Moth and Spark

Leonard’s debut explores an entirely familiar fantastical world with enthusiasm and energy. Trapped between the Mycenean Empire and the aggressively expansionist Sarians, Prince Corin’s homeland of Caithen faces betrayal by the first and a brutal invasion by the second. Complicating an already dismal situation, Corin has been magically compelled by the dragons to rescue them from the Empire’s sorcerous enslavement. Well-educated commoner Tam is not bound by magic but a wielder of it; the love that kindles between her and the prince bridges the vast social gulf between them. Torn by conflicting duties and opposed by vast armies, Tam and Corin struggle just to survive, and saving Caithen and freeing the dragons seem entirely impossible. The generic character names and clean prose may remind readers of other steadfast laborers in the epic fantasy field, and Leonard appears happy to embrace the conventionality of setting and plot. (Feb.)