Regalia, by Maurin Lee, is a sweeping fantasy in a beautiful setting. References to the different languages spoken across the kingdoms of Ondile, Nunem, and Veatia, made this feel like a fully developed world. Characters follow different customs with different rituals. For example, Cassius of Veatia celebrates a harvest festival of Yxtix, a common, annual event for him, but completely foreign to Sarai of Ondile. And character casually swear by deities of different faiths, all small worldbuilding details that add up to made this feel like a full, vibrant world.
The story introduces three young people, each with a connection to a different royal family. First, we meet Sarai, a brave and smart soldier. I’m always happy to see women warriors, especially in scenes where they use their skills and training, and have the respect of the other soldiers. Her uncle is the King of Ondile, but instead of bringing her power and wealth, her connection to the throne just puts her in danger.
Although mostly human in appearance, the people of Veatia have spiral horns. Their prince, Cassius, is grieving his brother’s death when the story begins, and trying to balance his own stress with the needs of his kingdom. I don’t want to give away the plot, but it made perfect sense why Cassius had to step in, and also why this upset and stressed him more. I particularly enjoyed him bargaining with the greedy King of Ondile. Even though he clearly needed the services of an Ondile sorcerer, he wasn’t willing to hurt his own people or accept the king’s cruel jokes about bringing his brother back.
Prince Kylan of Nunem is having a pretty adorable romance with a barmaid, but he can’t keep pretending to be on hunting trips. He owes loyalty to his country and his family, and with international conflict coming, he can’t put it off any longer.
Because this is a three-sided conflict, the book avoids some of the clear-cut good versus evil that can plague fantasy novels. The kingdoms of Ondile, Nunem, and Veatia are locked in conflict, with some definite evil-doers but plenty of greyer motivations. This conflict is well-developed, and builds in believable ways — but be warned, the story ends with an opening for a sequel or a whole fantasy series, rather than a resolution.
