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Queen's Quests #1
The Wizard's Ward
The once-peaceful land of Embria now suffers under the occupation of cruel conquerors. Enchantress Maura Woodbury has spent her young life trying to avoid their notice at all costs. Until her wizard guardian reveals that she has been chosen to seek and waken a legendary warrior who is destined to free their people. First she must procure an ancient map which will reveal The Waiting King’s resting place. Since Maura’s journey will lead her into dangerous territory, she is forced to accept a magic-wary outlaw as her escort. But can she trust a man like Rath Talward…or will he prove an even greater threat to her quest?
Queen's Quest Trilogy:
Book 1 - The Wizard's Ward
Book 2 - The Waiting King
Book 3 - The Destined Queen
Book 4 - The Fugitive's Fate (Prequel Novella)
These books contain no graphic violence or physical intimacy. They are suitable for teens as well as more mature readers.
Within days of hearing that her publisher was planning to launch a new fantasy imprint, Deborah Hale called her editor and submitted a proposal. Fantasy novels by J.R. R. Tolkein, Ursula LeGuin and Lloyd Alexander had first inspired her to become a writer. Deborah was delighted to be offered a contract for two connected books and thrilled to be the first Harlequin author to write for the Luna imprint! Recently Deborah regained the publishing rights to those books and has revised the stories into a trilogy that she hopes will appeal to an even wider audience.
Queen's Quest Trilogy:
Book 1 - The Wizard's Ward
Book 2 - The Waiting King
Book 3 - The Destined Queen
Book 4 - The Fugitive's Fate (Prequel Novella)
These books contain no graphic violence or physical intimacy. They are suitable for teens as well as more mature readers.
Within days of hearing that her publisher was planning to launch a new fantasy imprint, Deborah Hale called her editor and submitted a proposal. Fantasy novels by J.R. R. Tolkein, Ursula LeGuin and Lloyd Alexander had first inspired her to become a writer. Deborah was delighted to be offered a contract for two connected books and thrilled to be the first Harlequin author to write for the Luna imprint! Recently Deborah regained the publishing rights to those books and has revised the stories into a trilogy that she hopes will appeal to an even wider audience.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
54 people are currently reading
1117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
October 7, 2009
An enchanting story, but ultimately a deeply unsatisfying book. It's as though the author went through all the time and trouble to create an exquisite wedding dress, full of intricate details and beautiful furbelows, only to stick it on a blank-faced and soulless store mannequin. It's obvious the author spent a lot of time building the world in this book, covering not just geography, but plants and animals, even taking a page out of Tolkein's book and creating a language. Yet all this wonderful detail is used to dress up a tired and predictable love story: boy meets girl; boy and girl despise each other; through adversity, boy and girl learn to appreciate each other; appreciation turns to love; boy and girl kiss; boy and girl find their destiny with each other. A perfectly good epic fantasy premise, which should have carried the author through another couple of books, is ruined by a trite romantic storyline and an abrupt ending. What a waste.
January 3, 2015
QUALITY: 2
ENJOYABILITY: 4
This book is wonderfully mediocre. That is not meant as an insult.
I've spent most of this year reading genuinely good books that I fall completely in love with and I'm devastated to have to part with. This was not one of those books, and that was exactly what I wanted from it. Sometimes, a book that entertains skillfully while not completely taking you over is exactly what you need, and this is one of the best books I've read that's accomplished that.
The plot is formula in the extreme. Maura Woodbury is ward to a wizard named Langbard. Despite having spent a normal, pastural life, she finds out that she is in fact the legendary Destined Queen, who will awaken the Waiting King and save her people from oppression. She meets a DASHING ROGUE with RUGGED GOOD LOOKS who DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING BUT HIMSELF and the rest of the story is pretty easy to telegraph from there. Maura teaches Rath about life and morality, Rath has a big gooey center, it ends with sex.
