued, because it sounded like it would be a little funny and irreverent, and honestly made me think of Dungeons & Dragons in the sense that anything could happen depending on how your dice rolled. I expected a fun story.
And that is what I got.
This was a satirical take on quest stories and fairytales, and gender roles in these stories. It poked fun at the stereotypical heroes and heroines and damsels in distress, all the while very much aware that it was a quest story with a princess at the helm. There was a very real chance of the characters becoming caricatures, but they did not, because they were allowed to make fun of themselves, and the story made fun of everything.
The footnotes were very reminiscent of The Princess Bride and more recently for me, Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens, and it made the whole story feel like an inside joke that the readers were also in on.
The story did not take itself too seriously, and everything was very tongue-in-cheek, making it a very quick and enjoyable read.
*EDITED*
I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Alda!
When I first read the synopsis for the novel, I was immediately intrigued, because it sounded like it would be a little funny and irreverent, and honestly made me think of Dungeons & Dragons in the sense that anything could happen depending on how your dice rolled. I expected a fun story.
And that is what I got.
This was a satirical take on quest stories and fairytales, and gender roles in these stories. It poked fun at the stereotypical heroes and heroines and damsels in distress, all the while very much aware that it was a quest story with a princess at the helm. There was a very real chance of the characters becoming caricatures, but they did not, because they were allowed to make fun of themselves, and the story made fun of everything.
The footnotes were very reminiscent of The Princess Bride and more recently for me, Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens, and it made the whole story feel like an inside joke that the readers were also in on.
The story did not take itself too seriously, and everything was very tongue-in-cheek, making it a very quick and enjoyable read.
September 19, 2022
Today, I have been in a fantasy reading mood. I think is due in part to me watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks earlier this week. Grim but hopeful worldbuilding captivates me as do maps.
I LOVE MAPS! So, in searching through my TBRs, I selected Quests & Quandaries by Alda Yuan.
This Fantasy opens and you are immediately aware it will defy expectations. This captivating read introduces us to princess Rahni Gazi, age 17, at her birthday dinner with her minder Jak. She eating the fourth course and we see she has copped an attitude as she states she is so bored she is thinking about pegging a drumstick at Emir Withercox. To untangle the enchantment of reading a Princess story, Rahni informs us she has the title of the most ill-mannered princess on this side of the Zah Rivercloud.
The worldbuilding begins quickly! When the clouds flash bright red a creature often appears. Rahni believes she is in a tussle with a questing fairy but soon realizes she had been cursed by her parents and must follow the Inviolable Rules of the Eigen States.
There are well-written character archetypes. Serge, a blacksmith enters the story, and rooms turn. Next, we meet Keran, Ila, and a Wolfhound. This story also has a green lizard named Naga that speaks and a dozen goblins with one four-foot-tall.
Rahni is aware this will be the last resort but she knows she needs to fetch the elixir. The Floating Isles map will help, She'll decipher the map of the Eigen States to follow her quests, while the Storybook alerts her to the villains and heroes.
Rahni's character remains outspoken, has moxy and a zany sense of humor.
“We’ll find out,” I answered as I pushed forward. After a few
more hallways, all of which looked similarly benign, I cupped
my hands over my mouth and shouted, “Will any prisoners
please release some bloodcurdling screams?”
Overall, I enjoyed the writing! We get to question what is in the broom closet, travel through the forest, talk to villagers and search for portals
In closing, I appreciate this quest's focus on realigning good and evil. All characters are catapulted into the spotlight with the use of fantasy tropes. Along the way, there is a propensity for absurd antics that surround the twists and turns of the quest- making it a fun and engaging read.
I received a copy of this book through the generosity of the author.
I LOVE MAPS! So, in searching through my TBRs, I selected Quests & Quandaries by Alda Yuan.
This Fantasy opens and you are immediately aware it will defy expectations. This captivating read introduces us to princess Rahni Gazi, age 17, at her birthday dinner with her minder Jak. She eating the fourth course and we see she has copped an attitude as she states she is so bored she is thinking about pegging a drumstick at Emir Withercox. To untangle the enchantment of reading a Princess story, Rahni informs us she has the title of the most ill-mannered princess on this side of the Zah Rivercloud.
The worldbuilding begins quickly! When the clouds flash bright red a creature often appears. Rahni believes she is in a tussle with a questing fairy but soon realizes she had been cursed by her parents and must follow the Inviolable Rules of the Eigen States.
