I would like to thank Cheryl from Wizard’s Tower Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - Wizard’s Tower Press

Published - Out Now

Price - £24.95 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook

All seems well in the Kingdom of Talodiac. King Edwild’s rule is strong, and his young Queen, Thalia, has just provided him with a son and heir.

Yet there is unease through the kingdom. The mysterious Redweavers, sorcerers from a land called Kanter, enter Talodiac through woven portals, and one desperate man has plans for the young prince.

Sergeant Hervan of the King’s Guard knows little of such issues. He does know that one wet night he and his men are asked to provide an escort for a young woman leaving the King’s quarters. Presumably His Majesty couldn’t wait for the Queen to recover from the birth, and was seeking diversion.

Little does Hervan know that this simple task will one day have profound consequences for himself, his family, the King, and the tangled lands of Talodiac and Kanter.

Stories have shapes and beats. You read enough of them then you can start to see where they’re going. Sone of that is satisfaction - the joy of a good reveal should be it’s confirming a suspicion you’ve haD. Or would have had if you had put the clues together. Sometimes it’s a need for comfort yes good beats evil and our heroes find love. Sometimes you find such a tale predictable as it’s treading a far too worn path. Fortunately The Tangled Lands by Glenda Larke is not your standard fantasy novel and is more likely to send us down Shakespearean twists and turns to give you a unique reading experience.

In Talodoic the capital awaits the announcement of King Edwild’s heir. But moves are afoot with mysterious strangers to change events. The King’s mistress departs hurriedly and appears to have stolen something valuable.

Eighteen years later and we meet Taygen the roguish young son of the King’s Captain. Taygen is detracted he cannot join the guard himself and is finding himself accidentally in too deep with a local crime lord. His life gets further distracted when he meets a young rich man named Haze and his possible sister Innata. They are on the run from the King’s Guards but Taygen finds himself on their side. Add to that we get mysterious magic aviators from another world; secrets of the royals and a lot of danger Taygen is also soon to face prison and execution.

So all I’ve told you is true but not quite. I’m a reviewer who wants you to be as surprised as I was. This is a story where the beats are being played with and that creates a much more interesting story. The initial prologue in the past wrong footed me with lots of ‘colourful’ rogues and guards discussing the King’s birth but a swift 18 year time jump puzzled me as we find Taygen telling us events in his own voice from jail. A young man explaining how events got so out of hand. A simple purse snatch goes hugely wrong and this story creates lots of levels as we move outwards from meeting criminals, evading guards to dealing with gods, other worlds and royal intrigue.

The other fascinating angle and this is where the Shakespearean angle is apparent is that we have key characters constantly changing either their identity or revealing secrets. Larke boldly jumps our view points and skilfully each one both expands the story and then glued the wider plot points together. We are kept guessing who is the villain and what everyone is actually up to. Larke is not afraid to let us wait for answers which for those wanting a simple fast plot may be off putting but I enjoyed the changes of pace and story.

The other interesting angle is this world isn’t your standard medieval setting. We get multiple gods; a society that accepts gay people - intriguingly it’s a must for the Guard and the strange interlopers from another magical dimension named Redweavers get treated appallingly and all the references will make you think of how some refugee populations are treated. Larke rarely gives you something simple and these moving pieces of story does make the tale work.

The Tangled Lands is a surprisingly engaging standalone epic fantasy tale of intrigue, magic and people trying to do the right thing when others will stop them. I don’t think you’ll find this a predictable ride and that always makes a read worth recommending to you!