If I had to describe this book in any way, it's basically a romance novel, with all the trappings of that genre, set in a fantasy world. Again, this is not an insult. I LOVE silly romance novels, and setting one in a world as genuinely interesting as this one made it all the better. The world-building is surprisingly solid for such a formulaic story and by-the-numbers cast. The magic system is one of the duality between living matter (plants and animals) and dead matter (metals and gemstones.) Harnessing the properties of living matter allows one to engage in vitcraft, life magic, while metals and gems fuel mortcraft, death magic. The magic takes on the properties of the matter being channeled and it's a genuinely interesting and well-drawn magic system, especially considering the general blandness of the rest.
But it's a good bland! It really is. If what you're looking for is a simple, easy, enjoyable read that will entertain and delight you without ever taking up valuable real estate in your brain, this one is person. Excellent sexual tension, silly romance internal monologuing, fun banter, interesting world, and simple plot. It does what it says on the tin, and it does it very well.
ENJOYABILITY: 4
This book is wonderfully mediocre. That is not meant as an insult.
I've spent most of this year reading genuinely good books that I fall completely in love with and I'm devastated to have to part with. This was not one of those books, and that was exactly what I wanted from it. Sometimes, a book that entertains skillfully while not completely taking you over is exactly what you need, and this is one of the best books I've read that's accomplished that.
The plot is formula in the extreme. Maura Woodbury is ward to a wizard named Langbard. Despite having spent a normal, pastural life, she finds out that she is in fact the legendary Destined Queen, who will awaken the Waiting King and save her people from oppression. She meets a DASHING ROGUE with RUGGED GOOD LOOKS who DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING BUT HIMSELF and the rest of the story is pretty easy to telegraph from there. Maura teaches Rath about life and morality, Rath has a big gooey center, it ends with sex.
If I had to describe this book in any way, it's basically a romance novel, with all the trappings of that genre, set in a fantasy world. Again, this is not an insult. I LOVE silly romance novels, and setting one in a world as genuinely interesting as this one made it all the better. The world-building is surprisingly solid for such a formulaic story and by-the-numbers cast. The magic system is one of the duality between living matter (plants and animals) and dead matter (metals and gemstones.) Harnessing the properties of living matter allows one to engage in vitcraft, life magic, while metals and gems fuel mortcraft, death magic. The magic takes on the properties of the matter being channeled and it's a genuinely interesting and well-drawn magic system, especially considering the general blandness of the rest.
But it's a good bland! It really is. If what you're looking for is a simple, easy, enjoyable read that will entertain and delight you without ever taking up valuable real estate in your brain, this one is person. Excellent sexual tension, silly romance internal monologuing, fun banter, interesting world, and simple plot. It does what it says on the tin, and it does it very well.
September 15, 2009
I blame this book for my drowsiness this morning. I had to stay up to finish the end of this book or I would never have been able to sleep.
Maura Woodbury, an enchantress, has always led a quiet life...until her uncle announces that she is to be queen of all Umbria and she has to make her way to the Secret Glade and awaken the Waiting King who will drive the evil Han from Umbria forever and restore peace to all the land.
Just when Maura begins to accept her fate, no one counted on Rath Talward, a rouge thief Maura happens upon one day, injured and on the run from Hanish law. Maura cannot abandon him in his time of need and eventually they strike up a bargain: Healing for protection on her trip to the Secret Glade.
Their journey is not a stroll through the park however. Hannish soldiers wait at every turn to drag them off to the dreaded mines as slaves, bandits hide in the underbrush, and evil sorcerers dog their steps everywhere they go. Yet throughout all this, they learn to put their differences aside and depend on...maybe even love one another...
At first, I wasn't sure about this book. It started off deadly slow and I had to force myself through the first chapter. After that however, the book picked up speed and I really started to get into it. The more I read, the more I liked it. The characters are likable and very real-feeling. Hale is a master of sexual tension as well, and you can feel the underlying note of it throughout the entire book, goading the reader onward, if only to find out if the guy gets the girl in the end.
Despite being your basic love story/impossible journey fantasy book, this novel whet my appetite for more and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
One small gripe: Hale likes to kind of skip over some stuff. It's slightly J. K. Rowlingish in a sense. Rath blacks out a lot, so next time we see him he's tied to a chair or something, and there are "lapses" of several days between chapters which start out: "The past few days were uneventful." Personally I could have done with some more info than that, but the rest of the book and the general plot make up for these small things.
