Knight from the Ashes

About the Book:

Title: Knight from the Ashes
Series: Crown and Crest #1
Author: Shari L Tapscott, Jake Andrews
Release Date: July 23rd, 2021
Genre: Fantasy

With single-minded determination, Henrik has worked toward gaining his knighthood so he may rise above the lowly station in which he was born. But just when the coveted position is within his grasp, he’s tasked with a mission that proves to be far more difficult than expected—secretly keeping a watchful eye on Lady Clover, a nobleman’s daughter with a sharp tongue and a knack for starting fights.

Clover, too, has one goal in life, and it has nothing to do with joining dull and dry Henrik on his supply run to the northern guard post. Why the blacksmith’s son is so determined to keep her close, she has no idea. They bicker and fight, and if Clover were to find a troll pit, she would certainly dump Henrik into it.

By the time they reach their destination, they are more than ready to be rid of each other. Unfortunately, something is amiss in the northern mountains. The usually quiet aynauths are on the move, with a bloodthirsty agenda of killing the peaceful Woodmoor elves.

Putting their differences aside to work together, Henrik and Clover trek across the mountains to investigate. As they slowly unravel the mystery, uncovering clues that hint at a conspiracy against the crown, it quickly becomes apparent that what started as mutual distaste has morphed into something entirely different. Something dangerous, something they didn’t expect.

But neither Henrik nor Clover has room in their lives for love—especially when a sinister plot is already in the works that might not only tear them apart, but the entire kingdom as well…

Book Review:

I haven’t read a lot of Ms. Tapscott’s fairytale series, but I was very excited to read this one! She co-wrote it with her husband, and it is full of elves, knights, and magic. There were so many complex characters, and I’m excited to see them grow. I had some trouble understanding them, but hopefully, the rest of the series will clear things up. The story was really interesting, and I’m sensing some set up for the rest of the series.

All Henrik wants to do is gain his seal and become a knight. It’s the only way to finally be a part of the nobility. But when he’s forced to look out for the exasperating lady in waiting, Clover, he begins to wonder if it’s actually worth it. Clover drives him insane both with her tendency to pick fights and the fact that she’s stunningly beautiful. All Clover wants to do is be out of Princess Camellia’s thumb. She has no time for dull and dry Henrik, and she has no idea why he’s keeping her so close. But when strange and dark things start to happen during their supply run, they will have to work together to save their kingdom. If they can keep from killing each other first.

Henrik was a very complex character. He was a blacksmith’s son, and he wanted to rise above that. He was very noble, but he could be uncaring at times. I loved his relationship with his squire. He was incredibly kind to him even though he was frustrated with him most of the time too. I didn’t really like how he treated the princess though. He didn’t seem to understand how it was wrong to marry her if he didn’t love her. But it was a different time, and love had never been a part of his life. That’s why it was so hard for him when he started to have feelings for Clover. I loved how Clover pulled the fun side out of him, and it was cute how they joked around a little with each other. It always felt believable though for his more reserved personality.

I had a harder time understanding Clover’s character because she seemed quite selfish at times. She and Camellia did not get along, so she was understandably upset with her. But she didn’t seem to care about anything other than gaining control over Camellia. I think her character will develop as time goes on though because this is only the first book. Her spunk was a lot of fun, and she definitely had a lot of courage in her. I’m intrigued and interested to see how the authors will grow her.

The storyline was fascinating in this, and I loved how you could see the history of the land. I’m really excited to see more of these different races. The authors have done a fantastic job of creating a gorgeous fantasy world that also felt real. All the characters were believable, and some of the side characters were so fun! I’m interested to see how the different politics will play out, and I hope we will get to see more than the human’s perspective. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romantic fantasy, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series holds!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.