The Queen will banish Prince Lir from the kingdom unless he can complete a quest and rescue a maiden from the dragon. His stepbrother, Prince Delbayne, encourages him to try the quest, even though Lir is more of a scholar than a warrior. Lir travels to the Isle of Salt where he finds the dragon sickly and weak in a damp and moldy cavern. The dragon has lost his fire and his wing is broken, but he could still kill a knight with one slash of his claws. The maiden Cethlenn used to be a servant girl in Lir's kingdom. Now she has to serve the dragon by treading on dark cherries in the wine press to make the dragon's cherry wine. So the scholarly knight, the humble maiden, and the old dragon meet for the first time. These three unlikely allies will discover that dark magic is hiding where they least expect it, so they must join together if they want to be free.

I loved this fairy tale! The plot takes a lot of twists and turns with unexpected surprises and clever schemes. I liked that the adventure doesn't quite follow the normal fairy tale plot. It feels fresh and new, but still has those classic elements of good fantasy.

The writing is enchanting in every way. Each paragraph pulls you into the magic of the story. I especially liked that there is a feeling of history in the worldbuilding. You can feel the weight of legend behind Lir's kingdom, and the past glories of his royal ancestors keep popping up to give us a sense of the longevity of his people. There are traditions and tales from the days of Lir's father's reign, and Lir looks to the past for wisdom and guidance in his own decisions, but he also creates his own path.

Cethlenn has her own part in the story as well. She is an orphan, and back in her serving days in the kingdom, nobody cared for her but the puppies in the stable where she slept in the hay. During her time with Lir and the dragon on the Isle of Salt, she discovers that she has a secret strength within her that will change everything.

The artwork is absolutely brilliant and beautiful! Every page is a delight. Sometimes I just had to stop reading and stare at the art for a few minutes. Every page is full of energy and mystery. It's really powerful, perfectly matching the dynamic of the story.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.