Maura Woodbury, an enchantress, has always led a quiet life...until her uncle announces that she is to be queen of all Umbria and she has to make her way to the Secret Glade and awaken the Waiting King who will drive the evil Han from Umbria forever and restore peace to all the land.
Just when Maura begins to accept her fate, no one counted on Rath Talward, a rouge thief Maura happens upon one day, injured and on the run from Hanish law. Maura cannot abandon him in his time of need and eventually they strike up a bargain: Healing for protection on her trip to the Secret Glade.
Their journey is not a stroll through the park however. Hannish soldiers wait at every turn to drag them off to the dreaded mines as slaves, bandits hide in the underbrush, and evil sorcerers dog their steps everywhere they go. Yet throughout all this, they learn to put their differences aside and depend on...maybe even love one another...
At first, I wasn't sure about this book. It started off deadly slow and I had to force myself through the first chapter. After that however, the book picked up speed and I really started to get into it. The more I read, the more I liked it. The characters are likable and very real-feeling. Hale is a master of sexual tension as well, and you can feel the underlying note of it throughout the entire book, goading the reader onward, if only to find out if the guy gets the girl in the end.
Despite being your basic love story/impossible journey fantasy book, this novel whet my appetite for more and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
One small gripe: Hale likes to kind of skip over some stuff. It's slightly J. K. Rowlingish in a sense. Rath blacks out a lot, so next time we see him he's tied to a chair or something, and there are "lapses" of several days between chapters which start out: "The past few days were uneventful." Personally I could have done with some more info than that, but the rest of the book and the general plot make up for these small things.
July 21, 2015
3.5 out of 5 stars. Excellent world building. The first third of the story was a little too slow moving for me, but once the pace picked up it was very enjoyable.
November 13, 2019
This was just not that good and it felt so dated. Where's your agency Maura? Maura basically followed her guardian's wishes that she go find the Waiting King and she was his Destined Queen, even though she didn't really want to and was falling in love with someone else. I really hated that Maura basically seemed to have no choice in everything she did nor did she even think that she should. Outdated thinking here.
August 19, 2024
Non perfetto, un po' pigro in qualche risvolto narrativo e qualche time skip di convenienza (no, non ti spiego come ho tirato su un esercito per andare a fare il sedere ai cattivi, te lo presento nel capitolo successivo e basta). Però romantichello e avventuroso: esattamente quello che avevo bisogno di leggere in questo momento.
-disperata perché il secondo in ita non si trova e per la mia mania di continuità non voglio prendere l'ebook in inglese-
-disperata perché il secondo in ita non si trova e per la mia mania di continuità non voglio prendere l'ebook in inglese-
May 20, 2016
Hale's book has the same sort of problems that I tend to find with novels written by those who are primarily romance novelists: the world was created and yet not enough detail was given for it to be a truly fantastical world. It was shades of Dara Joy's Ritual of Proof, where all of the questions raised in seemingly passing go unanswered. But the two hook up, so I guess it is supposed to all be okay.
We are told things again and again. Maura is a practitioner of vitcraft, which is different to the evil mortcraft used by the Han. Why mortcraft is evil we are not told, but it involves a gem on the end of a staff and it is suggested that to keep their powers honed they need to "practice" on people. Giving them pain. It's never really explained.
Vitcraft, on the other hand, is used by the native Umbrians. By the looks of things anyone can use it, which begs the question of how the Hans overpowered them in the first place. If anyone can pick a flower and throw it at someone and with the use of a few words send them to sleep, even a marauding horde could have been done away with. You can't be on your toes all the time, after all. This, however, is a minor quibble.
A much larger quibble comes about when Maura finds out that she is the Destined Queen, descended from the original lover of the Waiting King. The Waiting King was injured and his lover placed him under a spell -- think King Arthur -- and he was to be awakened when the land of Umbria was most in need. She blithely accepts this, no questions asked, and just prior to her having to leave off in search of the map telling her where to go, her uncle Langbard (really his ward) is murdered by the evil Han.
