To Wield the Darkest Night is a standalone romance novel set in the same universe as the Prince’s Dearest Guards series, albeit hundreds of years later. Think seventeenth or early eighteenth century fantasy to Guards’ medieval. I didn’t intend to read the series in chronological order, but sometimes ya get lucky!
While the kingdom has improved in some ways, trans citizens still struggle to be accepted. The apothecary Sol is so far in the closest he hasn’t changed his clothing style since university graduation. With the apothecary shop, his aging mentor, and his increasingly vivid dreams of a man in black armor, there’s plenty else going on. His life (and heart rate) escalates when his dream man knocks on the door, asking for Sol to help cure the ailing king. Oh, and that dark armor wasn’t for show–Yohan is one of the Old King’s Cursed Riders and his contract is up.
I wanted to like this novel more than I did. I was surprised when the Acknowledgements mentioned an editor, because To Wield needs some more rounds. Words are misspelled or wrong (campfire became vampire, which made me pause to think about vampires in this setting); physical continuity suffers (camping inside a barn changed mid-scene to camping outdoors under moonlight); and deus ex machina lacks storytelling sense (While they’re camping in the boonies, Sol’s tent is randomly stolen by his school bully. Somehow). When I read self-published books, I aim to be generous and overlook mistakes–self-publishing is immensely difficult–but the missteps here are glaring. What Van Dalen absolutely nails is Sol’s trans journey. That throughline glowed, spun; shone. Yohan’s conflict is quite easily overcome, and I enjoyed the fantasy of the perfectly accepting, matching-every-preference man walking over the threshold. Sol and Yohan together made my toes curl with cozy. The emotional gentleness is only matched by the high passion of the sex scenes. Sol and Yohan pay attention and ask questions of the broader world, and I enjoyed learning more facts about the Guards universe.
Overall, I recommend To Wield the Darkest Night to experienced trans romantasy fans, who are interested in a trans coming out story in a fantasy setting. Having read books like this one, I can fill in the gaps and reap the reward that is Sol’s journey to happiness.