Intisar Khanani is getting my spotlight beginning this year because in the last week of 2022 I picked up a copy of Thorn that had been sitting in my recommended pile for a few months, began reading, and promptly read Thorn, The Theft of Sunlight, A Darkness at the Door, Brambles, and I pre ordered The Tears of a Dragon which comes out January 10.

I’ve also heard tell that Riha of the Woods is out there but not yet gotten my grimy little hands on it.

I’m afraid I’ve run head first into a problem I have when I find something that I like. I always think of the years of work that went into something which I’ve just devoured mercilessly. It’s a testament to how well written, plotted, and executed Dauntless Path is that was a labor of years feels second nature already after only one week.

The Dauntless Path books and world are illuminated. The pacing and characterization are wonderful. 

Between Thorn and The Theft of Sunlight the narrative shifts protagonists from Alyrra, a princess in a retelling of Grimm’s The Goose Girl, to Rae —which initially I was concerned would mean inconsistency in narration but which instead created a wonderful launching board from Thorn and its introduction to the world building of Dauntless Path rooted in fairy tale, off into a full exploration of the world presented in Thorn, the ramifications of its politics and base assumptions. 

It’s everything you would hope for in a middle grade fantasy, with tones that initially reminded me of Dianne Wynne Jones.

I couldn’t recommend it highly enough if you’re looking for a fantasy series to plug away in for an engrossing escape. I look forward to what comes next and will likely devour that, too.