Lord of Stariel is set in a somewhat Victorian-era past with magic thrown into the mix. Hetta is a spirited illusionist working in the city with a local theatre to produce enchanted scenes that twist reality and fiction for the viewer. She’s gifted in her talents but lives exiled from her family due to her love of magic. Her father would love to pretend she didn’t have any magic at all. When she receives word that he’s passed and she is needed at Stariel, her family home, for both the funeral and The Choosing, she jumps on the next train home. Struggling to come to terms with her father being gone, where she stands with her family now that she’s an adult with her own independence, and who may be the next Lord of Stariel. The family is fairly certain who is going to follow in her father’s footsteps, but the land has the final say and seems to think differently. This magic-packed fantasy is a easy, cozy read with twists and turns that will keep you reading while Hetta tries to figure out her place in the world she left long ago.

I absolutely loved this book. Hetta is a likeable main character with enough description in her inner monologue to communicate her traumas without being too drawn out. She loves her life in the city as an illusionist but she missed the feelings of being in Stariel. The twists in the book did actually take me by surprise and I love that in a book. This is the first in a five part series and I absolutely cannot wait to pick up the next book. I would have already picked it up, but I have so many other books on the queue that need to come first.

I’ve read other reviews that said Hetta let everything just happen to her, but I disagree. She is constantly trying to balance not upsetting her volatile family members and doing what she feels is right. With the ominous prologue that I had to re-read at the end of the book to get any sort of context (there’s still not much), I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series and keeping you readers updated! This book is available on Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe to that.

I give The Lord of Stariel by A.J. Lancaster five out of five stars. I loved the journey this book took me on and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, Victorian steampunk, new magic universes, and family dramas with just a hint of romance thrown in. This book is the full package!