Review: A Fable of Brie and Blood

A Fable of Brie and Blood by Scarlett Luna Strange was the first ARC I received from the upcoming Dungeons and Legends series, which is supposed to be a series of lesser-known fairy tales or myths inspired by RPGs and video games. I say "supposed to be" because this book had nothing to do with RPGs as far as I can tell, as someone who has been in DnD and Pathfinder campaigns and wrote a book inspired by Final Fantasy games. This made the pixelated "Start" icon at the beginning of each chapter feel a little out of place. That said, it was a fun spooky murder mystery and a great read to kick off the Halloween season.

This book was inspired by an obscure story called "To Find a Bride," which, according to the author's notes, is about a king selecting a bride based on the way she eats cheese. It was a very creative choice to turn into a novel, and she did a great job with it. The book begins with King Cassian selecting a bride based on his mother's dying wish for him to choose someone who is good at eating cheese down to the rind. Things take a dark turn from there when his bride passes away soon after. Forced to make a new marriage alliance, King Cassian chooses to follow his entourage to a neighboring kingdom over suspicions of foul play in either his wife's death or the potential alliance.

In the village they travel to, a councilwoman named Aurelia catches his eye. He isn't sure whether he finds her suspicious, attractive, or both. Then a series of murders take place, and he has no choice but to place suspicion on her. Some shocking scandals are revealed, and the book concludes with a big twist. I enjoyed the mystery and macabre overtones of this book even if I didn't always understand exactly what was happening. The story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the twists were fun and surprising.

What I liked the most about this book was the way it handled grief. I've read other books that expressed grief as this tedious, uncomfortable, lingering feeling that goes on for pages upon pages with no end in sight. A Fable of Brie and Blood beautifully expresses what it's like to lose a loved one in a way that makes readers feel for the protagonist without detracting from the story. The darker undertones perfectly complement the emotional core of the story.

Overall, A Fable of Brie and Blood is a great option for someone looking for a darker romantasy book this Halloween season. It makes a unique choice for a retelling and follows through in the execution. While it might not draw much inspiration from RPGs, it contains a beautiful expression of grief with strong themes about how to cope with it. The twist ending made it an overall satisfying experience.