Crimson Bound

In the world of Crimson Bound, Rachelle’s destiny was to follow in her aunt’s footsteps of becoming a woodwife, a village protector. That all changes when she meets a forestborn in the woods and foolishly discards her protections to coax information from him. She becomes a bloodbound, a wild being connected to the Great Forest. When she is told that the Devourer will soon bring darkness to the whole world, she decides to find the one weapon that might defeat him, a sword called Joyeuse. When she is appointed as bodyguard to the king’s son, she finds herself in a chateau that may be exactly where she needs to be to help her quest.

Gorgeous and lyrical writing immediately drew me into Crimson Bound, though once there, I found myself a little bored with the slow movement of the plot. It flip-flops between Rachelle’s determined search for the sword and a succession of court parties for a little more than half the book before anything happens to really move the plot forward. However, complex characters that were all equally intriguing, frustrating, and well written and a world full of brilliant fantastical detail brings this story to colorful life.