Quests & Quandaries is the first book in the Floating Isles series by Alda Yuan.
- Publisher : Khanda Books
- Language : English
- Paperback : 282 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1949883000
- ISBN-13 : 978-1949883008
- Item Weight : 1.08 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
Quests & Quandaries is the first book in the Floating Isles series by Alda Yuan.
The Floating Isles were created millions of years ago when a beetle the size of a continent churned up mud from the seabed for a perch. And things have only gotten weirder since.
Rahni Gazi is the princess of a small inconsequential nation called Savay. She spends her days defying convention, exasperating her parents and torturing visiting heads of state. On the day of her seventeenth birthday though, everything changes. One minute she’s sitting at her birthday feast, bored to death. The next she’s running from a questing fairy. Despite everything she does to avoid it, she’s cursed, by her own parents no less, to go on a quest.
With the proverbial band of sidekicks at her side, Rahni leaves the familiar comforts of home for the mysterious Eigen States, a place where, of course, nothing is as it seems. Or else it wouldn't be much of a quest. Rahni is determined not to let the laws of the land dictate anything, least of all how seriously she has to take the whole matter. Her dearest wish is to get through the quest with as few near scrapes and mortal enemies as possible. If she has to go on a quest, she wants it to be bland, with no nonsense about holding the fate of the world in her hands. Naturally, nothing goes quite as she plans. But what else is new?
Review: Quests & Quandaries (The Floating Isles) Alda Yuan
Quests & Quandaries is the first book in the Floating Isles series by Alda Yuan.
The Floating Isles were created millions of years ago when a beetle the size of a continent churned up mud from the seabed for a perch. And things have only gotten weirder since.
Rahni Gazi is the princess of a small inconsequential nation called Savay. She spends her days defying convention, exasperating her parents and torturing visiting heads of state. On the day of her seventeenth birthday though, everything changes. One minute she’s sitting at her birthday feast, bored to death. The next she’s running from a questing fairy. Despite everything she does to avoid it, she’s cursed, by her own parents no less, to go on a quest.
With the proverbial band of sidekicks at her side, Rahni leaves the familiar comforts of home for the mysterious Eigen States, a place where, of course, nothing is as it seems. Or else it wouldn't be much of a quest. Rahni is determined not to let the laws of the land dictate anything, least of all how seriously she has to take the whole matter. Her dearest wish is to get through the quest with as few near scrapes and mortal enemies as possible. If she has to go on a quest, she wants it to be bland, with no nonsense about holding the fate of the world in her hands. Naturally, nothing goes quite as she plans. But what else is new?
I received a copy of this book through the generosity of the author.
My Review
Today, I have been in a fantasy reading mood. I think is due in part to me watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks earlier this week. Grim but hopeful worldbuilding captivates me as do maps.
I LOVE MAPS! So, in searching through my TBRs, I selected Quests & Quandaries by Alda Yuan.
This Fantasy opens and you are immediately aware it will defy expectations. This captivating read introduces us to princess Rahni Gazi, age 17, at her birthday dinner with her minder Jak. She eating the fourth course and we see she has copped an attitude as she states she is so bored she is thinking about pegging a drumstick at Emir Withercox. To untangle the enchantment of reading a Princess story, Rahni informs us she has the title of the most ill-mannered princess on this side of the Zah Rivercloud.
The worldbuilding begins quickly! When the clouds flash bright red a creature often appears. Rahni believes she is in a tussle with a questing fairy but soon realizes she had been cursed by her parents and must follow the Inviolable Rules of the Eigen States.
There are well-written character archetypes. Serge, a blacksmith enters the story, and rooms turn. Next, we meet Keran, Ila, and a Wolfhound. This story also has a green lizard named Naga that speaks and a dozen goblins with one four-foot-tall.
Rahni is aware this will be the last resort but she knows she needs to fetch the elixir. The Floating Isles map will help, She'll decipher the map of the Eigen States to follow her quests, while the Storybook alerts her to the villains and heroes.
Rahni's character remains outspoken, has moxy and a zany sense of humor.
“We’ll find out,” I answered as I pushed forward. After a few
more hallways, all of which looked similarly benign, I cupped
my hands over my mouth and shouted, “Will any prisoners
please release some bloodcurdling screams?”
Overall, I enjoyed the writing! We get to question what is in the broom closet, travel through the forest, talk to villagers and search for portals
In closing, I appreciate this quest's focus on realigning good and evil. All characters are catapulted into the spotlight with the use of fantasy tropes. Along the way, there is a propensity for absurd antics that surround the twists and turns of the quest- making it a fun and engaging read.
About the Author
Alda Yuan works on public health and environmental law. She graduated with her JD and probably several complexes from Yale Law School in 2018. She lives with her cat, an adorable orange menace who only occasionally answers to the name Artemis. In addition to fiction, she writes on healthcare policy, space law, and open science. She is the author of a DIY guide on institutional change for racial equity called With a Lever.
She is also the creator of the Integral States Project, which reimagines the states and territories as fantasy maps as a catalyst for thinking about the arbitrary nature of borders as well as the pre-colonial history of those lands.