Inkslinger
On the surface, this story might just look like a simple story about magic and unplanned romantic entanglements, but it's so much more.
Rook is a brilliant kid, near the end of probably the roughest year he's experienced. He's lost his only relative and been thrust out of the only community he knows. Alone and feeling untethered, he's got a plan to work his way back in. His biggest problem is that none of it is legal.
Despite his situation, he's almost relentlessly positive and incredibly determined to succeed. He's a warm, lovely character who's quick to banter and tries hard to respect personal boundaries, even if he's not as good about that where his boss' work is concerned.
Antonia is his boss. A tremendously powerful sorceress, though she rejects him at first, she ends up taking him on. She's got a history of her own to contend with and she sees something in him at their first meeting that slips beyond her infamously prickly defenses.
I love Antonia and her penchant for bucking the rules. If I'm being honest though, it'd be difficult for me to choose a favorite amongst my top three characters in this book. They're all relatable in their own ways.
Sun. Their name couldn't be more ironic, as they're the grumpy to Rook's sunshine. Largely though, their grumpiness is a defense mechanism. They have a serious need for personal space and they typically struggle to grasp social situations, resulting in them sort of always being on edge. Experience has them expecting ridicule instead of empathy, but they are kind and care so deeply for those they let in.
While this read is mostly light and fun, there are a lot of important topics touched upon too. There are lessons to be learned about gatekeeping, different types of adversity, similarities between diverse people, familial structure, even questioning societal norms.
The story is endearing and I can't wait to read another title from F.T. Lukens because this one really won my heart. Though at first glance, it doesn't 'appear' to be as complex as most titles that I give five star ratings, that complexity is just delivered in a softer.. more reader friendly package. The characters are well-developed, the plot progresses nicely, and there's a lot of diverse representation included amongst the cast of characters.. much of it is never called out.. but rather treated with normalcy and respect.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)