There are well-written character archetypes. Serge, a blacksmith enters the story, and rooms turn. Next, we meet Keran, Ila, and a Wolfhound. This story also has a green lizard named Naga that speaks and a dozen goblins with one four-foot-tall.
Rahni is aware this will be the last resort but she knows she needs to fetch the elixir. The Floating Isles map will help, She'll decipher the map of the Eigen States to follow her quests, while the Storybook alerts her to the villains and heroes.
Rahni's character remains outspoken, has moxy and a zany sense of humor.
“We’ll find out,” I answered as I pushed forward. After a few
more hallways, all of which looked similarly benign, I cupped
my hands over my mouth and shouted, “Will any prisoners
please release some bloodcurdling screams?”
Overall, I enjoyed the writing! We get to question what is in the broom closet, travel through the forest, talk to villagers and search for portals
In closing, I appreciate this quest's focus on realigning good and evil. All characters are catapulted into the spotlight with the use of fantasy tropes. Along the way, there is a propensity for absurd antics that surround the twists and turns of the quest- making it a fun and engaging read.
I received a copy of this book through the generosity of the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2019
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of her book!
The story:
Rahni is the heiress to the throne and has always claimed loud and clear that she would never go on a quests because she finds them ridiculous… That is, until the day her parents bind her with a curse, because going on a quest IS her destiny.
Having no choice, she embarks on said quest through the Eigen States, accompanied by three original companions, and determined not to let the laws of fairy lands and evil lands and many more rule over her decisions.
My opinion:
I DID have a lot of fun reading this. Rahni is both our main character and our narrator, and she is EXTREMELY sarcastic, and I’m always here for that. I found the take on heroic stories extremely interesting and refreshing, although in the end, I thought that the story could have been shorter.
As I said on my instagram, my favourite things about this book were probably the concept — a girl sent on a quests by her parents and who does everything in order to make it as little heroic as possible — and how snarky the narrator / MC was. I also really liked her companions, the wolfhound Keran who hopes he can one day find his family again, and her childhood pal Jak who wishes he could do more magic, and also would do anything for her; and finally the talking lizard Naga. And of course, those they encountered along their way.
All in all it was a nice story but I wasn’t too much drawn into it. I feel like I didn’t have enough knowledge about this world to fully enjoy the story. Or maybe this just wasn’t entirely the thing for me? Who knows. I did have a lovely time reading this book, I just wished I enjoyed it more.
One last aspect I wanted to mention was the amount of footnotes used by the author as snarky comments from the narrator: as much as I thought it was fun at first, I eventually grew really tired of them and skipped most of them.
Overall this was a fun and original fantasy read, with many elements inspired by fairytales and twisted into something unique!
The story:
Rahni is the heiress to the throne and has always claimed loud and clear that she would never go on a quests because she finds them ridiculous… That is, until the day her parents bind her with a curse, because going on a quest IS her destiny.
Having no choice, she embarks on said quest through the Eigen States, accompanied by three original companions, and determined not to let the laws of fairy lands and evil lands and many more rule over her decisions.
My opinion:
I DID have a lot of fun reading this. Rahni is both our main character and our narrator, and she is EXTREMELY sarcastic, and I’m always here for that. I found the take on heroic stories extremely interesting and refreshing, although in the end, I thought that the story could have been shorter.
As I said on my instagram, my favourite things about this book were probably the concept — a girl sent on a quests by her parents and who does everything in order to make it as little heroic as possible — and how snarky the narrator / MC was. I also really liked her companions, the wolfhound Keran who hopes he can one day find his family again, and her childhood pal Jak who wishes he could do more magic, and also would do anything for her; and finally the talking lizard Naga. And of course, those they encountered along their way.
All in all it was a nice story but I wasn’t too much drawn into it. I feel like I didn’t have enough knowledge about this world to fully enjoy the story. Or maybe this just wasn’t entirely the thing for me? Who knows. I did have a lovely time reading this book, I just wished I enjoyed it more.
One last aspect I wanted to mention was the amount of footnotes used by the author as snarky comments from the narrator: as much as I thought it was fun at first, I eventually grew really tired of them and skipped most of them.
Overall this was a fun and original fantasy read, with many elements inspired by fairytales and twisted into something unique!
