The Legend of Brightblade
Ethan M. Aldridge
Quill Tree Books
March 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Legend of Brightblade

A young prince must learn to be his own kind of hero in this stand-alone graphic novel from the acclaimed creator of the Estranged duology. Perfect for fans of the Amulet series and The Witch Boy.

Young Prince Alto dreams of being a hero like his mother, the Lady Brightblade. Her well-known legend was woven into stories by the magical bard who fought by her side.

The kingdom may be at peace now, but Alto believes that the world still needs heroes. He has been learning the bard’s magic, and has grown restless with royal life. Determined to have an adventure of his own, Alto runs away from the palace.

On his journey, he finds himself making new friends and encountering new and exciting magic. But when he discovers that there are dangers threatening the kingdom, Alto realizes that he might not be able to handle them alone–and making his mark as a hero is harder than the stories made it seem.

My Review

I received a copy of one of Aldridge’s other books for review, and since then, I’ve bought two of his books– this one and ESTRANGED. I loved both the books in the Estranged duology, so when I spotted this book on Goodreads, I added it to my shopping list. The color palette in the other duology appealed to me a lot more than the colors of this book. Now that I’ve read it, though, I think they’re perfect for the vibe in this story.

So basically the story is a troupe of (magic-wielding) bards who fight evil with music. Just that premise alone is enough to hook me into the story. Pair that with Aldridge’s fantastic worldbuilding and character expressions, and I feel like it’s impossible not to love this one. Alto cracked me up with his ideas for the group’s name. (Letting someone else choose was probably the best idea!) I loved both Ebbe and Clarabel, Alto’s friends and troupe members. And I loved the background story about the three warriors who defeated the dragon before the story begins.

All in all, this was a spunky, fun story, every page entertaining. I’m super glad I read it, and will absolutely be buying/reading more by Ethan Aldridge in the future.

Content Notes for The Legend of Brightblade

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
The main characters are from different (made up) races.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
List.

Violent Content
Some (cartoon-like) battle scenes and situations of peril.

Drug Content
None.

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