The Warden by Daniel M. Ford

A Most Anticipated Book of the Year for GoodReads and FanfiAddict A Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Editors' Pick for Amazon For fans who have always wanted their Twin Peaks to have some wizards, The Warden is a non-stop action adventure story from author Daniel M. Ford. There was a plan. She had the money, the connections, even the brains. It was simple: become one of the only female necromancers, earn as many degrees as possible, get a post in one of the grand cities, then prove she’s capable of greatness. The funny thing about plans is that they are seldom under your control. Now Aelis de Lenti, a daughter of a noble house and recent graduate of the esteemed Magisters’ Lyceum, finds herself in the far-removed village of Lone Pine. Mending fences, matching wits with goats, and serving people who want nothing to do with her. But, not all is well in Lone Pine, and as the villagers Aelis is reluctantly getting to know start to behave strangely, Aelis begins to suspect that there is far greater need for a Warden of her talents than she previously thought. Old magics are restless, and an insignificant village on the farthest border of the kingdom might hold secrets far beyond what anyone expected. Aelis might be the only person standing between one of the greatest evils ever known and the rest of the world.

I went into Daniel M. Ford's The Warden not expecting too much and came away pleasantly surprised.

The Warden is a fantasy book that's not like most fantasy books. There's no saving the world scenario and huge world sprawling adventures and battles. Instead, we get a cozy novel with heartwarming characters and a town that you can root for.

Besides fantasy, we get a little sci-fi and some western genres mixed in. The Warden is like a Sheriff/Marshall/Gunslinger set to protect towns and villages. And Lone Pine is a backwater town that's all about sheep.

The author does a great job of making us fit into this quiet little down. And just like Aelis, we slowly start fitting into the town and caring about its villagers.

I really enjoyed this book. It's different enough to be special. The ending was kind of weird and sudden but leaves me begging for Part 2 to hurry up and release. I'm ready to move into Lone Pine!

I was apparently approved for this from NetGalley, but then I got so busy that I completely missed it. So, very sorry about that! The narration by Lindsay Dorcus was awesome.

Wardens are like rangers and wizards mixed into one. Our main character, Aelis, is a sword wielding, wand caster, and the new arriving overseer of Lone Pine. She is a necromancer, an anatomist, and pretty good with a sword too. The world pieces Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and even Harry Potter, and I could see people thinking Gideon the Ninth too. With all that in mind, the blend read very unique to me, as well as fully fleshed out.

The inner thoughts of Aelis, somewhat sarcastic and even self-deprecating, mixed with the more deadpan and steadfast personality of her half-orc guide, Tun, read as a great dynamic. I did struggle a bit with the half-elf love interest though. It felt kind of like pushing for a sapphic subthread that didn’t really need to be there. Or at least it wasn’t fleshed out enough for me.

I’d also liken it to some older fantasy series in the sense that it doesn’t deliver on some gigantic climax. That didn’t really work for me in the moment, but I think I’ve just become so engrained in the modern delivery of heavy action before the end. This does not have that, and that’s actually okay. It’s not without action, nor is it boring at all!

Personally a 4/5*. The peppered in flashbacks from school at the Lyceum really added depth to the world and the MC.