By Irene Loukisa, @Irinilou_born_to_read
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason...
This book is the first part of "The Shepherd King" series. It's a fantasy novel full of fairytale elements. I liked The plot despite the fact that it was a kind of slow, but this is counterbalanced by the eerie and magical scenery. I was impressed by the idea of the naming of the families that is based on the names of trees. Also, without intending to do any spoiler, I must note that the magic based on cards is a brilliant idea. The magical mist (another clever detail) forces the characters to carry charms to protect themselves from being taken by it and carried into the wood, never to be seen again. The fact that the magic itself tastes like salt lends a note of reality since salt is believed to be an actual magical ingredient.
Regarding the magical infection and the pursuit of the infected people I suppose that the author has been inspired by the "era" of Covid pandemic. I found the whole idea intriguing because it describes the folly of that period. Another fascinating detail is the deck of the Providence Cards cards and the restrictions regarding their use. That is because the use of magic is never without a price (like many things in life).
The author managed to built characters with real-life attributes, a fact that made me to sympathize or be mad at them. However, although liked Elspeth, my favourite was Ravyn who, despite his hardened appearance as the Captain of the Destriers, is a very gallant and emotional man.
And of course, I couldn't forget the Nightmare who is a definitely impressive character. I really liked his black humor and wit, the nursery rhymes he provides all the time and his ironic comments.
All in all, is a book that I would absolutely recommend to gothic fantasy fans and not only. Also, I believe that it would be suitable also to YA readers.
At the moment, I can't wait to read the second part because I want to know how things evolved among the characters and the story in general.
The book has been published by https://www.orbit-books.co.uk/
Also, it has been translated into Greek by Elena Giannakoula for Psychogios publishing house, https://www.psichogios.gr/el/ena-skoteino-parathyro.html?srsltid=AfmBOorxwn6Ym_w4gtZefzdyUgJS6DO-H8rVioO9ZzmiyuwatJe21zmz