If you love fantasy adventures with interesting quests and world-building, I would absolutely recommend The Warden for you. I liked the sprinkling of romance, enough to provide some more depth to the characters but not enough to overpower the story. I had a lot of fun while reading this book, and there is good setup for a continuation of this story - I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

The Warden is a fun ride without being overly stressful. The plot and feel of the book is a cross between the movie “True Grit” and the “All Creatures Great and Small” series with magic to top it all off. The book takes place in a fantasy world that is a mix of cowboy western with the Middle Ages. It has a magical university called the Magisters’ Lyceum which trains wizards in a variety of magic systems. The heroine of our story is Aelis de Lenti who trained at the Lyceum to become a warden (which are like combinations of sheriffs and doctors). To Aelis’ chagrin, her first placement as a warden is a small village on the frontier called Lone Pine. There she has to gain the trust of the villagers while at the same time exerting her authority and standing up for her rights. Throughout her time in Lone Pine, Aelis will have to deal with annoying animals, injured peasants, touchy warbands, enchantments, and more.

Lindsey Dorcus’ brought the book to life with her narration of the audiobook.

This was a comfortable fantasy read - nostalgic, but not too old school. For me, there wasn't anything overly compelling or surprising about it, but it was an enjoyable listen and I'd recommend it to those looking for books with a classic fantasy feel (orcs, dwarves, wizards with staffs, DnD elements), combined with a complex female MC and a dash of sapphic romance.

Aelis is a city girl through and through and reigns from a wealthy family, being among the middle of her siblings and a girl she takes her magical inclination and trains as a wizard who specializes in necromancy. For Aelis's first outpost after graduation she is sent to a small town that she is less than excited for. She believes she is being sent there because she is a female even though she excelled through school and is among the top of her class. We never spend much time exploring as to why she was placed in a small town but the setting gives her many troubles. The small town requested a Warden but never expected it to be a freshly graduated female.

This book somehow was not only action packed but also gave you a more cozy experiencing as the descriptions of food and locations are are vivid with sensual details that emerge you deeply into the story. Aelis gets to know the towns people and battles the difference between familiarity and respect.

This book was a blast! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading the entire book in one day and I was happy as a clam that I could because it was the perfect pace and allowed me to be completely immersed in the book. There was some moments that dragged on a bit but honestly they didn't bother me. It just felt like I got to enjoy more of the story and characters.

The audio narrations was perfect, the voice actor made the audio a breeze to listen to. I enjoyed the differentiation between characters and it allowed me to note new characters but not feel distracted by them. Sometimes in an audiobook changing characters can be jarring but the narrator gives them a differentiation while still being seamless.

This book is a fantastic jump into a book that leads towards high fantasy. The Warden, Aelis, explains the magic world as she goes and discovers new things about the town so the reader always knows their standings with the magic system. There is also a younger character who asks a million questions in the enduring curious kid way, that helps the reader know what is going on or why certain moments mattered.

I think this novel is perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes or anyone who wants to dip their toes into fantasy without being overwhelmed by too many confusing terms and concepts.

With that being said, The Warden just wasn't for me. It felt like a cozy fantasy because everything was resolved quickly and any conflict that the MC found herself in felt very low stakes.

The audiobook narrator was great and I think she was the only reason that I actually finished this book.

Aelis, the MC, wasn't likeable or relatable at all. I was hoping for some character growth by the end of the novel, but there was none. I honestly don't mind unlikeable characters, but she was so conceited the entire time and acted like she was above everyone else. She couldn't stop talking about being a noble who went to university and was an expert in 3 (I think? Idk) specialties or whatever it was. There was seriously nothing redeeming about her.

Other than that, the world building was just okay. Everything felt very copy and paste from generic fantasy novels that have been written hundreds of times before. There was nothing that really stood out for me. I've read fantasy novels with boring or despicable characters, but the world building was exceptional. But this ain't it though.

Also I didn't understand why Aelis had so many flashbacks to her university days. I'm all for backstory but at that point, why couldn't the book just be about her time at the lyceum? That would've been more interesting.

And I didn't realize that Aelis was literally talking out loud to herself until I read the other reviews. The audiobook did a great job masking that fact.

The one character I found interesting, Tun, didn't get enough air time imo. I didn't care for any of the other characters. Maurenia wasn't fleshed out enough so I couldn't be bothered about the romance. I ended up zoning out a lot so I can't really pick out any specific character and name their traits. Other than Aelis and her haughtiness.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc.

The Warden by Daniel M. Ford is a thrilling and action-packed adventure that combines necromancy, magic, and mystery in a way that will keep readers hooked until the very end. Aelis, a daughter of a noble house and a trained Magister, finds herself in a small and remote village called Lone Pine, where she is supposed to mend fences and deliver baby goats. However, things take a turn for the worse when strange things start to happen, and Aelis realizes that she might be the only one who can prevent a great evil from being unleashed upon the world.

Ford's writing is engaging, and his world-building is intricate and immersive, bringing to life a world of magic and mystery. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and Aelis is a compelling protagonist who is easy to root for. The plot is well-paced, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Overall, The Warden is a fantastic debut novel that will appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure. With its unique blend of magic, necromancy, and mystery, it is sure to be a hit with readers who love stories that transport them to other worlds and keep them guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen rage and review this arc which is available April 18,2023.

First off Lindsey Dorcas is a narrating god. She brought this unique Twin Peaks-esque fantasy story to Life.

The story is exactly what fantasy readers who love wizards strong female MCs love.. it is a hard hitting fleshed out world and it will take you for an incredible ride!

4.5 stars rounded up

Okay, this was a blast! I was told to expect Twin Peaks, but with wizards. And yeah, I see that thought this is much less leaning into horror and weirdness. I almost want to call it cozy fantasy. Not to the same degree as something like Legends & Lattes (there's quite a bit more plot, some fighting, and necromancy), but all the same it's pretty cozy. It's character focused, light-hearted fun that takes lots of time for quiet moments between characters or describing a good meal. I could see a lot of people really enjoying this book.

Aelis is city bred, from a wealthy family, trained as a wizard specializing in necromancy (among other things). But because she's a woman, her first formal assignment as a woman is...less than she might have hoped. She ends up in a small, backwater town where most of the townsfolk are too scared to talk to her and they need more help putting up fences than with wizardry. But things are bound to get exciting sooner or later....

And did I mention she's a bisexual necromancer? Who is very into a certain lady half-elf? And not supposed to fall in love?....

Yeah, this was a whole lot of fun. I will say the pacing is a little weird and it ends on a cliffhanger, which feels kind of unnecessary. I wish this had kept things to a complete story arc for book 1 instead of launching us so far into the inciting incident for book 2. A teaser of an epilogue would have been adequate for that. Still, I really enjoyed myself and will pick up the next book. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

This book feels like a low state fantasy and I am learning it not for me. It started out with potential. We have a newly graduated Warden who comes from a privilege back ground and her finding her place at her new placement. But I honestly was bored and found that I didn't care or felt invested in any of the drama.

This book cost me some sleep because I <b>had</b> to stay up to finish it! I loved it! Aelis works hard to become a necromancer with two other degrees as well and is expecting a comfortable post as a warden near her friends. BUT she is assigned to a small village on the border of the kingdom, which is going to take some getting used to for the daughter of a noble house. Add in villagers who fear necromancy, hadn't expected a female, and don't even understand their warden contract because they can't read and Aelis has to work harder than she expected to earn a little trust and a solid roof over her head. Then while carrying out her duties, she stumbles upon something much bigger than she ever would have imagined for this remote area. It's about time we had a good series reminiscent of Abhorsen, but I'm not looking forward to the long wait for the next book!

first and fore most I loved the narrator of this Audio, she did such a great job of bringing this book to life.
This story has all the makings of the start of a high fantasy series. I enjoyed the wide cast of characters and was really amused with our MC. Her inner and outer monologues were fun. The world building was a little lacking for me for the scope that book is trying to encompass but hopefully that will be addressed in later books. This story starts off slow, almost too slow, and had a tendency to ramp up without actually meeting any sort of climax until about the last third of the book. Once it did take off though it was great. I'm excited to see where the author takes this story in the next book!