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Bride of the Aldar: A Novella
No human woman is allowed to speak to an Aldar, lest she fall under his spell. I made it to my eighteenth birthday before I ever broke that rule…
Bel has often challenged the traditions of her village, and as her coming-of-age ceremony approaches, a forbidden encounter with a handsome Aldar—tall, supposedly-magical beings from the north—makes her question the wisdom of her elders as never before.
Then her mother’s scheming earns her a prominent place in the line-up of eligible maidens and she finds herself betrothed to the village’s most despicable bachelor. When the handsome Aldar reappears, Bel decides she will have one more thing—one more night—to call her own before her dreaded marriage.
But in a world where piety and purity are prized above all else, secrets don’t stay secret for long, and Bel’s one night of passionate abandon becomes a struggle for her life—and the life of her Aldar lover—against the world she thought she knew and all that she’s been taught to hold sacred.
Bel has often challenged the traditions of her village, and as her coming-of-age ceremony approaches, a forbidden encounter with a handsome Aldar—tall, supposedly-magical beings from the north—makes her question the wisdom of her elders as never before.
Then her mother’s scheming earns her a prominent place in the line-up of eligible maidens and she finds herself betrothed to the village’s most despicable bachelor. When the handsome Aldar reappears, Bel decides she will have one more thing—one more night—to call her own before her dreaded marriage.
But in a world where piety and purity are prized above all else, secrets don’t stay secret for long, and Bel’s one night of passionate abandon becomes a struggle for her life—and the life of her Aldar lover—against the world she thought she knew and all that she’s been taught to hold sacred.
74 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 14, 2022
3 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 8, 2023
It’s great, in the style of Sarah Maas and Court of Thorns and Roses. I’d love to read more about the Bride of the Alder!
June 25, 2022
I love reading Novellas, it's fun to plunk down for a few hours and be able to fully immerse yourself in a world while reading a story from beginning to end (you can do it with novels too but, you know, there's that whole "what year is it? where am I?" thing afterwards). This novella was no exception and is one of my favorites that I've read recently.
The story is a cross between a more traditional romance novel and a quasi-dystopian high fantasy with a solid, rebellious protagonist named Bel. We first meet her as she is coming of age in a highly patriarchal society and is being prepared to be wedded off to some asshat not of her choosing. Meanwhile, she falls for Penn, an Aldar man (a race that is reminiscent of Elves in other fantasy works) who is a frequent guest at the inn/tavern her family runs. Due to the gender norms of their society and a long history of hostilities between humans and the Aldar, Bel can neither talk to nor look at him. The story that follows is of Bel as she navigates her own repression, her attraction to this strange gentleman, and her ultimate (badass) rebellion. Bel's strength and complexity as a character kept me very invested and I loved her relationship with Penn.
I also quite liked that you can tell there's a rich backstory that isn't fully explained. Wars, religions, names, races, and politics all are alluded to but never formally documented as a series of obligatory, dry paragraphs giving you the rundown. That type of worldbuilding always drives me crazy ("dothtrir the 3rd in the 2nd coming of the 3rd age begat thothtrir the second duke to the council of farthingthtoth of the 2nd age's 4th coming... somehow"). I love a good, fully-formed fantasy world, but I find it best when it's revealed to me organically. This novella does exactly that and it gives it depth. It also makes me want more novellas. You hear that, Devon? Write more stuff.
The story is a cross between a more traditional romance novel and a quasi-dystopian high fantasy with a solid, rebellious protagonist named Bel. We first meet her as she is coming of age in a highly patriarchal society and is being prepared to be wedded off to some asshat not of her choosing. Meanwhile, she falls for Penn, an Aldar man (a race that is reminiscent of Elves in other fantasy works) who is a frequent guest at the inn/tavern her family runs. Due to the gender norms of their society and a long history of hostilities between humans and the Aldar, Bel can neither talk to nor look at him. The story that follows is of Bel as she navigates her own repression, her attraction to this strange gentleman, and her ultimate (badass) rebellion. Bel's strength and complexity as a character kept me very invested and I loved her relationship with Penn.
I also quite liked that you can tell there's a rich backstory that isn't fully explained. Wars, religions, names, races, and politics all are alluded to but never formally documented as a series of obligatory, dry paragraphs giving you the rundown. That type of worldbuilding always drives me crazy ("dothtrir the 3rd in the 2nd coming of the 3rd age begat thothtrir the second duke to the council of farthingthtoth of the 2nd age's 4th coming... somehow"). I love a good, fully-formed fantasy world, but I find it best when it's revealed to me organically. This novella does exactly that and it gives it depth. It also makes me want more novellas. You hear that, Devon? Write more stuff.
January 23, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I'm new to dark romantasy and this is a great book for my "FOURTH WING hangover"! It satisifies on a lot of the same levels as the dynamic between Violet and Xaden in FOURTH WING. I'm excited for the next in the series! I keep recommending this to all fans of dark romantasy and FOURTH WING!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews