I loved how much Arlen’s character grew in the series.

Overall, The Warded Man is well worth the read and I can’t wait to see where the series is headed! There is so much mystery, intrigue and history within the debut of this literary world that the additional books will only build upon the solid foundation that The Warded Man has established, setting the stage for a truly in-depth, detailed series. These characters are absolutely delightful, especially Arlen as they encounter many adventures, each broadening our knowledge of the realm in which they inhabit. The novel follows three point of views, Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, through their various experiences. Much of this book is set up to explain the basics of the Wards, history of this world, and the layout/cultures of the various large cities. The humans are overwhelmingly helpless to their lot in life as they have no weapons to fight back against the demons, only holding them at bay with a series of Wards. With the holiday season in full swing and an open day ahead of me I finally picked up The Warded Man and finished it on one sitting! Brett created a fascinating world that immediately draws the reader in and immerses them into a realm where a variety of demons terrorize the night.

We even made a deal, he reads Queen of the Tearling and I pick up The Warded Man, however I kept delaying holding up my end of the bargain. My friend Cory has been encouraging me for months to pick up the Demon Cycle series. I decided to keep my review from 2017, as you can see below, with the change in increasing the score by half a point. Having first read The Warded Man back in January 2017, almost four and a half years ago, it was wonderful to revisit and be reminded of where this series started, with the knowledge now of where Brett will steer the story. Needless to say, I loved my reread arguably more than my first time through this material as familiar characters who at first seem inconsequential, we know in hindsight play much larger roles in the series as a whole.

Having enjoyed this literary realm the first time, I was looking forward to the refresher before the new series commences. Adding to this incentive was the recent book release of Brett’s The Desert Prince in early August. Initial Notes: The Demon Cycle was going to be the next series in my Baby Bookmoon, following A Song of Ice and Fire and Red Rising, however Miss Quinn made her arrival before I finished A Dance with Dragons.

The warded man peter brett