Thirteen year old Anvil, who prefers to be called Anne for obvious reasons, is beyond ready to leave St. Lupin's Institute for Perpetually Wicked and Hideously Unattractive Children. The trouble is there are only two places to go: to an academy to train to be an adventurer or to the Pit to work until she has enough money to buy her way out of it. No academy will accept her because she has no proof of her origin. The Pit sounds dismal, but she's willing to do anything to get away from St. Lupin's.
While planning her escape, a series of unpredictable things happen that lead her to her first quest. It has the unfortunate side effect of attaching a metal gauntlet to her arm, permanently, so it would seem, as well as placing her and her best friend, Penelope, in mortal danger.
Anne, Penelope, and their reluctant new friend Hiro, set off on an impossible quest that involves sweet-talking dragons into offering their assistance, a well-dressed talking hyena, ancient technology, riddles, and fireballs. There are lots of those.
There are so many things to love about this story that I don't know where to begin. The humor is spot on. I can't wait until my son is old enough to read this because I know he's going to love it. I laughed out loud multiple times. But it's more than just a funny book. It tackles big questions like finding your true self, finding your place in the world, honor, friendship, betrayal, and mercy.
In addition to all of those wonderful things, the main character of this adventure is also a female of color. It's not often that girls get to lead adventures, and in this book, there are more female characters than male. The role of fighter even falls to Penelope instead of Hiro. It was a delightful surprise.
White brings a fresh perspective to epic fantasy by poking fun at all of the tropes we know. The world-building is so subtle it feels natural, and while it's hinted at that this is a post-apocalyptic Earth, he never reveals that fact outright. The world is familiar and strange at the same time. The characters are likable and believable. I highly recommend giving it a read.
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