Title: A Fable of Brie and Blood

Series: Dungeons and Legends (standalone within the series)

Author: Scarlett Luna Strange

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Quest Objective: Train for war, survive the assassins, and don’t fall in love.
Aurelia knows exactly what happens when villages are left defenseless.
She watched her homeland fall beneath the rule of a merciless man, who silenced opposition through fear and bloodshed, and she refuses to let her new home meet the same fate. Though her uncanny ability to read people is a secret she dares not reveal, she has carved out a life for herself as a respected councilwoman in her small seaside village. Determined to protect them all before danger reaches their shores, Aurelia makes a bold request of the crown itself: send soldiers to train the villagers before it is too late.
King Cassian agrees. Haunted by grief and surrounded by growing assassination threats, Cassian has spent years trying to protect both himself and his kingdom from enemies lurking in the shadows. Trust does not come easily to him anymore, least of all when it concerns a sharp-tongued village woman who seems determined to dislike him.
Yet as attacks against the crown grow bolder and death spreads like a plague, Aurelia and Cassian find themselves fighting the attraction between them as they search for the dangerous truth.
Because someone wants the king dead.
And this time, they may succeed. – summary from Amazon

* I received an ARC from the author, and all opinions are my own.

A Fable of Brie and Blood is a unique novella inspired by Looking for a Bride!

This book was interesting. I will admit that for a while I thought this was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, which the next book in the series is, but this one is not. So, I was a little confused. The author does give an overview of the story in the beginning of the book, and I absolutely love how she talks about this story. It was heartfelt, and you can feel her love for this story in how she writes about it.

There are some heavy things that happen in this book. There is death and assassination attempts, though nothing is graphically described. This book also does not shy away from grief. I loved that aspect of the book, and the author did an absolutely incredible job of showcasing this emotion, in its many different forms. Through the course of this book, we get to see different facets of grief. The author did a beautiful job and I loved the representation!

The characters were interesting, and I found them intriguing! I really enjoyed Cassian. He was a very open character and was dealing with some hardships. He also had some anxiety, which was nice representation. I loved his friendship with Reyst. It made him more relatable and realistic.

Aurelia was also interesting, though I didn’t like her as much as Cassian. Aurelia was much more secretive than Cassian, and I felt like I didn’t get to know her on a deeper level, which is what I wanted. If this book was longer, or if there was another book about them, I think I would like her a little more. I still liked her, and I loved how she cared for those around her, but I wanted to know more about her.

The romance was sweet, and I loved how they bonded and comforted each other in their grief, but it felt a little rushed. I wanted a little more time dedicated to them getting to know each other. However, they had wonderful banter and I loved it. They definitely had chemistry and I love them together!

The magic of the world was really interesting! These books are inspired by video and RPG games, and I could see that in the way the magic manifested. I am curious if this book takes place in a greater world of Scarlett Luna Strange’s. The world was really interesting and intriguing, but I also felt like I was missing small pieces of background knowledge.

I loved the ending and how everything played out! It was well done and a lovely twist. I also love happy endings, so that pleased me. I do wish that the ending was a little longer. It was a little rushed, and I think if the final confrontation had been extended a little more, it wouldn’t have felt so abrupt.

I enjoyed A Fable of Brie and Blood! It had an interesting magic system, with a shocking twist, wonderful grief representation, and intriguing characters!

A Fable of Brie and Blood releases on September 12, 2026.