Get ready for your next fantasy obsession. I knew I was going to love this after reading the synopsis. "...this time, she'll be doing the saving. If she can stop rolling her eyes." Yes, please.



The Floating Isles were created millions of years ago when a beetle the size of a continent churned up mud from the seabed for a perch. And things have only gotten weirder since.

This is a tongue in cheek account of a princess forced to go on a quest, very much against her will. With the proverbial band of sidekicks at her side, Rahni leaves the familiar comforts of home for the mysterious Eigen States, a place where, of course, nothing is as it seems. Or else it wouldn't be much of a quest. Rahni is determined not to let the laws of the land dictate anything, least of all how seriously she has to take the whole matter.

Her dearest wish is to get through the quest with as few near scrapes and mortal enemies as possible. If she has to go on a quest, she wants it to be bland, with no nonsense about holding the fate of the world in her hands. Naturally, nothing goes quite as she plans. But what else is new?





 


When the author reached out to me about reading and reviewing her book, I knew straightaway that I needed to. Based on the synopsis, I was 100% in before I even started. The thing about Quests and Quandaries is that it's magical and sarcastic and just a delight from the start. Readers won't soon forget the series--The Floating Isles is shaping up to be one of my favourites.

If you like that classic adventure; action packed quests and self discovery, you're going to love Quests and Quandaries. You're going to love it further based on the crackling sarcasm and humor that is quickly becoming Alda Yuan's calling card.

There's something so strong in Yuan's writing, I found myself unable to put this book down. This year has been a great year for fantasy but this was by far one of my favourites.

Side note: I finished it right before bed the other night and ended up having a dream about planning a quest to Eigen States. Naturally, my dream only mentioned it, but as you can see Quests and Quandaries didn't leave my mind very quickly.

If I were to describe the novel, in the vaguest of terms, I'd pick vivid and hilarious. It's always a plus to have teenage heroines sound like teenagers and Rahni Gazi is definitely one of those characters. I really, really fell in love with this story because of the minimal worldbuilding (that leaves open a ton of potential for the future of the series) and Rahni's development. 

Aside from the humor, and the general "quest" of the story, there are a lot of great elements to the novel. It is a strong start to what will surely be an incredibly breathtaking series--and I can't wait to see where the next book takes us. I'm beyond excited to learn more about the world that Quests and Quandaries is set within and am highly anticipating the next installment.