In this version of the story, Anne has a special destiny. She is chosen by a unicorn of the enchanted forest of Broceliande to rescue and rule a lost city from a wicked queen. This sounds cheesy, and it shouldn't work! But it does and you'll probably end up caught up in Anne's struggles and adventures like I was. Even though at times this is something of a fairy tale romp, and there are some amusing bits like those involving a small girl and magical travelling cat, it also succeeds at showing us a convincing picture of life in the 15th century: Anne is charming but rather short and with a hip defect, while the young King of France is highlighted as having a pock marked face and a flaw of being too affable to others. We have to remember that the realistic, although stiff way that many of the nobility and male characters behave in was because of the codes of courtly behaviour and even chivalry that prevailed.
While Anne has been marked as having a great fate awaiting her, she and her younger sister try to find a way out of a takeover of their kingdom by the much larger France. There's a sense of limitations for women and girls, and Anne persists in seeking a way out, either through a better marriage or seeking the power of the Lost Lands. She fends off the threats of the shady Julien Moreau, a diviner who hides his dark past, and Marguerite, the scheming and ruthless regent Queen. I especially liked how Anne's finding of a solution is thoroughly bound up with the world-building of the story. With the magic system that binds the material world and the Lost Lands, and aided by supernatural creatures, she is able to follow the idea of 'congruence': understanding the significance of personal events to certain people, as a way to manipulate a network of shadowy magical paths.
I enjoyed the way historical events were blended into a story involving the Breton fey. And by the way, what supernatural beings Arden writes! If she makes another book about sea drakes with silver blood again, I'll be the first to snap up a copy of that story. There are also the central mysteries as to what makes Anne so special, and the sinister secrets to Julien's background that made me want to keep reading. I wasn't really here for the romance but it was encouraging to see a positive, redeeming portrayal of the male love interest, Louis, and Anne's acceptance of him.
I only had a few minor quibbles: it would have been good to have a guide to the pronunciation of all the French names and places. And why did Anne change her mind so often, even seemingly abandon the people of Brittany to go elsewhere?
However, this is a pleasing achievement of a book.
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐🔅
Thanks to Del Rey and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
