The Dancing Tree by J.A. Skald📖Book Info
Look – It wasn’t supposed to go like this, alright?
Humans were trouble.
Life as a monster hunter had beaten that lesson into Sebastian often enough. But just because people said Relicts were heartless monsters, it didn’t actually make him one.
Would’ve saved him a whole heap of trouble if it did.
Not like Sebastian ever asked to become a Relict. Monster hunters turned half-monsters themselves, always traveling town to town to earn their keep, fighting with terrors and townsfolk alike until it's time to race back for their Orders before Mistide falls.
It's not a life anyone would want. Not that anyone ever asked him — he was sold into the life as a child to save his father's sorry skin.
When Ryndalon stumbles into his life, well - it turns out this isn't even the first time the bard's gone and made Sebastian's life hell.
Or that it's the end of his secrets...
Rule one making Deals with the fae? DON'T.
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A loose retelling of the Scandinavian folk tale East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon, The Dancing Tree is a dark fantasy MM adventure romance with angst, LGBTQIA+ characters, hurt/comfort, fae trickery, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, portal isekai, and hard cliffhangers.
Expect heavy elements of romance, violence, monster battles, swearing, trauma, betrayal, there was only one bed(roll), and — on occasion — guys making each other soup at a campfire.
It is intended for mature audiences.
💭Our Thoughts
Fast-paced Fantasy adventure that kept me engaged and turning the pages
A few out-loud OMG and STOP moments and a couple of twists I didn't see coming
Humor and some romance (though I felt this takes a back seat to the adventure)
A very solid start to the series
Not really dark IMO but it has darker tones
According to the author their debut novel The Dancing Tree is loosely built around an old Nordic myth/tale which I tend to enjoy
So this was right up my alley
There is time jumping in the form of present to past all in Sebastian's POV
The author did a solid job of making the jumps seamless. I didn't feel bogged down in details, or lost. They correlated well
Our hero, Sebastian is a bit snarky and grumpy, but he is a very crafty monster hunter
Not by choice, no his dad was up for murder and was given the option of trading his eldest son into servitude for his life.
I admit this sort of threw me but hey fantasy, fiction... anything can happen
Ryndalon is a healer and bard who ends up paired with Sebastian. Talk about opposite pairings. These two were oil and water.
The friction and banter between them made the story
From the opening page I was invested in Sebastian and his journey
Looking forward to the next in series
Website: https://suncatcherpress.com/
My Reviews on:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Joyffree
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1839574094
#DarkMMFantasy #EpicFantasy #FantasyThriller #MMRomance #koboplus #bookrecommendation #jaskald #suncatcherpress
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