Joedan: A New Beginning

Okay, you have to read this book. It has basically everything, from adventure to action to a little bit of drama, and characters that feel real. The book starts out with Jordan, a farmer who wishes to be a soldier as one does when farming just is not thrilling enough. But things go haywire for the wild when he is forced to rescue a noblewoman, Amelia, from kidnappers. From there, it is danger nonstop, sneaky villains hello, Count Reginald, and Joedan slowly becoming an outright badass. But listen, Amelia is the real MVP of this book. She is the whole reason why I loved this book so much. I mean, she gets kidnapped, but instead of doing the whole damsel in distress thing, she is like, "Nope, not today." She is smart, stubborn in the best way possible, and absolutely refuses to let anyone dictate what she does. She even uses a mace, like some kind of medieval warrior queen! Watching her go from kidnapped noblewoman to full on fighter is truly the most satisfying glow up ever. The character relationships? So good. Joedan and Amelia's sparring is absolute gold. They start off as basically strangers, but you see this respect and trust starting to build between them, and by the end, you are like, "Okay, I ship this." And Commander Griff, Joedan's gruff as nails mentor, basically turns him from a clumsy farm boy into an actual warrior. Their training scenes are tough but touching. And then there's Joedan's relationship with his dad. Seriously sweet. Short version: this book is not entirely about sword fights and noble quests although there is a lot of that. It is about finding out who you are, fighting for what you believe in, and standing your ground, even if you are wielding a mace in a dress.