All is not lost, however, for she had just saved an outlaw with her magic -- invisibility, etc -- and Rath sets off with her on the journey. Not that he knows this stuff. He's the love interest, of course, and also of course he's the Waiting King found again, although we only find this out for certain in the last few pages of the book.
How was he awakened? How did he manage to be a child and grow up? If he was already a man, that is, for I doubt any Waiting King who was a child would have a lover hanging around. None of these questions are answered and the book ends so abruptly my head was spinning. Him and Maura find out his real identity and the book closes with a sex scene.
Simple as that.
The world wasn't fleshed out enough. If a romance reader came to this book then likely they'd be happy enough with how things went, but I wanted to know more. What's this Destined Queen business? Waiting King? How long ago did all that happen, and how did the Han come to have such power? How does Maura intend to overthrow the Han? She's got all the political acumen of a gnat and goes green at the sight of dead people to boot, let alone killing anyone with her vitcraft. To conquer or to overthrow one must be resigned to a fair few deaths!
On the brighter side of things the romance is fairly sweet and decent enough. No torrid misunderstandings or too stupid to live creation there. A road romance, Maura and Rath got into scrape after scrape and threw themselves wholeheartedly into saving one another. Which sounds silly, but seeing that neither show much in the way of strong leadership character, it was fine. I'll conveniently forget they are supposed to overthrow an evil and magical bunch of invaders.
As far as the casual reader is concerned, that's where it all ends. There's a sequel, The Destined Queen, but here is no hint anywhere on the book that this is so. A sex scene and the book ends, for the important they-love-each-other has been proven true! Most disappointing. I hope the rest of the Luna books are better off than this, with better worldbuilding or at the very least more marked acknowledgement of a novel being in a series.
We are told things again and again. Maura is a practitioner of vitcraft, which is different to the evil mortcraft used by the Han. Why mortcraft is evil we are not told, but it involves a gem on the end of a staff and it is suggested that to keep their powers honed they need to "practice" on people. Giving them pain. It's never really explained.
Vitcraft, on the other hand, is used by the native Umbrians. By the looks of things anyone can use it, which begs the question of how the Hans overpowered them in the first place. If anyone can pick a flower and throw it at someone and with the use of a few words send them to sleep, even a marauding horde could have been done away with. You can't be on your toes all the time, after all. This, however, is a minor quibble.
A much larger quibble comes about when Maura finds out that she is the Destined Queen, descended from the original lover of the Waiting King. The Waiting King was injured and his lover placed him under a spell -- think King Arthur -- and he was to be awakened when the land of Umbria was most in need. She blithely accepts this, no questions asked, and just prior to her having to leave off in search of the map telling her where to go, her uncle Langbard (really his ward) is murdered by the evil Han.
All is not lost, however, for she had just saved an outlaw with her magic -- invisibility, etc -- and Rath sets off with her on the journey. Not that he knows this stuff. He's the love interest, of course, and also of course he's the Waiting King found again, although we only find this out for certain in the last few pages of the book.
How was he awakened? How did he manage to be a child and grow up? If he was already a man, that is, for I doubt any Waiting King who was a child would have a lover hanging around. None of these questions are answered and the book ends so abruptly my head was spinning. Him and Maura find out his real identity and the book closes with a sex scene.
Simple as that.
The world wasn't fleshed out enough. If a romance reader came to this book then likely they'd be happy enough with how things went, but I wanted to know more. What's this Destined Queen business? Waiting King? How long ago did all that happen, and how did the Han come to have such power? How does Maura intend to overthrow the Han? She's got all the political acumen of a gnat and goes green at the sight of dead people to boot, let alone killing anyone with her vitcraft. To conquer or to overthrow one must be resigned to a fair few deaths!
On the brighter side of things the romance is fairly sweet and decent enough. No torrid misunderstandings or too stupid to live creation there. A road romance, Maura and Rath got into scrape after scrape and threw themselves wholeheartedly into saving one another. Which sounds silly, but seeing that neither show much in the way of strong leadership character, it was fine. I'll conveniently forget they are supposed to overthrow an evil and magical bunch of invaders.
As far as the casual reader is concerned, that's where it all ends. There's a sequel, The Destined Queen, but here is no hint anywhere on the book that this is so. A sex scene and the book ends, for the important they-love-each-other has been proven true! Most disappointing. I hope the rest of the Luna books are better off than this, with better worldbuilding or at the very least more marked acknowledgement of a novel being in a series.
July 4, 2017
Rating: 4.1 / 5
This is definitely an entertaining adventure-fantasy-romance that kept me interested enough to read it hour after hour without realizing how much time has passed. More so, it makes me curious to know what's going to happen next as, yes, I have grown attached to the characters and want to see where the story takes them. It's not the 100% most original plot to go by, but it definitely has some twists and turns that keeps one interested in the story. The fantasy world isn't all that original, to be honest, since the only magic is via use of herbs and everything else feels like an early medieval Scottish-type setting, but, again, there is still some originality woven into the lore.
The ending, despite obviously hinting at a sequel, is both satisfying and yet one of the things I would change. Not story-wise, but stylistically, with regards to the structure of the book. It's a satisfying ending, and yet, I would have added a bit more to it, like another scene that's a bit more epic than what Hale leaves us off with. Again, not bad, but just not my personal choice or preference.
That's actually the main reason why this book isn't a perfect five for me, despite my enjoyment of it. There are just teeny tiny tidbits that I myself would have interpreted differently that I just don't quite enjoy as much. That's only about 1-2% of the stuff in this novel though, which isn't saying a lot. For me, a perfect five is a book that can't get any better than it already is, and, for this book, it's close to perfect for what it is, but just has some small tidbits of annoying moments that I could have done without. I'm sure that most people will agree with me in saying that there are better books than this one, but that this is quite an excellent book in its own right for the genre it fits.
Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on the sequel soon.
This is definitely an entertaining adventure-fantasy-romance that kept me interested enough to read it hour after hour without realizing how much time has passed. More so, it makes me curious to know what's going to happen next as, yes, I have grown attached to the characters and want to see where the story takes them. It's not the 100% most original plot to go by, but it definitely has some twists and turns that keeps one interested in the story. The fantasy world isn't all that original, to be honest, since the only magic is via use of herbs and everything else feels like an early medieval Scottish-type setting, but, again, there is still some originality woven into the lore.
The ending, despite obviously hinting at a sequel, is both satisfying and yet one of the things I would change. Not story-wise, but stylistically, with regards to the structure of the book. It's a satisfying ending, and yet, I would have added a bit more to it, like another scene that's a bit more epic than what Hale leaves us off with. Again, not bad, but just not my personal choice or preference.
That's actually the main reason why this book isn't a perfect five for me, despite my enjoyment of it. There are just teeny tiny tidbits that I myself would have interpreted differently that I just don't quite enjoy as much. That's only about 1-2% of the stuff in this novel though, which isn't saying a lot. For me, a perfect five is a book that can't get any better than it already is, and, for this book, it's close to perfect for what it is, but just has some small tidbits of annoying moments that I could have done without. I'm sure that most people will agree with me in saying that there are better books than this one, but that this is quite an excellent book in its own right for the genre it fits.
Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on the sequel soon.
January 8, 2008
The dialogue drove me bats--pseudo-formal and stilted diction; reading it felt similar to sinking into a vat of tar. Not that that's ever happened to me, really. And it's too bad. I'm usually into epic quests with a twist. I skipped to the end to see where my time and devotion might have led me...and I found a poorly written sex scene that entailed dueling metaphors and undulating hips. I closed the book.
June 24, 2012
It was okay, but a little too simple and childish. The tale lacked the epicness and complexity that other fantasy authors such as Robert Jordan, Sara Douglass, and Juliet Marillier have already attained. The dialogue was a little awkward too, like the author couldn't decide what form it should take. But I suppose for the first-time fantasy reader this novel could be an okay choice (with the understanding that it only gets much much better from here)...or for any 13 year old girl.
