This is a wonderful fantasy / romance.
Although having not read the first book made this hard work to start overall I did find this a really enjoyable read.
The characters were well developed and if you like fairy tales this could be for you.

This is a super enjoyable fantasy romance between a cis girl and a trans boy. Though it is book 2 in the series, it stands alone well and it's easy to understand the political situation behind the plot. It manages to balance an engaging story about a young woman discovering her magic with a deeper story about bigotry and the aftermath of war, and also throws in a good amount of romance. The romance itself never goes beyond kissing, but is completely adorable with lots of banter and sweetness - I thought Ned and Violette were really well suited to each other, and the topic of Ned being trans was handled really sensitively and well. The ending made me tear up a bit!

Really fun and sweet read, and I'll definitely be looking up the rest of this series!

A fun, unique twist to the princess/ magic story line. The book is not a long one, the characters are well written and the story moves along quickly, keeping your interest. I'm looking forward to more from this author!

This book was so nice, and had such a flow, that I actually only found out that it was the second one for sure after reading some reviews of it. I really have to stop skipping to the prologue or the first chapter!

But in all, Violette's story was such a nice one, very well written, and very entertaining! Her wanting to know magic, her friendship and feelings for Ned, the one she trusts to tell about it are very engaging, as well as all that is happening around them as they are stranded! Really want to read the first book now!

If you like magic, feelings, smooth reading novels and a very nice story easy and fast to read. I recommend!

This is the second book in the Fairy Tales of Lyond series. Having read both, they are stories that are complete in themselves. I don't think there were gaps in The Apprentice Sorceress that required having read the first in the series, Enchanting the King. There is a continuity of characters and setting that makes reading them in sequence for a richer, more immersive experience.

The Apprentice Sorceress is the story of Violette, a lady in waiting to Princess Alienor, the main character of the first book. They are refugees in another city. There is some palace intrigue, the princess's secret romance, a city in turmoil. With this setting, Lady Violette realizes she has magic, a magical force that she must learn to control. Oh, and magic is feared and forbidden, with those who use magic disappearing.

I enjoyed the story. The only thing that was mildly disappointing was throwing in a transgender character. It just seemed to be shoehorned in and not a natural fit. I am looking forward to Book 3, The Beauty's Beast.

The Apprentice Sorceress
by E.D. Walker
EDW Books
Romance , Sci Fi & Fantasy
This book is the second in a series that does well as a stand alone.. Cute mixture of fantasy, romance and magic.

E.D Walker introduces the Apprentice Sorceress, story in the Fairytales of Lyond in which Violette, the lady in waiting to Princess Alienor, discovers she is a sorceress and pursues a relationship with Ned, squire to the king. Two kingdoms are in conflict and Princess Alienor wants to marry King Thomas of the rival kingdom. Meanwhile anyone with the possibility of magic is under threat. Pleasant fantasy.

The Apprentice Sorceress by E.D. Walker is rich exploration of people, stereotypes, grudges and class in a fantasy. The characters are richly developed, unique and intriguing. The story is simple, yet moving. And, the are several stories within the story. Highly enjoyable though a little dark. Highly recommended.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

I should have read the description better I suppose. It's not a bad premise or anything, but it's not for me. It's much shorter than what I normally read. It also contains material that I don't care to read. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with this story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I only registered after finishing the book that The Apprentice Sorceress is Book 2 of Fairy Tales of Lyond. However I had no problem following the story as it unfolded and is a perfect standalone book in the series.

Beautifully crafted and a compelling story which flows from start to finish with ease. I read at night until I could no longer, than continued reading the next day when I was able.

The tale follows Lady Violette, a young maid to the widowed Princess Aliénor of Jerdun who fled to the Southern city of Aratum after the Tiochene raiders attacked the Northern Cities. Although time has passed from the war between Jerdun and Lyondi, Princess Aliénor and King Thomas hope to marry and smooth tempers between the two sides.

Lord Guillaume, Princess Aliénor cousin and protector, sees fit to prevent any communication between the Princess and the King. Violette is than tasked to deliver the princess’ secret love letters to the King Thomas through squire Ned by creating a pretend love affair between herself and Ned.

With more refugees flooding into Aratum and the increasing tempers, a curfew is placed on all dark skinned Tiochenes and magic users. On one occasion Violette discovers her magically abilities, and is determined not to reveal to anyone, besides Ned (who was there when the magic exploded from her). She seeks to control and snub magic from her life initially. But magic is apart of her more than she realizes.

** I received a copy of The Apprentice Sorceress, second book in the series Fairy Tales of Lyond by E.D. Walker via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this cover and read the blurb I had to read! Even though the book is billed as a stand alone I think I would have benefited more if I read the first book. . At times I got a little confused with the different characters. Even with that minor issue I did like the story line and the plot held my attention and it was an exciting read. This book also touches on how people identify gender wise and not to be ashamed or embarrassed as to who you are! I loved that message. We also had some action packed moments as well in the story. This was my first time reading this author and I did enjoy the story. I'm excited to see where the series continues but I will be reading the first book before I read the next book.

Isn’t that a gorgeous cover? It’s a fantasy romance with a fake relationship trope, too! I was interested, especially when I saw on Twitter that this was actually a LGBT+ romance. It’s apparently the second in a series, so while I did have a little bit of a problem following along at first, I think it works fine as a standalone.

