This Will Be Fun
Author: E.B. Asher
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
Ten years ago, Clare, Beatrice, Elowen, and Galwell saved Mythria from foul magic and power summoned by the Fraternal Order, but the cost was high. The realm’s beloved hero Galwell the Great was slain, and the three remaining warriors of the Four didn’t cope well. Now the trio has been reunited on their way to attend the Queen’s wedding, but when they arrive, they discover the groom has been kidnapped. Do these washed up champions have it in them to save the realm once more?
This Will Be Fun is a highly entertaining questing adventure filled with laughs, hard truths, and magic. There is so much to enjoy… a fun fantasy realm with a noble quest, tarnished heroes who are given a second chance, two second-chance romances. I loved watching Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen learn to forgive themselves and grow to love again. The entire story is a journey of reflection and forgiveness for each of the three. They must look inward and examine why they’ve made the choices that led to their separation and isolation from one another. They need to forgive their own choices while understanding and forgiving each other.
This Will Be Fun is shared from the alternating third person POVs of Beatrice, Elowen, and Clare so the reader is privy to the thoughts and feelings of each main character. The story starts with a look at how each hero has spent the past decade, consumed by their person demons of guilt, shame, and loneliness. Elowen retreated to her trees living in isolation and staying away from experiencing others’ feelings. She feels betrayed by Bea and life. Bea married a nobleman to compensate for growing up poor, and she didn’t take the queen’s retirement package because of guilt. She spends every night reliving Galwell’s death in perfect detail because she feels she doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Clare took on the public mantel of Hero because he enjoys it, but more to save the others from having to. He overplays it purposely to keep attention on himself and away from the others. But here’s the thing – none of them take the time to understand the actions of the others. Each assumes horrible things because that is easier than facing the truth.
As the story continues, the three are forced to spend time together and each slowly learns more about the others and themselves. But it’s not a straightforward journey, and each backslides into lashing out rather than opening up and forgiving. And then they realize that they must protect the realm again, regardless of where they’ve been and what’s ahead. Eventually, they learn to laugh together. They become a team that has fought their demons and come out stronger on the other side. It took ten years of misery to finally learn what it means to care and love another. To clear the air of old hurts.
I do have two slight misgivings that occur near the end of the book and have to do with Beatrice learning something new about her powers. While the attempt puts a neat bow on the package, I felt it was unnecessary. Other than that, I absolutely adored This Will Be Fun. I highly recommend the story for fans of adventure stories, humor, and light fantasy.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
Jen
About the Book:
Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.
Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the land from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the former heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.
But when they receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages, with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her former flame (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell’s presence. And if reuniting with old friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have returned, plotting a domination that only Mythria’s one-time defenders can stop. Maybe.
Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, they face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past—rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.
This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Publisher: Avon
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Format(s): paperback (416 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)