January 3, 2013
I was told that Deborah Hale was originally a romance author that decided to move into fantasy, so I was hoping for an interesting, but not overly complicated romance story with a fantasy setting. For the most part, that was I got and I enjoyed it. Many parts of the book were predictable, but that didn't detract from the fun.
June 14, 2010
I could not get into this book, no matter how I tried. It was totally predictable from page 30, and I could get no further than that.
January 5, 2014
My first Deborah Hale book. And NOT my last. Could not put this down. Ms. Hale writes the old fashioned way: you see, smell, hear the world the characters are cast in.
July 1, 2019
When I picked up The Wizard's Ward at a used book fair, I knew it wasn't going to be anything special. The summary on the back read like a fantasy trope. A stereotype. Still, after dredging through autobiographies and history tomes, an unexciting fantasy book sounded like a breath of fresh air.
I was wrong.
The Wizard's Ward starts with a 15 page cram session introducing the main heroine, her mentor, her village life, her friends, her occupation, her magic, a fairy tale, a prophecy, and vaguely mentioned bad guys. ALL of that in 15 pages. It isn't done well. It feels rushed, cobbled together, as if the author was following a formula with the intention of getting it out of the way as fast as possible.
Then came chapter 2 and the introduction of the main hero. All of a sudden it clicked. This wasn't a fantasy book. Oh no, it was a romance novel masquerading as a fantasy book! Not even a very good one at that. I spent more time laughing at the absurdity of the romantic scenes and the "development" of the characters' relationship than truly enjoying the book. Honestly,
The dialogue was good, if you were only paying attention to the flow and tone of the words (nicely stylized) and not the content, which was often contrary, childishly moralistic, and ludicrously naïve. I would have considered this a children's novel based on dialogue alone, if it weren't for the adult content of the romance scenes.
The world building was nonexistent. The map was missing most of the places the main characters visited! What is the point of a map if it doesn't show where the characters are going? Half of what is shown on the map is irrelevant to the story! Environmental descriptions were sparse at best (especially considering the level of detail bestowed upon the main characters checking each other out) and the historical and cultural descriptions, which should have been paramount to the audience's understanding of the villains, was even sparser!
The worst of all of this culminates in the last few pages of the book. Fantasy books are, at their heart, the triumph of good over evil. The Wizard's Ward sets up the "good" with the main heroine as the Destined Queen and a prophesied Waiting King she has to find that will restore the ancient Umbria kingdom (and no, the map does not specify where this kingdom is or how far it extends). It sets up the "evil" as the occupying Han army. As I have said before, this is a romance novel, not a fantasy novel.
To be fair, there is one thing I liked in this book: the magic system. It is based on herbs and potions, instead of the usual wand-waving, staff-wielding magic that is typical in fantasy. Where the author failed in her world building, she did a good job in defining the laws of her magic system and it remained integral to her plot.
Was The Wizard's Ward worth reading? No. Would I recommend it to someone else? Only if I knew they liked cheesy romance novels. Otherwise, probably not.
I was wrong.
The Wizard's Ward starts with a 15 page cram session introducing the main heroine, her mentor, her village life, her friends, her occupation, her magic, a fairy tale, a prophecy, and vaguely mentioned bad guys. ALL of that in 15 pages. It isn't done well. It feels rushed, cobbled together, as if the author was following a formula with the intention of getting it out of the way as fast as possible.
Then came chapter 2 and the introduction of the main hero. All of a sudden it clicked. This wasn't a fantasy book. Oh no, it was a romance novel masquerading as a fantasy book! Not even a very good one at that. I spent more time laughing at the absurdity of the romantic scenes and the "development" of the characters' relationship than truly enjoying the book. Honestly,
The dialogue was good, if you were only paying attention to the flow and tone of the words (nicely stylized) and not the content, which was often contrary, childishly moralistic, and ludicrously naïve. I would have considered this a children's novel based on dialogue alone, if it weren't for the adult content of the romance scenes.
