Title: A Fable of Guardians and Glory

Series: Dungeons and Legends #5 (standalone withing the series)

Author: Beth Alvarez

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Quest objective: Reach the Abyss, find the rogue mages, and end the war.

Tempest doesn’t belong on the battlefield. As the general’s daughter, she should be perched safely in the Bastion, watching the world at war. But the monsters flowing from the Abyss already destroyed her family, and she refuses to lose anyone else. Her strange magic promises an end to the conflict, if she can just reach the bottom of the Abyss and set her power free.

Seiche knows nothing but the mines and the war they fuel. As a digger, his only concern should be locating ley lines to sustain the Bastion’s magic-powered weapons. But he’s a soldier, too, and when Tempest’s unexpected presence on the battlefield sends things sideways, he’s bound by duty and honor to protect her—and when they’re cut off from the rest of the army, her mission may get them both killed.

Their one chance at survival is the only thing that will end the to reach the bottom before the next blood moon, when the next wave of monsters spawn. Yet as they venture into the Abyss and battle their growing attraction, they uncover one truth about the rogue mages and the mana-beasts they command…
Everyone is lying, and one wrong move might end them all. – summary from Goodreads

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

A Fable of Guardians and Glory is an interesting fantasy novel inspired by Cinderella with sci-fi elements and magic!

I did enjoy this book, but it wasn’t my favorite. This book definitely read more like a sci-fi than a retelling, which was fine, but not what I was expecting. I do love a good sci-fi, and the elements of sci-fi present were well done and intriguing. Sci-fi also needs a lot of time to lay out a solid foundation, and I think time was a little bit of an issue with this book. This book was relatively short and there just wasn’t time to build the world. There was more of a story than was able to fit into the book.

I will say, if the author ever decides to come back to this world and develop it more, I would totally read it. I loved the world and the history of this universe, and the story itself was intriguing, there just wasn’t time for this book.

The storyline itself was intriguing, albeit I was a little confused. I think with a little more backstory, it would have made a little more sense to me. The magic and mechs were super interesting, and the mechs reminded me of Voltron, which I loved. The politics of this world also drew me in, and I wish it was a little bit more of a focus. Again, the magic was unique and I liked it. It was a little dark and eerie, which is perfect for fall.

The characters, Seiche and Tempest, were intriguing, though I think this story was much more plot focused rather than character focused, which is never my favorite. While they were intriguing, they fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed Seiche’s backstory and how that influenced him and his perspectives. He was very obedient and followed every order, which was interesting to see. I liked Tempest, but I also couldn’t quite get a feel for her. While I liked both characters, they didn’t necessarily stand out to me.

This was inspired by Cinderella, but you don’t really see that until the very end of the book. I didn’t mind this, but if you want a retelling that has a lot of Cinderella references this is not the book for you.

I did enjoy this book, with the world and magic being very intriguing. And I would read another book that took place in this world. A Fable of Guardians and Glory is perfect if you want a fantasy story with sci-fi elements, action, magic, and a plot-driven book.

A Fable of Guardians and Glory is releasing on October 10, 2026.