Book Review of Mistress of Blades by Britt Cooper and Erin Dulin
You will like Mistress of Blades if you like:
Fairy tale retellings
Enemies to lovers
Nontoxic romance
Strong female characters with combat skills
Bodyguard trope
High fantasy
Arthurian fantasy
Complex and twisty family/heir dynamics
Mistress of Blades is book 2 in a fantasy series entitled The Chronicles of Fayble (book 3 is on the way!) by sisters Britt Cooper and Erin Dulin. Like book 1 (Queen of Shadows), MoB takes a beloved fairy tale and infuses it with creative twists and a modern take on characterization – no damsels in distress here! The plot and characters are inspired by Sleeping Beauty infused with Arthurian legends, creating a rich story mash-up that will appeal to both fairytale and high fantasy lovers.
Main characters Aurora and Artyrus are thrown together at the end of Queen of Shadows, as Artyrus has been charged by Merlin to guard Aurora, returning her safely to the kingdom of Chamelaute. Their adventures in the Wylewoode are packed with sparks-flying conflict and banter, danger, fun, and romantic tension. But as they reach the exiled people of Penzelle, the stakes become significantly higher.
Both main characters must fully realize their destinies to prevent evil king Luther from consolidating his grip on the kingdoms through a cruel sleeping poison. This poison has created a phantasmic sleep world, a place of infinite everchanging fates, influenced by villain and hero alike. Not to spoil too much, but the setting of this sleep world, called the Otherlande, along with Aurora and Artyrus’ choices, is what sets this fairytale retelling apart – the authors are magnificently creative! I absolutely loved the way they made a sedate tale like Sleeping Beauty so much more engaging and heroic.
This is a complex and creative tale, with familiar elements that fantasy nerds will love (Excalibur, dragons, Maleficent, prophecies, Romani-inspired nation, medieval tournaments). The love story will melt your heart, and doesn’t have the cringy toxicity present in many enemies to lovers novels (hot but wholesome). The main characters are truly heroes, in that they make sacrificial choices for the good of all, which is something I particularly enjoy about Britt and Erin’s novels. And there are plenty of twists and turns that ramp up the tension until the HEA (because this is a fairytale after all!). Overall, five happy stars from this fantasy enthusiast. Looking forward to book 3!