The world building was nonexistent. The map was missing most of the places the main characters visited! What is the point of a map if it doesn't show where the characters are going? Half of what is shown on the map is irrelevant to the story! Environmental descriptions were sparse at best (especially considering the level of detail bestowed upon the main characters checking each other out) and the historical and cultural descriptions, which should have been paramount to the audience's understanding of the villains, was even sparser!
The worst of all of this culminates in the last few pages of the book. Fantasy books are, at their heart, the triumph of good over evil. The Wizard's Ward sets up the "good" with the main heroine as the Destined Queen and a prophesied Waiting King she has to find that will restore the ancient Umbria kingdom (and no, the map does not specify where this kingdom is or how far it extends). It sets up the "evil" as the occupying Han army. As I have said before, this is a romance novel, not a fantasy novel.
To be fair, there is one thing I liked in this book: the magic system. It is based on herbs and potions, instead of the usual wand-waving, staff-wielding magic that is typical in fantasy. Where the author failed in her world building, she did a good job in defining the laws of her magic system and it remained integral to her plot.
Was The Wizard's Ward worth reading? No. Would I recommend it to someone else? Only if I knew they liked cheesy romance novels. Otherwise, probably not.
August 27, 2022
Neither fantasy nor romance are books that I consider to generally be in my wheelhouse, at least not consistently, so a fantasy written by a historical romance author was not one that I was terribly excited about. And, to be honest, the first couple chapters did not really grab me, apart from the fact that I could very clearly tell that this was a historical romance author.
But it did grab me. The Wizard’s Ward tells the story of Maura, a young woman in a fantasy land that has been, like so many other fantasy lands, overrun by a cruel new master; in this case, it is the Han and their magical helpers. Unlike Maura’s vitcraft, which mostly deals with natural solutions and help from a benevolent “Giver”, they use mortcraft, which is much deadlier and much more intent on harming people. The one thing that can give Maura and her people hope is the legend of the Waiting King, a fabled ruler that will release Umbria from their cruel overlords.
Throw in outlaw “Rath”, who is handsome as he is rough around the edges, and boom, you’ve got a story. Of course you knew from the beginning that Maura and Rath would have this belligerent sexual tension, and of course by the end you would be giggling at it, because fuck it, it’s cute. They’re cute. And I will admit that I was getting into the world as well. I could vibe with Maura’s constant desire to see people as their best possible self, no matter how often her altruism really fucked them over, because really, Maura, you need to idle. But it was an enjoyable read. It’s one that I’m sure really does have it’s place in early 2000s romantic fantasy. I haven’t read much of the genre, so it could be tropey and unoriginal for all I know. But I could appreciate it.
But it did grab me. The Wizard’s Ward tells the story of Maura, a young woman in a fantasy land that has been, like so many other fantasy lands, overrun by a cruel new master; in this case, it is the Han and their magical helpers. Unlike Maura’s vitcraft, which mostly deals with natural solutions and help from a benevolent “Giver”, they use mortcraft, which is much deadlier and much more intent on harming people. The one thing that can give Maura and her people hope is the legend of the Waiting King, a fabled ruler that will release Umbria from their cruel overlords.
Throw in outlaw “Rath”, who is handsome as he is rough around the edges, and boom, you’ve got a story. Of course you knew from the beginning that Maura and Rath would have this belligerent sexual tension, and of course by the end you would be giggling at it, because fuck it, it’s cute. They’re cute. And I will admit that I was getting into the world as well. I could vibe with Maura’s constant desire to see people as their best possible self, no matter how often her altruism really fucked them over, because really, Maura, you need to idle. But it was an enjoyable read. It’s one that I’m sure really does have it’s place in early 2000s romantic fantasy. I haven’t read much of the genre, so it could be tropey and unoriginal for all I know. But I could appreciate it.
September 13, 2017
So someone on twitter recommended this book/series - and a few other authors [and man I really need to start keeping track of recommendations ...]
anyway, it was cute. I don't know why I kept expecting/thinking/almost even hoping that Rath wasn't the [spoiler]? ... Just to see how it'd all turn out ...
there were some parts where it got a bit draggy - but Rath is excellent, and I have to say Maura is a really strong, well rounded heroine. She has her doubts, but she's so GOOD she just powers on.