Read
September 1, 2019Quests & Quandaries is the first book in the Floating Isles series by Alda Yuan. The story puts me in mind of “The Wizard of Oz”. Our young heroine is off on a quest (albeit a forced quest) to find a magical item. Her strange band of friends travels with her through mystical, ever-changing lands. They, at the least, provide a backdrop for Rahni to unleash her sarcastic wit.
Dorothy was never as sassy, melodramatic, and obstinate as young Rahni, so perhaps I am unfair in the comparison.
The author has incredible world-building skills and her characters are well-defined. Perhaps not always likable, but they leave an impression on you.
Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan is deserving of more attention from the book-reading world. It’s a very unique and fresh book that should appeal to readers from teens through adults.
I received a review copy of this book. The above is my honest, unbiased opinion.
Dorothy was never as sassy, melodramatic, and obstinate as young Rahni, so perhaps I am unfair in the comparison.
The author has incredible world-building skills and her characters are well-defined. Perhaps not always likable, but they leave an impression on you.
Quests and Quandaries by Alda Yuan is deserving of more attention from the book-reading world. It’s a very unique and fresh book that should appeal to readers from teens through adults.
I received a review copy of this book. The above is my honest, unbiased opinion.
May 14, 2019
Check out www.woodbtwntheworlds.blogspot.com for my review.
October 6, 2019
This does what it says on the tin. This story takes the tropes and stereotypes of myths and fairytales and plays with the expected storylines, taking it into a different direction. Take reluctant adventurers, quests and prophecies just for the sake of getting your young folk out the door and off your back, and while you may try and avoid destiny, this world will not take that laying down – we have Rules, and you will follow them!
I did have some difficulty visualzing this world properly – there is the part of the world that Rahni is from, and then there’s the Eigen States that she travels into, that have both the realm of fairytales and a realm of darkness and villains, but also lots of other parts. Part – or all? – of the world is floating, even if people do not understand how exactly it happening. Problem was, so did I. I had to ignore some of the geography as it was distracting me from the story.
It has a very linear storyline – quest, heroic acts, and along the way things are never as they seem to be. It starts off fairly superficial, and I suspect it’s meant to be that flippant to show the ridiculousness of some of the things that happen to our heroes, but I was glad to find that somewhere near the end there did seem to be higher stakes and more of an overarching plotline. The writing style feels like a Pratchett homage, especially with the inclusion of so many footnotes – I had some trouble reading them alongside the story as I was using an E-reader app that wouldn’t allow me to swap back and forth easily, which is a shame because the ones I did read seemed to add some humour as well as extra information to the story, but I gave up because it was too much hassle for me with my device.
What I enjoyed most about this book is its characters – which is good given that we spend so much time with them. They are not very deep – but they are not supposed to be. They are as deep as is necessary for these kinds of stories, so I got exactly what I expected. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Rahni and Jak – longterm friends who are very comfortable with being completely – or close to completely – truthful with each other, showering the other with long-standing insults and jokes whenever possible. And good grief, thank you for no romance shoe-horned in there! Very refreshing! We are obviously joined by a small group of sidekicks, which added their own support. One thing I would say is that I would have liked for Rahni to be a little less powerful. She is sarcastic and definitely doesn’t want to be forced into the ‘lady princess’ role that this fairytale world is determined she should fit, so she ends up in a lot of fights. And I would have liked for her to get her ass kicked, properly, at least for a short while during some of the more dangerous fights, rather than breeze through or use cleverness against inferior enemies. Just so she doesn’t come across as unbelievably awesome. Her wit also gets used to sometimes guess or suggest things, which then come true. I suppose this may be the world adapting to suit her, but after a few times it got a bit predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed by romp through this fairytale-quest goodness, and it turned out to be a fairly speedy read as well!
Disclaimer – This review is based on a copy of the book provided by the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I did have some difficulty visualzing this world properly – there is the part of the world that Rahni is from, and then there’s the Eigen States that she travels into, that have both the realm of fairytales and a realm of darkness and villains, but also lots of other parts. Part – or all? – of the world is floating, even if people do not understand how exactly it happening. Problem was, so did I. I had to ignore some of the geography as it was distracting me from the story.
It has a very linear storyline – quest, heroic acts, and along the way things are never as they seem to be. It starts off fairly superficial, and I suspect it’s meant to be that flippant to show the ridiculousness of some of the things that happen to our heroes, but I was glad to find that somewhere near the end there did seem to be higher stakes and more of an overarching plotline. The writing style feels like a Pratchett homage, especially with the inclusion of so many footnotes – I had some trouble reading them alongside the story as I was using an E-reader app that wouldn’t allow me to swap back and forth easily, which is a shame because the ones I did read seemed to add some humour as well as extra information to the story, but I gave up because it was too much hassle for me with my device.