“You’re late.”
A dimple flashed in Ned’s cheek. “You missed me.”
“I have other duties to complete today.”
“Do you now? And here I thought this was the most important task your princess set you to each day.”


Violette, widowed lady’s maid to Princess Aliénor of Jerdun, fled to the Southern city of Aratum after Tiochene raiders, armed with magic, attacked the Northern cities. In a city chock full of refugees, Violette’s been recruited to deliver messages to the Lyondi King Thomas for the princess. Though Lyond and Jerdun are enemies, the two royals hope their marriage will smooth things over between the two countries. Obviously, the plan will not go over well with the princess’s so-called protector, Lord Guillaume, so Violette pretends to be in love with one of the King’s squires, Ned, in order to pass the royals’ love messages. The influx of refugees has tempers running high, however (sound familiar?), and those who look like the dark-skinned Tiochene, like Violette, are especially in danger. When one of those incidents results in Violette finding out she has magic, she looks to Ned for help in learning to control it – and in keeping her magic secret. Faced with unruly magic, exile, and a marriage that may start a new war, can Violette and Ned navigate their own secrets and find a happy ending?

“These, then, were Violette’s choices: to follow her princess to a foreign, enemy land or to return to her family and be sold off in a marriage of convenience. Unless I make a third option for myself.
But what?
How bitterly she envied Ned. As a man, he could become a soldier, a scholar, seek a wealthy patron, explore the world. Violette’s options were to serve or to marry.”


Violette is very traditionally feminine. The setting is very much your traditional western fantasy world, so there are knights and squires (like Ned) and princesses and ladies-in-waiting (like Violettte). As one of the princess’s entourage, she’s skilled at styling hair or planning dinner parties, but she feels useless now that the princess’s party is exiled in Aratum. The least she feels she can do is deliver messages to the King’s squire, Ned, even if it means pretending to be infatuated with him. To Ned’s credit, when Violette disparages herself for her uselessness, he disagrees. For reasons that become obvious, there’s a lot of mulling over “womanliness,” early on in terms of what Violette wants to do with her life now that she’s a widow. She knows she doesn’t want to go home and remarry, as her family will expect, or run away to Lyond with her liege lady, but, as a lady of quality, she feels like she has no other options. And, of course, the least womanly thing in the world is magic. I loved Violette’s determination to master her powers on her own terms, and I loved the friendship that formed between her and Yonca, the older woman employed by the princess as a servant. Ned was absolutely adorable, and I loved the parts of the book where he attempted to teach Violette magic under the guise of her teaching him to read. Their romance did have a youthful feel to it, though, and that and Violette’s search to figure out who she is made this read a bit younger to me. It’d certainly be well suited to a teen reader, as there’s no sexual content beyond some kisses.

“All things end. Changes happen. It’s what you do with it afterward that determines your fate.”


Overall, I thought the book was well-paced, and it was an easy, light read. I did roll my eyes at bit that Violette was, of course, incredibly talented magically, though I’m willing to forgive the “special snowflake” of it because it was ridiculously fun to read. I did find it a bit preachy, in terms of race and nonbinary gender (many Tiochene are gender fluid, choosing to reflect feminine/masculine/or no gender at different times, and Violette frequently comments on how nice it is that the Southerners seem more accepting than her Northern countrymen), though I found Violette’s casual acceptance of the big twist absolutely lovely. I was a bit worried, after watching her so strongly denounce prejudice towards herself and the Tiochene, that she’d prove to have some of that herself, but my fears were unfounded.

Overall, this was a fun read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a LGBT+-friendly fantasy romance. I’ll definitely be picking up the other books in the series!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Apprentice Sorceress by E.D. Walker is a beautifully crafted tale. I first discovered this author with The Beauty’s Beast, which is the book that immediately follows The Apprentice Sorceress. Although the books are standalone, it was lovely to see the backstories to some of the characters that appear in The Beauty’s Beast.

E.D. Walker has a lovely writing style. It is very smooth and immersive, it is easy to picture world and the characters in it, without being bogged down by too much descriptive commentary. The story is compelling and keeps you turning the pages.

The story comes with the notice that it has a LGBTQA+ romance, and while this raises no flags for me, I was curious to see how it would be worked into the story. I must be the most oblivious person on the planet, because I was looking for it everywhere, except where it was happening! I make no claims to being able to assess this social area, but to me, it seemed to be sensitively done. Without naming names, this particular person's back story was sympathetically written, and you couldn't help but empathise with them. It was a lovely example of gender fluidity where a person falls in love with someone’s soul, not their gender.

I really enjoyed The Apprentice Sorceress. Although reading the other books first, particularly Enchanting the King, will give you the back story to this book, it’s not essential (I haven’t read that story) and this book can be enjoyed as a standalone. The Apprentice Sorceress is a short read, but the author has packed so much into the story it doesn't feel like it, there is none of the shallowness that can often thread through a novella. The world building and character development are well done and detailed; the story is well thought out, fast-paced but immersive.

Overall if you enjoy a light fantasy romance, and you are looking for a fast but satisfying read, you can’t really go wrong with The Apprentice Sorceress.