I'm already reading the next book, and not mad to see that they're continuing on.
C, C+
anyway, it was cute. I don't know why I kept expecting/thinking/almost even hoping that Rath wasn't the [spoiler]? ... Just to see how it'd all turn out ...
there were some parts where it got a bit draggy - but Rath is excellent, and I have to say Maura is a really strong, well rounded heroine. She has her doubts, but she's so GOOD she just powers on.
I'm already reading the next book, and not mad to see that they're continuing on.
C, C+
November 10, 2019
Maybe I have been reading fantasy too long or that this book was originally written for a new fantasy line by a long-time romance publisher, but the novel seemed to telegraph the entire plot for the trilogy. Sweet young maiden witch meets rogue and they both have a Greater Role to play.
That said, it is a pleasantly written book and should prove of interest to many other readers of fantasy. I'd give it 3.5 stars. I rounded down because I don't feel the need to buy the next book in the series.
That said, it is a pleasantly written book and should prove of interest to many other readers of fantasy. I'd give it 3.5 stars. I rounded down because I don't feel the need to buy the next book in the series.
August 9, 2019
Great world building, interesting story. I also love how the characters speak and how it's turned into old English expressions.
The negative can be the slow pace. Even when there is a fight at the start there is not much real action. And sometimes you just want to hit Maura. There is such a thing as being too good.
But despite the negatives I want to read this series to the end. All in all, this is a really good book.
The negative can be the slow pace. Even when there is a fight at the start there is not much real action. And sometimes you just want to hit Maura. There is such a thing as being too good.
But despite the negatives I want to read this series to the end. All in all, this is a really good book.
January 30, 2019
This is a cute story If what you're looking for is a simple, easy, enjoyable read that will entertain and delight you . Excellent sexual tension, silly romance internal monologuing, fun banter, interesting world, and simple plot. It was kind of obvious who the waiting king was early on. It was more a young adult type all the way up to the end
July 7, 2019
A young girl lives with a wizard and lives a quiet life until she helps an outlaw and finds her beloved wizard dead. She then goes on a quest to find a map and to awaken a king. She travels with this outlaw, not sure if she can trust him and struggles to fulfill her destiny. Clever writing made it an enjoyable read.
September 18, 2025
I don't even know how many times I've read this book at this point, and I still absolutely love it. The characters are nuanced, the enemies to lovers arc isn't based on either being a truly toxic human being, the world is fantastical, and the story doesn't shy away from the darker side of living in a country ruled by a vicious rival/invader.
December 19, 2018
The book held my interest, but at times the writing style was distracting. The characters and story were interesting enough, but I felt the ending came fast. It was though the story took it's time and then rushed to an expected ending.
February 7, 2019
A must read for readers who are « in love with » fantasy
I particularly liked the main character Maura whom nothing seems to faze. I found the way the story develops kept my attention. I enjoyed this book very much
I particularly liked the main character Maura whom nothing seems to faze. I found the way the story develops kept my attention. I enjoyed this book very much
May 30, 2020
A Social Isolation reading project book. Is it possible that the reason these books have been on my shelf so long is that they're actually not really worth reading? Maybe. The one was almost good. It had good moments. Mostly it was predictable, slow and a bit forced.
April 30, 2023
I give it a 4.5 because sometimes their "irresistible attraction" to each other was distracting and a little excessive. But other than that, I loved this story, and I am excited to read the next one. (And the novella that goes with them)
September 5, 2017
Just a bodice-ripper.
April 7, 2020
x-rated. Prayers to the Giver. More prayers to it. More. Exciting fights. Pair battle across land against Han invaders, evil mages. Predictable end.
July 10, 2020
2.5 stars. This one was nostalgic for me. Not amazing, but cute.
October 15, 2020
The pacing was good, it was engaging the whole time. The world building was also very well done.
December 6, 2022
My rating is based on the webtoons version, this seems to have been a book first.
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