Once I started reading about this young inker from Ilbrea with a penchant for healing and a heart of defiance, I couldn’t stop.
I found the first book in a random bundle of free novels, and thought “why not”. From that moment on, I was hooked. I bought every other book in the series the second I finished Ember and Stone.
In a story of oppression, we follow the path of a girl who isn’t all that special. She is from a small village, and has lived a small life. A life that has been full of fear, doubt, pain and guilt. And through all of that, Megan O’Russell transformed her into one of the most relatable characters you will ever read.
“I wish I could lie and tell you we raced away into a joyous peace earned by those who risk their lives so others may live freely.”
Ena of Ilbrea was born when O’Russell realised that the character she had created was too large for the pages she was confined to. So she put the Guilds of Ilbrea series on hold, and wrote a prequel series that has a prequel book to boot. You can tell that once an inkling of a story starts niggling at her mind, O’Russell is the type of writer who can’t stop till it’s all down on paper.
Ilbrea is a medieval world where an authoritarian oligarchy rules with an iron fist, controlling every resource from marriage to magic. Harane is a small off-the-beaten-path village, whose heart beats with tension in its bones. The villagers steal moments of happiness where they can, while the threat of death permeates the air. This is where we first meet Ena, an orphan who has suffered time and time again, before her life is shattered yet again.
The seeding of revolution is the core of Ena’s story over the course of the five books. It is not one that ends with a happily ever after, or a grand conclusion. Instead, it’s a journey. It is Ena’s tragic origin story (is there any other kind?), with amazing supporting characters, realistic romances, and no superhuman abilities. Ena is a nuanced and complicated character, who is just plain human. And that in itself is brilliant. However, we also have Lily, Mave, Nora, Evie, Cati and Finn, who make this tale one of feminism. Of how to be a woman in a world that oppresses you, and to use that to form a revolution.
“And let this be a lesson to you, Ena. Give yourself to a man with no sense, and you’ll end up getting married on a gods-forsaken muddy day to a a fool who no longer owns a horse.” – Lily
I teared up multiple times throughout the series, and full on ugly cried at book 3. By the time I finished, my heart was hollow from loss, echoing the emptiness of those last pages. If it hadn’t taken even more from our heroine, I would be mad at the story for taking so much from me.
With my heart still broken, I haven’t yet picked up the next series which starts with Inker and Crown. But the fact that it is there, that a bit of happiness might still find its way to our orphan from Harane, is the thread of hope that I need.
“I’d rather have my mad inker by my side than any of the others. Now come on, my little mad woman. Let’s go be heroes.” – Finn
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Need more books to read? Check out my list of the 7 best Dystopian Novel series.