Asperfell

Starred review from December 23, 2019
The wonderfully inventive first installment in Thomas’s debut trilogy winningly combines the comedy of manners found in Regency romances with the high spirits of magical school adventure fantasies. The new king of Tiralaen is hell-bent on culling mages from the population. Briony, an appealingly willful nobleman’s daughter, travels through the one-way gate into Asperfell, an otherworld prison for mages, to free the king’s brother, Prince Elyan, in hopes of saving the kingdom’s magic. In the two-tiered wizarding community of Asperfell, genteel mages are free to wander the grounds while those considered dangerous languish in a dungeon. When Briony meets Elyan, she discovers a rare magical aptitude that may be the key to unraveling the prison world’s mysteries and freeing them both to return home. The charming characters, understated romance that simmers between Briony and Elyan, and easily graspable politics are all well-rendered, but the true star here is the strange, mystical setting of Asperfell. This promising adventure has crossover YA appeal and is sure to win over fantasy readers.

Starred review from February 15, 2020
Briony Tenebrae was a child when King Gavreth died and his killer was sent through the one-way Gate to Asperfell, a prison designed to hold mages. Years later, Briony finds herself traversing the same gate on a quest to restore the true heir, Elyan, to the throne of Tiralaen?only to find that the prince has no interest in being rescued. The horrific prison she envisioned is simply another place to live, with chores, lessons, and social divisions similar to those in her normal world. Yet Briony finds herself woefully out of place, as most chores are accomplished with magic, and even navigating through the ever-shifting castle necessitates basic spells. In this coming-of-age story, Briony must find her strengths and her allies, with the ultimate goal of escaping from the inescapable magical prison and dethroning the tyrannical despot who now rules Tiralaen. One of her strongest assets is her ability to think outside the box; her greatest weakness may be that she doesn't hold her tongue. This brilliant fantasy is told entirely from Briony's perspective, and readers will love following her 12-year saga as they anxiously await more from debut author Thomas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)