Synopsis:
After a devastating invasion, the necromancers of the kingdom of Led are executed for their crimes against the sanctity of life. One such necromancer, Sybil Whitman, finds all of this really, really, really dumb. All she wanted was to have her own farm and work alongside her skeleton constructs, providing food and warmth to the surrounding towns. It just so happens that a sympathetic god is listening in. Can she let go of her past and allow herself to have a future with her loved ones?
Antonio de Cardenas is a young prince fraught with the demons of his country’s bleak history. Cainern has long suffered from the Druidic Wars, where his ancestors were pushed cruelly from their homes. Now, he’s in a position to take back the land and liberate his people from the wicked rule of necromancers! Only… Is everything really as it seems in Led? Maybe his only hope lies in the hands of Sybil Whitman and her black magic.
A cozy fantasy about one man rediscovering his birthright, one woman fleeing her duties, and a quiet town called Reisau.
Review:
Cozy fantasy with necromancers, druidic magic, and some fantastic characters? Yes, please!
An Ambitious Woman and her Very Normal Pet is a dual-POV story told by the necromancer Sybil Whitman and the conquering prince Antonio de Cardenas (or Tony to his friends.) The book begins with Sybil’s execution—followed immediately by the interference of a time god, who gives her a second chance to redo the last three years, simply to satisfy the god’s curiosity. Rather than wait for the war she knows is coming, Sybil leaves her family and disappears into the countryside to live her life away from the conflict.
Sybil meets some fantastic characters where she finally decides to settle, and they create a really lovely found-family centered around a farm. Henry is a very, very old construct without a necromancer to guide it, and though Henry never speaks to Sybil, their presence is friendly and protective (Henry is also huge.) Then there are Sybil’s partners, the local blacksmith, Haven, and her childhood best friend, Soleil.
Soleil was one of my favorite side characters. The author introduces a number of “beast men,” half human-half animal species, and Soleil is one of them. I don’t want to ruin it for potential future readers by saying exactly what he is, but despite his potentially terrifying exterior, he’s one of the sweetest, gentlest people in this book. One of the few complaints I have about the story is that we didn’t get to see nearly enough of Soleil. I also really liked Tolstoy, a half-fox man introduced in the later chapters.
Most of the story is focused on Sybil on her farm, or Tony as he takes over the kingdom of Led (among other things that are fairly spoilery. Tony’s character is initially construed as something of a villain, but he’s really not as bad as he seems. Trust me.) Battles are mentioned, but not really on the page, keeping with the cozy theme.
I really hope there is a book two on the horizon, because the first one left a few threads hanging. Not in a cliff-hanger sort of way, but there were some things that didn’t fully get resolved and I’d love to know how they conclude.
There were a number of editorial issues, but I enjoyed the story so much, that I could mostly overlook them. With a bit more editing, this would have easily been a 5-star read for me (I’m giving it a 4 for this reason alone.) But overall, I really enjoyed this book—and the character work in particular.
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