The Royal Wizard

The King of Wilderheim is ready to retire, and his son, Prince Saeran, is preparing to ascend the throne.  As the realm gets a new monarch, Prince Saeran gets a new royal wizard, Nia.  Their first meeting gets off to a humorous start when she briefly turns him into a toad, but they quickly fall into an easy working relationship and before long, they are enchanted with each other.  Sadly, Saeran is betrothed to the princess of another country, and even though he has never met her, to break their engagement would mean war.  Resolving to put some space between them, Nia withdraws from court for a while, but this leaves Saeran vulnerable to magical attack from his enemies.  A plot involving very dark magic has been put into motion, and Nia can no longer stay away from court or her heart’s desire.

Borrowing snippets from Norse mythology and Arthurian legend, Ms. Donnelly has woven a glorious fantasy tale.  Magic, a quest, family secrets, and of course, an epic (if somewhat forbidden) romance can be found amongst the pages along with an excellent blend of humor and pathos.  The author’s world-building is nowhere near as grand or encompassing as Tolkien or Martin, but it is sufficient for this story.  The focus here remains on the characters, and fans of high fantasy will find much to love about “The Royal Wizard"!

Leslie Stokes