What I enjoyed most about this book is its characters – which is good given that we spend so much time with them. They are not very deep – but they are not supposed to be. They are as deep as is necessary for these kinds of stories, so I got exactly what I expected. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Rahni and Jak – longterm friends who are very comfortable with being completely – or close to completely – truthful with each other, showering the other with long-standing insults and jokes whenever possible. And good grief, thank you for no romance shoe-horned in there! Very refreshing! We are obviously joined by a small group of sidekicks, which added their own support. One thing I would say is that I would have liked for Rahni to be a little less powerful. She is sarcastic and definitely doesn’t want to be forced into the ‘lady princess’ role that this fairytale world is determined she should fit, so she ends up in a lot of fights. And I would have liked for her to get her ass kicked, properly, at least for a short while during some of the more dangerous fights, rather than breeze through or use cleverness against inferior enemies. Just so she doesn’t come across as unbelievably awesome. Her wit also gets used to sometimes guess or suggest things, which then come true. I suppose this may be the world adapting to suit her, but after a few times it got a bit predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed by romp through this fairytale-quest goodness, and it turned out to be a fairly speedy read as well!
Disclaimer – This review is based on a copy of the book provided by the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
August 7, 2019
Blog | Twitter | Instagram
As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. You can find the review here at Booked J.
When the author reached out to me about reading and reviewing her book, I knew straightaway that I needed to. Based on the synopsis, I was 100% in before I even started. The thing about Quests and Quandaries is that it's magical and sarcastic and just a delight from the start. Readers won't soon forget the series--The Floating Isles is shaping up to be one of my favourites.
If you like that classic adventure; action packed quests and self discovery, you're going to love Quests and Quandaries. You're going to love it further based on the crackling sarcasm and humor that is quickly becoming Alda Yuan's calling card.
There's something so strong in Yuan's writing, I found myself unable to put this book down. This year has been a great year for fantasy but this was by far one of my favourites.
Side note: I finished it right before bed the other night and ended up having a dream about planning a quest to Eigen States. Naturally, my dream only mentioned it, but as you can see Quests and Quandaries didn't leave my mind very quickly.
If I were to describe the novel, in the vaguest of terms, I'd pick vivid and hilarious. It's always a plus to have teenage heroines sound like teenagers and Rahni Gazi is definitely one of those characters. I really, really fell in love with this story because of the minimal worldbuilding (that leaves open a ton of potential for the future of the series) and Rahni's development.
Aside from the humor, and the general "quest" of the story, there are a lot of great elements to the novel. It is a strong start to what will surely be an incredibly breathtaking series--and I can't wait to see where the next book takes us. I'm beyond excited to learn more about the world that Quests and Quandaries is set within and am highly anticipating the next installment.
As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. You can find the review here at Booked J.
When the author reached out to me about reading and reviewing her book, I knew straightaway that I needed to. Based on the synopsis, I was 100% in before I even started. The thing about Quests and Quandaries is that it's magical and sarcastic and just a delight from the start. Readers won't soon forget the series--The Floating Isles is shaping up to be one of my favourites.
If you like that classic adventure; action packed quests and self discovery, you're going to love Quests and Quandaries. You're going to love it further based on the crackling sarcasm and humor that is quickly becoming Alda Yuan's calling card.
There's something so strong in Yuan's writing, I found myself unable to put this book down. This year has been a great year for fantasy but this was by far one of my favourites.
Side note: I finished it right before bed the other night and ended up having a dream about planning a quest to Eigen States. Naturally, my dream only mentioned it, but as you can see Quests and Quandaries didn't leave my mind very quickly.
If I were to describe the novel, in the vaguest of terms, I'd pick vivid and hilarious. It's always a plus to have teenage heroines sound like teenagers and Rahni Gazi is definitely one of those characters. I really, really fell in love with this story because of the minimal worldbuilding (that leaves open a ton of potential for the future of the series) and Rahni's development.
Aside from the humor, and the general "quest" of the story, there are a lot of great elements to the novel. It is a strong start to what will surely be an incredibly breathtaking series--and I can't wait to see where the next book takes us. I'm beyond excited to learn more about the world that Quests and Quandaries is set within and am highly anticipating the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews