Series written by Kenley Davidson, published 2017-2019.
Andar is not the largest or the most prosperous kingdom on the continent, but what it lacks in power and prestige, it more than makes up for with mystery, romance, and political drama. It’s a land made up of princes, spies, thieves, and strong female leads that redefine fairy tale adaptations. Trystan, Elaine, Ilani, Zara, Brenna, and Batrice must rely on their instincts and intellect to save themselves, and sometimes the entire kingdom itself, from utter ruin. Davidson has crafted a six-book series of interrelated standalone novels that approach well-known stories in new and inventive ways.
A few things I really like about this series as a whole: I loved Davidson’s writing style. It has a very Jane Austen-ish feel to it, but it’s not as difficult to read. She has a good balance of complex word choice and familiar sentence structure, especially in her dialogue, which makes for irresistible wit and romance. In short, each novel is a fun, fairly simple read that makes you feel fancy and has all the classic heart-throbbing elements of a romance novel.
I also loved the variety in the ways Davidson adapted the fairytales she chose. These changes came in the smallest little details and in the biggest plot twists—which she excelled at, by the way. Almost every book had a scene where I actually gasped out loud because I didn’t see it coming. The biggest change that I loved the most was that Andar was a land without magic. There was no Fairy Godmother to magic Cinderella out of her problems, but rather Cinderella has to find the courage to face those problems herself. It meant that the characters had a more realistic and relatable depth to them which really helped to ground the stories.
There are a few things I want to make note of along with my recommendation. First, these are technically standalone novels. You do see some characters in more than one book, but each book is written in such a way that you can read it without getting too confused. However, in order to have the best context and background info, I would recommend reading them in order at least the first time through. Second, I could only get these stories as audiobooks from my local library. I don’t know if any of you are like me and don’t do spectacularly well with audiobooks—I get distracted easily, and then I miss things—but I did pretty well with these. The narrator is this posh-sounding British lady, which totally adds to the Austenian vibe of Davidson’s writing style. So, for anyone that also only has access to the audiobooks, I give them a strong recommendation as well. Thirdly, there are two novellas that take place in Andar which I only just found out about. So, I haven't read those yet, but they're there!
This series contains minimal language, no inappropriate intimacy, and no graphic violence. An excellent read for audiences 16 and older.
Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of The Andari Chronicles! We get into all six books, so be warned of spoilers moving forward.
"Life is too precious for regret. Remorse and forgiveness are important, yes, but not regrets. Because in the end, we affect each other in unforeseen ways. No one would have chosen the path you have walked. But if it had not been for all the misunderstandings, all the suffering, and yes, the betrayals, we would not be sitting here today."
It’s impossible for me to pick my favorite book out of this series, but I do have lots of favorite moments from across the board. I think my absolute favorite scene comes from Shadow and Thorn when Rowan is the one cursed to live in the enchanted castle until he learns to love. I had to pause for a moment and do a couple of fist pumps. I never saw that one coming, and I just . . . *chef’s kiss*. Utter perfection, the epitome of poetic justice. I also loved the idea in Goldheart that the miller’s daughter is commissioned to do a portrait, rather than spin straw to gold. I thought that was a really clever way of writing Rumpelstiltskin without magic. My OTP in this series is Zara and Alexei for sure. They had the only true enemies-to-lovers romance in the series, so their relationship in particular sticks out to me. And the best villain is Rowan Tremontaine, hands down. He actually reminded me a lot of Loki from the MCU. The mastery of his manipulation was driving me crazy in Traitor’s Masque! I almost wasn’t sure what to believe at some points because he’s such a good liar.
I really do love the series, but there are a few things about it that I don’t like, the first being the addition of a magic element in Pirouette and Shadow and Thorn. Again, what I loved most about Andar was its lack of magic. I thought it forced Davidson and her characters to get creative, and it made for a series that felt truly original. After reading about Caelan and Erath, I won’t deny that they’re excellent books. Even with the magic, I like the twists that Davidson incorporated to make the stories her own. (As seen above in my favorite plot twist of the series.) However, when I consider those books in the context of the rest of the series, I’m just not convinced that magic was necessary. I’m not sure how much more it added if it added anything at all. My first impression was that it actually took away from the world that Davidson so artfully crafted. Now that I’ve finished the series, I still don’t know how I feel about it, but I’m still going to add Pirouette and Shadow and Thorn to my bookshelf if that tells us anything.
The only book I’m not sure if I actually want to own is Daughter of Lies. This one was really underwhelming compared to the other five books. My main issue was Louise Seagrave. I wish she was . . . just more as a villain. As she was, Louise was underdeveloped and flat. Her villainy heavily relies on her unreasonableness and psychotic hatred. To be fair, this isn’t the first time Davidson has written this type of villain for The Andari Chronicles, but that guy didn’t go up against Brenna Seagrave. Brenna is a well-established character; she’s smart, savvy, and capable of taking care of herself. A character like Brenna deserves to meet her match and prove her metal, and it was disappointing that she didn’t get that opportunity. It actually really bothered me that Brenna, standing in as Snow White, didn’t get poisoned once. I’m not trying to be romantic (well, maybe a little), but I think it would have made for a more gripping climax if Louise had succeeded at least a little more than completely and utterly failing.
Last thing: I WANT MORE! It doesn’t look like Davidson is going to add to this series, and I humbly ask her to reconsider. I feel like the ending of Path of Secrets wasn’t an ending at all, but another beginning, like the start of season two. I want to know all about Spark and how that new problem gets solved. I want to travel to all these other countries and see their cultures—and more books in different lands with magic would actually help smooth over my earlier quibble. The series would feel more balanced with more magical books. Also, I want books for Blaise and Coralynne! They were two of my favorite characters in the series, and I didn’t get nearly enough of them. I’m sure there’s room for a little more . . . maybe a Rapunzel or a Sleeping Beauty adaptation?
I’m the first one to read this series in my inner circle of readers, and I desperately want to talk about this series with someone! So, if you’ve read it, tell me what you think!
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